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ouTube is introducing clipping — the ability to make short clips of live streams or videos — starting today with a small group of creators. Those clips can be anywhere between five and 60 seconds in length and will have a new URL associated with them. Creators and viewers will be able to create clips by clicking on the clip icon, though the feature is currently limited to desktop and Android devices.
January, 2021
The Streaming Wars Are Turning Into a Game of Catch-up
Companies are coalescing around what they perceive to be their most valuable assets—some in the form of the intellectual property that increasingly drives the culture, others in areas underserved by the streaming revolution. The news runs the gamut from Harry Potter to hockey, but it converges on a familiar theme: a game of collective catch-up that could hinge on the players’ arsenals.
Source: The Streaming Wars Are Turning Into a Game of Catch-up
Primary Wave buys legendary Sun Records in $30m deal, including masters for Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis
Described by Primary Wave as a “multi-million deal”, the transaction encompasses master recordings for legendary artists including Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, The Dixie Cups, and more. The buyout also includes all of the music publishing owned by Sun, as well as the iconic Sun Records logo and all other trademarks owned by Sun.
Research Shows that Shorter Movie Release Windows Boost Revenue, Not Piracy
Movie studios are increasingly experimenting with shorter release windows or even simultaneous theatrical and digital premieres. But how does this affect overall revenues? According to new research into shortened release windows in Korea, movie studios profit from this strategy. While pirated copies also become available quicker, the overall piracy figures don’t change.
Source: Research Shows that Shorter Movie Release Windows Boost Revenue, Not Piracy * TorrentFreak
James Bond bosses face agonising re-shoots to save product placement deals
The 007 franchise has product placement deals for mobile phones and other gadgets, but sponsors are now concerned their wares will no longer be cutting-edge models after almost two years of hold-ups. They want producers to make changes to scenes where Bond gadget-master Q hands out their kit, in the latest expensive blow to the trouble-hit film.
Source: James Bond bosses face agonising re-shoots to save product placement deals
PRS for Music Bows Licensing Platform for Small-Scale Livestreams In the UK
The livestream licenses, which cover public performances as well as associated sync and mechanical licenses, cost $30.80 (£22.50) apiece for digital events with revenues of up to $342.25 (£250). Additionally, the licenses come with a price tag of $61.60 (£45) each for online gigs that make between £251 and £500.
Source: Now There’s a Licensing Platform for Small-Scale Livestreams In the UK
Twitter Faces the Music as Tension With Labels Heats Up
So far, the company — which lets users post videos of up to two minutes and 20 seconds, and doesn’t actively scan for infringing content — has been unwilling to negotiate to license music. And although Twitter operates under the DMCA, the company often takes “three to five days” to remove content after receiving a takedown notice, according to a rights-holder source.
Source: Twitter Faces the Music as Tension With Labels Heats Up
German government edges towards agreement on copyright law
The German implementation of the European copyright reform is edging towards adoption, despite having been postponed from cabinet talks on Wednesday (27 January). Upload filters appear to be inevitable, as platforms will be forced in the future to check content for copyrighted material as soon as it is uploaded. With the vast amounts of data uploaded to YouTube or Facebook every day, this is only possible with automated software.
Source: LEAK: German government edges towards agreement on copyright law
Literati raises $40M for its book club platform
Literati has raised a $40 million Series B to pursue an unusual startup opportunity — namely, book clubs. When you sign up for a Literati book club, you receive a print edition of each month’s selection with a note from the curator. You also get access to the Literati app, where you can discuss the book with other readers, and where curators host author conversations.
AI as Artist
An AI-sibling of OpenAI’s GPT-3 project was released in January. What GPT-3 did for natural language processing, the new project, DALL·E, does for images. The new program, DALL·E can take a text prompt, and from it, generate an original image. From a single text prompt, DALL·E can generate a series of images.
Source: AI as Artist