“When it comes to evaluating information – and separating the real from the bullshit – kids aren’t that different from adults. .. [So why do] kids still happily wait on line to sit on a jolly guy’s lap and throw their energy into composing letters to the North Pole? The answer: Because we tell them it’s worth their while.”
Tag: 12.22.16
Why It Took Almost 30 Years To Get August Wilson’s ‘Fences’ Onto Movie Screens
“The saga started in 1987, when Eddie Murphy … thought the role of the son would be an opportunity to tackle serious material for a change, and Paramount Pictures bought the rights for him for more than $1 million, at that time one of the highest sums ever paid for a theatrical property.”
The Arts Buzzword Of 2016: Immersive
The list of “immersive” events on any given day is extensive. Why? “Immersive events carry the promise of intimacy and interactivity, of a unique experience, of relevance with youthful audiences who increasingly yearn to participate in their art experience rather than view it from afar. “
The Sound Of Science: A Brief History Of The Bose Wave Music System
Sure, the infomercials speak all too highly of it, and it’s kind of pricey, but the Wave was created from genuine engineering expertise and hard work. Here’s the story of how the speaker system went from Dr. Bose’s lab at MIT to the Sharper Image catalogue and QVC.
We Know We’re In A New Gilded Age, But We’re Also In A New Age Of Gilt
“Gilt – gold’s application to metal, whether powder, leaf or plate – is the assertive surface of self-importance. We seem to be having a Midas moment. With the election of the commercial Sun King Donald J. Trump to the presidency, and the pedestrian aristocracy of gold sneakers walking the street … there is again the gleam of gilt in the public eye.”
How Do You Get Ticket Pricing Right When You Know It’s Not Just About Maximizing Revenue?
“Premium tickets for Broadway shows can cost north of $200. Adjusting for inflation, the $25 ticket in 1984 should cost only about $58 today. Something is not sufficiently aligned. The questions I often ponder are: How do high ticket prices limit accessibility? How much profit is profitable?” Marshall Jones III, producing artistic director of the Tony-winning African-American troupe Crossroads Theatre Company, discusses the ways he and some of his colleagues have addressed this issue.
The Only Black Dancer In Tel Aviv Comes Home To Brooklyn
Shamel Pitts had spent seven years with Batsheva, Israel’s most famous dance company, when he created a solo work to a spoken-word soundtrack he assembled and recorded himself. A director friend of his filmed the work, and now Pitts is back in New York, touring the film and live show around the Western Hemisphere.
A ‘Massively Good Settlement’: UK Equity Negotiates Healthy Raise For Actors, Stage Managers
“Wages for actors and stage managers working in subsidised repertory theatre are expected to increase by £50 per week, under what Equity is calling a ‘massively good settlement’. The union estimates that the new agreement could result in ‘at least’ an additional £1 million going into members’ pockets by 2019.”
As The Music Business Re-Consolidates, The Promoter And Platform Become One
The Wild West of business models since music went digital hasn’t worked out very well for musicians. The old record labels that controlled the industry might have been good for the artists they turned into stars, but they weren’t particularly good for the average musician. When musicians suddenly could record, release and promote their own music, reaching fans directly, there was the brief hope that artists would have more control and that more musicians could make a good living. Hasn’t turned out that way so far.
And now, the big streaming companies and social media platforms are consolidating their power, and it’s starting to look like a new set of power brokers are emerging. Apple, for example:
Since its debut in the summer of 2015, Apple Music has separated itself from Spotify, the industry’s streaming leader, by trying to become a one-stop shop for major artists — part platform and part promoter.
“I don’t think anybody could argue against the incredible value of Apple marketing,” said David Bakula, a senior music analyst for Nielsen. “There are artists they latch onto and say, ‘This is something we are going to heavily promote.’ It makes one of the largest publicly traded companies in the world a sort of tastemaker.”
So Apple is both the platform and the promoter. Meaning? Meaning that Apple is increasingly owning the front and back ends of the business. Be an Apple artist and you get preference and prominence in the huge iTunes/Apple eco-system. So if you’re not part of the Apple family? Will anyone be able to find your music?
Apple Music Positions Itself As Platform, Promoter, Reinventor Of The Music Biz
“We all have to reinvent ourselves now that paid streaming is starting to lock in. There’s going to be a lot of new technology, and everyone’s going to be reforming their roles. We have no interest in being a label. But we do have interest in making our platform the one that’s best to communicate with the audiences.”