File under: this is why we can't have anything nice. The pianos that were placed around the five boroughs for the pure enjoyment of New Yorkers are still around through July 5th, as long as someone doesn't destroy them all by then. more ›

The 60 public pianos have officially been put in place for Luke Jerram's public art project, Play Me, I'm Yours. They're only up for two weeks, and the NY Post has some insight in to why. Jerram—who has brought the installation to London and Brazil in the past—told the paper: "The difference in New York is that we seem to be getting a lot more professional musicians as well as the amateurs. It also cost about 10 times as much to do it here." more ›

So are we all in agreement that 60 public pianos being placed throughout the city is a pretty freakin' cool public art project, like on a scale of 1 to waterfalls? As long as the city doesn't become engulfed in a chorus of Chopsticks, British artist Luke Jerram's unveiling of the pianos on Monday should be the start of something beautiful. more ›

Beginning June 21st, British artist Luke Jerram will have installed 60 pianos throughout city parks and public spaces as part of an interactive public art installation (which has already hit London). And before you start plotting out some space for an upright in your studio apartment, yes, they will be chained to 90-lb cinder blocks to deter ambitious thieves. more ›

This just in: an employee over at Pianos on Ludlow Street has just informed us that the venue suffered some damages from a fire earlier this morning. He tells us, "There was a small electrical fire at Pianos this morning—the sprinklers went off and soaked everything, so we're going to have to close the club tonight. Things will resume as normal tomorrow for the Unisex Salon/Vulture Whale show." more ›

Well, they didn't knock him on the noggin like the Tony Awards, but they did play his song "Talk Dirty to Me" without permission. Cityfile reports on the latest in ASCAP/BMI lawsuits filed against New York clubs, saying "Earlier this week, BMI and a collection of labels and artists filed suit against Pianos on the Lower East Side" for playing that tune and others. The companies have been on a rampage, attacking Jay-Z's 40/40 club, Hiro, Cafe Wha? and others, but the site makes a good point: "securing the rights isn't all that expensive. A blanket license from ASCAP, for example, supposedly goes for as little as a dollar a day." Maybe a little more; when we talked to ASCAP VP Vincent Candilora, he told us "the average annual license fee for all bars, restaurants, nightclubs and similar establishments is less than $2.50 a day. With a maximum annual cost of $912.50." Well, the club certainly charges enough for their drinks to cover that cost, no? more ›