In the early 21st century, downloads were a thing, but now, downloading rather than streaming "is a purely performative gesture – it only ever happens as a result of some kind of factional culture war that somebody has the money and inclination to try to represent on the charts." - The Guardian (UK)
Matthew Sheeran: "The first thing you have to do is get the score translated into what I call scordatura notation, where what you hear is not what you see. I had to translate it into music for keyboard, where the octave isn’t an octave." - The New York Times
Or at least that’s the hope of duo Pavel Kolesnikov and Samson Tsoy, who met at the Moscow State Conservatory and who revived their piano duet career during the early days of the pandemic. - The New York Times
In the classical music world, this tension between prioritizing diversity and emphasizing the traditional system of meritocracy is one of the greatest sources of friction, mirroring a similar cultural argument taking place in other institutions and industries around the country. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The composer himself had an intensely mathematical brain. He would sign his name in music, and would even hide little references to the numbers 14 and 41, which acted as his numerical signature, in his works. - ClassicFM
CEO Robert Kyncl wrote in an internal memo, "We’re in a position of strength, and that’s the smart time to change, innovate, and lead. … Today, we’re announcing a plan to free up more funds to ... accelerate our growth for the next decade. … Our plan includes reducing our workforce by approximately 10%." - Billboard
Shortly after the Russian invasion began, "the orchestra filed a request with the Ministry of Culture to go abroad. Military targets were under attack, but so was Ukrainian culture. The war’s ‘cultural front’ and Ukrainian culture’s fight for its continued existence was on minds throughout the country." - Classical Music (UK)
"The number of partnerships between an American orchestra and a music director that have been so productive for so long is vanishingly small. … This partnership has officially come to an end. So it’s a good time to outline and celebrate the scope of (Michael Tilson) Thomas’s achievements." - San Francisco Chronicle
Spano — currently music director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Aspen Music Festival and School, principal conductor of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and from 2001 to 2021 music director of the Atlanta Symphony — begins an initial three-year term at the WNO in fall 2025. - The Washington Post (MSN)
Throughout her tenure, Cadeau oversaw the recruitment of Kent Nagano in 2006, the opening of the Maison symphonique de Montréal (the OSM's then-new home) in 2011, the creation of the education program "La musique aux enfants" in 2016, and the hiring of current Music Director Rafael Payare in 2021. - The Violin Channel
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!
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 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
"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)
