A new US report suggests that downloading hurts CD sales. “The report, commissioned by the US National Bureau of Economic Research, studied the habits of 412 students. It said the US music industry lost one fifth of a sale for each album downloaded from the internet. The study contradicts a previous report, conducted in 2002, which said swapping songs online had no negative effect on music sales.”
Blog
Saturn – The Galaxy’s Largest Musical Instrument?
Scientists have discovered that Saturn’s rings “play” musical notes. “The tones are short, typically lasting between one and three seconds, and unlike the ethereal sliding tones associated with other cosmic processes, every one is quite distinct. The evidence suggests that each tone is produced by the impact of a meteoroid on the icy chunks that make up the rings.”
Sotheby’s Posts Loss
“Sotheby’s says its third quarter losses were less than a year ago because of some high-profile sales. The “hammer price” of goods sold at auction was $194m (£105m) in the summer when sales were brisk. Auction and related revenue surged 48% to $42.9m. For the quarter, it reported a consolidated net loss for continuing operations of $28.3m, compared with a loss of $29.5m a year ago.”
Italy Considers Privatizing Archaeological Treasures
A plan proposed by Italian legislators would legalize private ownership of archaeological treasures. Archaeologists are horrified by the idea. “At present, all antiquities found in Italian soil are deemed to be the property of the state and are meant to be handed over to the authorities. But under the proposed legislation, treasure hunters who declare their finds can keep and own them if they pay the state 5% of the object’s estimated value. Supporters have argued that it would bring to light previously hidden treasures.”
Tiny Bubbles (But Will The Art Market Pop?)
Prices for contemporary art have soared in the past year. Collectors are paying huge prices for art that only a few years ago was inexpensive. “Bubble? Did someone say bubble? In talking to over a dozen contemporary art world leaders, I heard wildly differing opinions as to whether one exists. Not everyone sees imminent danger, particularly those sellers currently managing the enviable problems of swelling client waiting lists and packed auction houses. From where I sit, though, a bubble looks real. When will it pop? Who knows?”
Checking Out The New (Old) Eliot Feld
“Eliot Feld’s latest company, Mandance Project—consisting of five men and a lone woman—recently made its debut in New York with a repertory of 11 dances, all but one of them brand new. Astonishingly, the work looks like much that Feld, a huge but inexplicably stymied talent, has been doing for the last quarter-century. The very antithesis of early Feld works like Intermezzo and At Midnight, they say no to organic flow and depth of feeling, substituting aren’t-I-clever? gimmicks for the qualities that lie at the heart of expressive dancing.”
Mark Morris, A Life
Choreographer Mark Morris’ career has had a remarkable trajectory. ” I am doing exactly what I want, which I love. It’s way bigger than I thought it would be. I have much more presence and influence than I ever imagined I would. But, don’t worry. I’m not planning on world domination or anything like that. There is too much competition there. There are too many Americans who already have that goal.”
Cycling Beats Tate In UK Lottery Affections
Which of the UK’s National Lottery projects has made the biggest impact on the public? “In a rare examination of public views on how lottery money should be spent, the £43.5m national cycle network – said to have saved 38m car journeys – was picked as the project which had made the biggest overall impact on UK life during the first decade of lottery funding. It beat Tate Modern and the Eden Project, the Cornish greenhouse complex, for its section of the national lottery day’s “helping hand” awards.”
Manchester To Launch Big New Festival
The city of Manchester is launching a new summer festival to rival the Edinburgh Festival. “The new endeavour will take over the city for three weeks of July every other year, starting in 2007. The festival will have a budget of £5m – compared with Edinburgh’s £7.2m – and its artistic director is to be Alex Poots, currently head of contemporary arts at English National Opera.”
Georgia School Board Sued Over Creationism Stickers
A Georgia school board is being sued by a group of parents who believe stickers afixed to textbooks by the school district “push the teaching of creationism and discriminate against non-Christians and followers of a number of other religions.The stickers read: ‘This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered’.”