Randomly Noted

All Access Today replicates a live performance for instant sale.

For those who came of age as fans of rock music in the 1970s, there’s a romance about the bootleg – a surreptitious, illegal recording of a rock concert circulated among hardcore fans. Bootlegs of legendary live performers of the Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen and others became necessary acquisitions for anyone who considered himself a true fan of one of these rock gods.

Thirty years later, technology and a bit of creative thinking have turned bootlegs into a respectable revenue stream, which I learned during a weekend excursion with my wife to a Rob Thomas concert.

Continue reading…

We have just spent a thousand bucks on a new B-flat clarinet for our almost-14-year-old daughter, a dedicated clarinetist who has outgrown her beginner’s instrument. We’re not buying a traditional wooden clarinet, however. We’re betting on an entrepreneur named Tom Ridenour. Based in Texas, Ridenour produces the increasingly renowned Ridenour Lyrique  Clarinets made of a hard rubber substance. My husband read through all manner of  ”serious musician” websites and found consistently good reviews of the Ridenour line. In particular, the rubber seems to render instruments impervious to the extreme temperatures that wreak havoc on a wooden clarinet’s tone, quality and structure. Our daughter’s clarinet teacher supported our decision to go with Ridenour. The instrument is on its way from the Lone Star to the Garden State. We’re optimistic about this American innovation. I’ll update you soon.