From time to time we read about how gasping players are responsible for
the negative reputation mechanical music has for some people.  Perhaps
this is not a recent phenonemon.

The following comes from The Book of Musical Anecdotes by Norman Lebrecht:

    "What is the difference between Godowski and a pianola?"  Busoni
    would ask." (Godowski (1870-1938) was a Polish-American piano
    virtuoso) "Godowski can play ten times as fast, but the pianola has
    ten times as much feeling"

N.B.  This is the same Busoni who sold his name for use on piano rolls!

Jurgen Goering