It all began, as Lebrecht dopes it out, in 1841 with Gaetano Belloni, whom Franz Liszt hired to organize his concert schedule. Belloni would run ahead to each new town to prime the press and plant rumors of women overwhelmed by Liszt's sexual charisma. P.T. Barnum had offered Liszt a half-million dollars to make an American tour. Refused, he instead marketed soprano Jenny Lind among his midgets, bearded ladies, and other freaks, and charged ticket prices for her that would not be equaled for a hundred years. It makes a handful of artists unimaginably rich, and crushes thousands of others whom the overtaxed industry can no longer support.
Few stars have the willpower to resist the racket.
So much money poured into high-profile ventures leaves none left over for risky projects or new artists. Meanwhile, conflicts of interest flourished unchallenged. The redoubtable Arthur Judson became manager to dozens of major conductors and soloists and to several orchestras as well, forcing the orchestras to choose his own soloists and making a hefty commission on each contract. When Eugene Goosens protested Judson's high commission, Judson made sure he never got another job, and Goosens ended his career in Australia. Judson was benign next to current entrepeneurs like Mark McCormack, a sports promoter who decided he could make a mint presenting soprano Kiri Te Kanawa in arenas and in Rolex watch advertisements.