Podcast, Art Meets Tech, Media
Yao Pei
The Algorithms in Your Ears: Looking Into the ...

In this episode of the Arts Management and Technology Lab, Samantha Childers explores why so many songs recommended by streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music sound strikingly similar. She breaks down the inner workings of music streaming algorithms—how metadata, collaborative filtering, content-based filtering, and continuous feedback loops collectively shape the “perfect playlist.” Childers also examines Spotify features such as Discover Weekly and Discovery Mode, uncovering how these tools influence music discovery, artist visibility, and even compositional trends as musicians increasingly write with algorithms in mind. Alongside these technical insights, she raises critical ethical questions about data privacy, algorithmic bias, pay-to-play practices, and the shrinking role of human curation. Ultimately, the episode invites listeners to rethink how algorithm-driven platforms shape not only what we hear but also how we discover, value, and experience music.

The Algorithms in Your Ears: Looking Into the making of your music feeds
Podcast, Digital Futures, Art Meets Tech
Yao Pei
Ludus: a Ticket Selling Platform Changing the ...

In this episode of the Arts Management and Technology Lab, Andrew Wolverton and Zachary Collins explore how arts-focused technology can transform nonprofit ticketing and operations, tracing Ludus’s journey from a side project for a single high school musical to a nationwide platform serving more than 4,000 organizations. Collins explains how Ludus was built from the ground up around the real needs of drama teachers and community theaters, growing into an end-to-end system for ticketing, fundraising, marketing, volunteers, and concessions—while staying anchored in a people-first culture summed up by the company’s core value, “Give a Shit.” He reflects on navigating the COVID-19 shutdown through livestreaming and social-distancing tools, choosing the right growth equity partner, and why he believes AI shouldn’t replace arts workers but instead act as a “superpower” that frees them to focus on human-centered work and shared live experiences.

Ludus: a Ticket Selling Platform Changing the Game
Podcast, Entertainment, Digital Futures, Artificial Intelligence
Yao Pei
Michael Cioni on Ingenuity and the Future of ...

In this episode of the Arts Management and Technology Lab, Alexann Sharp and Cara Flannery sit down with four-time Emmy-winning innovator Michael Cioni to unpack how technology and creativity converge in modern media workflows. Cioni introduces Strada, a peer-to-peer platform designed to enable remote collaboration without cloud storage, and shares career lessons on building networks through industry events (NAB, Cine Gear, IBC) and assembling complementary teams (“Swiss-cheese” collaboration). He distinguishes generative vs. utilitarian AI, predicts a shakeout and rebound for GenAI, and outlines his Skills Gap Principle and “Technative” mindset for balancing creative and technical strengths. The conversation closes with candid advice on taking smarter risks and betting on yourself.

Michael Cioni on Ingenuity and the Future of Entertainment
Podcast, Art Meets Tech, Digital Futures, Creative Coding
Yao Pei
The Art of Language: Daniel Temkin Reveals The ...

In this episode of the Arts Management and Technology Lab, Daniel Temkin and Luna Lu discussed the artistic possibilities of code, focusing on esoteric programming languages (esolangs) and how they can function as a medium for art and human expression. Temkin explained that his interest began with experimenting in existing esolangs (like Brainfuck) around 2007-2008, leading him to create his own and document them conceptually, moving away from overly technical documentation. The conversation highlighted how giving up on the idea that programming must be practical allows for artistic exploration, connecting esolangs to idea art, constraint-based work (such as the Oulipo Group), and performance art. Temkin detailed the structure of his book, which presents programming languages as idea-based art, containing both realized works and conceptual prompts inspired by artists like Yoko Ono, and described how his languages — such as Fat Finger, which inspired code poetry, and Folders, which manipulates file system hierarchy — explore themes of collaboration, human irrationality, and the extreme constraints of logical systems. Listeners were also encouraged to explore existing esolangs on the Esolang Wiki before trying to design their own.

The Art of Language: Daniel Temkin Reveals The Inner Workings of Esolangs
Podcast, Artificial Intelligence, Society, Media, Public Policy
Yao Pei
Politics and Portrayal: The Impact of AI and ...

In this episode of the Arts Management and Technology Lab, Melida Hernandez and Christine Rivera dive into the intersections of technology, identity, and representation in digital spaces and media. Melida explores how AI-based recognition systems, often trained on biased datasets, misclassify transgender and non-binary individuals, which impacts their self-presentation, psychological well-being, and digital agency. Melida also discusses how these technologies replicate real-world prejudices, limiting the fluidity of gender expression online, and highlights the lack of diversity in AI research teams, where women make up only 10–15% of staff. Christine’s research, on the other hand, focuses on how scripted and streaming television depicts motherhood and women’s reproductive choices, connecting these portrayals to broader issues such as policy, workplace inequality, and the “motherhood penalty.” Together, they unpack how media archetypes, algorithmic bias, and social platforms shape public perception and reinforce gender roles, calling for more inclusive storytelling, equitable AI design, and better systemic support for women and marginalized communities.

Politics and Portrayal: The Impact of AI and Our Lives

Art Meets Tech

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Technology in the Arts #56

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Happy holidays, everyone! This episode features a discussion of Twitter and Net Neutrality. Use the following handy-dandy links to follow along:

Cool Sites of the Episode

Brad: UnderwaterSculpture.com Jason: Muppets on YouTube

We'll be taking a short hiatus for the holidays, but we'll return in January with more arts and technology goodness!

Again, special thanks to composer and sound designer Joseph Fosco for providing our new theme song. Learn about Joseph and his work at www.JosephFosco.com.

Reminder - If you have any questions or interesting discussion items, please send them to podcast@technologyinthearts.org.

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Technology in the Arts #55

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Our most recent episode features two listener emails - one from Bill with a tip on a new Facebook tool and one from Margot with a question about the implementation of tech tools in museums for arts education. Also this week, Brad interviews musician Jonathan Coulton about his partnership with Creative Commons.

Use the following handy-dandy links to follow along:

If you missed our first interview with Jonathan Coulton from March, check out episode #38.

Cool Sites of the Episode

Brad: Intersquash.com and Venuem.com Jason: YearbookYourself.com

Again, special thanks to composer and sound designer Joseph Fosco for providing our new theme song. Learn about Joseph and his work at www.JosephFosco.com.

Reminder - If you have any questions or interesting discussion items, please send them to podcast@technologyinthearts.org.

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Technology in the Arts #53

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Our most recent episode features the final two interviews from the 2008 Technology in the Arts National Conference, the third annual Pittsburgh-based conference dedicated exclusively to technology strategy and implementation for artists and arts managers. Special thanks to composer and sound designer Joseph Fosco for providing our new theme song. Learn about Joseph and his work at www.JosephFosco.com.

This episode features interviews with:

For more information about the conference, visit www.TechnologyInTheArts.org/Conference.

Reminder - If you have any questions or interesting discussion items, please send them to podcast@technologyinthearts.org.

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Podcast - Technology in the Arts #53

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Technology in the Arts #52

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Our most recent episode features interviews from the 2008 Technology in the Arts National Conference, the third annual Pittsburgh-based conference dedicated exclusively to technology strategy and implementation for artists and arts managers. Special thanks to composer and sound designer Joseph Fosco for providing our new theme song. Learn about Joseph and his work at www.JosephFosco.com.

This episode features interviews with:

For more information about the conference, visit www.TechnologyInTheArts.org/Conference.

Join us in two weeks for episode #53, which will feature the remaining interviews from the conference.

Reminder - If you have any questions or interesting discussion items, please send them to podcast@technologyinthearts.org.

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Podcast - Technology in the Arts #52

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Technology in the Arts #48

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The Steve Project is a research effort to determine how social tagging can best serve the museum community. Steve is a collaboration of museum professionals that view tagging tools as valuable new mechanisms for describing and accessing museum collections and encouraging visitor engagement with museum objects. Susan Chun and Rob Stein are two of the Steve Project coordinators, and they're Brad's guests this episode.

The song used to close this episode is I'm with Steve Now by thehipcola. The song was downloaded from the Podsafe Music Network, a phenomenal resource for podcasters.

Reminder - If you have any questions or interesting discussion items, please send them to podcast@technologyinthearts.org.

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Podcast - Technology in the Arts #48

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Technology in the Arts #46

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The Brooklyn Museum's photography show Click! A Crowd-Curated Exhibit, running through August 10, let users register and adjudicate work that was accepted as part of a March 2008 open call. The submitting photographers were asked to "consider Brooklyn's transformation over the years, its past and its present, and submit a photograph that captured the 'changing face(s) of Brooklyn.'" Shelley Bernstein, the Museum's manager of information systems and the exhibit's coordinator, is Brad's guest this episode.

The song used in this episode is Standing Inside a Crowd by Gertie Fox. The song was downloaded from the Podsafe Music Network, a phenomenal resource for podcasters.

Reminder - If you have any questions or interesting discussion items, please send them to podcast@technologyinthearts.org.

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Podcast - Technology in the Arts #46

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Technology in the Arts #39

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In our most recent episode, Brad interviews Ben Cameron, program director for the arts at Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF).

Ben Cameron From 1998 until he started with the DDCF in July 2006, Ben served as the executive director of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service organization for not-for-profit theatres. Prior to that appointment, he was active in corporate philanthropy, first as senior program officer at the Dayton Hudson Foundation and subsequently as manager of community relations at Target Stores in Minneapolis.

Ben has taught theatre at the Yale School of Drama, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Virginia Tech, and Columbia University.

Reminder - If you have any questions or interesting discussion items, please send them to podcast@technologyinthearts.org.

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Podcast - Technology in the Arts #39

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Technology in the Arts #38

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In our most recent episode, Brad interviews Jonathan Coulton, an independent musician known by millions of geeks as the guy who wrote the song Still Alive for the award-winning console game Portal. JCoulton

Coulton discusses his use of Creative Commons and other online practices to build a rabid and connected fan base.

Creative Commons allows an artist to apply a standard copyright and then scale back the restrictions. While many musicians and record executives are trying to find ways to lock down their songs, Coulton has found a way to make money giving his music away. (But please... be kind and pay what you can. The guy's good and deserves to eat.)

Check out Coulton's songs here.

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Podcast - Technology in the Arts #38

Reminder - If you have any questions or interesting discussion items, please send them to podcast@technologyinthearts.org.

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Technology in the Arts #30

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Podcast - Technology in the Arts #30

In our most recent episode, Brad and Jason discuss the Writer's Guild of America strike, the new beta version of Joomla!, and Brad's reasons for switching to a Mac... for good.

Use the following handy-dandy links to follow along with the episode:

United Hollywood - Updates on the WGA strike.

Joomla! - Joomla!, an easy-to-use content management system.

DanceJam - DanceJam is still an invite-only beta, but bookmark the site now for future online booty shaking.

Kompoz - A collaborative music composition tool.

Layer Tennis - Graphic artists compete with Photoshop layers.

Reminder - If you have any questions or interesting discussion items, please send them to podcast@technologyinthearts.org.

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Technology in the Arts #25

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Podcast - Technology in the Arts #25

In our most recent episode, Brad and Jason discuss Bjork's never-ending weirdness, the term "bleeding edge," a pixel-based stained glass window and controlling your computer with a Wii-mote.

Use the following handy-dandy links to follow along with the episode:

ReacTable - The tabletop synthesizer.

Sony Reader - Portable reading device that uses a "digital paper" technology.

Photo Scene Completion - A project at Carnegie Mellon to create a new image completion algorithm.

Pixel-Based Stained Glass - Gerhard Richter's stained glass window.

Wii-mote Computer Control - Eric Loyer's Wii-mote computer project.

Technology in the Arts - Check the official site for information on the conference's 2007 programming.

Reminder - If you have any questions or interesting discussion items, please send them to podcast@technologyinthearts.org.