Hundreds of artists signed a letter objecting to the out of control secondary market for tickets, which is bad for fans. On the other hand, there’s actually good news: "Live music sales are booming.” - CBC
Billy Bragg has been putting in the hard work for literal decades. And "here he is in the seaside retirement resort, still fighting the good fight." - The Observer (UK)
The report was widely heralded as a turning point. Finally, the boys’ club of the music industry was laid bare. But on Friday, April 19, the government issued its response to the report’s recommendations – a wholesale rejection. - The Conversation
I think the simplistic stereotype of my European colleagues assuming that American general directors are kicked around mercilessly by unconscionable wealthy donors is as wrong as the American perspective of European general directors dreaming about art and waiting for the next public funding check to drop through the letterbox. - Van
A statement from station management said, "After years of observing audience data, it is clear that listeners are not staying for music programming. The KJZZ news and information programming has greater loyalty." (A separate jazz service remains available online and on high-definition radio.) - Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
"At Curtis, it’s just the music, but we tell you you’ll know something about how the music business works and we think you should know something about risk-taking. … And now we’ve expanded to say you should think about how performance experiences will be successful in the future.” - San Francisco Classical Voice
The self-organized group of musicians playing under the No Name Pops banner is negotiating with the family of late pianist and conductor Peter Nero to acquire the Philly Pops name. - Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
Anthony Roth Costanzo, 41, has a history with Philadelphia going back almost 30 years. His first appearance at the Academy of Music was in 1996 at the tender age of 14, performing the Shepherd Boy in Puccini’s “Tosca,” in a traveling production created by Luciano Pavarotti. - WHYY
"On May 1, the Washington National Opera will recognize transgender singer Katherine Goforth as the inaugural recipient of" the True Voice Award, to be given triennially and "intended to help support the training of transgender and nonbinary opera singers, as well as increase their visibility in the industry." - The Washington Post (MSN)
For people familiar with Cage’s work, McWhorter’s argument appeared antithetical to the spirit of “4’33.” Cage’s conception of silence, though heavily and often debated, went beyond the idea of serene nothingness. See, for example, his explanation of listening to traffic. - Mother Jones
Romanian conductor Christian Macelaru, who holds prestigious posts in Europe, leading both the Orchestre National de France and the WDR Sinfonieorchester in Cologne, Germany, will succeed the veteran conductor Louis Langrée, the ensemble’s leader since 2013. - The New York Times
"It’s a basic instinct, ... the urge to figure out what you thought of it and why. It’s an impulse I believe I share with just about anyone reading this. … Did you find the music exciting, boring, incomprehensible, familiar? Can you say why? Congratulations — you’re a music critic." - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
