The recording industry is suing XM satellite radio over a device that allows customers to record music from the satellite radio service. “The recording industry said XM’s Inno device, which stores music and divides it into tracks, infringes copyright. The lawsuit seeks $150,000 in damages for every song copied by XM customers to an Inno gadget.”
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The Boring Business Of Broadway
Everyone bitches about Broadway, and a glance at the history books will tell you that everyone always has. And while it is true that the quality of New York theatre probably isn’t as low as everyone says, it is also true that “there’s a technical problem with Broadway in the new tourist era: It’s mostly boring.” It also doesn’t seem to have anything to do with New York, being mainly a concoction to lure free-spending tourists; nor does it have much to do with quality, with everything from orchestras to stage crew being squeezed to keep the profit margin up. In fact, to find really interesting theatre with a New York flavor these days, you almost have to look Off-Broadway.
San Antonio May Pursue A PAC
“A consultant hired by the city [of San Antonio] to study local needs for cultural facilities has sketched a recommendation for a new multi-hall performing arts center — price tag unknown — and about $20 million in upgrades to existing venues.”
Richmond Ponders Extra Funding For Evicted Arts Groups
The city of Richmond, Virginia now finds itself without a primary performance venue, after the Carpenter Center, home to multiple area arts groups, closed for a multi-year renovation. In the interim, the Richmond Symphony, Virginia Opera, Richmond Ballet, and other Carpenter tenants are looking to the city to help them offset the revenue shortfall from being homeless. But divvying up the stopgap funds has proved to be a bit of a challenge for city officials.
Where Prestige Takes A Back Seat To Local Pride
They may not have million-dollar endowments or prestigious boards, but across the country, history is quietly accumulating in thousands of unheralded neighborhood museums. “A local museum is a community’s autobiography, a way of saying: This is who we are, and this is how we got here. For researchers, the museums are invaluable archives, whether housed in multimillion-dollar, state-of-the art facilities or inside the stately rooms of storied mansions.”
Report: Tough For Minority Writers In Hollywood
An early version of a report on who’s getting work writing in Hollywood is out, and it doesn’t look good for minority writers. “The full 2006-07 “Hollywood Writers Report” is set to be released in September, but the early results suggest that women and minorities may find it even harder to get work in the TV industry now that the urban- oriented UPN and WB networks have merged into the CW network.”
Tony Awards Skew Purple
This year’s Tony Award nominations scored a few surprises. “The musical The Drowsy Chaperone earned the most Tony nominations on Tuesday when it garnered 13, but the biggest surprise was the 11 earned by The Color Purple, the musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel that has earned tepid praise but has been well-attended.”
Teachout Predicts
Want to know who should win this year’s Tonys? Terry Teachout’s already handicapped the field…
Tony Awards – This Year’s Surprises?
“In most cases, the notable absences are within categories, not entire categories themselves. But an exception is the brand-new award for best performance by an actor or actress in a recreated role, which was expected to go to either Jonathan Pryce for stepping into “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” or Harvey Fierstein for recreating the role of Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof.” To the surprise of many, no award will be given this year in this category.”
Idolotry – Broadway’s New Farm Team?
” ‘American Idol’ has absolutely become a big deal here in terms of finding new talent. Watching this show has become another way to locate incredibly talented people — it’s like a televised open call. I watch it, and certain people on our staff have to watch it. Our inside joke is we root for our favorites to lose so that they can become available to us…”