“Surely the theatres in question will only go out of business if they continue to put on plays that fail to capture the public’s imagination. It is only because they don’t sell enough tickets that they’re forced to depend on hand-outs. If their artistic directors were a little more in touch with the taste of ordinary theatre-goers, their survival wouldn’t be in jeopardy.”
Tag: 01.20.08
Music For (And Of) The Birds
More than just one of the most influential composers of the 20th century, Olivier Messaien was a devoted ornithology freak and fan of birdsong. “From the mid-century until his death in 1992, the fruits of his bird song research filled Messiaen’s compositions, sometimes unadorned, more often stylized to suit his expressive needs.”
Cultural Ambassador – Symphony Preaches Pittsburgh On Tour
The Pittsburgh Symphony is off to Europe on a three-week tour. The orchestra works as an advertisement for its city. “Those intangibles included the region’s amenities — a comparatively low cost of living, short commutes, top universities and schools, excellent medical care, high-quality arts and sports teams and Pittsburgh’s relative proximity to other cities. But ‘the music factor was a puzzle piece that brought the puzzle together’.”
Who’s Going To Choose Your Music For You?
“Filtering serves a social purpose. People don’t have time to listen to all the music that’s available, but do you rely on corporations to filter that through? Do you trust the wisdom of crowds to do it? I think (choice) is a good thing. It makes the business model much more complicated, but culturally, it’s a great thing.”
A $5 Fix For The Music Biz?
“Peer-to-peer file sharing has far outstripped legitimate sales; 50 billion files are shared annually in America. That’s a robust business, a sign that music has never been more popular. But it’s a business that has essentially turned recorded music into a marketing tool for an artist, rather than a revenue stream. With that shift, a whole bunch of 20th Century business constructs — the record label, the record store, publishing companies — are in serious jeopardy.”
Writer JG Ballard Writes His Life
After being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2006, he sat down at his electric typewriter – “The computer age came too late for me” – and rapidly wrote his autobiography.
Scholars Frustrated At Slow Rate Of Publishing Founders’ Papers
“Despite various efforts by dozens of scholars since 1943, vast portions of the letters written by and to America’s Founding Fathers are unavailable to the public. Some of the documents won’t be readily accessible until the middle of the century. The slow pace of their publication – largely attributed to insufficient funding and staff – has provoked the ire of scholars.”
Missouri Governor Proposes Huge Increase In State Arts Funding
Gov. Matt Blunt has proposed nearly doubling funding for the arts and cultural organizations in Missouri. Blunt recommends $14.6 million to fund the Missouri Arts Council, an increase of almost $7 million.
China Now Has 205 Million Internet Users
“In 2007, China’s number of Internet users shot up 53% from the 137 million counted at the end of 2006. At the end of June, that number stood at 162 million. About 16% of the Chinese population now has access to the Internet.”
Circuses And Dancing And Opera, Oh My!
“The president of Turkmenistan says he will now permit operas and circuses to be performed, reversing a decision by his predecessor to ban those forms of expression.”