It's now clear that practically everything Web technology touches starts down the path to gratis. Basic economics tells us that in a competitive market, price falls to marginal cost. There's never been a more competitive market than the Internet, and every day the marginal cost of digital information comes closer to nothing. - Wired
"'The general consensus is that we’re all dying,' Demson said. 'No hyperbole.' As California finalizes its state budget, advocates are hoping for millions of dollars to help keep the live performing arts sector — which also includes music, dance, magic shows and circus acts — afloat." - Yahoo! (The Wrap)
"The plans for growing the U.K.'s theater sector are part of the government's $63 billion vision for the creative industries. 'We want the Creative Industries Vision to be something that paves the way for a shift in the balance of power from Broadway to the West End,' Frazer said." - Variety
And that's in spite of a 66% fall in profits from the previous fiscal year, due partly to increased spending on reporting from the US and Ukraine. The Independent has been profitable every year since it stopped publishing in hard copy in 2016. - The Guardian
"The video, which was posted to Reddit, shows a man using his keys to scratch the words 'Ivan + Hayley '23' on an exterior wall of the 1,900-year-old structure. Next to him is a woman — presumably Hayley — who also watches as the defacement take place." - Artnet
"On June 23, as heavy rains in Germany flooded streets and shut down rail transportation, staff at Berlin's Gemäldegalerie taped up some plastic sheeting to protect a painting by Rembrandt" — Portrait of the Mennonite Preacher Cornelius Claesz Anslo and His Wife Aaltje Gerritsdr Shouten (1641) — "from a leak." - ARTnews
The Brooklyn Academy of Music's president, Gina Duncan, "said that the changes were necessary in part to help BAM to 'weather the downturn in charitable giving for the arts, and address an outdated business model that heavily relies on a shrinking donor base.'" - The New York Times
"In addition, Ken McConnell, who served as the company's general director and CEO since 2018, has resigned. Aaron Beck, a longtime Tulsa Opera staff member who took over as artistic director in 2022 following the departure of Tobias Picker, has been named the interim general director." - Tulsa World
How a public building constructed in the 21st century, having journeyed through New York City’s laborious approvals process, can emerge so ill-prepared to receive the actual public is mind-boggling. - Los Angeles Times
Titles like "The Little Mermaid" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" haven't been able to deliver the expected results, adding to Disney's economic woes. In fact, two of their recent films, "Strange World" and "Lightyear," were outright flops. - Marca
Travel gets branded as an achievement: see interesting places, have interesting experiences, become interesting people. Is that what it really is? - The New Yorker
“Taper shows lose the most money. That’s always been true. But right now they’re costing us twice as much as they would have before. Donations are down. Ultimately, we just can’t afford to continue to lose a million dollars a show at the Taper. We had to pause.” - Los Angeles Times
A team of archaeologists and computer scientists have created an AI program that can translate ancient cuneiform tablets instantly using neural machine learning translations. - Heritage Daily
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are rapidly changing how we investigate and imagine the world and the urban environment. They can generate a highly "realistic" representation of an urban scene with just a single prompt – but not always for the best. - Dezeen
