Amazon’s Alexa+ virtual assistant has been conversationally answering user questions since 2014. Now, in a dramatic and consequential upgrade, Alexa+ has been upgraded to allow users to generate a conversational answer staged by AI-generated co-hosts. Continue Reading
Google has supplanted Apple as the world’s most valuable brand, ending Apple’s four-year hold on the top ranking — according to market research company KANTAR. Continue Reading
Media conglomerate Urban One has released earnings for Q1, showing a reduction in the loss column compared to the year-ago Q1. Detail upon detail within. Continue Reading
In this edition of Steve Goldstein’s column, he assesses the goods and bads of AI. It can now generate podcasts at industrial scale, he observes. But after hearing what Gen Z thought of AI-generated shows, one thing is clear: making content is easy — making people care is much harder. “AI lowers the cost of making content, but it does nothing by itself to increase the value of that content to a listener or viewer; if anything, it increases the noise.” Continue Reading
— Meanings (Arielle Nissenblatt)
— Spotify unsurprisingly #1 (Edison Research)
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Spotify has launched a “wrapped”-style feature called Party of the Year(s), inviting subscribers to flash back to their earliest platform listens. It’s part of Spotify’s 20th birthday celebration. Continue Reading
Spotify launched Verified, an authenticity badge which identifies human-created music and distinguishes it from AI generated (and AI influenced) music. Started this month, the intelligence feature works by evaluating different characteristics. Click for details. Continue Reading
“Local digital advertising continues to grow, but at a significantly slower pace.” That is the opening declaration of the Executive Summary in Borrell Associates 24th annual report on local digital advertising. Titled “The Digital Boom Ends, The Battle for Market Share… Continue Reading
Mark Mulligan, Founder and Managing Director of global music-biz authority MIDiA Research, points to an interesting fact in the music industry hierarchy — and announces that his company will add a new size category to define the record industry. Continue Reading
Warner Music and Paramount Pictures have agreed to a partnership arrangement for making theatrical movies about legendary musicians, past and present. The projects will be undertaken in collaboration with those musicians or their estates. Continue Reading
— Acquisitive (Record Industry)
— Best of the New (Podchaser)
— Back in the fray (Bose)
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How long does it take for copyright law to catch up with technology? That question heads a new research paper from The Copyright Society, a 1,000-member nonprofit established in 1953. Authored by Bill Rosenblatt and Howie Singer, authers of “Key Changes: The Ten Times Technology Transformed the Music Industry, the article offers a fascinating narrative and meticulous footnoting. Continue Reading