Local and Industry News
Miami-Dade County has proposed reducing its arts funding from the $14.8 million paid this year, to $4.4 million. The county has a $427 million shortfall on a $7.83 billion budget.Should the funding cuts be approved, 400 of the previous 500 arts grant recipients, including the New World Symphony, would see their funding eliminated. Spending on the Arsht Center would be preserved, and the Center would also receive an additional $5 million on top of the annual $7 million maintenance and security subsidy.
The Dr. P. Phillips Orlando Performing Arts Center may be built in stages, due to funding shortfalls. Orlando officials still hope to break ground on the $425 facility next spring, however, the initial construction may eliminate one or two of the performance halls or the educational classrooms, which would be constructed later as funding permits.
The Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta has received a $12 million grant from the Goizueta Foundation in support of its education programs. The Center will use the funds to support Georgia Center for Professional Learning in the Arts, which trains artists to partner with classroom teachers in integrating the arts into the core curriculum. The grant will also support classroom residencies, in-school concerts, and assembly programs.
Recording
A study by the NPD Group shows that CD sales among teenagers are down 26 percent, and digital purchases are down 13 percent. However, another study by the Leading Question/Music Ally shows a nearly one-third drop in illegal file swapping among teens. That study also reports that over two-thirds of teens regularly listen to streaming music.
Nielsen Soundscan reports that, for just the second time in July since it began tracking sales in 1991, not a single album sold 100,000 copies. The top album was Fabolous' "Loso's Way," which sold 99,000 copies.
In an election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board, news, promo, and sports writers for CBS Internet operations in Los Angeles voted for union representation by the Writers Guild of America. They join broadcast TV and radio writers at CBS who already have union representation.
Symphony
The Florida Orchestra expects to balance its $10.2 million budget for this past season. Additionally, they report that $14 million has already been pledged toward their $30 million campaign to pay off debt and stabilize the orchestra's finances.
The Houston Symphony has announced that it will close its administrative offices and furlough musicians for a week, and reduce conductors salaries by 8 to 10 percent in an effort to reduce their budget of $24 million by $900,000.
The Metropolitan Opera reports selling a record-breaking $2.5 million in first-day ticket sales for its 2009-10 season.
The Cleveland Orchestra has brought ballet back to the Blossom music Center for the first time in 25 years. The Orchestra will be partnering with Chicago's Joffrey Ballet. Miami City Ballet had planned on performing with the Orchestra at Blossom, but the collaboration was tabled due to scheduling conflicts.
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