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A Music Conspiracy Theory: Tuning “A” To 432

I’d never encountered the 432 Hz phenomenon. Its lore has all the hallmarks of your archetypal conspiracy theories. No one version dominates, but most accounts include a selection of the following tropes. - Van

William Kraft, Who Helped Make Los Angeles A Hotbed Of New Music, Dead At 98

At the L.A. Philharmonic, Kraft was principal timpanist, composer-in-residence, and associate conductor; he co-founded the L.A. Phil New Music Group, with which he started the orchestra's now-famous Green Umbrella concerts of contemporary music. (Kraft was also Stravinsky's preferred percussionist.) - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)

How California’s Gig-Economy Law Changed LA Theatre (Perhaps Forever?)

According to a dozen LA-area artistic directors interviewed, the annual budget of small arts organisations has spiked by an average 40%, disproportionately punishing companies operating on less than $300,000 a year, particularly common in a state with a dearth of public funding for the arts. - The Stage

Inside San Francisco’s Emerging Black Composers Project

The joint program of the San Francisco Symphony and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music is now working with its first class of fellows, who get commissions for new scores as well as mentorship from Esa-Pekka Salonen, Edwin Outwater, and Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser. - KQED (San Francisco)

Why Is Joe Rogan’s Podcast Such A Big Deal? It’s Not Politics. It’s Demographics.

"Rogan is not just a purveyor of right-wing ideologies. He has built an empire by introducing these ideas — and a wide range of others — to listeners across the political spectrum. His unique skill is drawing from that spectrum a massive, young, largely male audience that advertisers highly covet." - Nieman Lab

How Brazil’s Version Of Joe Rogan Got Himself In Hot Water, Too

Bruno Aiub, who uses the nom de microphone Monark and who models his very popular podcast (titled Flow) on Rogan's, made an argument this week that, on free-speech grounds, Brazil's Nazi party should no longer be outlawed. And the merda hit the fan. - The New York Times

Arts Venues Grapple With Whether To Require (And How To Enforce) Audience Masking

"Venue staff are increasingly on their own, leaving ushers, house managers, security staff and box office managers in the crosshairs of different audience members' diametrically opposed preferences as they deal with the fallout of unclear and inconsistent COVID guidance from government officials." - San Francisco Chronicle

Is This Broadway’s Worst Job? Front-Of-House COVID Compliance Officer

Says one, "There are so many moments where I'm shocked by humanity. Once when I called out for proof of vaccination and photo IDs, a man said, 'I got my proof of vaccination tattooed on my ass. Want me to pull my pants down?'" - Time Out New York

Harper Lee’s Executor Will Not Get To Take The “To Kill A Mockingbird” Film Rights Back From The People Lee Sold Them To

Those people being the heirs of star Gregory Peck and the producer and director of the 1962 film version. Executor Tonja Carter (as she's done in other cases) argued that the aged Lee was basically tricked into signing the earlier contract. The court disagreed. - The New York Times

UK Seizes Three NFTs And Arrests Three People On Tax Evasion Charges

"Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, the IRS equivalent in the United Kingdom, announced earlier this week that it had seized three NFTs and about $6,800 worth of crypto from three individuals who are currently embroiled in a $1.9 million tax fraud case." (Hm. How would one seize an NFT?) - ARTnews

Research: Stress Might Have Gotten A Bum Rap

A growing body of research suggests that it is our beliefs about our feelings, as much as the feelings themselves, that determine their effects on the brain and body. Negative views of stress and anxiety often exacerbate our problems. - The Guardian

Record Store Day Was Supposed To Help Small Stores. It’s Backfiring

This year, RSD offers 411 new releases, a fact that should leave those in the physical music business seething. Thanks to Brexit and the pandemic, we simply can’t make enough records. There is an international shortage of the various components required. - The Guardian

Canadian Minister Of Culture Says Streaming Companies Need To Step Up Support Of Canadian Culture

In a debate Wednesday in the House of Commons about a bill to regulate online streaming, Rodriguez said updating the broadcasting law is long overdue and needs to cover commercial content on social media and streaming platforms. - CBC

Ever Wanted To Live Inside DisneyLand? Here’s Your Chance…

Disney Imagineers will help design these sub-developments, and this first effort “will welcome homeowners of all ages and will include at least one section expressly for 55+ residents” and a “voluntary club membership” with exclusive Disney programming. - New York Magazine

How Is It That Dance Takes Over The Body And The Mind?

History and culture offer a treasure trove of attempts to interpret dance’s unique power over our bodies and minds. - LitHub

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