[LAU] ASCAP Assails Free-Culture, Digital-Rights Groups

[fons at kokkinizita.net]

On Sat, Jul 03, 2010 at 11:27:59AM -0400, Paul Davis wrote:

> (*) I was frankly amazed at the number of performances of music I
> consider basically dead that I would see advertised every week in the
> U- and S-Bahn stations in Berlin. The idea that there were still
> audiences for the sort of music that consumed the body and most of the
> soul of "classical" music in the middle half of the 20th century was
> just astounding to me, coming from a US-centric viewpoint. Berlin is
> bigger than Philadelphia, and is buzzing with an incredibly vibrant
> art scene, but still - I doubt if you could find more than 1 or maybe
> 2 performances per week of contemporary "classical/art/serious" (pick
> your favorite un-label) composition here in Phila.

Berlin is probably special, but you'd find such activity in most
big European cities (big enough to provide a non-trivial audience).
As to state support for 'non commercial' culture, even in Europe
things are changing, and the current economic crisis doesn't help.
It depends very much on the type of government. Populists ones like
in Italy (Berlusconi) are doing their best to kill off anything they
see as 'elitist'. A new law regarding this was forced through parliament
last week (with a confidence vote of course, the 40th or so in two
years), and at least half the performances at La Scala and other
places have been cancelled in protest.


Ciao,

-- 
FA

O tu, che porte, correndo si ?
E guerra e morte !