The orchestra gained a reputation for playing works by American composers like Copland, Gershwin, Bernstein and Ives. But nowadays record companies are struggling to make a profit and classical symphonies are struggling to find a way to continue making recordings. Perhaps this will be the direction other orchestras take in the near future. In the late 1990's, the St. Louis Symphony was one of several internationally acclaimed American orchestras without a major-label recording contract. First, having a presence outside the concert hall helps elevate an orchestra's reputation and an increased reputation can then increase touring bookings and fees.
Recordings also add to musicians' incomes, both through recording fees and royalties.
In addition, recordings can preserve an orchestra's sound at a certain time with a certain conductor. The SLSO, for example, has a widely respected sound and wanted to record that sound under its new conductor, Hans Vonk, who joined SLSO in 1996. Lastly, for the SLSO at least, recording was part of the orchestra's mission. The orchestra sold the CD on its own, via an 800 number. Buckley, one of the key people involved in creating Arch Media, credits this particular experience as key in his thinking about the venture.