Minnesota Orchestra Buys URLs Prior to Lockdown Dispute

We previously announced that the Minnesota Orchestra and the Musicians' Union have not been able to agree on the terms of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, therefore cancelling six scheduled summer performances, slated for July 20 through August 3.

Months before the labor dispute, the orchestra bought up at least a dozen Web domain addresses with the words "save," "Minnesota" and "orchestra."

City Pages reported that the URL buying spree was first revealed by the Song of the Lark blog run by Emily Hogstad.

The Star Tribune revealed comment on the orchestra's spokeswoman, who said, "We purchased domains that we thought we might use to share messages or to protect the orchestra name, based on counsel from others who had been in similar situations," Pappas wrote in an e-mail Thursday. "On the same time line, orchestra musicians were launching their own website. What this indicates from both sides is that we knew a tough negotiation was underway and we were seeking ways to share our messages."

Govenor Mark Dayton said he feels both sides of dispute are in a "last window of opportunity." Read that report here.

For more information on the Minnesota Orchestra and the dispute, visit: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/

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