Blog

Recording giant EMI confirms that it is in talks to buy Warner Music. But analysts say that EMI’s enormous debt is an imprediment to the deal, and its creditors are ready to downgrade its borrowing capacity. “They have very limited debt capacity and if they were to buy a valuable and profitable business it would have some earnings with it, but our concern is that there is not a lot of scope to increase the overall debt leverage.”

The Malaysian government has decreed a new maximum price for CDs sold there. And it’s a significant cut in price from the previous ceiling. Artists are trying to be philosophical: “Without compromising on quality, we can still release a good album. But instead of recording 10 songs at the cost of RM50,000, we can produce five songs under RM25,000. It’s just a matter of choosing between quality and quantity. After all, who said an album should comprise 10 songs? And for this new format to work, the industry should work together and not go against one another.”

The three opening galas in late October for Los Angeles’ new Disney Hall are the hot ticket of the season. “The first night is virtually sold out. Sure, the performing arts community is feeling pressure to attend the Disney galas — it can’t be easy to send regrets. ‘I wouldn’t want to be sitting home those nights. I’d feel so left out!’ But mostly the events are selling themselves, say organizers, who hope to net $7 million.”

Carnegie Hall’s new Zankell Hall has the potential to change New York’s music scene. But there’s one rather large problem (as practically every critic who’s written about the place has mentioned): the rumble of subway noise. “The problem is doubly frustrating because Zankel’s intermediate size and clear acoustics favor music in the quiet to moderately loud dynamic ranges, and that’s when the noise is most audible, especially on the auditorium’s right side.”