Charleston Musicians Reject Latest Contract Offer
Mon, May 5, 2010
by Drew McManus
Since cancelling the end of their 2009/10 series, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has been negotiating with their musicians with the goal of securing an interim collective bargaining agreement while the organization engages in what it calls a restructuring of its organizational and operating model. The latest waypoint in that process took place on 5/20/2010
I’ll Have What Mortier’s Having
Fri, May 5, 2010
by Drew McManus
Did you catch the 5/20/2010 edition of Bloomberg where Phillip Boroff reported that the New York City Opera paid Gerard Mortier a $335,000 severance package even though he never took over as the full time General Manager? Moreover, Boroff reports that Mortier regularly flew first-class on Air France for City Opera business. Granted, Mortier certainly
Don’t Let Anyone Else In On This
Thu, May 5, 2010
by Drew McManus
Wouldn’t it be grand to have a crystal ball to provide glimpses into the economic future for our respective communities? If so, we could get a leg up on where to cultivate future board members and better position ourselves for Boom and bust cycles. Alas, nothing like that exists but I can offer up the
If You Aren’t LinkedIn Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later
Wed, May 5, 2010
by Drew McManus
When it started out in 2003, I have to admit that LinkedIn wasn’t very appealing. In fact, I don’t even remember when I created a profile but I do know that I never started paying attention to it until recently. Before then, LinkedIn was just another social network focusing on increasing professional connections. The interface
Venture Project Update: Calling All Ops Professionals
Tue, May 5, 2010
by Drew McManus
Just because Venture is designed primarily as a comprehensive tool for marketing, box office, and development professionals that doesn’t mean they get to have all the fun. Case in point, we’re putting together flexible templates designed especially to help ops personnel communicate with artist/employees who aren’t located in the administrative office. A common application for
Seattle’s Pay-For-Play Trickle Down Effect
Mon, May 5, 2010
by Drew McManus
Seattle playwright Paul Mullin has been weighing in on the Pay-for Play scandal within the Seattle’s arts community that was examined here on 5/4/2010 (and even earlier @ Scanning the Dial). To paraphrase Mullin’s perspective, the decision by larger arts orgs to buy into the pay-for-play model as embodied by King5’s New Day Northwest program
In Richardson, To Tell Or Not To Tell (Again)
Fri, May 5, 2010
by Drew McManus
The recent conductor rant from the Richardson Symphony Orchestra that was caught on tape has produced an intriguing comment thread. One item that caught my attention was the notion that the group has been wrestling with their cash flow issues for some time and the decision as to whether or not this should be brought
Music: The 4th Worst-Paying Degree You Can Earn
Thu, May 5, 2010
by Drew McManus
Not exactly prime material for college recruiting material, is it? Nonetheless, this is precisely the news delivered by Charles Purdy, Yahoo! HotJobs senior editor, in an article that presents the ten worst-paying college degrees. Although the report doesn’t acknowledge precisely which music careers are encompassed in the categorization, it’s a strong bet that “instrumental performance”
The Sound Of Fury
Wed, May 5, 2010
by Drew McManus
Have you ever wondered what labor trouble sounds like? Anyone in this business long enough likely has a story or two of inappropriate public behavior and/or actions on part of musicians and managers alike but these sorts of things usually remain in-house. But in the digital age you can bring the indoors out and that’s
Coattail Advertising: Good Or Bad?
Tue, May 5, 2010
by Drew McManus
Brian Sacawa posted an intriguing piece at his Sound Directions blog on 5/4/2010 about a Cleveland Orchestra radio spot for a Carmina Burana performance that ties directly into the Cleveland Cavaliers playoff bid. Sacawa wonders if this sort of coattail advertisement is ultimately worthwhile via a thorough and thought provoking piece…
