As union and producers duke it out on Broadway over live music, ‘it’s easy to be misled that it’s all about the numbers. In the talk about minimums and control, we shouldn’t forget what’s most important about the issue: the music. The essence of live theater is in the adjective ‘live.’ No matter what is said, it’s never the same when electronic music or pre-recorded music replaces live acoustic sounds. In this pre-recorded environment the control goes from the baton of the conductor to the dial of the programmer, who has become the actuary of this new musical world. The difference between a live orchestra and a virtual orchestra is the difference between a football game and Game Boy.”