The UMG executive emphasized that “tech collaboration with the creative community, respecting the value of artists’ work and harnessing their innovation has produced enormous cultural and economic benefit.” - Music Business Worldwide
“Phil McGraw‘s Merit Street Media is in bankruptcy court and is simultaneously suing its distribution partner, Trinity Broadcasting, for breach of contract that the company says led to the chapter 11 filing. But signs that the 15-month-old network was struggling were there well before Merit Street began bankruptcy proceedings.” - The Hollywood Reporter
Amid the geopolitical mayhem of a second Donald Trump presidency, 2025 looks likely to be the third year in a row that sales in the global art market have contracted. “The anticipated ‘Trump bump’ has ultimately given way to a ‘Trump slump’,” says Christine Bourron, the chief executive of Pi-eX. - The Art Newspaper
“We're all kind of left reeling,” Craig said. “It does feel, for many of us involved in nonprofit fields, that we are being hit from all directions.” - KCUR
“Hidden high in the chapter house of San Domenico (convent) in Fiesole, the quietly majestic Crucifixion — possibly the artist’s earliest known work — has been painstakingly revived by conservators, offering visitors a rare glimpse into the spiritual and artistic beginnings of one of Italy’s most revered painters.” - Artnet
“A series of budget bills (passed) on July 1 have restored the $11.5 million Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund, intended to help pay performers and keep small performing arts venues in operation” by offsetting costs of AB5, the 2019 law requiring many performers to be paid as employees rather than freelancers. - KQED (San Francisco)
Yes, $1 was the figure being considered by legislators for the New Hampshire Council on the Arts in the new state budget. In the end, the Council’s budget was cut by only 90%, from $1.5 million to $150,000, leaving The Granite State dead last among US states for arts funding. - WMUR (Manchester, NH)
With an advanced acoustical system, plenty of fiber-optic cable, responsive lighting, spatialized audio capabilities, virtual/augmented reality infrastructure, and a trippy immersive exhibition called “Dancing the Algorithm” in its gallery, the theater should be thrilling visitors at its opening this week. - The New York Times
Known informally as the Art Alliance building, the mansion on Rittenhouse Square was one of the University of the Arts properties auctioned off last year following the school’s bankruptcy; Curtis finalized its purchase in January. A pre-dawn fire blazed throughout the three-story building, the extent of damage is still unclear. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
The enormous cloth, which depicts the Norman Conquest of England, has spent almost all of its existence in France. Next year it will be the centerpiece of a blockbuster exhibition at the British Museum in London. In exchange, the UK will lend to France Anglo-Saxon treasures from the Sutton Hoo ship burial. - AP
The founder, director, and low bass of the much-admired vocal sextet is already principal guest conductor of the BBC Singers, Britain’s only full-time professional choir. He succeeds current chief conductor Sofi Jeannin, whose term ends next summer. - BBC Music Magazine
The Wall of Shame is a 50ft-long, 10ft-tall outdoor mural featuring the pardoned Trump supporters, colour-coded to distinguish their actions: violent rioters appear in red, those who damaged property are shown in blue, and the remaining individuals are depicted in white. The combined effect resembles a Star and Stripes that has imploded. - The Guardian
“Some 14,000 state-run schools in Kerala have been asked to organise daily Zumba sessions as part of an anti-drug campaign launched by the government last month. The decision has been bitterly opposed by some Hindu and Muslim organisations in the state, who say the dance is a form of ‘cultural invasion’.” - BBC
“According to Netflix, more than 50% of its members — amounting to over 150 million households, or an estimated 300 million viewers — now watch anime. The company says anime viewership on the platform has tripled over the past five years, with 2024 marking a record-breaking year.” - The Hollywood Reporter
Wagner expected his works to be translated into French when they were performed in France. Yet for purists, the idea of singing a famous Italian aria in what many considered the ugly (for singing) English language was an anathema. - Nightingale Sonata
