That Nagging Audience Question

Actually, WKCR-FM in NY plays all those artists (although Stevie Wonder and Weather Report are heard less frequently than Miles & Rivers).
But what prompted this post is that the station will be holding a Sam Rivers Festival from May 18 to May 25: the saxophonist's complete recorded works - and Rivers will be in town to contribute to the broadcast.

Listen at http://www.wkcr.org

What an interesting discussion! I would add that instrumental music in general is suffering, be it classical or jazz.

Nowhere in this most interesting discussion has it been noted that jazz was not born an art music. Jazz for a half-century (especially during the Swing Era) was a form of pop music and, Vijay Iyer to the contrary notwithstanding, did have its share of hit records and commercial successes. That's how the Goodmans, Shaws, Jameses, Dorseys, and others became rich. Even though that era is long past, that's why many people still expect jazz to compete in the commercial marketplace.

I agree with Vijay that more non-profit presenters like Albuquerque's Outpost (and, I would add, L.A.'s Jazz Bakery) would benefit the jazz scene greatly. Right now, the scourges of the U.S. jazz concert scene are the "performing arts centers," which as Marty Khan has pointed out elsewhere, typically benefit only the priciest major jazz attractions and leave the rest of us out in the cold. (Not so many years ago, I used to be able to do some periodic domestic tours with my Nonet; those days are gone.)

And subscriptions series are fine, Ira, but they have to be affordable. I know few jazz fans who can regularly afford to shell out for Philharmonic/Opera-level prices.

European-style government subsidy of the arts, including jazz, seems the only real answer, but in this country, where the powers-that-be are on a mission to diminish or eliminate NPR, PBS, and the NEA, that ain't gonna happen.

Bravo! Finally an insider who understands what many of us outsiders have been thinking if not saying for years. The business model for Jazz ought to resemble the model for Classical music rather than for rock or other pop music. Jazz requires effort to enjoy - which is what makes it so wonderful.

More private philanthropy with a bit of government assistance is the solution - not beating us outsider Jazz fans into buying every new CD or attending a Jazz club once a week. How about a subscription to four or five concerts a year like the Philharmonic or Opera do?