“‘As soon as guarantees were taken off the table, sellers became uncertain,’ said Philip Hoffman, chief executive of the London-based Fine Art Fund. ‘Clients don’t want to see big- ticket works go to public auction and fail. A lot of people turned to discreet private sales at the auction houses.'”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Biden Hosts Movie, Music Honchos In Piracy Roundtable
“The first such gathering ever held, it included cabinet secretaries, the government’s ‘copyright czar’ Victoria Espinel, as well as studio chiefs, media lobbyists, union leaders and legal experts.” The vice president “said he continues to raise the issue of copyright theft and its impact on economies with every foreign leader he meets.”
Under New System, Classical Radio Market Share Plummets
“When 12 major areas, including New York and Los Angeles, switched to [measuring ratings with Portable People Meters] last year, classical radio’s market share fell 10.7 percent in those areas, a significant drop, according to a study by Research Director, a ratings consultancy.”
Catullus Is Key To A Sexual Harassment Suit
“Ancient Roman poetry is the last thing you might expect to hear at the center of a sexual harassment claim. But in London, a line from a poem by Catullus, written in the first century B.C. has been the focus for lawyers trying to prove that [an] investment banker … illegally dismissed one of his female employees.”
An Inflatable Meeting Hall On The National Mall?
“Designed by the New York firm Diller Scofidio & Renfro, the translucent fabric structure, which would be installed twice a year, for May and October, and be packed away in storage the rest of the time, would transform one of the most somber buildings on the mall into a luminous pop landmark.”
Irish Budget Cuts Harm Arts Less Than Feared
“Finance Minister Brian Lenihan did wield the axe – cutting overall arts funding by 6% and reducing the annual Arts Council subvention from €73.35m to €69.15m – but worse had been expected, given that a raft of arts agencies … had been targeted for abolition in a bid to help the cash-strapped Irish exchequer.”
Charlotte Symphony Is $100K From Financial Salvation
“If it meets [its $1.77 million fund-raising] goal, the symphony expects to get $900,000 from the Arts & Science Council, which had threatened to drastically cut the symphony’s annual grant because of questions about viability.”
Sarkozy Pledges $1.1 Billion To Digitize France’s Literature
“The French National Library announced in August that it was engaged in discussions with Google over the digitization of its collections,” news that “provoked an uproar among French officials and the publishing community.” The money “pledged Monday will finance a public-private partnership,” which “might well involve Google.”
Slice-And-Dice Paramount Site To Sell Film Clips
ParamountClips.com, available initially only to businesses interested in licensing but slated to open later to the public, will allow “films to be quickly searched by specific actor, line of dialogue, location, genre or product, among other criteria.”
Why A Nonprofit’s First Big Grant Should Be A Challenge
Michael Kaiser: “By forcing the organization to build a new, larger donor base during the grant period, the transition when the grant is over is eased. The foundation’s money might be gone but the new donors attracted by the match help fill the void.”