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"YOU'VE COTT MAIL"
As a life-long news junkie, I've
always enjoyed reading a wide range of news sources. Since the mid-1990s, I've offered a FREE electronic 'clipping service'
for friends who don't have the same time or inclination to search the Web. On most weekdays, after scanning dozens of
news outlets, blogs and more, I email a digest containing a handful of articles about arts and culture that I think people
on the list would not have otherwise seen.
The distribution of "You've Cott
Mail" has grown exponentially and it now has a readership of thousands of arts professionals and others interested in
the arts. If you're interested in receiving "You've Cott
Mail" each weekday morning, please enter your email address in the form below.
Note: it is important that you add thomas.cott@verizon.net to your email server's
"Safe Senders" list to insure proper delivery of "You've Cott Mail."
Browse an archive of past editions of "You've Cott Mail" by clicking
this button:
If you prefer, you can follow You've Cott Mail on Twitter, where I post
a link to each YCM email -- as well as additional stories that don't fit into the themes of the email editions. Follow
@youvecottmail here:
What people are saying about You've Cott Mail
(thanks, everyone!)...
"Thomas Cott, a long-time New York based arts administrator....is
someone I listen to a lot, though it’s not necessarily his own voice he’s promoting. He provides a daily
free e-mail news bulletin service called You’ve Cott Mail that provides an invaluable digest of arts stories he’s
trawled online about various arts topics, that he usefully links by theme. It’s like having someone incredibly well-informed
whispering in your ear about what to read. And in a recent blog posting for arts administrators called Barry’s Blog, Cott was named in this year’s list of the 50 most powerful and influential people in the non-profit arts in the US.
According to the blog, Cott’s 'blog is widely read because of the convenience it provides in amassing various perspectives
on important issues. Cott does the work for us, and when he picks a topic, people take note of, and focus on,
what he has gathered. More influential in determining people’s thinking than he might imagine.' Bravo,
indeed!" —Mark Shenton, August 31, 2012 on his Shenton's View blog for The Stage [UK]
"I’m interested in [You've Cott Mail] because it doesn’t just
cover music, and we musicians can learn from our brethren in other areas of the arts world. The other interesting thing to
me is he doesn’t editorialize. He collects articles and blogs from all over the web and presents similar content under
a theme or title. We’re in an information age. There is a lot of information out there at our disposal, but the problem
is often locating it. With “You’ve Cott Mail” you will know immediately if the day’s articles cover
topics of interest to you. Check it out and see for yourself." -- Ray Ricker, January 24, 2012 on his blog
"...if you aren't familiar with [Thomas Cott's] You've Cott Mail blog, he curates -- on a DAILY basis -- thematic
entries on a given subject. The amount of work it takes to do what he does is mind boggling. Perhaps only Doug McLennan's
Arts Journal is more ambitious. I've been meaning to plug him for a long time. You really should subscribe to Cott's blog.
I am a huge fan. While every posting may not interest you, I guarantee you that you will find much to stimulate your
thinking over the course of a month. This is one of my favorite blogs." -- Barry Hessenius, January 8, 2012, on his WESTAF Blog
"...the indispensable 'You’ve Cott Mail', a digest of
arts news from throughout the English-speaking world..." —posted April 26, 2011 on the blog of WBEZ-FM [Chicago Public Radio]
"[My] interview was picked up by Thomas Cott in his daily email digest You've Cott Mail for Women’s History Month. I’ve been a loyal reader and fan
for over a year, and admit I let out an audible squeal when I saw my interview listed as recommended reading right
above an interview with Helen Mirren. Fierce female producers do, in fact, blush." —Manda Martin,
March 13, 2011 on the Vicious Bear Productions blog
"You've Cott Mail is a great clipping service for nonprofit news.
I find lots of useful stuff almost every day. You can follow Thomas Cott on Twitter: @youvecottmail"
—posted February 28, 2011 by Clay Myers-Bowman on his blog
"Once again, I have to thank Thomas Cott for his daily email
'You've Cott Mail' for the heads up on this discussion. Sometimes it seems I'd be completely cut off here in my Appalachian
shack if it weren't for my morning dose of YCM." —posted February 1, 2011 by Uke Jackson on his blog The Unknown Playwright
"Now comes the good stuff – brought [to] my inbox by Thomas Cott – the best arts news/happenings
curator..." —posted September 28, 2010 by Sarah Niblack on her blog The Culture Administration
"Many thanks to Thomas Cott for providing food for thought each day..." —posted
July 21, 2010 by Stephanie Kulke on her blog Kickstart Marketing
'About two weeks ago my boss...forwarded me an email. At the time, I didn't think much of it, it was a suggestion to sign-up
for e-newsletters from Thomas Cott. The newsletter dealt with issues of the Arts Management world, from opera, to theatre,
regional, to touring-houses, raising money, and e-marketing. It's a bundle of business information tailored perfectly for
Arts Administration. If you're even remotely interested in Arts Management, I highly suggest signing up for it."—posted June 25, 2010 by R.S. Coffee on the blog VTA: Behind The Curtain
"For the past several
years, my morning coffee companion has been 'You've Cott Mail,' a daily roundup of the very latest arts industry news distilled into a simple email, readable in under five minutes. In my
opinion, any professional in the performing arts should view it as their Daily Variety – vital for staying abreast
of industry news and trends." —posted May 12, 2010 by Ciara Pressler on the Fractured Atlas blog
"Where I get my theater news. If you enjoyed yesterday's blog, then
you shouldn't thank me. You should thank Mr. Thomas Cott... He's an incredibly dedicated believer in spreading ideas and information
in order to encourage education, which by its nature encourages change. [He] runs a news clipping service called
'You've Cott Mail,' where he serves up a handful of the day's most interesting arts related articles from publications, blogs,
newsletters, etc. from around the globe... YCM is a like a vegetable that tastes like french fries. It's oh-so-good
for you and should be consumed daily, but it also tastes great going down.... Consuming news in the 21st century is not like
it used to be when you had one paper, or one TV channel. The best news sources are like giant buffets, serving up dishes
of all different types and temperatures from all over the world. 'You've Cott Mail' [is one] of the best buffets
in town. And I gorge myself every day."
—posted
April 9, 2010 by Ken Davenport on his blog The Producer's Perspective
"Is Thomas Cott the Steven Colbert of arts administrators? I
ask, only half in jest, based on the similarities between the much lauded Colbert Bump and our own recently experienced Cott
Bump. The Colbert Bump is the hypothesis that politicians experience a 'bump' in their popularity immediately after appearing
on the Stephen Colbert show. Thomas Cott curates 'You've Cott Mail', an invaluable
aggregate of the weekday's most important arts related news. Yesterday, he featured a post of ours, and we experienced the
second highest ever number of hits on our website and blog, aka, The Cott Bump. I
jestingly bring up this Cott Bump to make a slightly more serious point: this Bump is second only to the previous record of
hits established when the New York Times published their positive review of Pretty Theft. I think this is fascinating - that
an email listserv administered by one dedicated advocate could drive nearly as many people (502 vs 616) to our work as the
Paper of Record. Of
course, the Times review was significant in that it translated directly into tickets sales, something the Cott Bump has not
(yet!) done. But in the ongoing discussion of how we reach new audiences, I thought this was worth sharing. And to return the bump...why
not sign up for 'You've Cott Mail'?"
—posted October 6, 2009 by August Schulenberg on the Flux Theatre Ensemble's blog
"If you’re interested in the business side of show
business, and you like news story aggregation, you should absolutely sign up."
"Mr. Cott’s brief five- or six-link daily dispatches, culled from
blogs, major media sources and industry journals, thoughtfully curated and carefully excerpted to provide
a quick read, give me a quick heads-up and provide me with plenty to explore as time allows. I highly recommend that you subscribe."
"Does everyone know about the fantastic daily newsletter
'You've Cott Mail'? If not, I highly recommend getting yourself on the mailing list." —posted January 20, 2009 by Amanda Ameer on her ArtsJournal.com blog "Life's A Pitch"
"Each weekday I receive an email that highlights a handful of arts-related
stories captured from the internet. The stories are culled and distributed by Thomas Cott...a much-admired, New York-based
arts administrator, currently director of marketing for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. When he was marketing director
for Lincoln Center [Theater], I wanted his job. Not so much anymore. I just want the
email." —posted January 20, 2009 by Robert Sweibel on the Berkeley Rep blog
"Subscribe to 'You've Cott Mail.' Thomas Cott has a profoundly useful
service where he emails you the day's top arts related stories. It's a great way to stay informed."
"Big thanks to Thomas Cott for the great daily dose of news
bits of what’s happening in the Broadway and live entertainment biz with [his] amazing newsletter." —Damian Bazadona, Situation Marketing, September 2008
"Fun Stuff: If you don’t already subscribe to Thomas
Cott’s 'You've Cott Mail,' it’s a useful daily digest of arts news that is informative
and manageable."
"Some of you may have seen this video since it went viral beginning of
last year. I encountered it only today via great art and culture blogger Thomas Cott's daily You’ve Cott Mail bulletin
(I highly recommend signing up for his great daily emails)."
—posted April 2008 on the blog 'Because It's Our Prerogative'
"Every day at work I receive a gift in my Microsoft Outlook:
a daily recap of the biggest stories in the arts and theater world compiled by one Thomas Cott, who used to be our marketing
consultant. This little electronic jewel is entitled 'You've Cott Mail.' (get it?)"
—posted February 2008 on the blog 'What Was All That One In A Million Talk?'
"Thomas Cott has had an incredible career for someone still in his 40’s
– he has been involved with over fifty shows on Broadway, and more than fifty shows in off-Broadway and regional theaters.
Funnily enough, he is now as well known (almost) for a daily email that he sends called 'You’ve Cott Mail,' a digest
of articles published online that has virally grown to be an enormous resource for arts professionals in
the U.S."
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