Columbia University wants to become more involved in the arts. How to do this? First, Columbia has hired director Gregory Mosher. “All of us believe there should be far less separation among intellectual and creative activities. We don’t know exactly how we will do this. But we are going to make an effort. We hope to build something quite distinctive, and to make a contribution.”
Tag: 02.09.04
Shanghai Not Ready For Vagina Monologues
This just in: “Shanghai has abruptly banned the U.S. play ‘Vagina Monologues,’ said the theater that had planned a one-month run beginning Tuesday, adding that conditions in China are ‘not ripe’ for the taboo-breaking drama.”
RSC – Ready For A Turnaround?
The Royal Shakespeare Company has faced nothing but problems over the past year. And yet, there are encouraging signs that the company is turing itself around…
Disney Signs On For Microsoft Protection
Disney has signed a deal with Microsoft to incorporate the software maker’s digital protections into its movies. “The deal with Microsoft will wrap the software giant’s Digital Rights Management (DRM) system around the media being made available to stop it being illegally copied. The system being developed should allow buyers of the Disney films a limited ability to move the movies between PCs and media players.”
Toledo Arts Groups Painting The Town Red
Arts groups in Toledo, Ohio are selling plenty of tickets these days. But that isn’t protecting the bottom line. “Some of Toledo’s best-known regional arts and community assets – from black-tie traditions to avant-garde artists – are working in a new medium: red ink. At least four of the area’s major venues have posted a string of deficit years, according to records they’ve filed with the IRS: the Toledo Opera, the Arts Commission, COSI, and Citifest.”
UK Music Singles In Precipitous Sales Decline
Sales figures in the UK of record singles show a one-third decline, from “52.5m in 2002 to 35.9m last year. The drop is mirrored by a ‘disturbing’ increase in illegal in ternet downloads. But albums continue to rise in popularity, which means the total value of record sales remained steady.”
Brooklyn Opera Agrees Not To Use Virtual Orchestra
Reversing a decision aimed at saving money, “the Opera Company of Brooklyn will no longer use a computer that replicates an orchestra in place of live musicians. A deal reached with the musicians’ union explicitly bans the use of the computer, known as a virtual orchestra machine, or any other type of synthetic music, the union and opera announced Monday.”
Tower Records Files Bankruptcy
Tower Records has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday morning. “The Chapter 11 filing caps a long period of financial distress for Tower, a chain of nearly 100 stores that sells music and video entertainment in various formats. Sources had said money-losing Tower was unable to find a suitable buyer.”
Grammy’s Classical Winners
Here’s a list of classical music recordings that won at this year’s Grammys.
Moscow Cracking Down On Digital Pirates
Moscow has begun cracking down on illegal copies of movies and music. Last summer, illegal CD’s and DVD’s were freely available on the streets of the Russian capital. “In the early 1990s, cinemas showed the latest movies, but not one rouble went to pay the Hollywood studios that made them. Often pirate movies were broadcast on state television. Even now, pirate disks are openly on sale in almost every corner of Russia.”