“DVD revenues have cratered in the past six or so months, dropping off (depending upon whose figures you trust) as much as 15% to 18% overall. … DVD sales, which have traditionally represented the biggest chunk of pure profits in the business, were the real safety net when it came to greenlighting movies.” Also frightening to studio execs: “the realization that audiences are becoming more quality conscious.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Is 3-D Indie Film’s New Trend?
“The Cannes Film Festival has no shortage of big-budget 3-D spectacles…. But the immersive technology also is attracting a growing crowd of independent filmmakers, some of whom are making — and trying to sell — 3-D movies on a fraction of Pixar’s and Disney’s budgets. They are convinced that the stereoscopic effect can help separate their films in a cluttered marketplace and drive moviegoers into theaters.”
A Chorus Vanishes, But First It Gets To Say Goodbye
“There have been a lot of closings in recent months as the recession exacts its toll on arts organizations across the country. But these closings tend to happen away from the stage, between performances. Seldom do organizations have the luxury of an actual farewell: a final concert that everyone knows is its last.” The Master Chorale got that luxury at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.
New System Has Tripled Time For Getting U.S. Copyright
“A serious logjam in the U.S. Copyright Office has created a growing mountain of paper applications, more than the staff can process. … The problem has tripled the processing time for a copyright from six to 18 months, and delays are expected to get worse in coming months. The library’s inspector general has warned that the backlog threatens the integrity of the U.S. copyright system.” The problem stems from a new electronic process.
Supreme Court Won’t Hear Steinbeck Rights Case
“The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by a son of author John Steinbeck over the publishing rights to ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ and other early works. The court said Monday it won’t disturb a ruling by the federal appeals court in New York that the rights belong to Penguin Group Inc., and the heirs of John Steinbeck’s widow, Elaine.”
Scribd Implements A Pay-Per-Download Mode
“Scribd is proposing to do for books what iTunes did for music — let readers buy only what they want to read. … Starting today, Scribd is giving readers the option of buying content, including paying a few dollars for a chapter or two from a travel guide or a how-to book.” Scribd keeps 20 percent, and the rest goes to the writers and publishers.
Ruined Racks Up Another Prize At Obies
“Off Broadway’s 54th Obie Awards honored ‘Ruined,’ ‘Road Show,’ actor Earle Hyman and legit companies Classical Theater of Harlem, the Chocolate Factory and the Lark Play Development Center on Monday.”
If Theatre Encounters Hard Times, Let The Past Be A Guide
“Theatre now finds itself in a strange position. There is little prospect of making more money at the box office: audiences are already coming in large numbers and ticket prices are high. But, as other income evaporates, we are having to face a future in which there will be fewer productions and more dark theatres. The next few years look tough – but I don’t feel gloomy.”
An Arts Advocate Ponders Arts Journalism’s Future
“As everyone knows, … writers are increasingly being shed by publishers struggling to keep their shrinking companies alive. And while the internet has provided even wider potential audiences for arts journalists, it has not yet produced a viable business model that can finance their employment. So, are arts journalism institutes, like Columbia’s or USC’s, breeding grounds for the futile pursuit of a vanishing profession?”
Chicago Architecture: Storied Past, Too-Starry Present?
“Chicago’s light has dimmed as a capital of architecture. … In fact, the designs that Gehry and Piano have supplied for Chicago point to the twin dangers of ‘star-chitecture’: bombastic, signature gestures on the one hand, predictable products on the other.”