“The message is clear: streaming music is good for British record labels, after a decade of declining sales. Yet it’s fair to ask another question: whether the rapid growth in streaming music payments to labels is as good news for the companies making those payments.”
Tag: 02.19.14
Are We Merely Prisoners Of Our Biochemistry? (What About Reason?)
Because our thoughts and actions are the products of our brains, and because what our brains do is determined by the physical state of the world and the laws of physics—perhaps with a dash of quantum randomness in the mix—there seems to be no room for choice. As the author and neuroscientist Sam Harris has put it, we are “biochemical puppets.”
Russia’s Feminist Art Collective’s Protests Raising Visibility And Losing Political Traction
Pussy Riot’s “punk prayer” would propel them – and Russia’s burgeoning protest movement – on to the global stage. It would also, arguably, mark the point at which that same movement lost any hope of success in Russia itself.
Want Your Show To Make It On Broadway? It’s All About The Branding
On the Broadway of the 21st century, especially in the very risky and very expensive arena of musicals, it’s not enough just to have a gimmick. If you want the crowds to come, you gotta have a brand name.
Study Of Jazz Performers’ Brains Show Connections Between Language, Music
“Until now, studies of how the brain processes auditory communication between two individuals have been done only in the context of spoken language. But looking at jazz lets us investigate the neurological basis of interactive, musical communication as it occurs outside of spoken language.”
Music Awards Sponsor Tries To Muscle Journalists To Dictate Coverage
“Before providing two journalists from the Telegraph with accreditation to attend the event House PR has asked them to agree to a number of requests about the coverage they will give it. They have even gone as far as to draft Twitter messages which they would like the journalists to send out.”
The Uselessness Of Positive Thinking
According to a great deal of research, positive fantasies may lessen your chances of succeeding.
A Panel Of Washington DC Theatre Heads Turns Uncomfortable When The Subject Of Diversity Comes Up
“Are the current heads of these organizations really incapable of implementing change? No. It’s a choice. It’s passing off responsibility and accountability to the next generation.”
Cossacks Beat Pussy Riot With Horsewhips in Sochi
The balaclava-clad Russian rockers were just starting a protest song in front of an administrative building in downtown Sochi when members of a Cossack militia (brought into town as extra security for the Winter Olympics) attacked them with whips and pepper spray. The song: “Putin Will Teach You How to Love the Motherland”. (includes photos and video)
The Music Voyager Is Carrying Into Deep Space: It’s About the Solar System
Alex Ross talk with composer Laurie Spiegel, whose composition Harmonices Mundi, which is on the recording attached to the space vessel, “is a realization of Johannes Kepler’s hypothesis that the motion of the planets can be translated into a ‘never-ending polyphonic music’.” (includes audio and video)