The movie and record industries have long contended that, in order to get a handle on the digital piracy problem, they must be able to hold the companies who facilitate such piracy accountable for the actions of their users. Up to now, the courts have disagreed, but the industry has growing support from legal experts and copyright enforcement groups. The issue is a big one, since it would be relatively easy to sue the largest purveyors of file-trading software, and nigh onto impossible to go after individual users of the software.
Tag: 08.26.03
iTunes – Not Such A Good Deal After All
People are raving about Apple’s iTunes. But it’s not a good deal for consumers, or for artists. “Apple takes a 35% cut from every song and every album sold, a huge amount considering how little they have to do. Record labels receive the other 65% of each sale. Of this, major label artists will end up with only 8 to 14 cents per song, depending on their contract. Many of them will never even see this paltry share because they have to pay for producers and recording costs, both of which can be enormous. Until the musician ‘recoups’ these costs, when you buy an iTunes song, the label gives them nothing.”
Austin Lyric Opera Gets Some New Leadership
“The Austin Lyric Opera’s 16-year history is melodramatic enough to be an opera itself.” The company almost folded in its first year of existence, and has struggled periodically since, with financial hardship usually accompanied by Texas-sized power struggles at the top. Just last year, the board fired artistic director, Joseph McClain, claiming that his artistic desires were simply not financially achievable in Austin. Now, the Lyric has hired a new artistic director, Richard Buckley, whom they hope will bring a firm but even hand to their often-roiling ship.
Philly’s New Hall In The Red
Philadelphia’s huge new performing arts complex, the Kimmel Center, has finished its first year of operation with a deficit of nearly $4 million. But Kimmel management points out that it normally takes such massive organizations at least 5 years to turn a profit, and they insist that their hall is well ahead of schedule in the moneymaking department. Much of the first-year deficit reportedly had to do with start-up and hiring costs. The center is home to the Philadelphia Orchestra and several other arts groups, but is owned and run separately from any of its tenants. The Kimmel has an independent endowment of $20 million.
London’s New Asian Influence
Asian actors have more of a presence on London stages than ever before. “Two major West End productions with all-Asian casts wouldn’t have happened even five years ago.” But some worry about the kinds of roles Asians are landing.
Edinburgh’s “Golden Age”
The Edinburgh Festivals are in a “golden age” and sold more than a million tickets this year for the first time. “The figures capped an exceptional month for the organisers, who have overseen one of the most vibrant events for years, and witnessed a growing acceptance among politicians of the need to consider strategic public investment in it.”
10 Commandments – Go Forth And Multiply
What’s up with all the monuments to the Ten Commandments around America? How come there are so many of them? “In the 1950s, Cecil B. DeMille teamed with the Fraternal Order of Eagles to kick off donations of 4,000 6-foot granite tablets depicting the Ten Commandments to municipalities nationwide. For DeMille, this was great advertising for his epic movie ‘The Ten Commandments.’ The Eagles, which kept the program going at least into the 1960s, declared it a way to fight juvenile delinquency.”
Theatres – Revenue Up, But Also Deficits
The good news for American theatres is that attendance is up 17 percent in the past five years. Contributed income is also up – an astonishing 52 percent above inflation ove the same period. The bad news is that for the first time in the Theatre Communications Guild survey’s 28 years, “more than half – 54 percent – of surveyed companies ran a deficit, a 24 percent increase in the past two years.”
The Cult Of Adapting Movies For The Stage
Want to produce a hit play? Then find a cult movie that has a following and adapt it. “Don’t worry too much about slickness or professionalism – your audience will be largely composed of young people who seldom go to the theatre, and never to a musical, and have no standard against which to measure performance. What they seek is authenticity, fidelity to the spirit of the cult. Deliver that, and you’re well on your way to establishing a hit.”
Art In Edinburgh – How Do You Know What’s There?
The Edinburgh Festival was a great success, and crowds have been pouring into the big Monet show. But as far as visual arts in the rest of the Scottish capital, things have been decidedly less promoted. “Altogether there are well over 100 exhibitions to choose from, but the sector is too fragmented to reach the public it should command. It is almost impossible even to find out everything that is going on.”