Chilling Effect - How Music Rights Are Killing Film The process of getting rights for music for video or film has become so cumbersome and so expensive, even low-budget documentaries are being changed because of rights problems. Here's a chilling account of what it took to clear music for just one project... Stay Free! 06/22/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 1:56 am
- What If Victor Hugo Had Been Patented? (Yikes!) "A novel and a modern complex computer programme have certain points in common: each is large and implements many ideas. Suppose patent law had been applied to novels in the 1800s; suppose states such as France had permitted the patenting of literary ideas. How would this have affected Hugo's writing? How would the effects of literary patents compare with the effects of literary copyright?" The Guardian (UK) 06/25/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 1:54 am
The Paradox Of Artistic Jerks Creativity is much revered, and yet, so often, it seems, the individuals responsible for creative genius disappoint when viewed as human beings. "Art seems to require an inviolable freedom to seek the good of the artifact, without either overt or covert messages being forced into it. And history demonstrates that it is simply a statement of fact (to paraphrase Aquinas) that rectitude of the appetites is not a prerequisite for the ability to make beautiful objects. Thus our poisoner with his exquisite prose style. Or Picasso brutalizing the women in his life. Or the legion of artists and scientists who drank or drugged themselves to death." Dallas Morning News 06/26/05
Posted: 06/26/2005 9:08 am
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London's ICA Gets A New Director Guy Perricone is the new managing directod of London's Institute of Contemporary Arts. "Perricone joins the ICA from ABN AMRO of the Netherlands, one of the world's largest financial institutions, where he was chief operating officer for Global Corporate Finance. He describes his new role at the ICA as that of a "practical visionary" whose mission is to support the artistic programme and enable each discipline to flourish and develop." BBC 06/27/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 10:55 am
London Auctions Boost Prices Even Higher The super-heated art market climbed higher at last week's London sales. "This season's four consecutive nights of auctions left even the cognoscenti shaking their heads." The New York Times 06/27/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 8:53 am
The Millennium Park Effect Chicago's year-old Millennium Park has been a great success. "The joyful postindustrial playground, which has brazenly discarded the old industrial age model of the serene urban park, is blowing equally strong winds of change across the cityscape that surrounds it, altering a museum's plans, boosting real estate prospects and (perhaps) opening doors for more innovative architecture in a city whose design scene had grown stale as recently as a decade ago. It has emerged as a sparkling example, despite its widely publicized delays and cost overruns, of how big cities can get big things done. In the national conversation, Millennium Park is being hailed in some quarters as an example of how business and political leaders can pull together." Chicago Tribune 06/27/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 12:18 am
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A Rough Month At New Orlenas Opera "The New Orleans Opera Association's artistic director was fired this month -- for reasons that remain unclear -- by the president of the board of directors, only to be reinstated a few days later by a board that refused to accept its president's action. Before Robert Lyall's reinstatement this past week by an overwhelming vote, one angry board member sent a letter to her colleagues denouncing those responsible for Lyall's dismissal as "nincompoops" and canceling a $135,000 pledge for the opera's coming season." The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) 06/19/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 11:25 am
A Lot Of Hope Riding On One Opera Tan Dun is writing a new opera for the Met. "One thing is certain: it will be unlike anything that has ever been seen or heard on the Metropolitan Opera stage - and will contain sounds that many have never before realized could be music. If this ambitious and experimental project succeeds, it could widen the possibilities of opera as a whole, expanding its entire future. It may also allow the Met, an august institution with an aging fan base, to expand its own future by reaching out to a significant new audience. And the process of the opera's creation will shed light on the ideas and methods of one of the most uncommon composers at work today." The New york Times 06/26/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 1:44 am
The Dallas Symphony's New Ticket Club The Dallas Symphony Orchestra's "Impromptu ticket program aims to fill empty seats while also giving time-starved music lovers the flexibility to catch a show on short notice. But rather than buying deeply discounted tickets online or through Web-based auctions, patrons would pay a monthly fee in exchange for getting the "best seat available" at the 2,056-seat Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center – seats that went unsold or were turned back to DSO at the last minute by subscribers." Dallas Morning News 06/26/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 12:23 am
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A Place For Culture...? Or Beer... "Over the last decade, the people of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and its neighbour, Gateshead, have all been joint lottery winners. Derelict wastelands, formerly national emblems of post-industrial decline, have been transformed by a succession of high-profile, and largely highbrow, new landmarks since the sculptor Antony Gormley first placed his rusty Angel of the North on the hills above Gateshead in 1998." But do these culture projects make for a cultural haven? The Observer (UK) 06/26/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 12:37 am
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Music Festival Cancels Tindall Talk (Too Racy?) North Carolina's Eastern Music Festival has canceled an appearance by Blair Tindall, whose provocative memoir, 'Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music' is the talk of the classical music world. When organizers of the festival learned that concern about the book's content had prompted another festival for young musicians to cancel Tindall's appearance, the decision was made to cancel the July 5 talk. "We are concerned that some of the material might be inappropriate or confusing to a 14-year-old student." The News-Record (North Carolina) 06/27/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 11:15 am
B.B. King: Blues Don't Get Respect "It's been a good year for B.B. King, named by Rolling Stone magazine as the third-greatest guitarist of all time. He's recording a new album of duets with Elton John, Eric Clapton and Gloria Estefan, a memorabilia book bearing his name soon will be released, and he recently broke ground on the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretative Center in this small Mississippi Delta town. Yet King, acclaimed around the world, still laments what he believes is a lack of respect for blues music in America, where radio stations mostly play hip-hop, pop and rock." Los Angeles Times 06/27/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 10:39 am
Keillor Goes In To Overdrive At the age of 62 Garrison Keillor is busier than he's ever been. He "has become an American institution during his 30-plus-year career, often compared to Mark Twain or Will Rogers, or both. But the expanding Keillor "brand" is in no danger of ending up on a cereal box or in a reality show. He's not that needy. Keillor is like the sausagemaker who loves to hear compliments about his product, and is happy if you buy it, though he will never once mention it's for sale. Don't ask to watch him make it, either, or where he shops for his ingredients. He'll start edging for the exit." The Star-Tribune (Mpls) 06/27/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 12:11 am
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Bipolar: Report From TCG The Theatre Communications Group held it annual meeting June 16-18 in Seattle. "The 15th annual conference featured over 700 artists and administrators from 43 states and the District of Columbia, as well as delegates from 15 other countries, including Ireland, Iran, and the Czech Republic." Backstage 06/27/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 11:30 am
In LA - A Loss Of Theatrical Diversity Los Angeles' largest theatre cuts its major program to encourage diversity in the theatre. So what is lost? "To what extent did the initiatives that came about in the '80s and '90s lead to diversification of the management staffs of theaters? In the past two years some important artistic director jobs opened on the national scene. How many people of color were on the short list for the jobs? How many women? How many women and people of color who were not right for the jobs, or not available, were brought in to be a part of the process? Did board members ask about diversity as they put together their wish lists? Did women board members ask these questions? Did board members of color ask?" Los Angeles Times 06/25/05
Posted: 06/26/2005 11:51 pm
Pondering The Changing Of The Guard In Minneapolis Small theatres often become so identified with the leader who brings them to life that it's sometimes difficult to imagine them without their patron saint. "At least half a dozen of the Twin Cities' best-known, most innovative, highest-quality theaters face the same situation. Penumbra Theatre Company, Mixed Blood Theatre, Park Square Theatre and Illusion Theater all are facing a future without the artistic directors who have poured their lifeblood into them. Their long-term survival depends on figuring out how to transfuse that lifeblood into a new generation of leadership." St. Paul Pioneer-Press 06/25/05
Posted: 06/26/2005 10:43 pm
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Potter Tops A Million With three weeks to go before its release, advance orders for the new Harry Potter book have topped one million. "At this rate, pre-orders should top the 1.3 million pre-orders received for the previous Harry Potter book in 2003." BBC 06/27/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 10:58 am
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Canadian Arts Groups Protest Satellite Radio Plans Canadian arts groups are protesting a decision by the federal government to introduce pay-satellite radio service in Canada. They say that the service will erode efforts to produce Canadian content on radio... CBC 06/27/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 11:06 am
Supremes: Fileshare Services Liable The entertainment industry wins big as the US Supreme Court rules that file-sharing services are liable for copyright infringement for illegal downloading over their networks. "We hold that one who distributes a device with the object of promoting its use to infringe copyright, as shown by clear expression or other affirmative steps taken to foster infringement, is liable for the resulting acts of infringement by third parties." San Franciso Chronicle 06/27/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 10:48 am
Worldwide Box Office Slump The movie business isn't just down in the US - the rest of the world is in a box office slump too. "Whether it's because consumers are distracted by the Internet, DVDs, videogames and ever more sophisticated mobile devices — or something as simple as warm weather, as has been the case in some key European markets — it's clear that people around the globe are not going to the movies as much as they have in recent years." Los Angeles Times 06/27/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 10:07 am
Advertisers Love Those Ads Before The Movie One of the hottest new categories for advertisers? Movie theatres before the show. "Advertisers like these spots, and have been buying more of them. Movie ads are one more alternative to television spots, which are losing favor as TiVo and other digital video recorders make it easier for viewers to zap them. Last year, ads in United States movie theaters grew 23 percent to $438 million." The New York Times 06/27/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 10:02 am
Lord Of The Lawsuits Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson is suing the studio that financed the trilogy. "In his lawsuit, Mr. Jackson claimed that New Line committed fraud in its handling of the revenues generated by 2001's "The Fellowship of the Ring," and as a result, he was underpaid by millions. The suit does not specify a damage award. But in an interview last week, his lawyers said that, after New Line applied its contract interpretation from "Fellowship" to the other two movies, Mr. Jackson was underpaid by as much as $100 million for the trilogy." The New York Times 06/27/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 9:16 am
Hollywood Ponders Its 18th Consecutive Down Week For the 18th week in a row fewer people went to the movies in America than went during a similar period last year. Is the buzz over the celebrities who star in the movies drowning out the movie hype itself? "Hanging over many of these summer movies has been the public focus on the behavior and personal lives of their leading actors." The New York Times 06/27/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 9:00 am
"Breaking" The News "Since Jan. 6, when the five-member Rochester-based group Newsbreakers executed its first bust, as it calls them, of a live remote in their hometown, viewers in Boston; New York City; Manchester, N.H.; Columbus, Ohio; and several other cities have seen their local news briefly hijacked by elaborately planned vignettes that are more likely to baffle or alarm reporters than make them curse on the air. " The New York Times 06/26/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 12:49 am
Why We're Not Going To The Movies(?) "Grosses have been dropping for three years now, and, worse, after you adjust for inflation, it becomes clear that attendance is down even further, anywhere from 8 to 10 percent depending on who's talking. People are simply not going to the multiplex as often as they used to. The question is not only why but whether the trend is reversible or if it's part of a much larger cultural shift in the way we entertain ourselves." Boston Globe 06/27/05
Posted: 06/27/2005 12:02 am
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The Tap Circuit... "Tap dancers no longer travel across the country to do battle. They do travel, however, to tap festivals in the summer. The festival has become a major vehicle for tap's survival, offering classes, merchandise, showcases and performances - an answer of sorts to the vaudeville circuit and the big-band era." The New York Times 06/26/05
Posted: 06/26/2005 11:57 pm
Denmark's Dance Master "Stepping back in time is an experience much more available to actors and musicians than it is to dancers, most of whose history lacks a written literature and has vanished, step by step, into the mists of fading memory. Except in Denmark. There, the 19th-century ballets of August Bournonville are part of daily dancing life... When Bournonville retired in 1877, his half-century dominance of Danish ballet threatened to diminish slowly. We can thank one of his dancers, Hans Beck, who documented the step designs in the early 1890s, for giving succeeding generations the basis for preserving Bournonville's training program and, with it, the means to dance his ballets properly." Toronto Star 06/25/05
Posted: 06/26/2005 8:06 am
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