Rick Cooley made some good comments in the 040623 MMDigest about the
future of automated music, and asked for comments.  So I will comment.

First of all, I'm not really from the younger set that Rick mentions,
but at 46 I'm perhaps from another perspective.  I'm a recent collector,
first becoming active in mechanical music about 10 years ago.  But am
quite enthusiastic about it.

Now, those who know me personally know I cannot afford to own those
instruments worth tens of thousands of dollars, nor would I have
an appropriate place to house them if I did.  But I suspect that
the younger generation is unlikely to afford them either.  Most
30-somethings I know are lucky to pay their rent or house payment.
My own solution is to focus on smaller instruments: I personally
collect organettes, especially Roller Organs, and I have been
fascinated by the ingenuity of their construction and enjoy them
greatly.

I do greatly admire the accomplishments of those producing new
instruments -- I've seen and heard wonderful crank organs costing
a few thousand, and been amazed at those fabulous creations and
reproductions worth hundreds of thousands.  And I've also appreciated
those "labors of love" such as band organs built in home workshops
across the country.  It's all great.

But...  New instruments will never have the same appeal to _me_ as do
historic ones.  It's true that many antiques are neither "reliable"
nor "affordable", they don't always produce "wonderful sounds" and
sometimes don't include "beautiful case work".  But they are unique
and fascinating, they show a portion of history now nearly forgotten,
they always bring a smile or a curious look, and showing them allows
me to share everything I've learned with others.

So, acknowledging my very strong bias towards original instruments,
I'll suggest another viewpoint.  I don't think the attention of the
next generation will be captured by the availability of new instruments.
They may be a novelty, but they won't compete against the musical
devices of this decade.  (Check out the capabilities of an iPod, if you
want to see current development.)  These instruments may be beautiful,
but they won't compete with some of the furniture I've seen.  And few
newbies will invest in what might be neither historical nor practical
in a few decades.  I think the appeal of new instruments is to those
of us who _already_ value and collect mechanical music.

So I propose that those newly attracted to mechanical music will be
drawn by the historical machines constructed by previous generations.
Our job is to expose our collections to the general public, where they
can actually see them and hear them and become enamored with them.

I met a couple last week, who were traveling from Connecticut to
Arizona, and drove through Ohio to see me because they understood
I could tell them about an organette they received from a family
inheritance.  They admitted that they didn't really know what they had,
and had never even played its music to see what was there.  I sent them
home with visible excitement, eager to play and appreciate what they
owned -- not because of its great music or a beautiful case, but
because they "connected" with the era which produced such an instrument.

Why are the readers of MMD interested in mechanical music?  I too would
like to hear some comments on your involvement in this hobby.  Is it
the music?  The instruments?  The mechanisms?  The investment?  The
history?  The people?

Todd Augsburger - Roller Organs
Kenton, Ohio
http://www.rollerorgans.com/