Stories

The Leading AI Music-Generation Company, Suno, Has More Than Doubled Its Market Value To $5.4 Billion

“The (latest) funding round” — a sale of stock which raised $400 million — “comes just six months after Suno previously announced a $250 million funding round that had valued the company at $2.45 billion.” - The Hollywood Reporter

Why Trump’s Arch Is So Wrong

Triumphal arches are thuggish. They’re the architectural equivalent of a domestic abuser standing, arms crossed, legs athwart, in front of the bedroom door. I prefer the democratic, American tradition of modest, respectful, open-air monuments.  - The Atlantic

Monet Heirs Case Against Wildenstein Allowed To Continue

The complex case revolves around a 2004 transaction, in which Monet’s great-nephew agreed to relinquish a rare Monet painting depicting the artist’s father, Adolphe, to the internationally renowned Wildenstein gallery, in exchange for several paintings of lesser value. - ARTnews

Venice Biennale Artists Protest Awards Inclusions

More than 100 artists are threatening legal action against the Venice Biennale Foundation for ignoring their demands that the foundation withdraw their names from consideration for the “Visitors’ Lion” awards at the current edition over the inclusion of national pavilions by Israel and Russia. - ARTnews

They’re Going To Extraordinary Lengths To Move The Bayeux Tapestry To London Safely

After two dry runs with facsimiles, France’s culture ministry is confident that the fragile 900-year-old textile will be fine. They’ve developed an ingenious container contraption to absorb all shocks on the roads, and the date and details of the transport are a closely-guarded secret. - BBC (Yahoo!)

This Year London’s Serpentine Pavilion Is Actually Serpentine

“Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo (of Mexico City’s Lanza Atelier) have gone back to basics and produced one of the most literal Serpentine pavilions in years, featuring an actual serpentine, expressed as a wavy wall of rust-coloured brick.” - The Guardian

YouTube Now Has, On Average, More Daily Viewers Than Netflix

“Average daily usage per YouTube account (worldwide) rose from 87.2 minutes in 2024 to 99.1 in 2025, according to analysis conducted by the Digital i agency across 20 international markets. The figure for Netflix dropped from 100.5 to 93.4 minutes.” - The Guardian

New Jersey PBS Finally Finds Its New Operator: Montclair State University

“A consortium led by Montclair State University has won a competitive process to take over New Jersey’s public television station.” The move comes months after New York PBS station WNET declined to renew its contract to run the New Jersey outlet. - New Jersey Globe

Colorado Passes Landmark Law: Artists Can Now Protect Their Rights By Becoming Corporations

“Senate Bill 133 creates Colorado Artist Companies, or A Corps, a new subset of limited liability corporations that guides artists through the complexities of setting up a business while ensuring they retain creative control over their work, which can include everything from songs, paintings and poems, to less obvious output, like creative coursework.” - The Colorado Sun

Artists Say They’ll Sue Venice Biennale If They’re Included In Public-Vote Prizes

“Dozens of artists participating in this year’s Venice Biennale contemporary art show are threatening legal action if their names are not removed from the ballot allowing visitors to vote for the best national pavilion and overall participants in the absence of a jury” — they all resigned — “to award the prestigious Golden Lions.” - AP

Marjane Satrapi, Creator Of “Persepolis,” Is Dead At 56

She achieved international fame for the graphic memoir of her girlhood in Khomeini’s Iran, and then for co-directing the animated film adaptation. Based in Paris, she went on to direct other films, animated and live-action, and publish graphic works, and remained a lifelong advocate for the rights of Iranians, particularly women. - Deadline

The Composer-Conductor Who Pioneered European Opera In Japan

Manfred Gurlitt was reluctant to leave Germany when the Nazis came to power, but he ultimately had to flee and ended up in Tokyo. By 1941 he was music director of the Tokyo Philharmonic; a decade later, he had founded his own opera company and taught most of Japan’s opera singers. - Bachtrack

The New School Makes Some Painful Cuts

The New School will employ 65 fewer full-time faculty members in the fall than it did last year, Kessler said. Based on the most recent federal data, that reduction would amount to roughly 36 percent of its 2024 full-time faculty work force. - Chronicle of Higher Education

Radio Station Says New Data Center Has Forced It Off The Air

“Rainey Broadcasting has told the FCC that development surrounding a massive data center and semiconductor manufacturing project forced gospel WFQY Jackson, MS (970 AM) from its longtime location. Yet ... a rival broadcaster (is) arguing the Commission should determine whether the station had already been silent before the site was lost.” - Inside Radio

Getting Students Inside Dance

“That’s the entire mission of the school Not ‘You come to us’ but ‘We bring dance to you.’ And we want people in the room who can say, ‘I was just like you and now I’m out in the world dancing.’” - The New York Times

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss