Leave The AFM? “I Don’t Think So”
Mon, Jun 6, 2010
by Drew McManus
At least, that’s what Robert Levine writes in response to the AFM poll results here from earlier this month (here and here) at his blog The AFM Observer. In addition to stating his own position, Levine hypothesizes “The real answer that most orchestra musicians would give to a question like ‘do you think you and
AFM Poll Update: The Grass Is Looking Greener
Fri, Jun 6, 2010
by Drew McManus
When the original poll results were published on 6/4/2010 I mentioned that we would revisit the results if there are any significant changes or an unusually large spike in responses. As it turns out, both have come to pass. Since then, the poll produced just under 800 respondents and that surge shifted the response ratios
Save The Revolution, We Need Reformation
Thu, Jun 6, 2010
by Drew McManus
With the League conference in full swing this week behind the theme of Orchestra R/Evoluiton, it seems much of the discussion is focused outward: what orchestras mean to their communities, new business models, etc. It’s fun to take part in visioning exercises but those are best left for times of economic stability and growth. What
A Tale Of Twin Cities
Wed, Jun 6, 2010
by Drew McManus
I don’t know if it is anything more than a coincidence but two stories came out in Minneapolis media outlets that couldn’t do a better job at pointing out opposite ends of the fortune pole. One reported on an 11.3 percent pay cut for St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) musicians while the other reported on
How NOT To Use New Media
Mon, Jun 6, 2010
by Drew McManus
If you’re looking for a good example of how to use a new media platform in the worst possible way, American Federation of Musicians (AFM) International President Thomas F. Lee provides the best example I’ve come across to date with a series of videos the AFM released on YouTube. Everything in this video from the
2010 Compensation Reports: Concertmasters
Fri, Jun 6, 2010
by Drew McManus
The 2007/08 season was an odd year for concertmaster compensation. Although one individual shattered previous all time high records, it was due in most part to undisclosed terms related to contract buyout. At the same time, the second highest paid concertmaster still beat last year’s high by a few thousand dollars. Overall, the average concertmaster
2010 Compensation Reports: ROPA Music Directors
Thu, Jun 6, 2010
by Drew McManus
The 2007/08 season was an up and down year for average ROPA music directors. On one hand, average compensation only increased by 1.02 percent, less than musician stakeholders, but the real average moved that to a level twice as high as musician stakeholders…
2010 Compensation Reports: ROPA Executives
Wed, Jun 6, 2010
by Drew McManus
Although they didn’t enjoy nearly as large of an increase in compensation as their ROPA peers, the average ROPA executive still managed to outpace inflation by a healthy margin. Comparatively, the 2007/08 season produced the highest percent increase in average compensation since the 2002/03 season…
2010 Compensation Reports: ICSOM Music Directors
Tue, Jun 6, 2010
by Drew McManus
For the second year in a row, the average Music Director of an ICSOM ensemble experienced the smallest real average percent increase when compared to the other stakeholder groups. Granted, those figures continue to be skewed a bit since several of the larger budget orchestras did not have a full time music director during the
“Faulty Reasoning”