Cable TV Is Falling Off A Cliff

They expect about 25 million U.S. households to cancel their pay-TV subscriptions over the next five years. This is on top of the 25 million homes that have already cut the cord since 2012. At least three major media companies now expect pay-TV subscriptions to stabilize around 50 million, according to people familiar with the matter, who declined to speak on the record because their company plans are private. – CNBC

‘Unmitigated Disaster’: Why Vice Media Appears Headed Toward A Bad End

“After being perceived as the red-hot center of Millennial-based media culture for the past decade or so, Vice’s place is harder to pinpoint now. Some of it is still edgy and provocative. But increasingly the impact of its work feels more like the proverbial trees falling in the forest. … Top executives at Vice tell you the present is pretty damn fabulous, while the best is yet to come. Former employees — or at least those willing to speak out despite confidentiality provisions in their contracts — say Vice is an unmitigated disaster.” – Air Mail

Is Calling Beethoven By Only His Last Name Racist?

“On the one hand, then, initiatives toward diversity and inclusion are placing new names on concert programs, syllabi, and research papers, names that might not have been there 10 or 20 years ago—or even last year. But these names are appearing next to those that have been drilled deep into our brains by the forces of the inherited canon. This collision between increasing diversity and the mononyms of music history has created a hierarchical system that, whether or not you find it useful, can now only be seen as outdated and harmful.” – Slate

‘Homiesexual’ — Young Straight Guys Getting Cuddly With Their Bros On TikTok Draw Big Audiences

“The youth-oriented social media platform is rife with videos showing ostensibly heterosexual young men spooning in cuddle-puddle formation, cruising each other on the street while walking with their girlfriends, sharing a bed, going in for a kiss, admiring each other’s chiseled physiques and engaging in countless other homoerotic situations served up for humor and, ultimately, views.” And the vast majority of the fans are female. – The New York Times

Entire Hong Kong Philharmonic Trapped In Island Quarantine

Ever since the bass clarinetist tested positive for the coronavirus, “they have been placed in the same section of the 1,080-room camp [on Lantau Island], each minimally furnished room the size of a standard shipping container. Jamming and group rehearsals are banned, obviously, given that nobody can leave their own rooms.” Here’s how they’re getting through the days. – South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)

Artists Auction Future Royalties For Cash Today

While Royalty Exchange might sound like a dating service for those in the peerage, it’s actually a company geared to assisting artists looking to auction off some of their most valuable assets: their royalties and residual rights. Royalties and residuals are contract-guaranteed percentages doled out to creators and performers based on the use or performance of works they were involved in. And participation in a hit song, movie or TV show can mean they rack up pretty fast. – Los Angeles Times

Man Brings A Banksy On Antiques Roadshow And…

“I think the message here is that, if you do see a piece of graffiti art out there, leave it, leave it for the public,” Maas said in a manner reminiscent of a not-angry-but-disappointed dad. “I’m not lecturing you. I’m just saying, without that certificate, it’s just very difficult to sell. With it, it might be worth £20,000. Without it, you’re nowhere.” – Artnet