It’s been less than 24 hours since author JK Rowling announced that the next installment of her wildly popular Harry Potter series would be published in July 2005, and already, the unreleased tome has rocketed to number one on the order chart of online retailer Amazon.com. The fifth volume in the series was Amazon’s most heavily pre-ordered book ever, and the new entry seems sure to surpass it.
Blog
Virtual Orchestra Battle Spreads To California
A touring production of the musical Oliver! opened this week in California, with a machine in the orchestra pit and live musicians protesting outside the front door. As in similar disputes in New York, producers claim that the so-called “virtual orchestra” synthesizer is nothing more than a versatile new instrument which augments the sound of the show’s 10 live musicians, while the local musicians’ union claims that the Sinfonia, as it is known, takes jobs away from trained musicians.
Using Money To Make More Money
It’s been a rough year at the Detroit Symphony, with mid-contract pay cuts for the musicians and serious upper management upheaval to boot, but things appear to be changing for the better. “Three of the DSO’s highest-profile donors have combined to give the orchestra an unusual $1.5-million challenge grant designed to broaden the orchestra’s base of support.” The orchestra intends to use the matching challenge as an opportunity to cultivate a new generation of donors who can stabilize the organization in the long term.
Protesting Censorship In UK Play
British newspapers line up to editorialize against the closing of a controversial play in Birmingham because of threats of violence.
New York Comics Ask For More
New York club comedians aren’t paid very well. So they’ve banded together to ask for more. “Hardened by decades of low wages and even lower self-esteem, some 300 New York comedians have decided to unite to ask the city’s comedy clubs for, well, a little respect. (Oh, and more pay.) Two weeks ago, the group, the New York Comedians Coalition, sent a letter to the owners of 11 clubs around the city, asking for $120 for a 10 to 20 minute set on the weekends, up from the current average of $60. They are also seeking a small increase in weekday pay, which runs about $15 to $25 a set, as well as holiday pay for regulars.”
In The UK: Public Summit On Free Speech
UK community and arts leaders are brokering a public summit to talk about free speech issues after a play was shut down in Birmingham. “Two official bodies – the Commission for Racial Equality and Arts Council England, will jointly broker the discussions, which aim to quell future clashes between religious believers and artists. The debate over the drama – which depicts rape and murder in a Sikh temple – has provoked warnings that “mob rule” will intimidate artists into self-censorship, while religious groups have warned that freedom of speech is being abused as a licence for gratuitous offence.”
Publisher And Bookseller Get Into Spat
Barnes & Noble’s CEO has reacted angrily to a suggestion by publisher Random House that it might begin selling its books directly to readers online. “The announcement of the new plans comes as the book business is suffering through a second consecutive year of almost-flat sales. The average age of book consumers continues to climb, and except for children’s and religious books, few areas of the business seem to be picking up new readers.”
For Fun And Success – Bypassing The Record Labels
In a growing trend, artists are bypassing established recording labels and selling their music in non-traditional outlets. “Bypassing the record labels, James Taylor has sold 1 million copies of his new holiday album by offering it next to the greeting cards at Hallmark Gold Crown Stores.”
Ode To Tebaldi
Soprano Renata Tebaldi (who died last weekend) was a major influence on opera. “Tebaldi’s use of tone as a primary expressive device dictated much of what opera singing is about today. While Callas’ voice was the messenger of her character (often with a dark message, indeed), Tebaldi’s rich, sumptuous soprano was an end in itself. Kiri Te Kanawa and Kathleen Battle are her descendants, as are, to a lesser extent, Jessye Norman and Renée Fleming.”
New Harry Potter Due July 16
JK Rowling has completed the next installment of the adventures of Harry Potter. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will hit stores July 16 and be published simultaneously in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.