Tech News February 2010
1. How Best To Marry Technology To Music?
Tod Machover describes how he applies technology, not merely to the distribution of music beyond the concert hall, but as a central element in the creative process music.
http://bit.ly/aKMYYJ
2. The art of classical music Tweeting
Anne Midgette discusses how classical music organizations are using Twitter, highlighting a few examples of uses that more than just a glorified bulletin board for PR notices.
http://bit.ly/8ZvJOB
3. Houston Symphony Embarks on HD Odyssey
With the help of filmmaker Duncan Copp and state-of-the-art space images, the Houston Symphony has created The Planets — An HD Odyssey. The production is a musical and visual performance piece that features a high-definition movie of Venus, Mars, Jupiter and the other movements of Holst's suite.
http://bit.ly/bGTAYl
4. Naxos Launches Video Library
Naxos Video Library (www.NaxosVideoLibrary.com) kicks off with more than 250 full-length videos of concerts, operas, ballets, and documentaries from a wide range of performing arts labels. Naxos is offering the video library for streaming on a subscription basis, based on the number of simultaneous users who will have access to the service (minimum five).
http://bit.ly/9ECLvB
5. Philadelphia Orchestra to release recordings via online distributor
The Philadelphia Orchestra has announced a partnership with IODA, a digital distribution firm. Recent live recordings by the Orchestra are now available through many popular digital music services, including iTunes, Amazon, emusic and Rhapsody. Previously, downloads were available only through the Orchestra’s website.
http://bit.ly/bGdPGZ
6. Sony signs Lang Lang for $3 million
Chinese pianist Lang Lang has reportedly left Deutsche Grammophon to sign an exclusively recording contract with Sony Classical.
http://bit.ly/cqfO2c
7. Sphinx Junior Competition to be streamed live
The Sphinx Organization has announced that it will provide a live audio and video stream of performances of the three semifinalists in the junior division of its annual competition for young black and Latino musicians.
http://bit.ly/9pDIS7
8. Classical artists chart big on Billboard with little sales
Classical CD album sales are so low that sales of 200 or 300 units are enough to land an album in the top 10 on the Billboard classical charts.
http://bit.ly/bZrLII
9. Palm Beach Opera launches iPhone app
Palm Beach Opera is the first major cultural arts organization in Florida, and only the second opera company in America, to launch its own app for users of Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch.
http://bit.ly/bGdPGZ
10. The Children of Cyberspace: Old Fogies by Their 20s
An article in the NY Times discusses the differences in approach and comfort levels that people of different generations have to the role of technology in their lives.
http://nyti.ms/9K6SP3
11. The Madness of Crowds and an Internet Delusion
An article by John Tierney in the New York Times considers the views of author Jaron Lanier, an early proponent of the Internet’s open culture, which he now thinks may be less beneficial originally intended.
http://nyti.ms/a3YOjK
12. PBS Chief to Put Arts Front and Center
PBS President Paula Kerger says she is renewing the network's commitment to arts programming and arts education, although it is not clear where the resources will be found to implement this commitment.
http://bit.ly/aD8MJG
13. Xbox Takes On Cable, Streaming TV Shows and Movies
Convergence appears to be on the minds of video game manufacturers like Microsoft, who are looking to use their consoles as a portal for a wide variety of digital content.
http://nyti.ms/cnrz0B
14. New Pay-Per-View Online Theater Website
On the Boards, a Seattle theater with a nascent high-definition recording arm will be filming a new production of “The Shipment” for OntheBoards.tv, the first online, pay-per-view series dedicated to presenting progressive contemporary performances from around the world.
http://nyti.ms/b1l0GT
15. When More Technology Is Decidedly Less
When does the desire to use the latest technology get in the way of designing useful products that meet consumers’ needs?
http://nyti.ms/96tRWg
16. Copyright Clearance Challenges
There are many obstacles to be overcome when an effort is made to digitize and distribute archival material, which Grace Guggenheim, the daughter of the late Charles Guggenheim, discovered when she tried to release on DVD her father’s documentaries.
http://bit.ly/dxF7zY
17. "Hair” Using Social Media Techniques
A high-definition video camera will capture the so-called dance parties at the end of the each performance of “Hair,” when cast members of the musical revival coax audience members onstage to rock out with them as the band plays “Let the Sunshine In.” The panning robotic camera will capture close-ups of the frolicking patrons, which will be available for anyone to view on hairbroadway.com. Visitors can choose any dance party to download to Facebook pages, or share with friends and others through e-mail or Twitter.
http://nyti.ms/dD2WIv