Russian physicist Lev Sergeyevich Termen was an eccentric guy. Known in the U.S. by his westernized name, Léon Theremin, he invented the spooky-kooky instrument that became synonymous with horror movie scores worldwide, and is surely the instrument that best voices the spirit of Halloween. Introduced in 1920, it created a sensation when its inventor toured the […]
K-pop powerhouse S.M. Entertainment is pursuing a strategy of global expansion powered by New Culture Tech — finding innovative ways to reach its audience using the devices that are part of its daily life. Lee Soo-man, who founded the South Korea-based S.M. in 1995, has expanded the four core tenets of “CT” — casting, training, producing […]
The Philadelphia Orchestra may have settled its strike less than 48 hours after walking off the job, but on the state’s westside, there’s no end in sight for the strike at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, whose musicians hit the picket line the same weekend as Philadelphia, Sept. 30. The Fort Worth Symphony musicians also continue their walkout, which began Sept. […]
Vinyl is on the upsurge, so we thought it worth resurrecting this lamentable dissection of music biz economics, courtesy of techdirt.com and theroot.com. Pop artists, read it and weep! The report suggests that “for every $1,000 sold, the average musician gets $23.40,” of which they often see zero after the labels recoup their expenses. Talk about starving […]
The “Gears of War 4” soundrack by Ramin Djawadi will be available Oct. 18 from Sumthing Else Music Works, a record label founded on releasing video game soundtracks by pop music impresario Nile Rodgers. Djawadi is currently touring in support of the soundtrack for HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” for which he’s become something of a media sensation. He’s […]
The Wiener Konzerthaus comes alive with the sounds from The Secret Life of Pets under the baton of Alexandre Desplat, Oct. 14, when “Hollywood in Vienna” casts its magic over the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. Desplat, the composer on the 2016 Universal Pictures animated film, produced by Studio Dentsu, will see his score’s concert world premiere broadcast […]
W.G. “Snuffy” Walden is back as composer of record on “Nashville,” which is stacking the playlist for a triumphant season five return in January. (Yes! We argue that it’s more impressive to have loved, lost and regained than to have simply coasted along on cushy broadcast renewals — scrappiness being the very essence of Nashville). Snuffy Walden was series […]
Alan Cumming’s well-received cabaret act, Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs, which premiered at Café Carlyle in June 2015 and by February was onstage at Carnegie Hall, makes its PBS debut Nov. 18 as part of the sixth annual PBS Arts Fall Festival. The hour-long show will be available for on-demand viewing on pbs.org through Dec. 16. Cumming, who […]
Following his triumphs in the hip hop space, the artist known as Jay Z has entered into a development deal under his real name, Shawn Carter, with the Weinstein Company, potentially signaling a new direction in his career and interests. The two-year overall development deal will be to produce for film and television, with both […]
