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- AI Stops Stealing And Starts Signing Contracts
Good Morning,
The AI fight is quietly becoming an AI negotiation. BMG is the first major rightsholder since Warner to license its catalog to Suno (Music Business Worldwide) — which moves the question from whether AI companies get the music to what they pay for it.
The more revealing experiments are onstage. At the Edinburgh Fringe, stand-ups are using AI as both material and scene partner (The New York Times); comedy is a brutal test bed, because people either laugh or it don’t. And a Mother Jones writer commissioned a novel from Claude, coming away less struck by the prose than by what the exercise exposed about authorship (Mother Jones).
Then Washington. The Kennedy Center board voted to restore Trump’s name to the building, with an inscription crediting him for renovation that hasn’t happened (?) (The New York Times). Meanwhile the Post documents the year’s damage to the National Symphony: donations 25 percent short of expectations even as the orchestra cut costs (Washington Post).
In Salzburg, two-thirds of a 320-figure Mozart installation has vanished (AP). Somebody out there is putting together a very odd collection.
All of today’s stories below.
- The Personal Brand Generation
Last week I learned that Arizona State University had launched a new degree program, a Bachelor of Arts in Content Creation, which can be taken either online or in-person:
Do you dream of monetizing your video channel or making social media your career? Arizona State University’s online Bachelor of Arts in content creation prepares you to become a strategic storyteller who thrives in the rapidly evolving creator economy. This online program teaches you how to create powerful content across video, podcasts, social media and emerging platforms while building your personal brand. You’ll learn the art and science of digital influence to grow your audience and build the foundation for monetizing your content.
It is difficult to know where to start with this program aimed at the delusions of teenagers, and at separating their parents from their money. It suggests that “powerful content” can be made without having taken the trouble to learn anything about anything: If Paul Krugman can have a really successful podcast about economics, why can’t Kyle from Flagstaff make one? It suggests you can make a personal brand without yet having fully formed your character and values. It suggests that a four-year degree is the most effective way to get any good at this sort of thing. And it hides the fact that monetized social media exists in a superstar economy, with very few actually able to earn a living, and very many getting virtually nothing from it.
Now if I had to act as an advocate for ASU, what could I say to defend the program? I could say “well, your university in Indiana has a top flight music school, and only a handful of students, if that, are going to reach Joshua Bell levels of success, but they can take what they learn there into teaching, and playing in their local orchestra, and such, even if they never get a record contract or a world tour. And the same is true for our content creation program.”
But is it? If you put all your effort post-graduation into “building your personal brand”, and that won’t pay the rent, what then?
Sage Steele is a graduate of Indiana University, and went on to success as a commentator on ESPN. But a controversy arose: on a podcast in 2021 she complained that ESPN and its parent company Disney+ had forced her to get a Covid vaccine as a condition of work. She made a public apology to the network for what she had said, but later said the apology was forced and violated her rights to free speech. She sued, and an out-of-court settlement was reached in 2023, as she moved on from ESPN.
She went forward with her social media career. Her YouTube show has 226K subscribers. She is also active on other platforms, Insta and X and all the rest. Her “personal brand” is being an outspoken MAGA, the sort who “tells it like it is” where “it” is whatever Donald Trump thinks it is.
In May of 2025, Indiana governor Mike Braun signed a bill that would end the ability of IU alumni to elect three members to the university’s Board of Trustees, so that he could make all such appointments himself, and in June he removed the three sitting elected trustees in favor of his own appointees. One of them was Sage Steele.
Last week, in the wake of Republican politicians thinking our national priority right now ought to be interrogating Anthony Fauci, she posted this:
This post actually has a content warning on X, which is rather a high bar. And the post seems to violate an IU Board of Trustees policy. Indiana Public Media reports:
The IU trustees’ code of conduct includes this: “…Trustees (are to) to act in good-faith and in a manner that the Trustee reasonably believes to be in the best interests of Indiana University and its public purposes, rather than their own interests or the interests of another person or organization, and to avoid conflicts of interest. The Trustee must not act out of expedience, avarice, or self-interest.”
The code also states trustees should avoid situations where their personal interests or those of their immediate family members or close associates would cause a person to think their actions are influenced by considerations other than the best interest of the university. …
Randall Tobias, former chair of the IU Board of Trustees as well as a former U.S. Ambassador and head of U.S. Foreign Aid, condemned Steele’s post.
“I want to go on record that I find it appalling that ANY responsible person would say such a thing about anyone, but especially a person whose public statements reflect on the institution she has been appointed to help govern,” Tobias wrote in a Facebook post. “It is in my view a statement that is both reprehensible and abhorrent and should not stand unchallenged by those who care about the standards and values of Indiana University and those charged with leading it.”
The Board of Trustees has not responded to a request for comment. They have a regularly scheduled meeting Friday [at my time of writing, that’s tomorrow] at IU Indianapolis.
Mike Braun appointed as a trustee someone who had already, famously, got into trouble with an institution to which she owed some decorum. Who could have thought this would happen again?
Well, I could have. Because if a person has established a “personal brand” of a sort, and had some success with it, in their mind brand maintenance takes precedence over any loyalty to an institution (yes, she is loyal to MAGA, but that’s because it is a brand choice). Her brand as being vociferously anti-vaccination meant that she could not let the Fauci hearings slip by without trying to gather clicks and likes, even if, as Mr. Tobias says above, it does not reflect well on the institution of which she is expected to play a role in governance. IU comes second.
Braun should have known this.
Which brings me back to the ASU degree in Content Creation. Most kids make dumb social media posts. Even distinguished retired professors who post on Substack have a made a few. That’s par for the course these days. But to make social media a career, to create that personal brand, is a different thing; the past can’t be discarded when applying for a more mundane job, and the present social media brand will either have to be put in the archives, or scaled back to harmless fare like cat pictures and Thai recipes. You can’t “tell it like it is” when you work for a firm in any sort of position of authority.
I was working in mid-level administration when I made a post about how the existence of tenure posed distinct challenges in long-run planning for universities (which is I think obviously true) but someone interpreted it as a statement that we should abolish tenure. It was not what I was saying, but even the hint that I might be got me into no end of trouble with my bosses, understandably.
Does the new degree program explain that? Your personal brand might mean anything – many people establish a personal brand by being truly appalling, save for like-minded followers, and, when the brand begins to rust, where does that leave you?
Universities need to remind their students, who I don’t think are fully aware of this, that freedom of speech, which is a very good thing, comes with taking responsibility for your speech, and that some people and some firms might want to cross to the other side of the street when they see you coming based on things you have said. There are consequences to the “content” you “create”.
Cross-posted at https://michaelrushton.substack.com/
- John Waters, Now 80, On What He’s Most Proud Of
“That I’ve been able to have this career, doing what I want, for sixty years. Hollywood’s been fair to me. I was always understood, I always had an audience. … I have more jobs than I’ve ever had in my life, so I’m not looking for a new one.” – The Hollywood Reporter
- Kennedy Center Board Votes To Put Trump’s Name Back On The Kennedy Center
According to the resolution approved by the Trump-allied board, the inscription underneath the institution’s name would read: “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.” – The New York Times
- What The Trump Administration’s Exhibition Of “Patriotic” Art Says About Patriotism And Art
“Now, in service of an ideology that brooks no deviation from blind nationalism, Passport to Patriotism advances a shallow vision of U.S. identity with all the nuance of a propaganda reel and all the sophistication of the art project your first-grader brought home on Flag Day.” – Slate (MSN)
- Live Events Have Become Essential Income For Publishers
Events and related digital revenue are projected to account for half of Time’s total revenue in 2026, up from 28% in 2023, the company confirmed to TheWrap. Time expects to hold 47 events this year, up from 11 in 2022. – The Wrap (MSN)
- The Costs That Are Hitting Australian Performing Arts Companies The Hardest
For a closer look at which costs are worrying Australian performing arts companies the most right now, ArtsHub spoke to a range of company executives about their greatest concerns, and how they think the sector can curb these negative trends over the long term. – ArtsHub
- BMG Makes Big Licensing Deal With AI-Music Company Suno
BMG is the first significant rightsholder to ink a licensing deal with Suno since Warner Music Group announced an alliance with the AI company nine months ago. – MusicBusinessWorldwide
- When A Mother Jones Writer Asked Claude The AI Bot To Write A Novel
David Corn gave the Anthropic software a pleasantly meta seven-sentence plot summary as a prompt. Several minutes later, Claude produced a 6,000-word manuscript. Corn replied that that wasn’t novel-length, and Claude served up a narrative eight times the length. Corn: “I ’ll cut to the chase: The novel isn’t so bad.” – Mother Jones
- Counting Up The Cultural Heritage Damage Russia Has Done In Ukraine
The affected sites include 196 arts education institutions, 141 museums and galleries, and historic sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Cultural institutions across 24% of Ukrainian territories and nearly half of the country’s community cultural centers have been damaged during Russia’s prolonged and deadly campaign. – Hyperallergic
- What You Learn From A Composer’s Handwritten Manuscript
Scores are more available than ever: in multiple published editions, online in public domain collections, in libraries and elsewhere. But a manuscript, music written in a composer’s hand, has the almost magical power to make even the most distant giants feel near and alive. – The New York Times
- Who Stole 200 Gold Mozart Statues In Salzburg?
More than 200 gold-colored Mozart figures have vanished from a public art installation in Salzburg, forcing organizers to end part of the exhibition early. – Deutsche Welle
- David Ellison Is Making Himself The Best Argument Against The Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger
“So that’s how Ellison wants to prove that he will be a steward of (Hollywood’s) flailing entertainment industry — by threatening to rip out a big part of its still-beating heart and implant it in Texas or Tennessee?” – Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
- Kennicott: How DC’s Freedom Plaza Became A Battleground
The statuary ensemble, which also includes a new 23-foot rendering of a female figure dubbed “The Spirit of Liberty,” is one of the most cogent and confrontational expressions of the Trump administration’s views on race, urban design and public space. – Washington Post
- WGA: Ellison’s Threat To Relocate Paramount From California Proves Its Outsized Power
“By threatening to leave the state because it doesn’t want the government to enforce the law, Paramount further proves the danger of its outsized power over the industry and what that will mean for writers and the creative community.” – Deadline
- Documenting The Harms To The National Symphony In The Past Year
They reveal that even as expenses ticked downward, donations fell 25 percent short of expectations last year, and that this year’s ticket revenue is on pace to earn about half of what the orchestra budgeted. – Washington Post
- Move Over, Tilly Norwood: AI Companies Are Creating A New Crop Of Characters, Hoping They’ll Become Stars
One company, Inception Point AI, has “a cohort of more than 100 personas, each with its own market-friendly niche, that could be deployed to host podcasts, star in YouTube videos, converse with followers and — in the company’s loftiest vision — one day navigate the physical world in a robotic body.” – The New York Times
- A Salzburg Festival Art Installation Featured 320 Little Mozart Statues. Two-Thirds Of Them Have Been Stolen.
“The Mozarteum Foundation on July 15 unveiled 320 statuettes, barely … 20 inches high, showing Mozart with his dog. They were designed by German conceptual artist Ottmar Hörl. Within two weeks, more than 80 of the polymer figures had disappeared. By Wednesday, a total of 210 were missing.” – AP
- Dance Double For Movie Stars: What The Job Involves
“The past year has seen an explosion of dance on the big screen. Behind some of (the) more technical sequences are dance doubles — professional dancers who step in for the actors and execute the choreography. But what does being a dance double actually entail? And how do performers book these roles?” – Dance Magazine
- Stand-Up Comics Experiment With AI At Edinburgh Fringe
“The comedians behind some thoughtful shows (this year) are exploring the vexed problem with a mixture of droll wit and intuitive wisdom.” One of them created an AI replica of himself and interacts with it onstage; another recounts how he became convinced AI software was deliberately sabotaging his career. – The New York Times
- The Broadway Musical Seems To Be Making A Comeback
This past season saw only six new musicals, the fewest in 25 years; the coming season will have at least eight, roughly the post-COVID normal. The shows have eight-figure budgets, and some have music by superstars (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dolly Parton, Prince), while others have familiar IP (Paddington, Benjamin Button, Black Swan.) – Broadway Journal
- Beloved NorCal Folk Music Festival Cancelled By Co-Founder’s Heirs
The Strawberry Music Festival, held in the Sierra foothills near Nevada City in October, features American roots music of many types, including performances by major country stars. Co-founder Charlie Cran died suddenly in November, and his heirs, now the event’s owners, aren’t yet ready to present the festival properly. – San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
- Layoffs At San Diego Museum Of Art
“The San Diego Museum of Art laid off nearly a dozen employees Wednesday in what it described as an effort to stay sustainable as it contends with rising operating costs and an uncertain funding future.” – The San Diego Union-Tribune (MSN)
- President & Executive Producer – Merger of Pittsburgh CLO and Pittsburgh Public Theater via TOC Arts Partners
President & Executive Producer
About the Opportunity
Two Institutions, One Mission
Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh CLO — together representing more than a century of service to the region — voted in March 2026 to merge into a single new organization centered on locally produced theater and educational programming, with a planned launch in January 2027.
Pittsburgh Public Theater has been a cornerstone of the city’s cultural identity since 1974, producing acclaimed work at the O’Reilly Theater, including the complete ten-play August Wilson Century Cycle. Pittsburgh CLO has been the region’s home for professional musical theater since 1939 and operates CLO Academy, one of the most respected youth theater education programs in the country, alongside the long-running Gene Kelly Awards.
Both organizations enter the merger from a position of mission focused strength while facing many of the same financial pressures common across the nonprofit theater field nationally. The merger offers a pathway to creating greater financial stability, but more importantly it is grounded in a civic case: theater as an irreplaceable community anchor. Locally produced theater keeps working artists living, teaching, and raising families in Pittsburgh; sustains the region’s creative economy; and provides shared cultural touchstones — like PPT’s stewardship of August Wilson’s work — that cannot be reconstructed once lost.
The two organizations concluded that Pittsburgh’s theater community is better served by one stronger, more resourced institution than by two organizations competing for the same audiences, donors, venues, and talent. And while the economic numbers behind the decision are indeed compelling, the civic argument is powerfully inspiring and has generated the kind of excitement that comes from the community’s heartfelt investment in Pittsburgh’s cultural life.
About The New Company
The new PCLO/PPT merged company will launch as an approximately $8M organization. Programming will run across the O’Reilly, Byham, and Greer theaters downtown, with a 7-production inaugural season composed of musicals, classics, and contemporary works. The season is designed under a “MADE in Pittsburgh” framework (Meaningful, Artistically Excellent, Data-Led, Equitable) to create multiple points of entry for new and existing audiences.
Opportunities and Challenges for the first leader of this project
- A unique role leading an organization with a plan, structure, and experienced staff in place, charged with building on the legacies of two significant organizations from whom it was formed.
- To build on an existing foundation of a credible financial model and strong support for this enterprise, with a cohort of committed board leadership and philanthropic investment.
- To serve the mission and vision of this project, rooted in civic commitment, expanded education opportunities, and a clear artistic vision while encompassing dedication to financial sustainability.
- The opportunity to execute a sustainable operating model for regional producing theaters — one other cities and companies may look to as a template.
- Strong history of working in the complexity of a multi-space, union artistic workforce
- The charge to honor the mission and legacy of two theaters with long, accomplished, and distinct institutional histories.
- Building trust with a local arts community that will be watching closely to see whether the merger strengthens and honors what each organization stood for.
- Establishing a clear identity and audience share in a market with competing cultural entities in the downtown core.
Prioritized Experience & Qualifications
- Experienced arts leader capable of fulfilling the vision and mission of a newly unified theater company
- Operational and financial management at significant scale
- Organizational change management and/or start up experience
- Successful track record of fundraising in all forms: Individual, major gifts, foundations, corporations, government
- Artistic/programming leadership in performing arts; musical theater background valued
- Strong external relations skills and experience; with press, funders, community of supporters and artists
- Regional knowledge and Pittsburgh/SW Pennsylvania relationships appreciated
About Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is a premier cultural powerhouse, combining a world-class formal arts scene with an eccentric, grassroots creative community. Driven by Gilded Age philanthropy and reimagined through modern urban design, the city offers major artistic institutions alongside a thriving neighborhood-level “maker scene.” Living in Pittsburgh is defined by its dramatic topography, affordable cost of living, and strong community identity. The city features 90 unique neighborhoods, distinct architectural charm, and a booming tech and healthcare-driven economy—all anchored by major institutions like Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh. The Cultural District is a fourteen-square-block area in Downtown Pittsburgh bordered by the Allegheny River on the north, Tenth Street on the east, Stanwix Street on the west, and Liberty Avenue on the south. The Cultural District features six theaters offering some 1,500 shows annually, as well as art galleries, restaurants, and retail shops.
Job Description
Major Duties and Responsibilities
Organizational Leadership & Strategic Vision
- Lead the company in a manner that centers the art and programs of the company while valuing the people who make them possible.
- In partnership with the staff and board, create and lead annual business plans that allow the organization to thrive through a commitment to artistic quality, equity, financial health, and fulfilling the company’s mission, vision, and values.
- In collaboration with the Board of Directors, align business strategies with the company goals as articulated in the plan developed in conjunction with the merger.
- Directly supervise the leadership team/department heads, encompassing Development, General Management, Production, Artistic and Marketing Departments, including guiding collaborative goal setting, ongoing coaching, and assisting with problem-solving, as well as annual performance reviews.
- Create and instill throughout the company communication practices that ensure that key stakeholders in all areas of the organization – staff, board and others – are well-versed in annual operations plans and long-term goals.
- Lead multi-year financial forecasting, development of overall financial strategy, and systems of budget accountability with the leadership team and board finance leadership.
- Support collaboration among all departments of the company by connecting each of them to the central work of the company and through concepts of shared outcomes.
- Be a mentor and advisor to staff, with a focus on recruitment and retention of team members in a challenging era of changing employee expectations and needs.
Artistic Curation, Producing, and Education
- Articulate and implement an annual artistic plan for the company reflective of a transparent process of selection
- Ensure the company’s artistic productions, education programs, experiences, activities and events meet or exceed existing or newly established artistic goals
- Lead a robust, open and collaborative process for curating work that connects with the community and cultural pulse of the time
- Serve as lead producer for all productions and ensure production values and work culture meet or exceed goals
- Develop programming and production budgets as part of company’s annual program budgeting process in collaboration with the production, artistic and management teams
- Develop and implement an annual educational plan in coordination with the Director of Education ensuring it’s in dialogue with our community, our on-stage work, and / or mission for creative work and community engagement
- Proactively seek co-production and other partnership opportunities
- Identify opportunities for the company to develop and/or participate in the cultivation of new work.
- Grow, nurture, and maintain a network of directors, designers, playwrights, and other theatre artists, with an emphasis on local and regional artists
Culture and Community
- In partnership with the Leadership Team, oversee and model the company vision and values in all theater operations and relationships.
- Lead an organizational culture that prizes collaboration, innovation, mutual respect, and creative problem solving—all while centering the artistic quality and financial responsibility needed to support these values.
- Provide leadership, space, and time for long-term planning and goal setting, as part of developing team capacity for growth and change.
- Provide leadership for scaffolding the necessary conversations, training, and evaluation of progress to ensure that company goals are mission-aligned and kept in focus during competing priorities.
Resource Development & Board Engagement
- Provide leadership to the development team and Board to generate overall strategy for fundraising and engage in direct personal engagement in major gift cultivation and solicitation for annual funds and investment strategies
- Take an active role in fundraising in collaboration with the Director of Development and manage a portfolio of major donors, including high engagement during the inaugural years of the new company
- Provide leadership and support to the marketing department and be an advocate for the team and its strategic needs, in a company with a significant reliance on ensuring budget goals for earned revenue.
- With board leadership, work to deepen engagement of the board, creating opportunities to grow into an even stronger and more impactful group in support of the work of the company. Collaborate with board leadership to assess and further develop current and future board capacities (included but not limited to financial capacity).
- Manage overall administrative operations through direct reports, including finance and HR needs, to track the organization’s health on an ongoing basis, in both financial terms and in people terms.
Qualifications
Skills and experience:
- Demonstrated leadership skills in leading a team with distinct areas of expertise and responsibility, while fostering collaboration among those teams needed to effectively and efficiently fulfill the theater’s needs.
- Strong non-profit financial literacy, with ability to lead budget creation, understand forecasting models, and ensure accuracy of tracking and reporting.
- Experience with or understanding of the role of the non-profit theater in connection to the commercial producing world, and how those partnerships could benefit the company and the field.
- Comfort and success with fundraising and a strategic fundraising approach that aligns with belief in the impact of theater both historically and currently, and both locally and nationally.
- Experience in artistic leadership and programming rooted in understanding the audience and the community, and the need to invest in both for company success and growth.
- Experience in or demonstrated understanding of the position of an executive in a non-profit organization, reporting to a Board of Directors, holding the organization in trust for the community.
- Experience managing competing priorities in complex, often fast-paced settings.
- Strong and persuasive communication skills, with the authenticity to effectively inspire excitement for the company across a range of constituents, from board and staff to audiences, volunteers, and donors.
- A demonstrated commitment to inclusivity, and a dedication to staying abreast of best practices around creating equity and access and applying them to the work of running a theater.
Qualities and Characteristics:
- A firm belief in the power of theater and the impact it can have on our world.
- An appreciation for the legacy of the merged companies, from the historic value of the work produced over the years and the role the companies played in building the cultural richness of Pittsburgh.
- Organized and attentive to deadlines and immediate needs of operations but also maintains long-term focus to support the vision of the strategic plan.
- Understanding that growth and change bring occasional discomfort but can lead through those times with the larger goal in mind.
- Has an open and inquisitive mind that values differing perspectives.
- Ability to build trust and loyalty with multiple stakeholder groups: staff, artists, donors, and the larger community in which the theater lives, both in Pittsburgh and with the national theater field.
- Believes in the strength of collaboration and is adept in and committed to resolving conflicts that can arise in collaborative groups.
- A vision for a collaborative, business intelligence driven future.
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for this position is $175,000-200,000. The company provides comprehensive benefits including a broad health care package, a retirement plan, a generous time off policy that includes PTO, family medical leave, bereavement leave, and eight paid holidays, plus a company-wide week off at the end of December.
The organization is committed to a workplace where everyone is free from bias, prejudice, discrimination, and harassment. We strive to foster a welcoming work environment where everyone belongs and is valued for their unique contributions. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome all to apply.
Application Instructions
The President & Executive Producer search is being conducted on behalf of the organization by TOC Arts Partners, a national consultancy aligning strategies, structures, and leadership toward a thriving cultural sector. The search is being led by Vice President Cynthia Fuhrman, in consultation with and support from the TOC Arts Partners search team.
To apply, visit the online application and submit your materials. Your cover letter should include any training or experience relevant to the job profile that you would like to highlight, why you consider yourself a good fit for this opportunity, and anything else you’d like us to know about your qualifications that may not be present in your resume. Applications will be accepted until this role is filled.
For general questions or nominations of prospective candidates, please contact searchteam@tocartspartners.com. We kindly request no phone calls.
Specific questions about the position may be directed to:
Cynthia Fuhrman
VP, Executive Search
cynthia@tocartspartners.comNot sure you meet 100% of our qualifications? Research shows that cis men apply for jobs when they fulfill an average of 60% of the criteria, while others tend only to apply if they meet every requirement. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply.
We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. So, whether you’re returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar.
- At Edinburgh Fringe, Not One But Three “Heated Rivalry” Musical Parodies
“When a show becomes a meme, the meme becomes the story, eclipsing the show itself. This phenomenon is here to stay. Thankfully, we’ll always have satire.” – The New York Times
- Are We Close To Locating Where Consciousness Lives In The Brain?
Most discussions of AI and consciousness ask whether machines can experience anything. But maybe the real mystery is: If consciousness is not fundamentally related to higher cognition, then what kind of phenomenon is it? – Noema
- The New Performing Arts Center In Morocco’s Capital Is One Of Zaha Hadid’s Last Projects
The Royal Theatre of Rabat, which includes an 1,800-seat main auditorium, a 520-seat performance space, and a 7,000-seat outdoor amphitheater, was largely completed in 2021 but only opened this year. It’s planned as an international platform for Moroccan, Arabic and African music, dance and theater — and Western pop. – The New York Times
- Publishing Industry Sold $32.5 Billion Worth Of Books In 2025
Looking at trends in the trade category, which includes religion books, sale rose 2.7% overall to $21.7 billion. The increase was led by religious presses, whose sales rose 9.3%, to $2.2 billion. Adult fiction sales had the second biggest sales increase, with revenue up 3.9%, to $7.1 billion. – Publishers Weekly
- Anthony Hopkins, Composer
The renowned actor has played piano his whole life, and formally written music for at least 30 years, but it might still surprise many to learn that later this month Hopkins will release his debut album, “Life Is a Dream,” on Decca Classics. – Los Angeles Times (Yahoo)
- Modern Classical Concert Dress Is Evolving
It’s a vital, creative and adaptive evolution, a way of preserving an important cultural heritage in a world of cheap noise where the piano recital might otherwise fade from view or become hopelessly marginalized. – 3 Quarks Daily
- Mixing Tap And Irish Step Dance In A Piece For Ballet Performers — Can This Possibly Work? (Yup!)
“(For) this year’s NOW evening of world premieres at Vail Dance Festival, tap dancer/choreographer Michelle Dorrance … is creating a work with … Chelsea Hoy, co-artistic director of Chicago’s Trinity Irish Dance Company, for a cast that includes top New York City Ballet dancers” — who, says Dorrance, “are blowing everyone’s minds.” – Dance Magazine
- Do We Lose Our Minds In Big Crowds?
In popular culture and pop psychology, crowds are often associated with strong emotions, excessive emotional expression and the uncritical spread of emotions. Commentators often link that crowd emotion in turn with uncontrolled behaviour and, in some cases, mindless violence. – Psyche
- What Makes A Good Movie Adaptation?
If the art of filmmaking is inseparable from that of adaptation, it’s because almost all feature films are made by way of a fundamental form of adaptation: that of a script. – The New Yorker
- StubHub And Its Customers’ Battles For Tickets
Complaints about StubHub to the Better Business Bureau rose 47% from 2024 to 2025, and climbed 63% in the eight months leading up to the company’s September 2025 initial public offering. – The Wall Street Journal
- Intimacy Coordinator Lizzie Talbot On The Varied Tasks Her Profession Entails
“Choreographing a sea-witch straddling a man’s face until he suffocates (Widow’s Bay) is different from dramatizing the intimate moments of the 1990s’ most recognized celebrity couple (Love Story); both of those differ from creating the physical storytelling for almost every lead character across multiple sex scenes (Your Friends & Neighbors).” – Los Angeles Times (MSN)