How The Internet Is Transforming Entertainment

“The internet is changing the entertainment business from one that is driven by hits to one that will make most of its money from misses. This is good news for consumers, because it means more choice, and we all like things that will never make the best-seller lists for CDs, books or movies. And although it might sound strange, this “new economics of abundance” is already the basis of the net’s most successful companies, such as Amazon, eBay and Google.”

Barnes Says It’s Running Out Of Money, Asks Court To Hurry Appeal

The Barnes Collection has asked the court to expedite an appeal hearing on a decision that would allow the Barnes to move to Philadelphia. “The foundation’s court petition said the Barnes could find itself short of funds by the end of 2005 because the appeal has delayed pledges from donors, and because the three foundations backing the move of its multibillion-dollar art gallery from Lower Merion to Philadelphia have stopped paying part of its operating expenses.”

Ailey Company’s New Home Signals Place

Alvin Ailey’s new home is a symbol of its status. “The $54 million structure – touted by its occupants as the largest in the United States dedicated exclusively to dance – symbolizes both the success the Ailey company has achieved and its commitment to making dance accessible. The increased space will allow the Ailey to do more of its signature outreach work, offering classes in dance and fitness to the general public for the first time starting in April.”

Is The Movie-Going Experience Running Out Of Steam?

Movie attendance in the US has dropped in the past two years from a high of 1.63 billion in 2002 to 1.53 billion in 2004. Before 2003, attendance regularly increased each year. The numbers give some theater owners pause. In the ’50s and ’60s, everybody went to the movies. “We need to do more to develop the habitual moviegoer. Once movies can be delivered directly into the home, she adds, all the cheap popcorn and clean floors in the world won’t matter. How long is it before they just won’t need us at all?”

Big-Time TV Censorship On Its Way?

“Hollywood better wake up. Remember the Hays Office, which imposed family-values censorship on the movies in the 1920s — a ham-fisted squelching of “indecency” that cramped and crippled scriptwriters and moviemakers for decades thereafter? Well, what one of the most powerful Republicans in the U.S. Senate is now talking about sounds very much like the same thing, except now it’s about cable TV and the Net.”

Karaoke For Standup Comedy

Everyone wants to be a comedian, right? Now you can – with karaoke for standup. “The idea for Joke-e-oke is simple. It’s basically karaoke with stand-up comedy material. Many dream of the chance to be a comedian with killer material in front of a laughing crowd. With Joke-e-oke, people are able to live out their comedy fantasy of being their favorite comedian onstage, choosing from a list of stand-up comedy icons to perform. A built in laugh track is added, timed perfectly to accent punch lines.”

Sharpton Urges FCC Radio Crackdown

Al Sharpton has urged the FCC to crack down on radio stations that have anything to do with gangsta rap violence. “He encouraged the agency to hold field hearings to investigate violence involving radio stations, bar artists from the air for 90 days if linked to violence, and consider such incidents when deciding whether to renew broadcast licenses. Some stations were double-booking rival music artists and gossiping about competing musicians on the air just before they arrived which led to fights, Sharpton said.”

Canada Proposes Copyright Changes

The Canadian government says it will change copyright law to clarify some copyright issues. “According to the announcement, the changes would “clarify that the unauthorized posting or the peer-to-peer file-sharing of material on the Internet will constitute an infringement of copyright. It will also be made clear that private copies of sound recordings cannot be uploaded or further distributed.”

Music Industry Woes – More Than Just Copyright

The music industry is in court against p2p file-trading services. “But even if the entertainment business manages to coax more users into paying for legal downloads and succeeds in court against Grokster and StreamCast, its problems are unlikely to go away. True, a Supreme Court ruling in the industry’s favour would put paid to other P2P services. But it is not clear that curbing illegal downloading will translate into extra sales for the music business. A rush into legal downloading would hardly be good for sales of CDs: some cannibalisation is inevitable. And perhaps the decline in global sales is indicative of a far greater problem for the music industry—consumers simply think that many of its products are just not worth paying for.”