Drew McManus on the Orchestra business | est. 2003

Current Events

Good News! You Helped Save The .Org Registry From A Private Equity Takeover

Tue, May 5, 2020
Back in November, 2019 I published an action alert about an attempt by a private equity firm to purchase the .org registry. This would mean all the nonprofit organizations that rely on the registry to maintain affordable registration rates would have gone up in smoke. Thankfully, a large coalition of voices helped persuade the Internet

The Last Round Of PPP Funding Is Approved

Wed, Apr 4, 2020
If you applied for Payroll Protection Plan (PPP) and Small Business Administration (SBA) Loans but ended up with nothing more than a notice that funds have run out, you’re in good company. Fortunately, Congress passed what will likely be the final round of additional funding yesterday so if you have an application in the pipeline,

The Risks And Rewards Of Exposure

Wed, Apr 4, 2020
Just a quick post today pointing out a terrific piece from Joe Patti on the topic of artists being asked to provide services for exposure to support pandemic efforts. Unlike most conversations on this topic, Patti’s article isn’t espousing one notion over another, rather, he takes the time to provide specific instances over the last

State Of Employment Poll Results And Ongoing Tracking

Fri, Apr 4, 2020
At the time this was written, the State of Employment poll from earlier this week asking orchestra administrators and musicians about their work status following the onset of coronavirus related shutdowns has generated more than 150 responses. Thank you to everyone who took a moment to respond and thanks to that sample size, this will

The Cost Of Fear And Hubris

Thu, Apr 4, 2020
Last week, the Kennedy Center’s executive leadership decided to set aside established stakeholder relationships and strike out on its own by unilaterally declaring that most employees would be laid off or furloughed within a week’s time. Health care would be terminated one month following the official layoff date if the shutdowns continued. Fast forward to
Previous Next