Curb Center News Brief, August, 17, 2006
Unlike most societies, our U.S. government does not consolidate
its cultural responsibilities within a single, central authority. Apart
from small funding agencies and national museums, our cultural
interventions are scattered among dozens of federal agencies and
offices. To begin a coherent conversation about art, the cultural
landscape, and government policy, many actors from many agencies
and offices must come together.
Bill Ivey, Director
Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy
IN THE NEWS
College Argues For the Right To Sell Art Gifts To Raise Capital
Face Time: Poll Shows Pop Power
Satellite Radio Reeling
HODGEPODGE
All in the Timing: Classical Concerts Don’t Have to Start at 8
Times Hires Talent Agency
Lon Helton Exits Radio & Records to Start New Publication
College Argues For the Right to Sell Art Gifts To Raise Capital
Fisk University seeks to sell paintings from its Alfred Stieglitz collection
to raise funds.
"The Nashville school is awaiting a court ruling on whether it can sell a
Georgia O'Keeffe painting and a Marsden Hartley painting, both part of
the 101-piece collection, which was donated to the historically black
college nearly 60 years ago by Stieglitz's widow -- O'Keeffe herself.
“The collection also includes works by such artists as Cézanne, Renoir,
Picasso, Arthur Dove and John Marin, as well as some of Stieglitz's
photography. According to an IRS filing, Fisk's entire art collection
was appraised at $31.4 million in 2002."
The Washington Post, 08/16/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/15/AR2006081501344.html
Face Time: Poll Shows Pop Power
More Americans know who Harry Potter is than who Prime Minister
Tony Blair is, according to a new Zogby poll.
Seventy-four percent could name the Three Stooges--Larry, Curly
and Moe--and 42 percent could correctly name the three branches
of the U.S. government: judicial, executive and legislative.
"These results are not about how dumb Americans are, but about
how much more effectively popular culture information is communicated,"
said professor Robert Thompson of the Bleier Center for Television and
Popular Culture at Syracuse University. The Chicago Tribune, 08/16/06
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0608160226aug16,1,7557285.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
Satellite Radio Reeling
“Pull up the six-month performance of companies making up
The Hollywood Reporter/Bloomberg 50 Entertainment Stock Index
and a tiny pattern emerges: Dead last is XM Satellite Radio, and
third from last is Sirius Satellite Radio. The rapidly declining share
prices have some investors calling for a quick fix -- namely, that the
two companies merge.”
Washington regulators who might consider an XM-Sirius merger could
take into account competition not only from free radio but also from
the iPod.
"If the market is defined narrowly, then they couldn't merge," says
one industry observer. "If you define the market broadly enough, almost
anything would pass muster."
The Hollywood Reporter, 08/16/06
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002987044
HODGEPODGE
All in the Timing: Classical Concerts Don’t Have to Start at 8
"There is a message here for promoters of classical music. Audiences
are tired of being locked into the 8 p.m. concert slot. People want
alternatives, and the late-night option seems especially promising.”
The New York Times, 08/17/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/17/arts/music/17late.html?_r=1&ref=arts&oref=slogin
Times Hires Talent Agency
The New York Times has hired a Hollywood talent agency
to help shop film and television projects based on articles appearing
in the newspaper. Movie and television producers have long turned to
magazine articles for inspiration — “Saturday Night Fever,” “Urban
Cowboy,” even “Coyote Ugly” all began life in the pages of glossy
publications. The New York Times, 08/17/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/17/arts/17arts.html?ref=arts
Lon Helton Exits Radio & Records to Start New Publication
“Longtime Radio & Records bureau chief and country editor Lon Helton
has left the publication in the wake of a merger with rival magazine
Billboard, the publication announced.
“Helton, who also hosts the syndicated radio program Countdown
Country USA, confirmed to Music Row magazine that he plans to
start his own publication.”
Note: Helton appeared before the arts policy forum to discuss the
radio industry. He characterized various ratings systems and detailed
how such information affected all aspects of the radio industry, from
playlists to formats to songwriters.
The Tennessean, 08/16/06
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060816/BUSINESS01/60816001
Curb Center News Brief is a service of Vanderbilt's Curb Center for Art,
Enterprise and Public Policy. This report is intended to provide you with
a summary of recent news items relating to cultural policy. Please feel
free to contact me with comments and suggestions. I will be glad to add
(or remove) names to this distribution list.
Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy
Vanderbilt University
750 First St., N.E., Suite 1110
Washington, DC 20002
phone: 202-216-4368
fax: 202-216-912
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