ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

MUSIC

Adele Changed Spotify This Weekend

She told Spotify to quit with the shuffle on albums - and "on Saturday, the streaming giant confirmed that it had agreed to the British superstar’s request to automatically play the music in the order an artist has curated." - Washington Post

Decades Of Success As An Arts Administrator Requires Flexibility And Nimble Responses

Of course the past two years have meant near-constant revisions of goals, budgets, and the definition of success - but in Portland, the Friends of Chamber Music's Pat Zagelow had decades of flexible crisis response to call on. - Oregon ArtsWatch

The Joys Of Playing In The Long-Locked Beatles Vault

"It is striking just how much joy is contained within the vivid and eerily detailed footage. Contrary to almost all accounts over the past 52 years, John, Paul, George and Ringo are seemingly happy." - The Guardian (UK)

Spain Says UK Musicians Will No Longer Need Visas To Perform There

Spain’s announcement means UK musicians and their crew will no longer need visas for engagements of less than 90 days, a change in policy that came after months of lobbying from trade groups on both sides. - The Guardian

The Software That Changed How Music Is Produced

“It created a completely new type of producer. It gave access to a versatile tool that would do what people want without spending thousands and thousands of dollars and training.” - Billboard

A Worldwide Vinyl Shortage

Around the world, vinyl pressing facilities are stretched to the limit with 24-hour, nearly seven-days-a-week production still not meeting demand. - CBC

New York Times Declares, “Yannick Nézet-Séguin Is Now New York’s Conductor”

Zachary Woolfe, classical music editor: "Omnipresent and energetic, he has been one of the central figures in New York's cultural re-emergence, and certainly the city's most significant and visible classical musician at a transformative moment." - The New York Times

Are All-Female- Or All-BIPOC-Composer Programs The Best Way To Diversify Classical Music?

For example, the group Resonance Works Pittsburgh, which has committed to make half of all works it plays by women and at least one-third by composers of color, just did an all-female-composer program. But might that limit audience interest the same way all-Beethoven concerts can? - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Why Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla Is Stepping Down In Birmingham

If this period of enforced home life made her reassess her priorities – she lives in Salzburg with her husband and their two children – she was not alone. - iNews

Why Does Sad Music Make Us Feel Better?

It can act as a social surrogate. Sad music can be experienced as an imaginary friend who provides support and empathy after loss. - The Conversation

The Scheme That Saved Classical Music In Melbourne Is Expanding To The Rest Of Australia

Melbourne Digital Concert Hall streamed 430 performances, with over $1.6 million going to musicians during one of the longest, strictest lockdowns in the world. In 2022, as the Australian Digital Concert Hall, it will transmit 200 programs by performers from Perth to Brisbane to Hobart. - The Age (Melbourne)

Students And Teachers Of The Afghanistan National Institute of Music Flee

The school became known for supporting the education of girls, who make up about a third of the student body. The school’s all-female orchestra, Zohra, toured the world and was hailed as a symbol of a modern, more progressive Afghanistan. - The New York Times

As Beirut’s Conditions Deteriorate, Its Orchestra Plays On

As the value of Lebanese money fell, the 100 or so musicians in the orchestra watched the value of their pay fall from $3,000 to around $200. Most foreign musicians left the orchestra and the country. It is not clear how long the orchestra can keep going. - Voice of America

How Punk Rock Of The 70s And 80s Figured Out Safe Concerts

Venues for punk shows were numerous, encompassing everything from pet grooming stores to nonprofit community centers. The small-venue approach lent itself to the formation of a self-regulating community. - Slate

Spain Drops Post-Brexit Visa Requirement For British Musicians

"Spain's announcement means UK musicians and their crew will no longer need visas for engagements of less than 90 days, a change in policy that came after months of lobbying from trade groups on both sides." - The Guardian

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss

function my_excerpt_length($length){ return 200; } add_filter('excerpt_length', 'my_excerpt_length');