“Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis likes motorcycles and rock stars, lavish parties and jewels. She is known among the international jet set as the ‘punk princess’ who collects contemporary art. But sometimes, she cleans house. Last night she put 50 works by some of today’s trendiest artists – including Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, Cindy Sherman and Paul McCarthy – up for sale at Phillips, dePury & Company… The sale totaled $6.3 million, [but] art dealers familiar with her collection say she has held on to the best work.”
Tag: 11.08.05
Congress May Kill Off Public Access TV
Depending on where you sit, public access television (those grainy, amateurish channels on American cable systems that run a seemingly endless stream of school board meetings, religious services, and homemade shows with hosts who often appear to be drunk, disturbed or both) is either a vital method of keeping the airwaves in the hands of the public, or a pointless nuisance which has far outlived its usefulness. “Now, though, the future of the channels deemed ‘electronic soapboxes’ in 1972 by the Federal Communications Commission is uncertain, as proposed legislation about how the telecommunications industry is regulated winds its way through Congress.”
Grokster Follows Napster Down The Path Of Legality
The file-sharing service known as Grokster has thrown in the towel in its battle against the recording industry, which has accused it of facilitating online piracy of copyrighted material. As part of the settlement, Grokster will halt distribution of its software entirely and pay $50 million in damages. It is also acknowledging on its website what everyone already knew: that trading copyrighted music and movies online is illegal. Like Napster before it, Grokster plans to reinvent itself as a legal music download service.
Giving Whole New Meaning To “Crossover”
The East Village Opera Company is almost guaranteed to make purists groan, but the bare-bones company has suddenly become the talk of New York. “It features [two vocalists], a seven-piece rock band and a string quartet… They take classic operatic arias and perform them to rock grooves with electrifying results. Are you ready for a version of ‘La Donna E Mobile’ that winds up feeling a lot like ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’? You may not think so, but it works amazingly well and the group’s debut CD on Universal is already causing ripples in both the classical and rock music scenes.”
Baltimore Scales Back D.C. Season
When the Baltimore Symphony announced that it would play an ambitious season of concerts at the newly constructed Strathmore Music Center in suburban Washington, D.C., in addition to its home schedule in Baltimore, critics noted that the move was a direct incursion into the National Symphony’s territory, and questioned whether there was enough consumer interest to support the move. Apparently, there isn’t. Ticket sales for many BSO shows at Strathmore have been sluggish, and with the BSO running a deficit, the orchestra has made the decision to cut back on its visits to Washington. Twelve concerts have been scrapped in the current season alone, with more cuts possible next year. The good news is that the BSO’s traditional classical concerts at Strathmore are drawing well.
Looking For The Perfect Fit In Philly
The Philadelphia Orchestra needs a new president, and it’s willing to go outside the industry to find one. “A job description being circulated by the orchestra and its search firm outlines a job that offers expanded authority, since the new president will also be the chief executive officer, a title currently held by the chairman of the board.” Orchestra officials say that they are willing to boost the job’s salary as well – former president Joe Kluger earned $285,000 per year, well below the income earned by his colleagues at other major American orchestras.
The Hard Life Of UK Musicians
The insurance crisis that recently hit British orchestras is threatening to have a profound impact on the players, too. But they’re used to that by now. “These orchestras offer their members no pension schemes, no health insurance beyond in-house benevolent funds and, in some cases, no fixed retirement age. Players in salaried positions with the Hallé and BBC orchestras, for example, have increased stability, but less flexibility and less ready cash. Money was more plentiful in the 1980s; now there are fewer recording sessions, less sponsorship and more competition for work such as film scores and advertising. With house prices high and instrument prices soaring, players are increasingly turning to alternative sources of income: teaching, property development, massage and more.”
As Schools Devalue Music, Outside Groups Step In
With music education in many American schools having long since been whittled down to nothing, students with an interest in the subject have had to look elsewhere for the experience of performing in an ensemble. Youth orchestras have tried to take up the slack in most urban areas, and some ensembles have even begun to allow any child with an interest to join, instead of the traditional method of conducting auditions. Rather than learning about music during the school day, kids with an interest in music now have to give up a chunk of their weekend. Not that they mind…
UK Academics See Danger In New Terror Bill
When Britain’s Parliament begins debate this week on a new bill designed to combat terrorism, the country’s academics and university librarians will be watching closely. Some in the academic world fear that the bill as currently worded would brand the dissemination of some chemistry textbooks (which include basic explosive ingredient lists) as a terrorist act. “The Association of University Teachers says the new offences of encouraging or training for terrorism could effectively outlaw an ethics debate about political violence, or a chemistry lesson.”
That’s Gratitude For You
“Art Exhibitions Australia began 25 years ago with $1 million from government and orders not to come back for more. Charged with bringing international art to Australia, it has staged 57 exhibitions – the latest being Dutch Masters – and attracted more than 10 million visitors. With a total turnover of $130 million, it has raised $42 million in sponsorships, started a million-dollar foundation, and has an enviable $9.5 million in reserves… Naturally, then, it has a cache of variously motivated critics,” and many in the Australian art world say that the AEA has outlived its usefulness.