NPR story on online recording--amateurs vs. pros

One important postscript on my story for NPR's All Things Considered about online recording. Here's part of the host introduction--which I did not write:

It takes place every day and every night, in back rooms and basements, garages and even kitchens: Amateur musicians are using computers to make home recordings that sound like they came from a studio.

The implication here is that computer-based home recording is the domain of amateurs, who are now able to access professionals online. This spin on my story misses the essential point: that computer-based home recording and the Web obliterate the wall between the so-called amateurs and pros; and that many recordings by full-time musicians both famous and obscure are made at least partly in home studios. That's the reason why so many commercial studios, as noted in the story, have been wiped out in recent years.

I argue that the amateur/pro distinction is pretty dodgy in this Internet era anyway. How about a guy who never performs and has a nonmusic career but makes widely popular downloadable tracks: amateur or pro? How about someone who performs lots of dates and sells self-produced CDs off the stage and the Web but pays the bills with a temp or day job: amateur or pro? Is the difference between the two how much money they make in music? I, for one, don't want to value anyone's music based on gross income.

So, if the intro to my story were a Wikipedia entry, I'd go and cross out the word "amateur."