“One of the key problems has been the collapse of worldwide DVD sales. Whereas revenue in the United States has leveled off, international returns are actually declining — with sales from Europe, the Middle East and Africa falling from $17.8 billion in 2004 to $16.2 billion in 2007. Income from last year is expected to be down as well.”
Tag: 05.14.09
Iceland’s Economic Collapse Impacts The Arts
“Private sponsorship is almost non-existent and the decline in value of the Icelandic krona has made international cooperation difficult if not impossible. Nevertheless the country’s biggest museum, the ReykjavÃk Art Museum (RAM), has seen visitor numbers increase, and the country’s young art scene remains lively.”
The End Of Riverdance?
“The production that starts performances May19 at the Canon Theatre is being billed as its “farewell tour” and it’s wending its way through every city the show has ever played in Europe and North America, just to say goodbye. But is this a genuine last kick at the can?”
Book Author Ponders Anti-Piracy Strategy
“So what am I supposed to do? I’ve written more than a dozen books, although some, to be fair, were just second and third editions. While one was briefly in Amazon’s list of top 100 sellers, most have been the publishing equivalent of bunts. They paid me for my time. The kind of book I write, thick with equations that play to computer lovers, is also the first to be pirated. It’s a canary.”
Renzo Piano’s Sweeping New Chicago Art Institute Addition
“While the Modern Wing brings an elegant aloofness to the cityscape, it also points to the infatuation of risk-averse trustees with the high-minded sensibility Piano first expressed in the 1986 Menil Collection in Houston.”
10 Arts Strategies For Surviving The Recession
Almost everyone agrees funding problems will become more acute in the upcoming three to five years. Adaptability is replacing growth as a barometer of success.
What It Looks Like When Google Stops Working
A graph tells the tale of what happened when Google “messed up and routed traffic through an Asian network that couldn’t handle the flood,” causing a two-hour outage.
Nonprofits Lure More Online Donors, But Donors Give Less
“The total amount of money that charities raised online rose in 2008, as charities attracted more donors to their Web sites, according to a new study. … But the average size of those contributions decreased by 17 percent, from $86 in 2007 to $71 in 2008.”
Walcott Accuser: He Should Fight Oxford Smear Campaign
“I am appalled and saddened by the anonymous smear campaign against my former mentor Derek Walcott. … I can only hope that Oxford decides to stop the election and allow everyone more time to reconsider what has just happened. Derek Walcott should not walk away from this post.”
Much-Heralded B’way Desire To Close Early, Before Tonys
“The Broadway revival of Eugene O’Neill’s ‘Desire Under the Elms’ will close on May 24, several weeks ahead of schedule, in the face of declining grosses and its lack of any nominations for the 2009 Tony Awards. The play’s lead producer, Jeffrey Richards, issued a statement this evening to announce the closing. The limited run of the show was supposed to end in July.”