Universal Music Group says it has made “industry-first strategic agreements” to “settle copyright infringement litigation” with AI startup Udio and license music for a new AI-powered music platform. The move is one of several anticipated licensing deals expected to land in the next few weeks as the sector grapples with how to handle AI. The […]
There are only a handful of albums that I think qualify as genuinely scary. You Won’t Get What You Want by Daughters, and Swans To Be Kind both immediately come to mind. But those records come with… let’s say, baggage. I’ve Seen All I Need to See lacks some of the atmospheric spookiness of To […]
Pitchfork is going full midlife crisis mode, experimenting with user-generated content, adding comments (when much of the web is moving away from them), and dropping absolutely deranged best-of lists. Like most of the media industry, Pitchfork has struggled in recent years as audiences have shifted towards influencers on social media and advertising revenue has dried […]
The recently-rumored AI partnership between Spotify and the major record labels is now a reality. The streaming service announced today that it’s entering into an agreement with Sony Music Group, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Merlin, and Believe to develop “responsible AI products.” Unfortunately, your guess is as good as ours as to what […]
Spotify is developing a new “SongDNA” feature that lets users explore music through the people behind it — from writers and producers to vocalists and engineers.
Spotify’s AI DJ now takes text commands and accepts Spanish-language music requests by voice.
If the only thing Roland ever released was the TR-808, the company would still deserve a place in the music gear hall of fame. The 808 is arguably the most important instrument since the creation of the electric guitar. It’s been a cornerstone of hip-hop, electronic, and pop music for 45 years now, used by […]
Spotify has found itself the target of artists’ ire for many reasons over the years: poor audio quality, terrible payouts, giving Joe Rogan millions of dollars… the list goes on. But recently it’s been CEO and founder Daniel Ek’s extracurricular activities that have been cause for consternation. Over the past few months his funding of […]
In August 2002, I was probably back-to-school shopping with my mom at our local mall, bouncing from store to store for backpacks, socks, and a first-day-of-school outfit. Gap was no doubt one of our stops – and thanks to Michael Bise, I now know what music was playing as we browsed. When Bise first started […]
Universal Music and Warner Music, record labels whose catalogs include Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Charli XCX, are within weeks of striking licensing deals that could redefine how the music industry handles the AI era, according to the Financial Times. Talks are underway with tech heavyweights like Google and Spotify and a slew of AI […]