Headlines

And After All That, TikTok Could Still Go ‘Poof’

After inching oh-so-close to a deal to secure TikTok in the US, China apparently pressed hard pause on the arrangement following Trump’s tariff slap. So what does that mean for the music industry? If you love uncertainty, this one’s for you. Trump is now extending the ban by another 75 days, though a hard clock is now ticking on a deal that was apparently 99% done. Apple is seeking White House assurance that the app can remain on its App Store.

Source: And After All That, TikTok Could Still Go ‘Poof’ – Digital Music News

E.U. Prepares Major Penalties Against Elon Musk’s X

European Union regulators are preparing major penalties against Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, for breaking a landmark law to combat illicit content and disinformation, said four people with knowledge of the plans, a move that is likely to ratchet up tensions with the United States by targeting one of President Trump’s closest advisers.

Source: E.U. Prepares Major Penalties Against Elon Musk’s X

Lowry: AI companies commiting mass theft and hiding behind the language of ‘training’

Ursula K. LeGuin once wrote, “There is no right answer to the wrong question.” And while AI might struggle to understand the quip, we human readers get the point immediately. To solve a problem, you have to focus on what really matters about it. That’s a big problem with the ongoing debate, most recently joined by Professor Nicholas Creel, over whether artificial intelligence models “learn” the same way as humans.

Source: Opinion – AI companies are commiting mass theft and hiding behind the language of ‘training’

Ivors Academy slams Suno over lyrics-regurgitation claims

A report this week by CMU claimed that Suno’s ReMi lyrics model was “spitting out entire sets of lyrics to well-known songs in response to simple prompts”, including works by Eagles, Midnight Oil and Bush. Now songwriters body The Ivors Academy has called for Suno to remove ReMi from its platform due to those claims. “Suno’s new tool is the latest example of unethical AI firms stealing the work, art and livelihoods of lyricists, songwriters and composers,” said CEO Roberto Neri.

Source: Ivors Academy slams Suno over lyrics-regurgitation claims

Creating and sharing deceptive AI-generated media is now a crime in New Jersey

Creating and sharing deceptive media made with artificial intelligence is now a crime in New Jersey and open to lawsuits under a new state law. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation Wednesday making the creation and dissemination of so-called deceptive deepfake media a crime punishable by up to five years in prison, and establishing a basis for lawsuits against perpetrators.

Source: Creating and sharing deceptive AI-generated media is now a crime in New Jersey

OpenAI and Google don’t like UK’s ‘opt out’ AI training plans either

OpenAI has published its response to the government’s consultation on the plans, and it calls for “a broad text and data mining exception” minus the opt-out aspect. Why? OpenAI cites the way the European Union’s AI legislation works, criticising it for having “created uncertainty about what opt-out methods are workable and valid, causing uncertainty for both AI companies and rightsholders”.

Source: OpenAI and Google don’t like UK’s ‘opt out’ AI training plans either

NAB Speakers Debate AI’s Impact On Jobs And Artists: ‘This is The Age of The Generalist’

The Future of Cinema Summit at the NAB Show opened Saturday morning with speakers who agreed that AI can make production faster and cheaper, but it can’t do everything. Meanwhile, the issue of jobs remained murky. “This is the age of the generalist,” suggested Eric Shamlin, CEO of AI-driven production studio Secret Level and co-chair of the TV Academy’s AI Task Force, during the SMPTE-produced summit.

Source: NAB Speakers Debate AI’s Impact On Jobs And Artists: ‘This is The Age of The Generalist’

CinemaCon Takeaways: Fights Over Theatrical Window, Fizzling Star Power 

CinemaCon is supposed to celebrate the magic of the big screen and the power of the cinematic experience. Instead, this year’s Las Vegas gathering was a tense, testy affair that threatened to resurface old tensions between studios and exhibitors. All the frustrations of the past five years, during which a pandemic and two labor strikes left the movie theater business a pale shadow of itself, nearly boiled over.

Source: CinemaCon Takeaways: Fights Over Theatrical Window, Fizzling Star Power and Amazon MGM’s Big Promise

NMPA CEO Talks AI Strategy, Warns Against Government-Led PRO Reform

National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) president/CEO David Israelite joined the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) to give his annual State of Music Publishing address on Wednesday (April 2) at Lawry’s in Beverly Hills. In his speech, Israelite discussed hot button issues for publishers, including Spotify bundling (“we are still at war”), AI concerns, PRO reform and more.

Source: NMPA CEO Talks Spotify Podcast Takedowns and AI Strategy, Warns Against Government-Led PRO Reform

OpenAI, Google reject UK’s AI copyright plan

Leading AI companies OpenAI and Google have rejected the U.K. government’s preferred solution to the thorny issue of AI and copyright. Their positions, set out in responses to a consultation which closed in February, will pile further pressure on the government over the proposals, which have already sparked protests from creatives and lawmakers.

Source: OpenAI, Google reject UK’s AI copyright plan

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