ABSTRACT
Until the end of the 1980s, the generous subsidies of the state had made the life of thousands of professional Cuban musicians markedly different from that of many of their Western colleagues. As in any other field of Cuban society, the perı´odo especial had a shocking impact on the music profession, producing changes that affected virtually all aspects of musical activity and consumption. Previously regarded as culture, music now became a commercial good and acquired a new economic role.
