Category: music

“Avant-garde jazz is notoriously marginalized music, and the afflictions now plaguing the recording industry are well known. But through a selective release schedule, a careful eye on the budget, a thoughtful approach to promotion and, crucially, a sense of cultivation and commitment to its artists, Pi has not only survived but has also managed to thrive.”

“Drawing on information in the public domain and tips from sources” – regularly updated and corrected, and with no personal speculations – Brad Wilber had run the online list of future Met repertory and casting since 1996. In May, the Met’s general counsel asked Wilber to close the blog, and last week he did so.

“In approving the plan and clearing the way for the orchestra to leave the court’s supervision, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David T. Stosberg turned back objections raised by the musicians’ pension plan. ‘It’s time for this case to be out of bankruptcy court’,” said the judge.

“In what appears to be a pioneering venture for both parties, the New York Philharmonic has signed an agreement with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra to collaborate on a new orchestral training institute in Shanghai, as well as a series of touring exchanges and joint commissioning of new works.”

“Musicians are furious that the new measurement – known as the English Baccalaureate (Ebacc) – excludes music and other creative subjects, such as art and drama. The Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) and Music Teacher magazine said they had already noticed that fewer pupils were taking music as a result.”

“The Billboard Summer Blowout party was billed as the first event for which every ticket distributed was done via mobile phones. Joshua Dziabiak, founder of ShowClix, the company behind the service, said the new MMS ticketing system was the first of its kind to be used in the United States and hopes the system will revolutionize the way ticketing works.”

“For years, prognosticators have looked forward to a time when a “celestial jukebox” would let you hear any piece of music, anytime, anywhere. Welcome to that future. 2011 is shaping up to be a watershed moment in music consumerism, right up there with the dawn of Napster in 1999 or the arrival of the iPod and iTunes in 2001.”

Some major artists are about to regain ownership of the copyrights to their music. Unsurprisingly, recording companies object.

“The triumph of the internet as a music provider has already wrong-footed the industry, but Harvey Goldsmith believes that the singing stars and rock bands of the future will suffer too if there is no concerted effort to bring fresh talent to the public.”

“The digital revolution has already reduced record sales, and its impact is now being felt in packaging. Album covers appear to be growing simpler and less detailed than those in the past.”