Category: music

“Airlines will not be forced to allow musicians to carry large instruments on to planes, the government has said.”

“The percentage of rock songs plummeted from a sickly 13% in 2009 to a terminal 3% – far behind hip-hop/R’n’B at 47%, pop at 40% and dance 10%, according to figures from MusicWeek.”

“The US supreme court has allowed a landmark lawsuit against the four major record labels to proceed. According to the plaintiffs, Sony, Vivendi-Universal, Warner Music and EMI colluded in the early 2000s to keep download prices high, while preventing consumers from burning purchased songs to CD.”

“The iPod (and, by extension, iTunes) not only revolutionized the world’s listening habits early in the last decade, expanding the sheer variety of music people listen to; it also changed the manner in which people think of and hear music.”

“Among the final group is a vuvuzela-fixated trombonist from Germany, an Arizona-based clarinetist who has never left the U.S. and a Guzheng player from China, whose instrument is one a lot of the world has never seen or heard before. They’ll come together from March 14 to prepare for a final performance on Sunday, March 20, which will be streamed live to the world on YouTube.”

“Only three rock songs appeared in the UK Top 100 singles of 2010 – the lowest number since 1960, research by Music Week magazine shows.”

“Would folks show up just to watch a symphony orchestra on a big screen? The answer is yes. But certainly not in the same numbers the Met simulcasts command — at least not yet.”

“Directed by Mike Figgis, who is best known as a film director and whose credits include Leaving Las Vegas,” ENO’s upcoming production of Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia “will be broadcast live on February 23 on Sky Arts 2, Sky 3D and in a range of cinemas.”

“Today too many conductors are just churning out production line performances. They are doing far too many concerts. Maybe it is to do with the money.”

“There is an audience for jazz, you know. Off the books, it’s bigger than you think. Sometimes the culture around it feels spread out and invisible, like pollen in the air.”