“Rowling said she was especially irked that the site’s owner and the lexicon’s would-be publisher, RDR Books, continued to insist that her acceptance of free, fan-based Web sites justified the efforts.”
Tag: 02.28.08
Oprah Effect In Warp Drive (Right Up The Best-Seller Charts)
Even for an Oprah Winfrey book pick, “A New Earth” has been a sensation. About 3.5 million copies of Eckhart Tolle’s spiritual self-help guide have been shipped since Winfrey, host of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” announced her selection four weeks ago.
Report Predicts $10 Billion Video On Demand Revenue
“The report from Informa Telecoms & Media indicates that by 2012, 909 million homes will have access to true VOD or near-VOD technology, equivalent to 78% of the world’s TV households.”
Report: Canada’s CBC Needs Longterm Stable Funding
The report says Ottawa should commit to funding the CBC for at least seven years, and the amount should be indexed to the cost of living.
Sotheby’s Has A Record Contemporary Night
“Despite rumours of a downturn in the contemporary art market, as well as disappointing results at a Christie’s post-war and contemporary art auction earlier this month, the sale exceeded its £72m estimate and set a record for contemporary art auctions in Europe.”
Shrewd Musician Negotiates His Way Into His Own Music Festival
Last year Vienna’s heating utility company used one of violinist Owen Pallett’s songs for a video campaign. “They hadn’t received permission, but rather than throwing the book at them or claiming for damages or an Austrian CEO’s head, Pallett took a different route. He negotiated something called Maximum Black, a music festival to take place in London, Berlin and Vienna.”
London Museums Are Rotting From The Inside
There is no city on earth where art is more prestigious, and yet this fizz of excitement obscures sloppy curating – curating that is addicted to short cuts, allergic to the years of research and negotiations it takes to put on a really good exhibition.
Canadian Government Wants To Pull Funding For “Offensive” Shows
The Canadian government has “drafted guidelines that would allow it to pull financial aid for any film or television show that it deems offensive or not in the public’s best interest – even if government agencies have invested in them.”
Why Commercial Canadian Radio Sucks
“Radio stations have been padding their profits for years by milking tried-and-true hits and doing whatever they can to avoid taking chances on up-and-coming Canadian artists, a new federal report on the industry alleges.”
Troubled CanStage To Try Collaboration
“In the past month, CanStage has been caught up in a whirlwind of negative publicity” including high-profile resignations, firings, and financial crises. Now, the company has unveiled a new plan to collaborate with three other Toronto theatre companies in what is being called the Berkeley Street Project.