Video on demand is supposed to represent the great, wide-open future of television, and broadcasters worldwide are looking for ways to incorporate it into their existing product. But so far, no one seems to be making any money off it. So how to get TV from point A (status quo) to point B (a profitable on-demand model)?
Author: sbergman
Court Battle Over Country Music Treasures
“A bankruptcy trustee wants a judge to decide the fate of ‘Mother’ Maybelle Carter’s Gibson L-5 guitar and Bill Monroe’s mandolin after negotiations stalled over the future of some of country music’s most treasured instruments.”
Fashion Photos As Legitimate Art
Fashion photography has never been given much credit in the serious art world, but that may be changing. “A paradoxical dimension of the current lively interest in the field is that the innovative spirit and visual daring of the late ’90s… appears to have gone into retreat.”
Progress Seen In Attempts To Settle Writers’ Strike
“Both sides in the Hollywood writers strike expressed optimism that progress was being made in contract negotiations aimed at ending a five-week walkout… Negotiations were to resume Thursday.”
Sticker Shock In Miami Beach
No one is complaining about the quality of the art at this year’s Art Basel Miami Beach, which is reportedly as high as it has ever been. But in a tough economic climate, prices are skyrocketing, leading to significant grumbling from collectors and slow initial sales.
Aussie PAC Chief Quits
“The chief executive of [Australia’s] Queensland Performing Arts Centre has stepped down after the state Government made major changes to the board of trustees… QPAC has been under increasing pressure from the state Government and Arts Minister Rod Welford to operate with smaller subsidies…”
The Fulbright Worldview: Arts As Essential As Math
Philanthropist Harriet Fulbright, the woman behind America’s Fulbright scholarships, believes that “the established educational measures of numeracy and literacy are too limited and that there are other intelligences that we may associate with creativity: visual, kinesthetic, musical and social.”
Tiny Sculpture, Big Price Tag
“A 3¼-inch limestone lion from ancient Mesopotamia fetched the highest price ever paid at an auction for a sculpture – $57 million. Sotheby’s had estimated that the Guennol Lioness would bring up to $18 million.”
Bronx Symphony At Risk Under New NYC Policy
The Bronx Symphony has been around for 60 years, blending amateurs and professionals into a much-loved community orchestra. “Yet, while the orchestra has survived television and crime waves, changing tastes and internal squabbles, it may not live through a policy change by the city that has put dozens of small arts organizations in competition for public money, ending decades of automatic annual financing.”
Calgary Board Bans Golden Compass Book
“The Catholic school board in Calgary has followed the lead of a Catholic school board in Burlington, Ont., in pulling the children’s fantasy book The Golden Compass off school shelves.” The book’s author is an acknowledged atheist, and some view his work as anti-Christian.