The Creative Economy

“The U.S. is at the forefront of this global creative economy. Over the next decade, it’s projected to add 10 million more creative sector jobs, according to the newest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At the present rate of increase, creative jobs alone will soon eclipse the total number of jobs in all of manufacturing. Already, more than 40 million Americans work in the creative sector, which has grown by 20 million jobs since the 1980s. It accounts for more than $2 trillion USD—or nearly half—of all wages and salaries paid in the U.S.”

Suggestion – National Symphony Should Book A Crowd

The National Symphony has been looking for a replacement for music director Leonard Slatkin, but Mark Mobley has a suggestion. “The NSO needs a radical new strategy. It’s time to diversify the product by hiring a series of guest conductors. Put more emerging musicians, especially more Americans, on the podium, and let the players and staff set a course to lure patrons and improve the concerts.”

So You Wanna Be A Star…

Each year hundreds of families flock to Hollywood in the hopes of making stars of their children. “Some industry people attribute the flood of green arrivals to their exposure to behind-the-scenes TV programs, star biopics, celebrity news shows and teenage entertainment magazines, which give the untutored a sense of confidence about the way show business works.”

Lessons Learned In Public Art

“In recent years, many cities have re-evaluated their approaches to public art and are incorporating new ideas, while other cities remain stuck on the original model. Milwaukee, more or less, falls into the latter category and is serving as a case study for hundreds of arts professionals in town for the Americans for the Arts national conference.”

HBO On The Decline?

“Does HBO’s signature show losing its way creatively signal bigger problems at the network? Frankly, the creative decline of “The Sopranos” (not to mention the quality nose dive of “Six Feet Under” before it died) is downright alarming, viewed in the context of other recent moves by HBO.”

Who Owns You When You’re Famous? (And Why It Matters)

Increasingly, celebrities are claiming ownership of any mention of their famous selves. “Some worry that publicity rights have already expanded too far, allowing celebrities unilaterally to dictate how the rest of us can portray them. Others respond that it’s simply the law’s reasonable recognition of the economic value of celebrity. The issues and arguments can be similar to those in trademark and copyright cases. In a unique way though, right-of-publicity disputes are also about fame-who owns it, and what it’s worth.”

Consider… The Accordion

June is National Accordion Awareness Month. So is the accordion becoming cool again? “The sound of a piano accordion makes people happy. If I were to join the musicians who played while the Titanic was sinking, I’d grab my Weltmeister piano accordion — the smaller one I use for strolling — and play a nice German beer-barrel polka. It’d be a great sing-along that would put everyone in a better mood.”

McCoy Tyner At 67

“He has translated what life has told him into music over the course of dozens of albums and thousands of live gigs going back to 1959, when he made his professional debut with the Art Farmer-Benny Golson Jazztet. A year after that, he joined saxophonist John Coltrane’s quartet, and basically paved the road that most post-bebop jazz pianists followed, and still do.”