MrBeast says on the podcast that he worked with the Egyptian government to get access to the historic site. “I’ve never been inside of it,” he says. “I want to just find secrets and go through all the rooms and the tombs and that kind of stuff.” - Fast Company
"Writers, publishers, musicians, photographers, movie producers and newspapers have rejected the Labour government’s plan to create a copyright exemption to help artificial intelligence companies train their algorithms." - The Guardian
"The Cour des Comptes has found several faults with France’s Culture Pass, which gives 18-year-olds €300 to spend on just about any cultural activity or product they wish over two years. The scheme has seen 'its spending soar, does not meet its social objectives and needs governance reform.'" - The Bookseller (UK)
Decades-old copyright legislation varies by region but is generally too outdated to be reliably applied to the new challenges presented by generative A.I. This has left both A.I. developers and artists in a state of uncertainty. - Artnet
Under the proposals, tech companies will be allowed to freely use copyrighted material to train artificial intelligence models unless creative professionals and companies opt out of the process. - The Guardian
Margaret Hodge, who was minister of culture under previous Labour PM Gordon Brown, will lead the review of Arts Council England, the government funding body. The focus will be on underserved regions, this after culture minister Lisa Nandy described some areas of England as "cultural deserts." - The Guardian
"Consuming culture is good for your health and wellbeing – and generates £8bn a year worth of improvements in people’s quality of life and higher productivity. That is the conclusion of the first major UK research to quantify the impact the arts and heritage can have on physical and mental health." - The Guardian
The initial versions of characters Popeye and Tintin (though not yet their most famous versions) are becoming available, as are key novels by Faulkner, Hemingway and Steinbeck; early sound films by Hitchcock, De Mille, and the Marx brothers; and hit songs by Cole Porter and Fats Waller. - AP
“Wicked” went even bigger, teaming up with over 400 brands to ensure a saturation that would be, in the words of Universal Pictures’ chief marketing officer, Michael Moses, “just short of obnoxious.” It’s just the latest example of how the culture industry has come to rely on collaborations. - The New York Times
Since Meloni came to power more than two years ago, there has been debate in Italy over whether her government is meddling in the cultural sphere. Some observers say that Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party is elbowing for cultural space to make up for decades on the outskirts of political power. - The New York Times
"The Walt Disney Co. has reached a California-record $233 million settlement with Disneyland workers over a 2019 class-action wage theft lawsuit. The settlement will provide back pay to workers at the Anaheim theme park, with interest dating back to the start of 2019," - TheWrap (Yahoo!)
Heritage Auctions, based in Dallas, slapped a $3 million estimate on the slippers. Pre-sale bidding had taken the price up to $1.55 million before fierce phone bidding propelled it to $10 million within three minutes. - ARTnews
As usual, the annual index lists the top 20 large cities, top 10 medium-sized and top 10 small communities. Because the numbers crunched are per-capita figures and are adjusted for cost of living, some individual rankings might be surprising (e.g., Minneapolis-St. Paul and Nashville ahead of Chicago and Los Angeles). - SMU DataArts
Data found that during the 29 dates the initial €5 access fee was in force in 2024, Venice received on average 7,000 more visitors compared to the same days of the previous year. With a population of fewer than 50,000 residents, the city receives around 40,000 tourists a day. - The Art Newspaper
