There is an interesting article in the February issue of Fast Company magazine ("An Unlikely Story: Tech Where You Least Expect It"), about the amazingly successful free podcast of the classical concert series at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Did I mention free? In September and October alone they recorded 40,500 downloads, from 83 countries. Fast Company reports this as one of the most popular classical podcasts to date: these podcasts typically generate 5 to 10,000 downloads per month."We’re aiming at a young audience, and there is an amazing amount of very cool classical music out there that needs to be heard," said Scott Nickrenz, the sixty-year-old music director at the Gardener.[Note that a couple of the podcasts in the Archive feature pianist Jeremy Denk -- Ed.]
In a related techie vein, courtesy of Tyler at Modern Art Notes, the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam also has a free download, the Rijkswidget, which puts an image from their collection on your desktop. It changes daily: it's a great idea and another way for artists or groups to share images.
I'll have to check out the classical podcast link you mentioned here. I'm a life long classical music fan who directs an npo, Soli Deo Gloria dedicated to classical sacred music, and I recently received an iPod as a gift.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to know that classical music has at least some claim in the digital download realm. I find the whole relationship between digital music and classical music fascinating, particularly as it is being explored by American orchestras seeking to capture the interest of a young audience. I know that the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra has their own digital download store, and I'm sure there are several if not many other orchestras doing the same thing or something similar.
Chandler, I think the slow pace of orchestras and vocal groups,"old school",:) to take advantage of podcasting and you-tube and even myspace for that matter, relates to that inability to connect with younger audiences. There is a tremendous competition for their attention, wet the appetite with the new mediums. It's very easy to do.
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