"We charge tourists to visit Westminster Abbey, a West End musical or the National Theatre. What’s so different, morally or culturally, about charging for entry to the Tate galleries — especially when they are millions of pounds in the red?" - The Times
"Architect and philanthropist Fernando Romero purchased La Cuadra San Cristóbal, a historic, hot pink estate on the outskirts of Mexico City last year though his nonprofit, Fundación Fernando Romero, and will open it to the public this fall." - Artnet
"Digital subscriber revenue is expected to cover the costs of Le Monde’s entire editorial staff within the next two years, according to chief executive Louis Dreyfus. The French daily newspaper and online newsbrand ended 2024 with 660,000 subscribers, of which 580,000 were digital." - Press Gazette (UK)
A team of researchers in Mexico worked with 36 pregnant women, playing them "The Swan" from Saint-Saëns's Carnival of the Animals and Arpa de oro ("Golden Harp") by Mexican composer Abundio MartÃnez. The result: the music instantly calmed fetal heartbeats. - Classic FM
"The National Endowment for the Arts said Thursday that it will alter its 2026 grant guidelines, eliminating a fund for underserved communities and prioritizing projects that honor the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence." - The Washington Post (MSN)
County commissioners on Wednesday rejected calls to undo their reduction of their arts and culture budget from the previous $3 million to $1.3 million. - Atlanta News First
The painting, which depicts the martyrdom of St. Sebastian, had been in the collection of the Romanian monarchy. The country's postwar government "allegedly" had "transferred" the work to the deposed King Michael, who sold it in 1976; Romania's current government maintains that it is still national property. - Artnet
That would be the late Pauline Oliveros, great American maverick and pioneer of "deep listening." The company: Long Beach Opera, for which an all-Oliveros season may be risky but is more or less on-brand. Mark Swed talks to LBO's leadership troika about how and why they're doing this. - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
If vinyl is supposed to be the best-sounding format, then why are so many modern pressings disappointing right out of the sleeve? Many modern records are pressed on cheap, recycled vinyl, arriving warped, noisy, or even defective right out of the shrink wrap. - Headphonesty
Realize that some of the statistics you’ll see online are nonsense, and vinyl sales are likely much bigger than the announced estimates. Ignore the clickbait headlines. The RIAA (Record Industry Association of America) stated that 43.5 million records were shipped in 2023. This doesn't make any sense. - PS Audio
A range of tiny galleries have opened in Downtown New York since the onset of Covid, filling basement spaces, dingy storefronts, and one-room units in office buildings. It feels like an experimental spirit has finally begun to return to a city whose scene has felt overly safe as of late. - ARTnews
Trump’s 25 percent tariffs threat, while paused for 30 days, has left uncertainty looming over a domestic film and TV production sector inextricably tied to Hollywood and the U.S. economy. - The Hollywood Reporter
They can't even bring paintings that size to the conservation studio; the studio has to be brought to the paintings. So the conservators are doing this enormous, strenuous job at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp in full view of visitors. And those visitors have opinions. - AP
