The latest news from the music and tech industries
Hi there,

The march of AI continues apace - to such an extent in fact that even here at MU we are wondering whether our focus on Web3 was, in hindsight, potentially looking in the wrong place in terms of tech with the potential to really change the music industry.

Midia has an excellent article looking at ChatGPT in the context of indie artists and how it might be able to help them. Obviously all suggestions are provided with the caveat that yes, sometimes the results might not be perfect, but the underlying point here is that this represents yet another way in which AI might have some constructive value to artists and those working with them.

It's funny; in Web3 we have had no end of big announcements from the majors, touting their credentials and proactivity in the space. Unless I am mistaken though, there's not been much in the AI. In fact, in terms of tools to help artists and their teams, it feels oddly quiet, like a wide open goal that's there for the taking, which is peculiar when you consider just how much AI is marching on, well, just about everything at present. Web3 is what might be possible; AI is inevitable.

Think about it: data analysis, recommendations, similar artist mapping... there's a laundry list of things AI could provide incredible help with if the data sets it is trained on are reliable.

The opportunity for some kind of AI "artist marketing Swiss Army Knife" toolkit to do anything from advise on best practice through to data insight and on to ideation is huge.

So - who'll be first to dive in? And when you do, don't forget to give me a shout; I'd love to get involved!Ā 

Have a great evening,

D.

šŸŽ¶ written whilst listening to "Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley" by Robert Palmer. I always though of Palmer as that slightly oily guy from the Addicted To Love video, but about 15 years back a friend switched me on to this gem of an album, in which Palmer was backed by the Nola funk lords The Meters. The end result is a stunning record dripping in swagger and groove. Be sure to check it out.Ā 
Stories from the Music Industry:
What ChatGPT can do for independent music
Far more sophisticated than any chatbot that came before it, it can generate everything from an artist bio based on a bullet-point list of facts, to a five-day schedule for reaching an artists goals, and fan engagement ideas for a virtual listening party. Users can add instructions like use metaphors where appropriate or write in a conversational style to guide the output, with surprisingly not-lame results.

šŸ‘†šŸ»Hot take: a great look at how ChatGPT might be able to help artists by providing ideas and insight among other things. Certainly a thought-provoking article - have a read.Ā 
Depriving rightsholders of all rights except the right to get paid might sound like a better than nothing deal, but that assumes foreign rightsholders will actually get paid. Under this new regime, it appears that rightsholders will be denied their right to determine a market price for their content. Instead, the lower house of the Belarusian parliament will determine the market price based on unknown factors. Even if we assume that people using foreign content will declare that use to the government, Belarus says that rightsholders must reimburse the Patent Authority for its management and accounting expenses.

šŸ‘†šŸ»Hot take: tough to know where to start on the "what's wrong with this" list. Read the article though as there's nuance - albeit perhaps this being even weirder than it first reads as...Ā 
TikTok seems to have given us the best of both worlds, though: a new medium for appreciating the Tumblr Music that influenced so many millennials and Gen Zs, and an exciting new list of artists to inspire new generations of digital natives. Angsty blog posts may be a thing of the past, but the internet's revolutionary potential to reinvent the music discovery process again and again looks like it's here to stay.

šŸ‘†šŸ»Hot take: a quirky look at the intersection of Tumblr and TikTok. Not 100% sure I agree with the sentiment, but still worth a look.Ā 
Sony Music Entertainment (SME) and Todd Moscowitz, Founder and CEO of Alamo Records, have launched a new artist and label services company called Santa Anna. SME says in a press release that the new company will support entrepreneurs and assist artists in maximizing their creative potential and build their businesses. Based in New York, Santa Anna will be led by Lee LHeureux. He will also hold the newly created role of President of Alamo Records, reporting to Moscowitz.

šŸ‘†šŸ»Hot take: I can't help but feel the artist/label services space is getting very congested these days. Just me? No shade on Santa Anna I might add; I wish them well.Ā 
Stories from the Broader World of Tech:
Apples mixed-reality headset could arrive this year
But it sounds like Apples upcoming product is going to offer a mixed-reality experience. Users will be able to experience both augmented and virtual reality. Details are still thin about the potential use cases and apps for the headset as its easier to control software leaks compared to product leaks. According to Bloomberg, Apple is currently planning to announce the new device during the inaugural keynote of the companys Worldwide Developers Conference in June Apple could name it Reality Pro. Some developers have already started working on apps for the new Apple platform. The new operating system for the Apple headset could be called xrOS.

šŸ‘†šŸ»Hot take: a ski mask?! Not quite the description I was expecting, but I'm still keen to see what Apple launch here, as it could be the make-or-break moment for AR and VR in particular.Ā 
OpenAI is building software capable of detecting whether text was generated by its ChatGPT model after New York City education officials announced it was blocking students from accessing the tool in public schools. Reports of students using AI to do their homework for them have prompted teachers to think about how they affect education. Some have raised concerns about how language models can plagiarize existing work or allow students to cheat. Now OpenAI is reportedly working to develop "mitigations" that will help people detect text automatically generated by ChatGPT.

šŸ‘†šŸ»Hot take: inevitable, really, but also welcome. AI has had many legal questions to answer but provisions like this might well calm some nerves around AI's ability to infiltrate anything from college essays to code creation.Ā 
Microsoft has reportedly been using OpenAIs GPT technology to improve Outlook search results so users can find what theyre looking for without having to search using keywords in emails. Microsoft is also said to have looked at how these AI models could suggest replies to emails or recommend document changes to improve Word users writing. Its not clear if Microsoft plans to launch these features, or if its just experimentation for now.

šŸ‘†šŸ»Hot take: what's fascinating here IMO is just how much Microsoft is going all-in on AI in general. History may yet judge this proactive approach very favourably indeed.Ā 
Other Reads I've Enjoyed Lately:
VPN, phone security tips: How to avoid phishing, identity theft
Anyone can use this security expert's simple advice ... even you!

šŸ‘†šŸ»Hot take: as security breaches get more common and privacy gets sorely tested, this is a brilliant summary of basic, practical steps you can take to protect yourself. 100% worth reading.Ā 

Given the success of existing companies with new epochs, the most obvious place to start when thinking about the impact of AI is with the big five: Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft.

šŸ‘†šŸ»Hot take: some great analysis here from the Stratechery blog around AI and the implications for the Big Five.Ā 

How the cult of consumerism ushered in an era of badly made products.

šŸ‘†šŸ»Hot take: a good take on why modern products are more poorly made than older, similar (or identical) items.Ā 

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