Is Free Music The Successful Musician's Strategy? "In the USA, free downloads of copyrighted music are driving the recording industry to sue teenagers and holler about the morality of obtaining songs for free. But if China is the future, that's all in vain. The genie is out of the bottle. Eventually, recorded music will no longer make money. That would be nice for consumers and really bad for record companies and retailers. But the biggest concern is that this will be terrible for artists. If artists can't earn money, economic logic says they might stop making music, which would be a major loss for society. But is that equation true?" USAToday 05/04/05
Posted: 05/04/2005 5:12 pm
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Daniel Libeskind is to Architect as Wolfgang Puck is to Chef Architect Daniel Libeskind has been whisked into San Francisco to drum up interest in his design for the city's new Contemporary Jewish Museum, and the PR process may be more interesting than the eventual result. "The Contemporary Jewish Museum is about something else: the way that building designs evolve in an era when so-called starchitects are public figures. An institution hiring an architect of Libeskind's stature acquires a recognizable look; in this case, buildings that from some angles appear to have been carved by bolts of lightning... But in today's world of powerful computers and constant travel, the gap has never been greater between how noted architects are perceived -- and the design work they actually do." San Francisco Chronicle 05/05/05
Posted: 05/05/2005 6:48 am
Freedom Tower Gets Political Support, But May Lose Its Look In what could be viewed as either an attempt to restore public confidence in New York's massive Ground Zero reconstruction project, or the continuing erosion of said confidence, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor George Pataki have publicly endorsed the security-based redesign of the proposed Freedom Tower. "People involved in the rebuilding processs say that the tower, unveiled 18 months ago as the product of a contentious collaboration between two world-famous architects, is likely to lose its signature twisting form, along with its distinctive spire - a conscious reflection and reply to the Statue of Liberty's upraised arm in New York harbor. Mr. Pataki, his aides and others stressed, however, that the Freedom Tower would not be reduced to an unsightly, fortress-like bunker, and that it would be built on the same general location planners had long ago settled on." The New York Times 05/05/05
Posted: 05/05/2005 6:31 am
Brancusi Sculpture Breaks Auction Record "A sculpture by Romanian Constantin Brancusi has broken the world auction record for a sculpture by fetching $27,456,000. Brancusi's Bird in Space, a marble piece depicting a bird soaring into the sky, was sold by Christie's New York to an anonymous buyer on Wednesday. The previous record was for another work by Brancusi called Danaide, which was sold for $18.1m in May 2002." BBC 05/05/05
Posted: 05/05/2005 5:35 am
- Just Like That, Auction Season Back On Track The Brancusi sale was only the main highlight of a stunning night of art sales at Christie's in New York, as the auction season appeared to come to life on the back of a single event. The auction went a long way towards restoring the confidence of art insiders, who had blanched after a disappointing showing at Sotheby's the previous night. "Compare the results: Christie's sale totaled $142.8 million, far above its low estimate of $111.2 million but not quite reaching its high estimate, $149.6 million. Of the 59 lots offered, only 7 failed to sell. Sotheby's sale totaled $91.2 million, after a low estimate of $127.3 million, with 20 of the 65 lots unsold." The New York Times 05/05/05
Posted: 05/05/2005 5:34 am
Another Arrest In Munch Theft Police have nabbed a fourth suspect in the brazen theft of Edvard Munch's classic painting, The Scream, arresting the man at his job in suburban Oslo. The paintings stolen from the city's Munch Museum have yet to be recovered, and media speculation has raised the possibility that the works were burned. Police officials deny that this is the case, and insist that they are still hopeful that the art can be recovered. CBC 05/04/05
Posted: 05/05/2005 5:30 am
Saving Chinese Artifacts (A Complicated Job) "Chinese officials have asked the United States government to share responsibility for the depletion of Chinese artifacts in the country by imposing restrictions on the import to the U.S. of all cultural property over 95 years old. They argue that huge demand in the United States for China's rich cultural heritage is the root cause for increased looting and smuggling of artifacts and works of art. China is not the first country to ask the United States to impose import restrictions on antiquities. The controversy surrounding China's request stems from the fact that the list of items presented to U.S. customs authorities as imports to be prohibited is far more sweeping than current restrictions on export of cultural items from the country." InterPressServiceNews (Africa) 05/04/05
Posted: 05/04/2005 6:17 pm
The Arab-American Story (Really?) A new Arab American Museum is opening in Michigan. "Using high points of Arab culture as the foundation for the new museum makes perfect sense. Still, the narrative ends abruptly, without addressing the gradual disintegration of Arab intellectual and military dominance. At some point, curators ought to plunge into the contentious historical debate over the decline of Arab influence. That skirmish--pitting those who emphasize the deleterious effects of Ottoman and European colonialism against those who stress factors internal to Arab culture and Islam--sheds important light on the forces that have driven Arabs to come to America." OpinionJournal 05/05/05
Posted: 05/04/2005 3:14 pm
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All That And He'll Need To Conduct, Too The Baltimore Symphony has a little more than a year to go before the final departure of music director Yuri Temirkanov, and the search for a replacement has been underway for months. But so far, there doesn't appear to be a frontrunner (despite early rumors that BSO management was tilting towards Marin Alsop) and community surveys have indicated that concertgoers don't much care whether the new boss is an American or agrees to live in Baltimore, two qualifications frequently valued by music critics and orchestra insiders. The BSO is also struggling to bring a massive accumulated deficit under control, and the very real need for reinvigorated fundraising will figure prominently in the search process. Baltimore Sun 05/04/05
Posted: 05/05/2005 5:51 am
OSM Strike Not Really About The Money Ask the musicians of l'Orchestre symphonique de Montréal why they have called a strike, and they will describe the OSM's management as unwilling to pay going market rates for a top-notch orchestra. "But the heart of the two-year-old contract dispute remains management's desire to gain more control over working conditions. The two sides have spent over 40 bargaining sessions arguing about 100 workplace concessions demanded by executive director Madeleine Careau... Players said that some concessions on Careau's list were either unprecedented in the industry or not in accordance with Quebec's labour laws." The Globe & Mail (Canada) 05/05/05
Posted: 05/05/2005 5:12 am
- Backlash Brewing "Ticketholders to last night's Montreal Symphony Orchestra performance expressed anger that a threatened strike on Monday could cut short a season subscribers have already paid for." And while some concertgoers were sympathetic to the musicians' plight (they have been working without a contract for 18 months,) many said that a strike was not the way to solve the problem. The musicians say that they are open to further negotiations, but none are scheduled before the Monday strike deadline. Montreal Gazette 05/05/05
Posted: 05/05/2005 5:07 am
Dreaming Of A Better Tomorrow In Cincinnati As you might expect, Cincinnati Symphony music director Paavo Järvi would like to have some input into the proposed renovation of his orchestra's concert hall. One problem with the existing hall is that it seats 3,400 - almost 1,000 more than the average American orchestral venue - and there is a "constant perception of underachieving" even when attendance is good. But Järvi's first concern is not for his musicians, but for the audience: "a drink before the concert in a trendy new bar, dinner afterward in a Music Hall café, a place to buy CDs and books, and great music" are all parts of the modern concertgoing experience, and orchestras are increasingly looking to up their "hip" factor as a way of attracting new audiences. Cincinnati Enquirer 05/05/05
Posted: 05/05/2005 4:59 am
Maazel Opera Lacks "Voice" Anthony Tommasini weighs in on Lorin Maazel's new opera "1984": "Unfortunately, though there are some compelling elements to "1984" and the creators received a fairly rousing ovation by the expectant audience, the opera is hampered by Mr. Maazel's undistinguished score. The music is never less than thoroughly professional. But Mr. Maazel lacks a personal voice as a composer. What constitutes a compositional voice is hard to define. But you know it when you hear it." The New York Times 05/05/05
Posted: 05/04/2005 4:48 pm
I Went To Hear A Pianist... Charles Michener used to lament a dearth of great young pianists. This season though, has featured a rich stew of finger-wagglers... New York Observer 05/04/05
Posted: 05/04/2005 4:43 pm
Toronto Opera Has A Terrific Year Toronto's Canadian Opera Company - a year from moving into a new home - has had its best year at the box office in a dozen years. "Box office revenue also rose, grossing more than $8.9 million, a 17-per-cent increase from the previous season. The company reported an 8.8-per-cent increase in the number of season ticket subscriptions during 2004-05. Sales for the upcoming season have already reached more than $6 million." CBC 05/04/05
Posted: 05/04/2005 3:07 pm
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A New Chief For Lincoln Center Lincoln Center has chosen Frank Bennack Jr. as itss new leader. Bennack has been chief executive officer of the Hearst Corporation. "In choosing Mr. Bennack, Lincoln Center appears to be seeking a leader in the tradition of the current chairman, Bruce Crawford: a stabilizing elder statesman with a long track record at the performing arts center. Mr. Bennack is 72 and has been a member of Lincoln Center's board since 1994 and a vice chairman since 1999, as well as a managing director of the Metropolitan Opera Board." The New York Times 05/05/05
Posted: 05/04/2005 6:01 pm
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Blue Man Dispute Escalates "Vowing to kick their campaign up a notch, theatrical unions have unveiled a bright yellow, 700-square-foot billboard as the next phase of their Blue Man Group boycott. 'Why won't the Blue Man Group work with us?' asks the billboard, which is just south of the Panasonic Theatre where the Blue Man production is slated to open next month. A lunchtime information picket was held yesterday outside the theatre to mark the unveiling of the billboard. The unions — Canadian Actors' Equity, Toronto Musicians' Association, and Locals 58 and 822 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees — are angry at the Blue Man Group's refusal to sit down and work with the unions on issues such as wages and benefits." Toronto Star 05/05/05
Posted: 05/05/2005 6:52 am
Sweet Debut Hits Broadway, But How Long Can The Fairy Tale Last? After months of toil, strife, and seemingly endless backstage drama, the Christina Applegate-led revival of Sweet Charity has opened on Broadway. "This production has generated theater news of a kind you supposed didn't happen anymore, or perhaps never really happened except in old backstage movies. Star breaks leg (well, a bone in her foot) twirling off lamppost onstage in Chicago; talented understudy (Charlotte d'Amboise) opens for star in Boston; producers decide to close show; star insists that she will, will get better in time for a delayed New York opening and helps raise the extra money to ensure show's arrival, just before the deadline for Tony nominations." But a fairy-tale ending requires more than determination, and Charity may not make the cut. The New York Times 05/05/05
Posted: 05/05/2005 6:34 am
- Determination No Substitute For Talent "Valiant behavior is no replacement for musical talent or the know-how acquired in years of stage experience. Applegate possesses neither. She has limited musical theater instincts -- she wanders off-key rather often -- and though she makes admirable attempts to move like a real dancer, you're aware in every pivot that she isn't one. (The character, after all, is supposed to dance for her supper.) These deficiencies are as fatal to the production as root rot is to a garden." Washington Post 05/05/05
Posted: 05/05/2005 6:33 am
Ray, The Musical Ray Charles' life story is going to be made into a Broadway musical. "Ray, a biopic inspired by his career, was released last year – just months after he died. Three producers who worked on that movie are behind the stage adaptation." CBC 05/04/05
Posted: 05/04/2005 3:10 pm
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Linguistically Improbable Marketing Techniques Statistically Improbable Phrases: the term sounds like a highfalutin' way of describing nonsense prose, but in reality, it's an innovative new feature of Amazon.com's search utility. The SIP utility "compares the text of hundreds of thousands of books to reveal an author's signature constructions," and is only one of several new options available for prejudging literature. "Customers can also see how complicated the writing is (yes, post-structuralist Michel Foucault's prose is foggier than Immanuel Kant's), and how much education you need to understand a book. (To understand French philosopher Pierre Bourdieu, you'll need a second Ph.D.)" Wired 05/05/05
Posted: 05/05/2005 5:44 am
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Poll: Americans Want Government Out Of Censorship Business A new poll by the advocacy group TV Watch says that Americans are overwhelmingly against government regulation of on-air content. 75% of respondants "strongly agreed that they would rather decide what programs to watch instead of having government censors decide." (It is worth noting that TV Watch was founded to combat the FCC's recent crackdown on American broadcasters, so the questions asked in the survey may have been of the leading variety.) New York Daily News 05/05/05
Posted: 05/05/2005 6:25 am
Colossal Advertising MegaComplex: 8,342 - Moviegoing Public: 1 One of America's largest cinema chains has bowed to public pressure and agreed to publish the actual start times of its films. You know, the time that the actual movie will begin showing, after the now-obligatory barrage of ads and previews. Loews Cineplex says that it will begin noting that feature presentations begin "10 to 15 minutes after the published showtime" in all its newspaper and online listings. Boston Globe 05/05/05
Posted: 05/05/2005 6:03 am
An Attempt To Stop TV Piracy Come July, American TV programs will carry a digital flag that producers hope will deter piracy. "The flag will be attached to 'over the air' digital content--both network and local station programs, such as movies or prime-time series on NBC. Any device with a digital TV tuner can grab that content, whether it comes over an antenna or through a cable or satellite set-top box. The flag, basically a piece of code, will travel with any show that the broadcaster wants to protect." PCWorld 05/04/05
Posted: 05/04/2005 5:17 pm
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