culture
It’s hard to talk about “masterpieces” because the concept trades on a theory of aesthetics that is controversial when spelled out (aesthetic value realism; maybe even a kind of Platonism about beauty) and difficult to defend, but which we all nevertheless subscribe to intuitively.
The Cultural Decline of Literary Fiction
Spotify has already learned that there’s no money to be made with exclusive rights to superstar offerings. “After pouring billions into podcasts and audiobooks to little effect,” explains tech journalist David Pierce, “it seems to have largely given up on the idea that exclusive content is the path to riches.”
The more profitable move is to... See more
The more profitable move is to... See more
Ted Gioia • Nobody Will Tell You the Ugly Reason Apple Acquired a Classical Music Label
The size of the effect is astounding. Cross-class friendships are a better predictor of upward mobility than school quality, job availability, community cohesion or family structure. If these results are true, then we have largely ignored a powerful way to help people realise the American dream.
David Brooks • Why rich friends are so important to success
If Apple wanted to offer exclusive music, they would cut a deal with Taylor Swift. They have the cash to do it. They wouldn’t waste time on locking up Kalevi Aho. That’s so obvious I shouldn’t even have to say it, but (given all the smoke and mirrors here), I really do.
So we’re clearly dealing with the bad Apple here. And the fact that the company... See more
So we’re clearly dealing with the bad Apple here. And the fact that the company... See more
Ted Gioia • Nobody Will Tell You the Ugly Reason Apple Acquired a Classical Music Label
The Healing Power of Nature and Beauty: Florence Nightingale on Expediting Recovery from Illness and Burnout
Maria Popovathemarginalian.orgSylvia Plath on Living with the Darkness and Making Art from the Barely Bearable Lightness of Being
Maria Popovathemarginalian.org
“We have to overcome some legal hurdles, but we could unionize musicians tomorrow,” DeFrancesco said. “SAG is like an alternate history for musicians. We’ve done all this before and won, just not within recent memory.”
Some musicians are in fact unionized. The American Federation of Musicians, with 80,000 members in the U.S. and Canada, collectively... See more
Some musicians are in fact unionized. The American Federation of Musicians, with 80,000 members in the U.S. and Canada, collectively... See more