The Louisville Orchestra files for bankruptcy. “Employees are still owed their May 30 paychecks and a total of $1.3 million in loans is past due. The orchestra also owes approximately $250,000 to vendors.”
Blog
Rowling: Weight Of Expectations
Anticipation over the new Harry Potter book is so intense can it help but disappoint fans? “When I think about Rowling, the phrase ‘be careful what you wish for’ keeps floating unbidden into my brain. All the money in the world (and she is already richer than the Queen) cannot diminish the weight of expectation riding on her slim shoulders. Rowling has increased the dangers of disappointment by leaving a three-year gap before getting Harry’s latest adventure into the shops. When the first four volumes appeared, like clockwork, at yearly intervals, she seemed to have come up with a magic formula.”
The Inner (Outer?) Saatchi
Uber-collector Charles Saatchi is famously reticent about giving interviews. But Andrew Renton takes him out shopping and for a chat. “I’ve been buying and selling art for 30 years. It’s what I do. There was a time when I was accused of creating a Xanadu, and of hoarding. I can’t win. I don’t mind selling work – even by artists I like. It’s more important to make sure I have the best works.”
Korean Pianist Snubs Piano Competition
A Korean pianist has turned down the third prize he was awarded at this year’s Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Brussels because “he felt his performances throughout the month-long competition were demonstrably better than those given by the second-place winner, Shen Wen-Yu, 16, from China. Severin von Eckardstein, 25, from Germany, won first prize.”
Grammys Add New Categories
The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has added some new categories for next year’s Grammys, including an award for best rap song. “The rap arena continues to be strong and growing. There are more releases, more artists, more airplay and sales, and more importantly, there’s more creativity in that area.’ In addition, awards in the world music field have been doubled: Trophies will now go to best traditional world music album and best contemporary world music album.”
Used Up – Used Book Sales Rising
New book sales may be struggling, but sales of used books are on the rise. According to a new study, “one out of every 10 book buyers bought a used book in the last nine months. One of the few growing areas of the retail book business, used books now account for about $533 million in sales annually — 13% of overall book units sold and 5% of total revenue — and could lead to as much as $1.5 billion lost in new sales.”
The Real Reason Media Consolidation Is Bad
“The familiar argument against such concentration is that, by giving a small number of companies too much control over the flow of information and content, it erodes democracy. But the problem isn’t just that a small number of companies run the media business right now; it’s that, under the current system, the same companies will likely be running the media business twenty years from now. Media concentration would be fine if there were genuine competition, but, practically speaking, there isn’t very much (at least, on the broadcast and programming side), thanks to the regulatory reforms of the early nineties (which, among other things, allowed TV networks to own their own shows, instead of having to buy them from outside studios) and the merger boom of the past few years.”
Priced Out At Edinburgh Fringe?
Prices for Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival are climbing, and some are complaining. “We do try to keep prices as low as possible but producing a show in Edinburgh seems to cost more than in any other city in the world. For some reason, venue costs in Edinburgh are almost twice as much as anywhere else – and that includes London’s West End.”
Tonys Trounced By Hillary
Despite lots of star power this year, Sunday night’s Tony telecast dropped audience from last year. “The telecast, which expanded from two hours last year to three hours this year, averaged 7.9 million viewers, down a bit from last year’s average of 8 million viewers.” Sunday’s big winner was Barbara Walters’ interview with Hillary Clinton, which drew 13 million viewers.
Glasgow – Where’s Your Culture Now?
So many cities were anxious to be named European Capital of Culture because of what the title did 13 years ago for Glasgow. The city was touted for its rebuilding. “But what happened to Glasgow? It is 13 years since the high point of its renaissance and the media spotlight has moved elsewhere. Along with the re-emergence of England’s regional cities, Edinburgh has been buoyed by devolution and an accompanying cash influx. Glasgow has fallen off the radar.”