Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
FCC Probes Radio Giant For Possible Payola Scheme
The Federal Communications Commission is looking into whether iHeartMedia is compelling artists perform at its upcoming country music festival for free or reduced pay in exchange for more...
Bezos Turns Washington Post Opinion Pages Full-Trump. Editor Resigns
Bezos wrote in his note, “We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free...
Transformative Year For Publishing Giant Hachette
Earlier this month, Lagardère reported that 2024 HBG sales were up 7% over 2023—the biggest jump posted by any of the groups in Lagardère’s...
Show Canceled By Museum Because It Was Labeled DEI
On February 10 museum leadership informed her that the Trump administration had labeled the exhibition as a “DEI program and event” and withdrawn funding...
NYC Public Radio Stations Get Together In Initiative To Focus On Common Issues
“The idea of collaboration among the New York area’s music stations has been informally discussed for more than a decade. - InsideRadio
Has Trump Become Our Minister Of Culture?
To the extent that Trump’s cultural designs offer a coherent vision, it shares his larger ambition to restore the country to a “golden age”...
UK Government Considering Changing Course On AI Rules To Protect Creative Industries
Faced with a concerted backlash from some of the country’s most famous celebrities, officials are looking for ways to offer them extra protections. One...
How Your Biggest Assets Turn Into Liabilities
Partners who are at first judged to be powerful or strong become controlling or overbearing after a breakup. People who are nice become pushovers....
The Rare Conductor: Anthony Pappano
Pappano, 65, is a rarity in classical music: a maestro who never went to a music school. Born in England to Italian immigrant parents, then...
Self-Publishing Is Having A Moment
"They want to do things in a time frame that suits them, rather than hope that they will find an agent, and that the...
How Have Film Academy Voters Changed What’s Being Voted On For Oscars?
If the old Academy had a terror of making odd choices, the new Academy seems to be looking for ways to be odd. Its...
How Will We Market The Arts In A Post-Social Media World?
Are we past the point where social media almost entirely drives arts marketing? While it’s unlikely social media platforms will all collapse in 2025,...
What Do We Actually Mean By “Free” Speech?
The problem is that the definition of “free speech” has strayed far from its origins in the rights of ordinary folk to speak without...
Spotify Defends Itself: We’ve Helped Make The Music Business Healthy!
"It’s a misconception that Spotify ‘doesn’t pay well’ – as we’ve proved time and time again. The $10B we paid out in 2024 and...
Remembering The CIA’s Elaborate World War II Book Smuggling Operation
What some in the east suspected, but very few knew for sure, was that the uncensored literature flooding the country wasn’t reaching Poles by...
The Science Of Optimism? How, In A Frightening World?
Optimism is, after all, by its nature delusional; ‘realism’ or outright pessimism might seem more justifiable given the troubles of the present and the...
Universal Studios Is Expanding Like Crazy
When it opens on May 22, Epic Universe will become Florida’s first major new park in a generation — and, Universal hopes, a property...
Reimagining How To Program Traditional Concert Halls
“I think of it as inviting this so-called ‘main stage’ to go outdoors and inviting the education programming to be ‘main stage’ in the...
The Crushing Cost Of Trying To Be Special
The effort spent trying to impress others; the dazzling meals I was too tired to cook but cook I did; the Guardian column that...
Michael Tilson Thomas Says His Final Concerts Will Be In April
“A coda is a musical element at the end of a composition that brings the whole piece to a conclusion. A coda can vary...
Our Escapist TV Reality Shows Are Losing The Plot
Escapism is more tempting than ever in the digital age and is often associated with guilt or laziness. But some are unlearning those narratives,...
As AI Gets Better At Influencing Us, Our Decision-Making Will Change
As conversational AI agents become more interactive and personalized, they will surpass human influencers in their ability to shape our decisions without us realizing...
Larry Gagosian On Art As A Blood Sport
I asked Gagosian about the comments of one of his former rivals, Arne Glimcher of Pace Gallery, who said five years ago, "This market...
The Arts Are Under Stress. Time For Some Rethinking?
I believe we need to blow up the outdated, embedded public stereotypes of art and culture, and fashion a wholesale public reimagining of what...
What Last Week’s AI Copyright Ruling Could Mean For Copyright
The outcome could have implications for the more than 39 copyright-related AI lawsuits currently working their way through U.S. courthouses. That said, it’s not necessarily a...
