Posted by Ann Bernard

YouTube announced on Monday it launched a Symphony Orchestra.  This is both an interesting twist for YouTube and to the classical music world.

Here is an excerpt from the Washington Post:
The YouTube Symphony Orchestra revolves around two main goals: the creation of a mash-up performance of a symphony from video submissions; and second, a live performance of the same symphony (written for the occasion by composer Tan Dun) at Carnegie Hall on April 15, 2009, with about 150 players selected on the basis of their YouTube video submissions.

In short, YouTube is offering a new twist on the familiar formula of how to get to Carnegie Hall: Practice, practice, upload.

The idea, launched by two YouTube employees at an offsite retreat about a year ago, is being greeted enthusiastically by the classical music world, which Tim Lee, one of the project's initiators, tactfully described as "hungry for innovation."

Classical artists and administrators at the New York news conference Monday visibly basked in the glow of what, in their world, is the equivalent of being noticed by the cool kids at recess. Besides Carnegie Hall, YouTube's partners on the project include Michael Tilson Thomas (who will conduct the Carnegie Hall performance), the London Symphony Orchestra (whose players have already posted 24 master-class videos on the YouTube site) and the pianist Lang Lang.

Read the entire story

Who Will Actually Benefit?!?
The obvious benefactors are the classical artists who participate…this is an opportunity of a lifetime for those who will be selected to play a New York’s Carnegie Hall in April. What about Youtube and the classical music world?

Will YouTube benefit and will the Classical Music World Benefit?!?!
Lets start with who picked up the story...we have The Washington Post, The New York Entertainment Magazine, The National and plenty of other art type publications along with a few bloggers across the web.  The only stand out per se are Venture Beat and About.com.  Particuarly Venture Beat where you won't find too many stories related to classical music.

So who does those stories really benefit?  I'd say so far it benefits YouTube quite nicely.  The story is posted offline and online across publications and talked about by people who normally aren’t likely to include YouTube in their conversations.  People who more than likely don't pay that many visits to YouTube.

When and will the benefits kick in for the Classical Music World? Is there a glow to bask in?
Will people who have had no prior interest in classical music go to the http://www.youtube.com/symphony?? Let me say it “outloud” - YouTube dot com backslash symphony.

Go to YouTube.com – see anything there announcing the contest or the symphony area of YouTube?  Yea, I didn’t see it either.

How do you think this will benefit the Classical Music World?  What are your predictions? When the cool kids in school paid attention to the less cool kids...how did that ever pan out??

Filed in classical, performing arts, youtube

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