LB's Rambles

Fandom of the Opera

If you enjoy opera, and you're curious about the technologies involved in producing and distributing the Metropolitan Opera to television, movie theaters and mobile devices, you would have enjoyed a breakfast this morning featuring Mark Schubin. He's a Fellow of the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE) and also the engineer in charge of the Met's media department.

Schubin was the featured speaker at one of Bill Sobel's SobelMedia breakfasts at the Samsung Experience in NYC, presenting a lively talk and slideshow called "Fandom of the Opera." If you think that opera occupies a relatively small and obscure niche in our culture, Schubin will disabuse you of that notion. Some of those live broadcasts have reached as high as #11 at the box office in the weekly movie attendance figures - and that's impressive (not to mention lucrative). Super Bowl popularity? No. But pretty impressive all the same.

Schubin's presentation has some pretty amazing statistics - and you can see most of his slides here, courtesy of his website. Some of the material is pretty amazing; you wouldn't believe the amount of work involved, not only in producing a show using up to 16 HD cameras, but providing simultaneous titling translations in a variety of languages.  I also wasn't aware of the important role opera has played over a span of more than a century and a half, in terms of media development - most of the important inventions were foreshadowed by operatic experiments. Interesting - and highly entertaining - stuff.

Jacques Brel Is...

All right, this is a bit off-topic for this blog. Maybe. But this blog is about communications, and the late Jacques Brel could communicate his French songs with an intensity and power that still amazes me. I've been a fan of Brel's songs for many years and own many of his LPs and CDs (including the amazing live recording from the Olympia in Paris, 1961) - but, as he died in the '70s, I never saw him perform.

Until now.

Jacques Brel La Valse à Mille Temps 1959 English subtitles
Uploaded by lightning49

I found this purely by accident on a video site called Dailymotion, and I certainly hope I'm not violating copyright. But if you have never heard Brel, try this. English subtitles, too. Apparently recorded in 1959. 50 years ago. Wow. That's all. Wow.

The RIAA Doesn't Get It - Again

The recording industry's legal powerhouse, which has a sorry history of suing individual computer users for allegedly improper downloading of copyright music appears to be at it again. With a court hearing coming up on another one of their lawsuits, the RIAA is trying to block a live webcast of the proceedings. Over at the Volokh Conspiracy, David Post has a good analysis of why this is a particularly boneheaded move. I agree with him.

Look, I'm a writer, and I understand the need for copyright protection. I also think the music industry has been going out of its way to make itself generally disliked, feared and distrusted - and when you're trying to get popular support, that is not a very smart way to do business.

Hat tip: Instapundit

Not Dead Yet

Yesterday was supposed to be "the day the music died." Apparently it's not quite dead just yet.

Yesterday was the day the new royalty rules for streaming music over the Internet were supposed to take effect. The prediction was that these rules, which were proposing to impose drastically high new payment rates on Internet radio stations, would drive those stations out of business.

However, according to Wired's "Listening Post" blog, while the rules are in effect, the smaller content providers are still negotiating for a more reasonable payment level. And, while they negotiate, the music industry isn't going to sue them for non-payment.

That's good. I admit to being pretty conflicted about this. I've always made my living by writing, and I know only too well that "putting it out there for free" isn't a good way to feed a family. (No, I don't get paid for this blog. That's another story.) On the other hand, I also understand the problems of a small Internet station trying to survive and suddenly faced with the prospect of thousands of dollars in royalty fees. Let's all hope these negotiations continue and reach a conclusion which will satisfy both sides' needs.