"The founder of the Istanbul nonprofit art center Anadolu Kültür and the creator of Depo Istanbul, an independent art space serving as a platform for critical voices, Osman Kavala had long been a central figure in in the Turkish cultural scene." His alleged crime: "attempting to overthrow the government." - Artforum
Subscription and cloud gaming represents just 4% of North America and Europe game markets, or roughly $3.7 billion, according to a recent study Harding-Rolls. Of the available services, only 5% are streaming-only offerings, while a majority (60%) use Xbox Game Pass. - Protocol
They mostly (excepting Joe Rogan) fly beneath mainstream radar, but "rightwing satirists, podcasters and standups … feature on each other's podcasts, TV shows and social media feeds, sharing ideas and audiences. … Many are masters of Reddit-style trolling and meme-making, helping them reach vast internet audiences." - The Guardian
Oddly, the linguist/op-ed pundit, who's demonstrated genuine musical sophistication in previous columns, cites Korngold (d. 1957), Rozsa (d. 1995), and William Bolcom, but, besides John Williams, he doesn't mention living composers who actually attract crowds: Reich, Glass, the John Adamses, the Bang-on-a-Can troika, and, above all, Arvo Pärt. - The New York Times
KUSC in Los Angeles and KDFC in San Francisco, both now part of the KUSC Radio Group, have rebranded as Classical California, with simulcast programming outside of morning and evening drive time (which will remain local), new online streams, and beefed-up YouTube offerings. - San Francisco Classical Voice
"Leonard Goodman, a Chicago attorney and member of the billionaire Crown family, ... had demanded more representation on a nonprofit board set up to take over the publication. The demand was likely to kill plans for the nonprofit's takeover of the money-losing Reader." - Chicago Sun-Times
"More than 1,000 cultural organizations surveyed throughout the state have lost $781 million in revenue, according to data collected and published by the Mass Cultural Council." - MSN (The Boston Globe)
A late Bronze Age stone head depicting Anat, the ancient Canaanite goddess of love and war (and the sister of Baal), was discovered by a farmer in the southern Gaza Strip. - BBC
As of January 1, 2023, anyone who wants to visit the historic city without spending the night in a local hotel (cruise ships don't count) will have to pay €10 for the right to enter — and make a reservation in advance. - CNN
Unfortunately, targeting cultural treasures is nothing new in times of war, and history shows that there are often specific and deliberate motives for the destruction of art icons in wartime. - ArtsHub
Much of the palace seemed like a snapshot of what was now a distant past: a bandoneon abandoned in a debris-filled room, along with some music drawn up on a stave for a lesson now never to be learned; costumes arrayed in the dressing room; and in the theater a wooden cutout of a cartoonish-looking cow. - Los Angeles...
“It got me thinking about, essentially, what would a theatre company look like that could break with the traditional modes of arts funding? You have the not-for-profit models, you have the sort of high-capitalization corporate commercial models like Broadway and big tours.” - American Theatre
I don’t imagine that one will wake up and open Twitter and see it magically transformed into a total cesspool of hate, harassment, and false information. But I can imagine a “going bankrupt” quality to Twitter’s degradation—it might happen slowly, then all at once. - The Atlantic
Can people who live in fantasy worlds at such steep odds with reality be good friends and citizens themselves? At the very least, maintaining such worldviews means vigilance about rejecting facts—and the perceptions of other, clearer minds. This estranges others. - Wired
