The constant barrage of exciting video, exploding tank columns, belligerant journalists who make themselves the story, and endless nationalistic jingoism from the American media have congealed into a phenomenon best described as “war porno,” says Joanne Ostrow. “Here we are in the middle of Act 2, just past the rescue of Jessica Lynch as a riveting subplot, awaiting the promised climactic act break in which we monitor the siege of Baghdad around the clock. We are at our posts, remotes in hand. You can tell you’re a glutton for war porno when you arrange your day around Pentagon briefings to track Donald Rumsfeld’s crankiness.”
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‘A’ For Publicity, ‘C’ For Relevance
New NEA chief Dana Gioia has been making the rounds of the nation’s newspapers and magazines this week, playing up the idea of a newly invigorated NEA, and stressing that he intends to return the endowment to the days when it was a real power on the national arts scene. But for all Gioia’s enthusiasm, his seeming devotion to ‘safe’ art that doesn’t bother anyone probably means that the NEA won’t be on the cutting edge anytime soon. But of course, being on the cutting edge of modern art isn’t Gioia’s goal. His job is to keep the NEA from the cutting edge of the Congressional budget knife.
Finally, Stepping Out Of Grammy’s Shadow
Outside of Canada, few have heard of the Juno Awards, and even at home, the ceremony honoring the best in Canadian music is often derisively referred to as “Grammy Jr.” But this year, the Junos may be ready to make an international mark, with artists like Avril Lavigne, Nickelback, and Celine Dion representing a new crop of Canadian singers who have found spectacular success worldwide. But will the stars and the national pride be enough to get Canadians to watch the traditionally low-rated broadcast?
New Leadership Reinvigorates Boston Scene
Three high-profile Boston arts organizations have recently come under new management, and while that’s the type of upheaval that can potentially lead to a downgrade in quality, at least in the short term, the opposite has been the case, according to Ed Siegel. The new Boston arts leaders “have responded to the challenge by seizing the moment. The Boston Symphony Orchestra, the American Repertory Theatre, and the Boston Ballet are all in the midst of seasons that are energetic, daring, and smartly crafted.”
CD Copy Protection May Deprive Artists Of Air Time
Recording companies that press CD’s with copy protection may be depriving their artists of radio playtime. At at least one station, all the CD players are part of computer systems, and the machines won’t play copy-protected disks…
What Are You Gonna Do? Garnishee Their Work-Study Wages?
For years now, the recording industry has carped about the money they lose through illegal downloading and file-swapping, and consumers have yelled back that if the industry didn’t set the prices for CDs and DVDs artificially high, fewer people would need to go the piracy route. But the industry ratcheted up the rhetoric considerably last week when it began to go after a few select college students who have swapped large amounts of digital music and video online. Katie Dean compares the tactic to the American military’s ‘shock and awe’ campaign in Iraq, since the plan isn’t meant to recover financial losses for the industry. In point of fact, it is intended to scare the bejeezus out of college students.
Lightening Up (A Little) In Europe
A new set of copyright guidelines being proposed in Europe may not be as Draconian as previously feared. “The proposal maintains that the right to make copies for private use will be maintained, as long as the copying process is not unreasonable vis-a-vis the copyright holder. This suggestion has the intent of preventing copies being made from illegally produced copies, while safeguarding the rights of the individual purchaser.”
Baltimore Musicians Take Preemptive Wage Freeze
“Musicians of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra have voted to accept a wage freeze and other financial concessions over the next 2 1/2 years to help the organization deal with its financial troubles. The move, which will save the BSO about $3 million, comes midway through the musicians’ current five-year contract.” It is extremely unusual for a functioning orchestra to renegotiate a contract in the middle of its run, but the Baltimore musicians and management agreed to try to head off at the pass the possibility of a future crisis.
Big Cuts in South Florida
The Florida Philharmonic’s musicians have also renegotiated an ongoing contract, agreeing to allow the management to reduce the length of the orchestra’s season by six weeks, and further agreeing to a freeze in the weekly pay scale. “In addition, health insurance co-payments will be increased from 12 percent for families and 15 percent for individuals to a flat 27 percent for everyone. Long-term disability coverage will be eliminated. Contributions to a pension fund for the musicians will be cut from 8 to 4 percent. And four weeks of paid vacation time this season will be reduced to two weeks next season.”
The ABC’s Elusive Chairman
Australian Broadcasting Company chairman Donald McDonald is something of a mystery. He gives few interviews, preferring “to decline to comment”. But its been a turbulent time at ABC, and McDonald decides to go public. Why take such a difficult job? “I was a child of the ABC in that it was a big window in my life. It never occurred that anyone would ask me to be chairman so I just said yes. Why not? Why not follow your intuition?”