Slipped Through The Cracks

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Originally, I planned on putting something up today about the new iTunes deal constructed by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra but things became busy and I have to put that off until the beginning of next week. So instead of putting up an article today I’m going to point everyone to some news stories which have slipped through the cracks…


In Pittsburgh, the clash between the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre board and the ballet musicians is still in full swing: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05280/584354.stm

Then there’s the small spree of nonprofit white collar crime within orchestras: http://arkansasbusiness.com/news/headline_article.asp?aid=41960

Finally, there’s the tri of orchestras which have recently implemented some deep cuts in their artistic expenditures via the collective bargaining agreement:
New Jersey: http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-0/1127797171116080.xml?starledger?emu&coll=1
Pittsburgh: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05274/580921.stm
Milwaukee: http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2005/09/26/daily31.html

Those two issues should keep you thinking over the weekend. On Monday, I’ll be posting two articles about the new Milwaukee Symphony iTunes deal, one here and another at The Partial Observer. Stay tuned….

About Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.

I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.

In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu.

For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

View all posts by Drew McManus | Website

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