Category: music

Was Washington Post pop music critic Richard Harrington demoted because, at age 53, he was too old for the job? Harrington thinks so, and he’s suing. – Washington City Paper

“On Broadway, a conductor is often as overlooked as so much wallpaper, that nameless fellow waving a stick under the stage. But in addition to wielding the technical skill involved in conducting the orchestra, musical directors play a major role in shaping a show, acting as the liaison between the composer and the cast.”- New York Times

BMG Classical was once a giant in the classical music recording business. But a major reorganization will gut the label – where it once produced hundreds of new recordings a year and boasted a roster of the biggest stars, it now focuses on its archives, and will drop most of its recognizable performers. – Washington Post

Giant EMI Music Publishing will make available the sheet music for one million of the songs it publishes on the web. The sheet music will be downloadable. – Wired

Finally the major recording labels are getting into the music download business. But is there any sign they’ve learned lessons from the independent labels already on the web and making money at it? – Wired

Sales of recorded music worldwide were up 1.5% last year to $38.5 billion, according to the annual report from the Int’l Federation of the Phonographic Industry. The number of recordings sold 3.8 billion – stayed the same however. The US – the world’s largest music market, accounting for 40% of the total – had its fifth straight year of growth, posting an 8% rise in value and a 5% increase in recordings sold, with online sales making up 2.4% of the total. – Variety

A lawsuit being heard in New York this week could determine how consumers can access their personal music files over the internet. Paul McCartney and two other plaintiffs claim that “MP3.com created an illegal database by purchasing CDs and uploading that music onto MP3.com’s servers. Users who signed up for the service and who called my.mp3.com were then able to stream music from that database to any device that can access the Internet.” – Wired

Students “sentenced” to attend a performance of “Tosca” as punishment for their transgressions at a Connecticut school discover they like it. “It was awesome. I wasn’t expecting anything. I’d do it again – voluntarily.” – Philadelphia Inquirer (AP)

“Carlisle Floyd’s opera ‘Cold Sassy Tree,” which had its world premiere at the Houston Grand Opera on Friday night, is a minor masterpiece of musical storytelling and assured theatrical know- how.” – San Francisco Chronicle

It’s long, expensive and taxing. And yet, Wagner’s “Ring” still has a hold of the imagination. Productions of it continue to flourish, despite the costs. – New York Times