Stories

With each recording, “we’re atrophying our memory a little and trusting that it will work autonomously. But it’s like an engine: if we give it a boost, it keeps working, but if we don’t, it gets worse and worse.” - El País

For instance, take New York: “Amid growing competition from nearby states like New Jersey, New York has spent more than $5.5 billion since 2017 to woo Hollywood productions.” - The New York Times

Thanks to Elon Musk and DOGE, of course - and no one knows when that might improve. - Wired

One person who watched the heartbroken response video: “This is why animation is so important too. AI slop won’t make you feel emotions like this.” - Fast Company

What’s up with movie directors? Well: “Making a film is a battle. ... The process is such a slog that, when a film-maker dies, the likelihood is that several unrealised movies die with them. Wouldn’t you keep going to the bitter end?” - The Guardian (UK)

A Dudamel test, and also, well, New York has awesome music in the parks in the summer, basically. - The New York Times

“Arts and cultural organizations in Portland face a double whammy: in addition to cuts in the city’s budget, the proposed elimination of the NEA, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has left organizations scrambling.” - Oregon ArtsWatch

Oh was "a glitter-dusted experimental artist-activist whose theater works intertwined political provocation with profound compassion in rituals of communion with audiences,” beloved by theatre folk in New York and across the country. - The New York Times

Maybe! “Although the £100,000 target has been reached, the has said extra money will strengthen its bid when the piece is sold at Sotheby’s.” - BBC

One of the bookstores writes, “Author JK Rowling publicly committed to using her private wealth from the Harry Potter series to develop the ‘JK Rowling Women's Fund,’ an organization dedicated to removing transgender rights. … With this announcement, we've decided to stop carrying her books.” -LitHub

“The celebration, which drew arts and civic leaders for the first of three preview nights, was far grander than the concert on March 26,1965, that opened LACMA’s Leo S. Bing Theatre the night before the doors opened to the museum’s original galleries.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

The police bust of an all-women party she hosted in 1925 was the subject of Ma Rainey’s 1928 record “Prove It on Me Blues.” Rainey and her contralto voice were part of a wider lesbian blues counterculture that included Gladys Bentley, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters and Alberta Hunter. - BBC

The review into the traditional music scene in Wales found traditional music sectors in England, Scotland and Ireland benefited from a "wide range of music industry support structures" that were "largely absent in Wales". - BBC

“Legislators have approved spending roughly $39 million for performances, exhibitions, operations and some building and expansion projects through multiple budget categories, but the money will be divided among far fewer organizations than in years past – if the money isn't vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.” - Tallahassee Democrat

There are currently 129 full-time staff, and 29 of the 90 unionized staff will be affected. The cuts come after the VAG’s annual general meeting June 17, when it reported it had lost $2.85 million in operating revenue during the 2023-24 fiscal year, and was on pace to lose money in 2024-25. - Vancouver Sun