The contract troubles at the St. Louis Symphony have certainly underscored the complex issues surrounding orchestral management. But even moreso, the story has shown the unique place, power, and potential of weblogs as a new form of information media. As newspapers allocate less and less space to arts stories (especially complex and nuanced stories like […]
Taking brand placement to a whole new place
As traditional ad placements become lost in the clutter, or fast-forwarded on TiVO boxes and such, consumer companies are always searching for new and unexpected spots to display their brand. In Boston, Target now runs an animated commercial in the subway system…a series of images brought into motion by the train passing by. In another […]
A new approach to conference panels
Being at a national conference reminds me again about how odd the traditional panel discussion can be as a format for information sharing. You get four or five smart people and one moderator at a long table at the front of a crowded room. The moderator reads a long introduction to each. Then each talks […]
Let’s take a break from the word ‘change’
So I’m back at the annual Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference in New York (I was here last year, as some might recall). It has become a monster of a conference, with over 3900 participants this year. For those that don’t know, Arts Presenters is the national service organization for performing arts professionals that […]
Exploring common ground in the performing arts
Way back in June, I helped lead a project team at the National Performing Arts Convention in Pittsburgh. The event was the first-ever gathering of multiple national service organizations in the performing arts and their membership (OPERA America, Chorus America, American Symphony Orchestra League, and Dance/USA were the primary partners). And it offered an astounding […]
Rockettes aftermath
In the continuing saga of Clear Channel vs. the Boston nonprofit arts, it looks like Clear Channel took round one with a vengeance. As faithful readers will recall, the Boston Ballet’s traditional cash-cow Nutcracker was bumped this season from the Wang Center for the Performing Arts, to make way for Clear Channel’s touring ”Radio City […]
More carrots and sticks
My entry yesterday raised the idea of ‘carrots and sticks,’ or the tools that governments, philanthropists, community organizations, and others can use to reshape their immediate environment. It seems it might be worth a moment to explore that toolset to see what’s inside. Let’s assume for a start that the goal of all such institutions […]
Carrots and sticks
The Stage on-line makes note of a possible change in Irish tax policy sure to affect at least some creative individuals. The government is set to review an exemption of income tax on writers, artists, and musicians in the Irish Republic. The exemption, designed originally to provide another form of subsidy to creative artists, had […]
Less of a lecture, more of a conversation
The new year brings loads of ‘top 10’ lists, trend analyses, and other retrospectives to the mediasphere. One of particular interest can be found on the weblog PressThink (a blog about journalism). This list is author Jay Rosen’s Top Ten Ideas for 2004 for journalism. I was particularly struck by idea number 5: ”News Turns […]
Home for the holidays
I’ll be off from my blogging behavior for the coming week, returning to the task on Monday, January 3. Here’s wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season. Thanks for reading. I’ll see you soon.
