A new initiative aims to raise the value of London’s arts industry by a third to £32 billion and create 200,000 new jobs in 10 years. “London’s creative industries currently employ 500,000 people and are responsible for one in five of all new jobs in the capital. But an investigation by the mayor’s Commission for the Creative Industries found the industry lacks international recognition, and young entrepreneurs often struggle to get financial backing.”
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The Passion To See “Passion” (Or Not)
“With Mel Gibson’s blockbuster earning more than $355 million Sunday at the box office and energizing evangelicals and conservative Catholics across the United States, some devout Christians have found themselves facing a dilemma. They prefer not to view the film, because of its violent and gory nature or its traditionalist orientation, but feel pressure from pastors and other Christians to go. Some even say they are made to feel anti-Christian for not joining in the ‘buzz’ surrounding the film at their Sunday services.”
London’s Manhattan Project For The Arts
What will London’s new arts initiative look like? “It sets out to make an immediate impact with a step-by-step policy of clearing blocks to arts activities. Its first move is a website which goes online today and which acts as a “space agency” – a clearing house for empty buildings or rooms which could be used for marketing, rehearsals and performances by arts groups.”
Tech And Big Entertainment Cozying Up
It wasn’t too long ago that entertainment companies were at war with tech companies. No more. “With growth slowing in both entertainment and technology, players on both sides started to accept an uncomfortable reality: they simply could not afford to go on fighting. The ability to deliver movies and music over the Internet in a pirate-proof format could mean big money for movie and record companies, which have long complained about the expenses of manufacturing and distributing their wares. And as Apple is proving – it now sells more iPods than Macintoshes – there are equally fat profits for those who can ease the distribution and consumption of digital entertainment. The result is what looks like a beautiful new friendship.”
Milwaukee Art Museum Struggles With Low Attendance, Budget
Three years after the Milwaukee Art Museum opened its acclaimed splashy new expansion designed by Santiago Calatrava, far fewer people than expected are passing through its doors, and that’s creating new financial challenges for the museum.
Gordon: Milwaukee’s Museum’s Man In the Middle
Milwaukee Art Museum director David Gordon has a tough job. “What is clear is that the very traits that made Gordon an attractive choice for director have proven to be trouble, too. He is confident and direct by many accounts but magisterial and abrasive by others. He is considered decisive by some but rash by others.”
Latin Music Languishes
“The Billboard Latin Music Conference celebrates its 15th birthday in Miami Beach this week. But instead of the coming-out festiveness typical of a quince, conferencegoers will wrestle with the financial and creative crisis facing an industry that makes Miami-Dade County its home.”
The Next Great Novel
What determines whether a book will endure or be considered great? “It comes down to relevance, what people are looking for today and how they can apply what the author is talking about to their lives.”
Peabody’s Renaissance
Baltimore’s Peabody Conservatory unveils a $27 million redo of its campus. “It is a good time for Peabody. The endowment has reached $70 million, and an association with Johns Hopkins University has proved beneficial for both institutions. Not bad for a place that came perilously close to bankruptcy a mere 27 years ago. Much of the credit for Peabody’s renaissance must be given to Robert Sirota, a composer and conductor who has been the institute’s director since 1995 and oversaw the renovation.”
Downloading Up (Illegal Down)
A new study on music downloading reports that “an estimated 6 million people have stopped downloading copyrighted music from the Internet over fears that they may sued by the recording industry, but the overall number of Americans who download music is rising with the popularity of iTunes, Napster and other legitimate online music services.”