First service

[Ein Heldenleben]

I would seriously doubt that. If true, it would suggest R3 was throwing money at increasing the station reach rather than providing listeners with quality programming.

Well all I can do is offer an opinion based on forty years of budgeting TV programmes and having some idea of the relative costs of doing stuff on location and in a studio, and how radio is put together . One key piece of evidence is that Makropolous has indicated that the fees for doing the 45 min BAL are not over generous.

Although Lang Lang will have done his interview for free the costs in terms of time of getting presenter , producer and engineer to an outside location are considerable. Then there’s the editing time. Live Studio is nearly always cheaper than outside recording or studio recording whether it’s TV or Radio - assuming like for like content and talent costs.
That’s another thing - it could well be that the presenter costs on First Service are higher than Record Review. Tom does do TV so his agent (if he’s freelance and has one ) may well have used that to get his fee upped .

Who knows ? - not really my business I guess .

[Ein Heldenleben]

I wasn't thinking specifically about the relative costs of RR and Saturday Morning, rather the whole suite of changes. You may be right about this, but both the Lang Lang and Hahn/Haefliger items were publicity - for the CD set and a concert/tour - and may well have been low or even zero cost as a result. In the event I can't think the Eurostar tickets were money well spent. LL came across as a lovely, charming guy, but did he say anything very interesting? And Hahn/Haefliger was just a typical In Tune item on a Saturday.

If anything In Tune would have been more in-depth . All that nonsense about red wine. I think you’re right about the overall impact on costs of the schedule changes - they must be saving money

[gradus]

I dipped in and out for the an hour or so and enjoyed the Lang Lang chats and playing and the lovely Brahms sonata movement however its not a programme for sustained listening imv and that is, I imagine, the intention.
Unless BAL has something that really attracts me I'm afraid it is now at the wrong time of day for listening.

[teamsaint]

Well all I can do is offer an opinion based on forty years of budgeting TV programmes and having some idea of the relative costs of doing stuff on location and in a studio, and how radio is put together . One key piece of evidence is that Makropolous has indicated that the fees for doing the 45 min BAL are not over generous.

Although Lang Lang will have done his interview for free the costs in terms of time of getting presenter , producer and engineer to an outside location are considerable. Then there’s the editing time. Live Studio is nearly always cheaper than outside recording or studio recording whether it’s TV or Radio - assuming like for like content and talent costs.
That’s another thing - it could well be that the presenter costs on First Service are higher than Record Review. Tom does do TV so his agent (if he’s freelance and has one ) may well have used that to get his fee upped .

Who knows ? - not really my business I guess .

I would imagine that TS earns top dollar by R3 standards. I’d love to commission him to do a book, ( or at least get him commissioned) but I would expect his required advance would be very substantial.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I would imagine that TS earns top dollar by R3 standards. I’d love to commission him to do a book, ( or at least get him commissioned) but I would expect his required advance would be very substantial.

Yes I think so as well . On the book front - He’s written one on Ades hasn’t he ? I can’t believe that could have sold much. Is there any money in non - score classical music publishing ? I know that getting a classical music TV series is a) virtually impossible b) not at all remunerative .

[teamsaint]

He’s written one on Ades hasn’t he ? I can’t believe that could have sold much. Is there any money in non - score classical music publishing ? I know that getting a classical music TV series is a) virtually impossible b) not at all remunerative .

It is certainly a difficult area to make money, but then so is every other area. Popular categories are over published , unpopular ones are tough to get reviews or sales.
But if you have the right project and the right name attached , whether as author or endorser, you never know your luck.The Tippett biography was an unexpected success, although in sheer cash terms it probably was modest.
C’est la vie. It is a risk business. But if you wanted to do a breakout book on classical, he’d be right in the frame, for me at least. But the cost issues start with the advance, and I suspect his would be steep. He has good options for his time ,as you suggest .

[oddoneout]

I dipped in and out for the an hour or so and enjoyed the Lang Lang chats and playing and the lovely Brahms sonata movement however its not a programme for sustained listening imv and that is, I imagine, the intention.
Unless BAL has something that really attracts me I'm afraid it is now at the wrong time of day for listening.

Trouble is I don't know that that is a consideration anymore? The option to catch up means that the "specialist audiences" are no longer tied to a particular time for their indulgences - at least that seems to be the approach. You are meant just to be grateful that the programme hasn't been ditched.

[Ein Heldenleben]

It is certainly a difficult area to make money, but then so is every other area. Popular categories are over published , unpopular ones are tough to get reviews or sales.
But if you have the right project and the right name attached , whether as author or endorser, you never know your luck.The Tippett biography was an unexpected success, although in sheer cash terms it probably was modest.
C’est la vie. It is a risk business. But if you wanted to do a breakout book on classical, he’d be right in the frame, for me at least. But the cost issues start with the advance, and I suspect his would be steep. He has good options for his time ,as you suggest .

Good to hear the Tippett bio doing well. That surprises me as it was very rapidly reduced to £2.99 on Amazon for the Kindle version . It’s been on my wish list for ages. I’m just put off by the length of it - 600 pages but a bargain.

What this shows Mr Radio 3 Controller is that there is an audience for serious music and serious analysis .
Today has been about far too much disposable chat and not enough music

Thank God for Handel and Semele

[teamsaint]

Good to hear the Tippett bio doing well. That surprises me as it was very rapidly reduced to £2.99 on Amazon for the Kindle version . It’s been on my wish list for ages. I’m just put off by the length of it - 600 pages but a bargain.

What this shows Mr Radio 3 Controller is that there is an audience for serious music and serious analysis .
Today has been about far too much disposable chat and not enough music

Thank God for Handel and Semele

Ebook and print book markets , and understanding how they interact is an art rather than a science ! Publishers sometimes , or often , discount ebooks to push the book up the rankings, and get them greater visibility. Not sure how effective this is for a very niche title like the Tippett, which really succeeded on rave reviews, I think. Oliver Soden is a talented and very readable author. He also understands sales and promotions, and, to boot, is great to work with. He published a different title with us.

The Tippett book is out in PB, plenty of copies around at about £7. I haven’t read it, but he writes beautifully, so I would definitely go for it .

It did do well, but my guess would be that total print sales might be in the region of 3k copies. Doubt it would be much more, but would love to be wrong.
actually, I just looked up the sales, it has sold about 2500 print copies on Nielsen, but maybe 3000 is about right including some non Nielsen sales.
I can’t see the data for ebooks.

[south west ear]

Good to hear the Tippett bio doing well. That surprises me as it was very rapidly reduced to £2.99 on Amazon for the Kindle version . It’s been on my wish list for ages. I’m just put off by the length of it - 600 pages but a bargain.

What this shows Mr Radio 3 Controller is that there is an audience for serious music and serious analysis .
Today has been about far too much disposable chat and not enough music

Thank God for Handel and Semele

You must read Oliver's Tippett biography - it's excellently written and he made some terrific discoveries along the way. As for the length, you will wish it were longer. A few details were corrected in the pb apparently. (It does not contain musical analysis by the way, that was never part of his plan - 'very much a life and not a life-n-works' as he wrote to me soon after he'd finished it.) And think of all the time you'll have to read it now that you won't be listening to Radio 3 very much.

[teamsaint]

You must read Oliver's Tippett biography - it's excellently written and he made some terrific discoveries along the way. As for the length, you will wish it were longer. A few details were corrected in the pb apparently. (It does not contain musical analysis by the way, that was never part of his plan - 'very much a life and not a life-n-works' as he wrote to me soon after he'd finished it.) And think of all the time you'll have to read it now that you won't be listening to Radio 3 very much.

And if people do like his writing, do try Jeoffry, the Poet's Cat. The HB is still available, and is a beautiful, if modest sized book. A purrfect ( sorry !) little gift for a cat lover.

[Ein Heldenleben]

You must read Oliver's Tippett biography - it's excellently written and he made some terrific discoveries along the way. As for the length, you will wish it were longer. A few details were corrected in the pb apparently. (It does not contain musical analysis by the way, that was never part of his plan - 'very much a life and not a life-n-works' as he wrote to me soon after he'd finished it.) And think of all the time you'll have to read it now that you won't be listening to Radio 3 very much.

Ah but the thing is I have R3 on from 09.00 to 21.30 religiously . Whatever I am doing - working - even watching the telly . One of the few possibly useful skills acquired from working in the medium where in a newsroom or production office TVs and radio were on all day.
So I read at the same time as listening . Since partial retirement some 120 books a year - but far fewer if working. I can’t physically read any more or squeeze any more real books in the house.
Thing is I’ve sort of made a vow not to do long books any more as it only encourages the authors. But I’ll make an exception for this.

[south west ear]

Ah but the thing is I have R3 on from 09.00 to 21.30 religiously . Whatever I am doing - working - even watching the telly . One of the few possibly useful skills acquired from working in the medium where in a newsroom or production office TVs and radio were on all day.
So I read at the same time as listening . Since partial retirement some 120 books a year - but far fewer if working. I can’t physically read any more or squeeze any more real books in the house.
Thing is I’ve sort of made a vow not to do long books any more as it only encourages the authors. But I’ll make an exception for this.

OMG - 120 a year is amazing. I am deeply impressed, and envious. I am so busy I have to squeeze reading into commutes only. Let's say that R3 won't be making such demands on your attention in future then. Tippett had a long life and a rich one, so it required a long 'life' in the other sense. Round the clock listening to R3 would make me too depressed/angry right now, but I'm about to switch on again for The New Music Show, and give it a proper chunk of my attention, even if I'm still working. It presumably is one of the few fragments surviving unscathed from the wreckage.

[DracoM]

Service? Tu plaisantes? Having dismembered Sat a.m., T.Service is the precise disincentive to keep me off it.

[Ein Heldenleben]

OMG - 120 a year is amazing. I am deeply impressed, and envious. I am so busy I have to squeeze reading into commutes only. Let's say that R3 won't be making such demands on your attention in future then. Tippett had a long life and a rich one, so it required a long 'life' in the other sense. Round the clock listening to R3 would make me too depressed/angry right now, but I'm about to switch on again for The New Music Show, and give it a proper chunk of my attention, even if I'm still working. It presumably is one of the few fragments surviving unscathed from the wreckage.

yes but it’s only speed reading - a journalists / lawyers skill . A kindle page (usually more than a paperback page ) every thirty secs maybe 45 secs if it’s more complex. So that’s only an hour a day. But I also read all the broadsheets and the Mail - another journalist habit.
So I don’t retain anything like as if reading at a literary pace. Still Harold Bloom could read 300 pages an hour and retain most of it. I reckon to get to professorial level in the humanities you need to get to at least 100 pages an hour and be able to retain. That is a real gift . As it is I have to make a note of what I’ve read as once or twice I’ve started a book again and it all started to feel familiar.
On the R3 front when it gets irritating it’s over to Through The Night or Qobuz..