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Universal Music Makes Big Licensing Deal With Spotify

“The agreement includes all aspects of YouTube’s various music services and platforms, embodies our artist-centric principles and drives greater monetization for artists and songwriters.” - Music Business Worldwide

We Make Things That Make Life Easier. But There’s A Big Downside…

The more these systems anticipate and deliver what we want, the less we notice what’s missing—or remember that we ever had a choice in the first place. But remember: If you’re not choosing, someone else is. - The Atlantic

Harvard Is Cutting Back On PhD’s. That’s A Problem For Academia

Some might be wondering why anyone should care if, for example, the number of Harvard history Ph.D.s drops from 13 to five. Although these cuts might not look important, they signify something far darker for higher education. - Harvard Crimson

American Ballet Theatre @85

Ballet Theatre was renamed American Ballet Theatre (ABT) in 1957; journalists don’t often use “essay” as a verb anymore (though maybe we should); and the Company is now very diverse, with principal dancers and soloists hailing not only from the U.S. and Europe but also Argentina, Brazil, China, Japan, Mexico and South Korea. - Observer

The Resurrection Of Books-A-Million

The retailer is in the process of opening 15 new outlets this year, which will keep the total number of outlets at over 220 spread across 32 states. - Publishers Weekly

The Humanities Aren’t A “Vibe!” The Slippery Slope Of AI

The collapse of the institutions where young people learn to make and critique art stands to greatly benefit companies like OpenAI, which, in the absence of human artists and critics, can both make the stuff and tell us it’s good. - LA Review of Books

Trump Is The Most Consequential Art President In Our Lifetime. We Need A Counter Policy

Merely nine months in, the Trump administration is poised to become the most consequential, effective arts presidency in American history—peerless in impact since at least Johnson, whose pillars this administration has toppled with surgical efficiency. - Artnet

The Costumers Behind Your Favorite Ballet Are Sewing As Fast As They Can

The Boston Ballet’s Howard Merlin: “During the dress rehearsal, something looks really, really bad. … It’s my job to make sure it looks really, really good by the next day.” - Boston Globe (Archive Today)

Theatre Might Just Want To Be Everybody’s Church

“There’s an inherent theatricality to church, and a furtive spirituality to theater. In form, they’re similar: Everybody crowds into a room, usually sits facing the same direction, and focuses on a central action — at least for a while.” - The New York Times

Mavis Staples Says That Her Long Singing Career Keeps A Light Shining

“There are some things going on in the US that are not pleasing to me, but I keep my head up. I turn on a light, you know, I don’t dwell on it. If someone needs me out there, I’ll be out there.” - The Guardian (UK)

Is It At All Worth Going To The Cinema Anymore?

Bob Mondello says yes: "I love seeing movies in a theater, and if I can possibly avoid watching them at home, I do. ... is 55" which is, I guess, not bad for a television screen. But it doesn't compare to the tennis court-size screen.” - NPR

Will This Silent-Film Era Instrument Disappear?

"A cousin to self-playing player pianos, photoplayers automatically play music read out of perforated piano rolls. During their slim heyday — from their invention around 1910 until about 1930, when the silent film era is thought to have ended — photoplayers delighted audiences.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

Dear Writers, If You Use AI To ‘Fix’ Your Writing, You Are An Ass

“Writing can terrify us, confuse us, devastate us. Good writing means that you’re engaging with practices that will force you to lean into things that make you uncomfortable. Work that’s doing its job is inevitably hard.” - LitHub

Workers At The Studio That Makes Grand Theft Auto Allege Union Busting

Rockstar Games fired a bunch of folks last week. “According to the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), all of the employees fired were part of a private trade union Discord chat and were either already union members or attempting to organize a union at Rockstar.” - The Verge

In Possibly The Most German Moment Ever, ‘Grumpy Guide’ Museum Tours Sell Out

If you want to be yelled at for your art historical ignorance by an “aggressive” guide, get your kink on in Düsseldorf. "Asked to explain the tour’s popularity, Brandi said people ‘enjoy the emotional ride.’” - The Guardian (UK)

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