FEBRUARY 2002 Thursday February 28 KEYS TO THE GRAMMYS: “Alicia Keys, the singer-songwriter and pianist, won five Grammys, including best new artist and song of the year for her soaring debut hit, Fallin, while the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? took the prized album of the year trophy for its survey of bluegrass, … Continue reading “Music: February 2002”
Friday August 31 TO BUY A MOCKINGBIRD? “‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ the book chosen by the Chicago Public Library for all Chicagoans to read in September and early October, is moving up the best-seller lists at two major Internet bookstores. Amazon.com reported that the mass market paperback edition of ‘Mockingbird’ jumped Wednesday to 67th on its … Continue reading “Publishing: August 2001”
AUGUST 2001 Friday August 31 MUSICAL CHAIRS: It’s that time of year when orchestra music directors wrap up their seasonal assignments and make their moves to other orchestras. Andante (AP) 08/30/01 BUCKING THE TREND: As many of America’s smaller orchestras are facing massive deficits and even bankruptcy, the Nashville Symphony, which recently added a plethora of new musicians, … Continue reading “Music: August 2001”
Tuesday July 31 GETTING KIDS INVOLVED: Classical music hasn’t been cool some time now. A night at the symphony might seem like a good way to impress a date with one’s sophistication, but other than that, most of the younger generation has little interest in Beethoven and Mozart. But is it possible that the blame lies … Continue reading “Music: July 2001”
Friday June 29 WIN WITHOUT WINNING: So the US court says publishers owe freelance writers extra money for electronic publishing rights. Publishers just include electronic rights with paper rights in a take it or leave it deal. So freelancers are unlikely to come out ahead. Wired 06/28/01 TOO POPULAR? “Could it be that accessibility is a dirty word … Continue reading “Publishing: June 2001”
Monday April 30 GIANT RADIO: “Radio stations that once were proudly local are now being programmed from hundreds of miles away. Increasingly, the very DJs are in a different city as well.” And the biggest of these in America specializes in “dirty tricks and crappy programming.” Salon 04/30/01 HOLLYWOOD SLOWING DOWN: “From costume shops to caterers, grips to … Continue reading “Media: April 2001”
Friday March 30 JAILED FOR LA FENICE ARSON: Two electricians have been convicted of setting Venice’s La Fenice opera house on fire in 1996. “Enrico Carella and his cousin, Massimiliano Marchetti, are believed to have set the building ablaze because their company was facing heavy fines over delays in repair work.” BBC 03/30/01 PAYING THE ARTISTS: Music stars … Continue reading “Music: March 2001”
Friday March 30 NO INSURANCE: Making movies is a huge financial risk. Nine out of ten Holywood movies lose money. So a few years ago someone came up with the idea of writing insurance policies against production costs. It worked great for producers, but was a disaster for insurers. The Economist 03/30/01 PAY TO READ? “A survey published … Continue reading “Media: March 2001”
Wednesday February 28 MAD FOR MOVIES: The audience for movies in Korea grew by 12 percent last year. But that audience wasn’t wild about the home team. “The audience share of Korean films decreased 3.2 percent to 32.6 percent, with foreign films attracting 67.4 percent of the audience.” Korea Times 02/28/01 WHERE CREDIT IS DUE: One of the … Continue reading “Media: February 2001”
Stephen King says he’ll discontinue publishing his serialized on-line novel “The Plant.” King said when he began the book that he would add additional chapters only if 50 percent of those downloading it paid $1 per chapter. By chapter four, only 46 percent were paying.Wrote one bothered fan: “It bothers me that readers might well … Continue reading “KING PULLS THE PLUG”
