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The beginning of what may be a more militant era in Hollywood studio-labor relations has been ushered in, with actors joining writers on the picket lines in a major stand against film and TV producers that will effectively shut down the industry during the impasse. After talks fell apart, union leaders described negotiations as combative and emphasized that the AMPTP has “refused to meaningfully engage on some topics and on others completely stonewalled us.”

Source: Hollywood’s High-Stakes Strike: Actors and Writers Make History With Bid to Reshape Industry

SAG-AFTRA announced Thursday that it is on strike against the film and TV companies, marking only the second time in Hollywood history that actors have joined writers on the picket lines. “We are being victimized by a very greedy enterprise,” SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said during Thursday’s press conference. “At some point you have to say ‘No, we’re not going to take this anymore.”

Source: SAG-AFTRA Declares Double Strike as Actors Join Writers on Picket Lines

Regardless of whether SAG-AFTRA goes on strike this week, the studios have no intention of sitting down with the Writers Guild for several more months. “I think we’re in for a long strike, and they’re going to let it bleed out,” said one industry veteran intimate with the POV of studio CEOs. “Not Halloween precisely, but late October, for sure, is the intention,” says a top-tier producer close to the Carol Lombardini-run AMPTP.

Source: Hollywood Studios’ WGA Strike Endgame Is To Let Writers Go Broke Before Resuming Talks In Fall

SAG-AFTRA has agreed to a last-minute call for federal mediation of its contract, but indicated it will not extend its contract deadline beyond Wednesday at midnight. That would appear to leave relatively little time for a mediator to avert a strike, which could begin as soon as Thursday morning. In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, the union emphasized that “time is running out” and made clear that relations between the two sides have become extremely strained.

Source: SAG-AFTRA Agrees to Mediation but Won’t Extend Contract Deadline

The vinyl boom is not going bust anytime soon. In the first half of 2023, vinyl LP sales were up 21.7% from the same period the year before, a robust vote of confidence for the format that has dominated album sales in recent years. Other formats besides LPs are included in the Luminate study, of course, and for once, almost nothing was down from the previous year — not even compact discs.

Source: Vinyl Sales Up 22% in U.S. in First Half of 2023, Per Luminate’s Midyear Music Report (EXCLUSIVE)

Generative AI tools have democratized the art-making process, allowing anyone with a computer to create unique pieces of art. This has led to a surge in AI art, with its demand and uses increasing exponentially. But has this ease of creating unique art and turning it into an NFT led to the devaluation of NFTs? Has the democratization of art creation inadvertently caused a downturn in the NFT market?

Source: The AI Art Revolution: A Catalyst for the NFT Market Decline?

After a decade of staggering growth in series production, the Great Contraction was destined to hit the creative community. The Writers Guild of America strike that began May 2 has accelerated the pace of the pruning of content and deals, but the driving force is less the work stoppage and more Hollywood’s reckoning with the changing economics of streaming.

Source: A Bare Market? Once the Strike Is Settled, TV Jobs Could Become More Competitive as Hollywood Cuts Costs

Production-music firm Epidemic Sound is launching a new AI-powered feature, but it’s about finding music rather than creating it.‘Soundmatch’ will analyse frames in a creator’s video and then suggest music that is likely to match the content, drawing on its databanks of YouTube videos that use the company’s music.

Source: Epidemic Sound debuts AI-powered ‘Soundmatch’ feature – Music Ally

The partnership with Tusass marks Tuned Global’s latest collaboration with telecommunications companies to launch music-streaming projects that cater to specific niche markets, demographics, genres, or cultures. The company has previously partnered with telcos such as Gabb Wireless, Thailand’s True Digital Group, Solomon Islands’ Our Telecom, and Papua New Guinea’s Bmobile to bring localized music experiences to their customers.

Source: Tuned Global joins forces with telco Tusass to launch music streaming service in Greenland

Yuga Labs, which owns the Bored Ape Yacht Club, introduced ApeCoin in 2022 as a crypto token to enhance gaming and commerce within the BAYC ecosystem. In June, ApeCoin’s decentralized autonomous organization came under fire for its leadership board reportedly receiving high monthly payments of up to $75,000 a month, according to some reports. The compensation led community members to sour on the entire BAYC ecosystem.

Source: Why Bored Ape cartoon monkey NFTs crashed to a 2-year low this week