Category: music

“Among the business models music fans are likely to see more of: music subscriptions bundled with the price of Internet access, and services like Nokia Corp.’s upcoming Comes With Music, which would give users of select mobile phones a year’s worth of unlimited access to music, for no extra charge.”

“If music is to go back to original instruments and original performance practices, it has to acknowledge original audiences too.” Fact is, audience behavior was different in yesteryear. “Audience participation was taken for granted in the 1840s.”

The five-hour-long program — including full-length opera recordings from an array of international opera companies — can be streamed on your computer any time. The channel is aimed at an international audience, with special emphasis on Northwest listeners.

“In our own time, America’s musical high culture has degenerated into a formulaic entertainment divorced from the contemporary moment. Intellectuals know theater, dance, cinema, literature. Missing out on what our orchestras and opera companies are up to, they are for the most part not missing much.”

The St. Louis Orchestra is offering an all-you-can-eat deal. “For $99 (much cheaper than skiing all day at Vail), you can get a seat to almost all concerts from Thursday through March 2.”

“These days, even damaged violins made by the master himself command prices of a million euros, while his finest sounding instruments sell for many times that amount. In May 2006, Christie’s auctioned the “Hammer” Stradivarius for some $3.5 million; top instruments are now valued at over $6 million. What’s more, buyers increasingly see Stradivariuses as a lucrative investment.”

“Among the business models music fans are likely to see more of: music subscriptions bundled with the price of Internet access, and services like Nokia Corp.’s upcoming Comes With Music, which would give users of select mobile phones a year’s worth of unlimited access to music for no extra charge.”

Should some music be off-limits to advertisers? Clearly, none of it is, and the result is that we now have to listen endlessly to some of the greatest songs, symphonies, and performances ever recorded being used to hawk bread, computers, and airline tickets.

Edo de Waart is arguably the most famous conductor the Milwaukee Symphony has ever hired to be its music director. So what made the Dutch maestro a good match for Wisconsin? Well, for one thing, he already lives there, and loves it: “I’ve been everywhere, and I really don’t need to live in a big city anymore.”

As major conservatories go, LA’s Colburn School doesn’t exactly have the history and pedigree of institutions like Juilliard and Curtis. But the combination of top-flight facilities and full scholarships for every student have Colburn on the rise among American music schools.