There's teaching, church gigs, the occasional out-of-town sub job in another orchestra. The lucky ones have fully-employed partners. - KPAC (San Antonio)
Currently the chief conductor of the London Philharmonic and Bergen Philharmonic and formerly music director at English National Opera, Gardner will become music director of the Norwegian Opera and Ballet in Oslo in August 2024 (at which point he'll step down in Bergen). - OperaWire
The reasons why more artists haven’t abandoned Spotify include a stew of political hesitancies, music ownership complications and business incentives. The issues speak to the trickiness of the debate over COVID-19 misinformation, free speech, music rights and the role of Spotify in the modern music industry. - Los Angeles Times
When the call came from Steven Spielberg to conduct Bernstein’s iconic score for his 2021 film adaptation of West Side Story, “it was the most ‘yes’ yes I’ve ever said in my life,” Dudamel said via Zoom last week. - Vanity Fair
"As administrators search for a conductor of her stature, as well as for someone to tip the scale of gender balance in the United States, … Gražinytė-Tyla is a defiant rarity: an anti-careerist who has resisted industry pressure in favor of artistic and personal fulfillment." - The New York Times
On dating apps, music taste has become one of the primary ways of signalling one’s suitability as a mate – and how, by reducing people to profiles of their likes and dislikes, this taste has been weaponised. - The Guardian
“In opera, there’s so much attention given to the craftsmanship of the music, the set design, the direction of the singing and choreography, in order to allow human moments to become amplified on stage. But that also means we need to take care of the human beings who are embodying those moments.” - The Guardian
Baby steps perhaps aren't enough to entice Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and subscribers back: "Spotify announced on Sunday that content advisories will be added to 'any podcast episode that includes a discussion about COVID-19.'" - Vulture
One singer's thoughts: "We share a goal of bringing hundreds or thousands of people together for a few hours in one room. Even if most of our fans remained COVID-free, what if ... our show directly led to the hospitalization of a vulnerable senior?" - The Atlantic
Or so says cellist and composer Nancy Ives. "Something has to happen where the elements are transmuted into something new in relationship to each other," she says of her piece in honor of Beethoven's 250th birthday. - Oregon ArtsWatch
"The latest developments are escalating pressure on Spotify to clarify how it will weigh promoting the free speech of its content creators against the impact that some can have on public health during the pandemic." - Washington Post
Musicians aren't getting paid well, but Spotify "pays most of its revenues from songs back to labels and artists and has rarely turned a profit. In 2019, the company announced a new focus on 'audio,' meaning recorded books, live chats, and the booming medium of podcasts." - The Atlantic
First, of course, you could just buy music. But if you're a streaming fan, there are a lot of other options, some of which even seem to pay musicians in a half-decent way. - Los Angeles Times
"The world’s three biggest music companies: Universal Music, Sony Music and Warner Music, control about three-quarters of the UK recording market, allowing them to strike increasingly advantageous deals with streaming companies." That's not good for smaller artists - or maybe consumers. - The Guardian (UK)
