Commentary

Things That Make You Go Buh?!? Conservatories Getting Into The Artist Management Racket

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At first, I thought it might be a joke but sure enough, Norman Lebrecht’s post from 7/20/21 about Curtis Institute going into the artist management business is entirely legit. I still have nothing but unanswered questions about the San Francisco Conservatory acquiring Opus 3 Artists as some sort of value add for students and now Curtis is apparently getting into the game. On the surface, these decisions scream “bad idea.” But …

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Support For #ShowTheSalary Continues To Snowball

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I doubt the editors at The Chronicle Of Philanthropy thought the decision to publish an op-ed by Vincent Robinson trying to convince readers that including salary figures was a bad thing, especially for diversity, would garner a tidal wave of pushback but that’s exactly what happened. On July 12, 2021 they published a letter to the editor from Mike Geiger, President and CEO of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, where he …

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Thinking About The Better Part Of Valor

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Assuming The Metropolitan Opera doesn’t settle the ongoing labor dispute with Musicians beforehand, July 18 may be the earliest date for details to emerge about the recent tentative agreement between the employer and IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees). July 18 is the date IATSE members plan to hold their ratification meeting so it’s reasonable to assume that will be the earliest we can expect to see reliable details about the …

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Are You Inadvertently Cultivating An Us Against Them Environment?

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If you’re ever interested in sparking a conversation among orchestra managers, musicians, or board members, ask them what they think about the us against them mentality. If you do, make sure to order a drink and sit back because it will probably be a long conversation. In a nutshell, us against them usually rears its ugly head during labor disputes but unlike a severe weather event that comes and goes, it’s …

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Why Are Still Associating Value By Relative Fish v. Pond Size?

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Just a quick pointer today to highlight something Joe Patti published earlier this week about coming out of the pandemic with an adjusted perspective toward the value of various approaches to live streaming. The term “Internet famous” is used to imply a certain niche appeal, but sometimes that is enough. Every location and organization is going to be different in terms of what is available to be leveraged. As I mentioned, …

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