FEATURE
A Running List of How the Trump Administration Is Impacting the Arts
ArtNet: Adam Schrader
The National Endowment of the Arts has just updated its grant guidelines in response to the president’s executive orders.
NEA nixes grant program for ‘underserved communities,’ shifting priorities
Washington Post: Anne Branigin
The moves come as the Trump administration’s directives to shut down diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs are forcing changes in Washington’s federally funded cultural institutions and as the executive branch seeks to put its mark on a patriotic celebration planned for next year.
Trump Disbands President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities
HyperAllergic: Rhea Nayyar
The committee worked on projects including mobilizing artists to counter all forms of hate and the developing role of AI in arts and humanities.
Trump Says He Will Dismiss Kennedy Center Board Members and Install Himself as Chair
NY Times: Shawn McCreeshMaggie Haberman and Javier C. Hernández
The move by the president, whose authority to make the changes was not clear, is the latest attempt to bring a Washington institution under his control.
RESEARCH AND OPINION
‘Not Like Us’ Reinvented Kendrick Lamar. Is the Super Bowl Ready for It?
NY Times: Joe Coscarelli
After sweeping the Grammys on Sunday, Lamar’s ubiquitous Drake diss could be the centerpiece of the halftime show. That, it bears mentioning, is pretty strange.
Vinyl: The Most Improbable Comeback of the 21st Century
PSAudio: Larry Jaffee and Frank Doris
Vinyl has not only returned from what once seemed like its demise, but is thriving, though not without challenges. How did a group of record store misfits in 2007 were able to move mountains to get the record industry to revive something that they thought nobody cared about?
Ear Candy: How Hearing Protection Became Cool
The Walrus: Angus MacCaul
Club goers, screaming Swifties, and city dwellers are all embracing a life with less noise.
Xhosa Cole: On a Modern Genius (Vol 1) review – young sax master unleashes his trunk of Monk
The Guardian: John Fordham
The Birmingham-born jazz star pays tribute to a master of modern music, with tap-dance rhythms and Heidi Vogel’s vocals adding pep to proceedings.
How AI and Algorithms Are Transforming Music
WNYC Studios
It’s been almost a year since the historic music outlet Pitchfork shrank considerably. On this week’s On the Media, why the distinctive voices in music journalism are worth saving. Plus, how AI music generators could upend the industry.
Loud, angry, and Indigenous: Heavy metal takes on colonialism and climate change
Grist: Taylar Dawn Stagner
Indigenous bands have always been part of metal, creating a place for musicians and fans to channel anger and find community.
He Helps Angelina Jolie and Timothée Chalamet Sing Onscreen
New York Times: Tomris Laffly
Eric Vetro is the go-to vocal coach for movies as different as “Maria,” “A Complete Unknown” and “Wicked.” Jolie says, “Eric helped me to find my voice.”
New study finds classical music has positive effects on unborn babies
Classical FM
A team of researchers from the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, the Metropolitan Autonomous University, the General Hospital Nicolás San Juan, and the National Institute of Cardiology Ignacio Chávez joined forces to conduct the study.
NATIONAL
FireAid concerts raise estimated $100 million for LA wildfire relief
NPR: Isabella Gomez Sarmiento
On Jan. 30, the FireAid benefit concert took place at the Intuit Dome and Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. More than 30 artists, including Olivia Rodrigo, Rod Stewart, Dr. Dre and Joni Mitchell, took turns performing; comedians like Billy Crystal — who lost his home in the fires — and Quinta Brunson also addressed the audience.
Gov. DeSantis wants to restore $27M in arts grants funding, but with strings attached
Florida Politics: Jacob Ogles
A year after Gov. Ron DeSantis controversially vetoed $32 million in arts grant funding, he wants most of it back. But he only wants to fund projects the state deems safe for children.
Irv Gotti, Streetwise Hip-Hop Music Mogul, Dies at 54
NPR: Alex Williams and John Yoon
A founder of Murder Inc. Records, he helped launch the careers of Ja Rule and Ashanti and was credited as a producer on 28 records that made the Billboard Hot 100.
A 311-Year-Old Stradivarius Violin Sells for $11.25 Million at Sotheby’s
New York Times: Javier C. Hernández
The money from the sale of the violin, which was once owned by the 19th-century virtuoso Joseph Joachim, will benefit a scholarship program at the New England Conservatory.
INTERNATIONAL
French culture sector faces ‘violent’ cuts as parliament adopts 2025 budget
The Art Newspaper: Vincent Noce
The Académie des beaux-arts warns against threats to “freedom of research and creation” as government and local council spending on the arts is slashed.
‘Worse than the 1980s’ – that’s the arts sector now. It’s not a good look for a Labour government
The Guardian: Charlotte Higgins
So many pre-election promises: but still a cultural malaise spreads from our schools to museums, galleries and theatres.
At Damascus opera house, hopes for a better future
AFP: Maher al-Mounes
Syria’s national symphony orchestra took the stage on February 4th, marking the first classical concert at the Damascus opera house since president Bashar al-Assad’s ouster.
3 Years Into War, Ukrainian Musicians Ask, ‘Will We Ever Go Home?’
New York Times: Javier C. Hernández
The Kyiv Symphony’s players are building new lives as refugees in a German town. But they face shifting attitudes about migrants and an unending war.
Daniel Barenboim Announces He Has Parkinson’s Disease
NY Times: Alex Marshall
“I am planning to maintain as many of my professional commitments as possible,” the conductor said.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND MUSIC BUSINESS
Copyright Office suggests AI copyright debate was settled in 1965
ArsTechnica: Ashley Belanger
More than 10,000 commenters weighed in on the guidance, with some hoping to convince the Copyright Office to guarantee more protections for artists as AI technologies advance and the line between human- and AI-created works seems to increasingly blur.
Killer Mike Sues Grammys Private Security After Arrest at 2024 Ceremony
Variety: Jack Dunn
Following his three-award sweep at last year’s Grammys, Mike was detained by security and arrested by the LAPD for misdemeanor battery while trying to access the red carpet area of the event. Mike was released from custody hours later.
Chappell Roan Challenges Music Exec Critic to Match Her $25,000 Donation to Dropped Artists
Digital Music News: Ashley King
Chappell Roan responds to a music exec’s controversial op-ed criticizing her 2025 Grammys speech, challenging him to put his money where his mouth is.
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
The late Pauline Oliveros is having her moment. How Long Beach Opera is making it even bigger
LA Times: Mark Swed
The oldest opera company in the Los Angeles area and America’s oldest purveyor of consistently progressive opera is about to embark on the most uncompromising season of any company of its size or supposed mission anywhere. Ever.
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