Lang Lang chosen as worldwide ambassador to 2010 Shanghai World Expo
May 6, 2009
Superstar Chinese pianist Lang Lang has been chosen as one of three official worldwide Ambassadors for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, alongside NBA player Yao Ming and the actor Jackie Chan.
Lang Lang, the most popular contemporary classical musician in the world, will be involved in various Expo activities including the opening ceremony, music videos promoting the event, plus various marketing and promotional activities.
The theme of this year’s Expo, which takes place from May 1st through October 31st, is “Better City, Better Life”.
By dedicating a 3.28-square-mile area at the core of the city to exhibitions, events, and forums on this theme, Shanghai hopes to build a powerful and lasting pilot example of sustainable and harmonious urban living. Officials anticipate that more than 70 million people will visit the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.
Steinway announces Q1 2009 results
May 6, 2009
Finances are pretty boring (to me, at least) so I’ll keep this brief.
Piano manufacturer Steinway has announced its 2009 first quarter financial results.
Sales dropped 26% to $70m, gross margin decreased to 26.6% from 29.1%, and the company had a net income of $1 million, down 49%.
Steinway’s CEO, Dana Messina, noted, “In the second quarter, we anticipate continued softness in band instrument sales. We expect our back-to-school season in the third quarter to be better and are building inventories to meet the expected customer demand. Our new products are gaining traction in the marketplace; we are excited about their prospects and expect them to do well for us beginning in 2010.”
“Piano sales have been dismal as dealers struggle with low traffic, a general lack of affordable financing and excess inventories,” said Messina. “We expect continued soft sales during the next few quarters until dealers gain more confidence that consumer demand is improving. Given the conditions, we have further reduced factory headcount, lowered production rates and reduced production days at both of our piano plants. We have aggressively reduced staff headcount and salaries to keep our expenses in line with sales. Looking forward, we believe that we can adapt to this new expense structure and increase profitability as demand recovers.”
M-Audio DCP-300 digital console piano now available from Avid
May 5, 2009
The latest in the M-Audio line of digital console pianos has arrived, with Avid’s announcement of the DCP-300.
Main features include:
- Sixteen premium sounds including Steinway Model D concert grand piano plus two vintage electric pianos, FM electric piano, clav, harpsichord, church organ, rock organ, strings, upright bass, electric bass, vibes, choir, fantasia, warm synth pad;
- 64-note polyphony;
- 40-watt stereo speaker system;
- 88-note TruTouch II graded hammer action keyboard
- Three pedals, including sostenuto;
- Built-in USB MIDI;
- Audio inputs;
- built-in 2-track recording with 28,000-note memory;
- layer / split modes;
- reverb / chorus effects;
- Included Session and Sibelius First software;
- two elegant finish options: dark wood-grain and rich walnut.
Available now with a recommended retail price of $1,375.95.
Groovy Music City: music creation software for kids, from Avid
May 5, 2009
Getting kids interested in music from an early age is a very worthwhile thing to do, for its own sake and also because music has been shown to improve overall learning and skills development in children.
Those who seem to have an aptitude for composition, but for whom a full-blown music creation package would be far too complex, might like to give Groovy Music City a try.
Avid’s software allows kids to create songs by arranging a series of shapes and machines against the backdrop of an animated and futuristic city, simply by dragging and dropping.
They can select from 128 virtual instruments or even connect a keyboard via MIDI.
There’s also a strong social networking element. Completed songs can be uploaded, shared, and commented upon at GroovyMusic.com.
The software is available for both Windows PC and Mac, priced $39.99 from Avid’s web site.
