“The streaming-audio company inked a deal with NPR to distribute 26 podcasts — including NPR News Hour, Planet Money, Car Talk and Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! — outside the U.S. A few NPR shows that are available on Spotify U.S. aren’t part of the international-distribution pact, including most notably Fresh Air hosted by Terry Gross.” – Variety
Tag: 12.16.20
Amid Firestorm, Americans For The Arts CEO Goes On Paid Leave
“Lynch’s decision on Wednesday comes after a Washington Post report revealed widespread condemnation of AFTA by advisory council members and current and former staff, who criticized what they have deemed insufficient efforts toward racial equity, transparency and accountability. The article also described charges of a hostile workplace that included sexual harassment, retaliation and intimidation.” – The Washington Post
Court Rules For Museum, Against Heirs In Case Of Kandinsky Bought Under Nazis
“In a decision watched closely by restitution experts, a court in Amsterdam ruled on Wednesday that the Stedelijk Museum there can retain a Wassily Kandinsky painting that it acquired during World War II and which came from a Jewish collection. The 1909 work, Painting with Houses, has been the focus of a restitution battle that has been viewed as a litmus test for Dutch restitutions policy.” – The New York Times
Man Who Burned Down Kyoto Animation Studio Charged With Murder
In July of 2019, Shinji Aoba, now 42, allegedly poured gasoline around the studio building and set it alight; the fire killed 36 people and injured 33 more, including the suspect himself. (Prosecutors had to wait until he had recovered from his burns and undergone an extended psychiatric evaluation before they could indict him.) Aoba now faces trial for murder, attempted murder, arson, trespass, and breaking Japan’s arms-control law. – Variety
City Of Seattle Starts An Arts Real Estate Company
“In an effort to combat cultural displacement and gentrification, the city is taking the rare step of creating a “mission-driven” real estate development company so that it can create, purchase, manage and lease property for arts and cultural spaces — which could include a wide range of venues and organizations, including galleries, bookstores, nonprofit dance companies and cultural community centers. The new entity would likely also develop and manage a new “Creative Economy Hub” on the second floor of the city-owned King Street Station.” – Crosscut
AI Can Now Translate Movie Dialog In The Actors Voices
Deepdub, which came out of stealth on Wednesday, has built technology that can translate a voice track to a different language, all while staying true to the voice of the talent. This makes it possible to have someone like Morgan Freeman narrate a movie in French, Italian or Russian without losing what makes Freeman’s voice special and recognizable. – Protocol
How Nikki Giovanni Has Remained A Household-Name Poet (!) For 50 Years
“Her staying power over half a century comes from a stream of acclaimed work, her proclivity for a punishing schedule of tours and readings, and a fearlessness born of not caring what foolish people think.” – The New York Times