Pop vocals, then, routinely run up against the physical limits of the human body. Yet what makes a song difficult to sing doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with having to hit a particularly tricky note. - The Atlantic
The gold-thread-and-royal-blue-silk garment, purchased in Beijing in 1913 and left sitting untouched in a cardboard box for over a century, would have been worn by the emperor as he led twice-yearly festival processions outside the Temple of Heaven. - Artnet
Once you've bought it, you're never going to find that the retailer has reached into your movie, CD, or record collection to remove it with no notice. You own it forever, and in the case of music, it's trivial to make copies to listen to on your phone, computer, or home media server. - Lifewire
That is, "to project 'feelings of patriotism and national pride' inside Russia and 'the authority of the country on the international stage.'" (The phrases come from Putin's decrees.) One good example: an August 2022 performance of Shostakovich's "Leningrad" Symphony (the 7th) in St. Petersburg. - Van
The latest battle (last time we checked, at least) was last week, when the image generator of Google's Gemini bot was found to default to women and people of color even when asked to create images of Vikings and popes. Conservative critics accused the bot of being woke, of course. - Wired
"There is simply no way that whiteness and Blackness will mingle as they have in music, cuisine, gesture, greeting styles, dating, and multiracial identity, and yet for some reason be halted at language. One might wish to enforce an artificial blockade here, but it’s far too late." - The New York Times
"For more than three decades Taviani and his brother Vittorio formed one of cinema’s greatest directorial duos. … (Their) film Padre Padrone won top prize at Cannes (in 1977, and in 2012 they received) the Golden Bear in Berlin for Caesar Must Die." - Euronews
"The program has supported thousands of Georgia jobs and the creation of several thriving studios. But it’s hugely expensive — the state is projected to give out $1.35 billion in credits this year alone. Supporters of the measure say they want to ... protect the state against a limitless liability." - AP
As during the play's Broadway run, the West End production will have "Black Out" nights, as playwright Jeremy O. Harris calls them, when Black playgoers can enjoy the show (in Harris's words) "free from the white gaze." More than in New York, some people are flipping out over this. - BBC
"A newly formed nonprofit, composed of prominent local arts leaders and backed by philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, purchased the 93,000-square-foot campus through a limited liability company, BMAI LLC, for roughly $30 million, or $322 per square foot." - San Francisco Chronicle
We are currently witnessing a changing climate—specifically when it comes to objects taken from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Indigenous peoples—that has led to a job boom when it comes to provenance research–related positions at top museums in the United States. - ARTnews
ASCAP’s 2023 revenues represent an increase of $215 million or 14.1% over 2022. ASCAP says it increased the value and monetization of its members’ music with domestic revenue from U.S.-licensed performances surpassing $1.327 billion, which is an increase of $149 million or 12.6% over the prior year. - Inside Radio
If it’s tough for venues, it’s even tougher for artists, who in the past have found it hard but possible to sustain some kind of hand-to-mouth living from project funding. - The Stage
Putin clearly hopes that the “Leningrad” Symphony will be as helpful for his invasion of Ukraine as it was for Stalin’s defense against the German invasion. -Van
When we look at history’s major censorious regimes, all of them—I want to stress that; all of them—invested enormous resources in programs designed to encourage self-censorship, more resources than they invested in using state action to actively destroy or censor information. - Reactor
