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LIFESTYLE37 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015 Music & Movies Google teams up with orchestras to target classical oogle teamed up with five leading physical sales in revenue for the first time orchestras Monday in a bid to draw worldwide, led by a 39 percent spike from Gmore classical music lovers to digi- streaming services, according to the tal music as the streaming sector booms. International Federation of the Dubbed Classical Live, the initiative will Phonographic Industry. Strong regional offer exclusive recordings through the variations persist. CD sales remain domi- Internet giant’s Google Play service from nant in Germany and Japan, which are two orchestras including the New York of the leading markets for classical music. Philharmonic and London Symphony But Mark Volpe, managing director of Orchestra. Also involved are the Boston the Boston Symphony Orchestra, said that Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland media sales-which once provided up to a Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw quarter of the orchestra’s revenue-now Orchestra of Amsterdam, with Google hop- contributed no more than a few hundred ing eventually to invite further partici- thousand dollars to an $87 million annual pants. The classical audience is smaller and budget. “It’s not about making money. It’s older than the fan base for pop music but about promotion, it’s about furthering the also skews wealthier, offering a potentially cause of Western art music and Eastern art lucrative demographic. music or anything we’re playing,” Volpe In turn, orchestras seek to rejuvenate told a news conference at Google’s office their audiences by embracing new tech- in New York. nology. Classical Live is “hoping to broaden and grow the audience for classical music, Selective works which is exactly synonymous with our For the Cleveland Orchestra, historically ambitions, making great music available to considered among the Big Five in US clas- the widest group of people,” said Kathryn sical music, the Google project marks a McDowell, the managing director of the new direction after it long insisted on London Symphony Orchestra. McDowell recording only with major labels. “We’ve Adam Lambert performs during 103.5 KTU’s KTUphoria 2015, at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, NY. —AP noticed that previous digital works have held back primarily because we always felt often been downloaded track by track that big players had better promotion and rather than as a whole-evidence, she said, better distribution and we wanted to keep that the audience consists of newcomers ourselves out of that end of the business,” From ‘Idol’ to Queen, Lambert exploring classical music. “If you look at said Cleveland Orchestra executive direc- what the average student has on their tor Gary Hanson. playlist, it will include all sorts of things, But Hanson credited Google with leav- spans because I think young people’s tastes are ing artistic and pricing control to the generations of fans much more eclectic than we might give orchestras, while offering “real power” in them credit for,” she said. “So we want to terms of distribution. More than one bil- get out there in all the possible new plat- lion people use Google’s Android phones, hen it comes to spanning the genera- radio embraces the album and its first single, forms with the chance that they encounter although Google Play faces tough compe- tional divide among music fans, Adam “Ghost Town.” the LSO.” tition from Spotify as well as other rivals, WLambert may have figured it all out: including Deezer, Rhapsody, Tidal and a write catchy, hook-laden pop and dance tracks New home Declining revenue from CDs new service being launched by Apple. The for the kids and sell pricey concert tickets for “The record has to have a certain Classical music is readily available on orchestras each tried to select signature one of the all-time classic rock bands to their amount of life before you can fund a tour streaming platforms including industry pieces for Classical Live, which will initially parents. Fresh off a wildly successful world tour and be sure that you’re going to sell leader Spotify, but Classical Live marks the carry 22 full works along with three for fronting Queen, Lambert is back with his third seats, which is unfortunately why I was most concerted effort to target the audi- free. The London Symphony Orchestra’s studio album, “The Original High,” released yes- unable to tour with my last album,” he ence. While streaming generally entails performances will focus on Mendelssohn, terday. Its mix of dance club, pop and emotional said. “On the commercial side of things, subscriptions for unlimited content, led by the acclaimed English conductor ballads couldn’t be more different from the radio is still a huge tool in how you get an Classical Live will sell by recording. At an John Eliot Gardiner. The New York music he’s been performing for the past two album out there, and unfortunately introductory price of $4.99, a full work can Philharmonic is presenting Verdi’s years. “I have a lot of different people that listen (‘Trespassing’) didn’t quite connect with be either streamed or downloaded onto a Requiem, directed by its conductor Alan to my music, and it’s important to me to kind of radio, so its legs were a bit cut off.” The new device. Digital music last year matched Gilbert. —AFP bring as many people together as I can,” album, which features production from pop Lambert, 33, said in a recent interview. “Now, six prodigy Max Martin and a collaboration with years into this part of my career, I think I know Queen guitarist Brian May, also marks a myself better. I think I have a stronger idea of my departure for Lambert, who is now signed to artistic identity and who my fans are.” Warner Bros Records after leaving Sony’s RCA “Working with Queen was definitely a balanc- Records, his home label immediately following ing act of trying to honor the original recordings “Idol.” Despite finding a new home, Lambert as much as I possibly could, while still injecting said “Idol” - which launches its final season next myself into them,” he added. “With this project, year on Fox - is one he’s grateful for. it’s my name on the project.” Lambert burst onto “I really owe that show a huge debt of grati- the scene in 2009, auditioning for “American tude,” he said. “That show put me on the map, Idol” with an a cappella version of Queen’s gave me this amazing opportunity and this plat- “Bohemian Rhapsody.” He made it to the show’s form to show what I can do, connected me with all finale, finishing second to Kris Allen. His first stu- these amazing fans, and changed my whole life.” dio album, “For Your Entertainment,” spawned He’s also thankful for Queen. Lambert says he and (From left) Mark Volpe, managing director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Alan Gilbert, the Top 10 hit “Whataya Want From Me,” which the group may tour again, but probably won’t music director of the New York Philharmonic, Matthew Van Besien, executive director of the also earned Lambert a Grammy nomination. But record new music together. “As I’m getting older, New York Philharmonic, Gary Hanson, executive director of the Cleveland Orchestra, Jessica his sophomore album, 2012’s “Trespassing,” the simple things have gotten more important to Lustig, managing director of 21C Media Group and co-director of Classical Live, Jeffrey failed to catch fire commercially, despite debut- me. Simply being happy, that’s really important,” Vanderveen, vice president of artist management firm Opus3 Artists and Ted Kartzman, ing at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. he said. “I still keep in mind, ‘What do they want to Adam Lambert in New York to promote global head of independent music companies for Google Play, announce the launch of Whether Lambert will tour to support “The hear?’ But now I’m starting to say, ‘What’s going to his latest album “Original High.” Classic Live on Google Play Music at a news conference June 15, 2015 in New York. —AFP Original High” depends in large part on whether make me happy when I sing it?’” —AP Ubisoft blends action, music in video game lineup Jason Derulo performs his hit song “Want to Want Me” at the pre- Marc-Alexis Cote, a creative director for Ubisoft Quebec, announces Matt Stone and Trey Parker arrive to announce the “South Park: The view of the “Just Dance 2016” game during the Ubisoft E3 press con- the video game “Assassin’s Creed Syndicate” during the Ubisoft E3 Fractured but Whole” game. ference before the opening day of the Electronic Entertainment press conference. Expo. —AFP photos bisoft on Monday mixed carnage, trio of action shooter games stressing Tom Clancy offering pitting an elite military humor and music in a powerhouse enhanced online co-operative combat and force against a fierce drug gang in South Ulineup of video games making debuts expanding its franchise based on the work of America. Ubisoft also showed off clips from a at an Electronic Entertainment Expo extrava- military thriller author Tom Clancy. The forth- coming installment of “Assassin’s Creed” to be ganza in Los Angeles. Chief executive Yves coming “Rainbow Six Siege” game will pit set in London in during the Industrial Guillemot introduced a cartoon role playing teams of four players each against one anoth- Revolution. game from the creators of blue-comedy tele- er, one as armed men who have barricaded vision show “South Park” titled “The Fractured themselves inside a building and the other as On demand game music But Whole.” “South Park” co-creators Matt the strike force intent on getting inside and Ubisoft boasted that “Just Dance” has Stone and Trey Parker said the sequel to the eliminating their adversaries.