November, 2018

A new tool for journalists, developed by Cass academics, uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate guidance for journalists quickly, and manipulates the content of millions of published news articles from over 300 titles to present new concepts for stories.

Source: Advancing journalism with Artificial Intelligence

As publishers increasingly lose control of the final stage of the publishing process, they are looking elsewhere to extract economic value. They are finding it upstream, in the various linked processes that lead to the (erstwhile) final document. Everywhere you turn you see workflow tools being gobbled up by major publishers.

Source: Upstreaming: The Migration of Economic Value in Scholarly Publishing – The Scholarly Kitchen

Artificial intelligence (AI) is shaking up present-day journalism. Automated news writing and distribution, without human supervision, is already a reality, often unbeknownst to the reader. This raises a number of basic questions. Is this new reality likely to improve the working conditions in the industry? What do media businesses stand to gain and lose?

Source: How artificial intelligence is transforming journalism

Radio-like streaming platform Mixcloud has signed a multi-year direct licensing agreement with global indie label rights agency Merlin. Mixcloud recently closed similar deals with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, in the run up to the planned launch of a paid subscription service.

Source: Mixcloud Inks Merlin Indie Licensing Deal

The Senate’s Environment and Communications Legislation Committee has given its seal of approval to tough new amendments to Australian copyright law. In its report, the Committee acknowledges widespread concern over the proposals but says that “adequate safeguards” will prevent “adverse consequences.”

Source: Aussie Senate Dismisses Concerns & Approves New Tough Anti-Piracy Law – TorrentFreak

An industry group which represents organisations such as Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, and Google has told an Australian Senate committee that the country’s plans to expand website blocking laws are “unprecedented and unnecessary”.

Source: Group representing Google criticises Australia’s copyright plans

Funds from the token sale will be used for development of the eMusic Blockchain project, a music distribution and payments platform. As soon as eMU Tokens are available, they can be used to purchase music from the eMusic retail store and access token features and benefits like exclusive content, special discounts and live events.

Source: eMusic token sale for blockchain-based platform opens to public

Marc Levoy, a computer scientist involved in Google’s Night Sight project, acknowledges that the developers had to make many aesthetic decisions, leading Fowler to ask, “if our smartphones are making up colors and lighting to please us, does it really count as digital photography? Or is it computer-generated artwork?”

Source: Night Sight, Digital Photography, and Copyright

UK Music CEO Michael Dugher has written to the Prime Minister, following the EU’s approval of the terms of Britain’s withdrawal from the bloc. In his letter, Dugher has warned of the risks Brexit poses to the UK music industry and called for certainty on key issues.

Source: UK Music CEO calls for end to Brexit ‘uncertainty’

As the rise of the streaming industry continues to alter the ways in which listeners consume music, we’re starting to get a better handle on what some of these changes look like. One change that’s been a benefit to artists is the revivification of their older work, or “catalogue” material, with more listeners reaching back to “re-discover”

Source: Streaming Breathes New Life Into Older Record Catalogs