For decades hip-hop artists have used their power as popular culture stars to influence the political sphere. As academics have begun to take notice of the power of hip-hop to inspire youth and impact social change, more and more research on the history and power of hip-hop has developed. - The Conversation
Like the 45-day budget bill passed by the U.S. Congress the day before, this new contract seems likely to serve as little more than a stopgap designed to tide both parties over toward a more decisive reckoning. - San Francisco Chronicle
These “time-tested and great operas” that you tout in your letter are rife with misogyny, violence, racism and casual pedophilia. You say you are “happy to broadcast” them, but I suggest you think again. Just because they’re calling someone a whore in Italian doesn’t mean it’s any less offensive. - Current
Following the successful launch of Spotify’s AI-powered DJ feature and, more recently, added support for AI-translated podcasts, Spotify now appears to be developing another means of using AI in its app: AI-powered playlists. - TechCrunch
"A union official said that it would seek continued intervention by a federal mediator and continue negotiations, but that a strike was possible. In all, the vote was 81-8 as members of Philadelphia Musician’s Union Local 77 voted against the contract." - MSN (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Summer festivals now face a balancing act between creative imagination and fiscal conservatism in the wake of a Covid wipeout that dispelled the older audience. If festivals are to survive, they will need to invent a twenty-first century purpose. - The Critic
The new contract mandates a minimum weekly salary of $3,313 ($172,276 annually), rising by the end of the term to $3,450 ($179,400). - San Francisco Chronicle
Breaking into tears on the phone, Deborah Proctor said: "I have a moral decision to make here. What if one child hears this? When I stand before Jesus Christ on Judgement Day, what am I going to say?" - NPR
That's right, never before have any of us heard "Every morning I greet thee" in the actor's own voice, despite intense vocal training before Sound of Music. - The Guardian (UK)
"Thielemann's personal canon consists of a handful of German-speaking composers, mostly from the mid-19th to the early-20th centuries, all of whose music benefited massively from the invention of the volume knob. It's not just that we can’t expect Saariaho from Thielemann; even non-German composers like Janáček and Debussy … seem a stretch." - Van
"From another musician, I learned that my experience was not unique. This trusted colleague speculated I might suffer from musician’s focal dystonia. I was embarrassed that I had never heard of it." - Aeon
"The Marinellis have been handcrafting bronze bells (in the mountains of southern Italy) since at least the 11th century, although archaeological findings at nearby Benedictine monasteries suggest the Marinellis' craft could date as far back as the 9th century." - Atlas Obscura
