Local and Industry News

A study by researchers at the University of London found that thirty percent of professional musicians have battled eating disorders.

The study noted that musicians have severe levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, and that soloists suffer more than those working in groups. An earlier study by Help Musicians UK also found that sixty percent of musicians have suffered from a psychological issue, and fifty percent have had problems with alcohol abuse.

A study by the University of Kent found that those that attend and participate in the arts are more likely to donate to charity and do volunteer work. A 2012 study of Americans also found that those who attend arts events are more tolerant, charitable, and civic-minded.

The Americans for the Arts has released Arts and Economic Prosperity 5, showing the economic impact of the arts in local communities. Total arts industry expenditures, by organizations and audiences, were $4.6 billion in Florida, with $345 million in Palm Beach County, $414 million in Broward County, and $1.4 billion in Miami-Dade. The arts support 72,108 full-time equivalent jobs paying $1.96 billion in household income in Florida.

Gloria Estefan will become the first Cuban American and the fourth Latina artist to be recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors. Estefan has won seven Grammys and received, with her husband Emilio, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.

King County (Washington) voters have rejected a 0.1 percent sales tax for the arts by a vote of 55 to 45. The tax revenue would have been used to provide free and low-cost admissions to the arts and expanded the arts into underserved and suburban and rural areas of the community.

Musicians Andrew Snitzer and Paul Livant have filed a class-action lawsuit against the American Federation of Musicians and Employers Pension Fund, claiming that trustees have breached their fiduciary duties under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. The suit seeks the appointment of an independent fiduciary to administer the fund and manage its assets.

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The AFM has reached agreement with American Public Media and Minnesota Public Radio on a new three year agreement. The new contract includes wage increases of 2.5 percent each year and new media provisions that establish residual payments and use fees for interactive digital services such as YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu.

SAG-AFTRA members have ratified a new three-year contract covering theatrical, primetime, and basic cable programs. The new agreement raises wages 2.5 to 3 percent each year and increases residual payments by more than 300 percent for content streaming on new media such as Netflix and Amazon.

Disney is pulling content from Netflix at the conclusion of its licensing deal in 2019. Disney will then relaunch its content on its own subscription service, eliminating the middleman and selling content directly to customers.

AMC Entertainment stock fell 27 percent on reports of declining attendance at its 1,000 cinemas. Current quarter losses are expected to be near $180 million. As of July 31, ticket sales in North America are down 4.9 percent since last year, and the U.S. box office is down 4.4 percent.

North Miami has announced a new incentive program for filming within city limits. Filming done in the city's redevelopment area is eligible for a 30 percent reimbursement of filing costs, up to $50,000, to be paid by the city or the redevelopment agency. Productions with high budgets may be eligible for waivers of fees for off-duty police or reservations at public spaces. Shows such as USA Network's Burn Notice and HBO's Ballers have been filmed in North Miami.

Congress has proposed the Transparency in Music Licensing and Ownership Act, which would create a global, centralized music database to ensure that every artist receives credit when their performances are streamed. This proposed database competes with databases recently proposed by both the performing rights organizations ASCAP and BMI and by industry representatives RIAA and NMPA.

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Palm Beach Opera has announced the creation of three new positions and a staff promotion. Natalie Parker has been promoted to Individual and Planned Giving Manager. Alexandria Richter will fill a the newly created position of Individual Giving and Grants Manager position, Alyse Landers Keller will fill the newly created position of Special Events and Corporate Relations Manager, and PBO Teaching Artist Abbey Ward will fill the newly created position of Education and Community Engagement Associate.

Daniel Lipton has resigned as artistic director of Opera Tampa. Lipton, the Opera's second artistic director since the company's founding in 1995, has served as artistic director for the past five years, and will be moving on to other projects.

Musicians of the Louisville Symphony have ratified a new three-year agreement. The agreement raises wages five percent in year one and three percent in each of years two and three. The agreement also increases the season length by one week in year two and restores one position each year, to a total of 58 musicians in year three.

The Jacksonville Symphony will perform four concerts at Daily's Place in the upcoming season. Daily's Place, which opened in May 2017, is a 5,500-seat amphitheater and home to the Jacksonville Jaguars practice facility. The first concert will feature music of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone performed to the accompaniment of the film.

The Florida Orchestra is celebrating its 50th anniversary with Sting. The world-renowned musician will perform with the Orchestra at their 50th Gala concert on December 9.

Symphonic Music for San Antonio will be taking over operations of the San Antonio Symphony on September 1. The Symphony Society of San Antonio, founded in 1939, will cease operations as the new nonprofit takes over. The new organization intends to continue operations as planned, including producing the already-announced season and negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with musicians.

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