Sure, it's become the classic holiday ballet (and moneymaker), but "if you look at some of the forces giving rise to it, and that still live within it, The Nutcracker isn’t all that sweet." - Washington Post
Unboxed (as the bundle of events is actually called) attracted a total audience of 18 million, but the vast majority of those watched online; in-person attendance was 2.8 million. The festival cost British taxpayers £120 million. - The Guardian
Prestige TV was already happening, but fantasy TV was new - and The Walking Dead was perfectly timed for "the convergence of television and fandom, all those recapping blogs," not to mention social media. - Los Angeles Times
Eco-artists aren't trying to shock, generally speaking: "The climate crisis has inspired visual artists to create works that challenge viewers—and themselves—to move beyond shock and outrage, and toward action." - The Atlantic
"The €200 Kulturpass, which will be made available to all 18-year-olds, has twin aims: to encourage young adults to experience live culture ... and give a financial boost to the arts scene. ... It will bring (Germany) in line with France, Italy and Spain, which have introduced similar schemes." - The Guardian
"One of the main lessons we can learn ... is the ability to maintain musical traditions while also responding to the surrounding culture. While the primary goal of show-style bands is to put on a show, their point of departure is still first and foremost great musicianship." - I Care If You Listen
"It’s all compounded by the fact that country music, like all genres, is struggling to adapt to the future of streaming, confronting a touring industry that was crippled by the pandemic and struggling with how to break new music stars." - Washington Post
Data indicate that interest in classical music itself is growing, but BBC Radio 3, the more populist Classic FM, and newish Scala Radio have lost worryingly large chunks of audience in the past year. But there are good reasons why — and some of those might be fixable. - MSN (The Telegraph)
"Just to reach the cineplex, people need to pass through a police checkpoint manned with heavily armed officers. Then they are then frisked at the theater entrance for bombs and weapons. Only those who've bought tickets online ahead of time are allowed in." - NPR
Bay Area choreographer Jess Curtis created a consulting company, Gravity Access Services, which aims "to help ... producers bring their work to life to BVI audiences with audio descriptions that describe movement in more expressive ways, beyond play-by-plays of events." - KQED (San Francisco)
In the past, member stations have pushed back hard against any move by the network to raise funds directly from listeners rather than via the dues member stations pay. This initiative is aimed at "digital natives" who listen entirely online, and proceeds will be distributed to member stations. - Current
Shehan Karunatilaka, who won for his book The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, wrote on Instagram and Facebook, "The book took seven years to write, with countless hours of research, craft and hard work poured into it." - The Guardian (UK)
The hall "seems to have achieved a rare distinction in its engineering for sound: consistency. No seat in the hall ... is appreciably better or worse than any other." And the sound, which is cool, has a "lack of sonic plumpness." - The New York Times
