Tag: 04.29.03

Delayed Satisfaction

There are lots of reasons to embargo releases of books. “But more and more, embargoes are about creating hype for books that would have gone unnoticed. Maybe, as publishers will tell you, controlling the publicity increases awareness and sales. But it seems to me that, like all weapons of mass dissemination, embargoes should be used very, very sparingly.”

The Dark Side Of Official Diversity?

“The days when arts organisations could be seen promoting ‘traditional’ arts to ‘traditional’ audiences are over. Phrases like ‘reflecting diversity’, ‘breaking down barriers’, ‘building new audiences’ and ‘exploring ethnicity’ trip off the tongues of arts funders and practitioners. Arts organisations are now seeking to fund and showcase diverse artists, and are employing ‘specialist ethnic agencies’ to promote arts events to specific communities. From one point of view, this represents a refreshing opening up of British cultural life. But the practice of organising policy on the basis of people’s identities – which is a growing trend – has a dark side.”

The Death Of Poetry?

“Consider that poetry is the only art form where the number of people creating it is far greater than the number of people appreciating it. Anyone can write a bad poem. To appreciate a good one, though, takes knowledge and commitment. As a society, we lack this knowledge and commitment. People don’t possess the patience to read a poem 20 times before the sound and sense of it takes hold. They aren’t willing to let the words wash over them like a wave, demanding instead for the meaning to flow clearly and quickly. They want narrative-driven forms, stand-alone art that doesn’t require an understanding of the larger context.”

Will Apple’s Music Service Be A Killer App?

So Apple’s getting into the music download business. At first look, “the integration between the one-click purchase service, Apple’s iTunes music jukebox software and the iPod player goes well beyond what any other music service has done. It will genuinely make paying for music online easy, even an impulse buy, and artists and music labels see that as a big step forward. Label executives privately say the Apple service is an experiment, which could be expanded if it proves successful. Apple’s small market share means that the stakes are relatively low.”

Laura Greenday-Ness, This Is Your Life! Oh, Wait, No, It Isn’t.

This much we know is true: Laura Greenday-Ness is the head of a small music school in a Dallas suburb. But nearly everything else in the Texas composer’s resume appears to be patently false. According to her school’s promotional materials, Greenday-Ness is a two-time winner of the national Composer of the Year award, is in residence with the Dallas Symphony, and has written for the Boston Pops, Chicago Symphony, and Philadelphia Philharmonic. Reality check: there is no such award; no one at the orchestras in Dallas, Boston, or Chicago has ever heard of her; and there is no such orchestra as the Philadelphia Philharmonic.

Italy Gets Tough On Pirated CDs

Italy is cracking down on counterfeit music recodings. “Street vendors could be fined 103 euros (£70) for every pirate copy they sell and may also face between six months and three years in prison. Buyers of illegal CDs, who up until now have gone unpunished, will be fined 154 euros (£106) if caught buying illegal CDs and repeat offenders could be hit with a fine of 1,000 euros (£700) when the new law is introduced on Tuesday. Italy has one of Europe’s largest counterfeit markets and the music industry estimates that one in four compact discs sold is pirated.”

Feld Shuts Down Company For 2003/04

Eliot Feld’s Ballet Tech is suspending operations for the 2003/04 season, citing difficulty in raising money. “The suspension is the first among major American dance companies as they try to cope with the troubled economy. “There has been a general consolidation within many of the companies. Companies have shortened seasons and downsized dancers. Middle-size companies like Mr. Feld’s, which has 14 dancers and a budget of $4 million, appeared to be struggling the hardest.”

Coming Up Next…

“Television has become obsessed with telling us what is coming up next. Hardly any programme is allowed to approach its conclusion without suffering the rude interruption of an over-loud voiceover, laboured link or fancy graphic signalling the arrival of whatever is due to follow the closing credits. It is as if the viewer is being urged to fixate on the imminent future at the expense of the present: not so much of ‘carpe diem’ as ‘carpe the next diem’.”

Tough New Makeover At Disney Animation

Animation has been a driving force behind Disney’s theme parks, retail stores, movies and TV shows. It also has become one of the company’s most confounding problems. The animation division has suffered through three chiefs in four years. Along the way have come wrenching layoffs, deep cost cuts and the studio’s biggest flop ever, last year’s ‘Treasure Planet.’ Although still considered the market leader in animation, Disney has lost ground to rivals, especially DreamWorks SKG.” So on Monday, a new boss of animation “roiled the ranks when he told a gathering of 525 animation employees that he wants them to produce lush, classic fairy tales – perhaps ‘The Snow Queen’ or ‘Rapunzel’ – entirely on computers. His vision was greeted with dropped jaws by the roomful of artists steeped in the traditional style of hand-drawn animation pioneered by Disney.”