ArtsJournal's The UnderTow - with Doug McLennan

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the world's largest arts festivals, with over 3 million visitors each August. Last week it announced a series of major reforms to the ways it does business and treats employees and artists. It pledged to work towards lessening its environmental impact, and instituted new rules to "manage the scale" of the festival over the coming years.
It's both a recognition that "bigger" had made Edinburgh a "lesser" experience, and it also says something about where the festival thinks we are after two years of disruption of COVID. How has COVID changed what people want when they decide to put down their screens and go out? We'll explore what Edinburgh thinks it is.

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Oil prices are at a record high. And profits are rolling in. But there's an intriguing phenomenon in the oil industry called "demand destruction." It means when prices get too high for too long, consumers invest in alternatives and don't return. The arts have faced their own version of demand destruction when COVID shut down live performances. Is there anything to be learned from how the oil industry approaches what sounds like an existential threat?

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Many of the world’s largest companies have opted out of traditional retail transactions in favor of subscription models. Whether it’s software, newspapers, movies, TV, or even food, fashion or cars, subscription schemes are becoming a go-to model. And headlines the past few weeks have been full of stories about what’s happening to subscriber-driven companies – Netflix most of all.
So perhaps a slightly awkward question: – given that traditional arts institutions have depended on the subscription ticket model for decades, why are arts subscriptions now in steep decline just as the rest of the world has latched on to them as their ticket forward? Is it the subscription model that’s not working or is it the way the arts do subscriptions? We’ll look into what’s going on with Netflix – perhaps the world’s largest subscription model - and talk about the trends and where they’re pointing.

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This week we have three stories making headlines:

1. First, the story of police in cities in California pulling up in the squad cars on calls and blasting – of all things – Disney songs on their loudspeakers as they investigate, bewildering and aggravating residents. What can they be thinking? https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/04/12/santa-ana-police-disney-music

2. Second, and oddly enough – another Disney story – in which the Governor of Florida declares war on the company, the state’s biggest business and cultural icon, no less –stripping it of its special governing district.

3. Finally – the story of a Texas orchestra that fired its music director ... for conducting his musicians in a concert. https://www.tpr.org/arts-culture/2022-04-19/music-director-speaks-out-about-his-san-antonio-symphony-contract-termination
Thoughts, ideas, reactions? Email us at [email protected]

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ArtsJournal's first podcast, The UnderTow explores the issues and ideas that shape contemporary culture. In this first episode, we talk about the idea behind The UnderTow and look at three culture stories from the past week:

1. Why did the Van Cliburn Piano Competition choose six Russian pianists to compete in this year's competition when cultural institutions around the world are canceling their connections with Russian artists? https://cliburn.org/30-competitors-announced-for-sixteenth-van-cliburn-international-piano-competition/
2. The Mellon Foundation unveils an unconventional new logo. It's unlike any foundation branding you've probably ever seen. https://mellon.org/news-blog/articles/presidents-statement-mellons-new-identity/
3. Are arts organizations heading into the most challenging phase of the pandemic?

Comments? Suggestions? Write to us at [email protected]

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