Use The Summer To Beef Up Your Metrics Skills
Thu, Jun 6, 2014
by Drew McManus
I’ve often wondered how much the field would benefit if certain sectors required certification levels related to specific skill sets; for instance, one of the most basic skills for marketing professionals should be a certain level of comfort and expertise with Google Analytics (GA). To that end, the summer is an ideal time to get
Have you Been Trying To Reach Me?
Wed, Jun 6, 2014
by Drew McManus
Just a quick housekeeping post today to say that if you have been awaiting an email reply from me via an ongoing or new email message sent anytime over the past two weeks, I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t mind sending me a reminder message. Unfortunately, the hard drive where I stored my email
Is Open Data Coming To Orchestra 990s?
Mon, Jun 6, 2014
by Drew McManus
The 6/16/2014 edition of Chronicle of Philanthropy published an article by Susanne Perry (h/t @RCiprotti) that reports a lawsuit designed to require the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to make nonprofit tax returns (Form 990) available via open data standards; meaning, the IRs would have to provide the data in a database friendly, searchable standard rather
Forehead Slap
Fri, Jun 6, 2014
by Drew McManus
Although it isn’t unheard of to deflect attention from one crisis by creating another, more manageable one, on a smaller scale it is unlikely that was the case when The Metropolitan Opera (Met) announced they were cancelling the radio broadcast and simulcasts for John Adams’s “The Death of Klinghoffer.” In case you missed the bombshell
Going Beyond The Archives
Thu, Jun 6, 2014
by Drew McManus
Let’s play a little word association, I’ll give you a phrase and you make a list of the first five things that come to mind. Here we go: arts org archives. Here’s what I came up with: Cardboard boxes. Lots of photos stuffed in filing cabinets waiting to be digitized. An office without any windows.
Things That Make You Go Buh?!? The Hartford Wagner Festival
Wed, Jun 6, 2014
by Drew McManus
It’s been awhile since the last entry into this series and the latest head-scratcher comes from the Hartford Wagner Festival (HWF). If you haven’t heard of them before, it’s likely because the group is a nonprofit startup and has yet to present an event. Long story short; their apparent goal is/was to present annual productions
Well This Is An Interesting Union Issue
Tue, Jun 6, 2014
by Drew McManus
The 6/15/14 edition of the Toronto Star published an article by Allan Woods that reports the Quebec members of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) voted to separate from the parent union. Granted, the vote was nothing but close, a reported 53.3 percent majority, but the decision throws all sorts of wrenches into the governance
Conductors Are To Waiters As Composers Are To What?
Mon, Jun 6, 2014
by Drew McManus
The 11/29/2013 edition of BBC News published an article by Alison Feeney-Hart where she interviewed conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen and asked about his tips for becoming a great conductor. By and large, Salonen’s advice is superb; it’s not only grounded but downright populist when compared to the traditional Maestro Mystique. Having said that, there was one
Always Leave Them Wanting More
Fri, Jun 6, 2014
by Drew McManus
She may be on the way out to run the Kennedy Center for the Arts but Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) President Deborah Rutter certainly knows how to leave them wanting more. The organization announced they had secured the two largest gifts in their history during a 6/12/2014 board meeting. The 6/12/2014 edition of the Chicago
Are You Ready To Get Pissed Off?