The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which attracted 5 million visitors a year, has expansion plans. But those plans have run afoul of the museum’s neighbors on Fifth Avenue. “A coalition that represents residents of 15 buildings, mostly along Fifth Avenue, sued the Metropolitan and the City of New York on Thursday in an attempt to block the museum’s longstanding plan to expand.”
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Recording Co. Mergers = Less Choice
With recent merger announcements, it looks like the five major recording companies could become three. “If American and European regulators approve both the Sony-BMG and EMI-Warner mergers, about 75 percent of global music sales would be controlled by three companies. For a typical music shopper, that could well mean fewer new acts (since artist development is so expensive), fewer independent stores (since business with large chains is more cost-efficient), and more major-label product on the racks of remaining stores (since they’d be able to strong-arm retailers the way the big snack and soda companies do with delis).”
NYT Book Review – Discriminating Or Influential (Can’t Have Both?)
Who will replace Chip McGrath as editor of the New York Times Book Review? And what will happen to the section? “I understand why the Times wouldn’t want to give up the section’s gravity, but if you wanted to make your mark as the editor of the Times Book Review, the first thing you would do is to make it less influential. That would give you the license to make the reviews livelier and more discriminating.”
Hall Of Fame
Jim Hall, writes Terry Teachout, is our greatest living jazz guitarist. But he’s not exactly a household name. “To be sure, Mr. Hall, who turns 73 next month, is nobody’s idea of a natural celebrity. Bald, bespectacled and soft-spoken to a fault, he looks less hip than shyly professorial. His intensely intimate music gets under your skin rather than grabbing you by the lapels. Given sufficient time, though, such artists have a way of evening the odds. Today, the National Endowment for the Arts names Mr. Hall an NEA Jazz Master, an honor accompanied by a check for $25,000.”
Can’t Tell The Music Without A Program…
So you’ve decided to take the plunge and buy and download some classical music from one of the hot new legal paysites. First you’ve got to find it, writes Greg Sandow: “As I rooted around, I came across all the Beethoven sonatas in the old and greatly respected Artur Schnabel performances. All of them! Ninety-nine cents per track. There’s only one problem. What you get, when you look these up – and it’s the same on all three services I’ve mentioned – is a track listing. As follows (transcribed verbatim): 1 The Complete Piano Sonatas, I. Allegro/ 2 The Complete Piano Sonatas, II. Adagio…”
Computers Have a Go At Figuring Out Shakespeare
Did Shakespeare write his own plays? A group of scientists is using computer analysis to find out. The method depend on comparing patterns of at least 30 common words. “You otherwise hardly notice such words but with a computer you can detect patterns of usage and they become important. You find that individuals have their own kind of profile.”
Australian Movie Slump
The Australian film industry has had one of its worst years in a long time. “Record low levels of foreign finance contributed to a fall from 30 to 19 features, the fewest for eight years. Their total value slumped from $131 million to $49 million.”
Charlotte Rep AD Resigns
Michael Bush has resigned as artistic director of Charlotte Repertory Theatre. “The artistic quality of Michael’s product has been nothing short of superb. Unfortunately, during these challenging economic times, we failed to attract a sufficient audience to support the increased costs.”
“Producers” Sets Broadway BO Record
Just last week stories were being written about The Producers losing steam at the Broadway box office. Then Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick agreed to return to the roles they originated. Presto – a box office record. “The show sold some 6,000 tickets in less than 90 minutes, both in person and through Telecharge, after the box office opened at noon. By 10 p.m., when the St. James’s box office closed, more than 39,000 tickets had been sold, the producers said, and the day’s take stood at nearly $3.5 million. Orders were still being taken through Telecharge. The previous record for one-day sales was also held by “The Producers,” which sold $3.3 million in tickets on the day after the show’s opening in April 2001.”
California – Art On 3 Cents A Year
State support for the arts in California is low, after recent budget cuts. How low? “To better understand how low public support has sunk, consider that Canadians spend an annual $145 per capita to fund the arts; Germans, $85; New Yorkers, $2.75; Mississippians, $1.31; Californians, 3 cents. ‘That’s gum balls,’ says Barry Hessenius, director of the council. Three gum balls a year.”