Industry and Local News
The Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club at the Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach has closed after two years of providing jazz to the Miami community. Sandoval cited lack of parking as a reason for closing, and he hopes to reopen the club elsewhere.
The Arsht Center management has made changes to improve attendance and shore up finances. Since Interim CEO Lawrence Wilker has been appointed, attendance is at 62 percent capacity, up from 42 percent last year. Wilker has launched monthly backstage tours and world music concerts to bring patrons to the center, and plans to produce an original Cuban music and dance show this summer featuring Miami timba band Tiempo Libre. Wilker also expects to save $850,000 in annual occupancy costs by bringing building and engineering services in-house.
Recording
Apple iTunes is now second only to Wal-Wart in music sales, according to NPD Group. NPD also reported that U.S. consumers spent ten percent less on music in 2007.
Wal-Mart, the leading retailer of music, has proposed a new pricing scheme for CD sales. They have proposed a five-tier system, with the top titles selling for $10, current titles for $12, top catalog for $9, midline catalog for $7, and budget products for $5. Labels are expected to resist the plan as it would require them to bear more of the costs of production.
We7, an ad-supported British music service, has reached a deal with SonyBMG to offer its catalog for streaming. We7 users can stream music for free, however We7 inserts a short audio advertisement prior to each track.
Symphony
The Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg (FL) is struggling to increase attendance. The Theater, which received a $20 million rennovation two years ago, hoped to make downtown St. Petersburg a destination for the arts. However, the sale of the Broadway Across America series and a proposal for a Major League Baseball stadium nearby have raised concerns about the Theater's ability to attract patrons. The Florida Orchestra performs in the Theater, but has moved its headquarters elsewhere.
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