Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web:
Canada’s Indigenous artists launch their own streaming brand: Specialized streaming music services have become a way to reach niche audiences by genre. The latest is a new platform called TR1BE. It’s owned by and focused on Canada’s Indigenous musicians, and will host their works for free. This service is designed to offer Indigenous artists better exposure and payments than other traditional streaming platforms.
New HBO subscription app will include podcasts: When HBO Max launches in the spring, it will have more than just the premium cable channel’s TV shows. The $15-a-month subscription app will have 10,000 hours of HBO programming, licensed movies and shows, and podcasts. The audio shows on the app will include a podcast about the HBO show Chernobyl. Many producers of visual entertainment have been releasing companion shows as another outlet for reaching fans.
Denim jackets get smart: We’ve seen smart home technology get added to just about every gadget imaginable, and the next phase appears to be wearables. And some of them are happening with big-name brands. Google collaborated with Levi’s to make a jacket that can control music playback through the user’s gestures. A small gadget slips into the cuff of the denim jacket can activate conductive fibers in the sleeve.