MUSIC

Our Playlists Are Filled With ‘Old’ Music

Is nostalgia - and not just A.I. - ruining popular music right now, when more than 100,000 songs are released to streamers every single day? - BBC

Some Questions For And About The Suddenly Shuttered Phoenix Symphony

For instance: "Why it hired a new music director ... amid much fanfare last March; whether any employees other than CEO Peter Kjome will be paid during the suspension; or what, specifically, is being done to help the musicians and staff whose pay has been cut off." - Phoenix New Times

The Global Rise Of Album Listening Bars

In Seattle's Shibuya, for instance, "Once the listening room doors open, all drinks, distractions and shoes must be left at the door." - Salon

How One Donor Came To Give $10.5 Million To The Philadelphia Orchestra

David Cohen said that after his return, he “very quickly circled around arts and culture as the space where I thought I could make a real difference, a place where obviously Philadelphia has prominence and wonderful organizations, but where I still felt were a little under-appreciated.” - Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

Legendary LA Recording Studio For Sale

The list of household names who have recorded at Conway Recording Studios spans generations and genres. Burt Bacharach, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder, U2, Guns N’ Roses, Daft Punk, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar are just a few of the artists who have recorded there. - Los Angeles Times

Inside Shanghai’s Striking New Opera House

“Our initial thought wasn’t about what the building should look like, but rather: How can an important cultural institution be integrated into everyday public life in one of the world’s most vibrant cities?” - Architectural Digest

Might Live Nation Be Broken Up After Losing Court Battle?

Across the country, some 480 independent venues and 240 music festivals have shut since 2020, with 160 shuttering so far this year, according to the National Independent Venue Assn., a trade group for the industry.  - Los Angeles Times

Financial Fraud Discovered At Luxembourg’s Main Concert Hall

“Luxembourg’s Philharmonie has uncovered fraudulent transactions within the organisation totalling €160,000 following internal inspections, the concert hall said on Monday. … The concert hall said it is cooperating ‘fully with the authorities to establish the facts and determine any potential liability’." - Luxembourg Times

Opera Australia Loses Major Philanthropist Support For Harbor Opera

Japanese billionaire philanthropist Dr Haruhisa Handa is ending his 15-year partnership with Opera Australia, closing a significant chapter in the history of one of the company’s most recognisable flagship events, Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour.- ArtsHub

Can Opera On The Screen Be Successful?

This is the 75th anniversary of the first opera made for television: Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, broadcast at Yuletide in 1951 and watched by five million people across the US in a production sponsored by Hallmark. - The Guardian

Music Copyright Case Fails At Supreme Court As Four Justices Recuse Themselves

No quorum, because four of the nine justices recused themselves. The court did not explain why Sonia Sotomayor, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson stepped away from the case. - NPR

The Scene In “Lincoln In The Bardo” That Told Missy Mazzoli It Could Be An Opera

At one point, those stuck in the bardo see multiple versions of people important to them, urging them to move on. "I just pictured this cascade of people who were entering, and leaving, and singing, and then singing together and then singing by themselves," Mazzoli says. - The Washington Post (MSN)

Spotify Reports Revenue, Subscriber Gains, Says It Will Thrive In The AI World

Co-CEO Gustav Söderström said: “Spotify is in one of the few categories that actually stands to thrive in the agentic age. This is because agents excel at replacing and taking care of things people would rather not do. People love getting rid of chores. But entertainment is the opposite.  - The Hollywood Reporter

Listeners Are Turning Against AI Music

Streaming services, notable musicians and fans are confronting the growing presence of AI-generated music and drawing lines in the sand. On Tuesday, Spotify announced it had removed about 50m songs considered AI slop from its recommendations to users over the past year. - The Guardian

When Music Teachers Are Gods

I have known countless music students who have gone on to distinguished careers who have described their teachers in God-like terms and continue to do so long after their student days. Often these descriptions are laced with affection and continued adulation. - Thomas Wolf

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