Movie industry executives say that virtually any movie they produce is now pirated and distributed illegally within hours of its release. They paint “a sobering picture of how quickly piracy — aided by the latest technology — continues to escalate worldwide, whether it’s a vendor selling copies on a blanket from a street corner or a state-of-the-art online service.”
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Hush Hush: Classical Musicians And Hearing Loss
“An often-cited study by Canadian audiologist Marshall Chasin measured hearing loss among rock musicians and found that about 30 percent were afflicted in some way. Among their classical music counterparts, the figure was 43 percent. Yet while noise-induced hearing impairment is a well-known issue in the rock world, long highlighted in educational campaigns featuring The Who’s Pete Townshend and rapper Missy Elliott, the discomfort from loudness suffered by classical musicians is generally kept hush-hush.”
TV Networks Fail To Diversify
“Five years after the NAACP blasted the `virtual whitewash’ of prime-time TV, little has changed in Hollywood. Of the 23 new scripted shows premiering on the six broadcast networks in the coming weeks, only nine feature minority actors in lead or supporting roles. The award for whitest network goes to WB.”
Kansas City Symphony Hires Music Director
The Kansas City Symphony has hired 44-year-old Michael Stern as its new music director. “Until recently, he was chief conductor of the Saarbruecken Radio Symphony in Germany.”
Christiansen: Scottish Opera’s “Insane Ambition”
Rupert Christiansen is unsympathetic to the plight of Scottish Opera. “Despite a decidedly dodgy balance sheet and the failure to secure a future for its chorus, the management continues to programme at an almost insanely ambitious level. Over the coming year, Scottish Opera must take a new route, under new artistic leadership. The company has been ill served by the Scottish Arts Council, but it should also take responsibility for its own arrogance and misjudgments.”
Gramophone Finalists
Finalists for the Gramophone Recording of the Year have been announced…
Who Will Control US Artist Selection For Venice Biennale?
With the Pew and Rockefeller Foundations withdrawing funding for the annual American artist representation at the Benice Biennale, the selection process is in flux. “The State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (BECA) has indicated that it is unprepared to take over. Consequently, it appears the Guggenheim Foundation may gain control of the selection process for the American Pavilion in 2005 by default.”
MGM Sale Could Signal Market High
Does the sale of the MGM movie studio signal a perception that Hollywood has maxed out its profitability? As far as the entertainment business goes, there are more profitable games…
Foreign Student Applications Down At US Schools
As it’s become more difficult for international students to get entry into the United States to go to school, the number of students applying to US schools has dramatically declined. “U.S. graduate schools this year saw a 28% decline in applications from international students and an 18% drop in admissions, a finding that some experts say threatens higher education’s ability to maintain its reputation for offering high-quality programs.”
Montreal Film Fest Chief On His Way Out?
Is the longtime director of the Montreal Film Festival on his way out? “Commentators have been complaining for years about Serge Losique’s festival, founded in the mid-1970s, around the same time the Toronto International Film Festival began. For years, the competition was fierce and the two festivals were considered arch-rivals. But for more than a decade, it has been glaringly obvious that Montreal’s festival is not in the same class as TIFF, which has become the pre-eminent festival in North America.”