San Antonio’s Cultural Arts Board is under fire for the way in which it doles out money to the city’s cultural organizations. Critics charge that the process does not allow for input from local artists, and that applicants are treated as if they are signing up for the welfare roles, rather than as organizations which contribute significantly to the community in exchange for public dollars. The cash-strapped San Antonio Symphony, which is preparing to relaunch itself after emerging from bankruptcy, even chose to bypass the Arts Board completely, preferring to appeal directly to the mayor and the city council for funds. Board members concede that changes are needed.
Tag: 09.09.04
Tanglewood Attendance Slips
Attendance at Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, fell by 11% this year, with BSO staff blaming the decline on lousy weather and a cutback in the number of free tickets available. It was an unusually rainy summer in the Berkshires – 20 rain days in July, and 22 in August – which can directly affect Tanglewood concerts, since many patrons sit outdoors, and even the main Shed, which is covered, has no walls to insulate concertgoers from the rain. Still, more than 320,000 people attended a concert at the famous venue over the ten weeks of the festival.
No Logos On The Timpani?
A new sponsorship deal between UBS, an international wealth management firm, and the Utah Symphony Orchestra is getting some attention in the music industry. Under the deal, UBS will contribute over $1 million to the orchestra, in exchange for which the company’s logo will be featured prominently in program books and orchestra advertising, and will also receive special recognition at four concerts in the 2004-05 season. It’s a more blatant marketing strategy than many orchestras have been comfortable with, but with corporate support ever more important for the survival of the industry, the deal may be a harbinger.
Barenboim To Miss CSO Season Opener
Conductor Daniel Barenboim will miss the opening of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s new season after doctors advised him not to travel from his home in Berlin. Barenboim is being treated for several herniated discs in his back. Sir Andrew Davis, of the Chicago Lyric Opera, will lead the CSO this weekend in Barenboim’s stead. So far, the orchestra expects Barenboim to return for his scheduled concerts later in the month, but isn’t making any guarantees.
Mel’s Passion Trumps Jackson’s Rings
DVD and VHS sales of Mel Gibson’s ultraviolent religious paean, The Passion of the Christ, have gone through the roof, breaking the all-time record for U.S. sales of a live-action movie, which had been held by Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Astonishingly, the DVD version of Passion contains none of the “extras” that filmbuyers usually crave. A massive e-mail and print marketing campaign appears to have helped sales: “More than six million Christian homes received e-mails about the DVD release of the controversial religious epic, and churches were also offered deals on bulk orders of the film.”
Culturally Olympicizing
Now an ambitious plan for a kind of cultural Olympics. The World Culture Open is considered by its organizers to be “a combination of the Olympics and the Nobel Peace Prize to encourage and provide money for arts groups that emphasize cultural understanding, something they feel neither the United Nations nor other international groups do in a comprehensive way.”
National Theatre’s Record Season
London’s National Theatre has had a record year at the box office. “The experiment of using sponsorship to slash ticket prices for half the seats in the largest auditorium throughout the summer paid dividends. Sceptics feared it would give regulars a cheap night out, but the season attracted 50,000 first timers. A third of those returned regularly, buying full-price tickets for other shows. Overall the National sold 750,000 tickets, an 11% rise on the previous year.”
At The National: Cheap Tickets Make Good Business
“The National’s success with £10 tickets reinforces a basic law of economics. As budget airlines found, passengers will fly to remote destinations if the price is right, so theatre-goers will fill the stalls. Yet theatres must reassure their audience that quality has not been discounted along with the ticket price, or risk suffering the fate of the Savoy Opera earlier this year.”
Lawsuit Shakes American Pen Women
A bitter lawsuit has roiled the National League of American Pen Women in Washington DC. “A lawsuit between two factions in the organization alleges financial misdeeds, abuses of authority, libel and fraud. The vitriol between the opposing sides is at odds with the 4,000-member group’s refined image and has disgusted many in its 176 local chapters.”
Bookstore Giant Grows A Publisher
In the past year, bookstore giant Barnes & Noble has grown a significant publishing business of its own. This has made some publishers nervous, but the company says not to worry. “I take issue with the opinion that we are taking sales away from other publishers. This is just part of a long continuum of simply getting better at what we’re doing.”