Archives for September 2008

What's the over-under on the number of "The Sun has Set" headlines we're going to see because of this? From the USA Today obituary for The New York Sun:Many readers also found its arts section sophisticated and accessible.Fair enough. This I appreciate: The old Sun was also known for its "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" column -- its response to an 1897 letter from an 8-year-old girl asking if there really was a Santa Claus.My versions of Santa Clauses these days are the many talented bloggers who will carry/are carrying the torch. … [Read more...]

On Fridays, I'll post interviews with folks far more knowledgeable than myself on specific marketing and publicity subjects. This week, ArtsJournal's own Douglas McLennan on marketing your blog, the changing face (or platform) of journalism, and why the world doesn't need publicists - gah! Douglas McLennan is an arts journalist, and the founder/editor of ArtsJournal.com, which just celebrated its ninth anniversary. He is also the director of the National Arts Journalism Program (NAJP), and speaks and writes frequently on issues in digital … [Read more...]

First, a note about the silliness of the classical music industry: The Gramophone Magazine Awards are being announced across the pond today - perhaps even AS I TYPE THIS BLOG ENTRY - and I'm expected to write a press release about the winners. Fine, fine - just tell me how many people voted, give me the list of the awards, etc.. What am I told at 6 am this morning? "This information is under embargo till today's lunchtime". UNDER EMBARGO!! Am I waiting on the Gramophone Awards winners AND Bush's solution to America's financial crisis? Under … [Read more...]

Alex Ross is on Gawker today! Many congratulations to him for achieving mainstream digital media recognition. Oh, and on winning that award thinger. … [Read more...]

Or, "Am I Going to Get Arrested?", by Amanda Ameer. Would you believe me if I told you that I received an album request from the company that apparently handles "in-flight entertainment" for...Air Force One? They asked for a CD for consideration - I'm not telling you which one. I e mailed back, "Like, the President's plane?" ((consummate professional)), she's like, "Yep, that's the one!", smiley face. "Um, yeah, I'm sure that's fine."Now, I don't think I have to spell out the comedy for you, but I can't help but wonder:1. The President and his … [Read more...]

1. Why does everyone keep telling me there are no freelancers? I would think the city would be crawling with freelancers, since all the staff writers are getting laid off. 2. I neglected to mention how cool this was last week. Pshaw to The New Yorker for simply printing excerpts of John Adams' autobiography; here we have the esteemed Michael Tilson Thomas previewing his own concert! I could do without the mini-me paragraph openers ["It was thrilling, but it fed on itself." "By the early '70s he realized the danger." "These were the years of the … [Read more...]

While looking for contact information on their website, I stumbled upon the Orange County Performing Arts Center's "Interactive Seat Buddy". Heeey, buddy! You select the theater, the level and the seat, and your new computer pal shows you the general view from that location. This is perfect for first-time ticket buyers who can't picture where their seats are going to be or what the stage is going to look like, and might not buy because of it; one small step toward making the classical-concert-going experience less daunting. Orange County: … [Read more...]

It seems like years since I've posted an interview here, which, I assure you, is my fault and not my subjects'. The good news is, we have an exquisite line-up for the next few Fridays. For those of you just joining us now, on Fridays I'll (try to) post an interview with someone far more knowledgeable than myself on specific marketing and publicity subjects. This week, FatCat USA label manager Anna Bond on record placement in iTunes vs. stores, being a girl, and how the industry needs to reinvent itself.Anna Bond has been co-label manager of … [Read more...]

Well, this happened. Who knew an American orchestra wielded that kind of power. That's more shocking than the news itself to me, actually. … [Read more...]

Below please find an exchange with my sister not one hour ago. I like how "Aliza Ameer" is in quotes when I cut and paste, like, allegedly that's who's sending me e mails.On 9/17/08 12:11 PM, "Aliza Ameer" wrote:Yeah, that's definitely true, I almost called Detroit, just to see if I could request tickets for $1 and what they would say.  Then I decided not to, but they don't put any instructions down for how it works.  Yeah, they definitely should have a tkts booth of sorts.  Why couldn't they just join in with the normal tkts … [Read more...]

File under: Grrreat. The Newark Star-Ledger might go out of business. On the one hand, a city without a paper could force higher quality online content slash save trees (or "gardens", I guess, in New Jersey's case). On the other hand, I really like Bradley Bambarger, so that's too bad. His review of one of our Wordless Music orchestra concerts back in January was really thought-provoking (a thought-provoking review??): incidentally, I was at a Goldfrapp concert last Friday thinking about how every performing arts genre besides classical music … [Read more...]

About a week ago, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra launched a new website. Props to them for caring about their online presence, which is more than I can say for some people. But, sadly, the site is strange, distracting and illogical. I like the homepage, which uses the facade of the building as navigation. This is useful because 1. it's intriguing to see what Flash magic is going to happen when you click on a door [SPOILER ALERT! Nothing happens.] and 2. it (hopefully) leads folks to recognize the real life facade as the home of the symphony … [Read more...]

Aren't you glad that you work in the performing arts industry and never had any money to invest, anyway?And who would have thought "freelance classical music publicist" would end up being a more stable career choice than "investment banker"? I knew I avoided Econ classes for a reason... … [Read more...]

It's that time of year: the city is completely covered in Metropolitan Opera opening night ads. Buses, bus stops, banners, phone booths...you can't swing a dead Venus worshiper without hitting one. This year, the campaign has a slogan: "Let yourself go", which I think is rockin'. It paints going to The Met as a guilty pleasure, a message that the sultry Renée Fleming Thaïs photo completely supports.  "Come on, you know you want to...buy tickets to the opera," Ms. Fleming seems to suggest with the one eye that isn't covered by kinked … [Read more...]