“Johann Sebastian Bach’s ‘Air on the G String’ has become one of the most frequently aired pieces on Korean MTV recently, while girl groupies scream out of sheer joy at Mozart’s Symphony No. 40, noticing that their favorite boy band will soon come out on the stage to sing. Though it may sound impossible, classical music has become a major source of inspiration for the country’s songwriters, through the means of sampling.”
Tag: 07.12.07
The Problem When Collectors Drive The Art Market
“Over the long term, art-historical value is determined by consensus among all four art-world pillars. When any one of the four entities assume disproportionate power, there is a danger that this entity’s personal preferences will cloud everyone’s short-term judgement. Put bluntly, the danger of a collector-driven art world is that money will trump knowledge.”
What Can Save Europe? Culture, The Arts
“For most Europeans, Europe has become an abstract, alien entity. They are no longer sure whether they should identify with it or dissociate themselves from it, whether they feel represented or repressed. As such, the image of Europe is a contradictory one.” Wim Wenders writes: “If Europe is to prove itself in the eyes of the Europeans themselves, it must now define itself through its innermost quality: the wonderful, chaotic, unique diversity of its culture.”
Trend: Starchitects Take On Condos
“In New York, Andre Balazs’s project wraps up just ahead of Ian Schrager’s much-anticipated 40 Bond St. (designed by Herzog & de Meuron). Projects by Richard Meier, Robert A.M. Stern and Bernard Tschumi are on the way.”
Lights, Sounds, Fade For Boomers
“As more members of the generation born after World War II enter their 60s, and the effects of age conspire with years of hearing abuse, a number find themselves jacking up the volume on their televisions, cringing at boisterous parties and shouting “What?” into their cellphones. About one in six boomers have hearing loss.”
Off-Broadway’s Open Call For Virgins
“The producers of an off-Broadway show are giving away free tickets to anyone who can demonstrate his or her chastity. Which raises the question: Just how will the theater know?”
The Queen Versus Annie Leibovitz
“Leibovitz, famed for her celebrity portraits, was photographing the Queen for a series of official pictures to commemorate her trip to Washington in May when she inadvertently annoyed her by suggesting a more informal pose.” The Queen, irritated, “flounced” out…
Why Do People Get So Upset About Punctuation?
Some people get so upset about punctuation errors. “The ‘zero tolerance’ approach recommends that we angrily harangue greengrocers and others who have failed to learn the standard English norms.” But aren’t there worse crimes to go on about?
Copyright Board Declines To Delay Webcast Royalty Hike
“The Copyright Royalty Board, an obscure group of federal judges, set the new rates in March, eliminating a provision that allowed small webcasters to pay 10% to 12% of their revenues instead of a set per-song fee for every listener. The current rate of .0762 of a cent each time a song is played will more than double by 2010, and many Internet radio stations will face royalty payments greater than their revenues. Many individuals make little or no money through their online stations, so the decision made webcasting prohibitively expensive.”
Taking Back An Opening
“When is open access not open access? That’s easy: When it’s being promoted by the FCC. Or more specifically by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, who earlier this week floated the rules he’d like to set for the upcoming auction of prime UHF spectrum.” Turns out the “open network” might not be so open after all.