Baby steps perhaps aren't enough to entice Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and subscribers back: "Spotify announced on Sunday that content advisories will be added to 'any podcast episode that includes a discussion about COVID-19.'" - Vulture
One singer's thoughts: "We share a goal of bringing hundreds or thousands of people together for a few hours in one room. Even if most of our fans remained COVID-free, what if ... our show directly led to the hospitalization of a vulnerable senior?" - The Atlantic
Or so says cellist and composer Nancy Ives. "Something has to happen where the elements are transmuted into something new in relationship to each other," she says of her piece in honor of Beethoven's 250th birthday. - Oregon ArtsWatch
"The latest developments are escalating pressure on Spotify to clarify how it will weigh promoting the free speech of its content creators against the impact that some can have on public health during the pandemic." - Washington Post
Musicians aren't getting paid well, but Spotify "pays most of its revenues from songs back to labels and artists and has rarely turned a profit. In 2019, the company announced a new focus on 'audio,' meaning recorded books, live chats, and the booming medium of podcasts." - The Atlantic
First, of course, you could just buy music. But if you're a streaming fan, there are a lot of other options, some of which even seem to pay musicians in a half-decent way. - Los Angeles Times
"The world’s three biggest music companies: Universal Music, Sony Music and Warner Music, control about three-quarters of the UK recording market, allowing them to strike increasingly advantageous deals with streaming companies." That's not good for smaller artists - or maybe consumers. - The Guardian (UK)
I think we can all agree that this system is not set up for independent artists with a growing fanbase. The benefits of this pay-out scale are designed for the established, mega-stars with millions, or even billions of streams. - Erie News Now
Opera demands engagement. It’s best if it accomplishes this by being creatively provocative or ravishing or infuriating, but as long as there's enough to mull over to defeat tedium then all’s square. The worst operas are the ones that inspire nothing but boredom in a captive audience that can’t change channels. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Damn you, COVID-19! yet the good news is that 2020-21 season's shortfall, $6.3 million, is down by almost half from the previous season. And donations were up by 23%. Not too bad for an orchestra that played only 13 live-with-audience concerts. - The Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
“If you don’t have role models, it’s much harder to see yourself as a conductor – and there were male musicians who wouldn’t see themselves as conductors either.” - Irish Times
Calling out fellow songwriters for not writing their own material is bad form for musicians, particularly so given that the definition of songwriting has become ever more fluid over time, and depends greatly on the genre of music. - The Conversation
"I have spent the past two years immersed in writing a book about the man and his music. Beethoven’s most appealing feature is his progressive impetus, his need to flout precedent, to prick the pompous and kick the fools. The new AI confection is made by ticking digital boxes." - The Critic
"For decades, Barenboim and the Staatskapelle shared common interests. Now, 'til death do us part' has become a burden. Complicating the dynamics of this stagnant marriage is a third party: Berlin's Culture Department, … (seemingly) unable to intervene in the quagmire at the Staatsoper." - Van
