January 23, 2023
In a freak series of seemingly random events, a gamer's pet fish randomly accessed his account while livestreaming and added funds using his credit card. There’s a video to prove it.
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In today's email:
- The big idea: An argument for Spotify as a force for good
- Science Asks: Is there a musical personality?
- Organ Stop: One of Europe's largest organs brings instrument into the 21st century
- Last Word: 7-Eleven's classical music experiment
- Cartoon of the week
- Around the web: Community bands together to save theatre, a new recipe website you can’t live without, a video by pianist Yunchan Lim that will knock your socks off, plus more curious internet finds.
CLASSICAL CHARTS
THE BIG IDEA
An argument for Spotify as a force for good
In recent years, Spotify has faced criticism for its low payouts to artists and for allegedly promoting a "race to the bottom" in the music industry. But in a new op-ed for The Spectator, writer Joel Golby argues that Spotify is actually a vital tool for independent and up-and-coming artists to reach new audiences and build their fan bases.
Golby points out that the traditional music industry has long been dominated by a small number of major labels, who have often exploited and underpaid artists. In contrast, Spotify allows artists to upload their music directly to the platform, bypassing the need for a record label or other gatekeepers. This gives independent artists more control over their careers and the ability to reach a global audience.
Furthermore, Spotify's algorithm-based playlists, such as Discover Weekly and Release Radar, expose listeners to a wide variety of music they may not have otherwise discovered, including music from independent and lesser-known artists. Additionally, the platform's data analytics help artists understand and target their audience, which can be used to improve the artist's music, marketing and strategy.
Despite its flaws, Spotify is a powerful tool for independent artists to gain exposure and build their fan base. It's a platform that allows artists to take control of their careers and reach a global audience. The music industry needs Spotify as an alternative to the traditional gatekeepers, who have often exploited and underpaid artists.
Why it matters
Spotify is a critical tool for independent and up-and-coming artists to level the playing field and reach new audiences. While it's not perfect and has its own set of issues to address, some would argue the benefits might outweigh the negatives.
The music industry is changing, and streaming services like Spotify are becoming a more important source of revenue for musicians. Understanding how these platforms can help independent and up-and-coming artists is crucial for anyone interested in the future of the music industry.
THE LATEST
Piano: Martha Argerich cancels performances due to ill health
Opera: Met Opera concert marks the anniversary of the Ukraine invasion
Opera: ENO granted one extra year of Arts Council funding
Film: We might not all agree that Tár is good for classical music, but Cate Blanchett strikes a chord with power-chic fashion
Violin: A Batavia couple is part of a dynamic Chicago violin scene
Interview: Violinist Veronika Eberle on performing new Beethoven Violin Concerto cadenzas
Interview: Soprano Danielle de Niese: ‘I went back to work three weeks and three days after giving birth’
Orchestra: Kimmel Center evicts Philly Pops over past debt
Orchestra: New Yorker Classical Music Critic Alex Ross inspires surprise $2M donation to an orchestra
Conductor: Kirill Karabits to assume new role with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Opinion: In their thinly disguised war on traditional opera, our arts leaders seem set on betraying audiences and performers
Tech: Amazon Music hikes the price
Tech: iOS 16.3 code suggests Apple is still working on rumoured Classical Music App
SCIENCE ASKS
Is there a musical personality?
Researchers in Russia, Germany and the UK looked to answer an intriguing question: is there a musical personality? In other words, are there personality traits that make an individual more likely to become involved with music in one form or another?
Their paper, titled Personality and engagement with music: Results from network modelling in three adolescent samples, was published in the journal Psychology of Music in January 2023.
The study
Data was collected from three countries: Russia, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The researchers looked for patterns in the data, using groups of teenagers at different schools. The study used the recognized standards the Big Five personality scales in analyzing their findings, as well as the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index or Gold-MSI.
- The Big Five personality traits are: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability.
- The Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index (Gold-MSI; Müllensiefen et al., 2014) uses five criteria: active engagement; emotions; musical training; perceptual abilities; and singing abilities.
There were some regional differences that could be due to local culture. In the UK, for example, only the link between music and openness—emotions was observed, whereas the German students also showed a link to extraversion.
The one link that remained consistent throughout the samples: openness.
That link involved four elements used to judge musical sophistication, including emotions, singing ability, musical training, and perceptual abilities. The findings reinforce previous research on the theme:
- People who can perceive the emotions of a piece of music are also more open to new experience — and that relationship seems to work in the reverse as well. Those who displayed openness were better able to determine emotions in music.
- Other studies have demonstrated that an affinity for arts and culture is associated with a stronger link to openness;
- Ditto for imagination and sensitivity to culture;
- Openness is also related to intelligence.
While the link wasn’t as strong across the board, the paper’s authors note that there is a link between musical involvement and the traits of extraversion — relied on by anyone wishing to perform in public, for example — and conscientiousness — required for all those disciplined hours of practice.
Notably, there was no link between musical engagement and either agreeableness or emotional stability.
Musical training itself has been linked to positive impacts on academic learning. Music, the brain, intelligence and personality — it’s an intriguing puzzle that science is only beginning to unravel.
ORGAN STOP
One of Europe's largest organs brings venerable instrument into the 21st century
One of the largest new concert hall organs in Europe was recently introduced via a special concert. The new organ at the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR) concert hall in Katowice, Poland was a project more than five years in the making.
The project was launched in 2017, with an originally scheduled completion of December 2021 — a date delayed by the pandemic and its lingering lockdowns. Polish organ virtuoso and professor Julian Gembalski created the concept for the new NOSPR organ in consultation with noted organ builder Anton Škrabl. Škrabl’s workshop in Slovenia created more than a million parts for the massive instrument, updating tradition for the 21st century.
The instrument comes from the Silesian organ-building traditions, taking inspiration from the French Symphonic Organ pioneered by Aristide Cavaille-Coll in the late 1800s. The arrangement of the console is modelled after the instrument Cavaille-Coll built for the cathedral in Rouen. The design includes specifications that incorporate features that allow the instrument to perform German as well as French repertoire.
Details:
- >7,000 pipes and 105 stops;
- Measures 13 m high x 9 metres wide x 6 metres deep, with a volume of 150 square metres;
- Integrated console with four manuals;
- Dual electro-mechanical action.
Along with the integrated console, there is a mobile console which a performer can use to play alongside the orchestra virtually anywhere on stage. At a cost of 20.6 million Polish złoty (PLN), or 6,342,534 CAD, it’s the largest project ever tackled by Škrabl.
The National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR) concert hall in Katowice opened in 2014 as a home for the orchestra. An organ was always in the plans as a longer term project. The inaugural concert for the organ comes more than eight years after the hall was officially opened.
Latvian organ soloist Iveta Apklana performed with the NOSPR under conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen. The concert, which took place on January 13, featured works that emphasized musical modernity by Witold Lutoslawski and Béla Bartók, along with the world premiere of a piece composed by Esa-Pekka Salonen. Salonen is currently composer-in-residence at the Berliner Philharmoniker.
His Sinfonia concertante for organ and orchestra is the result of a joint commission from the NOSPR, the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Elbphilharmonie.
Before the digital era, the pipe organ was considered one of the most complex machines humankind had ever made. The new instrument builds on that tradition of innovation and brings it into the present day.
LAST WORD
7-Eleven's classical music experiment
7-Eleven is taking a controversial approach to deterring loiterers and shoplifters at their Austin, Texas, locations. They've started playing classical music over the store's loudspeakers.
The theory is that the music creates a more pleasant shopping experience for customers, making loiterers and potential shoplifters feel out of place.
It's not the first time a business has used classical music to deter unwanted behaviour. London's underground system and some grocery stores have also implemented the strategy.
While it's still early days, franchisee Jagat Patel acknowledged that the nonstop music probably makes it tough for homeless people to sleep at night. “But at the same time, I have to protect my business. This is my bread and butter. And if my customers don’t come, then that’s a problem,” says Patel to the Washington Post.
It remains to be seen whether the strategy will be effective in the long term, or whether it will be adopted by 7-Eleven stores in other cities. But for now, shoppers in Austin can enjoy a little Mozart or Beethoven while picking up their Slurpee.
Music as a crime deterrent
- This isn't the first time classical music has been used as a crime deterrent.
- In the past, cities and businesses have used classical music to reduce loitering and criminal activity in public spaces.
- Studies have shown that classical music can have a calming effect on listeners, making them less likely to engage in disruptive behaviour.
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AROUND THE WEB
📅 On this day: Composer Muzio Clementi (1752 - 1832) dies in Evesham, England, aged 80.
⏰ Humanity: The doomsday clock feels more relevant than ever
🎹 Video: Watch 2022 Van Cliburn Competition winner Yunchan Lim create magic at Wigmore Hall.
🍲 Handy: This culinary website lets you enter an ingredient, then finds possible flavour pairings.
🎉 Good news: The community campaigned to save this regional Victorian theatre. Now it's celebrating its 150th birthday
CARTOON OF THE WEEK
Credit: THE FAR SIDE by Gary Larson
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