Also, the number of musicians should be more under the control of the producers, who presumably had a better idea of how many employees could be afforded by a particular show, as opposed to the Musician's Union, which would only have one narrow interested party in mind, namely the musician's collective welfare. (Hostetter, 2003) Who owns the final product -- the artist or the person funding the art? Neither can make art 'happen' without the other, yet both parties view art in very different terms. Creating value for both parties requires that the commercial theater on Broadway continue in a state of financial health -- a view that seems to favor the producer's point-of-view. The musicians had a point that, if the quality of music slowly declined on Broadway, this would have a long-term deleterious effect upon the quality of attendance in the long run. Using taped music rather than live musicians, a crucial element of the debate, would do away with one of the reasons people go to live theater in the first place.

But while theater is ultimately a commercial enterprise, a negotiator, in creating a final settlement that is equitable to both sides, must keep in mind both sides' artistic and financial concerns for control over the final product. He or she must understand the philosophical issues at stake. Certain exceptions were already allowed on Broadway...

Perhaps expanding these definitions might have been one way to stake out a middle ground between the two opposed parties that validated their artistic needs for control, but still allowed for some reduction of costs when a specific show's music legitimately required fewer musicians for artistic as well as monetary reasons. Reducing the required numbers of musicians, but raising the minimum salaries for actively employed musicians might be one way to create value for both parties, while still making concessions to the producers.
Ultimately, the minimum number of musicians was reduced and an equitable solution was reached after Broadway theaters remained 'taped' for several days, when the unionized musicians went on strike. Regardless, this dilemma between the producers and the musicians highlights the difficulty of negotiation when two parties approach the issue not simply with two distinct interests, but from two different philosophical paradigms of who owns the art that is the essence of both side's livelihood and lives.

Works Cited

Lax, David and Sebenius, James. The Manager as Negotiator; Bargaining for Cooperation and Competitive Gain. New York, NY: The Free Press. 1986.

Martha Hostetter (2003) "The Musician's Strike." The Gotham Gazette. http://www.gothamgazette.com/article//20030304/1/298