jason hirschhorn's @MusicREDEF: 04/13/2023 - UMG v. AI, US v. Foreign Artists, Jai Paul Returns, Ice Spice, Rae Sremmurd, Blondshell...

A lot of people switched up on the song. At first they were like, 'This is trash, whatever.' And then the next day they're like, 'I can't stop thinking about it.' Open in browser Thursday April 13, 2023 Spiceworld: Ice Spice at Rolling Loud California, Inglewood, Calif., March 5, 2023. (Scott Dudelson/Getty Images) quote of the day "A lot of people switched up on the song. At first they were like, 'This is trash, whatever.' And then the next day they're like, 'I can't stop thinking about it.'" - Ice Spice, on her 2022 breakthrough, "Munch (Feelin' U)" rantnrave:// Names, Images, Likenesses Behind the scenes, music insiders are looking into an artificially intelligent future and seeing stars, for better and for worse. "The music biz is on the brink of the biggest technological shift I've personally seen," our friend TROY CARTER at VENICE MUSIC tweeted Wednesday. "Artists will have access to deeper insights, analysis, optimization of listener metrics, fan behavioral data, and social media patterns in seconds." But in corner offices a few miles away, there are questions about what AI itself will have access to. Like, for example, the entire industry's intellectual property. "We will not hesitate to take steps to protect our rights and those of our artists," UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP wrote in emails to SPOTIFY, APPLE MUSIC and other streaming companies, which it's asking to block AI companies from downloading and scraping its artists' music. The unsurprising concern, the Financial Times reports, is that AI systems are being trained on the music of artists like TAYLOR SWIFT and HARRY STYLES—without permission or monetary agreements—and will eventually spit out what will amount to Taylor and Harry fakes. UMG has already been issuing takedown notices for AI-generated songs "left and right," a source told the FT's ANNA NICOLAOU. The FT story is paywalled; for a non-paywalled version, here's the Guardian's take, partly scraped from FT, as news stories often are. It isn't only futuristic computer programs doing this sort of thing. I'm very much inclined to stand with the humans and their labels in this brewing battle—and with the visual artists engaged in parallel battles in court. But it could be a messy, complicated fight. There's little legal precedent for any of this, and someone somewhere is no doubt going to note that the same labels who don't want AI systems scraping and regurgitating musicians' creative work are the same labels who've loudly complained when their musicians were hauled into court on accusations of essentially scraping other artists' ideas. You can not, and should not, equate tech companies feeding computer systems millions of actual sound recordings with a handful of human artists absorbing and scraping a bit of the vibe from an existing song or two. They're very, very different things. But there are nonetheless some blurry lines buried within, and lawyers may very well attempt to draw them. It would be much easier, of course, for the labels, publishers, artists and AI companies to get together, maybe in a creatively adorned virtual room, and work out clear guidelines for what is and isn't allowed and clear agreements for how future AI creations will be credited and monetized. But those things, as we've repeatedly learned, take time, and the parties aren't always on the same timetable, and the music companies would be crazy not to press every cease and desist button within reach in the meantime, and to scrape the scrapers any way they can. Dot Dot Dot "ST. LOUIS BLUES," "STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN," "ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU" and the theme song from the video game SUPER MARIO BROS. are among the 25 recordings newly added to the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS' NATIONAL RECORDING REGISTRY. The registry, which now houses 625 songs, albums and sound recordings, cited KOJI KONDO's 1985 Super Mario "GROUND THEME" as "the most recognizable video game theme in history"... Traveling with a bipartisan group of US senators, BRAD PAISLEY met with Ukrainian PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY Wednesday and performed two songs in Kyiv's Mikhailovsky Square. "It's an emotional experience seeing all of this firsthand," said the country singer, who performed his Ukraine tribute song "SAME HERE" along with a Ukrainian folk song... Latin music revenues in the US topped $1 billion for the first time in 2022, with a year-over-year growth of 24%. Ad-supported streams on YOUTUBE and the free version of SPOTIFY were a key part of that growth, the RIAA reports... A concert safety innovation who's time has definitely come... WINAMP still exists, and it's going mobile... An AVETT BROTHER turns his attention to JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. Rest in Peace Jazz pianist, vibraphonist and composer KARL BERGER... Dub reggae soundsystem pioneer JAH SHAKA. - Matty Karas, curator art official intelligence The Riff Are You a Foreign Artist? You Are Officially Not Wanted Here By Charles Hsu Unless you are American, working as a musician in the U.S. requires a special kind of visa, and it is very difficult to get. Resident Advisor Jai Paul: The Return of Pop's Most Mysterious Artist Tracks like 'BTSU' and 'Jasmine' captured the musical zeitgeist of the early 2010s, but Jai Paul shied away from the limelight and after an unauthorised leak of his debut album in 2013, he retreated even further. But a performance at Coachella alongside the vinyl release of "Bait Ones" has the world asking: is pop's most mysterious enigma making a comeback? The Guardian Streaming sites told not to let AI use music for copycat tracks By Alex Hern Universal Music Group wants Spotify, Apple Music and others to block downloads of copyrighted songs for AI training. Graphika Now We Got Bad Blood: Exploring Harassment Dynamics Within the Online Taylor Swift Fandom By Cristina López G. and Avneesh Chandra In this report, we analyze how contested, niche beliefs can fragment online fandoms and result in intra-community harassment dynamics. By studying how this increasingly divided community has evolved and interacts, we hope to better understand all online discourse, whether it be a debate over sports, politics, or an icon's sexuality. Paper Ice Spice Heats Up By Jade Gomez She's prepared her entire life for the unexpected — even fame — whether she realized it or not. Complex 'They Act Like We're Dead': Rae Sremmurd Talk New Music and More By Grant Rindner Complex spoke with Rae Sremmurd about turning 300 songs into a 14-track album, how the mannequin challenge presaged the explosion of TikTok & more. Billboard Music Supervisors Brace for Impact of Potential Hollywood Writers Strike By Steve Knopper "Other people have some type of safety net and we have nothing." Pollstar Crowd Cushion Looks To Bring Back The Pit And Save Lives By Ryan Borba Recent college graduate Catherine Curtin is bringing a high-tech solution to one of the most low-tech aspects of live performances. i-D Magazine How Blondshell became a grunge icon for a new generation By Nicole DeMarco The artist's debut self-titled album is inspired by the worst parts of modern dating -- and all your favourite 90s rock bands. KQED Looking Back on My Album 'No Need for Alarm,' 30 Years Later By Del the Funky Homosapien and Gabe Meline Del the Funky Homosapien tells all about recording, being 'in a dark space,' and rapping as an escape. bionix Los Angeles Times The surprising afterlife of a '70s L.A. cult: How the Source Family became hot IP in 2023 By Erin Osmon Nearly 50 years after the death of its leader, Father Yod, the Source Family continues to fascinate seekers. Now, Hollywood and content creators want in too. NPR Palestinian Chilean singer Elyanna intends to sing entire set in Arabic at Coachella By Leila Fadel NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Palestinian Chilean singer Elyanna ahead of her performance at Coachella. She intends to sing her entire set in Arabic. Music Business Worldwide Global music streams crossed the 1 trillion mark in just three months this year -- a new record By Mandy Dalugdug Music listeners have cumulatively spent roughly 960,000 years streaming music so far this year. Midia Research The music industry obsesses over artist performance statistics -- where are label performance statistics? By Keith Jopling While all the artist's statistics are on the table, visible to all, how can the artist assess the label's track record of success in achieving those goals for other artists? What is the label's ratio of signings to success? How about retention rates? Do artists re-sign to that label for a second or third project? Pitchfork Everything But the Girl on Their Peculiar Journey Through Pop and Their Comeback By Owen Myers Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, the couple behind EBTG's poignant, post-rave soundtracks, discuss the making of their first new album in 24 years, the surprise success of "Missing," and more in this career-spanning interview. The Creative Independent Musician and sculptor Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix on creating in a unique way By J. Bennett and Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix Musician (Liturgy) and sculptor Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix discusses interdisciplinary work, navigating religion through art, and inspiring others. The Guardian 'Even in the realms of extreme, it's extreme': how UK music festivals are planning for freak weather By Greg Cochrane Whether waterlogged from flooding or parched and prone to wildfires, festival sites are having to plan for every eventuality -- and the costs are substantial. The Nelson George Mixtape Hip Hop's High Profile Attorney By Nelson George From Suge Knight, Snoop Doog and Pras Michel, David Kenner has made deals for and defended stars. what we're into Music of the day "In Na Mood" Ice Spice "I'm proud that I'm still gettin' bigger." From "Like..?," out now on 10K Projects/Capitol. Music | Media SUBSCRIBE Suggest a link "REDEF is dedicated to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged my interest in everything and slightly regrets the day she taught me to always ask 'why?'" 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