Warner Music has entered into a licensing deal with the AI song generator Suno, following the resolution of a copyright infringement lawsuit against the service from a year prior.
As the third-largest music label globally, representing artists like Coldplay, Charli XCX, and Ed Sheeran, Warner becomes the first major record label to officially collaborate with Suno.
Under the terms of the agreement, users can create AI-generated songs on Suno by using simple text prompts, which may include the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who have opted into the service.
Robert Kinkle, CEO of Warner Music Group, emphasized that this partnership demonstrates how artificial intelligence can develop into “professional artists” while showcasing “the values of music.”
“This innovative agreement with Suno is a win for the creative community that will benefit everyone involved,” he declared. “As Suno’s user base and monetization rapidly grow, we recognized this opportunity to create a revenue model and enhance fan experiences.”
As part of the agreement, Suno, often dubbed the ChatGPT of music, committed to modifying its platform to introduce a new, more strictly licensed model next year, including download limitations for users.
Suno announced that only paying members will be permitted to download its AI music creations, and even these members will be subject to extra fees for downloads, as well as a cap on the number of creations they can produce.
This initiative aims to tackle the proliferation of AI tracks generated on Suno, moving toward discontinuing the current version and avoiding an oversupply on streaming platforms.
This agreement comes shortly after Warner Music reached a settlement and partnership agreement with rival AI music generation platform Udio.
Previously, the world’s largest record label sued both Suno and Woodo for copyright violations, asserting their technologies misappropriated music and churned out millions of AI-generated songs without artist consent.
Universal Music, the leading label worldwide, was the first to announce settlements with these companies when they concluded an agreement with Audio last month. While Universal continues to pursue legal action against Suno, Sony Music has filed lawsuits against both Suno and Woody.
In conjunction with the deal with Warner Music, Suno has also acquired live music and concert discovery platform Songkick for an undisclosed figure.
The UK government is currently consulting on a new intellectual property framework for AI, which was initially expected to enable AI firms to use the creative community’s work without approval for model training.
This issue has ignited significant backlash from creators, who advocate for an opt-in system that would enable companies to identify and license their work while ensuring creators receive compensation when their work is utilized.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall indicated last week her intention to “reset” the discussion, expressing support for artists’ appeals to prevent their work from being exploited by AI companies without remuneration.
“Plants lack ears and brains, so they can’t experience music like we do…”
Credit: Michele Cornelius/Alamy
Do you serenade your plants? As a botanist passionate about houseplants, I often get asked this. The idea of playing music for plants gained traction in the 1960s, alongside the rise of “music for plants” albums, and it’s making a comeback online. But what does current research reveal about this enduring topic?
Clearly, plants lack ears or brains, so they cannot enjoy music in the way humans do. However, recent studies, including one study, indicate that they can detect vibrations in their environment and adapt their behavior accordingly. For instance, mouse worms exposed to the sound of caterpillar chewing produced high levels of a defensive bitter toxin. Astonishingly, plants can differentiate between the vibrations caused by munching insects and those from wind or mating calls, activating their defenses only when threatened.
Moreover, plants react to the sounds of opportunity. Certain flowers, like tomatoes, blueberries, and kiwis, ignore the buzzing of non-pollinating bees and release pollen only when stimulated by the vibrations of specific pollinators. This response can be rapid; for example, evening primrose flowers show changes in nectar composition within three minutes of being played sounds of bees in flight: Rich in sweet rewards. Researchers even reported pea plants can shift their root growth toward the sound of flowing water.
Nonetheless, as anyone who’s heard a seven-year-old on a recorder can attest, there’s a significant distinction between noise and “music.” Experiments aimed at assessing music’s impact on plant growth yielded mixed results. A recent study found certain music tracks enhanced lettuce growth significantly, while alfalfa showed no improvement.
Another investigation into background noise discovered that sage and marigold plants exposed to 16 hours of continuous traffic noise daily exhibited notably reduced growth. Could this continual noise be obstructing plants’ ability to perceive vital sound cues? At this stage, that remains uncertain.
The takeaway? Recent studies reveal that plants are not entirely oblivious to sound; in fact, they are significantly impacted by it. Yet, much about the specifics remains unclear, so we can’t definitively predict which sounds, at what frequencies or volumes, will yield desired results. So before you consider blasting Katy Perry for your plants’ benefit, remember that they might not appreciate it—and neither will your neighbors.
James Wong is a botanist and science writer focused on food crops, conservation, and environmental issues. Trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London, he personally owns over 500 houseplants in his compact apartment. Follow him on X and Instagram @botanygeek.
Clocking in at 2 minutes and 45 seconds, the length is comparable to “With a Little Help From My Friends.” However, Paul McCartney’s latest release, his first new recording in five years, lacks the sing-alongs and lively guitar riffs typical of his earlier work.
The legendary Beatles member, arguably one of Britain’s most esteemed living songwriters, is unveiling a largely silent track from a recording studio. This release serves as a statement against copyright infringement by AI companies within the music industry.
Rather than showcasing a catchy tune or evocative lyrics, the track predominantly features a soft hiss and unusual sounds. This arrangement underlines the concern that if AI firms utilize musicians’ intellectual property for training generative AI models, it may lead to the erosion of the creative ecosystem and eventual silencing of original music.
Currently 83 and touring in North America, McCartney has placed this song on the B-side of his upcoming album. Is this what we want? is a collection of other silent tracks, set to be released on vinyl later this month.
Mr. McCartney’s contribution comes as musicians and artists intensify their efforts to urge the UK government to prevent tech companies from training AI models using their creative work without consent or royalty payments. This is especially pressing as Britain faces regulatory pressure from former President Donald Trump’s administration.
The album’s tracklist asserts, “The UK government must not legalize music theft for the benefit of AI companies.”
Ed Newton-Rex, a composer and advocate for copyright justice involved with the protest album, expressed his concern that the government is prioritizing the interests of American tech companies over those of British creators.
Among the artists backing this campaign are Sam Fender, Kate Bush, Hans Zimmer, and Pet Shop Boys.
McCartney’s new piece is titled (Bonus Track), and like his classic songs, it comprises a beginning, middle, and end. It opens with 55 seconds of tape hiss, transitions into 15 seconds of indistinguishable clattering, perhaps caused by someone moving about with a door ajar, and concludes with 80 seconds of rustling and intermittent hiss, fading out slowly and emotionally.
Mr. McCartney stands as a prominent voice in British music voicing concerns regarding the government’s efforts to establish new agreements between creative professionals and AI companies like OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and Elon Musk’s xAI, which require access to extensive training data, including text, images, and music.
“We risk having it hijacked, which is a concern, particularly for emerging composers and writers,” McCartney remarked about AI. “It would indeed be disheartening if AI wiped out creativity.” Bush, another artist on the protest album, expressed, “Will our voices not resonate in the music of the future?” Composer Max Richter added, “The government’s proposals would diminish creators, privileging those who automate creativity over true artists, writers, and visual creators.”
The government is assessing the possibility of creating an exception in UK copyright law for “text and data mining,” potentially compelling copyright owners to actively opt out if they don’t wish to have their works used for AI training. Ministers are striving to balance the interests of the creative sectors, contributing £125bn annually to the UK economy, against the demands of US tech companies advocating for minimal regulation, especially when they’ve recently announced over £30bn of investment primarily targeting data centers.
Legislation regarding AI and copyright is not anticipated to be discussed in Congress until 2026. In the interim, the government is collaborating with Open AI, Google, and human to promote AI adoption within governmental functions and the economy.
Mr. Trump has stated, “We must allow AI to utilize it.” He noted, “We can gather insights without engaging in complex contract negotiations,” urging international governments “not to implement regulations that hinder” AI companies from operating effectively.
“The government is attempting to navigate both interests,” copyright advocate and director Bivan Kidron told the Guardian. “They have demonstrated an inability to govern with the financial interests of creators in mind.”
A government representative stated that Liz Kendall, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, is committed to finding a balance between AI and the creative sectors, declaring, “We recognize both of these sectors are vital to the UK’s success and are engaging with both parties.”
Concerns were voiced following Kendall’s appointment of a special adviser in September, who previously argued that “regardless of philosophical beliefs about whether AI firms should compensate content creators, there is currently no legal obligation for them to do so.”
In response to Mr. McCartney’s remarks, a government spokesperson affirmed that the government prioritizes the interests of the British public and businesses.
“We have consistently emphasized the importance of collaborating with both the creative industries and the AI sector to foster AI innovation while ensuring robust safeguards for creators,” the statement read.
“We’re gathering insights from both UK and international companies and voices in the AI and creative industries to ensure we consider the broadest possible spectrum of expert opinions as we deliberate on our next steps.”
This week, three songs generated by artificial intelligence have reached the top of music charts, securing spots at the pinnacle of both Spotify and Billboard rankings.
Walk My Walk made waves with Breaking Rust’s “Livin’ on Borrowed Time” leading the U.S. “Viral 50” chart, which highlights the “most viral songs” daily on Spotify. The anti-immigrant anthem “We Say No, No, No to an Asylum Center” by JW “Broken Veteran” also soared to the top of Spotify’s global viral chart during this timeframe. Additionally, “Breaking Rust” landed in the top five globally.
The lyrics of “Walk My Walk” include the line, “If you don’t like the way I talk, you can kick a rock,” directly addressing critics of AI-generated music.
Shortly after climbing the charts, the Dutch song vanished from Spotify and YouTube, along with all other tracks by Broken Veteran. Spotify told Dutch outlet NU.nl that it had not removed the music and that the rights holder was responsible. Broken Veteran expressed confusion over the disappearance, stating he is investigating and hopes for a resolution soon.
Opting to remain unnamed, Broken Veteran shared with the Guardian via email that he views AI as “just another tool for expression,” especially for individuals like himself who have important messages but lack formal musical training. He emphasized that the technology has “democratized music production” and clarified that his song critiques government policies, not immigrants.
For three weeks, “Walk My Walk” has led Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart, which tracks downloads and digital purchases. This chart is considered minor compared to Billboard’s broader metrics like “Hot Country Songs” and “Top Country Albums.” Breaking Rust has yet to respond to media inquiries.
AI-Generated Music’s Growing Presence
These three tracks exemplify the surge of AI-generated music flooding streaming services. A recent study by Deezer reveals that roughly 50,000 AI-generated songs are uploaded daily, representing 34% of all music submissions.
“Walk My Walk” and “We Say No, No, No to an Asylum Center” are not the first AI tracks to gain popularity. Earlier in the summer, an AI-produced song by a group named Velvet Sundown achieved over 1 million streams on Spotify, which one of its members later referred to as “art quackery.”
Ed Newton Rex, a musician and founder of a nonprofit aiming to ensure fair data training for generative AI companies, notes that the high volume of AI-generated songs available online is a significant factor behind the emergence of AI hits.
“This reflects a trend of rapidly growing interest in AI music, driven primarily by the volume of content,” he explained. “Daily, we see 50,000 new songs competing with human artists, marking the rise of a new, highly scalable competitor built through exploitation.”
AI music quality has noticeably improved since its early days. In a survey conducted as part of the study, Deezer found that 97% of the 9,000 participants from eight countries could not differentiate between AI-generated music and human-created compositions.
“This is undeniable. It’s now fairly safe to say that the top-tier AI music is indistinguishable from human-composed tracks,” Newton-Rex stated.
Emerging Distribution Models for AI-Generated Music
The success of AI-generated tracks on Spotify transcends mere quality. Much like various domains within the AI economy, numerous tools and platforms facilitate the distribution of AI music, along with user sub-communities eager to share strategies for navigating the system.
Jack Righteous, a blogger focused on AI content creation, has highlighted how his followers can generate a “passive income stream” through a music distribution service called DistroKid, which allocates royalty fees to creators whenever an AI track is streamed on platforms like YouTube, Spotify, or TikTok.
DistroKid is part of a wider ecosystem of online music distribution services, including Amuse, Landr, and CD Baby, all helping creators publish their music on major platforms like YouTube and Spotify. These services have varying policies regarding AI-generated content, with blogs like noting that DistroKid is “more forgiving.” This includes some hits from Breaking Rust such as “Livin’ on Borrowed Time” and “Resilient,” which appear to be distributed by DistroKid.
“In essence, most AI music you encounter isn’t being handled by a legitimate label. It’s crafted by individuals in their personal spaces and uploaded to distribution platforms,” said Chris Dalla Riva, author of “Unknown Territory,” which delves into the data behind music virality.
When approached for comments, Spotify cited their policy regarding AI-generated tracks.
Spotify has revealed a collaboration with the globe’s largest music enterprise to create “responsible” artificial intelligence tools that honor artists’ copyrights.
The leading music streaming service is teaming up with major labels Sony, Universal, and Warner to develop innovative AI solutions, featuring renowned artists like Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, and Taylor Swift.
While Spotify has yet to disclose specifics about the new product, the company assures that artists will not be compelled to participate and that copyright protections will be upheld.
In a blog post announcing the partnership, Spotify pointedly referenced the radical views on copyright present in some segments of the tech industry. Ongoing tensions have already prompted three major labels to initiate lawsuits against AI companies that offer tools for generating music from user input.
“Some in the tech sector advocate for the elimination of copyright,” Spotify stated. “We do not. Artist rights are important. Copyrights are vital. Without leadership from the music industry, AI-driven innovations will occur elsewhere, lacking rights, consent, and fair compensation.”
Copyright, a legal protection preventing unauthorized use of one’s work, has become a contentious issue between creative sectors and technology firms. The tech industry often utilizes publicly accessible copyrighted material to build AI tools, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude.
Three key music companies are suing two AI music startups, Udio and Suno, for alleged copyright violations, alongside similar legal actions in other creative domains. Both Udio and Suno maintain that their technology aims to generate original music rather than replicate the works of specific artists.
Universal Music Group’s head, Sir Lucian Grainge, indicated in a memo to staff that the label will seek approval from artists before licensing their voices or songs to AI firms.
One notorious music deepfake emerged in 2023: “Heart on My Sleeve,” featuring AI-generated vocals by Drake and The Weeknd, was removed from streaming platforms after Universal criticized it as infringing on rights related to AI-generated content.
With 276 million paid subscribers, Spotify also announced the establishment of an advanced generative AI research laboratory to create “innovative experiences” for fans and artists. The company from Stockholm stated that these products will open new revenue avenues for artists and songwriters, ensuring they receive fair compensation for their work while also providing clarity regarding their contributions.
In conjunction with its AI initiative, Spotify is also collaborating with Merlin, a digital rights organization for independent labels, and Believe, a French digital music label. Currently, Spotify employs AI to curate playlists and create customized DJs.
Leaders from the three prominent companies welcomed the agreement, with Sony Music Group Chairman Rob Stringer noting that this would necessitate direct licensing of artists’ work prior to introducing new products. Universal’s Grainge expressed his desire for a “thriving commercial ecosystem” in which both the music and tech industries can prosper. Warner Music Group’s Robert Kinkle voiced support for Spotify’s “considerate AI regulations.”
TThis past month, independent musicians in San Francisco convened for a series of discussions titled “Death to Spotify,” where attendees delved into “the implications of decentralizing music discovery, production, and listening from a capitalist framework.”
Hosted at Bathers Library, the event featured speakers from indie radio station KEXP, record labels Cherub Dream Records and Dandy Boy Records, along with DJ collectives No Bias and Amor Digital. What began as a modest gathering quickly sold out, gaining international interest. Organizers were approached by individuals as far away as Barcelona and Bengaluru eager to replicate the event.
“Death to Spotify” event held on September 23rd at Buzzards Library in San Francisco, California. Photo: Dennis Heredia
These discussions occur as the global backlash against Spotify gains traction. In January, music journalist Liz Perry released *Mood Machine*, a critical examination arguing that streaming services have decimated the industry, turning listeners into “passive, unstimulated consumers.” Perry asserts that Spotify’s business model pays artists meagerly, particularly if they consent to be “playlisted” in discovery mode, which delivers a bland, ambient soundtrack that blends into the background.
While artists have long voiced concerns over inadequate compensation, this past summer, criticism turned personal, specifically targeting Spotify’s billionaire co-founder Daniel Ek’s backing of Hellsing, a German company developing military technology AI. Prominent acts like Massive Attack, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Deerhoof, and Hotline TNT have pulled their songs from the platform in protest, though Spotify stresses that “Spotify and Hellsing are entirely separate entities.”
“Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Cost of the Perfect Playlist” by Liz Perry. Photo: Hodder
In Oakland, Stefani Dukic read *Mood Machine*, learned about the boycott, and felt inspired.
While not a musician, Dukic, who investigates city police complaints, describes her fascination with sound alongside her friend Manasa Karthikeyan, who works in an art gallery. They decided to foster a similar dialogue. “Spotify plays a vital role in our music interaction,” Dukic explains. “We thought it would be enriching to investigate our relationship with streaming, the significance of deleting a file, and the process involved.” Thus, Death to Spotify was conceived.
In essence, the aim was to “end algorithmic listening, cease royalty exploitation, and discontinue AI-generated music.”
Karthikeyan believes the onus of quitting Spotify falls on both listeners and musicians. “One must acknowledge that not everything is instantly available,” she states. “It prompts deeper consideration of what you support.”
Yet, will musicians and fans truly commit to a long-term boycott of the app?
Numerous prominent artists have previously pulled their catalogs from Spotify amid much fanfare, only to quietly return. Taylor Swift, one of the platform’s biggest stars, returned in 2017 after a three-year boycott over unfair payment practices. Thom Yorke, the frontman of Radiohead, removed some solo projects in 2013 for similar reasons, labeling Spotify as “the last desperate fart of a dying corpse,” yet he later reinstated them.
In 2022, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell left the platform due to an exclusive deal with anti-vaccine podcast host Joe Rogan. Having both contracted polio in their childhood during the 1950s, they have also reinstated their catalogs on Spotify.
Eric Drott, a music professor at the University of Texas at Austin, suggests this latest wave of boycotts feels distinct. “These artists are not mainstream. Many have realized for years that streaming isn’t lucrative, but they still sought recognition. With the sheer volume of available music, people are questioning its overall value.”
Will Anderson of Hotline TNT asserted there is “0%” chance his band will return. “There’s no rationale for genuine music enthusiasts to be there,” he claims. “Spotify’s primary objective is to encourage you to stop pondering what’s being played.” When the band sold their new album, “Raspberry Moon,” directly via Bandcamp and a 24-hour Twitch stream, it sold hundreds of copies and generated substantial revenue.
Manasa Karthikeyan (left) and Stephanie Dukic. Photo: Eva Tuff
Pop-rock artist Caroline Rose and others are also experimenting with alternative distribution methods. Her album *Year of the Slug*, influenced by Cindy Lee’s “Diamond Jubilee,” was exclusively released on vinyl and Bandcamp, initially available only on YouTube and the file-sharing platform Mega. “It’s disheartening to pour your heart and soul into something only to give it away online for free,” Rose articulates.
Rose is a member of the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW), an advocacy organization established to protect music professionals since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Joey DeFrancesco, a member of the punk band Downtown Boys and a UMAW co-founder, stated the group “clearly advocates for artists as agents, holding corporations accountable and facilitating necessary dialogue,” including efforts to remove music from Spotify. He also noted the “limitations” inherent in individual boycotts.
“Our goal in the labor movement and within UMAW is to act collectively,” he emphasized. Notable examples include UMAW’s successful campaign—in partnership with the Palestine for Palestine coalition—to persuade the South by Southwest music festival to cut ties with U.S. military and arms manufacturers as sponsors for its 2025 event, as well as the introduction of the Living Wage for Musicians Act (a bill aimed at regulating payments to artists on Spotify) championed by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.
The organizers of Death to Spotify assert that their intent isn’t to dismantle the app but rather to prompt users to critically reflect on their music consumption habits. “We want to encourage a more thoughtful engagement with how we listen to music,” Karthikeyan explains. “Sticking to algorithmically generated comfort zones only serves to diminish the richness of our culture.”
The significant move was the latest part of founder Daniel Ek’s strategy to withdraw catalogs from Spotify in protest against his €600 million (£520 million) investment in military AI company Helsing.
In June, Ek’s venture capital firm, Prima Materia, spearheaded a funding round for the defense tech firm. Helsing’s software leverages AI to analyze battlefield sensor and weapon system data, facilitating real-time military decision-making. Additionally, they plan to develop their own military drone, the HX-2. Ek also serves as chairman of Helsing.
The band has announced their participation in Music for Genocide, a new initiative where over 400 artists and record labels are removing their music from Israeli streaming platforms.
In a statement, the band expressed:
In light of the substantial investments made by CEOs in companies unrelated to the initiative and engaged in producing military drones and AI technologies for fighter jets, the band has made separate requests to labels to remove their music from Spotify across all regions.
We believe that the historical effectiveness of artists’ actions during apartheid in South Africa serves as a precedent for addressing the war crimes and genocide currently perpetrated by the state of Israel, which underscores the moral duties of artists.
Moreover, the financial strain on artists has now combined with moral and ethical burdens, ultimately affecting the hard-earned income of fans and the creative endeavors of musicians.
Enough is enough.
Alternative methods must be explored.
になったんです。 English: The first thing you can do is to find the best one to do. A spokesperson for Spotify stated, “Spotify and Helsing are entirely separate entities.”
They further clarified that Helsing “has no involvement in Gaza” and that their operations “are focused on protecting Europe against threats from Ukraine.”
In a statement, Helsing asserted, “Currently, Helsing’s technology is not deployed in war zones outside of Ukraine, which is misleading.”
“Our technology is utilized in European countries for deterrence and to defend against Russian assaults on Ukraine.”
Australian psych-rock group King Gizzard and Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, alongside US alternative acts Deerhoof and Manchester’s Wu Lyf, have also joined in this effort.
In contrast to these bands, large-scale attacks cannot showcase their music on popular platforms like Bandcamp. After transitioning to Bandcamp, King Gizzard’s extensive catalog filled the top 27 spots on the site.
The No No Music for Genocide initiative features artists such as MJ Lenderman, Amyl and the Sniffers, Rina Sawayama, Jockstrap, Keiyaa, John Glacier, Erika de Casier, Smerz, and Wednesday. These artists have either modified their release territories or requested geo-blocking for their music.
Massive Attack has amplified their message through Instagram posts.
In 1991, the tragedy of apartheid violence in South Africa was alleviated from a distance through public boycotts, protests, and artists withdrawing their work. Complicity with such a regime was deemed unacceptable. The same principle applies to the state of Israeli atrocities in 2025. Many musicians are responding to the recently launched @Filmworkers4Palestine campaign, endorsed by 4,500 filmmakers, actors, industry workers, and institutions, supporting issues from @bds.movement, @NomusicForGenocide, and more. We urge all musicians to convert their grief, anger, and artistic contributions into consistent, rational, and impactful actions, aiming to end the suffering imposed on Palestinians for far too long.
Massive Attack, alongside Brian Eno, kNeecap, and Fontaine DC, have established a coalition of artists advocating for Palestinian rights, defending musicians against the threat of silence or the risk of career setbacks enforced by organizations such as the Israeli UK Lawfare Institute (UKLFI), which reportedly led Bob Billan in a controversial performance.
This coalition informed The Guardian: “This unified action aims to provide solidarity to artists who endure daily in the face of genocide, yet are apprehensive about using their platforms to voice their concerns due to the pervasive censorship in the industry and highly organized external legal pressures.”
wI was just 18 when I got my hands on a Minidisc player, which had seen better days in terms of popularity. While it might not have been the most “fashionable” choice at the time, I absolutely loved it. I vaguely recall picking up packs at Poundland, building a vibrant library of affordable music before Spotify even existed.
This week, as I published articles about the MP3 players that revolutionized portable audio technology, I reflected on how they ultimately overshadowed my beloved Minidisc players. To be fair, MP3 playback is merely one of many file formats supported by modern digital audio players—perhaps a more fitting term.
For a period, I sensed that music streaming didn’t quite satisfy my needs. Yes, the ability to access an entire music library at your fingertips is a technological marvel, but it also leads to “choice paralysis” akin to being a child in a candy store. More crucially, it’s not your music.
Frustration with Algorithms
While exploring modern players for this piece, I found that I’m not alone in feeling disconnected from today’s streaming landscape. Chris Laidler, office manager at Advanced MP3 Players, provided insights into the type of individuals who opt out of the streaming norm—my kind of people.
When he began his career in 2017, his customers largely comprised a niche audiophile community, “pursuing high-resolution audio as a hobby,” he shares. These were people “more invested in technology than in music.”
However, since the onset of Covid, this clientele has expanded to include more casual buyers. For some, nostalgia plays a role, but there are also more practical motivations.
“It liberates them from the algorithm,” Laidler explains. “They seek out music on their own terms. This also means they have a device to store the music they genuinely own, rather than subscribing to Spotify.”
For true audio enthusiasts, smartphone audio simply falls short. “Consider your phone’s size,” Raidler gestures, “which features only a small DAC [digital-to-analog converter].” On the flip side, a dedicated MP3 player offers an entire setup designed for optimal music reproduction. And yes, that includes a standard wired audio jack—take note, Apple!
Generally, some acknowledge the steep entry price, even if they appreciate the concepts. For reference, my investment landed around £650, but top-tier technology can soar into the thousands. However, don’t fret! My more budget-friendly pick, the impressive Snowkey Echo Mini at £66.99, provides great value. After a certain price point, you’re more likely chasing a specific sound signature than an evident leap in quality.
The Tyranny of Choice
Ironically, as you try to make a selection, the abundance of options can mirror the overwhelming experience of scrolling through Spotify. “At audio trade shows, visitors come equipped with notebooks, taking notes on each player’s characteristics and prices,” Laidler recounts. “Yet, when you see these same individuals returning the following year, and you ask them, ‘So, which one did you choose?’—they’re still undecided.”
Should I opt for an older MP3 player? They have limitations in terms of storage, file format compatibility, and warranties. “From a nostalgia standpoint, they’re fantastic,” says Raidler.
“I enjoy showcasing these vintage players during our exhibitions and meetings because we can’t access them easily; perhaps we should even start a museum!”
This Week’s Selection
Editor’s Choice
Is it raining at the parade? It’s not about wearing the right clothes. Photo: Cicy/Getty Images/Istockphoto
You step out into glorious sunshine only to arrive at an office that resembles a death chamber. Your inexpensive emergency umbrella keeps flipping inside out. Yes, autumn weather is back with a vengeance. How do you maintain style amidst potential downpours? Fashion writer Charlotte Gornor has all the solutions for adding a layer of sophistication to any outfit, including waxed hoods and stylish caps.
Monica Hollige Associate Editor, Filter
In Case You Missed It…
A few replacements and a little hydration of your beauty routine can repair summer’s damage. Photo: Westend61/Getty Images
Let’s be real: Have you overlooked rinsing your hair every time you hit the beach this summer? Did you miss applying sunscreen to every part of your body before venturing outside? And are you hoping to prolong that summer glow? (All three apply here.)
Hayley Spencer’s guide offers remedies to heal your skin, hair, and nails after a sun-soaked summer. We’re especially fond of this drunken elephant scrub, which not only helps remove dead skin cells and debris that can clog pores, but also enhances moisture penetration, ensuring your skin remains hydrated and radiant. More glow, please!
Get Involved
What’s your secret to kicking off the day right—a cup of coffee or a breath of fresh air? Photo: Stephen Chong/Aramie
Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, what’s your secret to enhancing your mornings? Waking up to a radio alarm instead of your phone? An amazing cup of coffee? Some gentle stretches? Or perhaps an eye mask that grants you an extra 30 minutes of sleep? Share your thoughts by replying to this newsletter or email thefilter@theguardian.com.
A recent study discovered that engaging in high-ventilation breathing exercises while listening to music is linked to experiencing blissful states and diminishing negative emotions. This practice is also associated with increased blood flow to brain areas responsible for processing emotions.
Kartar et al. We propose that circuits supporting the integration of mutual acceptoral expressions and the processing of emotional memory are potential neurobiological substrates for HVB-induced ASCs. Image credit: Ram Jain.
The use of breathing exercises as a method for alleviating psychological distress is rapidly gaining traction. Breathing techniques that enhance ventilation rate or depth in conjunction with music can lead to altered states of consciousness (ASC) akin to those induced by psychedelic substances.
High ventilation breathing (HVB) may present fewer legal and ethical challenges for widespread use in clinical settings, offering a non-pharmaceutical alternative.
Nevertheless, the neurobiological mechanisms and subjective experiences linked to ASCs resulting from HVB have not been thoroughly explored.
To address this knowledge deficiency, Dr. Amy Amra Kartal from the University of Sussex and her team characterized ASCs triggered by HVB conducted by experienced practitioners, analyzing self-reported data from 15 participants online, and 8 to 19 individuals in a lab setting.
Their study included 20-30 minute sessions of uninterrupted circular breathing paired with music, followed by various surveys within 30 minutes post-session.
Findings indicated that the intensity of ASCs from HVB correlates with cardiovascular sympathetic activation and shows signs of a potential stress response, evidenced by decreased heart rate variability.
Moreover, HVB-induced ASCs were related to a significant reduction in blood flow to specific brain areas, including the left surgery and posterior island, which are involved in representing the body’s internal state, including respiration.
Interestingly, despite an overall reduction in cerebral blood flow during HVB, there were increases noted in the right amygdala and anterior hippocampus—regions pertinent to emotional memory processing.
These alterations in blood flow bear a resemblance to psychedelic experiences, suggesting that such changes may underlie the beneficial effects of this breathing technique.
Throughout all experimental conditions, participants reported a decrease in fear and negative emotions without experiencing side effects.
In various participant settings, HVB indeed reinforced the marine infinity (OBN)-controlled ASC, a concept introduced by Freud in 1920, encapsulating a range of experiences such as spiritual insights, feelings of bliss, positive emotional shifts, and a sense of unity.
OBN is regarded as a fundamental element of ASCs generated by psychedelic substances like psilocybin.
The researchers emphasize that their findings are pioneering and exploratory, advocating for future studies with larger sample sizes and control groups to discern the effects of music on brain activity.
Despite certain limitations, these results offer valuable insights into HVB and its potential therapeutic applications.
“Our research represents the first use of neuroimaging to map the neurophysiological changes occurring during respiratory work,” the team stated.
“Key findings indicate that breathing exercises elicit profound psychedelic states.”
“We believe these conditions are tied to shifts in function in specific brain areas involved in self-awareness, fear, and emotional memory processing.”
“We discovered that deeper alterations in blood flow in certain brain regions correspond to stronger sensations of unity, bliss, and emotional release referred to as ‘marine boundaries.’ ”
Survey results published online in the journal on August 27, 2025 PLOS 1.
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Kartar et al. 2025. Neurobiological substrates of altered states of consciousness induced by high ventilator respiratory practices with music. PLOS 1 20(8): E0329411; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0329411
Music transcends mere entertainment; it serves as a remarkably effective tool for regulating mental states. Society must acknowledge the therapeutic potential of music, extending its use beyond clinical settings and into everyday life.
While it’s widely recognized that music can evoke emotions—lift our spirits, soothe our nerves, or bring us to tears—recent research from my lab at the University of Bergen in Norway reveals that it can also transform our thought processes. A 2019 study demonstrated that participants who listened to heroic or melancholic music while letting their minds wander experienced significant cognitive effects. The uplifting pieces invigorated participants and inspired positive thoughts, whereas somber music instilled calmness or ambition. This isn’t just a curiosity; it has real implications for mental health.
Research shows our minds wander frequently, with a Harvard University study indicating that we spend nearly half our waking hours in fantasy, often without improving our mood. Why? During these episodes, the brain’s default mode network (DMN) tends to dominate, fostering imagination and memory but also leading us into negative thought spirals—like worries at 3 AM or regrets about missed trains.
Recent brain imaging research indicates that negative daydreaming engages brain pain networks and the DMN, especially in conjunction with sad music. Specific brain areas, including the posterior sulcus, appear to play a crucial role in this connection. Such distressing thoughts activate neural circuits that are also engaged during physical pain.
Fortunately, the DMN has a natural counterpart—a cognitive executive network that facilitates focus and goal-directed behavior. These two systems are inversely correlated; when one is active, the other becomes subdued. Engaging with music can shift us into this more adaptive state, especially when we participate actively—whether by tapping along, matching our breathing to rhythms, or humming. This redirecting of attention helps to break negative thought cycles, providing our minds with a cognitive “reset.”
This approach doesn’t just elevate mood. A 2023 study found that individuals who tapped along to music reported a marked reduction in physical pain in their fingertips compared to those who simply listened. The combination of musical immersion and motor synchronization proved clinically beneficial in alleviating pain.
These insights point to musical engagement as a delightful form of meditation. Evolution may have shaped our brains to seek out music for precisely this reason: to enhance resilience and build social bonds.
I explore these concepts further in my new book, Good Vibrations: Unleashing the Healing Power of Music, which also offers practical techniques—such as music-centered breathing exercises and mood-enhancing playlists—to help regulate emotions, reduce anxiety, and alleviate negative thought patterns.
If music possesses such profound effects, it deserves far more recognition than being relegated to mere lifestyle accessory status. It should be woven into education systems, public health initiatives, and our daily routines. Music therapy must become more accessible, and music education—oftentimes the first to be cut in school budgets—should be viewed as essential for brain health, emotional intelligence, and social wellness.
Music is always within reach. The next time your thoughts begin to spiral or stress begins to encroach, resist the urge to check the news on your phone. Instead, turn to your favorite songs. Your mind—and your community—will be grateful.
Stefan Koelsch is a professor of psychology at the University of Bergen, Norway
Feedback is your go-to source for the latest science and technology news from New Scientist. If you have intriguing stories for our readers, please reach out to us at Feedback@newscientist.com.
Sundown Showdown
Feedback has been aware for a while that there are numerous AI-generated music platforms, such as Spotify. I’ll admit, our familiarity was somewhat limited, as we still have a fondness for CDs.
However, we were surprised when New Scientist introduced us to Timothy Rebel, an indie rock band known as Velvet Sunset. Their track sounds like a blend of Coldplay and the Eagles, and their music appears to be generated by algorithms. The Instagram photos seem reminiscent of discarded concept art for Daisy Jones & Six.
Initially, the band denied any claims of being AI-generated. Their X Account discredited the theory that they are “generated,” insisting that their music was created during a long, sweat-filled night in a California bungalow.
Yet, there are no videos and none of the members have an online presence. Eventually, Rolling Stone interviewed Andrew Freron, identified as the band’s “creator.” He confessed it was all a form of “art hoax,” but then Frelon claimed this was also untrue, and the “band” released a statement distancing themselves from him. By now, Feedback has grown weary of this convoluted drama and simply wishes to express our confusion.
On that note, if you’re planning to create an AI band, consider Tim’s advice: “fully embrace the concept.” And if you decide to use a name reminiscent of Lou Reed, think twice. Tim suggests clever names like Rage I’m A Machine, The Bitles, TL (LM)c. Feedback adds playful ideas like pink floppy disks, Lanadel Array, Capchatonia, Alanis Microsoft, and Velvet.
Finally, the new generation of artists could certainly benefit from satirical acts, like a performer named Ai Yankovic.
Sodom Bomb
Science can be slow-paced, but occasionally, it leads to significant discoveries. Since September 2021, Scientific Report revealed some intriguing research claiming archaeological evidence of events influencing the biblical tales of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction.
According to the narrative, these cities were destroyed by divine intervention for their sins. In contrast, this study suggested a “. Tunguska-sized airburst,” akin to the 1908 explosion in Siberia, was responsible for the devastation.
This event purportedly occurred around 3600 years ago, annihilating the Bronze Age city of Elhammaum in present-day Jordan. Evidence included “a thick, carbon-rich destructive layer” across the city, alongside signs of “soot” and “melted metals like platinum, iridium, nickel, gold, silver, zircon, chromite, and quartz.”
However, on April 24th, the journal retracted this paper due to “methodological errors” and “misinterpretations.” Over four years, it faced considerable criticism and multiple revisions, as reported by Retraction Watch. Numerous images were manipulated in “inappropriate” ways, and it was noted that the burned and melted materials could have originated from smelting activities rather than explosions.
We found the comments on Pubpeer particularly amusing, with one commenter stating: “The north arrows and shadows in Figure 44C indicate that the sun is almost north-northeast, which is impossible in the Dead Sea.” This type of expert pedantry resonates with us.
In summary, someone produced a paper regarding two notorious cities, manipulated images contravening guidelines, and failed to properly assess alternate hypotheses. That’s quite the transgression.
Avocadon’t
Feedback receives numerous press releases, but we end up ignoring over 90%—mainly due to their irrelevance, like when we got inundated with wedding dress promotions. The primary issue is that most releases are rather dull.
However, one press release caught our attention on July 2nd with the subject line “Avocado is not an enemy.” This announcement was linked to the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament and addressed the decision to discontinue avocado services. The message contended, “It perpetuates myths unsupported by current data. In fact, avocados are among the most nutritious and environmentally friendly fruits available today.”
The release elaborated that avocados have a minimal water footprint and support small farms in places like Peru and South Africa, being rich in heart-healthy fats, fiber, and essential nutrients.
We found this proclamation rather impressive, and noticed the strong praise avocados receive from the World Avocado Organization.
As M. Rice-Davies once said in 1963, we can only add:
Have you spoken about feedback?
You can share your stories with us via email at feedback@newscientist.com. Don’t forget to include your home address. This week’s and past feedback can be found on our website.
Recent research indicates that older adults who play musical instruments tend to have healthier brains.
One investigation examined the impacts of decades of music practice, while another focused on learning new instruments later in life.
In both studies, engaging in music was linked to better brain health and a decrease in age-related cognitive decline.
The first study was published in PLOS Biology and involved collaboration between Canadian and Chinese researchers. They recruited 50 adults with an average age of 65, half of whom had been playing instruments for at least 32 years, while the others had no musical experience.
Additionally, they included 24 young adults with an average age of 23 who had no musical training.
The researchers utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess blood flow in the brains of the participants.
During the scans, participants listened to a recording of speakers amid background noise, where 50 other voices were present, and were tasked with identifying what the main speaker was saying.
The scans revealed that older musicians’ brains responded to challenges similarly to those of the younger participants.
Nonetheless, older adults showed signs of cognitive decline. Specifically, musicians exhibited strong neural connections on the right side of the brain that non-musicians lacked, which could place additional strain on their brain.
“The brains of older musicians remain finely tuned due to years of training, so they don’t need to play well-tuned instruments at high volumes,” stated co-author Dr. Yi from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
“Our findings suggest that musical experience helps mitigate the additional cognitive strain typically associated with age-related challenges, particularly in noisy environments.”
A 2025 YouGov poll revealed that 25% of UK adults can play at least one instrument, with the guitar being the second most favored instrument after the piano.
As individuals age, cognitive functions such as memory, learning, and perception often deteriorate, eventually contributing to dementia.
However, researchers posit that cognitive reserve—the brain’s capability to manage damage and decline—can enhance resilience against this deterioration.
The precise mechanisms remain unclear, as noted by Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, Associate Professor of Aging at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, in an interview with BBC Science Focus.
Some studies suggest that “exercising” the brain through activities like playing instruments, learning new languages, and solving puzzles can improve brain health, but results from other research have been inconsistent.
“Overall, we advocate for brain training, but the evidence is not conclusive,” Scheibye-Knudsen remarked.
Conversely, another recent study, published in Imaging Neuroscience, indicated that musical practice can enhance brain health, even when individuals start playing in later life.
According to a 2024 poll from the University of Michigan, 17% of US adults aged 50-80 engage in playing instruments at least several times a year – Credit: DMP via Getty
Researchers at Kyoto University in Japan continued previous studies that included 53 elderly individuals (average age 73) who took music lessons for four months. Initial findings indicated no significant differences in brain health among participants.
Four years later, the same participants underwent MRI scans (13 of whom had maintained their music practice).
Those who ceased playing their newly learned instruments showed declines in memory performance, with a noticeable reduction in the volume of the putamen—a brain region associated with motor function, learning, and memory.
However, those who continued playing music over the four years exhibited no cognitive decline.
Scheibye-Knudsen noted that the study demonstrates that “playing an instrument not only helps preserve cognitive function as we age, but it may also directly contribute to maintaining the structural integrity of the brain.”
He added, “Engaging in music beyond what this study covered offers additional advantages, such as enhanced social interaction.”
“I encourage people to start making music; it’s never too late to learn.”
Read more:
About Our Experts
Morten Scheibye-Knudsen is an associate professor of aging at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and leads the Scheibye-Knudsen Research Group. He also serves as the president of the Nordic Aging Association.
They garnered over 1 million streams on Spotify within a few weeks, yet it was later disclosed that a fresh band, The Velvet Sundown, was crafted using production techniques involving AI.
This revelation ignited discussions about authenticity in the music industry. Industry experts argue that streaming platforms should be legally obligated to mark music created by AI actions, enabling consumers to make informed choices about the music they consume.
Initially, the band described as “The Synthetic Music Project, Guided by Human Creative Oversight,” denied that their works were AI-generated, releasing two albums in June titled Echo, Dust, and Silence Floating.
The situation grew more intricate when a self-identified “subsidized” member informed journalists that The Velvet Sundown utilized the AI platform Suno for song creation, branding the project as an “artistic hoax.”
The band’s official social media outlets refuted this claim, asserting that their identity had been “hijacked.” They later issued a statement admitting it was an AI creation and “not human at all.”
Sources told the Guardian that streaming services, including Spotify, currently lack legal obligations to disclose music produced by AI, hindering consumers from understanding the origin of the tracks they listen to.
“We are pleased to announce our commitment to offering a broad array of services to our clients,” stated Roberto Neri, CEO of Ivors Academy.
Neri remarked that while AI can enhance songwriting when “used ethically,” his organization is currently focused on what they term “deeply concerning issues” surrounding AI in music.
Sophie Jones, Chief Strategy Officer for the UK’s Music Trade Organization (BPI), has advocated for clear labeling. “We believe AI should be a tool that enhances human creativity, not replaces it,” Jones stated.
“This is why we urge the UK government to safeguard copyrights, implement new transparency requirements for AI firms, license and enforce music rights, and ensure proper labeling for AI-generated content.”
Liz Pelly, author of Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Cost of the Perfect Playlist, warned that independent artists could be taken advantage of by those behind AI bands who utilize music to produce trained tracks.
She referenced a 2023 incident involving songs uploaded to TikTok, Spotify, and YouTube, where Universal Music Group stated a song “infringes content created with generative AI” leading to its removal shortly after being uploaded.
It remains unclear what type of music informed The Velvet Sundown’s album. Critics express concerns that the ambiguity could result in independent artists missing out on compensation.
Pelly emphasized: “It’s not just pop stars facing this issue; every artist needs clarity on whether their work is being misappropriated in this way.”
For many, the rise of The Velvet Sundown is a natural progression in the intersection of music and AI, as legislative measures struggle to adapt to the swiftly evolving music landscape.
Jones commented: “The emergence of AI-generated music competing directly with human creativity underscores that tech companies are leveraging creative works to train AI models.”
Neri asserted that the UK has the potential to lead in the ethical adoption of AI in music, but this requires a strong legal framework that ensures “guarantees, fair compensation, and clear labels for listeners.”
“Without such protections, AI risks repeating the missteps of streaming, where major tech companies profit while music creators are sidelined,” he added.
Aurélien Hérault, Chief Innovation Officer at music streaming service Deezer, stated that the company employs detection software to identify and tag AI-generated tracks.
He remarked: “Currently, our platform is transparent, and we need to ensure users are alerted about AI usage. In the near future, a form of ‘naturalization of AI’ should indicate whether AI is being utilized.”
Hérault did not dismiss the possibility of future tag removals as AI-generated music gains popularity and musicians begin to adopt it like traditional “instruments.”
A recent report conveyed to the Guardian revealed that up to seven out of ten streams of AI-generated music on the platform are deemed fraudulent.
At present, Spotify does not label music as AI-generated and has faced backlash for including AI music in various playlists previously, often referred to as “ghost acts,” wherein stock music is fabricated.
A company spokesperson declared that Spotify does not prioritize AI-generated content. “All music available on Spotify, including AI-generated pieces, is created, owned, and uploaded by licensed third parties,” they elaborated.
As reported by the French streaming service, nearly seven out of every ten streams of AI-generated music on the Deezer platform are deemed to be fraudulent.
The company states that AI-created music only constitutes 0.5% of total streams on music platforms, yet their analysis indicates that scammers may account for as much as 70% of those streams.
The rise of AI-generated music presents a significant issue on streaming services. Scammers typically utilize bots to “listen” to AI-generated tracks, thereby generating revenue for platforms like Deezer and subsequently receiving royalty payments.
This tactic aims to circumvent detection mechanisms by flooding the system with high listening counts for numerous low-quality fake tracks.
Thibault Roucou, director of royalties and a report regarding the Paris-based platform, mentioned that the manipulation of AI-generated music is a strategy to “extract some profit from royalties.”
“As long as I can profit, I shall,” he lamented, referring to the scenario of fraudulent streaming. “Sadly, there is a push to profit from it.”
Deezer utilizes a tool designed to identify 100% AI-generated content from the leading AI music models, including Suno and Udio.
Deezer reports that the AI-generated music being streamed by con artists ranges from fake pop and rap to artificial mood music. The platform actively prevents royalty payments for streams flagged as fraudulent.
In April, Deezer disclosed that AI-generated tracks account for 18% of all uploads to its platform, averaging around 20,000 tracks per day. The company has announced plans to exclude all AI-generated content from its algorithmic recommendations. Deezer boasts over 10 million subscribers globally, whereas leading competitor Spotify has 268 million.
Roucou noted that while the identities of those orchestrating the fraudulent streams remain unknown, the criminals seem to operate in an “organized” manner. The IFPI, a Trade Body, reported that the global streaming market was valued at $20.4 billion last year, making it a prime target for fraudsters.
In a report, the Latest Global Music Report from the IFPI indicated that fraudulent streaming diverts funds that “should go to rightful artists,” with generic AI contributing to an exacerbation of the issue.
Last year, U.S. musician Michael Smith faced charges for attempting to create AI-generated songs that were designed to be streamed billions of times, resulting in potential royalty earnings of $10 million.
This social media platform positions itself as a leader in youth culture, setting trends for others to follow. However, observations of music, television, and daily life in the UK suggest that TikTok is embracing a new wave of nostalgia.
The music and television of the 2000s have been rediscovered by Gen X and older Millennials, with Gen Z being the first to engage with this content.
“Sex and The City,” which aired from 1999 to 2004, now boasts 108,000 videos on the platform, doubling its count over the past year. “Gossip Girl,” running from 2007 to 2012, has 120,000 videos, while “Gilmore Girls,” from 2000 to 2007, has amassed 1 million related videos. “The Vampire Diaries,” which aired for eight years until 2017, has generated over 2 million discussions in video form.
Additionally, the revival of the British show “Skins,” a drama about Bristol teenagers that first aired in 2007, has gained significant attention.
Lily Hall, Programs and Insights Manager for TikTok UK, Ireland, and Nordics, remarked: “Fashion and beauty continue to be dominant themes, and we see a rise in interest for older music, television shows, and films as users seek comfort and authenticity from the past.”
“Currently, classic series are thriving on the platform. We’ve reintroduced this new generation to beloved old TV shows, while older users are sharing their favorites again.”
TikTok’s focus on “Britcore” content reflects the increasing demand for 2000s nostalgia, with creators sharing videos related to fashion and lifestyle, childhood toys, and discontinued snacks like pink and white mouse sweets and Cadbury animal crackers.
Crime dramas have also seen a significant impact, with a 70% increase in related videos over the past year.
The viral success of puberty content, which was collectively created in one take, has resulted in 76,000 associated videos. Other creators have revived themes from series like “Code of Silence” and “Kin.”
Interestingly, a song recorded 64 years ago, initially seen as merely a B-side, found new life on the platform. “Who’s Sorry Now” by Connie Francis has captured the attention of a younger audience, especially after the 87-year-old artist joined TikTok herself.
The track has gone viral on the platform, racking up video productions totaling over 20 million views. This resurgence occurs 65 years after Francis became the first woman to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. TikTok notes that the song has been used as a soundtrack for positive content featuring family and pets.
“This demonstrates that the TikTok community transcends genres and ages,” says Sheemashidiki, Artist Partnership Manager at TikTok. “Whether a song was released last month or decades ago, what matters is that the community can engage creatively with it.”
The music industry is currently facing a struggle, particularly regarding the operations of streaming services, with unsuspecting indie artists caught in the crossfire.
Streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music are inundated with AI-generated tracks, which are cheap and easy to produce. In April, Deather estimated that 20,000 fully AI-created tracks—making up 18% of new releases—were being consumed daily, nearly double the number from January. Scammers often employ bots, AI, or even humans to loop these fake songs repeatedly to generate revenue, while some exploit upload services to place counterfeit songs on legitimate artist pages, siphoning off royalties.
Spotify has begun penalizing the most egregious offenders, with the statement that it is utilizing “significant engineering resources and investigations into the detection, mitigation, and removal of artificial streaming activities.” Meanwhile, Apple Music contends that “less than 1% of all streams are manipulated.” While this might sound reassuring, the global streaming business generated $20.4 billion (according to IFPI), indicating that hundreds of millions of dollars could be lost annually to fraudulent operators.
One significant issue arises from the drastically lowered entry barriers for musicians; uploading a song to streaming platforms is now much simpler than producing CDs and vinyl. However, this ease has similarly afforded fraudsters an easier path. Though the industry has declared war on this manipulation, the automatic detection systems can mistakenly flag innocent artists, leading to their music being taken down.
Spotify’s headquarters in New York. Photo: John Nacion Imaging/Shutterstock
Darren Owen, COO of music streaming service Fuga, identified a “surge in streaming scams” spreading throughout the industry since around 2021.
Utilizing AI and machine learning, FUGA assigns a “severity score” to streaming patterns and distinguishes “nonhuman listening habits” to uncover fraudulent activities. “I wouldn’t listen to the same song on different devices at once,” Owen states. Countries like India, Vietnam, Thailand, and certain areas in Eastern Europe have been flagged as hotspots for click-farm operations utilizing low-wage labor. “It’s also been revealed that organized crime is involved,” he adds.
It’s not just platforms like Germany’s Pimpyourfollower.de, which was taken down following a court order. Similar services in Canada and Brazil are also facing scrutiny from record industry trade organizations for inflating streaming numbers artificially. Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s largest record label, has allegedly conspired to boost play counts for Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “None Like Us.”
The Guardian has spoken with several artists who find themselves in the firing line of this manipulation war.
Darren Hemmings, managing director and musician at the music marketing company Motive Unknown, reported that a recent EP saw a track’s plays spike over 1,000—an indication of manipulation. “I don’t blame them for concluding that,” he says, but adds, “it’s very much like being judged, tried, and executed all at once.” He insists he did not manipulate his streams but couldn’t identify the cause aside from climbing popularity among real listeners.
The Northern Irish rock band Final 13 experienced their music being removed from streaming services due to a sudden spike of tens of thousands of plays. They believe this surge resulted from airplay on Radio 1, yet concluded their distributors were caught up in automated manipulation. “It’s really tough for any artist to prove they didn’t [manipulate streams], but it’s even more challenging for Spotify to justify what they did,” remarks their drummer, Doubes. “[They] take it down, and that’s the end of it.”
Matthew Whiteside at night… Photo: Julie Houden
Indie artist Adam J. Morgan, known as Naked Burner, earned over 10,000 streams in a week, likely due to his music being featured in TikTok videos, but was flagged as suspicious by distributor Routenote. “I hadn’t done anything wrong, and they offered no evidence,” he states, suspecting that it was simply due to an overly sensitive algorithm. “I spent the weekend trying to understand the problem, but Spotify informed me that my music wasn’t flagged at all.” Routenote did not respond to a request for comment.
Such takedowns can disrupt musicians, hinder marketing efforts, and ultimately affect earnings. Matthew Whiteside, who heads TNW Music Label, has faced claims of artificial streaming for three different albums. He noted that TNW Music tracks had been included in a controlled playlist. “It didn’t make sense based on genre. My distributor said I could resubmit the album for $40 each time, but that’s not feasible without assurance of success.”
“Streaming generally favors smaller acts and niche genres,” he observes. “I’d be thrilled to get 1,000 streams a month with an album.” Consequently, paying to re-upload an album can be beyond the release budget.
Deezer claims to be leading the way in implementing fraud detection mechanisms. “We monitor various metrics to help our algorithms determine user authenticity,” says Thibault Roucou, reporting director at the company’s royalties department. “When we initiate a takedown, we manually review the situation to ensure it’s a serious issue.”
Regrettably, many systems that execute takedowns often presume guilt, and the appeal processes can be so complicated that many small acts, already struggling, simply give up. Levina, who represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2017, experienced her music being removed from streaming platforms without any warning. “Appealing against them is nearly impossible,” she sighs.
Levina is the chairman of the Artist Council in the Association of High-profile Artists. Photo: Sam Rockman
She is also the chair of the Artists Council within the Feature Artists Coalition, working to establish “minimum standards for what distributors should provide.” She suggests implementing a traffic light warning system, allowing artists the opportunity to present their defense or rectify issues.
Streaming platforms and distributors assert that the focus is on containment rather than complete removal. However, Owen notes that the current issue isn’t solely about scammers perpetrating large-scale manipulations but involves subtle adjustments to numerous tracks to avoid detection.
For Hemmings, this situation could result in a two-tier streaming landscape where smaller acts abandon mainstream platforms. “This might lead to the conclusion that focusing on alternative revenue streams is a wiser choice for many within the independent music community.”
wRecently, many people compared their Spotify listening stats for artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, and Fontaines DC during December’s wrap-up. It may sound odd in today’s digital era, but I decided to stop streaming music entirely. Instead, I returned to buying CDs, which reignited my passion for music.
Now, I find myself immersed in music around the clock. I can’t focus on work without it, nor can I wash the dishes without some tunes in the background. I usually purchase albums in CD or vinyl format and play them repeatedly until I grow tired of them—an admittedly annoying habit. Back when I was a student, one brave housemate would blast music throughout the apartment, flooding my room with city hymns while he drained CDs and even leaped out the window.
The arrival of Napster, file sharing, and eventually Spotify felt like a stroke of luck to me. I quickly ditched my expensive CD collection for a digital platform that could play any song available. I began exploring new albums from familiar artists as well as those in the vast universe of music. However, laziness soon set in. As Spotify got to know my taste, its recommendations became increasingly obscure. Before I realized what was happening, Spotify was suggesting songs from the latest Gorillaz album or outlandish jazz-folk tracks I didn’t ask for, yet I was always too bored to skip them. Listening felt akin to conversing with a music snob who thought they knew better than I did.
Recaptures his youth… Perry is rich at home. Photo: Martin Godwin/Guardian
Recently, with the rising costs of Spotify subscriptions, I decided to cancel and go back to purchasing CDs. Now, I read reviews in NME and The Guardian, using Shazam to identify songs I enjoy, such as those from the T2 Trainspotting soundtrack and tracks by Wolf Alice. Rather than random Spotify suggestions, I’m rediscovering my music taste freely. Sure, this route might keep Jeff Bezos smiling, but nothing compares to the joy of holding tangible music in my hands. Appreciating the album art and examining the inner sleeves make every penny spent worthwhile.
Plus, I no longer share a space with noisy college roommates, allowing me to listen to my favorite albums on repeat. My current favorites include Drives to the Golden Hammer due to divorce, among others. As I prepare for their live performances, I’m also delighting in a nostalgic return to Oasis. I couldn’t be happier, even if my shelves are nearing their weight limit with the growing CD collection.
The music industry is evolving in parallel worlds. While the Gallagher brothers dominate stadiums this summer, Tiktok users are grooving to a different beat.
Electronic music has surged on Tiktok, surpassing indie and alternative genres in popularity. #ElectronicMusic garnered over 13 billion views globally, marking a 45% increase from 2023. Videos featuring electronic music tags doubled in number during the same period.
Tiktok creators are increasingly using electronic music as the soundtrack for sports, fitness, fashion, travel, and summer vacation content. The success of British electronic artists like Disclosure and Joel Corey on Tiktok highlights the genre’s mainstream appeal.
Tiktok’s influence on the music industry is evident, with artists like Adam Port and Posa gaining popularity on the platform before becoming streaming hits. Electronic artists are making waves in major markets as well as climbing the mainstream charts.
British DJs like Hannah Line and Billy Gillies have also found success on Tiktok, further boosting the electronic music scene. The community-driven nature of electronic music is reflected in the platform’s user-generated content.
Spotify reports a significant increase in streams for dance and electronic music, indicating a growing global interest in the genre. Despite the rise of electronic music, indie and alternative genres, as well as rap and hip-hop, remain popular among Tiktok users.
Last year, Tiktok saw a surge in back catalog music usage, with users incorporating older tracks into their content. This trend was not limited to the UK, as global users embraced classic tracks from past decades.
In the dimly lit room, broken symphonies of rattles, hums, and wobbles danced off the walls. However, the musicians responsible were nowhere to be seen.
Upon closer inspection, fragments of performers could be discerned, although their presence was not palpable.
In the midst of the room, spectators floated around an elevated pedestal, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the brain behind the operation. Beneath the magnifying lens lay two white masses resembling miniature jellyfish. Together, they constituted a “mini-brain” cultivated in the laboratory of the late American composer Alvin Lucier.
“You’re peering into the Abyss”: the central pedestal of the revival, housing the “mini-brain” grown in Lucier’s lab. Photo: Rift Photography
Lucier, a trailblazer in experimental music, passed away in 2021. However, here in the art galleries of Western Australia, his legacy has been resurrected through cutting-edge neuroscience.
“Gazing down at its central pedestal, one pierces the veil,” remarks Nathan Thompson, the project’s artist and creator. “You peer deep within, observing what is alive. Unlike yourself.”
The Four Monsters who orchestrated the resurrection: Guy Benley, Matt Gingold, Nathan Thompson, and Stuart Hodgitz. Photo: Rift Photography
The revival is the handiwork of a self-proclaimed “four monsters” alongside a tight-knit team of scientists and artists who have dedicated decades to pushing the boundaries of biological arts: Thompson, along with fellow artists Ben Ally and Matt Gingold, and neuroscientist Stuart Hodgetts.
Lucier proved to be an ideal collaborator. In 1965, he became the first artist to utilize brain waves to produce live sounds in innovative solo performances. In 2018, the revival team, long-time admirers of Lucier’s work, brainstormed ideas with him. By 2020, at the age of 89 and battling Parkinson’s disease, Lucier consented to provide blood for the resurrection.
dDid you know that soundtrack concerts are the most popular orchestra tours? A third of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s first-time audiences have come to the concert hall through their favorite series, films, and video games. It is a huge cultural growth field and may not be recognized by the public.
“Now it’s impossible to ignore video game music,” says Tommy Pearson, founder and artistic director of London’s first soundtrack festival. “The creativity and artistry of the game are incredible and it’s fascinating to see many composers blossom in the genre.”
As one of the lead architects behind the festival, Pearson was keen to create space for video games as part of the celebration, not just as an “add-on” to television and film soundtracks, but also as an equality in art forms. “When we first thought about what we would do at a festival, including that music in the game isn’t easy, it must be there absolutely, along with film and television music. It has an audience of very dedicated fans, and the music is as good as what is written in any genre.”
Tommy Pearson, artistic director of the London Soundtrack Festival. Photo: London Soundtrack Festival
The festival from March 19th to 26th will consist of live performances, panel discussions, screenings, Q&AS and masterclasses. One of the important events The cutting edgea composer who won a Grammy and Iver Novello Award for his work in Video Game Music by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, Masterclasses of Stephen Burton and Gordie Herbs, and a work in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
Why is 2025 the best time for the first soundtrack festival in London? “We watch millions of streams of game soundtracks every day,” Burton says. “Instagram and Tiktok have a huge amount of social media content, not to mention the world of Twitch where streamer playlists are a big part of their identity. The record industry is keeping up with this.”
“You can see streaming numbers climbing in real time, but you can feel it anywhere, beyond the data,” adds Haab. “Game music is not limited to consoles anymore. It is woven into everyday life. For example, my nie and ne have purely rotated gaming soundtracks for pure fun. At game events, I know notes on these themes. I stand on my own as film music, as legitimate art forms.
“Fans know these themes. Photo: Kojima Production
Composers Rudig Forsell (Stronging of Death), Harry Gregson Williams (Metal Gear Solid), Stephanie Economy (Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok), and Borislavslavov (Gate 3 of Bardur) are all part of a panel discussing game music before participating in the evening performance.
“It’ll be hard to find someone who can’t sing a song from Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy, Hello, or The Legend of Zelda,” says Econow. “Video game music is common because video games are common. The industry itself is more profitable than the combined film, television, and music industries, so when people think that popularity is suddenly rising, all I can think of is getting more recognition and celebrations in the sphere that has finally been released.
“The London Soundtrack Festival is a great opportunity to celebrate the differences and diversity of media music,” adds Forssell. “Video games may still be Brock’s new kids, but in a way they will definitely stay here. And as composers, we hope that we will always have a unique approach to music in general, including movies, TV, video games, pop, rock, music.”
Pearson and the team of composers he framed are watching the event as a celebration of the state of video game music. “These are all amazing, highly respected composers who have produced amazing, exciting scores that have been extremely successful in the games and concert halls,” says Pearson.
Can non-game audiences accept video game music as much as television or movies?
“It’s always going to be a bit silly when it comes to media music,” Pearson says. “But it isn’t as close as it used to be.
Triple J played continuously for 8 hours. The DJ remixed it, the dancers grooved to it, and many of us listened, sat down, and felt frustrated.
Slowly, Centrelink Hold Music has become a part of the cultural landscape, serving as the backdrop for art and going viral on TikTok.
Influencer and comedian Lyanna Kea’s TikTok dance in 2024 garnered 91,000 likes and 2,297 comments, echoing the frustration of a caller on hold.
“Everyone recognizes the tune on Centrelink,” Kea remarked. “Everyone knows the feeling of being stuck on hold for hours before being abruptly disconnected.”
“It’s ingrained in everyone’s minds.”
In 1989, Tim Carlton, a 16-year-old American at the time, created a song that was later used by Cisco, a major supplier of corporate mobile phones, and has since gained global recognition.
The tune is now known worldwide for its presence on Cisco’s hold music playlist. It was even featured in a 2023 Bud Light commercial and has garnered millions of plays on Spotify.
In 2018, Centrelink swapped its classic hold music for Opus No. 1 synth melodies, even reaching audiences in countries like Switzerland and Poland.
Both Australians and global citizens have been impacted. Artist Jonathan Hobbsey created a performance piece for the Fringe Festival in 2023, inspired by lockdown experiences.
“I wanted to evoke a communal experience that resonated with people,” Hobbsey explained. “Music is the sound of limbo.”
Music On Hold Australia’s manager Jenny Crosby emphasized the importance of a good hold song having consistent beats, volume, and minimal emotional content.
“Hold music may seem dull in the music world, but it serves a purpose,” she noted.
Twenty years ago, Crosby curated a collection of songs for the ATO, with some still playing today, proving their lasting appeal.
Lauren Roseworn, a social sciences professor, suggested that Centrelink embrace its hold music legacy to connect with people’s shared experiences.
“Instead of dwelling on the negative, we can find humor and solidarity in these familiar tunes,” she concluded.
○ On a recent Monday morning, Olivia Shalhoup opened her laptop and braced herself for the day’s meetings. As the founder of marketing and PR agency Amethyst, about 40% of her work focuses on helping musicians take advantage of TikTok. Her client was nervous that day, with a Supreme Court decision looming and the fate of the app in the United States hanging in the balance. “The key thing we talked about on every call was, ‘What are we going to do?'” Shalhoup said. “It’s no exaggeration to say that TikTok is critical to artists’ campaigns at this point. No one is immune to this.”
Since its debut in 2017, TikTok has become a star-making machine, with short-form video content overtaking traditional music promotion formats like TV and radio. This app features up-and-coming artists. A-listers promotes the rise to topof the chart And make Magic FM classics like Running Up That Hill a Generation Alpha hit. With the help of TikTok, Lil Nas Ta. More recently, songs such as Djo’s “End of Beginning” and Artemas’ “I Like the Way You Kiss Me” have become global hits after going viral on the app. The ability to track a song’s tenacity, engagement, and reach is a label executive’s dream, and one that author John Seabrook provides. I called “Real-time global callout data” helps leading companies make smarter trades.
Lil Nas X performs in New Jersey in 2019. The rapper and singer’s career soared after his smash single “Old Town Road” went viral on TikTok. Photo: Scott Ross/Invision/AP
“Right now, most label strategies rely heavily on TikTok,” said Ray Uskata, managing director of the Americas at music marketing agency Round. “It’s not just an entertainment platform, it’s a discovery platform. People go to Instagram to see what their friends are up to, they go to YouTube to see what their favorite creators are up to. I go to TikTok to see something new.”
The key to TikTok’s success is a feed filled with algorithmic recommendations that seem to know you better than you know yourself, and keep you in tune, sometimes unnervingly, with the trends and music you’re obsessed with. We provide you with a stream of carefully selected content.
It was enough to give lawmakers pause. In April, the U.S. Congress ordered TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to sell the app to a U.S.-based owner, citing national security concerns over possible manipulation of TikTok by the Chinese government and its collections. They passed a law forcing them to do so or face complete closure. Sensitive User Data Signed by Joe Biden. On January 10th, the Supreme Court convened to decide whether to force TikTok to go dark in the US on January 19th. Despite widespread protests from the creators (and the ACLU) slam On January 17, a court upheld a law that threatens to kill the app in the United States (the proposal is unconstitutional).
Music’s new kingmaker
Many marketers say they are at a loss. “I think a lot of people are in denial,” said Meredith Gardner, co-founder of agency Tenth Floor and former senior vice president of digital marketing at Capitol Records. She said that as recently as 10 days ago, potential clients at major labels were still talking about TikTok as a priority. “I think a lot of people are still hopeful that there will be some form of Hail Mary,” Gardner said.
Artists and record labels view TikTok as the closest thing to a kingmaker in today’s fragmented mainstream music industry, making it difficult to imagine a future without it. “If you look at the top 50 in the world, [chart] Compared to the viral charts, on Spotify, most of these songs are currently charting or trending on TikTok,” Uskata says. “These aren’t actually from other platforms.”
Its influence spreads worldwide. Patrick Clifton, a UK-based music and technology strategy consultant, says the power of TikTok’s network effects in the vast US market is such that it influences what people listen to on Spotify, and that TikTok directly connects Spotify to Spotify. It states that you can click through to listen to the song. Post – Around the World.
“TikTok has been a huge catalyst for music trends in the U.S., and the size and distribution of its user population in the U.S. has made it a catalyst for algorithmic trends on platforms like Spotify around the world,” Clifton said. I say. Therefore, the US ban could change what Spotify offers to listeners in regions where TikTok is still available, such as the UK.
Jeff Halliday, vice president of marketing for Downtown Artist & Label Services, said a potential ban “would immediately cause a lot of disruption.” “It’s like every stage of grief. At first it was mostly denial. A lot of people thought, ‘That’s never going to happen.’ And then the negotiation begins where you say, ‘Well, there’s another way.'”
In the face of uncertainty, marketers are advising artists not to put all their eggs in one basket. Gardner said he tells the artists he works with to take a cue from the pre-iTunes era and cultivate a digital Rolodex of fans. She was recently contacted by a singer-songwriter client seeking advice on how to share his rich archive of demos and home recordings with listeners. In another era, a collection like this would seem tailor-made for TikTok, but Gardner took a different view. “We encourage TikTok to launch Substack.”
As individuals age, their brains may experience difficulties in learning and decision-making due to a decrease in brain cells and cognitive function. However, neuroscientists have found that the brain can rewire connections to compensate for age-related cognitive decline through a process known as compensatory scaffolding. This involves forming new connections in the brain, strengthening existing ones, and even generating new brain cells. Yet, the specifics of how these new connections operate and interact, as well as their limitations, remain unclear.
Research conducted by Leonardo Bonetti and colleagues indicates that older individuals may exhibit more compensatory scaffolding and less unilateral brain activity compared to younger individuals when processing auditory information like music. Previous studies have shown that certain brain areas involved in memory and task processing decline faster in aging individuals, prompting Bonetti’s team to investigate how age impacts the brain’s response to compensatory scaffolding during music processing.
To test their hypothesis, Bonetti and his team studied brain activity in 37 young adults (aged 18-25) and 39 older adults (aged 60 and above) as they listened to music. Using magnetoencephalography and magnetic resonance imaging devices, the researchers mapped brain activity in specific regions responsible for sound processing and decision-making, such as the temporal lobe, frontal lobe, and hippocampus.
During the study, participants were asked to memorize a musical sequence and distinguish between the original version and modified versions with altered notes. Older participants showed less brain activity in most regions compared to younger participants, except for the left auditory cortex. This increased activity in the left auditory cortex suggested that the aging brain can reorganize and maintain function in certain areas, despite decreased activity in memory-related regions.
Notably, younger participants displayed more brain activity in memory and working memory areas, enabling them to detect modified musical sequences more effectively than older participants. The study also revealed that individuals with strong working memory were better at recognizing modified sequences, regardless of age group.
Overall, the research highlights that parts of the brain linked to memory and cognitive function may decline with age, but healthy aging can trigger brain reorganization to mitigate functional decline. Bonetti’s findings challenge previous notions that aging does not impact brain pathways associated with memory, decision-making, and other executive functions.
Neuroscientist David Levitin explores how music can help us heal in new book
Natalie Foss
Most of us already know that music can have a profound effect on the mind and body. Think about the feeling of empowerment when you put on your headphones and go for a run, the nostalgia of hearing your favorite songs from your childhood, or the joy of singing in the car. Music moves us both literally and figuratively. It not only makes us dance, laugh and relax, but it also makes us happy when we are sad and sad when we are happy.
But what if there is more to it than that? What if music actually has the power to heal us? In his new book I heard there’s a secret code: music as medicine, neuroscientist Daniel Levitin explains why he believes it’s possible.
The idea that music is medicine is not new. There is evidence that shamans and healers from cultures around the world have used music, especially drumming, to heal people for thousands of years.
However, it is only in recent decades that science has provided a rationale for music as a healing mechanism, demonstrating that music has a direct and measurable effect on our nervous systems.
Advances in neuroimaging technology, combined with more rigorous experiments based on music theory, cognitive psychology, and physiology, are showing that music could help treat everything from Parkinson’s disease to Alzheimer’s disease to depression. Levitin spoke with new scientist to learn about these health benefits and how music can add to your medical toolkit.
Linda Rodriguez McRobbie: Intuitively it seems like…
This was supposed to be the year of Gen Z’s “summer of the kids,” inspired by Charli XCX’s hit album. The trend was chaotic and scrappy, embodying the messy essence of modern youth.
However, TikTok, the preferred social media platform for teenagers, is now seeing a shift towards a more sepia-toned music trend. Users are delving into classic artists’ back catalogs like Bronski Beat and Sade instead of the latest music.
The use of older songs in UK TikTok posts hit a new record this year, with 19 of the top 50 songs being over five years old. This global trend is exemplified by songs like Alphaville’s 80s hit “Forever Young.”
TikTok’s head of music partnerships in the UK and Ireland, Toyin Mustafa, believes the platform has created a level playing field for music acts, giving both old and new releases an equal chance to shine.
Challenges on TikTok have fueled the popularity of songs like Bronski Beat’s “Small Town Boy” and Alphaville’s “Forever Young.” Even lesser-known tracks like Pavement’s “Harness Your Hopes” have garnered attention on the platform.
TikTok’s influence on the music industry is significant, with both classic and modern tracks making waves. The platform has played a role in boosting artists like Blood Orange and Tinashe, while also impacting global music trends.
The trend of rediscovering back catalog songs resonates with a younger generation seeking unique music experiences. The accessibility of older tracks online allows users to explore a variety of music beyond the mainstream.
TikTok’s top back catalog tracks this year include hits like Blood Orange’s “Champagne Coast” and Alphaville’s “Forever Young,” showcasing the platform’s impact on music discovery and appreciation.
The platform’s future in the US music industry faces uncertainty, but its influence on music trends and artist exposure remains undeniable.
Overall, the resurgence of classic songs on TikTok reflects the timeless quality of good music and the evolving tastes of a new generation of music enthusiasts.
Here are TikTok’s top back catalog tracks this year. To be eligible, your song must be at least 5 years old.
CThrongs of J-Pop enthusiasts gathered outside John Cain Arena on a scorching 36-degree Melbourne night, flaunting their iconic green wigs. However, the blistering heat wasn’t a concern for Hatsune Miku, the night’s star attraction who is digitally animated and doesn’t sweat. The 16-year-old ‘Vocaloid’ virtual pop sensation embarked on her inaugural Australian tour.
As followers are well-informed, Miku is the avatar of a 157 cm tall teenage girl with distinctive green pigtails. She is the representation of a collection of voice samples created using Yamaha’s Vocaloid speech synthesis technology by Krypton Future Media. Users input lyrics and melodies, which are then “sung” by the sampled audio (portrayed by actor Saki Fujita as Hatsune Miku). While some Vocaloid producers fine-tune their software for realism, others cherish its artificial essence.
Inside the arena, Miku came to life on an LED screen, igniting a controlled frenzy among the audience. Most attendees remained seated, focusing on synchronizing their battery-powered colored glow sticks. Miku, towering over with a mesmerizing presence, danced to a live band amid a massive lighting setup. Speaking in English with a Japanese accent, she engaged with the audience, creating an illusion of a live, spontaneous performance.
“Thank you all for making this night truly special,” she joyfully exclaimed. “I hope we had a great time.” The crowd erupted in cheers. “Until we meet again!” she signed off.
Vocaloid tracks have gained popularity in Japan, often appearing on mainstream pop charts and even reaching the top spots. Billboard introduced a chart exclusively for Vocaloid, Niconico. Since its debut in 2007, Miku’s first demo, 01_Ballad, has inspired over 100,000 fan-made songs, mostly from Japan’s otaku community, known for their fervent passion for characters over celebrities. Miku’s prominence led her to open for Lady Gaga, perform at Coachella, and be remixed by Pharrell Williams.
Other popular characters based on various voicebanks include Rin Kagamine and Luka Megurine, who made a surprise appearance at Miku’s Melbourne concert, delighting fans.
While many attendees in Melbourne cosplay as Miku, some fans create new Miku designs to embody specific traits or brands. For instance, “Bunningsmiku” or “Woolysmiku.” This quirky practice aligns with the highly commercialized subculture. A recent Live Nation survey found that Asian pop fans spend 138% more per ticket and 85% purchase merchandise.
“Vocaloid is essentially a gift to the fans. It’s the fans who shape its identity,” Olivia shared. “There’s a vibrant community surrounding it that unites everyone.”
For some fans, concerts serve as an opportunity for identity exploration. Tori, 19, dressed as the gender-swapped male Mikuo, embracing their transgender identity.
“I’m transgender, but I feel more comfortable.” [dressed this way]. “I love music, I love her as an instrument, and I find the technology amazing,” they said. “I feel like a lot of nerd people, transgender people, people who don’t feel like they fit in can relate to that.”
Initially unrelated to artificial intelligence, Vocaloid software paved the way for today’s generative AI models trained on artists’ voices, often without consent. Open source pop music is on the rise. Grimes announced that AI could render artists’ voices in exchange for royalties.
Despite her perpetual teen persona and cutting-edge tech, Miku has established herself as a legendary figure with timeless hits. Fans like Kong, 36, a devotee since 2008, hold a special place in their hearts for Miku and revel in nostalgic performances of classics like world is mine.
“Miku has a special place in my heart. Before I had a job, before I had a family, before I had children, I gave birth to Miku,'' Kong reminisced, under the glow of home lights. “She embodies what you need in life when you know her, when you meet her. The song is haunting. It transcends time.”
“I have to show you this – it’s going to change your life!” is the very Imogen Heap way of greeting.
She smiled at me and showed off a mysterious black device. The musician and technologist is an evocative and eccentric presence even on video calls, speaking with passion and changing his mind like a rally driver turning a corner. She swivels me from the kitchen floor to the living room of her parents’ home in Havering, near London. It’s familiar to the thousands of fans (aka Heapsters) who tune in to watch her improvise on the grand piano on livestreams. “By the way, that’s the tent I’ve been sleeping in,” she laughed, enjoying the surprise, pointing to an attractive white tent at the edge of the manicured lawn.
Her fans use the term “Imogeneration” to describe someone who changed the course of pop music. Heap’s theatrically layered vocals and expressive production on the albums Speak for Yourself (2005) and Ellipse (2009) have inspired the likes of Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, and Casey. It influenced chart giants such as Musgraves and popularized the use of the vocoder (later heard in the works of Kanye West and Bon Iver). She has been widely sampled, especially by hip-hop and ambient musicians, and in 2010 became the first woman to win a Grammy Award in the engineering category.
Since then, Heap has dedicated his career to shaping music through technology, and shaping technology through music. Her fast-paced projects include The Creative Passport, which envisions a more accessible way for musicians to store and share personal data, and a pioneering project that lets you record loops of sound and add details like vibrato and reverb. These include the MiMU glove, a wearable instrument. In real time just by moving your wrist.
But she didn’t create the black device she’s brandishing at me. Plaud Note is a voice recorder that uses ChatGPT. She laughed and explained that this converts our conversations into text and generates a summary of our thoughts. Recording interviews is typically the job of journalists, but for the past two years, Heap has been collecting data about herself for a new project: a comprehensive AI assistant called Mogen (pronounced like Imogen). Our interviews become training data. The text prepares Morgen to answer questions about Heep’s life and work, and the audio trains Morgen to reproduce her voice. “Everything I’ve ever said or done, I want Morgen to have access to,” Heap says.
Heap performance in 2010. Photo: Samir Hussain/Getty Images
Mogen was born as a premium feature of Heap’s fan app, theoretically giving Heapsters a way to access Heap’s sentiments and opinions on certain topics. Anything Mogen can’t answer is forwarded to Heap’s (human) assistant. “I don’t want to repeat myself. I want to make sure people have the information they need, when they need it,” Heap says. “In a way, I have been working on [her] For the rest of my life.”
But Heep’s ambitions for Morgen are rapidly expanding. Beyond its role as a kind of living autobiography, Heap hopes to become a point of “omniscient connection” that can streamline workflow and deepen the creative process in the studio and on stage. Future versions of Mogen will explore how Heap can improvise live, become a live collaborator, process fan musical suggestions in real time, and feed biometric and atmospheric data to create You’ll be able to create performances that feel “realistic.”
“I want to [be able to] “Right now, we can create broad orchestral pieces and angular drums with a variety, richness, and tenderness that you just can’t get in real time with off-the-shelf equipment,” says Heap.
All of this data collection was inspired by a series of life-changing experiences that convinced Heap of his current power. Heap, who discovered she had ADHD during the pandemic and shortly after her sister’s death, said: “We’re using our most precious resource, our time, to do these mundane things.” He explains what he noticed. She hired a studio assistant to reduce distractions and improve focus, and to understand the sense of presence, or what she poetically calls “an immaterial bubble without time and space.” I concentrated.
The journey included an introduction to Wim Hof breathing techniques by fellow music experimenter John Hopkins and a visceral response to music by noise artist Pullian, which left her shocked on her kitchen floor. Ta. She likens the latter to childbirth. “That was the only time in my life that I felt like I wasn’t in control of my body.”
The result of this new focus, which she will discuss in more detail this week at London’s Southbank Center, is a worldview that sees technology as both a problem and a solution. On the other hand, the capitalist system and attention economy make us “greedy.” “We have become desensitized,” she says, but in the meantime, we might be able to invent new tools that foster creativity and connection over profit. “I want to dedicate my life to it,” she says seriously.
Her vision isn’t exactly utopian. She speculates that we “will go through this period of running away” from dangerous AI. But she firmly believes there is a bright future on the other side of this potential disaster. Even so, Heap remains perplexingly sour about the possible risks. “You can’t stop progress,” she shrugs, dismissing widespread concerns about the ethics of scraping other people’s data to build profitable AI systems and the environmental costs of all that processing power as “very simple.” “I scoff. It’s based on fear.”
The most direct result of her recent soul-searching will be a 14-minute track released in three parts via a new site called The Living Song. The first part, “What Have You Done to Me,” will be available at the end of October and will allow users to chat with Mogen and remix or sample the song. The idea is to demonstrate that ethical and compensatory collaboration between artists, AI, and fans is possible, with one-third of all profits going to Brian Eno’s climate change foundation Earth%. Masu. “This song gives you the tools to collaborate and love with different people,” she emphasizes. “I don’t want to be kept in a basement. I’ve never felt protective or possessive. [my music]”
The new song, which tells the story of Heap and her relationship with herself and Morgen, also reimagines the melody of “Hide and Seek,” her first big hit and a song that has had a remarkable life in its own right. After being used as the soundtrack for The O.C.’s dramatic second season finale in 2005, the scene was parodied in a Saturday Night Live sketch that looped her “Um, what are you talking about?” It went viral. lyrics. Two years later, Jason Derulo sampled the same elements in his debut single “Whatcha Say,” which topped the US charts. Heap himself included the song in his score for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and Palestinian singer Nemasis used the opening bars of a video about the devastation in Gaza.
AI optimists see similarities between this sampling (using parts of someone else’s work to create something new) and generative AI, which processes vast amounts of existing material to create music. I claim that there is. But major labels Sony, Universal and Warner are suing two AI startups for processing their copyrighted music without their permission.
Ms Heap said her project was trying to move on from the days when “people were always trying something and not evaluating it”. For example, an unreleased demo called “A New Kind of Love” cut from her band Frou Frou’s 2002 album somehow ended up on the desk of Australian drum and bass musician Veerre Cloud. His loose remix, released in 2019, has since been streamed over 400 million times on Spotify. After researching, Heap’s team discovered that there are more than 60 other tracks that use the song without credit. “We had to say: Hello, we’re glad you put it out there, but could we have some?”
This is why The Living Song project is so important, she says. Treating each song as a separate entity allows Heap to set and work around its own rules for interaction and collaboration, as it has throughout its career. It’s like labels and artists fighting over AI services.
Previously, I asked what happens if I don’t want my data (my words in the conversation) to be part of Mogen’s training set. Heap said that for data protection reasons, Morgen would only incorporate her answers, not my questions, and the same would be true for fan submissions. She hypothesizes that in the future, my own AI assistant will negotiate with Morgen and inform me of my preferences in advance. She then added with a wry smile that if we didn’t like the data, “I’d probably leave it alone.” [the interview] short”.
But certainly, conversation is also a type of collaboration. What is the answer to a question without context? As I was thinking about this, Heap sent me a summary of the call that Plaud had generated. One line reads: “Katie Hawthorn shares feelings of paranoia, while Imogen Heap expresses excitement.”
This mission to form her own archive through a cleverly automated digital twin, rooted in the past but designed to extend and even predict Heap’s present, is a battle with the music industry over ownership. It makes sense in the context of a career spent in . But it also raises bigger, more difficult questions about heritage, voice, creativity, and control, and Heap aims to fundamentally reshape music, and perhaps life, as we know it. Given her outpouring of persuasion and deep cultural influence, it’s hard to resist her. “I’m not a guru,” she jokes. “still!”
Joanne McNally investigates… Was Furby spying on us? BBC Sounds, weekly episodes Why was Furby, the cute talking toy from the ’90s, banned from the Pentagon? Could Furby be a secret listening device for the Chinese government? The comic’s latest fun, self-aware “investigation” finds her calling aviation authorities and heading to the home of a Furby collector who hangs Furby skins out to dry on a clothesline. It’s fun and silly. Alexi Duggins
Doubt everything Widely available, with weekly episodes Brian Reed, of S-Town and The Trojan Horse Affair, is launching a new show that explores journalism’s place in the modern world. The show was inspired by the reaction to S-Town, which saw Reed have to prove in court that his podcast was journalism. It’s an admirable and forthright take on an important issue, and the striking first episode sees Reed confront one of his biggest critics: advertisement
A visitor walks past the Furby exhibit at the Hasbro booth at the Tokyo Toy Show 2024. Photo: Franck Robichon/EPA
Night shift Widely available, with weekly episodes Jake Adelstein returns to his Missouri hometown in the 1990s, when patient deaths soared at his local hospital. This is a depressing story of a hospital that smelled of “soap and cigarettes” and provided solid medical care, only to be hit by a rise in “Code Blue” alarms. Adelstein tells the story without being exploitative. Hannah Verdier
The Road to Joni Widely available, with weekly episodes Carmel Holt travels the US to explore Joni Mitchell’s appeal across ages and generations. She meets Joni fans like Hozier, Esperanza Spalding, and Don Was to ask them how they got into Joni and where she’s taken them. Lovingly written and delightfully rambling, this is a wonderful tribute to an utterly unique artist. Phil Harrison
Dealcraft: Insights from Great Negotiators Widely available, with weekly episodes Ready for a raise? Join host Jim Sebenius for “Cool Deal” tips from negotiation gurus. Proving that negotiating is never boring, attorney John Branca shares how he helped Michael Jackson get access to his master recordings that were traditionally held by his record company. HV
There is a podcast
Cybertruck: Shaping the future of automobiles? Photo: Tesla/Reuters
this week, Charlie Lindler Top 5 podcasts selected futureFrom climate-conscious programming to policing tech excesses
How to save the planet “What if there was an uplifting show about climate change?” asks Gimlet’s Climate Change Podcast, hosted by Alex Blumberg and his “geek gang.” The show focuses on solving environmental problems now and in the future. The podcast ended two years ago, but fortunately (or unfortunately), the topics Blumberg and company explore with a positive, optimistic attitude remain relevant. Should I get rid of my lawn? How can I buy less? Is fast fashion really that bad for the planet? Listen in and find out.
Managing the future of work Hold on, come back! Yes, this podcast is as business-focused as you’d expect from a show produced by Harvard Business School. Sure, there are episodes on HR databases, supply chains, and AI in the workplace. But thanks to an engaging host and knowledgeable guests, there’s a rich back catalogue of real, usable, relevant research on how work is changing our lives, and vice versa. Start with computer scientist and author Cal Newport’s talk on “The Productivity Deficit” and you’ll be hooked.
Easy to understand English This political and cultural podcast from journalist Derek Thompson, less tech-driven and more focused on humanity, quickly became a favorite of mine when it launched in 2021. The content delivered by not only Thompson’s guests but the host himself makes every episode rich with interaction and always leaves you smarter than before you started listening. Thompson has a talent for putting names to social phenomena you’ve felt but can’t quite pinpoint. Fittingly, the title of the first episode, about the metaverse, NFTs, and everything in between, is “The Future Is Going to Be Crazy Weird.”
Concentrate your full attention Produced by the Center for Humane Technology, the show closely monitors the ever-expanding, unregulated tech industry and asks whether we are truly using our advancements for good. Host Tristan Harris, a former Google design ethicist, was a compelling commentator in Netflix’s excellent documentary The Social Dilemma, which explores how social media manipulates our minds. Here, he continues the sobering thought process with guests including authors Yuval Noah Harari, Kara Swisher, and Esther Perel, who comments on the impact of technology on intimate relationships.
All the future If you have any doubts, just listen to The Wall Street Journal’s all-encompassing podcast. From modern bookstore design to how the Tesla Cybertruck is impacting auto manufacturing to scientists developing artificial breast milk, this long-running, award-winning podcast covers cutting-edge technological advances. While the AI portion may be too much for many listeners, a quick browse through the show’s extensive archives will find enough to fill your commute, all in 15-minute, digestible episodes.
Give it a try…
From family group chat etiquette to helping your child get their first period, This is so awkward They’re there to hold the hands of nervous, sweaty parents.
California has seen an increase in cases of valley fever, a fungal infection, in recent years.
Fourteen confirmed cases among people who attended or worked at a music festival in the state are one example of the threat the bacteria poses.
Climate change is creating more opportunities for a fungus called Coccidioides to thrive.
Valley fever breaks out among attendeesInfections among workers at an outdoor music festival in California's Central Valley highlight the growing threat of fungal infections.
Fourteen people who traveled to Bakersfield to attend or work at the Lightning in a Bottle festival in May have tested positive for valley fever and developed symptoms, the California Department of Public Health told NBC News on Thursday. At least three people have been hospitalized.
“About a week after I got back from the festival, I got really bad body aches and fever,” said Eric Mattson, 33, a musician from San Luis Obispo who attended this year's festival after testing positive for valley fever last month.
The condition progressed to joint pain, difficulty moving and night sweats. “I would wake up two or three times in the night drenched in sweat. I had to change my bedding and pyjamas in terrible pain. It was really bad,” Mattson said.
The bacteria that causes valley fever, Coccidioides, thrives in hot, dry climates, so most cases have been seen in Arizona and California. Climate change is creating more opportunities for the bacteria to grow, leading to an increase in valley fever cases in California.
“The number of reported valley fever cases has been particularly high in 2023 and 2024, which may be related to heavy rains in the winter of 2022-2023 following several years of drought,” the health department said in a statement.
The number of annual cases in California has increased from fewer than 1,000 in 2000 to more than 9,000 in 2019. Recent reports from state health departmentsThere have been 5,370 suspected or confirmed cases so far this year.
San Joaquin County has already seen more than 200 suspected and confirmed cases combined this year, 47 overall last year and 59 so far in 2022.
Valley fever is not transmitted from person to person. Rather, it infects the lungs by inhaling spores in dust or soil. The name comes from the San Joaquin Valley, where Coccidioides was found.
Mattson said he hasn't been contacted by the California Department of Public Health, which has not released the names of the 14 people who have been confirmed to be infected, so it's unclear if Mattson is among them. NBC News has reviewed Mattson's medical records, which show he tested positive.
Mattson estimated he lost 20 pounds in four to five weeks.
He suspected valley fever, having heard reports of some festival-goers being infected in the past, but was initially diagnosed with pneumonia. Eventually, his family doctor ordered a blood test, which came back positive early last month.
Mattson's situation is common, says Dr. Geeta Sivasubramanian, an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, Fresno: “Patients with valley fever are often misdiagnosed with bacterial pneumonia.”
That's because many doctors don't recognize the disease, test for it too early, or confuse it with other respiratory infections, she says — errors that can lead to patients receiving unnecessary antibiotics instead of the appropriate antifungal medication.
About 60% of people with valley fever have no symptoms, but some may experience symptoms such as cough, fatigue, fever, shortness of breath, night sweats, muscle and joint pain, and a rash on the legs and upper body. People with diabetes, weakened immune systems, and pregnant women are more susceptible to severe lung infections. In very rare cases (about 1%), the lung infection can spread to the bones, joints, and brain, becoming life-threatening.
An ideal environment for spreading Valley Fever
Sivasubramanian said he wasn't surprised by the concentration of cases among the more than 20,000 people attending the music festival.
“We live in a valley fever endemic area so anyone who visits the area or lives in the area is at risk,” she said.
In the Central Valley, heavy winter rains encourage the growth of the fungus in the soil, then as temperatures rise and the soil dries, dust carries the spores into the air.
Activities that kick up large amounts of dust, such as construction and agriculture, increase the risk of exposure. In 2014, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated: Five confirmed and five suspected cases of valley fever were linked. Dry and dusty environment on outdoor film set.
Dr. Arturo Casadevall, chair of the department of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said “Lightning in a Bottle” appears to have come to the right place at the right time.
“You need two things: a spore cloud and a human,” he said.
Mattson said high winds during the festival stirred up dust near some of the stages and in the campgrounds where many attendees stayed.
“When you have a lot of people dancing, it definitely kicks up a lot of dust,” he said.
Valley fever may be spreading to new areas
Climate change is bringing increased rainfall and warmer temperatures, which provide better conditions for the fungus to thrive. It may also lead to more frequent and intense wildfires. Transporting spores to the surrounding area.
Outside of California and Arizona, 2019 Survey It's estimated that valley fever may already be endemic in certain counties in 10 other states, stretching as far east as Kansas and Oklahoma.
“As the desert expands, we're going to see cases outside of the historic areas,” Casadevall said.
Some researchers suspect that climate change may be altering rodent migration patterns, helping the fungus spread, but others don't think that's the case in general. 2022 Survey Coccidioides has been detected in rodents in Kern County, home of the Lightning in a Bottle festival.
Mattson said she doesn't regret attending the festival, but wants people in the community to know about the disease and its symptoms.
“If you've been in the valley or been anywhere where there's a lot of dust in the air, we really want to encourage people to get tested,” he said.
debtA few days after the assassination attempt, Donald Trump’s voice boomed over the loudspeakers in Montego Bay, Jamaica: “If you needed an assassin, call your bodyguard who’s going to kill four people at Sumfest in Montego Bay.” A reggae riddim played, and the crowd, expecting laughter, erupted in surprised laughter.
The Bodyguard crew are fresh off taking the stage at Sumfest Global Sound Clash, a musical combat contest where sound systems pit themselves against each other with exclusive (and often incendiary) recordings featuring creative mixes, bombastic MCs, star guests and inside jokes. But this Trump-like AI vocalist jolts a decades-old musical tradition in which authenticity and originality are paramount, and sound systems pay artists big fees for vocals for their clashes.
“AI will disrupt the industry,” says Fabian Andersson, a dub agent who works between artists and sound systems to secure exclusive tracks. Though he refuses to dabble in the technology, he knows studios that are, and even goes so far as to send clients videos of artists’ recording sessions to verify their legitimacy.
Jamaican music clashed in the 1950s, when music curators imported records from the United States and played them to crowds on customized mobile sound systems. “Jamaica became the loudest island on earth, and showcases drew bigger crowds than ever before,” Island Records founder Chris Blackwell wrote in his 2022 memoir. As more sound systems appeared on the scene, a battle ensued for the attention of the crowd: “Who could play the best tunes? Who could make the biggest, toughest sound?”
Dancers at Sumfest Global Sound Clash in Montego Bay. Photo: Essilom
In preparation for a clash, the sound system would collaborate with the artist to record an exclusive dubplate, which is often an aggressive dub-style cover with rewritten lyrics to suit a battle scenario. A famous example is the Fugees’ remake of Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly,” which was originally written by the group. As a battle dub plate The lyric goes, “Kill the sound boy with that sound.” Anderson says it can cost anywhere from $150 to $800 to get an artist to appear on one of these tracks, with the most exclusive dubplates running into the thousands. Supercat and Shabba Ranks are among the most popular artists.
As the Sumfest crowd blared their vuvuzelas, German sound system Warrior Sound released an exclusive dub recorded by Jamaican up-and-comer Niggy Boy. The lyrics are: Viral hit Continent changed with a shout out to Warrior: “Sumfest / We’ll beat ’em / We’ll win the trophy.” Other artists heard on the clash include Bounty Killer, Damian Marley, Capleton, Beres Hammond and The Heptones.
Anderson says most selectors only use a few seconds of a dub “to get the point across.” Songs can’t be repeated, so dubplates need to be chock full to build momentum. It’s a costly process, and splicing has become common – people copy dubplates and remove the original soundsystem’s name to get a track on the cheap. With the advent of generative AI, the game is getting even dirtier. “The AI is even worse.” [than splicing]” says Anderson.
Veteran British reggae/dancehall vocalist Paul Scott Levy (aka General Levy) records dubs “almost every week,” and he believes that established sound systems enforce the rules of clashing. “It’s not just about using your voice. It’s about how you got that voice, the relationship, and how much you paid for it.”
Levy points to the recent rap battle between Kendrick Lamar and Drake as an example of a failed generative AI. When Drake released his Taylor Made freestyle, AI versions of Tupac and Snoop Dogg criticized Lamar, but “Drake got slammed for it. [AI] There is no value in being in a conflicting field.” Tupac’s estate threatened legal action against Drake, and the song was subsequently removed from all music platforms.
General Levy will perform in November. Photo: Vianney Le Caer/Shutterstock
Soundsystems don’t give away their secrets. Notorious hired a “top secret” artist to record a dub cover of Bob Marley’s “Buffalo Soldier” (with the lyrics changed to “Japanese Soldier”), but they stress they’ll never use AI to resurrect Marley or deepfake living artists. “It’s out of respect for the artists. If they want to do it, go ahead and do it. I’ll find them and I’ll scare them,” laughs Notorious selector Bad Gal Marie.
Dynamq, the same contender who was named Sumfest champion in 2023, has a more ambivalent view: “Splicing, AI – I [the crowd] “I don’t care, I don’t care,” he said. “If it sounds good, people will go along with it. I don’t stand for it. I’d rather lose with integrity than win.”
At Sumfest, Jamaican-Japanese sound system Notorious International had the loudest vuvuzela, winning the first prize of 1 million Jamaican dollars (about $6,300). The Bodyguard ultimately came in second after a fierce “Tune Fy Tune” battle with Notorious. Courtney Shinn, founder of Bodyguard and a sound clash veteran since the early ’90s, says there are limits to using AI outside of parody skits like Trump’s voiceover. “It’s really dangerous. I don’t know how it’s controlled,” he says. “There’s an unspoken code of ethics, but… 1722865933 “There’s a generation that just thinks about winning at all costs.”
Singh notes that a new generation of sound systems may have to rely on AI to break into the scene, because many of the artists tend to sell to wealthy sound systems in Japan and Europe. “In Jamaica, we pay in US dollars for dubplates. Artists are charging 10, 20 times what I was charging when I started, it’s almost exorbitant,” Singh says. “Artists are very much involved in their own decline.”
Perhaps inevitably, Levy disagrees. “AI will be used to invade the once pure genres of dancehall and reggae and rob them of their true atmosphere,” he says, defending the real human voice. “Our voices are our bread and butter.”
The Last of Us is a story of tension: between love and loss, violence and intimacy, protection and destruction, life and death. It’s also a study in how fragile life can be and the terrible stubbornness of the will to survive. As a composer, Gustavo Santaolalla’s job was to navigate that tension and create a soundtrack, a reconciliation between the game’s conflicting themes. His mission was to compose music for a video game that was doing something different and really wanted to say something.
Santaolalla shared with me that as a child in rural Argentina, one of his tutors quit after only a few lessons, telling his parents, “I can’t teach you anything.” His career began in 1967, when he co-founded Arco Iris, a band that specialized in fusing Latin American folk and rock. After a brief stint leading a collective of Argentine musicians in Soluna, he went independent, releasing solo albums and beginning to compose for television shows, advertisements, and eventually films (most notably Amores Perros, 21 Grams, and The Motorcycle Diaries).
In 2006 and 2007, he won Academy Awards for his performances in Brokeback Mountain and Babel, respectively. Now a big name in Hollywood, he was headhunted by many TV and film directors and producers, as well as game developers, in the years that followed.
“After I won the Oscar, I was approached by a few companies to do music for video games,” Santaolalla recalls. “A European company approached me to do a Western video game. It was going to be a big project, financially, in terms of visibility and what it could represent, but it was all pretty similar. I wanted to do something that would connect emotionally with what I was doing in the game, something more than just gymnastics or shooting or fighting or surviving.”
Two sides to the story…The Last of Us. Photo: Sony
Santaolalla was approached by Naughty Dog around 2009, early in the game’s development, to work on The Last of Us. The story is about an orphaned girl named Ellie and a man named Joel who is grieving the loss of his daughter. Set against the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse, the two slowly open up and show each other their weaknesses. The closer the two protagonists get, the more they hurt each other, depicting a complicated hedgehog dilemma relationship.
It was perfect for Santa Olaya, who was able to bring his Argentinian-inspired soulfulness to a non-Western setting, imbuing the urban ruins of Boston, Massachusetts, with an Americana vibe that was dreamy and familiar, yet distinctly American. Even the way he plays his guitar, scraping and scratching the strings with the pads of his fingers, suits the instrument’s understated humanity.
The soundtrack’s greatest attraction is the captivating interplay between Santa Olaya’s signature instrument, the Bolivian guitar, the Ronroco, and the Fender VI, a six-string bass guitar from the ’60s that sounds an octave lower than a guitar and a bit different from a modern bass. Listen to any song on the soundtrack and you can hear the gentle conversation between the two instruments, quiet but constant, sometimes agreeing, sometimes disagreeing.
The bass, famously used on Beatles and Cream records, is Joel’s voice; and the more delicate but no less powerful Ronroco is Ellie’s voice. “This six-string bass is definitely the masculine side of this story,” Santaolalla tells me. “And Ronroco, the delicate side of the music, is Ellie’s side of the story. I didn’t think of it that way when I wrote the song, but listening to it again, it’s so clear to me.”
“And the banjo and electric guitar fill the middle, the central role between these two extremes. As the story unfolded in Part II and we started introducing more characters and complexities, the music needed a richer tone. We couldn’t just stick to the combination we used in the first game.”
Everything Santaolalla does is “instinctive,” he says. He spontaneously introduced the banjo to Abby’s theme in The Last of Us Part II, and it was a perfect fit. He wasn’t born a banjo player, so using the instrument in his score feels foreign to his ears, searching, reflective, pensive. “I got out of bed one day, picked up my banjo, and it just came out of me,” he laughs. “Some of the character themes are magical in the way they happen. They come out when I’m not really thinking about it. I pick up an instrument, and it’s like someone else is playing it.”
The 72-year-old has an intuitive feel for his scores and knows that as a listener, his emotional response comes both from “what I hear” and “from what I actually hear.” and “What you can’t hear” is one of the reasons why The Last of Us’ score stands out. Game music is full of extremes: soaring bombast, orchestral high notes, intensity. The Last of Us is quite different, more introspective and quiet, expressing as much through the absence of music as through melody. The HBO TV series he composed for follows the same principle.
“We love the space that silence creates” – Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey of The Last of Us TV series. Photo: HBO/AP
“I love using silence,” Santaolalla enthuses. “I love it. I love the space silence gives, because it gives resonance to the sounds you play around it.” Suddenly, he begins talking about parkour, a recent new interest of his, sparked by a group of British athletes. Stoller.
“I linked the jumps in parkour to the silence of music, and I think that’s really important,” he says. “Runners measure their jumps, they run, and they measure again before they jump, right? They measure their jumps, they decide how many steps they’re going to take before they put their feet on the ground and jump. It’s like choosing a note to play before you get quiet, before you jump. And you choose a note to play when you land, and with that note silence wins. You don’t fall. You’re in that space, in that moment of silence, and when you land it all makes sense.”
This interview, the master class he taught, and Game Music Festival I spent a fair bit of time with Santaolalla at his concert at London’s Southbank Centre. The way his brain works, and the way he connects concepts to practice, is inspiring. When he performed “Ando Rodando,” a song from his 1982 album, Santa OlayaThe show is now dedicated to Joel for its “gritty, rock” nature, and the room was met with stunned silence. That Santaolalla was able to find traces of The Last of Us characters deep within his previous work and bring them into his performance demonstrates his deep understanding and love for Naughty Dog’s work.
Music and physics are two disciplines that transcend mere study to become intertwined aspects of human creativity. This hidden harmony between music and physics has been acknowledged by luminaries such as Albert Einstein, who expressed a longing for music had he not pursued physics.
As someone who navigates both fields, I have uncovered deeper connections between them. My journey began in the Bronx, where the worlds of hip hop and science collided in unexpected ways. Later, while studying at Imperial College London, I witnessed the fusion of artistic expression and scientific inquiry in Brian Eno’s studio.
This intersection between art and science inspired me to explore further and led me to write the book “Physics Jazz.” Through this exploration, I delved into the commonalities between music and physics, from improvisation to quantum uncertainty.
My passion for sharing these discoveries prompted the creation of the course “Jazz in Modern Physics” at Brown University, bridging the gap between disciplines and offering students a new way to appreciate the symphony of the universe through mathematics and melody.
Believing in the transformative power of education, I founded the “Sound + Science” after-school program to provide underserved students with an opportunity to explore the fusion of music and physics through hands-on experimentation and collaboration.
This fusion of art and science celebrates human ingenuity and the interconnectedness of the universe. In embracing this harmonious blend, we can unlock the mysteries of the universe and delve into the depths of the human soul.
'TThe part where the mother and child get separated on the Red Mountain is a level fairly early in the game where you have to go back and find the mother. I was completing the sound design and music in the hospital. She was right next to my mother as she slept while she was recovering from open heart surgery. ”
Todd Baker pauses for a moment. He recalls the development process for Monument Valley 2, a 2017 indie puzzle game. Biggest success stories It will remain in the history of mobile games. The second game is more experimental than the first. The number of stories has increased and the atmosphere has changed. While the first title was all optical illusions and impossible objects, the sequel moves away from his MC Escher-inspired towers and spiers to non-Euclidean geometry and brutalism.
At the center of it all are a mother and daughter, wordlessly walking back and forth in each other's paths, desperately trying to stay together as the world heaves and undulates and does its best to tear them apart. It's about women's heritage and relationships, and for Todd there were parallels between fiction and reality. “The fact that this game is about a mother and a child, and the fact that I lost my mother at the end of the year when I was making this game, is very heartbreaking.”
“I wanted the music to speak and tell the story”…Monument Valley 2. Photo: ustwo
Monument Valley 2's soundtrack is the kind of music you want to listen to when you're not playing. Even when separated from the parent game, it's still very enveloping, very rich and textured, and provides a comfortable background for whatever you're doing. Waves of warm, organic tones and ambient, soothing sounds wash over you. This was always Baker's intention. Even before the unfortunate coincidence of fictional and real losses, Monument Valley 2's soundtrack was designed to be soothing, familiar, and gorgeous.
“Basically, what I was trying to do was create the sound of a really warm hug,” Baker said with a laugh, referring to one of the early stages of the game, when the child first comes to his mother. He described the moment he was held in his mother's arms. “At that moment, the kid comes in and I hug him, and there’s a lot of bass going on…I needed a really warm, fuzzy feeling, like this is where I want to be right now. .”
This moment in the game is very important. It's all about setting what's at stake. Yes, this story is abstract and minimalistic, but this moment has such power. Baker creates an impromptu acoustic guitar melody that he layered on three tracks and played on an EBow for a slightly supernatural sound, all backed up by an intoxicating supporting bass note, but it's not unlike the visuals here. I am doing a very important job. Establish everything that's at risk, Apple/iOS friendly, “bright on white”. If you don't watch the game to the end, you'll never see these two reunite.
That resonated with the audience, Baker said. “What's amazing is that now I get messages from people saying, 'This was the soundtrack of my childhood,'” Baker laughs. “They talked to me as adults now who were playing this game when they were 11 or 12 years old and said this is nostalgic and it's a safe space for them. It touches people's hearts. , they have a lot of nostalgia for it now.”
'It touched people's hearts'…Todd Baker performs music from Monument Valley 2 at London's V&A. Photo: ustwo
Baker was responsible for not only the music for Monument Valley 2, but also the entire sound design. Things like how a chime sounds when you swipe or tap on certain interactive elements, or how a little music plays as you explore a curious geometric world. It gets sucked in. This was an opportunity for him to emulate the approach Martin Stig Andersen took with Limbo and Inside. Both games had a huge influence on Monument Valley 2's audio, even though they couldn't be more different in tone.
“From the beginning, I was confident that I could do this. We were able to do the whole project holistically, including discussions about whether to license the music or use other artists for the trailer.” But for this one…I had to bring it myself. I wanted the music to speak and tell the story, and I wanted the rest of the development team to be really excited about it.”
As Baker says this, he imitates a hug and brings it around himself, recreating the hug he tried to evoke in the hearts and ears of players in the game's early moments. A decade after the original game was released, Apple still promotes both Monument Valley and the sequel on the App Store, with the latter installed on at least 30 million of his devices. There's no doubt that millions of people heard echoes of that hug and Baker's relationship with his mother. If you've never played this game with the sound on, find your headphones, head over to the App Store, and give it a try. I promise you, it's worth the effort.
Taylor Swift performed in Melbourne earlier this year.
Graham Denholm/TAS24/TAS Copyright Management Getty Images
A rogue artificial intelligence obsessed with Taylor Swift could replace all recorded music with artificially generated cover versions of her, researchers say. History tells us that this American singer-songwriter for elise to paperback authorThere is no evidence left that Ludwig van Beethoven or the Beatles ever existed.
nick collins at Durham University, UK. mick grierson Professors at the University of the Arts London have issued an unusual warning in a paper that says humans should think about ways to resist “now, rather than when it is too late.”
Thankfully, the risk of AI Swiftpocalypse is low. Collins said the idea is a thought experiment aimed at encouraging researchers to develop ways to protect all types of data, including music, literature, scientific research, and historical records, from being corrupted by AI. I am.
The pair lay out a future scenario in which we rely on a few centralized data stores, such as Spotify and Apple for music. AI could infiltrate these stores and corrupt, delete, or alter the data inside. This can be dramatic and obvious, or it can be gradual and unnoticeable. “It's very likely that within a few thousand years there will be at least some corruption and some conflict over the truth of music in audio recordings,” Collins says.
To make their point clear and show how AI can already manipulate the data it has access to, researchers used current AI models to create Taylor Swift songs, including Queen songs. did. bohemian rhapsodyFrank Sinatra's I've Got You Under My Skin and the beach boys Isn't it wonderful?. They calculate that producing these “Taylor's versions” of all recorded music currently requires 1.67 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, costing him more than $266 million. However, this is an amount that Swift herself can afford.
Collins says that while digital and physical backups can leave us complacent about the safety and permanence of our data, AI with the right incentives and capabilities can access everything we record. It states that it may be damaged. “No matter how much we try to preserve human culture, unpredictable threats may emerge in the future,” he says.
However, not all experts are convinced that AI is such a serious threat. sandra wachter Oxford University researchers have shown that AI can cause great harm by replicating sexist and racist biases in humans, but Collins and Grierson said He said that such a feat would never be possible.
“I don't think there's a serious problem with AI waking up and setting its own goals, having its own motivations, and taking actions to achieve those goals,” she says. “I think that's a nonsense argument, and I don't think it's realistic. It's like asking me what I would do if aliens landed on this planet tomorrow. I think it's unlikely. I think so.”
Carissa VelisResearchers, also at the University of Oxford, said that decisive action against AI is needed, but not a dramatic “kill switch” to stop malicious models from progressing. Instead, it should be a careful system of checks and balances to ensure the safety of AI models.
“This argument seems to assume that there is a malicious AI that somehow has its own desires and becomes so powerful that we want to stop it,” she says. . “And that seems so implausible and so ridiculous to me.”
The real problem is that we will integrate AI into many aspects of our lives and become completely dependent on it, even though it is likely not apocalyptic in nature. , which she believes raises issues such as racism and sexist prejudice that are still very harmful. Or they are simply making up facts that sound plausible.
“The more you leave it [AI] The more embedded it is in a product, the harder it is to turn it off. Not because this malicious thing has become powerful enough to take over, but because we've become dependent on it and it's very costly to stop it even when it's not working well,” Bellis said. says Mr.
Taylor Swift did not respond to a request for comment.
IAlthough it’s far from his best album, or even the best album of the 1990s, Hours… is David Bowie’s most important album of the decade. However, it wasn’t the music’s fault, but the way it was released. The first album by an artist on the Major His label appeared as a download before it was physically released.
Rolling Stone, writing about the album in August 1999 ahead of its September release, called The Hours a “cyber coup.” This is a continuation of Bowie’s enthusiasm for releasing music online, which began with his 1996 single ‘Telling Lies’. He was also very active. He embraced webcasting and in 1998 he founded his own internet service provider with BowieNet. “I couldn’t be happier with the opportunity to bring the music industry closer to making digital downloads the norm rather than the exception,” he says. How did Bowie explain the release of “Hours…” at the time? “We all know that broadband opportunities are still not available to the overwhelming majority of people, so we hope that the success of this experiment will be measured in hundreds of downloads, not thousands. But just as color television broadcasts and film content on home videotape were necessary first steps to expand the industry’s consumer use, I believe this small step will help my own and others’ We hope this will lead to a huge leap forward for people and ultimately give consumers more choice and easier choice, allowing them to access the music they enjoy.”
The strangeness of cyberspace… David Bowie’s artwork for The Hours…
In early 1998, Virgin Records/EMI made Massive Attack’s Mezzanine available for streaming in its entirety online, with track-by-track previews available over several weeks, in conjunction with its physical release. At the time, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) warned against this, suggesting that streaming experiments could increase the likelihood of albums being pirated and burned onto CDs by tech-savvy individuals. This did not stop other major labels and their label acts from experimenting from time to time. Def Leppard and Red Hot Chili Peppers made their latest albums, Euphoria and Californication, respectively, available for streaming in full on June 4, 1999, four days before the records hit stores. Bob Merlis of the Chili Peppers’ label, Warner Bros., said, “Getting airplay is getting airplay. You just have to define the atmosphere.” “Since I can’t download it, I thought this was a good idea.”
But Bowie’s album release was designed to be a huge step forward. In 1999 he Interview by Jeremy Paxman He appeared on BBC Newsnight to talk about his career, art and what gives him the most energy – the internet. This 16-minute interview is still published on the BBC website, especially since Bowie’s death in January 2016, as evidence of his remarkable foresight regarding the impact of the internet on art, politics and society. Shared frequently. “I don’t think we’ve even seen the tip of the iceberg,” he told the weary and cynical Paxman. “I think the possibilities that the Internet brings to society are unimaginable, for better or worse. I think we are actually on the cusp of something both exhilarating and frightening.” Paxman says in his own words. suggested that it was just a “tool” that inspired Bowie to take action. “No, it’s not,” he said. “No, it’s an extraterrestrial!”
I
The song is only 17 seconds long and sounds like 80’s Genesis playing at the bottom of a pool. But this bouncy but sonically degraded snippet of pop has become one of the internet’s biggest and most enduring musical mysteries.
This clip was uploaded in 2021 by a person named Carl92 who wanted to see if anyone could identify it. “I don’t remember its origins,” he wrote on his site called WatZatSong, adding, “I found it among a bunch of very old files on a DVD backup… it feels kind of nostalgic.” But even after this 17-second sample of his was posted on his Reddit, a powerful pop culture spirit is rarely lost, not a single person was able to identify the song or the artist.
This quest captured people’s imaginations. Last June it was my own subreddit – Named after the song’s unofficial title “Everyone Knows That (Ulterior Motives)”, or EKT, and currently has approximately 27,000 members. And recently, TikTok has become popular, with predictable results. Users flooded me with unhelpful comments like “Have you tried Shazaming?” which is like telling someone who lost their keys to check their pockets.
Bass, a music journalist from the Netherlands, is one of the subreddit’s moderators. He attributes the explosion in this exploration to a cultural shift. “We live in an age where knowledge is freely available and music can be consumed with few restrictions,” he says. “Music that was lost in the pre-internet era can be very interesting to young people because it’s something very foreign to them and they can’t easily look up songs.”
20 year old content creator with fame kylie bogley is one such convert. “We’re in the prime of a lost medium that will be viewed with great fondness in the future, and I’m grateful to be a part of it,” she says.
She is EKT. “Lost Wave” This movement collects dusty and forgotten songs, perhaps recorded from the radio or buried in folders of old MP3s, and attempts to give them names and artists. “There is another unconfirmed song and it is called “The most mysterious song on the internet‘ The mystery has remained unsolved for nearly 20 years. But I think EKT has outgrown its popularity,” says Bogley. “I don’t think it’s possible that we can’t find an artist.”
One obstacle is that the sound quality is so poor that no one can fully agree with the lyrics. There is even some doubt as to whether the singer is male or female. However, internet sleuths have identified the drum machine and synthesizer used for this song, most likely a LinnDrum and a Yamaha DX7. This narrows down the release date to his 1983 years and beyond. They also analyzed the background frequencies and figured out the format of the DVD. Apparently Carl92 was playing. Beyond that, forensic analysis was unable to locate it.
Dozens of similar-sounding artists (Roxette, Savage Garden, the one who sang the theme song for the Pokémon TV series) have all been asked if it’s their song, but no luck was. Unsurprisingly, misinformation also spread. Bass recalled a Redditor he claimed to have heard at a McDonald’s in Poland. “This person fabricated an email from a company to trick the search community into believing we were trying to find a song,” he says. “I think that’s the point of creativity.”
This song may have been an unreleased demo or an advertising jingle. Bass’ theory is that the piece was created in the United States for a movie or advertisement and “ended up on his VHS tape.” Someone had been recording audio in his room with his VHS tape playing in the background, backed up the file to his DVD, and forgot about it. ” Some think it may have come from Japan. Searchers are now trying to contact an unknown singer named White Mike Johnny Grove, who has a “strikingly similar voice,” Bogley said. Please pay attention to this column.
As for Carl 92, he disappeared, probably out of fear that online detectives would search him for clues. Some say he must have staged the whole thing, but maybe it’s some of the music he generated using his AI? If so, he could have directed tens of thousands of people. You’ve succeeded in destroying it. However, there is no evidence that he was not real. The despondent tone of his near-final message, which came just a few months after he posted EKT, certainly rings true. “It’s a dead end,” he wrote. “I just lost interest in that song.” But the rest of the world is just getting started.
Elton John to perform at Glastonbury Festival in June 2023
Matt Crossic/Alamy
Hearing live music can be more moving than listening to a recording of the same song. This is because the parts of the brain associated with emotional processing become more active.
Sasha Frewholz from the University of Zurich in Switzerland, composed 12 pieces of music, each 30 seconds long. Half were written with the purpose of conveying negative emotions such as sadness or anger. These are slower than the rest of the songs, are less harmonious, contain more minor chords, and were written to evoke positive emotions.
They then recruited 27 people with no musical training and asked them to listen to these 12 songs twice. The first performance was performed by a live pianist, and the second performance was played to the participants as a recording.
The order of hearing was randomly assigned, with 30 seconds of silence in between. Participants did not know when they were listening to a recording or a live performance.
While listening to music, they lay in an MRI scanner so the team could monitor their brain activity. The pianist was told to adjust the volume and speed of the piece according to this activity. For example, if participants showed little activity in response to positive music, they may have played louder.
“Recorded music does not adapt to the listener's response, but live pianists often adapt their music to the audience to get the best response from the audience,” says Frewholz.
The researchers found that live performances of both negative and positive pieces consistently caused brain activation in the left amygdala, an area of the brain strongly associated with assigning sensory stimuli such as sounds to specific emotions. was found to lead to an increase in
The recorded songs, on the other hand, activated activity in the left amygdala much less and more inconsistently. This matched how emotionally participants rated each piece of music after the experiment.
The findings show that live music enhances our emotional responses, perhaps because of its free-flowing, dynamic nature, Fruhholz says.
The researchers hope to repeat the experiment with a larger audience in a concert setting. “When you go to a live concert, you're not alone,” Fruhholz says. “This intense emotional experience is also a social experience.”
Apple faces a €500m (£427m) fine for unfairly influencing competitors in the music streaming market, according to the Financial Times. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, will impose the penalty following an extensive investigation.
Why is Apple facing the prospect of fines?
After Spotify filed complaints in 2019, the EU began examining Apple’s position in the music streaming app market. The focus was narrowed down to specific restrictions placed by Apple on app developers, preventing them from informing iPhone and iPad users about more affordable music subscriptions outside of the App Store. Spotify claims this favors Apple Music, the company’s rival app.
This case is the latest in a series of legal disputes involving Apple’s App Store, which has been criticized by the companies utilizing it for its rules and charges. Apple recently announced that it would allow EU customers to download apps without going through its own store, a concession made under pressure from the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
What does the EU think about Apple’s actions?
The EU did not comment directly, but when Apple issued a new statement of objection in February of the previous year, it suggested that the company would be penalized for unfair trading conditions violating Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The Commission expressed concerns that the restrictions can prevent developers from informing consumers about affordable streaming service subscriptions.
What happens next?
The Financial Times reported that the Commission will announce the fine in the early part of the next month. The maximum fine for anti-competitive behavior is 10% of global turnover, which, in Apple’s case, could be up to $30bn (£24bn), although the final amount is expected to be lower. Apple may appeal the Commission’s decision.
What are Apple and Spotify saying?
Apple and Spotify declined to comment on Monday. However, Apple has previously defended its App Store, stating that it has aided Spotify in becoming Europe’s top music streaming service.
Spotify, on the other hand, has emphasized its complaint against Apple’s aim to establish a “level playing field,” arguing that the App Store restrictions give preference to Apple Music, the company’s own streaming service.
What do the experts say?
Ann Witt, a professor of antitrust law at France’s EDHEC Business School, remarked that Apple is already confronting a stringent regulatory environment with the introduction of the DMA. The Open Market Institute opined that the size of the reported fine will not have a significant impact on Apple’s behavior.
Apple has reportedly been fined 500 million euros by the European Union over restricting access to its music streaming service, in what would be a landmark blow to the US technology company.
The European Commission is investigating whether Apple prevented music streamers from telling users cheaper ways to subscribe outside of the app store.
According to the Financial Times, the city of Brussels plans to impose a €500m (£427m) fine, a landmark move against Apple after years of complaints from companies offering services through iPhone apps. This is a judgment.
In 2019, Swedish streaming company Spotify filed a complaint with the EU, accusing Apple of limiting choice and competition in its app store by imposing a 30% fee on all purchases. Apple also blocked Spotify and other companies from notifying customers on their phones that they could avoid fees and get better deals simply by signing up on Spotify's website.
Apple says its fees are justified because it spends a lot of money providing a secure app store and gives Spotify access to hundreds of millions of customers. However, Spotify argues that Apple Music, Apple's own music streaming service, does not incur similar additional costs, giving Spotify an advantage and making the rates non-competitive.
The European Commission said Apple's actions were illegal and contrary to European Union rules forcing competition in the single market, the FT reported, citing five people close to the investigation. would argue. The commission could also reportedly ban practices that prevent music services from advertising cheaper subscriptions off-platform.
Apple was fined 1.1 billion euros by France in 2020 for anti-competition agreements with two wholesalers, but has never been hit with a competition fine by the European Commission.
But IT and other big tech companies are under increasing scrutiny due to competitive concerns. Google is appealing against fines of more than 8 billion euros imposed by the EU in three separate competition investigations. Apple lost a lawsuit by Fortnite developer Epic Games that claimed its app store was an illegal monopoly, but Epic won a similar lawsuit against Google, which runs Android phone software, in December. .
Last month, Apple announced it would allow EU customers to download apps without going through its own app store, in response to the EU's digital markets law. The law, whose details were revealed last year, imposes new obligations on “gatekeepers” such as Amazon and Google, which are particularly powerful in controlling the choice of mobile phone software.
The European Commission declined to comment. Apple had no new comments, but pointed to its previous statement that it would respond to the commission's concerns “while promoting competition and choice for European consumers.”
‘WWhen people play video games, they want to have fun,” Josh Mansell, composer of Naughty Dog’s early Crash Bandicoot games, tells me. It’s a simple word, but one that laid the foundation for everything that PlayStation’s most famous mascot would represent. “Crash Bandicoot” was fun, even when players were banging their heads against CRT TVs in frustration when “Slippery Climb”’s paranoid, creepy music started playing his 100th time. And Mansell’s soundtrack was there to remind us of that from start to finish.
However, the characteristically eccentric, manic energy that fuels Crash’s reckless platforming adventures didn’t come out of nowhere. “When I was working on the game, I was throwing things at the wall to see what would stick,” Mansell says.
Crash wasn’t as fast as Sonic or as approachable as Mario. He was scruffier, edgier, and an underdog than his sanitized mainstream stablemates. And the music captured that. It was insistent, encouraging, and quirky. A witty little Looney Tunes cartoon about someone getting addicted to sugar and accidentally wandering into the third dimension. However, that cheerful Hawaiian surf rock atmosphere was almost something completely different.
Early drafts of the score for the first Crash Bandicoot game were ambient and drum-heavy, focusing on creating a sonic jungle around Crash. So you will feel like you are with him on this dangerous island, surrounded by plants as deadly as animals. . This music was actually very similar to one of Mansell’s earliest projects as a composer, his American Kraft cheese commercial. “This commercial is about a little kid going through a jungle, and it’s all animated, and even the beat I used there is very similar to one of the beats that ended up in ‘Crash.’ I did.
“The early, more ambient stuff works better. It draws you into the jungle and into the immersive nature of what games should be.”
Josh Mansell, Crash Bandicoot game soundtrack composer then and now Photo: Josh Mansell
But Crash Bandicoot is not Uncharted or The Last of Us. Mansell had worked with Naughty His Dog during his “punk” days, and created Crash as a rival (and parody) of Sonic the Hedgehog. Developer’s “Hollywood” days were still two generations ahead of him, and at this point the music needed to be weird and quirky, more akin to a Saturday morning cartoon than a prime-time TV show.
And it was Hog Wild, one of Crash Bandicoot’s most infamous levels, that provided Mansell with the inspiration he needed to fit firmly into Crash’s baggy jolt. “‘Hog Wild’ was a big turning point, especially in terms of the feedback I got regarding the music,” he says. “They were pointing me in the direction of creating a more ‘experimental’ score, using all the percussion and ambience. Environmental sounds. And I think the reactions were divided. ”
Some producers at publisher Universal were not convinced by this more experimental approach. Mansell has previously been quoted as referencing the likes of Aphex Twin and Juan Atkins in these early scores, but that is completely untrue. Mansell says he admires the way the musicians were able to create deep soundscapes with limited space and tools. And that’s what he wanted to do with the Clash, more than “imitate the kind of music they were making”. We weren’t going to get someone like Alberto Balsalme from Crash Bandicoot, right?
“Hog Wild’s music was more…I don’t want to make a pun and say Universal…more comical,” Mansell says. “People laughed at it, and I started to feel like there was an even more positive response. It didn’t sound like Mario music, but it sounded like our own version of Mario. It was more animated, more It’s going to be character-driven.”
“This is what it’s supposed to sound like” when you’re jumping over things on a pig’s back, Mansell points out. And he’s right. Both in music and gaming, Hog Wild is a solid introduction to what Crash Bandicoot is all about. This is where this game departs from its infamous 2D platforming cousins Mario and Sonic. Hog Wild is his eighth level in the game and represents what Crash needs to be: fun, fast, reckless, and stupid. The perfect mascot for Sony and his fledgling PlayStation console.
“[Hog Wild] It was an eye-opener. That’s when I started to see what this game was all about. You’re playing a comic. You are a cartoon character. The person who designed the character was involved with Looney Tunes, right? Charles Zembilas brought that sensibility to the game before I stepped in. ”
Mansell is first and foremost a drummer, and you’ll find that Crash Bandicoot’s melodies, from the first game all the way to Crash Team Racing, are all very percussive and assertive. Just as you can tell that Dave Grohl writes vocal parts from a drummer’s perspective, you can tell that Mansell has a rhythmic heart. Everything about Crash feels groovy, uplifting, and tireless. He specifically mentions Stewart Copeland of the Police as an influence in this regard (“one of my favorite drummers of all time”), and for him the Ruins level of Clash 2 is a true “hat”. ). This creates an interesting loop. Two years after the release of Crash Bandicoot, Copland began composing the music for the Spyro the Dragon series, which also happened to be fortuitous for Mansell.
When Crash finds his feet, or “butt,” consider that during development it was called “Sonic’s Butt Game” because everyone kept paying attention to Crash’s polygonal butt. Mansell felt encouraged. According to the composer, Crash 2 (Cortex Strikes Back) and 3 (Warped) became more “musical” and he began drafting in a more personal style, taking liberties with this blossoming series (very Newly encouraged by its unexpected success in Japan) into the stratosphere.
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