The strongest performing trade format was downloadable audio, where sales jumped 36.1%. Sales of physical audio, however, continued to struggle; they were down 11.4% in the four month period. Hardcover sales rose 11.8% in the period, and trade paperback and mass market paperback sales inched ahead 1.4%. In a bit of a surprise, sales of board books, which had been growing quickly, fell 5.5%.
Category: AUDIENCE
‘Brainy’ Books Are All The Rage In Nonfiction Suddenly, And Here’s Why
Basically, blame our ‘interesting’ times: “We’re living in a world that suddenly seems less certain than it did even two years ago, and the natural reaction is for people to try and find out as much about it as possible. … People have a hunger both for information and facts, and for nuanced exploration of issues, of a sort that books are in a prime position to provide.”
How A Venerable Oregon Chamber Music Festival Revitalized Itself
The first five weeks bristled with listener-friendly new music, fresh young performers, diverse older ones, jazz, tango and even contemporary music by Chinese-American composers. And Chamber Music Northwest has pulled this off while holding on to most of its aging core audience, its renowned longtime performers, and a healthy dose of core, classic repertoire. Audience numbers have stabilized—a triumph in the beleaguered classical-music world—and the demographic is gradually growing more diverse.
The Theatre Director Who Seeks To Divide His Audiences Rather Than Unite Them
“Dissatisfaction itself has become a commodity. Every day I see the headhunters from Western Europe’s theatres searching for fresh blood from problematic countries. At one point, everybody was asking me if I knew any directors from Ukraine. Then the focus shifted to Syria and Poland. There’s something deeply humiliating and colonial in the reduction of the work of an artist to her or his country of birth and the political problems of that same country.”
We Need New Ways To Measure Pleasure
“In fact, there are two standard ways to compare different pleasures with each other – the ordinal and the cardinal. The ordinal criterion simply tells us which of two pleasures is more pleasurable, and nothing about how much more pleasurable it is. The cardinal criterion, on the other hand, tells us how much more, or less, pleasurable one activity is compared with the other; for instance, does someone find reading a book twice as pleasurable as drinking a Coke?”
When Americans Rioted In The Streets Over Theater
“In the years before managers could dim auditorium lights and keep audiences in darkness during a performance, culture and politics met head-on in 19th century American theatres. Endowed with a conviction in their ‘natural right’ of self-expression, audiences would attack bad acting, poor plays and, more commonly, English actors.” That conviction, combined with good old American anti-elitism, ultimately led to the deadly riots outside New York’s Astor Place Opera House in 1849.
Scientists Say They’ve Found The Secret To Making A Hit Movie
“After analysing data from 6,147 movie scripts and filtering it through a series of algorithms, the researchers have identified the emotional arc that makes the most money, called the ‘man in a hole’ arc.”
How Silicon Valley Has Changed Philanthropy
Silicon Valley companies transformed the way we shop, search for information, connect with friends, and consume entertainment. The people who made millions or billions from these companies are now changing yet another sector of the American economy: philanthropy. They’re forcing nonprofits to become incubators and disruptors, rather than just service providers, and to think about how they sell themselves, how they measure what they do, and what programs will attract money.
Order Your Own Bespoke Production Of A Play (If You Have The Cash)
“Billed as an exclusive private theatre offering, each of Revels in Hand’s productions will be specially created for a private client and chosen for the space in which they will be performed. Go People, the company behind the plans, said this could range from a dinner party or a yacht to corporate events and weddings, and would incorporate all styles of play including Shakespeare and modern classics. Clients can also commission new work if they wish.”
What Has Come Of The Wallace And Knight Foundations’ Grants To Expand Audience Engagement?
“Wallace has been methodically rolling out its findings in the intervening months, publishing case studies on Ballet Austin’s efforts to expand audiences for unfamiliar works, Seattle Symphony’s efforts in engaging new residents, and the Denver Center Theatre Company’s success in attracting younger attendees. A read of each these case studies underscores the complexity of the engagement challenge. … If it’s more cutting-edge tactical approaches you seek, … turn to the other end of the spectrum, where the Knight Foundation resides.”