I don't have much to add to the substance of the article, but I'll address the intro. 1. No, the product is not the violinist. Yes you're paying big money for

I don't have much to add to the substance of the article, but I'll address the intro. 1. No, the product is not the violinist. Yes you're paying big money for the performance/art, but part of the performance/art is the entire experience. You're paying to listen to music in a nice hall, versus in the subway where it's incidental/background. That's the product, not just the violinist. 1b. Often (at least historically) the big draw for attending classical music performances is the opportunity to mingle with "who's who" in the local community. The music itself is a secondary activity sponsored by these patrons. That might explain why tickets are expensive. 2. Joshua Bell is not that great a musician. And he's not a great person either.