ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

MUSIC

Grammys Chief Defines The Stakes For AI And Music

The key questions, Harvey Mason said, center on how AI is creating its new generative output and how the industry can identify whether an artist’s voice or music was misused. - Yahoo!

BMG Music Chief Says Tectonic Shifts In The Music Business Are Afoot. BMG Is Reorganizing

For Thomas Coesfeld, these and other recent gear-shifts at BMG all come in preparation for what he calls “tectonic shifts” affecting the music rights business. - Music Business Worldwide

Spotify Losses Narrow After Price Increases

Spotify narrowed its loss to 70 million euros, equivalent to about $75 million, in the final quarter, from €270 million a year earlier. Revenue grew 16% to €3.67 billion, in line with its guidance, helped by a price increase in the second half of 2023 and a growing ad business. - The Wall Street Journal

The Philadelphia Orchestra Tries Out A New Happy-Hour Concert Format

"Orchestra After 5" concerts begin with a cocktail hour in the Kimmel Center lobby, followed at 6:30 by a one-hour concert with an informal chat afterward. "If the goal was to lure listeners beyond the traditional base," writes Peter Dobrin, "it was a wild success." - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

What The No-Longer-Mostly-Mozart-Festival-Orchestra Is Up To For Its First Season

"While the ensemble will remain the same in size and membership, it has a new name, a new music director and a program aimed at drawing more diverse audiences. The Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center ... will convene in July for its first season under conductor Jonathon Heyward." - The New York Times

This Year’s Classical Grammy Winners

Elaine Martone won Producer of the Year, Classical, for a bouquet of albums including Third Coast Percussion’s Between Breaths, Seth Parker Woods’ Difficult Grace, and the Cleveland Orchestra and Franz Welser-Möst’s Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5. - WRTI

TikTok Users Frustrated As Music Goes Away

“Half my drafts are muted now,” says Madeline Macrae, a Swift fan and TikTok creator. While initially frustrated by the change, Macrae thinks there might be positive impacts. Even though many ardent fans value the online community built through social media, some are also uncomfortable with the flattening of poetic songs into 60-second memes. - Wired

How Your Spotify Algorithms Are Changing Your Musical Taste

While you might look at your daylist and think that Spotify knows your music tastes intimately, it is equally the case that the algorithm has shaped those tastes over time. - The Conversation

Simon Woods Talks With John Williams

It could be argued that Williams is the best friend American orchestras have ever had. His orchestral film scores are many Americans’ first encounter with the sound of a symphony. - Symphony

The New Grammy Category For African Music Needs To Look At A Map

Note to the Grammys: Nigeria and South Africa are not the only two countries on the continent of Africa. - NPR

Please Stop Saying This Is The ‘Year Of The Woman’ At The Grammys

What a farce that idea is. "Nearly 25% of the 1,200 most popular songs of the last 12 years were penned primarily by 12 men. Those 12 men are shaping audience perceptions and beliefs about romance, relationships, wealth, health.” But this is fixable! - Los Angeles Times

Carlos Kalmar Sues The Cleveland Institute Of Music

The suit accuses CIM staff of "illegal disclosure of Maestro Kalmar as the target of a federal Title IX investigation, including false and defamatory statements and inferences that he engaged in sexual misconduct.” The suit says the former Oregon Symphony director’s career has been ruined as a result. - Van Magazine

Everything You Need To Know About Tonight’s Grammys

Beyoncé needs three wins to tie - or four to beat - Georg Solti’s total. - The New York Times

Pay Phones Are For The Birds

One old pay phone booth in Maryland is for bird calls, thanks to a musician and audio producer. Of the calls, he says, “Some of those will just blow your mind. You know, you hear the sound of that, you'll think, what planet? And you're like, this planet." - NPR

The Violinist Fighting For The Rights Of Hollywood’s Musicians

In a suprise to no one, one of the American Federation of Musicians' "biggest concerns is the film and TV industry’s transition to streaming, which has significantly altered the way musicians are compensated for their work." - Los Angeles Times

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss

function my_excerpt_length($length){ return 200; } add_filter('excerpt_length', 'my_excerpt_length');