I’ll be consumed today and this weekend with an alumni/student conference at the Center I direct. Called ‘What’s it Worth?’ the event will work to ‘honestly explore the value of arts and culture to people, places, and the public purpose.’ I’m hoping that ‘honestly’ will be the key word, since so many public discussions of […]
Gaining ground by giving it away
Berklee College of Music in Boston has set up a fabulous web site and public resource in BerkleeShares, a collection of free music lessons in MP3 audio, Quicktime video, or PDF printed form. Given its contemporary slant, Berklee’s lessons are connected to jazz, pop, and rock in performance, including lessons in music production and technology. […]
Exploring the long tail
Chris Anderson of Wired magazine has a great piece on the new economics of entertainment, called ‘The Long Tail.’ In it, he explores the release of creative product from physical and local distribution models (movie theaters, record stores, and such), that tended to promote hits and blockbusters over breadth of content. Says Anderson: Hit-driven economics […]
Another false chasm?
This past Sunday New York Times Magazine was all about the perceived struggle between market mentality and bold art-making or meaningful cultural experience. Weaving through the mournful essay by James Traub about museum flash versus museum substance, and again through A.O. Scott’s essay about Miramax and its rogue leader Harvey Weinstein, and especially through the […]
To serve you better
One of my favorite public deceptions between businesses and consumers is any sign, placard, or web text that begins with the phrase: ‘To serve you better…’ Almost every time, the phrase is followed by an action that doesn’t serve you better, at all, and in fact serves the organization that made the sign: To serve […]
Act big or think small?
Anthony Tommasini offered a paragraph in last Sunday’s New York Times that’s well worth a moment’s pause. Embedded within an article he wrote about the backstory on pianist Leon Fleisher’s recording, Two Hands, the paragraph said: The success of the CD, which quickly hit the top 10 of Billboard’s classical chart, should offer the reeling […]
See what’s inside the latest technology
For those interested in the innards of major social trends, MIT’s Technology Review has a few great links. First up is this nice info-graphic animation about what’s inside an iPod. Basically little hard drives with a few microprocessors, the iPod and its digital brethren are fascinating extensions of the personal computer and the Walkman, with […]
When debt is your greatest asset
The Baltimore Symphony is considering a unique way to escape its debt and build its endowment…by leveraging the nonprofit’s access to even more debt. Under a scenario described in the Baltimore Sun (username: ajreader@artsjournal.com, password: access) they would sell their concert hall to a newly created nonprofit, and use the proceeds to fill their coffers. […]
What’s in a price tag?
The Sunday New York Times has an extended story on the Museum of Modern Art, and their recently announced entry price increase from $12 to $20 when they open their new facility. The price would make MoMA ‘the most expensive major art museum in the United States.’ The article is fairly balanced in its exploration […]
Getty Roundtable Weblogs
In June 2004, I was one of twenty-three participants in a leadership roundtable on a particularly compelling and complex topic. Co-sponsored by the Getty Leadership Institute and National Arts Strategies, and held at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, the convening brought together fascinating folks from the nonprofit and for-profit side of cultural enterprise to […]
