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Miles Davis’s Catalogue Has A Buyer

“Reservoir Media has acquired a majority interest in the Miles Davis publishing catalog, as well as other rights associated with the late jazz icon’s estate, including a partnership in name and likeness opportunities and certain rights to his recorded music, the company announced early Tuesday.” - Variety

A Brief History Of The Machine That Created American Pop Music

The first jukebox was made in, believe it or not, 1889; it played wax cylinders and people listened through stethoscope-like earphones. In 1927, the Automatic Musical Instrument Company unveiled the first amplified, multi-record coin phonograph. Jukeboxes … introduced the world to music on demand, for far less than buying a record.” - Smithsonian Magazine

Canada’s First Nations Revitalize Festivals That Were Once Forbidden

Confronting the historic trauma of forced assimilation, a wave of artists are rejuvenating hyper-diverse Indigenous cultures in the kinds of festivals that were once forbidden. - The Guardian

Report: Christie’s Closes Its Digital Art Department

The NFT market has crashed and never recovered. In 2022, Christie’s reported $5.9 million in NFT sales, a 96 percent decline from 2021. And in August 2024, one report found that 95 percent of NFTs were effectively “dead,” with the average owner facing a 44.5 percent loss on their investment. - ARTnews

The Classic Novels That Were First Rejected By Publishers

Six of the greatest works of modern literature were repeatedly and humiliatingly rejected by publishers and their distinguished advisors, who were blind to their merits. - The Critic

Edward Watson On Returning To The Royal Ballet Stage Post-Retirement

“I don’t feel like I’ve got anything to prove. I’m slightly less wired and my life doesn’t depend on (performing) anymore. It’s like when you listen to an album and discover a bonus track. A Single Man is my bonus track. It’s a nice extra thing that I’m really excited to do.” - Pointe Magazine

Why Musicians Are Leaving Spotify

"The sound quality is horrible. The disposable-ness of music has become almost culturally endemic, and then obviously the financial aspect of it is a joke," says Jamie Stewart of the experimental rock group Xiu Xiu. "It has not done anything good for bands. It has done good things for itself." - NPR

Data: How US Arts Are Doing

Both revenue and expenses declined in 2024, with average revenue hovering slightly above expenses. Average total revenue fell 25% while expenses decreased by 23%, leaving organizations with an increasingly smaller cushion between available revenue and spending. - SMU Cultural Data 

Huntsville, Alabama’s Public Radio Station To Drop All NPR Programming

“WLRH Huntsville, AL (89.3) will stop airing NPR programming effective Oct. 1, shifting resources to expand its lineup of locally produced news and community programming. The move ends carriage of Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and other NPR shows, which currently make up about a third of the station’s weekly schedule.” - Inside Radio

Is Writing Really Thinking?

Strangely, it means you’re not thinking when you’re reading. Does anyone believe that? - 3 Quarks Daily

Michigan’s House Of Representatives Votes To Zero Out Arts Funding

“The state House’s proposed budget for next year wipes out every cent of the $12.3 million the Michigan government spent on arts and cultural programs this year. The House also said no to the $2 million the Senate proposed for arts and culture facility upgrades.” - City Pulse (Lansing, MI)

The Essential Dohnanyi Recordings

Crucial to Dohnanyi’s conducting was his belief that musicians had to perform older music in a contemporary way. “I’m not interested in the Brahms of the 19th century,” he said in 2002. “I’m interested in the Brahms of the 21st century.” His interpretations flowed from that insight. - The New York Times

Police Consider Charging Banksy Over Latest Mural

On Tuesday, however, the Metropolitan Police confirmed they are treating the mural as potential “criminal damage.” Should charges follow, the famously anonymous artist could be compelled to reveal his identity in court after more than 25 years of secrecy. - Mediaite

Massive Leak Shows China Is Exporting Its Surveillance/Censorship Firewall Technology Around the World

Researchers found that it has been operating a sophisticated system that allows users to monitor online information, block certain websites and VPN tools, and spy on specific individuals. - Wired

Warsaw Opens A Library In A Metro Station

“An ‘express’ library has opened in a new metro station in Warsaw, aiming to provide an appealing cultural space to encourage residents and commuters to forgo smartphones in favour of books. … About 16,000 books are on offer … and can be borrowed through an ‘express’ checkout machine using contactless chips.” - The Guardian

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