The Twin Cities have always been a haven for the arts, particularly music, theatre, and literature. But as the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area increasingly gives in to urban sprawl, suburbanites have been less willing to come all the way into the urban core for their plays, violin lessons, and writing seminars. As a result, arts organizations in the cities are following the lead of groups in larger cities across the country, and expanding their services to the ‘burbs.
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Apple Protests France’s iTunes Plan
Apple is criticizing plans by the French parliament to force it to unlock iTunes songs so they can be played on any MP3 player. “In a statement Apple said that if the law were passed it would result in state-sponsored piracy”.
Foster Tabbed To Design Moscow Tower
Moscow’s mayor has endorsed plans to build a 600-meter tower designed by Norman Foster. “City authorities are understood to have wanted a distinctive skyscraper that could become a landmark similar to Lord Foster’s “Gherkin” — the headquarters of Swiss Re — in the City of London. The development includes the 430m high Federation Tower, due to be completed in 2008.”
D.C. Area Arts Center Asks Pols To Jump-Start Funding
“A committee raising private money for a planned $56 million performing arts center in [Virginia’s] Prince William County yesterday urged county and city officials to begin construction ahead of its fundraising schedule because of increasing building costs. The 1,100-seat center near Manassas is a partnership between George Mason University, the city of Manassas, Prince William County and private donors. The committee has set a goal of raising $7.5 million in private funds before construction begins.”
Still Many Questions In Louisville
The Louisville Orchestra averted catastrophe earlier this week with the approval of a new concessionary contract with its musicians. But the ensemble isn’t out of the fiscal woods yet. “Unless substantial amounts of money can be raised on a regular basis, the endemic problems of the orchestra are unlikely to fade away. Serious questions remain about whether Louisville can or should support such a large full-time orchestra. The short-term fix doesn’t answer them. Nor does it resolve the challenge of leadership.”
What’s In The Louisville Deal?
So what exactly did the musicians of the Louisville Orchestra give up to save their ensemble from bankruptcy? AJ Blogger Drew McManus has the details: “Among the larger concessions are reductions in base pay and season length. By the end of the five year agreement the base musician pay will be $743 less than the 2005-2006 concert season.” In addition, musicians will lose between 3 and 7 of their 11 allowed sick days, depending on seniority, a major concern in an industry where musician injuries are rampant.
The Well-Adjusted Goth
A new study reports that Goths are pretty healthy people. “Most youth subcultures encourage people to drop out of school and do illegal things. Most goths are well educated, however. They hardly ever drop out and are often the best pupils. The subculture encourages interest in classical education, especially the arts. I’d say goths are more likely to make careers in web design, computer programming … even journalism.”
Sweeney Todd Breaks Even
“Broadway’s new Sweeney Todd has recouped its initial $3.5 million investment in 19 weeks (as of the week ending March 12). It is rare for a Sondheim show to recoup its investment on Broadway. Among his few financially successful outings is the original mounting of A Little Night Music.”
Rethinking The ‘Burbs
Is it time to rethink our perceptions of urban sprawl? “Does sprawl include exurbia, the outmost band of development, … the very low-density urban penumbra that lies beyond the regularly built-up suburbs and their urban services? Or is it the newly emerging suburban band of conventional subdivisions, golf courses, schools, and strip malls located closer in toward the city? If the latter is sprawl, is it logical to exclude older suburbs? Certainly at one time these older communities, even many of the most densely packed inner neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Manhattan, were themselves relatively low in density and suburban in character compared to what was the core of the city. Why wouldn’t they be considered historic sprawl?”
Movie Concessions Revenue Dips
“Much has been made of how declining movie admissions and box-office grosses have clipped the earnings of movie studios and film exhibitors. But audience apathy also is taking a bite out of the oft-overlooked concession business. Particularly hard hit are those companies that rely on movie theaters for the bulk of their sales.”