A Creative New Zealand report in 2023 revealed creatives earn considerably less than other wage earners: $37,000 a year compared to a general median of $61,800. This will no doubt get worse. - The Big Idea
Beginning in January 2025, the company will stop stocking books regularly, and will instead sell them only during the holiday shopping period, from September through December. - The New York Times
"The zine — that unruly riff on the glossy magazine, often handmade, always self-published — has long been associated with revolution. DIY dabblers and political thought guerrillas, superfan scenesters and couriers of counterculture have all found a home (therein). … Small presses, indeed, can turn over heavy pages of history. Let’s rifle through them." - Quartz
The layoffs, which the company described as part of a corporate restructuring, come as major publishing companies have been buffeted by sluggish print sales and rising supply chain costs, and have struggled to find new ways to get books in front of customers who have migrated online. - The New York Times
"Led by director of dance José Martinez, the inaugural ... cohort will include 18 dancers — 9 males and 9 females — ages 17 to 23. The paid contracts will be for two seasons, and they are open not just to current Paris Opéra Ballet School students but to dancers from all backgrounds." - Pointe Magazine
Seattle’s ACT Contemporary Theatre and Seattle Shakespeare Company — two of the city’s most enduring theater companies — may soon become one entity, the companies announced Wednesday. - Seattle Times
Mr. B's initial plan for Jewels included, along with the now-standard "Emeralds," "Rubies," and "Diamonds," a section titled "Sapphires." Balanchine said he never finished "Sapphires" because the blue was too hard to get across onstage. Yet Lincoln Jones, director of American Contemporary Ballet, is giving it a try. - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
As artificial intelligence systems outpace human performance on an increasing array of cognitive tasks, they risk undermining the intellectual supremacy upon which we have long staked our self-worth. - Psychology Today
"Fable Studio … (has) announced Showrunner, a platform the company says can write, voice and animate episodes of shows it carries. Under the initial release, users will be able to watch AI-generated series and create their own content — complete with the ability to control dialogue, characters and shot types." - The Hollywood Reporter
"(CEO Daniel) Ek probably isn’t too bothered by the lawsuits, or the burdens of running a (post-massive-layoffs) operation, or outrage ... over a more expensive plan to 'justify adding things (they) don’t want' that undercuts the artists whose work makes Spotify what it is. At least the stock price is resurging." - Slate
"'Every year our expenses go up at least five percent, if not more, because we so outpace inflation,' says Ken Davenport, producer of the Neil Diamond musical A Beautiful Noise. 'So flat is terrible.'" - The Hollywood Reporter
The artists demanded control of their works' presentation and that the Contemporary Jewish Museum both boycott Israel and divest from companies doing business there; they withdrew when the museum said it couldn't comply. What the museum did instead is either strikingly gracious or brilliantly passive-aggressive (or both). - The New York Times
The artist, who usually styled himself as simply "Ben," was known primarily for enigmatic slogans, scrawled in white or bright-colored paint, which he sometimes hung en masse on walls. He took his own life just hours after his wife of 60 years died of a stroke. - Artforum
"The support (Barry) Diller has pledged to Little Island’s programming, millions of dollars with no end in sight, is the kind most artistic leaders only dream of. (Zack) Winokur does not have to spend his days courting (funders) or securing residencies; instead, he can provide money and space." - The New York Times
