Warner Rolls Up Classical Label

Warner Classics is no more. “Warner Classics is being rolled into Rhino, Warner’s reissue division, though it is unclear at the moment of the parent company’s ambitions in the classical music world. This move by Warner reduces the so-called majors in the classical record arena to just EMI, Universal and Sony-BMG.”

The Concert Ticket, R.I.P.

“The days of the rock concert ticket are numbered. Guns N’ Roses’ show at the Hammersmith Apollo on June 7 is being touted as the world’s first ticketless gig. Unless they specifically ask for a small piece of card, fans will be expected to arrive bearing barcodes sent to their mobile phones as text messages.”

Setting The Record Straight On Labour’s Arts Record

A week ago Polly Toynbee lauded the British Labour Party’s record on the arts. MP Hugo Swire begs to differ: “She cites Labour’s brief increase in central arts funding, but fails to mention the massive cut in lottery funding for the arts – a fifth of funding destined for the arts has been used to fund the government’s pet projects. The result was an unprecedented cut in arts funding, far outweighing any rise in the Arts Council’s grant-in-aid budget.

Newspapers Are Killing Off Established Critics (But Why?)

“Daily newspapers are losing circulation, Hollywood advertising and their influence over moviegoers. As publishers struggle to hang on to their readers via online content, blogs and podcasts, some are replacing experienced critics with younger, less expensive models. Newspaper editors seem to believe hiring a younger critic will help them build a wider demo… But when established critics stop reviewing, they often leave behind a gaping hole.”

The Great Shrinking WTC Memorial

As the cost of the World Trade Center memorial escalate, the question has to be asked whether it’s time to scrp the project. “As the memorial has leapt in cost, its commemorative possibilities have shrunk… The very officials who are shocked at the price tag bear considerable responsibility for it. A steep cost became inevitable when politicians acceded to the early clamor to define the entire footprints of both towers as sacred ground.”

The Cooking Writer As Plagiarist

Mrs Beeton was the legendary cooking writer. But a new biography accuses her of plagiarizing everything. “Isabella Beeton was only 21 when she began cookery writing. Her first recipe for Victoria sponge was so inept that she left out the eggs. Seven years later she was dead. How did she come to write the seminal book? ‘The answer is she copied everything’.”

Reason To Forge

“Accounts of art forgers tend to talk up their subject as “the greatest” swindler of all time: the most efficient, the most reckless or the one who got away with it most frequently. The forgers themselves seem to nurse a certain fatal egotism too. Some claim an almost supernatural affinity with the artist they copy.”

Let The Pointless Speculation Begin! (er, continue?)

“Industry pundits and Tony voters are all over the place with their predictions” regarding who will take top honors for best musical in this year’s awards show. This type of speculation is nothing new, of course, but with this year’s race being as close as it apparently is, “some theater people wonder if the balance will be tipped by how the industry feels about the people behind each show.” In an industry as insular as Broadway, that could make for some very hurt feelings.