Latest news with #MaxRichter
Telegraph
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The mysterious Apple Music nerds saving classical music from extinction
Few things are more depressing for classical music lovers than the classical recording charts. Your eye roams despairingly down the endless lists of crossover and ambient pap, looking for something real and substantial. The problem is the deathly hand of the algorithm used to mould customer's choices via those ubiquitous playlists, which is squeezing all the joyous variety out of the art form. For grim evidence of that, take a look at the current 'official' list of top 10 classical recordings, which is based on purchases of physical albums and downloads in the UK. Albums by Ludovico Einaudi occupy no less than six of the top 10 slots, mingled with Max Richter's appropriately soporific Sleep, organist Anna Lapwood 's lightweight 'filmic' Firedove, and a compilation of utterly predictably classical hits from the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The 'hits' generated by this chart will be recycled into yet more classical playlists, which in turn will squeeze the art form further. Among streaming platforms Spotify is especially culpable, for making classical music impossible to search properly and bombarding us with dull playlists. It's death by slow asphyxiation. So imagine my surprise when, in a moment of idle curiosity, I peeked at Apple Music Classical's latest edition of its top 100 chart. The chart is scrupulously compiled every week from Apple, iTunes and Shazam data sources measured in more than 160 countries. Among the top 10 there are two albums by that deeply serious and still fairly obscure mid-Baroque German composer and virtuoso violinist Heinrich Biber. There are also two albums of music by Erik Satie, including one of unknown pieces recently unearthed in French archives, and at number two, some delightful theatre music by little-known Italian Baroque composer Pietro Locatelli. What's going on? Is there a sinister cabal of classical music nerds who hacked Apple's servers and substituted Biber and Locatelli for Einaudi? Not exactly. There is certainly a bunch of classical nerds busily subverting the market, but they have the title 'editor' and do it with Apple's blessing. They don't fix those charts, but they certainly have a big influence on them by offering their recommendations of new and old recordings on the top row of Apple Music Classical's homepage, the so-called 'Heroes Shelf'. The overlap between the top 100 and the Heroes Shelf isn't absolute, but it's certainly noticeable. Look further down the page and you'll find more evidence of their guiding hands. There's clearly a guitar enthusiast or two among them, and the playlists are more interesting than any algorithm could come up with. For instance, the Art-Song playlist includes some Italian song, which is normally overlooked. Of course, the contrast isn't absolute. Not even the mighty Apple can ignore the market entirely, and Einaudi and Max Richter are among their best-sellers. Nonetheless the difference made by employing a bunch of classical music lovers as editors, guiding customers' tastes, has been profound. All this has happened with remarkably little fanfare, and yet to me it seems one of the most significant transformations in classical music taste-forming in the entire history of the art form. Go back to Renaissance and Baroque times and it was elites – emperors, dukes, cardinals – who decided what art-music would be performed, though musicians themselves played a significant role by enforcing standards of craftsmanship. Later, as a mass market for cultural goods arose, new sorts of taste-maker came into being: publishers, managers and above all impresarios. Henry Wood, co-founder of the Proms, was completely upfront about his desire to 'raise the level of public taste'. These impresarios had outsize personalities, but latterly the taste-formers such as the Controller of BBC Radio 3 have been more discreet, and their hand on the tiller correspondingly lighter. But the remarkable thing about the taste-formers at Apple Music Classical is that they are entirely anonymous. I tried my hardest to winkle some names out of the company, but they wouldn't even put a number on them. Some may regard this as sinister; I actually find it quite touching, because the condition of anonymity grants them total freedom. When taste is led ostentatiously from the front, fashion and social distinction affects people's judgement. By contrast, the nerds (sorry, editors) at Apple Music Classical constitute a pure Republic of Classical Music. Unaffected by prestige, they are free to recommend what they love just because they love it. It should be said Apple isn't the only classical streaming platform which aims to guide listeners. Idagio offers artists' interviews, an 'editors' weekly pick' and intelligently curated playlists. Presto Music offers in-depth articles and guides listeners through new releases. But Apple Music's reach is bound to make it especially influential, and its 'top 100' list shows is already having a transforming effect on listeners' tastes. Not all the changes are necessarily good; for instance the great names among classical performers are notable by their absence in the top 100, apart from Glenn Gould and Rubinstein. Younger performers are more prominent, particularly Asian ones, but not only Asian. That excellent early music group from the West Country Brecon Baroque has received a massive boost on the international stage, thanks to its appearance on the Heroes Shelf and in the top 10. Joseph Haydn's stock is down, Heinrich Biber's is noticeably up, and in general the canonical 'great composers' no longer have pride of place. But all taste-formers have their blind spots and preferences. Better a bunch of human enthusiasts than the stultifying sameness induced by those algorithms, which really are the death-knell of the art-form.
Time Out
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Alexandra Palace is hosting a massive sleepover soundtracked by Max Richter
London's arts institutions love a good sleepover. You can already get 40 winks at the Natural History Museum' Dino Snores nights, the Science Museum's Astronights and the British Museum's sleepovers, and now another beloved London arts venue is hosting a truly special, limited-edition overnight experience this September in collaboration with British-German composer Max Richter in celebration of the tenth anniversary of his opus, SLEEP. Comprising 204 individual tracks, SLEEP is an epic, 8 hour and 30 minute-long lullaby created for listeners to fall asleep to, and has previously been performed live at overnight events in a bunch of iconic global settings, including Sydney Opera House, the Philharmonie de Paris and The Great Wall of China. The events – and the mammoth task of preparing for such lengthy performances – were also captured in a documentary of the same name, directed by Richter's creative partner Yulia Mahr. And now it's the turn of Alexandra Palace to host more of his truly special all-nighters. The north London music venue will be hosting two performances of SLEEP this September, marking the first time the piece has been performed in London since 2017. The concerts will start at 10pm and finish at around 6am as the sun rises, and audiences will be provided with beds and bedding, as well as being served a light breakfast at the end of the night. Fancy bunkering down in the Grade II-listed Great Hall for the night? Tickets for the event are on sale now via the Alexandra Palace website, with prices starting at £249.75 (steep for a concert, yes, but not unreasonable for a one-night stay in one of London's fancier hotels, which is how we prefer to think of the experience!)
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Your GoPro and Insta360 cameras are getting a massive upgrade, and It's all thanks to Apple
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. At WWDC 2025 this week, Apple announced that Insta360, GoPro, and Canon had been partnering with company to develop native support for their cameras for the next version of VisionOS, visionOS 26. Insta360 has clarified what that actually means for creators using the X5 or Ace Pro 2 cameras. Apple has developed new parts of the QuickTime file, which it is calling an APMP (Apple Projected Media Profile), which can be used to describe the lenses and image produced by non-traditional cameras, including cameras with stitching, like the Insta360 X5. 'Apple's support for native playback of 360-degree and wide field-of-view video on Apple Vision Pro is a game changer that brings immersive storytelling full circle,' said Max Richter, VP of Marketing at Insta360. 'Soon, with visionOS 26, you'll be able to relive these awesome moments from Insta360 X5 and Ace Pro 2 like you're there all over again.' Apple's Jon Logan provided a detailed explanation of APMP for developers and video tech geeks at WWDC which can be seen here. It provides a clear explaination of the difference between rectilinear (flat) video formats and the alternatives that exist out there. Apple's improved software, as the company puts it "has built-in support for popular camera vendors' lens projection parameters and field of view modes" – that's not just my pick for best 360-degree camera, the Insta360 X5 but the GoPro Max (when it comes to spherical 360). More than spherical 360 – in which you'll be able to look around the room (or outdoor space) after the fact, there is also support for the wide-angle lenses of popular action cameras – again the Ace Pro 2 (and, inevitably, GoPro Hero 13 Black). Insta360 has a tradition of cooperating with Apple, from being the first 360 degree camera that made it to Apple Stores, to the Flow 2 Pro's support for Apple's DockKit, meaning iPhone users had on-device access to the gimbal's features. visionOS 26 is not expected to be fully available until this fall, though Apple developers can access early versions now and traditionally the iOS beta comes out about a month after WWDC.
West Australian
13-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Trade tensions aren't stopping Chinese companies from pushing into the US
Chinese companies are so intent on global expansion that even the biggest stock offering to date on Shanghai's tech-heavy STAR board counts the US as one of its biggest markets, on par with China. Shenzhen-based camera company Insta360, a rival to GoPro, raised 1.938 billion yuan ($417 million) in a Shanghai listing Wednesday under the name Arashi Vision. Shares soared by 274 per cent, giving the company a market value of 71 billion yuan ($15.3 billion). The US, Europe and mainland China each accounted for just over 23 per cent of revenue last year, according to Insta360, whose 360-degree cameras officially started Apple Store sales in 2018. The company sells a variety of cameras — priced at several hundred dollars — coupled with video-editing software. Co-founder Max Richter said in an interview Tuesday that he expects US demand to remain strong and dismissed concerns about geopolitical risks. 'We are staying ahead just by investing into user-centric research and development, and monitoring market trends that ultimately meet the consumer['s] needs,' he said ahead of the STAR board listing. China launched the Shanghai STAR Market in July 2019 just months after Chinese President Xi Jinping announced plans for the board. The Nasdaq-style tech board was established to support high-growth tech companies while raising requirements for the investor base to limit speculative activity. In 2019, only 12 per cent of companies on the STAR board said at least half of their revenue came from outside China, according to CNBC analysis of data accessed via Wind Information. In 2024, with hundreds more companies listed, that share had climbed to more than 14 per cent, the data showed. 'We are just seeing the tip of the iceberg. More and more capable Chinese firms are going global,' said King Leung, global head of financial services, fintech and sustainability at InvestHK. Leung pointed to the growing global business of Chinese companies such as battery giant CATL, which listed in Hong Kong last month. 'There are a lot of more tier-two and tier-three companies that are equally capable,' he said. InvestHK is a Hong Kong government department that promotes investment in the region. It has organised trips to help connect mainland Chinese businesses with overseas opportunities, including one to the Middle East last month. Roborock, a robotic vacuum cleaner company also listed on the STAR board, announced this month it plans to list in Hong Kong. More than half of the company's revenue last year came from overseas markets. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this year, Roborock showed off a vacuum with a robotic arm for automatically removing obstacles while cleaning floors. The device was subsequently launched in the US for $US2600 ($4020). Other consumer-focused Chinese companies also remain unfazed by heightened tensions between China and the US. In November, Chinese home appliance company Hisense said it aimed to become the top seller of television sets in the US in two years. And last month, China-based Bc Babycare announced its official expansion into the US and touted its global supply chain as a way to offset tariff risks. Chinese companies have been pushing overseas in the last several years, partly because growth at home has slowed. Consumer demand has remained lackluster since the COVID-19 pandemic. But the expansion trend is now evolving into a third stage in which the businesses look to build international brands on their own with offices in different regions hiring local employees, said Charlie Chen, managing director and head of Asia research at China Renaissance Securities. He said that's a change from the earliest years when Chinese companies primarily manufactured products for foreign brands to sell, and a subsequent phase in which Chinese companies had joint ventures with foreign companies. Insta360 primarily manufactures out of Shenzhen, but has offices in Berlin, Tokyo and Los Angeles, Richter said. He said the Los Angeles office focuses on services and marketing — the company held its first big offline product launch in New York's Grand Central Terminal in April. Chen also expects the next phase of Chinese companies going global will sell different kinds of products. He pointed out that those that had gone global primarily sold home appliances and electronics, but are now likely to expand significantly into toys. Already, Beijing-based Pop Mart has become a global toy player, with its Labubu figurine series gaining popularity worldwide. Pop Mart's total sales, primarily domestic, were 4.49 billion yuan in 2021. In 2024, overseas sales alone surpassed that to hit 5.1 billion yuan, up 373 per cent from a year ago, while mainland China sales climbed to 7.97 billion yuan. 'It established another Pop Mart versus domestic sales in 2021,' said Chris Gao, head of China discretionary consumer at CLSA. The Hong Kong-listed retailer doesn't publicly share much about its global store expansion plans or existing locations, but an independent blogger compiled a list of at least 17 US store locations as of mid-May, most of which opened in the last two years. The toy company has been 'very good' at developing or acquiring the rights to characters, Gao said. She expects its global growth to continue as Pop Mart plans to open more stores worldwide, and as consumers turn more to such character-driven products during times of stress and macroeconomic uncertainty. CNBC
CNBC
12-06-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Trade tensions aren't stopping Chinese companies from pushing into the U.S.
BEIJING — Chinese companies are so intent on global expansion that even the biggest stock offering to date on Shanghai's tech-heavy STAR board counts the U.S. as one of its biggest markets, on par with China. Shenzhen-based camera company Insta360, a rival to GoPro, raised 1.938 billion yuan ($270 million) in a Shanghai listing Wednesday under the name Arashi Vision. Shares soared by 274%, giving the company a market value of 71 billion yuan ($9.88 billion). The United States, Europe and mainland China each accounted for just over 23% of revenue last year, according to Insta360, whose 360-degree cameras officially started Apple Store sales in 2018. The company sells a variety of cameras — priced at several hundred dollars — coupled with video-editing software. Co-founder Max Richter said in an interview Tuesday that he expects U.S. demand to remain strong and dismissed concerns about geopolitical risks. "We are staying ahead just by investing into user-centric research and development, and monitoring market trends that ultimately meet the consumer['s] needs," he told CNBC ahead of the STAR board listing. China launched the Shanghai STAR Market in July 2019 just months after Chinese President Xi Jinping announced plans for the board. The Nasdaq-style tech board was established to support high-growth tech companies while raising requirements for the investor base to limit speculative activity. In 2019, only 12% of companies on the STAR board said at least half of their revenue came from outside China, according to CNBC analysis of data accessed via Wind Information. In 2024, with hundreds more companies listed, that share had climbed to more than 14%, the data showed. "We are just seeing the tip of the iceberg. More and more capable Chinese firms are going global," said King Leung, global head of financial services, fintech and sustainability at InvestHK. Leung pointed to the growing global business of Chinese companies such as battery giant CATL, which listed in Hong Kong last month. "There are a lot of more tier-two and tier-three companies that are equally capable," he said. InvestHK is a Hong Kong government department that promotes investment in the region. It has organized trips to help connect mainland Chinese businesses with overseas opportunities, including one to the Middle East last month. Roborock, a robotic vacuum cleaner company also listed on the STAR board, announced this month it plans to list in Hong Kong. More than half of the company's revenue last year came from overseas markets. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this year, Roborock showed off a vacuum with a robotic arm for automatically removing obstacles while cleaning floors. The device was subsequently launched in the U.S. for $2,600. Other consumer-focused Chinese companies also remain unfazed by heighted tensions between China and the U.S. In November, Chinese home appliance company Hisense said it aimed to become the top seller of television sets in the U.S. in two years. And last month, China-based Bc Babycare announced its official expansion into the U.S. and touted its global supply chain as a way to offset tariff risks. Chinese companies have been pushing overseas in the last several years, partly because growth at home has slowed. Consumer demand has remained lackluster since the Covid-19 pandemic. But the expansion trend is now evolving into a third stage in which the businesses look to build international brands on their own with offices in different regions hiring local employees, said Charlie Chen, managing director and head of Asia research at China Renaissance Securities. He said that's a change from the earliest years when Chinese companies primarily manufactured products for foreign brands to sell, and a subsequent phase in which Chinese companies had joint ventures with foreign companies. Insta360 primarily manufactures out of Shenzhen, but has offices in Berlin, Tokyo and Los Angeles, Richter said. He said the Los Angeles office focuses on services and marketing — the company held its first big offline product launch in New York's Grand Central Terminal in April. Chen also expects the next phase of Chinese companies going global will sell different kinds of products. He pointed out that those that had gone global primarily sold home appliances and electronics, but are now likely to expand significantly into toys. Already, Beijing-based Pop Mart has become a global toy player, with its Labubu figurine series gaining popularity worldwide. Pop Mart's total sales, primarily domestic, were 4.49 billion yuan in 2021. In 2024, overseas sales alone surpassed that to hit 5.1 billion yuan, up 373% from a year ago, while mainland China sales climbed to 7.97 billion yuan. "It established another Pop Mart versus domestic sales in 2021," said Chris Gao, head of China discretionary consumer at CLSA. The Hong Kong-listed retailer doesn't publicly share much about its global store expansion plans or existing locations, but an independent blogger compiled a list of at least 17 U.S. store locations as of mid-May, most of which opened in the last two years. The toy company has been "very good" at developing or acquiring the rights to characters, Gao said. She expects its global growth to continue as Pop Mart plans to open more stores worldwide, and as consumers turn more to such character-driven products during times of stress and macroeconomic uncertainty.
