Infinite announced today a definitive agreement to buy Napster for $207 million. The Norwalk, Connecticut-based company plans to turn Napster into a “social music platform that prioritizes active fan engagement over passive listening, allowing artists to connect with, own, and monetize the relationship with their fans." - Ars Technica
The Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam is setting an example with the great leaps it has made in recent years toward sustainability. The dream, distant for now, is carbon neutrality; the reality may still be a work in progress, yet changes have been adopted with remarkable speed. - The New York Times
Activists scattered throughout Davies Symphony Hall interrupted the show one by one, displaying Palestinian flags and yelling denunciations of the war in Gaza. Some audience members shouted back; others pinned one protestor, pulled another’s hair and broke her glasses, and tried to pull others from their seats. - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
“It was labelled ‘Beatles 60s demos’ and had been sitting around Neptoon Records, one of Vancouver's most well-known record shops, unplayed. ‘I thought it was just a reel-to-reel tape that somebody had put bootleg things on.’” - CBC
Pop singer Mariah Carey defeated a lawsuit claiming she illegally copied elements of her holiday megahit "All I Want for Christmas Is You" from a country song of the same name. - Reuters
Esa-Pekka Salonen didn’t resign as the orchestra’s music director; he simply said that he wouldn’t renew his contract, which runs through the 2025 season. Nonetheless, he's gone. - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
Graham Parker told the board of his decision “to spend more time with his family” in January and stepped down at the end of February, but public announcement of his departure was delayed, orchestra officials said, “out of respect for Graham.” - Louisville Public Media
It’s become an issue in the opera world, leading to directors and designers wrestling intensely with the question of how to both preserve the opera without engaging in its more troublesome stereotyping. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“Founded in 1989 by ABBA's Stig Anderson, the Polar Music Prize is an annual award, usually given to one contemporary and one classical musician. Each laureate receives 1 million Swedish krona (roughly €91,000 or $98,000).” This is only the second time it has gone to three recipients. - Euronews
The RIAA reported that U.S. recorded revenue grew to $17.7 billion, an all-time high, while vinyl sales stayed strong, growing to $1.4 billion in 2024. But this year’s report confirms that streaming growth is slowing, down to just 3 percent compared to 8 percent a year ago. - The Hollywood Reporter
The four-year extension means that the Italian conductor will remain in D.C. at least through the National Symphony’s centennial season. - The Washington Post (MSN)
