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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“Billboard uses an outdated formula that weights subscription-supported streams higher than ad-supported.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

Reading, Literacy, And Brain Rot

If we consider literacy not as the ability to parse simple sentences but as the capacity to comprehend and enjoy complex texts, and ultimately as a sensibility that approaches the world itself as a text that requires interpretation, it’s obvious we live in an unprecedented decline of what neuroscientist Maryanne Wolf calls “deep literacy.” - Baffler

While Many Regional American Theatres Struggle, Some Are Thriving

For a struggling industry, these two theaters — and a handful of others — are models of success: They are producing a healthy menu of shows, drawing large audiences, running budget surpluses and raising money for capital projects. But they are definitely in the minority. - The New York Times

Utah Balletgoers Are Getting Scammed With Counterfeit “Nutcracker” Tickets

Ballet West in Salt Lake City reported Monday a “dramatic spike” in people “arriving at performances with fake or invalid tickets purchased from third-party sellers.” - The Salt Lake Tribune

Hedge Fund That Owns Barnes & Noble And Waterstones Wants To List Them On Stock Market

“Elliott Investment Management, the hedge fund that owns the most popular bookstores in the US and the UK, has spoken to potential advisers about an initial public offering (IPO). … The multibillion-pound group is thought to prefer London over New York for the listing.” - The Guardian

For Such A Big Broadway Hit, “Harry Potter” Isn’t Making Its Investors Much Money

Even eight years after opening, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is outselling every other current show on Broadway. The lead producers are making millions in royalties, but investors, after earning back their initial investments, have gotten a return of only 6% (11% with a New York state tax credit). - Broadway Journal

LACMA Staffers Vote To Unionize

"Workers at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art voted to unionize with (government workers’ union) AFSCME District Council 36, the union announced on Wednesday. The new union, LACMA United, will represent around 300 workers across the museum, from curators to art handlers.” - ARTnews

Oscars Will Leave Network TV For YouTube In 2029

The TV network ABC will continue to broadcast the ceremony through its centennial edition in 2028. From the following year through 2033, YouTube will retain global rights to streaming the Academy Awards, including pre-ceremony red-carpet coverage. - AP

Choreographer Hans Van Manen Has Died At 93

“(He) was the Netherlands’ best-known choreographer for over sixty years and regarded as one of the great masters of contemporary ballet. He was also one of the most productive, creating more than 150 works. … All bear his distinct signature – clarity in structure, refined simplicity and an aversion to unnecessary decorative frills.” - Gramilano (Milan)

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