“When a move toward progress is made in the entertainment industry, the parties involved often sweat to death under the harsh spotlight that’s put on them. When a gamble is made and it doesn’t work out, executives don’t just start betting more conservatively. They shut down the whole casino.”
Author: Douglas McLennan
Marie-Helene Bernard’s Big Plans For The St. Louis Symphony
“The Symphony saw significant increases in both attendance and ticket revenue during its just-ended 2015-2016 season, with total ticket sales for all performances reaching $6.87 million, up 3.8 percent compared with last season.”
The Freelance Economy Is Booming (So Why Do We Look Down On Freelancers?)
“Often referred to patronizingly by media and politicians as the ‘gig economy,’ there’s a perception that workers only remain outside the traditional job market if they’re unskilled, unlucky or unmotivated. Hillary Clinton once said the freelance economy raises ‘hard questions,’ and business magazines treat the trend more like a plague than an evolution. But if innovation and independent spirit are qualities we supposedly value, what’s so wrong with taking your career into your own hands?”
Is Technology Making Our Culture Generic?
“It’s easy to see how social media shapes our interactions on the internet, through web browsers, feeds, and apps. Yet technology is also shaping the physical world, influencing the places we go and how we behave in areas of our lives that didn’t heretofore seem so digital.”
Lin Manuel Miranda’s New Fight: Ticket Bot Legislation
“The issue has been a fairly personal one for Miranda: ticket prices for his hit musical Hamilton soared to outrageous heights during his final weeks as the show’s lead actor. The New York Times reported that scalpers made $15.5 million off of his last 100 performances alone, and the going price for an orchestra seat at his last show was about $15,000.”
Why Are We Fascinated By Really Bad Singing?
This is one of the opportunities that “bad” music can permit us: a mini-liberation from the usual bounds of taste. There is only listening, perhaps in an unusually pure form.
Obama’s Reading And Music Lists Are A Spotify Hit
“For the second year in a row, Mr. Obama released his summer vacation music and reading lists. And within a day, Mr. Obama’s playlist was the most listened-to on Spotify, other than those organized by the global music streaming service itself.”
Canada’s Trade Imbalance In Arts Leaders
“When I wrote last week about the worrying trend in Canadian arts to always give the top jobs to foreigners – there have been five examples in 15 months, including the leaders of the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Shaw Festival – the community howled in agreement. I had clearly struck a nerve with Canadian directors, curators and arts administrators who feel they face limited opportunities for advancement at home. But the labour market for artistic directors and culture-sector CEOs is global, and some asked if Canada was not sending abroad as many leaders as it imports.”
Why This Van Gogh Painting Was Stolen Not Once But Twice
“Given the prominence of some of the museum’s collection—including works by the likes of Monet, Renoir, and Degas—one would think an epic failure of security on such an extreme level would be impossible. But the negligence goes even deeper. According to Egyptian officials, at the time of the theft, only seven of the museum’s 43 security cameras were operational and none of the security alarms were actually active. “
Are All Stereotypes Necessarily Wrong?
“If all beliefs about groups are stereotypes, and all stereotypes are defined as inaccurate, then all beliefs about groups are inaccurate. It is, however, logically impossible for all beliefs about groups to be inaccurate.”