Classical Recordings Booming Online

U.S. CD sales fell in 2006, but downloads were way up. No surprise there, but did you know that classical music was the fastest growing genre among all music sales? Chris Anderson, author of a book on niche marketing, thinks he knows why. “Classical is so badly served in traditional bricks-and-mortar music stores [that fans are forced to turn to downloading.] The fact that it’s one of the largest categories on iTunes, despite the demographic mismatch with the typical iTunes customer, is evidence that consumers are flocking online for choice.”

Hollywood’s Near-Record Year

“Hollywood bounced back in 2006 as movie ticket sales hit $9.4 billion (all figures U.S.) – the second-highest single-year gross in domestic box office history, according to final numbers released Tuesday. Bolstered by a stellar New Year’s weekend at megaplexes, the year’s ticket revenue just missed the record $9.45 billion the industry took in during 2004.”

The Brazilian Orchestra And $1 Tickets At Carnegie Hall

Joao Carlos Martins was a quirky brilliant and accident-prone pianist. Now he’s turned to conductying. “In Brazil, we only have orchestras sponsored by the federal and state governments. So when I took my first conducting lesson three years ago, I wanted to show that I could create a private orchestra that could support itself on private sponsorship and box-office receipts. Nobody believed me. But during 2006, we gave 50 concerts in Brazil.”