AIPAC’s Post

If anyone is interested , please sign this petition to urge the Birmingham City Council to reverse the savage cuts to funding to the Arts in Birmingham. Some of Birmingham's best loved arts and cultural attractions face cuts to their grant funding from the city council. There will be a cut to ALL funding for culture projects and local arts development, including the support for 10 local arts forums. City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra B'ham REP Theatre B'ham Royal Ballet IKON Gallery B'ham Opera Company FABRIC Sampad Ex Cathedra & Legacy Centre of Excellence B:Music Birmingham International Dance Festival will lose its £350,000 funding Funding to attract tourism will also be cut by £25,000. Many of my peers and friends work for the above list. Utterly devastated 💔 According to Arts Council England, arts and culture contribute more than £10.8 billion a year to the UK economy (source: Arts Council England). In addition, for every £1 invested in arts and culture, an additional £1.06 is generated in the economy (source: Centre for Economics Business Research). This clearly shows that investing in arts organisations is not just about preserving culture; it's also economically beneficial https://lnkd.in/eUcdtAY5

This is one of the highlights of the last year for me, both personally and professionally. It's basically the mission of ONE2 1TWO encapsulated in a short video.

Wondering how music transforms lives? It transforms in many ways that you could ever imagine. I've seen the magic of music and its healing power. That’s the beauty of it. You don’t have to be a professional musician to reap the benefits of music. Let me share with you how it transformed lives and how it can transform yours too. To read my article, click on this link https://rb.gy/e6xbbu and get your FREE access to Empowering Humanity Magazine™ Now!

Spotlight on Tomoko Naoe, Director of Policy for Japan at BSA!   Tomoko joined BSA | The Software Alliance after studying English literature and gaining experience in the music industry. Her favorite part about BSA is engaging with various stakeholders, from member company representatives to government officials.   Growing up between Japan and the United States, Tomoko developed a love for contemporary art and enjoys visiting museums and galleries in her spare time.   Read Tomoko’s art-filled Spotlight below: https://lnkd.in/eBZcnFF5

Global Appeal to Musicians: Make a Difference Again! In times of crisis, music has always been a powerful force for change. Remember Live Aid and “We Are the World”? These events not only united musicians from around the globe but also mobilized millions and brought hope and aid to those in need. Today, we face new crises with suffering and pain being ignored in Ukraine and Palestine. It’s time to remember the transformative power of our art and unite once more. Let’s raise the voices and instruments to demand action and justice. Music can be a beacon of hope and an irresistible force for change. If every artist joins this cause, we can create a wave of solidarity that cannot be ignored. Share this message, use your talent to inspire and mobilize. Let’s show that when music comes together for a common purpose, it can truly make a difference. We are united in this fight. Let’s use the power of music to turn lament into action and indifference into hope. #musicforpeace #UnitedByMusic

Deadline 2025 is upon us. What is it? It is the date at which the combination of dying magnetic media and the long outdated and ageing equipment capable of reading it jointly shut the door in being able to capture history on magnetic media any more. End of the recovery of much of the events, performances, records of the second half of the 29th Century? History matters This evening a Society of Archivists meet in ACMI to mark this sad day. I will be contributing reporting succinctly on one of the few major successes in meeting this deadline with 210gb of high quality original performances of classical music performances from that era with complete documentation: all done totally at zero cost to anyone but private individuals(stage1 only is at https://lnkd.in/dw3_8_aR) An occasion for celebration? No: not a single University of State Library has expressed any interest at all in hosting this (largely publicly accessible) collection..no HASS library or archival funding has bothered to even look at this type of immediately usable and playable resource-even Conservatoriums of Music! I have posted separately on how the myopic LLMs ( https://lnkd.in/gzuv34qn) currently simply can’t sensibly handle pre 21c events and hallucinate over them! Do we understand the significance of history? Even outstanding performances of music, playable again in such collections, are even dismissed as “having a half life”! Yes I have this on record! Even in recent years I’d be reluctant to dismiss Daniel Barenboim and Jacquiline Du Pre performances so cavalierly (yes I heard them live in 20c) I also conserve my treasured vinyl LPs/EPs/singles (and my vast computer floppies!) but they too are fading Time to digitise and keep on RAID5 servers on an update cycle for them all(yes of course I have done so)and to think carefully about stabilising any long term cloud holdings as well Hail and Farewell to the Deadline 2025 and the dying of the light(or maybe sound-its not only mag tapes!) https://lnkd.in/gYwY6gGV is at https://lnkd.in/gU9xWwur)

Let's talk about something we all love—MUSIC! 🎶 Did you know that the right beats can skyrocket your productivity? Whether you're grinding through a tough project or brainstorming your next big idea, the perfect playlist can make all the difference. Here are some tips to tune your workday: Instrumentals for Focus: Lyrics can be distracting. Try instrumental tracks or classical music for deep concentration. I have personally been obsessed with this instrumental: https://lnkd.in/gSGDu74w !!!!!🎻 Upbeat Tunes for Energy: Need a pick-me-up? Upbeat, fast-paced music can boost your energy and keep you motivated. Think pop, rock, or dance tracks. 🕺 Nature Sounds for Relaxation: Feeling stressed? Nature sounds or ambient music can create a calm environment and help you relax. 🌿 Personal Favorites for a Mood Lift: Sometimes, all you need is your favorite song to lift your spirits and get you back on track. 🎤 I'd love to know—what's your go-to work music? Share your favorite tracks or playlists in the comments below!🎧👇 #Productivity #MusicAtWork #WorkSmart #MotivationMonday #LinkedInFam

I've written today in the Evening Standard about the difficulty of securing sufficient capital investment for those of us in the performing arts sector who are required to manage important, beautiful, heritage buildings. The issues facing us at the Southbank Centre are big and urgent, but many other heritage performing arts venues are also struggling to keep their venues relevant and fit for purpose. Many of us operate in historically significant and iconic buildings. In our case, the Royal Festival Hall (just one of our venues) is a Grade One listed postmodern masterpiece. It's also the only remaining symbol of the 1951 Festival of Britain and it will be 75 years old in 2026. It hasn't received any capital investment since 2008 and it desperately needs attention. Those performing arts organisations funded by Arts Council England (like us) don't receive any funding for the upkeep of their buildings. The funds we do receive are solely for the production of our artistic programmes: the plays, concerts, gigs and events we present and produce. The first ever Chair of the Arts Council of Great Britain, John Maynard Keynes, made it clear that the body would never be able to afford to contribute to the arts sector’s capital needs on a regular basis. There has never been a consistent, reliable and sensible solution to the issue for performing arts venues that Maynard Keynes identified. We need a coherent investment plan that will help the Arts and Heritage sector across the UK. Many of us are very willing to match fund through fundraising any public funding we receive, so that we maximise the public pound in the sort of public/private partnerships that we're all very well equipped to deliver. We all care very much about the extraordinary buildings we look after and are united in wanting the very best for our heritage and arts sectors. Harnessed, this creative energy could help provide the solutions, if the Government would join us at the table to close the gap that John Maynard Keynes identified all those years ago. 

What’s Up: Here are three cultural things to listen to or watch. https://lnkd.in/d3qyPiB5

good Economist article about two Arab-Israeli joint orchestras, meant to promote understanding and peace. Some may dismiss this as naive or ignoring the real issues, but I'm increasingly convinced that grand Israel-Palestine peace deals will never work; only small-scale, face-to-face encounters will bring peace. https://lnkd.in/eWGR9e5w #israelpalestineconflict #peacebuilding