News and updates from orchestras everywhere. In this issue: the Detroit Symphony Orchestra names a new music director; the League moves into its new Manhattan home; the Kennedy Center’s REACH performing-arts campus opens; a sensory-friendly “Gentle Nutcracker” in Colorado.
Read the whole issue online via Issuu
Can technology enhance the classical music experience for today’s connected audiences? Seattle Opera, which produces five operas each year for an audience of more than 100,000, began using digital and social media to engage audiences several years back, with a boost from a $750,000 Wallace Foundation Excellence Award, which provided funds for four years of experimentation between 2009 and 2012.
Founded by MacArthur Fellow and violinist Vijay Gupta, Street Symphony annually performs Handel’s Messiah in collaboration with Los Angeles’ Skid Row community. This project is an example of an authentic partnership with some of the least advantaged members of society, with participation and musical joy at its core.
Increasing diversity in American orchestras: a NAAS update; 2019 League policy victories set the stage for 2020 advocacy; Meet twelve emerging orchestra leaders; Abuzz: “We were interested in The Catalyst Fund…”; We moved to serve members better; League resources at your fingertips
The NSO plans a new record label; Classical streaming service IDAGIO launches free tier; Is classical music ahead of the streaming curve?; DSO reveals state-of-the-art tech and camera upgrades for “Live from Orchestra Hall” webcast series; Residuals can make up 75% of a musician’s movie score paycheque—but not on streaming; YouTube says it can delete your account if you’re not ‘commercially viable’; YouTube update makes it easier to deal with copyright claims; Facebook is actively licensing music videos for its YouTube rival, report claims; Billboard changes its mind: YouTube will now factor into the Billboard 200; Spotify’s ‘pay-for-play’ advertising program has a price tag: $0.55 per click; The end of owning music: how CDs and downloads died; Mechanical Licensing Collective hands a juicy contract to HFA—critics call the deal crooked; Congress introduces the ‘AM-FM Act’ to overhaul terrestrial copyright laws
Thanks to advocacy by the League and our member orchestras, in partnership with the broader nonprofit sector, the FY20 spending and tax package signed into law on December 20, 2019 retroactively repealed the UBIT on parking and commuting benefits. This means that orchestras that have paid the tax are eligible for a refund.
The League of American Orchestras is pleased to honor these member orchestras celebrating noteworthy anniversaries this season.
Sixty orchestras will present live music, instrumental music instruction for young students, commissions, festivals, and engagement programs to their communities with support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in its first round of major grant funding in the 2020 fiscal year.
Amazon bets users will pay up for high-definition music streaming; Podcast sponsorship revenue continues to fuel NPR’s financial growth; One-third of all young people use stream ripping to steal music; Articles about audience smartphone use during performances; Articles about Spotify; Vinyl is poised to outsell CDs for the first time since 1986; Gen Xers, millennials, and even some Gen Zs choose vinyl and drive record sales up; Apple Is officially shutting down iTunes — but song downloads aren’t completely dead; Musicians fear for livelihood without streaming residuals; YouTube Music says it pays the same royalty rate as Spotify — at least on its subscription streams; Metallica makes box office history with ‘S&M²’; Jim James and the Louisville Orchestra appear on “The Tonight Show”; Appeals court says the Trump administration can’t force states to repeal net neutrality; Musicians, tired of paltry streaming payments, protest the HBO Max Launch at Warner Bros. Studios