CHRISTOS MAKRIDIS culture
Management

Why Forbes Is Paying Attention to CM Culture Management—and the Economics of Culture

CM Culture Management was recently featured in Forbes in an article examining the return on investment of culture and the structural realities behind brand–artist collaborations. The coverage signals something important: culture is no longer being discussed as an abstract value or a communications tool, but as an economic system that either works—or quietly fails.

That distinction matters.

At CM Culture Management, our work begins where most cultural conversations stop. We are not interested in celebrating creativity without interrogating the conditions under which it is produced, distributed, and sustained. The question is not whether culture matters—we all know it does: we like beautiful clothes, captivating scenery, and classy architecture. The question is whether it is being managed.

Culture Is Not a Vibe

One of the central themes highlighted in Forbes is that creative value increasingly outpaces the systems designed to protect it. This is not unique to brands or marketing. It is the defining condition of the cultural sector.

For decades, the arts have operated under a paradox: extraordinary talent, global demand, and institutional prestige—paired with declining real wages, chronic inefficiency, and fragile career paths. These are not moral failures. They are design failures.

CM Culture Management approaches culture as an operating system: a set of rules, incentives, workflows, and economic assumptions that determine outcomes regardless of intent.

What CM Culture Management Actually Does

Our work is often misunderstood as advisory or symbolic, but it is insanely practical and fundamental.

1. Repositioning Artists as Economic Actors

Artists are routinely expected to function as independent contractors without being given the tools required to survive as independent economic units.

We address this directly by equipping artists with:

• Financial literacy relevant to international careers
  
• Contract comprehension and negotiation capability
  
• Cash flow and risk management skills
  

This is not about commercializing art. It is about preventing systemic exploitation through ignorance.

2. Reducing Structural Waste in Cultural Institutions

One of the least discussed failures in cultural organizations is capital destruction disguised as tradition. “You just spent maybe a tenth of your annual budget on a stage, and you’re just throwing it away,” Dr. Makridis said.

We encounter cases where:

• Bespoke stages are built for single productions and discarded
  
• Significant portions of annual budgets are consumed without reuse planning
  
• Decisions are made for prestige rather than sustainability
  

CM Culture Management intervenes at the design stage—introducing lifecycle thinking, reuse strategies, and economic accountability without compromising artistic intent.

3. Treating Culture as a Measurable Asset

Culture influences productivity, retention, innovation, reputation, and long-term organizational resilience. Yet it is rarely governed with the seriousness applied to other strategic assets. “There’s just better decisions that can be made. And so we are trying to show how it can be done,” Dr. Makridis said.

Our work reframes culture as:

• Something that can be designed, not hoped for
  
• Something that produces returns, not just meaning
  
• Something that must be aligned with governance, finance, and leadership behavior
  

Why This Matters Beyond the Arts

What Forbes surfaced is not an arts-only problem. The same dynamics now appear in brand ecosystems, creator economies, and corporate culture more broadly:

• Value creation without proportional protection
  
• Symbolic support without structural backing
  
• Short-term optics replacing long-term systems
  

The arts simply reached this breaking point earlier.

CM Culture Management exists to translate those lessons into repeatable, scalable frameworks for organizations that claim culture as a competitive advantage.

Culture does not fail because people do not care. It fails because no one was accountable for how it worked. That is the gap CM Culture Management was built to close.

CM Culture is thrilled to announce the release of “O Holy Night,” the first single from Living Opera’s new album Radio Days: The Golden Age of American Song. Featuring soprano Soula Parassidis and tenor Norman Reinhardt, the project marks a new phase in their recording and touring strategy under CM Culture’s management. Distributed through Universal Music Group, the single opens a campaign designed to position operatic voices within a broader contemporary entertainment market.

Creative Team and Artistic Direction

Produced by Grammy nominated songwriter Jeff Trott and arranged by Oscar winning pianist and orchestrator Patrick Warren, Radio Days brings Parassidis and Reinhardt’s international stage experience into a setting shaped by American song and early broadcast traditions. The album blends classical technique with the storytelling and orchestral language of the radio era, creating a sound that appeals to both classical and non classical listeners.

Why O Holy Night Leads the Release

“O Holy Night” was chosen as the debut single because of its historic significance in American media. On Christmas Eve 1906, inventor Reginald Fessenden broadcast what is widely recognized as the first radio program from Brant Rock, Massachusetts. During that transmission he performed “O Holy Night,” surprising ship operators who expected only Morse code. The moment revealed radio’s capacity to carry music and human expression across distance, setting the stage for how audiences would experience sound in the decades that followed.

Connecting to American Musical Heritage

By opening the album with “O Holy Night,” Living Opera draws a direct line from that first broadcast to the evolution of American listening habits. The release connects a familiar work with a landmark moment in the nation’s cultural and technological history, framing Radio Days as both a musical project and a tribute to the early forces that shaped American entertainment.

Looking Ahead

Timed in advance of the United States two hundred fiftieth anniversary, Radio Days will continue with additional singles and a national performance series suited for orchestras, festivals, broadcast partners, and civic events. Presenters, producers, and industry partners interested in booking, licensing, or collaboration opportunities may contact CM Culture for materials, availability, and project information.

A new milestone: Living Opera is distributed by Universal Music Group.

CM Culture Management is proud to mark this milestone for our client Living Opera. With this development, Living Opera continues to grow as a creative studio that brings classical performance into conversation with contemporary sound and creative storytelling.

Living Opera’s Creative Direction
Living Opera develops original recordings, multimedia projects, and live performances that blend classical technique with modern artistic approaches. The studio focuses on work that connects music, narrative, and culture for audiences across generations.

New Music on the Horizon
The first single arrives on November 28 and comes from Living Opera’s upcoming project Radio Days. This release introduces a new series of recordings that explore the musical landscape of the early American broadcasting era ahead of the US250 celebrations in 2026.

About CM Culture Management
CM Culture Management represents artists and creative ventures that bridge classical performance and contemporary media. Through strategic development, production support, and brand building, CM Culture helps artists expand their reach while maintaining their full artistic vision. We are thrilled for Living Opera and can't wait to see what this new chapter holds!