1. How amazing would it be to have a CNN "people meter" approval thing running for a NY Phil concert with new music on the program? Or maybe throughout Doctor Atomic? Instead of English to English translations (" "), the audience approval rating could be projected on the little seat screens. That would be interesting stuff...seriously!2. What if classical musicians ran negative ad campaigns against the competition? If Anne-Sophie Mutter criticized Joshua Bell's new recording of The Four Seasons/Devil's Trill (she released the exact combo … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2008
False advertising
Can someone please explain to me why organizations that actually have awesome programming like the Brooklyn Philharmonic still manage to make themselves look completely lame? Don't you knock-out Rosewood font/drop-shadow me, Brooklyn. Also, what is that item in the top right corner - a speaker? Why?? Take that nonsense out and increase the size of the artist photos so we can see who we're dealing with. And what is this "BP Presents"? Is that a branded thing, a new series, or just something someone thought would look good on an e-blast? The … [Read more...]
It’s my party and I’ll get press if I want to
...press if I want to, press-if-I-want to...These composer birthday concert festivities are getting ridiculous.Steve Reich at 70: OK, that was kind of fun, but why not 75? Or 77, for that matter? Every year should metaphorically be "Steve Reich at 70", as far as I'm concerned. Leonard Bernstein this fall: I'm not entirely sure why New York City is celebrating his would-be 90th birthday slash the 18th anniversary of his death, but I'm not complaining about the Bernstein Mass et al being presented. I really don't understand why 90 years (when … [Read more...]
The Met is blowin’ up!
Tonight is my Metropolitan Opera debut. Well, it's actually Eric's, but, you know, my have-a-client-at-the-Met debut. Thoughts:1. I love that there are Doctor Atomic events throughout the city surrounding the production. As they say, it takes a village (or an island, in this case) to promote new music. 2. I find that, even though I've seen them all on stage before, I get really excited every time I have the opportunity to see my clients perform. I know them, and there they are on stage! I wonder if that novelty will ever wear off; I hope not. … [Read more...]
Adventurous non-programming
My name is Amanda Ameer, and I don't really like jazz.I'm OK admitting this for two reasons: 1.The three people whose opinions on music matter to me most feel the same way, and 2. It gives me perspective on why, despite all the good marketing and publicity in the world, some folks may just never like classical music. Wait, three reasons: we learned on Thursday night that Stephen Colbert doesn't like it either (at ~12 minutes). "GOD that's unbearable!" he explodes, "Ergo, it must be good!"This, of course, does not mean there's not lots to learn … [Read more...]
Every Playboy bunny with her bleach blonde hair
Monday was a really sad night for me: Holly Madison and Hugh Hefner broke up, and I cared because I feel like I know them. I have a sick fascination with The Girls Next Door, and no, gentle readers, I am not a 22-year-old frat boy. How can I love a show and hate everyone on it, you may ask? [That's not entirely true: I do enjoy Hef, who strikes a kind of ideal imbalance of obsession and apathy.] I watch the show (and, in the interest of full disclosure, have Seasons 1 and 2 on DVD) because I, and, spoiler alert, many others, crave backstage … [Read more...]
Who’s driving this bus?
Composer-performer Caleb Burhans got a 2-and-change page print-edition, 4 page online edition, bonafide Allan Kozinn profile in The New York Times on Sunday. As of 6:15pm today, he had a total of 58 plays on his MySpace page. Does this mean 1. MySpace is dead. 2. The Times has no influence over its readers' listening choices. 3. Both.And if the answer is both, then who or what in this world is actually influencing what music people buy, see and listen to?"I was in The New York Times, and all I got was these lousy 58 plays." [The article did not … [Read more...]
Let’s give ’em something to write about
This is a co-blog exercise - the most exercise I've gotten all week, in fact - with my friend and the toast of New York, composer-performer Nico Muhly. His corresponding entry is here. Over the summer, I had a phone meeting of sorts with a fellow New York publicist about a series of concerts in which we were both involved. She later made fun of me, because apparently throughout the call I kept saying that journalists needed to "toe the line"; I'm not even sure I was using the expression correctly, but my point was that these four concerts were … [Read more...]
Talk to me about digital retail
Monday is the new black/Friday. Each week, I'll post an interview with a special person far more knowledgeable than myself on specific marketing and publicity subjects. This week, label New Media Manager Denise McGovern on pitching placement, digital-only releases and what we're going to do when the record stores close for good. Denise McGovern is the New Media Manager at Universal Music Classical/Decca Label Group. She is responsible for digital sales to accounts such as iTunes, Rhapsody and Napster. How long have you been at … [Read more...]
Below is an entry in which I allude to how much the 2008 Vice Presidential debate upset me and then comment on an atrociously-long subject line
Few things have been/will ever be more terrifying than the series of PSAs we were all just subjected to (Oh...we're calling that a "debate"? Okee...I'll play along...), but this subject line comes doggone close:In case you can't read that, the e mail subject is, "Attached is a press release announcing a concert to be given by the MSM Chamber Sinfonia conducted by Kenneth Kiesler to take place on Thursday, Sept. 25 featuring NY premiere by Marjorie Merryman and showcasing MSM Clarinetist G. Borisav". I often tell people that journalists might … [Read more...]
Plain dealings
I have gotten two phone calls from artists about The Cleveland Plain-Dealer; should we do interviews with the new writer, they both asked, separately, we heard the orchestra got the last writer fired. Now, I love the artists I work with dearly, but they are rarely up on their industry gossip. The fact that this news made it to some of the top performing artists in the world and sincerely distressed them is...interesting. Hard-hitting journalist that I am (not), I e mailed The Cleveland Orchestra's publicity department and asked if I could … [Read more...]