“To those who say libraries are special because of their devotion to intellectual freedom, law enforcement officials say terrorism has raised the stakes. They say librarians are naïve to think that libraries should be treated differently from other public places where people congregate without an expectation of privacy. They also argue that shielding libraries from government surveillance will just convince everyone from terrorists to pedophiles to patronize the local library, much as some of the Sept. 11 hijackers used library computers for some of their dealings.”
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Fulfilling The Promise Of Napster (Legally?)
Napster creator Shawn Fanning is back, and he’s got a new plan for music. “He doesn’t simply want to impose fees for the same songs that are available through Apple’s iTunes and other stores. He wants to create an open system that would allow anyone with music to share – big labels and garage bands alike – to register their works with Snocap and set the economic terms under which songs could be traded. Snocap would collect the fees, using software that listens to each song in participating file-sharing services, matching songs that listeners order with those in the registry and forcing users to pay the price the song owner demands.”
Radio, Recording Coming To San Diego
The parent company of San Diego’s daily newspaper has finalized a deal to become the principal sponsor of a series of local and national radio broadcasts of the San Diego Symphony, a project which will also allow the orchestra to archive its concerts and create marketable recordings from the master tapes. The 14-part local series will be carried by KPBS radio beginning in summer 2006, and the 6-concert national series will be distributed by National Public Radio, making the ensemble one of a small handful of American orchestras with a national radio presence. The recordings will all be made in high-definition, and the SDS plans to quickly turn them into in-house CDs for wide release.
Rising Star Falls On Alabama
The Alabama Symphony Orchestra, which emerged from bankruptcy in 1997 and has operated in the black ever since, has hired the young British conductor Justin Brown as its next music director. Brown beat out several higher-profile candidates for the job, and was supported for the position by both musicians and management. The ASO has been without a music director since May 2004, when Richard Westerfield departed following a 6-year tenure. Brown will take up the ASO’s reins in fall 2006.
Barnes Gets $3m For Transition
The Barnes Foundation has raised $3 million in operating funds to carry it through the next two transitional years, as the foundation prepares to make its controversial move from Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, to Center City Philadelphia. “Plans for the highly anticipated relocation of The Barnes Foundation’s gallery have been proceeding smoothly, including fundraising efforts, which have been accelerating even during the current “quiet phase” of a campaign. The Foundation is continuing to expand its Board of Trustees as part of its overall plan to secure the future of its educational activities and art collection.”
Could The Barnes Still Change Its Mind?
The township commission of Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, still isn’t prepared to just watch the Barnes Foundation walk away, and officials are proposing a series of zoning changes intended to convince the Barnes to scrap its planned move to Philadelphia. “Among the proposed changes are allowing the Barnes to be open to the public seven days in the summer (up from three), to take 50 walk-up visitors per day without reservations (up from zero), and to host school groups without reducing the number of allowable paying public visitors.” The Barnes isn’t saying whether it might be tempted by the proposal, but a spokesman has confirmed that the foundation has no immediate plans to break ground on its new home, so the door may be open.
64 Orchestras Commission A Piece
Small orchestras generally can’t afford to commission composers. Composers have difficulty getting their work played by orchestras. So 64 orchestras around America banded together to jointly commission Joan Tower for a new work.
The Most Popular Instrument In Africa
“In cities from Dakar to Durban, the guitar is now king. Whether acoustic or electric, the six-stringed axe has adapted itself to a huge range of styles, and introduced African artists to blues, rock, pop, jazz and Latin music.”
The Artists’ Representative
“The son of Russian émigré musicians who were brought to the U.S. by Hurok in 1923, Max Gershunoff came to arts management indirectly. He first studied trumpet at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where Leonard Bernstein and Samuel Barber were among his classmates. He then played under Fritz Reiner and Arturo Toscanini but grew increasingly bored by the repetitive aspects of the job. So, with encouragement from conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos, he went into arts management, ultimately serving for 12 years as vice president of Hurok Concerts Inc. He remains active in the field, representing, among others, soprano Marni Nixon and conductor José Serebrier.”
Awards – In Praise Of America’s Books
“As literary awards in America grow by leaps and bounds, so does the critical backlash, which now begins before the ceremonies. Last year, the grave concern was the prizes would go to the wrong people. This year, it’s, ‘Do literary awards mean anything?’ “