Though many, many more music journalists are on Twitter, these are the people I noticed interacting with the publicists I interviewed the most. Oodles of thanks to @nightafternight: Steve Smith, New York Times, Time Out New York; @anastasiat: Anastasia Tsioulcas, Gramophone, Variety; @gsandow: Greg Sandow, Wall Street Journal, ArtsJournal; and @sethcolterwalls: Seth Colter Walls, Newsweek for their answers. These interviews were conducted via Telex machine. Just kidding. ___________________How long have you been using Twitter? … [Read more...]
Life’s a Twitch, Part 2 (The Publicists)
Many thanks to @cjpr: Christina Jensen, Christina Jensen PR; @CarnegieMatt: Matt Carlson, Carnegie Hall; @dotdotdottweet: Steven Swartz, DotDotDot Music; @SarahBaird: Sarah Baird, Boosey and Hawkes; @BklsweetMedia: Amanda Sweet, Bucklesweet Media; @glennpetry, @seanmgross, @PhilipWilder: Glenn Petry, Sean Gross and Philip Wilder, 21C Media Group; and @mlaffs: Maura Lafferty, New Century Chamber Orchestra for their help with this. Now stop Tweeting and answering blog questions and revise some bios!These interviews were conducted via … [Read more...]
Life’s a Twitch, Part 1
About a week ago, I had coffee with an arts marketer from out of town. She mentioned going to the opera with a prominent critic, and having--a meal or a meeting, I don't remember--with a prominent New York presenter. She was by no means bragging about these things, just telling me what she had been up to during her trip. No judging, I started, but if you've never worked in the city, how do you know these people? "Through Twitter!" she said. I've never joined Facebook, and I had no burning desire to join Twitter. It's Thursday at 11:40pm, and … [Read more...]
Some things about Christine Brewer
I went to Christine Brewer's Zankel (Carnegie) Hall recital tonight and now, over a glass of strawberry milk, I will tell you what it made me think about. Spoiler Alert: it's marketing and PR. 1. One of, if not the, best things about working at IMG Artists was getting to meet the clients in a non-formal setting when they came into the office. I'm not sure if he remembers, but I remember Eric Owens coming in and suggesting we rearrange the furniture in the lobby. I was all-too-happy to offer my two...dollars...on the lobby design, as was my … [Read more...]
‘The Rest’ is silence
Author, blogger and New Yorker classical music writer Alex Ross has a new blog on the New Yorker website. Here's his description:This blog, which takes its name from a part-song by the English Renaissance master John Dowland, will consist of short commentaries, addenda to New Yorker pieces, audio excerpts from recommended new CDs, links to novelties and oddities around the Internet, and the like. My old site, with its library of twentieth-century audio samples, will remain intact, and perhaps expand from time to time. Unquiet Thoughts won't be … [Read more...]
Man in the mirror
(photo from here)Strictly FYI, this is what classical music reads like to the rest of the music world. From BrooklynVegan re: the recent Hope Sandoval show:LA Weekly spent a considerable portion of their Hope Sandoval cemetery show review talking about the NO-photo policy. Now I know why. Hope Sandoval didn't just deny photo passes. She didn't just post warning signs all over the venue (see above). She didn't just have someone give a stern, pre-show announcement. Hope basically had her own security detail on hand to blind and humiliate … [Read more...]
Let’s go to the movies
According to You've Cott Mail according to The Stage News, Sadler's Wells across (le) pond launched movie theater-style previews for upcoming productions last night at the Peacock Theater. From The Stage News:Sadler's Wells director of marketing and communications Kingsley Jayasekera said: "At Sadler's Wells we're always looking for new ways to tell our audiences about what we have coming up. Cinemas do this very effectively to flag up forthcoming film releases, so why shouldn't theatre?"I blogged about this here and endured some criticism from … [Read more...]
Private relations
When soccer moms in army-grade Hummers would double-park on New Canaan's already-narrow Elm Street, my mother would always mutter, or sometimes shout, "Some people think the rules don't apply to them." She would declare a similar sentiment when we'd be in line for the movies and would hear a parent tell his or her child "just say you're 7" to get a cheaper movie ticket. Some people think the rules don't apply to them...and by all means teach your child to lie. I sent out a press release last night with extremely specific instructions on … [Read more...]
For $5,000/day
From my intern, happy Monday at 3pm.I'm fairly certain I went to college with this guy. Several versions of this guy. … [Read more...]
The sun never sets
At 1:20pm today, The Guardian's piece on Dudamel's debut was at the top of the Google News stories. Please note how he beats out the economy, iPhones, Soulja Boy, some sports thing, breast cancer, a celebrity sex scandal, and a fatal deluge. … [Read more...]
Talk to me about ‘Opera News’
As often as possible, on Fridays I will post interviews with colleagues from the field who are far more knowledgeable than I am on various marketing and publicity topics. This week, we have F. Paul Driscoll, Editor-in-Chief of Opera News, on bewitching divas, the good, the bad, and the ugly of opera blogging, and the basics of how to pitch a glossy magazine.F. Paul Driscoll has been Editor in Chief of OPERA NEWS since 2003. He began contributing to the magazine in 1990 and joined the editorial staff as managing editor in 1998. He … [Read more...]
Can’t you see, that I am not afraid?
Via fellow ArtsJournal blogger CultureGrrl via The Onion, this attendance-boosting initiative from the Metropolitan Museum of Art:NEW YORK--Hoping to boost attendance and broaden its base of supporters, the Metropolitan Museum of Art launched a new initiative this week that allows patrons, for the first time ever, to prod and scratch at the classic paintings in its revered collection. "Though it contains more than two million pieces and represents a profound legacy of artistic achievement, most people remain completely indifferent to our … [Read more...]
What a bust
I totally heart this e card, even though I'll be in LA the following weekend for David's movie and will miss the sale. And I do love a sale. Good fonts, good colors, excellent use of cleavage:If anyone from LA Opera is reading, SAVE ME A BODICE! … [Read more...]
Who’s your daddy?
From PC World dot com today:As of December 1, the Federal Trade Commission is going to require bloggers, and prominent tweeters and Facebook types to disclose any paid endorsements to their followers, online friends and readers. These new rules have the potential to change everyone's online habits.The blog rules are fairly straightforward: if you're being paid to write about a product in a discreet way (which reminds me: my, my, MY, this glass of BOLTHOUSE FARMS SINCE 1915 ANTIOXIDANT RICH GREEN GOODNESS FRUIT SMOOTHIE is just delicious and so … [Read more...]