Passage Summary: Everyone agrees live music is better than recorded music. Some think it's because we can't see the band on a record, but the author points out that stories sound the same whether the reader is there or on the radio.

Conclusion: The reason live music feels richer than recorded music is not simply the lack of visual contact with performers.

Reasoning: There is almost no difference in the experience of listening to a story read on the radio versus listening to it in the same room.

Analysis: The statement about live music being a 'richer experience' serves as a background premise that the author accepts as a fact. The entire argument is structured to investigate the cause of this phenomenon. By identifying the role, we see it functions as the 'phenomenon to be explained' or a premise that sets the stage for the author's rebuttal of a common theory. Look for an answer choice that identifies this as an observation the author intends to account for.