That’s mere months after his surprise departure from the NY Phil. The Houston Symphony board president: "No one wants to work in an environment where they feel like they either can’t be successful, or they’re not trusted or they’ve got somebody looking over their shoulder.” - Associated Press
The department store chain has definitively decided to close its historic Philadelphia location, making the future of the world's largest fully-functioning musical instrument uncertain. But the store's Grand Court, including the organ, has protected landmark status. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
In the audio-visual world, they have a name for the phenomenon depicted above – where rival platforms repeatedly increase their prices, inspiring their competitors to do the same. They call it streamflation. - Music Business Worldwide
"How can we reconcile the apparently gung-ho socialist sentiments expressed in Symphonies No. 3 and 4 with the bitter disillusionment and sarcasm that explode in Symphonies No. 13 and 14? Should the issue of Shostakovich’s political convictions (or lack thereof) change the way we listen to his music anyway?" - San Francisco Classical Voice
He has an explanation: “People feel trapped. If you go to an art gallery and there is a picture you don’t like, you can just move away, but if you are in a concert and sitting in the middle of a row, people are polite and won’t walk out.” - The Guardian
Certainly the story is operatic: two people with traumatic childhoods meet on a cruise ship, fall in love, develop a successful magic act, and become the biggest act in Las Vegas until one of them is killed by their favorite tiger. Luke Di Somma's opera premieres this week in Sydney. - The Guardian
The ongoing vinyl revival, which was perhaps truly minted in 2017, when Sony Music announced it would begin producing vinyl records for the first time since 1989, has been fantastic for music fans and musicians alike. But it comes at a cost. - Spin
“The original organ mechanisms from the 1920s were made of hair sheep leather imported from England. They have been replaced with new hair sheep leather.” - San Diego Union-Tribune (MSN)
Just … wow: “The neo-payola promotional schemes; the minuscule royalties paid to artists, not to mention the royalty-free 'ghost artists'; the designation of huge swaths of artists as royalty-ineligible ‘hobbyists'; the investments in podcasts, military technology and aural wallpaper repackaged for wellness culture.” - Washington Post (MSN)
The founder of the Seattle Bach Festival: “In our postpandemic reality, there is so much to do in the rebuilding of community bonds, and music is a very powerful and healing way to do that.” - Seattle Times
There’s a groundswell of artists — notably Billie Eilish and Coldplay — changing how concerts are staged from the bottom up. These eco-minded musicians are following in the lighter-carbon footsteps of the Dave Matthews Band and Jack Johnson, who led the charge in the 2010s with their green riders and sustainability initiatives. - Variety
