The education session schedule for this year's Hands-On Training (H.O.T) Zone offers "the broadest educational experience for professionals in the recording, live sound, DJ, house of worship, commercial systems integrators, and stage and lighting industries in the history of the show".
The H.O.T. Zone will offer attendees free one-hour classes on more than 75 educational topics over four days, including topics such as Introduction to Live Mixing, New Techniques for DJs, Lead Worshipers Arise, The Future of Music, Pro Tools 101, and Entrepreneurship with Chris Stone. On 13 January, the opening day of the show, the H.O.T. Zone will be offering Boot Camp Day with an array of basic courses designed to provide foundation-level instruction in music technology and business.
Theatre Profits Up - Two of the UK's leading theatre operators, Delfont Mackintosh Theatres and the Really Useful Group, have reported increased turnover and double-digit rises in profits for 2009/10, according to The Stage.
Operating seven theatres in London's West End, Delfont Mackintosh Theatres Ltd, owned by impresario Cameron Mackintosh, saw turnover increase by 12.4% in the year to the end of March 2010 to £31.2 million, to push profits before taxation up by 70.5% to £8.8 million.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group, which has a portfolio of 16 shows, six West End venues, and a 50% share in the Adelphi Theatre, also enjoyed a recession-proof year to report an increase in operating profits of 10% to £17.9 million. The UK remains the group's most lucrative market, where turnover rose by 29.8% to £125.5 million.
Official Bootleg - Radiohead have given their blessing to an 'official bootleg' of their Haiti benefit concert, held last January. A group of fans have spent the last year creating a DVD of the gig by piecing together footage shot by 14 audience members. The band allowed it to be released on the condition that proceeds went Oxfam's Haiti emergency fund.
The film was made available online over Christmas, and has already raised more than $11,500 (£7,300). Radiohead played the impromptu Oxfam benefit concert at Hollywood's Henry Fonda Theatre, but no official recording was made.
Chart Trivia - Only three rock songs appeared in the UK Top 100 singles of 2010 - the lowest number since 1960, research by Music Week magazine shows. At 25, Don't Stop Believin'by Journey - a 1981 track made popular again by TV show Glee - was the highest ranked song classed as rock in the 2010 chart. In 2009, 13 rock tracks were in the Top 100 singles. There were 27 in 2008. Music Week's Ben Cardew said a "massive rock band" had not broken through since Arctic Monkeys in 2006.
(Jim Evans)
