I’ve been thinking a lot about promotional and portrait photos for both artists and arts managers. The former enjoy the lion’s share of creativity and imagination while many rise to the level of being downright iconic. Arts managers, not so much. Most tend to be the obligatory headshot, sitting on a desk, in a concert hall, or standing in front of a venue. * Yawn* And don’t get me started with hands on chins. Aren’t we supposed to be in a creative field? So why then is it so difficult to project an image of confidence and creativity?
Current Events
ORD > JAC: Off To The Tetons
I’m en route to Jackson Hole, WY today for my annual working vacation at the Grand Teton Music Festival (GTMF). A truly lovely destination, the Grand Teton National Park is an ideal backdrop for one of the best summer music festivals in the country.
Happy Fourth Of July
I hope everyone gets a chance today to get out and enjoy time with family and friends and kudos to you if you’re engaged in a concert, making today that much more special for everyone in your community. FYI, the 2012 Concertmaster Compensation Report will be published tomorrow and in case you missed them, check out this year’s reports for executives and music directors.
The Real Trouble With The Emily White NPR Blog Post
On 6/16/2012 NPR’s All songs Considered blog posted an article by NPR intern Emily White where the author discusses her desire and associated reasoning for “one massive Spotify-like catalog of music that will sync to my phone and various home entertainment devices.” Oh, she also chronicles thousands of personal instances of music piracy. Perhaps unsurprisingly, all hell broke loose and folks have been peeling off into pro and con camps ever since (as of now, the latter outweighs the former).
The Center Row Symphony Orchestra
Just in case you didn’t think airline travel could get worse for anyone in this field, new dynamic pricing schemes designed to squeeze added revenue out of a shrinking pool of customers is starting to crop up at some US based carriers. It’s become common to see the front half of coach class seats go for a premium rate but the new trend is to tack the same premium fees onto all aisle and window seats.