artists

Bridging the Gap: Groover’s Solution for Promoting Independent Artists

New Team Pic June 2022 C Laurie Bisceglia
The 3,000 and growing music curators on Groover set their own price, and each transaction gets split with half of the money going to the curator and half to Groover. While I like the concept of artists getting to have these more direct relationships with these different curators, it bums me out that pay-to-play has become the best option for these independent artists. I also get that music journalism is shrinking as the number of independent musicians continues to rapidly scale. Palmieri added that the majority of independent artists just do not have better or more cost-effective options. Both of these startups help the artists but they also help the folks in the industry needed to get those artists off the ground.

Free Tool Launched by Kin.art to Stop Training of GenAI Models on Artwork

Ai Gen Unfiltered 1
The trouble is, many of these models — if not most — were trained on artwork without artists’ knowledge or permission. And while some vendors have begun compensating artists or offering ways to “opt out” of model training, many haven’t. Another, Kin.art, uses image segmentation (i.e., concealing parts of artwork) and tag randomization (swapping an art piece’s image metatags) to interfere with the model training process. “We prevent your artwork from being inserted in the first place.”Now, Kin.art has a product to sell. While the tool is free, artists have to upload their artwork to Kin.art’s portfolio platform in order to use it.

Apple Music to Increase Compensation for Artists Featuring Spatial Audio

Apple Music Icon Ios 2020 1
Apple will pay artists more to have a spatial audio version on Apple MusicApple will pay additional royalties starting this month to artists if they have a spatial audio version on Apple Music, according to multiple reports. The company will pay up to 10% additional royalty if an artist has all their songs in spatial audio, per a report by 9to5Mac. The extra money doesn’t depend on users playing the spatial audio version, though. In December, Bloomberg reported that Apple was planning to introduce incentives for artists to add songs to Apple Music that are mixed on Dolby Atmos technology. Apple Music rivals including Amazon Prime Music, Tidal, and Deezer offer spatial offers.

“Defending the Use of AI: Selkie Founder’s Bold Stance on Cutting-Edge Dress Collection Sparks Controversy”

Home Is Where The Heart Selkie Main 39
An extra toe is like a representation of where we are beginning.”But when the brand announced that the collection was designed using generative AI, backlash was immediate. In the year since she finalized designs for this drop, public opinion of AI art has shifted significantly. As generative AI tools become more sophisticated, the use of AI in art has also become increasingly polarizing. Of course, not all generative AI is exploitative; as a VFX tool, it’s immensely useful to enhance animations, from creating more realistic flames in Pixar’s “Elemental” to visualizing complex scenes in HBO’s “The Last Of Us.” There are plenty of examples of morally bankrupt applications of generative AI. But most of the generative AI debate settles into a morally gray area, where the parameters of exploitation are less defined.

“Call for Algorithmic Transparency: EU Urges Stricter Regulations for Music-Streaming Services”

Spotify App Gettyimages 1689920063
The European Parliament is calling for new rules to bring more fairness and transparency to music-streaming across the bloc, including proposals for a new bill to force streaming platforms to open up their recommendation algorithms. The bill would also require Spotify et al to make it clear where a song has been generated by artificial intelligence (AI). While final details are far from set in stone, this might eventually include setting quotas to showcase a certain amount of work from European artists. However, the company performed a 180-degree turn when the government gave assurances that music-streaming platforms wouldn’t be expected to cover extra costs resulting from the law. In response, Spotify vowed to cut back its investment in the French market, starting with pulling support for two music festivals.

“Revolutionizing the Artist-Fan Connection: Medallion’s $13.7M Funding Boost”

Medallion Press Screens Collage
From a fan perspective, although there are plenty of ways to follow and connect with artists, these online interactions can be minimal. Artists will soon also be able to sell new exclusive and limited-edition digital collectibles/NFTs like poster bundles and trading cards. Medallion is free for artists to use but takes a percentage of all sales on the platform, yet didn’t disclose how much. Additionally, Medallion is a white-label platform, meaning artists can customize their digital space with their own color theme, background and more. Artists communicate with fans through social media posts, while fans can reply in the comments.

“Introducing Microsoft Copilot’s Latest Upgrade: Seamlessly Create Music with Suno Integration”

Microsoft Copilot Bing
Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft’s AI-powered chatbot, can now compose songs thanks to an integration with gen AI music app Suno. From a single sentence, Suno can generate complete songs — including lyrics, instrumentals and singing voices. Meta has published several of its experiments with AI music generation. Stability AI’s own gen AI audio lead quit after saying that gen AI “exploits creators,” and the Grammys have banned fully AI-generated song from consideration for awards. Clarity on the legal status of gen AI music may arrive soon — if not from court decisions.

Trending now

Baby wearables, texts from dogs, and E-Ink cars • TechCrunch
The Future of Babies: Wearables, Text Messages from Furry Friends, and E-Ink Automobiles
Airmyne Prototype
AirMyne Harnesses Geothermal Energy for Direct Air Carbon Capture Expansion
Instagram now lets you bookmark posts with friends and store them in a dedicated space
Create and Explore a Saved Space with Instagrams New Bookmarking Feature
Atomos tows a $16M load of funding to create tugboats in space • TechCrunch
Atomos Takes Off With $16M For Tugboats in Space