By Jim McCarthy Jan 29, 2009 3 comments

So does that make this White Thursday?

A couple weeks ago, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth over so-called Black Tuesday when a number of Broadway shows shut down at about the same time.  We even discussed it here, though without the w&g (wailing and gnashing).

This was taken as a sign of just about anything you can think of:  the end of live theatre, a signal of the severity of the recession, a signal of the end of civlization, and a certain indicator that free refills will no longer be available on soda in Burger King restaurants.

(Upon further reflection, I’m not sure anyone said that last one.)

Anyway, today there’s word that 40 new shows rolling into town.  Wait, is the recession over?  Can I still plan on the sun setting in the west tomorrow?  Can I really have another Diet Coke?

Well, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad, I suppose.  It’s refreshing to see that there’s still a lot of resilience in the marketplace.  Here’s what I said at the time:

“The  Daily Beast rather dramatically says “Half of Broadway Goes Dark,” which is true as far as it goes, but it implies that shows won’t be replacing the closings.  I suppose that remains to be seen.”

Consider it seen.  There’s plenty to go see, and frankly, it’s probably good to have a new batch of material to replace some of the rather aged stuff that closed.  “Rock of Ages” for example was a huge hit on Goldstar in both LA and NYC, with excellent feedback.  (Full disclosure/warning:  that link goes to Goldstar.)

What does this show? First, it shows that anything you read about the “collapse” of something or something “going black” should be seen through the lens of understanding that most of the press is pretty hysterical right now.  The economic news is bad, and it’s going to stay that way for a while, but there’s lots of up and down to the process.  Every little bump isn’t a crash.

Second, it shows that a lot of people are still bullish on live performance.  For comparison, how’d you like to be in the CD selling business right now?  Or the commercial advertising industry?

In the recorded or broadcast media world now, every day is Black Tuesday and will be forever.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Reddit
  • Twitter
  • Yahoo! Buzz

3 Comments

  • Irwin Wilsen
    December 6th, 2010

    I am truly experiencing reading your nicely published articles. It appears like you invest a lot of effort and time in your blog. I’ve bookmarked it and I’m searching ahead to reading new content articles. Maintain up the good work!

  • Bill Mclure
    December 7th, 2010

    This is such a fantastic useful resource that you are offering and also you give it away free of charge. I love seeing internet sites that understand the value of providing a quality resource free of charge. It?s the outdated what goes about comes about program.

  • small business public relations
    December 8th, 2010

    Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass’ favor.