FEATURE
Dance Artists Are Playing a Significant Role in the Development of Robotic Technologies
Dance: Jennifer Heimlich
As moving machines like drones and self-driving cars become more integrated into our daily lives, the tech companies behind them are realizing they need experts who intimately understand motion through space and time, and how the nuances of that motion can affect the way we feel about their products.
RESEARCH AND OPINION
Mapping Bob Dylan’s mind
aeon: Pam Weintraub
What more might we discover if, instead of a human scholar, we asked an artificial intelligence to sift through every word Dylan ever wrote? What patterns, connections or evolution in Dylan’s massive body of lyrics might reveal themselves to a machine’s analysis, and what could that tell us about the man and his music?
A New Documentary Shows Another Side of the Newport Folk Festival
Rolling Stone: Andy Greene
Newport & The Great Folk Dream, which premieres this week at the San Francisco International Film Festival, is packed with rare footage of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, and many other icons.
iHeartMedia Releases Third in a Series of Consumer Studies, Revealing America’s Deepening Need for Human Connection in an AI-Driven World
Rolling Stone
The “Human” Consumer Study Shows that 82 percent of consumers worry about AI’s societal impact, and 9 in 10 believe it’s important to know the media they consume is created by a real person. Report released to marketers at iHeartMedia’s AudioCon 2025 in NYC.
Drumming to Parts Unknown
Early Music America: Rex Benincasa
An early-music percussionist walks us through his performance process and historically informed mindset. Much of what he plays was never written down. A percussionist’s job is to add sounds and spices where the composer offers no guidance, from the European high Baroque to music of Mediterranean North Africa and the court of the Tang Dynasty.
Are opera audiences really in decline? Big picture results reveal all
Arts Hub: Jo Pickup
Opera is one of those genres that some people love to hate. The artform’s traditionalism and opulence make it an easy target for calls of elitism and irrelevance in the modern day. But opera continues to draw good numbers of contemporary audiences to a diverse array of innovative productions.
Opera isn’t just for posh people — and this is how we can save it
The Sunday Times: Richard Morrison
Thangam Debbonaire was nailed on to be culture secretary, but lost her seat. As the new boss of the UK Opera Association, the former professional cellist is on a mission.
‘Music is my remedy’: how DJing is helping Ukraine’s war veterans with their recovery
The Guardian: Darcie Imbert
At the Superhumans centre in Ukraine, the EnterDJ music therapy program teaches war-wounded soldiers how to mix, rehabilitating them with dance music and providing purpose and opportunities to perform.
Inside the ‘wild and weird’ rise of ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ phenoms Huntr/x
Los Angeles Times: Laura Sirikul
This summer, Netflix’s animated hit “KPop Demon Hunters” might have created the most popular K-pop girl group in America. And seemingly the only people unaware of that distinction are its members.
ENTREPRENUERSHIP & BUSINESS
Universal Music went from suing an AI company to partnering with it. What will it mean for artists?
The Conversation: Oliver Brown and Kathy Bowrey
The lawsuit alleged Udio – which offers text-to-audio music generating software – trained its AI on UMG’s catalogue of music. But beyond agreeing to settle, the pair have announced a “strategic agreement” to create a new product, to be trained exclusively on UMG’s catalogue, that respects copyright. The agreement puts both Udio and UMG in powerful positions.
UMG Has Struck A New YouTube Deal That Includes ‘Guardrails’ Around AI… And 3 Other Things Sir Lucian Grainge Said On Universal’s Q3 Earnings Call
Music Business Worldwide: Murray Stassen
First came the company’s licensing deal and copyright lawsuit settlement with AI music generator Udio. Next up was a strategic alliance with Stability AI to develop “next-generation professional music creation tools.” The major music company announced another significant agreement during its Q3 earnings call today (October 30): a new licensing deal with YouTube.
Spotify Reports $669M Profit For Q3 As Paying Subscribers Hit 281 Million
Deadline: Jesse Whittock
Music streamer Spotify saw third quarter operating profits grow a cool 28%, as its paying subscribers hit 281 million.
Why the Zune never killed the iPod
The Verge: David Plerce
The Microsoft Zune is mostly just a footnote in tech history. Microsoft spent years — and vast sums of money — trying to create a true competitor to Apple’s iPod, without ever coming close to actually pulling it off. The Zune was simply too little, too late.
Class Action Lawsuit Accuses Spotify of Engaging in ‘Payola’ in Discovery Mode
Rolling Stone: Daniel Kreps
A class action lawsuit accuses Spotify of engaging in “payola” to allow record labels to secretly promote their artists in the streaming service’s Discovery Mode.
NATIONAL
The Kennedy Center Crackup
NY Times: Shawn McCreesh
Audiences are staying away. Internal sales figures obtained by The New York Times showed ticket sales down by about 50 percent from the same period last year during one typical week in October. Dozens of employees, many with decades of experience, have been fired or quit.
Washington National Opera eyes abandoning Kennedy Center amid Trump takeover chaos
Raw Story: Adam Nichols
The Washington National Opera is contemplating leaving the Kennedy Center — a major casualty of President Donald Trump’s takeover of the cultural institution, according to Artistic Director Francesca Zambello.
OPERA America Names New President/CEO
Broadway World: Stephi Wild
On behalf of the Board of Directors of OPERA America, Board Chair Lee Anne Myslewski has announced the appointment of Michael J. Bobbitt as OPERA America’s new President and CEO. Bobbitt succeeds Marc A. Scorca, who will conclude his 35-year tenure at the end of 2025.
Houston Grand Opera names Rice alum James Gaffigan its next music director
Culture Map Houston: Tarra Gaines
Opera lovers in the audience for the Houston Grand Opera’s magnificent season opening production of Porgy and Bess didn’t know it, but they were hearing HGO’s future. James Gaffigan, the acclaimed conductor of the performance will no longer be called an honored guest to the company and our city; instead, he’ll make the Wortham Center his new home.
INTERNATIONAL
Ed Sheeran Says Changes to U.K. Music Education ‘Give Young People Hope’
Rolling Stone: Jon Blistein
A review of the National Curriculum led to the adoption of several changes that Sheeran and his foundation had previously advocated for.
Shout-out for yodeling? Swiss seek recognition from UN cultural agency as tradition turns modern
AP: Jamey Keaten
Switzerland’s government is looking for a shout-out from U.N. cultural agency UNESCO, based in the French capital, to include the tradition of yodeling on its list of intangible cultural heritage. A decision is expected by year-end.
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
This silent-film-era instrument is disappearing. Not on Joe’s watch
Los Angeles Times: Hannah Seo
The instrument is Rinaudo’s primary passion in life, an American invention that was key to the viewing experience of silent films in the early 20th century but has been forgotten by most of the country: the photoplayer.
Leave a Reply