Drew McManus and Molly Sheridan at NewMusicBox note that the Milwaukee Symphony is offering live performances on iTunes — including the premiere of Roberto Sierra's Third Symphony, which took place in September. It's a great thing, first, that a new work can move into circulation so soon after its premiere. (Sierra's piece is a vibrant fantasy on salsa themes. Tom Strini tells more.) It's also great that an orchestra has figured out how to put recordings on the Internet. For some years, union requirements for advance payments have made recording financially unviable. Milwaukee has capitalized on an Internet policy that was set forth five years ago by the American Federation of Musicians, but which no other orchestra has acted upon; they've fashioned a revenue-sharing agreement among musicians, conductors, soloists, and publishers. That agreement should become a model for orchestras across the country. Notice, though, that in the comments section of Drew's blog some musicians have raised doubts about the Milwaukee plan; one says that revenues will be minimal, and that musicians will therefore "give away their compensation for the recordings." Minimal's better than nothing, right? Most orchestras are getting no compensation for recordings because no recordings are taking place. This is progress. You can find the MP3s by searching for "Milwaukee Symphony" in iTunes Store.
