“Audience share for music is eroding, as listeners bolt bland formats and canned disc jockeys. Some listeners end up plugging in their iPods or getting satellite radio. Others are migrating to talk radio. The rise of FM in the 1960s was supposed to signal the death of AM. In 10 years, it might be the other way around.”
Tag: 05.27.07
Rise Of The Arts Bloggers
“Straddling the line between journalist and fan, arts bloggers are a growing part of the conversation about theater, painting, music and other disciplines. Some are artists themselves, and primarily use their sites to promote their own work. Others practice straight reporting and criticism that could appear in a newspaper or magazine. A few don’t write much themselves, but act as facilitators, providing forums for other arts lovers.”
China – Crazy About Pianos
“The Chinese are crazy about piano playing. Among city dwellers, there’s been nothing like this enthusiasm since the ’80s, when an embrace of the Japanese-originated Suzuki teaching method created a national army of child violinists. According to some estimates, as many as 15 million hopefuls in China — most of them young — are toiling to gain proficiency in this highly competitive skill, and the number is growing. Those unable to make it through the tough entrance exams of the country’s nine overflowing conservatories opt for one of hundreds of private piano schools sprouting all over.”
Leading Children’s Writer Condemns Kids TV As Poison
“Children are regarded by broadcasters as a marketing opportunity at best, a dangerous and feral threat at worst, and an expensive nuisance otherwise. Social poison goes much deeper than broadcasting, of course, but it’s particularly visible there.”
La Streisand Cancels Rome Concert
After protests by consumer groups over high ticket prices, Barbra Streisand has canceled a performance in Rome. “Asked whether the protest over tickets was a factor in the decision by tour promoters to drop Rome from Streisand’s itinerary, the spokeswoman said: ‘Absolutely not’.”
Romanian Movie Wins Top Cannes
The Romanian film “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” wins top honors at the Cannes Film Festival. “The film, which follows the harrowing journey of two women as they seek an illegal abortion in Communist Romania, is directed by Cristian Mungiu. A Russian actor and a South Korean actress took top acting honours at the annual festival, now in its 60th year.”
Atheists Gain Ground On Bestseller Lists
“Militant, atheist writers are making an all-out assault on religious faith and reaching the top of the bestseller list, a sign of widespread resentment over the influence of religion in the world among nonbelievers.”
Italy, NY Collector Reach Impasse On Artifacts
After months of intense discussions, negotiations between New York antiquities collector [Shelby White] and the Italian government have bogged down over a demand that she never be pursued by Italy again, several people close to the talks say.”
Just How Do Dancers Remember All Those Steps?
“Dancers call it muscle memory. And while it obviously manifests itself physically as far as dance is concerned, what actually happens, according to neuroscientists, is that the movements become thoroughly mapped in the brain, creating a shorthand between thinking and doing.”
A Season For Comics
Comic books are beginning to borrow the “season” idea from TV. Comics are produced as episodes that have a TV-like story arc. And some of the more successful of these are run by TV people.