News reports: tentative deal reached in Cleveland Orchestra strike
No details yet, but news services are reporting a tentative deal in the day-old Cleveland Orchestra strike, the first labor stoppage by the musicians in 30 years.
Just a hunch, but I imagine the money the orchestra was about to lose if its annual Miami residency were canceled may have tipped the balance toward a quick resolution. From what I hear, the talks that began Monday at noon -- the strike began at the start of that day -- went on for about 18 hours straight.
If the deal is approved, it certainly doesn't mean the end of troubles. The Cleveland Orchestra is hardly alone in an ugly economic situation, with dwindling ticket sales, aging audiences and drying-up funding sources. People all over the industry keep saying a new financial model for orchestras is essential. No one, it seems, has generated a fully viable one yet.
