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The UK government has reversed course on its plan to let AI companies train on copyrighted creative work without permission (The Times). After a campaign led by Elton John and Paul McCartney, ministers backed down — a rare, decisive win for creators trying to hold onto what they make.
But questions about who controls creative work are everywhere. The Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Day Florence Price performance is now embroiled in a “forgery” accusation: the piece attributed to America’s first Black female symphonist was so freely re-orchestrated that the leading scholar of her work refuses to call it hers (The Guardian). In Adelaide, newly obtained board minutes show the state premier personally intervened to disinvite a Palestinian-Australian author from Writers’ Week — and the fallout was, by the board’s own account, a “public relations disaster” (Crikey). Meanwhile, San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum — which laid off 80% of its staff in 2024 — is now selling its 63,000-square-foot building, with its future unresolved (San Francisco Chronicle).
On a lighter note: Val Kilmer has been posthumously cast in a film via AI, in a role he’d agreed to before his health prevented it (CBC). Ownership of a different kind.
All of our stories below.
- What Ireland’s Basic Artist Income Experiment tells us about a new Arts Economy
Ireland demonstrated something: economic insecurity doesn’t just force workers out, it diminishes the overall creative economy. That matters enormously right now, because we are entering a period when a lot of people across a lot of industries are about to lose their job security. - When Daniel Radcliffe Married A New York Theater Critic Onstage
Sara Holdren of New York magazine recounts how she went to review Every Brilliant Thing on Broadway and wound up as the star’s love interest. – New York Magazine (MSN)
- An AI Version Of Val Kilmer Is Cast In A New Movie
First Line Films announced Wednesday that Kilmer has posthumously joined the cast of a film titled As Deep as the Grave. The producers said that, before his death, Kilmer had signed on to perform in the movie but was unable to because of his health. – CBC
- On The Popularity Of “Heated Rivalry” In Russia
“On Kinopoisk, Russia’s largest film-and-TV database and ratings site, it sits at 8.3/10 with more than 60,000 ratings. … As a scholar of Russian culture and someone who grew up there, I keep wondering why Heated Rivalry hits with such force in Russia.” – Los Angeles Review of Books
- A History Of Famous Typos
James Joyce’s editors compiled a massive list of the book’s errors to be fixed in new editions. Joyce rejected some of the corrections, saying, “These are not misprints but beauties of my style hitherto undreamt of.” – Smithsonian
- Finally: We Know Who Spent $70M On Beeple’s NFT
If anyone was still wondering who owns Everydays, there you have it: Sundaresan. – ARTnews
- A Big Increase In The Number Of Books Published Last Year
The total number of books published in the U.S. in 2025 with ISBN numbers jumped 32.5% over 2024, to more than four million books, according to statistics compiled by Bowker. – Publishers Weekly
- What’s The Proper Length For A Piece Of Theatre? Either Well Under Two Hours Or More Than Five
“The former is the perfect excursion. If it’s a bad show, you’re not held hostage for long; if it’s good, you can bookend the night with a meal and a drink — or go home for an early night. … Stretch longer — five hours and beyond — and the entire shape of a work changes.” – The Guardian
- Archaeologists Confirm Location Of The Lost City Of Ancient Alexandria
Alexandria on the Tigris (later renamed Charax Spasinou) was one of several major cities founded by the Macedonian general, the most famous of which is Alexandria in Egypt, today the country’s second largest metropolis. – ARTnews
- UK Government Backs Off Plan To Let AI Companies Use Creative Work Without Permission
Ministers initially proposed reforming copyright law to boost the AI industry but were faced with a campaign of opposition led by Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney, who accused the government of legalising the “theft” of creative works. – The Times
- How Do Theatres Adapt To Current Market Realities?
Theaters cannot simply reduce expenses and expect to find long-term stability. At some point, the conversation must include new ways of thinking about revenue, capital, and value. – Leading Creativity
- Can Ballet Make Room For Dancers With Flat Feet?
“The industry still has an obsession with ‘perfect’ feet. High arches have traditionally been praised in ballet, and some dancers today use farches (fake arches), which give the illusion that your foot is more bendy than it is, … (even though) flat-footed ballet professionals are out there and thriving.” – The Guardian
- A New Underground Entrance To The White House?
Visitors currently enter the White House through a series of temporary tents and trailers operated by USSS on East Executive Avenue. The proposed 33,000-square-foot visitor center would be to the west quadrant of Sherman Park, so as to avoid subterranean sewer tunnels and “reduce visual impact.” – The Architect’s Newspaper
- How Yuval Sharon Integrated Technology Into Wagner
Because of opera’s long history, integrating elements such as prerecorded and live video into the mix opens up a larger discussion about the role of technology in live performance. – Fast Company
- Why Are Korean Cities Vying To Host Famous Western Museums?
Experts note that the momentum is part of a global shift that has gathered pace since the late 1990s: an alignment between cities navigating economic and demographic change and legacy Western institutions seeking more resilient revenue streams. – Korea Times
- Hong Kong’s Huge Arts Hub Averts Its Cash Crisis (For Now)
The West Kowloon Cultural District — a 99-acre campus, home to the M+ contemporary art museum, Hong Kong Palace Museum, and two performance venues — has gotten a 10-year loan and authority to issue bonds to bridge the gap until rental income from planned office and apartment towers arrives. – South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
- Madrid’s Prado Museum Institutes Crowd Control Measures
“The newly announced measures (against overcrowding) include slashing the (maximum) size of visitor groups from 30 to 20. Access for groups will also be limited to the museum’s off-peak hours between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.” – Artnet
- Adelaide Festival Writers’ Week Fell Apart After State Premier Intervened, Documents Show
“Minutes from six crucial Adelaide Festival board meetings in December and January, obtained by Crikey, give an unvarnished view of how disinviting (Palestinian-Australian author Randa) Abdel-Fattah from the Adelaide Writers’ Week in the wake of the antisemitic Bondi Beach terror attack snowballed into a public relations disaster.” – Crikey (Australia)
- Explaining The Row Over The Florence Price Piece At The Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Day Concert
The “Rainbow Waltz” which Yannick Nézet-Séguin programmed for the generally tradition-bound event was attributed to Price (America’s first Black female symphonist) in the program. In fact, it’s a rather free orchestral arrangement of Price’s original piano version — so free that the leading scholar of her work calls it a “forgery.” – The Guardian
- A San Francisco Museum Will Sell Its Large, Well-Located Building
The Contemporary Jewish Museum, which temporarily closed in late 2024 and laid off 80% of its staff, will sell its 63,000 square-foot building in the Yerba Buena neighborhood. The museum’s next steps beyond the sale are not yet clear, though management says it intends to reopen. – San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
- Kevin Spacey And Three Accusers Settle Civil Lawsuits For Sexual Assault
“The Oscar-winning U.S. actor has reached a confidential settlement with three British men who had filed civil lawsuits at London’s High Court accusing him of sexual assault between 2000 and 2013. … Two of the claimants gave evidence during Spacey’s 2023 criminal trial in London, where he was acquitted of all charges.” – Reuters (Yahoo!)
- BBC World Service Gets Funding Lifeline From UK Foreign Office
“Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, has agreed an additional £11m a year for the next three years on the government’s grant to the service … after ministers concluded it was needed to counter the rise of global disinformation.” – The Guardian
- The Cecilia Chorus of NY, Carnegie Hall, April 17.
The Cecilia Chorus of New York, Mark Shapiro, Conductor, presents the world premiere of A Call for the Battle to Cease by Robert Sirota and Victoria Sirota, featuring pianist Simone Dinnerstein; the New York premiere of Grammy-nominated Mass in Exile by Mark Buller, Leah Lax, and Beth Greenberg, featuring guitarist David Leisner, baritone Shavon Lloyd, and Every Voice Children’s Chorus; and excerpts from Haydn’s Mass in Time of War. Saturday, April 17 at 8 PM in Carnegie Hall.
- St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Adds Another Artistic Partner: Violinist Alina Ibragimova
The Russian-British violinist joins five current artistic partners: harpsichordist and conductor Richard Egarr, pianist Richard Goode, cellist Abel Selaocoe, conductor Gábor Takács-Nagy, and violist Tabea Zimmermann. Ibragimova’s term begins next season. – The Strad
- A Sea Change In Australian Orchestra Programming
Overall, works by women made up 14.6 percent of programming in 2025, an increase on 2024’s 11.9 percent after a dip from 13.2 percent in 2023. – Limelight
- Gen Z Is Returning To The Movie Theatre
Gen Z is buying up a higher percentage of movie tickets, rising from 34% of the overall box office in 2019 to 39% last year. – The Star-Tribune
- The Weathermen Who Have Left Broadcast TV For Streaming
“From New Jersey to California to Louisiana, weather journalists are leaving traditional TV newsrooms to form all-digital platforms. … The Digital Weather Network, … which started in 2022, now has nineteen members, … working from well-equipped studios or from their homes,” with dozens more interested in joining. – Columbia Journalism Review
- Inclusivity And The “Elitist” Problem
Many advocates of culture today would proudly describe themselves as anti-elitist. They argue that art should be inclusive. They promote the doctrine of diversity. The reality could not be more different. – The Telegraph (MSN)
- Can Wisdom Be Taught?
The study of wisdom dates to antiquity, but only in the past 40 years have researchers begun to apply the scientific method to probe what wisdom is and how it develops. – Knowable
- Reconsidering Dopamine’s Effects On The Brain
Where once there was a simple model that explained how dopamine works in the brain, now there are challenges that seek to amend the theory — or even to overturn it. – Nature
- Now That We Know Who Banksy Is, The Price Of His Art May Soar
“The art world’s reaction: Go ahead and be known. Rather than undermine any mystique, the revelation could actually give his market a much-needed boost, art-world insiders say.” – The Wall Street Journal (MSN)
- What Is Philosophy In The Age Of AI?
Understanding language as something defined by public use—rather than private intention—helps us grasp how simply scraping text from around the web and finding patterns in the way words fit together can form the basis for passably imitating a human. – Prospect
- LA Theatre Is Ailing. What To Do?
Lofty and pragmatic in equal measure, these leaders are reconstituting Los Angeles’ theater culture, fighting for the survival of nonprofit theater in America and shaping the future possibility of the art form, here and beyond. – Los Angeles Times
- The State Of Dance On TV and Film
Four prominent dancemakers working in film and television discuss the current state of the industry. – Dance Magazine
