Marketplace

Spotify ‘to phase out its service in Uruguay’ over music copyright law changes

Last month, music streaming giant Spotify threatened to withdraw its service from Uruguay over proposed amendments to music copyright law in the market. That bill (Rendición de Cuentas) has since passed, and a Spotify spokesperson said in a statement on Monday (November 20) that, “Without clarity on the changes to music copyright laws included in the 2023 Rendición de Cuentas law” the streaming platform “will, unfortunately, begin to phase out its service in Uruguay effective January 1, 2024.”

Source: Spotify ‘to phase out its service in Uruguay’ from January 1, 2024 over music copyright law changes

Who should pay for open-access publishing? APC alternatives emerge

In April, the entire editorial boards of two companion neuroimaging journals resigned. The 42 researchers were protesting against what they thought to be excessive article-processing charges (APCs) for authors publishing in the journals, which are run by Dutch publishing giant Elsevier. APCs have become an integral part of the revolution in scientific publishing known as open access — the system in which papers are freely available for all to read after publication.

Source: Who should pay for open-access publishing? APC alternatives emerge

OpenAI Staff Threaten to Quit Unless Board Resigns

OpenAI was in open revolt on Monday with more than 600 employees signing an open letter threatening to leave unless the board resigns and reinstates Sam Altman as CEO, along with cofounder and former president Greg Brockman. “The process through which you terminated Sam Altman and removed Greg Brockman from the board has jeopardized all of this work and undermined our mission and company,” the letter reads. “Your conduct has made it clear you did not have the competence to oversee OpenAI.”

Source: OpenAI Staff Threaten to Quit Unless Board Resigns

Microsoft is the only real winner in the OpenAI debacle

OpenAI is in the process of fully collapsing on itself, following the ousting of former CEO Sam Altman in a shock board decision. Exactly why the board decided to fire Altman is still unclear, but it seems increasingly likely that it was more about power-play shenanigans than anything else. What is clear is that Microsoft, through quick action and decisive strategic leadership from CEO Satya Nadella is poised to emerge the clear winner.

Source: Microsoft is the only real winner in the OpenAI debacle | TechCrunch

Sam Altman joins Microsoft hours after OpenAI denied his return as CEO

After a flurry of weekend negotiations, Microsoft said it hired Sam Altman — just two days after the board of OpenAI abruptly ousted him as CEO — while OpenAI recruited Emmett Shear, most recently chief executive of livestreaming platform Twitch, to step in as interim CEO. Altman will lead a new artificial-intelligence research team at Microsoft, alongside former OpenAI president Greg Brockman (who had quit after Altman was fired on Nov. 17).

Source: Sam Altman joins Microsoft hours after OpenAI denied his return as CEO

SAG-AFTRA Board Members Explain ‘No’ Votes: ‘There Should Be No AI’

Two SAG-AFTRA board members explained why they voted against the contract, which includes provisions on artificial intelligence. Shaan Sharma and Anne-Marie Johnson were among at least eight dissenters on the 80-member board. Both said that AI was key to their opposition, though they also had other reservations. “There should be no AI. Only human beings should be used in what we create for public consumption,” Johnson said.

Source: SAG-AFTRA Board Members Explain ‘No’ Votes: ‘There Should Be No AI’

TikTok strikes deals with Spotify and Amazon Music to link app directly to music services

TikTok has launched a new feature called “Add to Music App” that lets its users save songs they discover via TikTok on the streaming services where they listen to their music. According to an announcement from TikTok on Tuesday (November 14), the Add to Music App feature is launching “in partnership with the major music streaming services, including Amazon Music and Spotify“.

Source: TikTok strikes partnership with Spotify and Amazon Music to link app directly to music streaming services

BandLab rolls out distribution service in partnership with FUGA

BandLab, just added music distribution to its suite of music creation and promotion tools. BandLab Distribution is exclusively available through BandLab’s $14.95 a month membership plan and offers distribution to services like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and TikTok. According to the platform’s FAQs, artists keep 100% of their royalties via the distribution service but will need to maintain an active membership to do so.

Source: BandLab rolls out distribution service in partnership with FUGA

How Many Episodes Will Shows Have This TV Season? 

After six months of strikes, the primetime cupboard is pretty bare. But after a fall filled with repeats, unscripted series and a smattering of stockpiled scripted episodes, the broadcast networks are racing to salvage the rest of the TV season — and that means a scramble to get episodes in place by the start of 2024.

Source: What Are Streaming Residuals Now? How Many Episodes Will Shows Have This TV Season? Your Burning Post-Strike Questions, Answered

SAG-AFTRA Approves Deal to End Historic Strike

In an announcement Wednesday, the union said the 118-day strike would officially end at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday. The union’s negotiating committee approved the deal on a unanimous vote. The agreement next goes to the SAG-AFTRA national board for approval on Friday. The two sides spent the last several days putting the finishing touches on the deal, which will see the first-ever protections for actors against artificial intelligence and a historic pay increase.

Source: SAG-AFTRA Approves Deal to End Historic Strike

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