Category: music

These shows will be the first paid gig many people in the industry have had since March. Airwaves’ event director, Cindy Jensen, says organising her event has highlighted how desperate the music industry is for work. “Since we launched [last Monday] I’ve been inundated – and I mean inundated – with calls from production houses, foodies, market stall holders asking: ‘Have you got this sorted?’ Everyone is just screaming out for work.”  – The Guardian

The kind of music you listen to while running matters when it comes to synchronisation. Runners who put on their earphones when they exercise tend to synchronise their pace to what they’re listening to – which is why Spotify’s running playlists contain songs that share similar beats per minute (bpm). – The Guardian

In an email sent to managers and performers reported by Music Business Worldwide, BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch said the label was “mindful of the shameful treatment of black artists”, and would begin a review of historic record contracts, vowing to address “inequities or anomalies” within 30 days. – The Guardian

Even in Europe, which has a reputation for generous governmental arts subsidies, midsize ensembles have found it difficult to support their musicians. – The New York Times

Symphony President Alan Valentine said patrons donated $300,000 worth of tickets since the pandemic hit. But officials anticipate an $8 million loss from the shutdown, leaving the organization several million dollars short for the year. – The Tennessean

“I’m very convinced that people after this are more hungry for intellectual and artistic inspiration than before. So the wrong approach, I think, is to do a populist approach to the arts industry and just play happy tunes that everybody wants to hear and nothing profound. I think that would be the wrong approach. I think it should be the extreme opposite. I think now we can challenge our audience more than before. That’s my gut feeling. And I’m not alone with that.” – San Antonio Express News

Anthony McGill, New York Philharmonic principal clarinetist, launched a new mini-genre of musical protest on May 28 when he tweeted a video of himself playing “America the Beautiful,” transposed into a minor key, in honor of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and “the struggle for justice and decency.” David Patrick Stearns surveys some #TakeTwoKnees responses and some similar musical repurposings from earlier years — from Leonard Bernstein’s famous Beethoven 9th at the fallen Berlin Wall to Jimi Hendrix’s “Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock to Judy Garland on live TV transforming “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” into a funeral march for JFK. – WQXR (New York City)

He wrote on Facebook that when his shows across Europe were cancelled on 7 May, it was in the belief that fans would receive a refund. While this was the case in the other countries the singer had been scheduled to visit, a decree passed by the Italian government offered only vouchers for scrapped music events. – The Guardian