The Recording Industry Association of America has filed another 762 lawsuits against individuals suspected of illegal file-swapping. “Among those sued were students at 26 different colleges and universities, where the prevalence of high-speed networks and cash-poor music fans has led to an explosion of peer-to-peer traffic.” As usual, the RIAA doesn’t actually know the identities of the people they are suing, just their computers’ IP addresses – typically, the industry compels internet service providers to reveal the names behind the codes during legal proceedings.
Blog
Barnes Offered $100,000 To Stay Put
A foundation based in suburban Philadelphia has offered a $100,000 contribution to the Barnes Foundation, conditional on the organization dropping its attempt to move to the city. The move will be seen as a largely sentimental move, since three major foundations have offered to raise $150 million if the Barnes goes ahead with its move.
Taking The Direct Route
Orchestras everywhere love to talk about their commitment to music education. But the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has taken the unusual step of adopting a specific school where the music program was in danger. Last year, Wilkinsburg High School didn’t even have enough instruments for the kids who had signed up for band. Then the PSO, which already had a relationship with the school, showed up and played a benefit concert, raising $17,000 for the music program. The orchestra is repeating the benefit this year, with the aim of solidifying music as a core component of the school’s curriculum.
Falling Hard For A New Dance Fest
New York’s new Fall For Dance Festival appears to be a major hit right out of the gate, with packed houses and enthusiastic crowds at most performances. The decision by fest organizers to price tickets at the bargain rate of $10 per show appears to have paid off, as has the the eclectic programming, which features everything from authentic flamenco to breakdancing.
TV’s Bold Return To Misogyny
The new season of American television is sending a strong message that the industry is through with political correctness. In fact, the major networks seem positively giddy about a horrific return to casual sexism and racism, says Alessanda Stanley. “Desperate Housewives is entertaining, but it turns the clock back to pre-Betty Friedan America, lampooning four bored, frustrated, white upper-middle-class ladies who lunch. Boston Legal lets women practice law, but mostly on their backs… Meanwhile, comedy-variety shows are positively reveling in their new-found freedom to be unfair.”
Saatchi Goes Mainstream? Don’t Bet On It.
Charles Saatchi’s infamous collection of controversial work by the so-called Young British Artists is headed for storage, and won’t be back on view at the collector’s London gallery until 2006. In their place, a “new show is devoted to the work of five painters, Peter Doig, Luc Tuymans, Marlene Dumas, Jörg Immendorf, and Martin Kippenberger, described by Charles Saatchi as ‘key European artists’… Yet those who believe Mr Saatchi has lost his appetite for shrewd investment in the work of unknown artists should think again.”
Minnesota Orch To ‘Play And Talk’
The Minnesota Orchestra has become the latest major ensemble to extend its current musicians’ contract so that negotiations may continue without a work stoppage. The contract was set to expire on October 1. In stark contrast to the acrimonious tone surrounding some other negotiations, the orchestra’s president characterized the talks as “warm” and “collegial,” and the musicians have agreed to “play and talk” indefinitely, rather than setting a new end date for the current contract. [Disclosure notice: ArtsJournal’s assistant editor is a musician with the Minnesota Orchestra.]
Libeskind Blasts Childs Over WTC Squabbles
Daniel Libeskind’s new book about his experience designing the tower that is to rise on the Ground Zero site in lower Manhattan is at turns catty and sincere, and takes direct aim at architect David Childs, with whom Libeskind was compelled to pair on the project. “He portrays Mr Childs as patronising and overbearing, and intent on eliminating as much of Mr Libeskind’s vision as possible from the eventual design… for the majority of the time during their weekly meetings, Mr Childs would ‘chatter on about where he’d just been or would lecture me on architecture’.”
It’s Still Cheaper Than A Yankee Game
How big a risk is New York’s Museum of Modern Art really taking by hiking its admission price to $20? Well, if it’s local competition that matters, the Empire State Building only charges $11, but seeing Scary Spice on Broadway will run you $90. MoMA is also counting its new “coffee shops, movies, and relaxation areas” to make it an all-day destination, but some observers point out that museum attendance has plateaued in recent years. The real answer? No one has any idea whether the price hike will make any difference at all to MoMA’s attendance.
Back In Black
“The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra has undergone a remarkable turnaround from its recent financial troubles, as its board announced this week a balanced budget and an operating surplus following the 2003-2004 season. Last year, at the end of the 2002-2003 season, the symphony had a debt of more than $3 million. It has now retired that debt and recorded an operating surplus of $111,538… The symphony board also announced a commitment to restoring lost income to its staff and musicians, who took a pay cut last year to help the company regain its financial footing.”