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While Washington argues over performing arts center names, Saudi Arabia is quietly becoming the most essential wallet in the cultural sector. Two separate reports today highlight the Kingdom’s rapid ascent: they have become Hollywood’s favorite funding source for cash-strapped studios, while simultaneously executing a “relentless” top-down drive to capture a massive slice of the $300 billion video game industry.
In the world of legacy intellectual property, consolidation is the theme. Sony has moved to secure one of the world’s most enduring franchises, spending millions to acquire a controlling stake in “Peanuts” and Charlie Brown.
Meanwhile, the European art world is dealing with the return of a controversial figure. Marco Goecke, the choreographer fired in 2023 for smearing dog feces on a critic’s face, has found a new home as an artistic director in Switzerland. And in London, the British Museum is floating a “new model” for decolonization: lending stolen artifacts back to their nations of origin rather than returning them outright.
All of our stories, organized by topic, below.
- 60-Second Broadway Bootlegs Are Turning Up All Over TikTok. Some Producers Just Love It.
Hey, if there’s going to be short-form piracy, why not consider it marketing and consumer outreach? – The Hollywood Reporter
- How Regulation Tamped Down Montreal’s Legendary Nightlife
The history of Montréal’s night-time regulation reveals how managing nightlife expanded police power and budgets — and how burdensome effects of these changes fell disproportionately on sex workers, the queer community and hospitality industry workers. – The Conversation
- Finally, Bricks And Arches Are Returning To Philadelphia’s New Architecture
After years of “fast-casual architecture” — blocky, drab grey hulks clad in relentless grid façades which look all the worse next to the city’s fine old brick rowhouses — architects in Philadelphia are getting back in touch with the craft of bricklaying and getting away from straight lines. – The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
- Why Music Needs Its Dissonance
Music has a variety of “jobs,” as the other arts do. It can calm, soothe, and delight. It can also provoke, disturb, bite. No one expects the other arts to be beautiful and soothing, only. (Think of theater!) But some people have that expectation of music. – Plough
- Has The UK Fallen Out Of Love With Non-Fiction?
A recent report from NielsenIQ found that trade nonfiction sales have slipped sharply. In volume terms, the category is down 8.4% between last summer and the same period this year – nearly double the decline in paperback fiction – and down 4.7% in value. – The Guardian
- Atlanta Opera Relaunches Its New-Works Festival
The June event, formerly the 96-Hour Opera festival, is being expanded and rechristened as the NOW Festival (New Opera Works), with well-known librettist and director Tazewell Thompson as artistic advisor. – EarRelevant
- We Used To Have One Version Of History. Now It’s Messier
Unity, cohesion, and a sense of epic narrative have been lost. Freedom, pluralism, sensitivity, and a respect for difference have been gained, and, overall, I am glad. – History Today
- Why Rational Behavior Might Not Be The Best Model
Behavioral economics has identified dozens of cognitive biases that stop us from acting ‘rationally’. But instead of building up a messier and messier picture of human behavior, we need a new model. – Works in Progress
- Today’s Challenge For Writers: Don’t Write Like AI
Increasingly, both professional writers and everyone else is facing a new, unwelcome constrained writing challenge: don’t sound like AI. – ArtsHub
- Dallas Theater Center Has A New Artistic Director
Jaime Castañeda, a freelance director who has worked extensively with the top regional companies in California and with New York’s Atlantic Theater Company, will assume his role next July. He succeeds interim artistic director and resident director Jonathan Norton as well as former artistic director Kevin Moriarty, now DTC’s executive director. – KERA (Dallas)
- The Louvre Is In A Historic Crisis
Behind the walkout are not only frayed labor relations, but a building itself under strain, with crumbling parts of the aging former palace now deemed unsafe. At the heart of the crisis lies a deeper rupture: a $102 million jewel heist that exposed security failures. – APNews
- Inside The Kennedy Center Renaming
“It was such a surprise to me when they said we’re going to rename it,” she recounted in a phone interview. “I said, ‘Oh my gosh,’ and pushed my button. But then I was muted.” – The New York Times
- How Did A Former Rapper Become The Recording Industry’s Favorite Influencer?
Rather than serve the public’s curiosities, he said, he wants to serve artists—to give them “a place for them to learn a little bit more about themselves.” – The Atlantic
- Hollywood’s New Favorite Funding Source? Saudi Arabia
“Inside the kingdom’s gilded palaces, industry players are mingling with princes and executives, while celebrities stroll red carpets at festivals, concerts and sporting events from Riyadh to Jeddah. … The willingness to re-engage with the Saudis has been driven by several forces, (especially) Hollywood’s insatiable need for new funding sources.” – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- The Saudis Are Making Big Moves Into The Video Game Industry
“Estimates of the size of the video game industry range from $200 to $300 billion — larger than film, television and music combined, by some calculations — and Saudi Arabia, in its relentless, top-down drive to diversify from oil, is taking a big slice.” – The Washington Post (Yahoo!)
- Good Grief, Charlie Brown! Sony Acquires Controlling Stake In “Peanuts” Franchise
“The Japanese conglomerate has bought 41% of Peanuts Holdings, which owns the intellectual property Schulz created, from the Canadian children’s entertainment company WildBrain (for C$630 million/US$458 million). The deal raises Sony’s total stake, which it began building in 2018, to 80%. The Schulz family owns the remaining 20%.” – The Guardian
- Why The Striking Staffers At The British Library Are So Furious
“(Library executives’) stated ‘values’ included a roll call of abstract nouns: openness, honesty, compassion, equality and fairness. Yet staff tell a story of gross mismanagement, woeful pay and an executive board who are completely out of touch with the day-to-day running of the library.” – The Standard (London)
- The Choreographer Who Smeared Dog Poop On A Critic’s Face Is Back
In 2023, when he was ballet director at Germany’s Hannover State Opera, Marco Goecke did this and was promptly fired. Now he’s been given another chance: he’s artistic director of Ballet Basel in Switzerland. Critics have set aside any grievances, but Goecke’s big mouth has nevertheless gotten him into trouble. – The New York Times
- British Museum To Loan Artifacts To Museums In Former Colonies
“Dr. Nicholas Cullinan, the British Museum director, told The Telegraph that the project would be a ‘new model’ for working with countries seeking redress for colonialism, with former nations of the empire welcome to strike long-term deals for artefacts held in Britain.” – The Telegraph (UK)
- Louvre Reopens After Strike Is Suspended
“The decision was taken during a general assembly of museum workers, who voted unanimously to pause the strike to allow the museum to welcome visitors. … The suspension followed five meetings with Culture Ministry officials but said progress remains insufficient, particularly on staffing levels, pay and long-term security plans.” – AP
- Trump vs. the Kennedy Center
Mere hours before its board renamed the Kennedy Center for Donald Trump, Persuasion ran my online piece on Trump, the Kennedy Center, JFK, and Leonard Bernstein. I will be following up with a 50-minute “More than Music” feature on NPR, to run in January. Here’s the Persuasion article:
When people
- Kennedy Center Board Votes To Rename As Trump Kennedy Center
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the “Trump-Kennedy Center” name changer earlier Thursday after a board that the president handpicked earlier this year voted unanimously to rename the performing arts venue. – Axios
- Beyond Bollywood: There’s A New Wave Of “Pan-Indian” Cinema With Hollywood-Style Ambitions (And Problems)
Bollywood produces films in Hindi, and there have always been “regional” cinema industries making movies in other Indian languages. Recently, following the huge international success of RRR (shot in Telugu), there has developed a Pan-Indian genre: big budgets, high-quality dubbing in multiple languages, no region-specific stories, nationwide and worldwide ambitions. – TheWrap (MSN)
- How Did US Museum Design Get So Boring?
As trends go, one can only hope the style spreading through US museum design today will eventually fall out of fashion. All forms of creativity could use moments of self-reflection; perhaps it is time some museum architecture has its own. – The Art Newspaper
- San Antonio Launches New City Arts Funding Program After Canceling Previous One
“Most nonprofits that lost promised funding after the city of San Antonio ended a grant program to protect federal dollars are getting money back this month through a new, similar initiative. Still, most awards are several thousand dollars less than before, and one organization — the Network for Young Artists — received nothing.” – San Antonio Express-News (MSN)
- 2025 — The Year AI Slop Crossed The Rubicon
At first, slop was a widely derided format, the kind of clicky nonsense churned out by content farms or trolls. But, in September, with the launch of OpenAI’s Sora app, a social network and feed for A.I.-generated videos, the company set about convincing users that slop was something we should all be making for fun. – The New Yorker
- Designs For The Las Vegas Museum Of Art
The newly updated renderings follow news announced last year that the studio led by Pritzker-prize-winning architect Diébédo Francis Kéré is designing the building, which will be located in a former parking lot in the Symphony Park area of Downtown Las Vegas. SOM is the architect of record. – Dezeen
- Who Went To Movies In 2025? You’d Be Surprised
Gen Z moviegoer attendance grew by 25 percent over the last 12 months — the highest increase of any age group. – IndieWire
- PEN America Lists The Most Banned Books Of The 2020s (So Far)
Many of the titles censored in school districts around the US relate to race, sexual violence or LGBTQ+ issues, but that’s not the case with the top two: John Green’s Looking for Alaska and Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes. As usual, the list includes classics by Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, and Maya Angelou. – Publishers Weekly
- Musicians Are Wary Of AI. So Why Are Big Music Companies Making AI Deals?
Those worries are being deepened by how the major labels, once fearful of the technology, are now embracing it – and heralding a future in which ordinary listeners have a hand in co-creating music with their favourite musicians. – The Guardian
- NPR’s Top Music Stories Of 2025
In an ever-changing and fast-paced attention economy, musicians hustled to put out records, connect with listeners and demand accountability from some of the industry’s biggest power players. – NPR
- YouTube Pulls Its Music Data Off Billboard Charts Because It Disagrees With How The Data Is Used
“Billboard uses an outdated formula that weights subscription-supported streams higher than ad-supported. This doesn’t reflect how fans engage with music today and ignores the massive engagement from fans who don’t have a subscription.” – TechCrunch
- Bonn’s Beethovenhalle Reopens After Decade-Long Renovation
“The variety of spaces posed major challenges during the renovation. Adapting rooms designed during a different era to meet modern standards took years and cost millions. Ultimately, the total cost rose above €220 million ($258 million).” – Deutsche Welle
- What It’s Like To Be Performing In The Kennedy Center These Days
Looking out across the hall’s empty seats, he often thinks of the pandemic—of that dismal year when the orchestra couldn’t perform, when he’d drag himself into his music room to practice and think, What am I doing this for? Without people to listen, what’s the purpose? – Washingtonian
