DGTL

Spotify just announced a feature that could either save the music industry or destroy it. Starting as early as Q1 2027, Spotify Premium subscribers will be able to use AI to transform any participating artist’s song into a completely different version. Turn a folk ballad into a dance track. Make a hip-hop song sound acoustic. Generate a cover where one artist’s voice performs another artist’s song. Remix a pop hit into lo-fi study music. Create the version of your favorite song that only existed in your head until now. The remixes will be uploaded directly to Spotify. They’ll appear in playlists. They’ll count toward the original song’s chart position. And most importantly the original artist will earn royalties every time someone listens to a fan-created remix of their work. Spotify has already signed a landmark licensing deal with Universal Music Group the world’s largest record label. Negotiations with Sony Music and Warner Music are ongoing. The feature will cost an additional $4–$5/month on top of Spotify Premium. And analysts project 7–8% of American subscribers will adopt it by 2028. This is not Suno or Udio generating music from text prompts. This is fans remixing real songs by real artists with the artists’ permission, on the world’s largest streaming platform, with royalties flowing back to the creators. A music industry analyst who’s covered streaming economics for 15 years told her team something after reading the licensing agreement that reframed how she understood the future of recorded music. “Spotify just turned 640 million listeners into 640 million potential remixers. The question isn’t whether people will use it they will. The question is whether paying artists for fan remixes solves the economics of streaming or creates a world where the original recording is worth less than the infinite remixes generated from it.” Here’s what Spotify’s AI remix feature actually is, who wins, who loses, and why this might be the most consequential decision in the music industry since the launch of streaming itself 🧵

You can just tweet "fuck Haley Stevens" and get 1k likes

“This Could Be Catastrophic”: GOP Braces for Southern Wipeout, Senate Seats at Risk From Texas to North Carolina

At 7:30 PM Central Time, Dallas County has recorded 75,834 votes, which is 232.6% of its 2022 first-day total and 134.6% of its 2024 first-day total. Dallas has surpassed Presidential-year turnout on the first day of early voting in a midterm year.

Middle East: Due to tensions in the Middle East, the security environment remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation. Americans currently in the Middle East should exercise heightened vigilance and be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions. Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including civilian airports. This military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly. Americans outside the Middle East should seriously reconsider travel to and through the region. Those who do travel to or from the region should monitor information about airport and airline operations. U.S. diplomatic facilities, including outside the Middle East, have been targeted. Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world, including U.S. businesses and other institutions. Read the latest country-specific alerts at: travel.state.gov/en/internat…

Here is a Microsoft executive appearing to admit that AI training is massive theft.

Hackers ripped a Flock camera off a pole, dumped what was stored on it, and handed the files to WIRED and 404 Media. One camera. 21 days. ~50,000 vehicles. 1.6 million images. About 3,300 cars a day. Peak day: 4,454. Flock sold this as “license plate readers” with on-device encryption. The software on that box wasn’t just reading plates. It was tagging vehicles, bikes, and people. Dozens of shots of a single car. Bumper stickers. Even an American flag patch on a motorcycle bag. They put the encryption key on the camera. Then acted shocked when somebody opened it.