Happy Anniversary NewMusicBox!

When it comes to online pioneers, the folks over at NewMusicBox (or NMBx if you’re hip) were already ahead of the curve before most even figured out there was something there. This month marks NMBx’s 10 year anniversary, which is the equivalent to at least 50 years in real business time (or 350 years for dog business), and they’ve spent the past decade pushing boundaries and producing fantastic content…

Happy Anniversary NewMusicBox!
Happy Anniversary NewMusicBox!

But beyond all their trailblazing, NMBx is a representative example of just how valuable a new media platform is to this business when implemented properly. Historically, composers have been the apex of the classical music field and it wasn’t until fairly recent that music directors have been forcibly inserted into positions supplanting that authority. Fortunately, outlets like NMBx provide ample examples behind why this might not be such a good idea and why composers need to regain some of that influence.

So what are you still doing here? Go to NMBx and take a look around and make them a regular part of your online reading habit.

About Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.

I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.

In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu.

For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

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