"London-based ballad publishers commissioned, bought and distributed songs which were performed in ale houses, markets and town squares, hoping that people would buy the song sheets." Says historian Christopher Marsh, "It was the first time in history that people tried to publish songs to make money, to make hits." - The Guardian
Live-events company Fever is one such disruptor. Founded by Ignacio Bachiller Ströhlein, a McKinsey & Company alum, and Francisco Hein, creator of city guide Secret Media Network, the company touts its data-driven approach to “democratiz access to culture and entertainment in real life.” - San Francisco Classical Voice
To consider Gershwin’s work declassé, kitschy, corny and/or inflated, chastising it for sinful appropriation or for outshining worthier works, seems to me to miss the fun. - Mandel's Media Diet
This month the 63-year-old Dutch conductor began his term as music director at the Seoul Philharmonic. That orchestra had been considered one of Asia's most prominent, but it has suffered a decade of nasty management conflict and financial difficulties; van Zweden is looking forward to rebuilding the ensemble. - The New York Times
Nina Yoshida Nelsen, a mezzo-soprano and the cofounder of the Asian Opera Alliance, joined the company as an artistic adviser in 2021. She becomes the first person to hold the permanent artistic director position following the 2021 departure of general and artistic director Esther Nelson. - MSN
"The Los Angeles Opera has scrapped plans for the world premiere of Mason Bates's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay this fall because of finances. The work will instead open with a student cast at Indiana University" ahead of a planned run at the Met during the 2026-26 season. - AP
The Musicians' Union and Equity, which represents the company's chorus, put a hold on the planned strike after Equity announced that it has reached an interim settlement with management. At issue are the company's plans for employing union members during and after its move from London to Manchester. - The Guardian
The industry is facing yet another revolution, but what sort isn’t yet clear. Is A.I. a format change in the way music is consumed, like the transition from records and cassettes to CDs, or is it a threat to the business model, as were free downloading and file-sharing? - The New Yorker
Candlelight Concerts aren’t about digital projections, but are about curating and customizing full experiences. And that’s striking a major chord. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Sure, the 80-year-oldCanadian singer-songwriter has been nominated 18 times and has nine wins, and is nominated again this year for best folk album, but this will be her first official Grammys performance. - CBC
Hollywood, of course. But also, an understanding of the supernatural: "In L.A., bizarre gods have tended to operate more in realms of grand fantasy. It's not the power of specific individuals that need scare us but power, period." - MSN (Los Angeles Times)
It's not just TikTok - "The average song length peaked at 4 minutes 21 seconds in 1992," or about 30 years before TikTok came on the scene, but now, a need for quick-engagement dances and memes means the average song length is plunging again. - Washington Post
In LAX's Orchestrina, "he light dims to a soothing cerulean. Swells of ambient music rise to meet passengers as the moving sidewalk whisks them through the terminal. Along the way, the music shifts between 30 compositions written in a single key (C major)." - Los Angeles Times
