Month: January 2024
Cities: Skylines II toxicity and more layoffs | This week’s gaming news
It’s an awkward time to be a PC player. The platform has more games covering more genres than ever, and even standard PC hardware can deliver pristine, photorealistic graphics. At the same time, some of the biggest titles in recent memory have been absolute messes on PC at launch, like Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Redfall, the Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 remakes, and The Last of Us Part I. Unfortunately, it looks like we can add Cities: Skylines II to this list — which means I’m eagerly looking forward to the day when we can look back and say, “Man, remember when this game was broken? I’m glad Colossal Order fixed everything and appropriately apologized to its community.” At least, I hope that’s what we’ll say.
This week’s stories
Microsoft, macro layoffs
Three months after closing its purchase of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft fired 1,900 people in its Xbox, ZeniMax and Activision Blizzard divisions. This follows a rash of layoffs in video games in recent months — last year, around 9,000 people in the industry were fired, and already in January nearly 6,000 jobs have been lost. It’s a legitimate crisis. Alongside the layoffs, Microsoft officially canceled Odyssey, the survival game that Blizzard had been working on for six years.
Palworld is the zeitgeist
So far, 2024 is the year of Palworld. The game comes from a small, rookie team and it’s been billed as “Pokémon with guns,” though it’s really more like Ark in terms of gameplay. Whatever reference you pick, Palworld is so popular that it’s No. 2 on the Steam charts for all-time concurrent players, right behind PUBG. With all of this attention, it was only a matter of time before Nintendo stepped in — the Pokemon publisher is investigating Palworld for potential copyright infringement, and we’ll see how that plays out in the coming weeks.
Cities: Skylines II and toxicity
The original Cities: Skylines came out in 2015 and ate up the audience that was left behind by EA’s SimCity, which landed in 2013 and was a busted mess. Cities: Skylines scratched that urban-planning itch, and over the years, developers at Colossal Order worked closely with players to foster a thriving mod community on Steam Workshop. Mods, custom assets and let’s play videos have been a critical aspect of Cities: Skylines’ long-term success.
Last October, after months of marketing collaborations with content creators like Biffa and City Planner Plays, Cities: Skylines II came out — and it was a disappointment to many players. The game was originally pitched as a simultaneous PC and console release, but it’s only available on PC and there’s no concrete timeline for when the other versions will come out. There’s been no word on a Mac or Linux launch. There’s also no official mod support for Cities: Skylines II, and when this feature does land, it will be through the game’s publisher, Paradox, rather than Steam Workshop. On top of all this, Colossal Order raised the game’s minimum and recommended PC specs just a month before release, and the new requirements made it unplayable for a large chunk of players. Even with a capable rig, Cities: Skylines II is riddled with visual and mechanical bugs. Simply put, it feels like Colossal Order pulled a SimCity.
The studio has been steadily rolling out updates, and CEO Mariina Hallikainen acknowledged that the game is missing some promised and highly publicized features, like mod support. But in a recent note to the community, she said the conversation with players was becoming toxic and she called for civility. Hallikainen told Engadget she’d witnessed a surge in personal attacks on developers and other players in forums and on social media.
Community members like Philip, the man behind the YouTube channel City Planner Plays, were surprised to hear the word “toxicity.” He told Engadget he’s witnessed an increase in negativity and frustration from players, but not toxicity. For Philip and many other dedicated Cities: Skylines players, the feedback has been justified. They want Colossal Order to take accountability for the state of the release, say they’re sorry, and provide a plan to fix things going forward. Maybe throw in some free in-game perks, too.
Collaboration with the community is what made the original game so successful, and the sequel could certainly benefit from crowdsourced improvements. Hallikainen told Engadget that working with content creators and modders has helped direct the updates to Cities: Skylines II post-launch, and the studio still loves working with these players.
This is only the beginning for Cities: Skylines II. Colossal Order intends to support and expand the game over the next 10 years. The original Cities: Skylines didn’t have all of the bells, whistles and mods when it first came out in 2015, and the sequel is starting in a similar position. Colossal Order sees Cities: Skylines II as a fresh foundation, but its core community expected a more complete experience from the jump — especially people who paid $90 for the Ultimate Edition.
We’ve seen titles like No Man’s Sky and Cyberpunk 2077 overcome rough launches to become beloved games down the line, and Colossal Order has a solid track record when it comes to long-term support. However, options like early access and paid betas exist for a reason. At the very least, players should know whether they’re spending money to play a new game, or to help finish it.
Now playing
I’ve been playing Persona 3 Reload, and now that embargo has lifted, I can say it’s great. Otherwise, my quest to hit Grandmaster in Overwatch 2 continues unabated.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cities-skylines-ii-toxicity-and-more-layoffs–this-weeks-gaming-news-150133540.html?src=rss
It’s an awkward time to be a PC player. The platform has more games covering more genres than ever, and even standard PC hardware can deliver pristine, photorealistic graphics. At the same time, some of the biggest titles in recent memory have been absolute messes on PC at launch, like Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Redfall, the Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 remakes, and The Last of Us Part I. Unfortunately, it looks like we can add Cities: Skylines II to this list — which means I’m eagerly looking forward to the day when we can look back and say, “Man, remember when this game was broken? I’m glad Colossal Order fixed everything and appropriately apologized to its community.” At least, I hope that’s what we’ll say.
This week’s stories
Microsoft, macro layoffs
Three months after closing its purchase of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft fired 1,900 people in its Xbox, ZeniMax and Activision Blizzard divisions. This follows a rash of layoffs in video games in recent months — last year, around 9,000 people in the industry were fired, and already in January nearly 6,000 jobs have been lost. It’s a legitimate crisis. Alongside the layoffs, Microsoft officially canceled Odyssey, the survival game that Blizzard had been working on for six years.
Palworld is the zeitgeist
So far, 2024 is the year of Palworld. The game comes from a small, rookie team and it’s been billed as “Pokémon with guns,” though it’s really more like Ark in terms of gameplay. Whatever reference you pick, Palworld is so popular that it’s No. 2 on the Steam charts for all-time concurrent players, right behind PUBG. With all of this attention, it was only a matter of time before Nintendo stepped in — the Pokemon publisher is investigating Palworld for potential copyright infringement, and we’ll see how that plays out in the coming weeks.
Cities: Skylines II and toxicity
The original Cities: Skylines came out in 2015 and ate up the audience that was left behind by EA’s SimCity, which landed in 2013 and was a busted mess. Cities: Skylines scratched that urban-planning itch, and over the years, developers at Colossal Order worked closely with players to foster a thriving mod community on Steam Workshop. Mods, custom assets and let’s play videos have been a critical aspect of Cities: Skylines’ long-term success.
Last October, after months of marketing collaborations with content creators like Biffa and City Planner Plays, Cities: Skylines II came out — and it was a disappointment to many players. The game was originally pitched as a simultaneous PC and console release, but it’s only available on PC and there’s no concrete timeline for when the other versions will come out. There’s been no word on a Mac or Linux launch. There’s also no official mod support for Cities: Skylines II, and when this feature does land, it will be through the game’s publisher, Paradox, rather than Steam Workshop. On top of all this, Colossal Order raised the game’s minimum and recommended PC specs just a month before release, and the new requirements made it unplayable for a large chunk of players. Even with a capable rig, Cities: Skylines II is riddled with visual and mechanical bugs. Simply put, it feels like Colossal Order pulled a SimCity.
The studio has been steadily rolling out updates, and CEO Mariina Hallikainen acknowledged that the game is missing some promised and highly publicized features, like mod support. But in a recent note to the community, she said the conversation with players was becoming toxic and she called for civility. Hallikainen told Engadget she’d witnessed a surge in personal attacks on developers and other players in forums and on social media.
Community members like Philip, the man behind the YouTube channel City Planner Plays, were surprised to hear the word “toxicity.” He told Engadget he’s witnessed an increase in negativity and frustration from players, but not toxicity. For Philip and many other dedicated Cities: Skylines players, the feedback has been justified. They want Colossal Order to take accountability for the state of the release, say they’re sorry, and provide a plan to fix things going forward. Maybe throw in some free in-game perks, too.
Collaboration with the community is what made the original game so successful, and the sequel could certainly benefit from crowdsourced improvements. Hallikainen told Engadget that working with content creators and modders has helped direct the updates to Cities: Skylines II post-launch, and the studio still loves working with these players.
This is only the beginning for Cities: Skylines II. Colossal Order intends to support and expand the game over the next 10 years. The original Cities: Skylines didn’t have all of the bells, whistles and mods when it first came out in 2015, and the sequel is starting in a similar position. Colossal Order sees Cities: Skylines II as a fresh foundation, but its core community expected a more complete experience from the jump — especially people who paid $90 for the Ultimate Edition.
We’ve seen titles like No Man’s Sky and Cyberpunk 2077 overcome rough launches to become beloved games down the line, and Colossal Order has a solid track record when it comes to long-term support. However, options like early access and paid betas exist for a reason. At the very least, players should know whether they’re spending money to play a new game, or to help finish it.
Now playing
I’ve been playing Persona 3 Reload, and now that embargo has lifted, I can say it’s great. Otherwise, my quest to hit Grandmaster in Overwatch 2 continues unabated.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cities-skylines-ii-toxicity-and-more-layoffs–this-weeks-gaming-news-150133540.html?src=rss
Pitch competitions help level the playing field for underrepresented founders, but it isn’t enough
Pitch competitions are a bright spot for underrepresented founders but not without burdens that regular funding doesn’t have.
© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Pitch competitions are a bright spot for underrepresented founders but not without burdens that regular funding doesn’t have.
© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
My love letter to Rails (and Ruby)
This article was originally published on .cult by Patrick Helm. .cult is a Berlin-based community platform for developers. We write about all things career-related, make original documentaries, and share heaps of other untold developer stories from around the world. Once, there was a little online quiz with 10 questions. Each question displayed a tiny method and one had to guess if it was defined in the Ruby core language, or within the Rails framework. Neither Matz nor DHH scored 10/10. Yukihiro Matsumoto, also known as Matz, is the creator of the Ruby language. David Heinemeier Hanson, aka DHH, invented the…This story continues at The Next Web
This article was originally published on .cult by Patrick Helm. .cult is a Berlin-based community platform for developers. We write about all things career-related, make original documentaries, and share heaps of other untold developer stories from around the world. Once, there was a little online quiz with 10 questions. Each question displayed a tiny method and one had to guess if it was defined in the Ruby core language, or within the Rails framework. Neither Matz nor DHH scored 10/10. Yukihiro Matsumoto, also known as Matz, is the creator of the Ruby language. David Heinemeier Hanson, aka DHH, invented the…
This story continues at The Next Web
Linux users beware — this security flaw could allow attackers to get root on major distros, so take extra care
Flaw in versions 2.36 and 2.37 of the GNU C (glibc) library could grant unauthorised root access to attackers, bad news helped only by the fact that it’s unlikely to be exploitable remotely.
A local privilege escalation flaw within the GNU C (glibc) has been disclosed, opening up the possibility of cyberattacks on endpoints with the library installed – quite a large pool, as the library enables critical kernel features across several major Linux distributions.
Per BleepingComputer, the flaw, disclosed as CVE-2023-6246, was found in glibc’s __vsyslog_internal() function, called by the syslog and vyslog functions for logging messages to the system.
The flaw allows, via a buffer overflow, unauthorised users to gain root access – full read, write and execute permissions – across a distribution instance, which is, to use the correct computing term, terrifying.
The technical stuff
In its disclosure published on January 30 2024, researchers from security company Qualys wrote that even up to date Fedora installations were exploitable. That’s concerning, but disclosure should expedite a fix.
Making things worse is the fact that, per the disclosure again this vulnerability was backported to 2.36 via another code commit fixing a different flaw in __vsyslog_internal(), stemming from an uninitialized memory read, tracked as CVE-2022-39046.
Buffer overflow, or more data being written to a part of a computer program than it has allocated, allowing for the execution of arbitrary, potentially nefarious code, has always been a serious problem for the decades-old glibc library, to the point where Qualys found that a very similar bug in its code has occurred before, in 1997.
The common solution is to add functions to code that check memory bounds, so that, if an allocation to a buffer would cause an overflow, it’s refused.
The implications
Even if you’re not a programmer, this news should trouble anyone who’s given into the hype and is now running Debian (versions 12 to 13) or a Debian-based Linux distribution, which includes Raspberry Pi OS, as well as other major Linux variants like Fedora (37 to 39) and Ubuntu (23.04 and 23.10) and their offshoots, including the established and popular Linux Mint.
Qualys also pointed out that ‘other distributions are probably also exploitable’, so even though we’ve named some of the popular distributions affected, you may wish to investigate further.
The one saving grace from all of this is that Qualys don’t believe the exploit can be triggered remotely, writing in its disclosure that “to the best of our knowledge, this vulnerability cannot be triggered remotely in any likely scenario (because it requires an argv[0], or an openlog() ident argument, longer than 1024 bytes to be triggered)”.
More from TechRadar Pro
We’ve also listed the best Linux distros for privacy and security right now Microsoft suddenly wants to tell you how to install Linux – but why? The screen you least (most?) want to see is coming to Linux
How to watch ‘Feud: Capote vs. the Swans’ with or without cable
FX’s ‘Feud: Capote vs. the Swans’ premieres Jan. 31. Here’s how to watch it with or without cable, including the best Hulu streaming deals.
Hulu (with ads) monthly subscription
Hulu + Disney+ (with ads)
(save $5.99/month)
Hulu Basic (with ads)
(save $7.99/month)
Spotify Premium for Students with Hulu
(save up to $12.99/month)
Sling Blue
(save $20)
If you like Ryan Murphy, high society betrayal, and capital-D drama, the second season of his anthology series Feud premieres this week. The eight-episode limited series is based on the bestselling book Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era by Laurence Leamer. It pits famed author Truman Capote against his coterie of elite Manhattan socialites known as his “swans.” And judging by the trailer, we’re in for quite the glamorous showdown.
Here’s a sneak peek:
With an epic cast and crew and a Real Housewives dose of pettiness, betrayal, privilege, gossip, and self-destruction, it’s one of our most anticipated shows of 2024. Here’s everything you need to know in order to watch Feud: Capote vs. the Swans.
When does Feud: Capote vs. the Swans premiere?
The first two episodes of Feud: Capote vs. the Swans premiere on Wednesday, Jan. 31 on FX at 10 p.m. ET. Subsequent episodes air weekly every Wednesday night at the same time, with the finale set for March 13. Episodes will also be available to stream on Hulu the next day.
Here’s an outline of the episode schedule:
Episode 1: “Pilot” — Jan. 31
Episode 2: “Ice Water in Their Veins” — Jan. 31
Episode 3: “Masquerade 1966” — Feb. 7
Episode 4: “It’s Impossible” — Feb. 14
Episode 5: “The Secret Inner Lives of Swans” — Feb. 21
Episode 6: “Hats, Gloves and Effete Homosexuals” — Feb. 28
Episode 7: “Beautiful Babe” — March 6
Episode 8: “Phantasm Forgiveness” — March 13
How to watch Feud: Capote vs. the Swans without cable
If you no longer have a cable subscription but want to tune into the second season of Feud, you have a couple different options. Don’t mind waiting until the next day to stream episodes? Sign up for a Hulu subscription and stream each episode the day after it airs on FX. Rather watch live? You’d be better off signing up for a cable replacement service like Sling TV or Hulu + Live TV, which gives you access to FX in real time (as well as many other networks). We’ve broken down all your best options for watching below, as well as the best ways to save some money.
Best for new subscribers: Hulu 30-day free trial
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If you’ve never subscribed to Hulu before or you haven’t subscribed in awhile, you can easily watch Feud: Capote vs. the Swans for free with your 30-day free trial. Hulu is pretty generous with its trial period, unlike many other streamers. You’ll have to plan out your trial period to be able to watch every episode within a 30-day span, but it’s definitely doable. If you decided to keep your subscription going after the trial, you’ll have to pay $7.99 per month for the basic plan with ads or $17.99 per month for the No Ads plan. If you cancel before the trial is up, you’ll owe zero dollars.
Best for T-Mobile customers: Hulu (with ads) included for one year
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T-Mobile customers on the Go5G Next plan can enjoy Hulu with ads for an entire year for free. Just head over to the promotion site, enter your T-Mobile number, and continue to login with your ID. Read over the terms and conditions, enter your personal details, and click submit. Then you’ll be directed to Hulu to redeem your offer. Note: you must redeem it within 30 days of receiving your redemption code. After 12 months, you’ll have to decide whether you want to cancel or pay full price ($7.99 per month) to keep your subscription going.
Best for students: Spotify Premium for Students with Hulu
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Students looking to tune into Feud Season 2 have a couple great options. Our favorite is Spotify Premium for Students, which not only gives verified students access to Spotify Premium, but also Hulu (with ads) for no extra charge. Not to mention there’s a free one-month trial to test the waters. Once your month is up, you’ll pay just $5.99 per month for both services. The only requirement is that you have to prove you’re actually a student via SheerID.
Another option would be to sign up for a Hulu student account (no Spotify) for only $1.99 per month. While there’s currently no free trial, at $1.99 per month, we’re willing to look past it.
Best for long-term viewing: Hulu (with ads) annual subscription
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Opting for an annual Hulu subscription instead of paying monthly will knock the $7.99 per month cost down to only $6.67 per month. That saves you about 17% simply by paying for a whole year in advance. If you only want to watch Feud and be on your merry way, this is probably not the best option for you. But with a long-term subscription, you can rewatch Feud Season 1 and 2 as many times as you want, plus tune into other Ryan Murphy shows like American Horror Story and Scream Queens, as well as more FX Originals we recommend like The Bear.
Best bundle deal: Hulu + Disney+ (with ads)
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If you’re all about getting the most bang for your buck, the Hulu-Disney bundle (which includes both Hulu and Disney+ or Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+) can save you up to 49%. Sure, you’ll pay more overall, but you’ll get access to two or three different streaming services for one low price. For both Hulu and Disney+, you’ll pay $9.99 — that’s just $2 more than paying for Hulu on its own. If you’re a sports fan, you can throw in ESPN+ too for a total of $12.99 per month. It’s maybe not the best option for someone looking to watch Feud and move on, but the Disney bundle is one of the best streaming deals around.
Best cable-replacement option: Sling TV Blue package
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Sling TV essentially works like an a la carte cable alternative. You pick your package and add on channels depending on what you actually watch. In order to watch Feud: Capote vs. the Swans live when it airs, you’ll need access to FX network. That means you’ll need the Blue package, which includes FX, as well as your local Fox and CBS networks, Bravo, USA, E!, and more. Unfortunately, there’s no free trial to test the waters, but there is an introductory offer that slashes 50% off your first month of service. For the Blue package, you’ll pay just $20 for your first month, then $40 per month after that.
Note: There are other live TV cable replacements like Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, or FuboTV, but they’re significantly more expensive. Sling is the most affordable option — plus, it’s completely customizable.
Jeep offers a peek inside its upcoming electric SUV – and it looks mighty impressive
Jeep unveils official images of its upcoming and much anticipated Wagoneer S electric vehicle.
In order to combat a recent accidental Facebook leak, Jeep has decided to give a more official look inside its hotly anticipated Wagoneer S electric vehicle, which is slated to go on sale in US markets next year with European models to follow.
Clearly taking aim at premium brands, such as Range Rover and Lexus, the Wagoneer S is festooned with screens and digital displays. There’s a display in front of the steering wheel, a larger central infotainment system, as well as a small interactive touchscreen beneath that, which looks as though it takes care of climate and other comfort features.
Finally, the front passenger also gets a screen in a move that we’ve seen Porsche adopt recently in its Taycan, Macan EV and upcoming Panamera.
(Image credit: Jeep/Stellantis)
The off-road specialist claims that its electric SUV will have “mindful materials and design-focused features” including a “tailored driver control centre with a unique Jeep brand-exclusive Selec-Terrain toggle and dynamic, color-selectable ambient lighting”.
Jeep also added that the Wagoneer S will feature “a standard dual-pane panoramic sunroof” and “a discerningly tuned, segment-exclusive, 19-speaker, premium flagship McIntosh audio system”.
On the subject of that Select-Terrain toggle, early images reveal that it boasts Sand, Snow, Eco, Auto and Sport modes, which gives a good indication that Jeep isn’t mucking about when it comes capability. This looks set to be an EV that can also do the Jeep stuff that discerning customers expect.
(Image credit: Jeep/Stellantis)
Alas, the company is still keeping its cards close to its chest in terms of final specification, but we can tell from the images that the Wagoneer S isn’t going to be small – expect around five meters in length or more. A point that is further rammed home by the fact it will be an early adopter of parent company Stellantis’ latest STLA large architecture.
Jeep has already said that the electric powertrain can rocket from a standstill to 62mph in 3.5 seconds, thanks to a 600bhp electric motor set-up sending power to all four wheels. An all-electric range is also pegged at over 370-miles.
Analysis: Jeep is pushing into premium territory
(Image credit: Jeep/Stellantis)
It seems that electrification is a good excuse for many manufacturers to attempt to push more upmarket, tapping into a customer base that would have previously bought into brands such as Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and even Range Rover.
It’s understandable, given that current battery technology is so expensive, leading to a price disparity when comparing to internal combustion engine variants. With that in mind, many manufacturers have sought to at least raise the quality of their electric offerings in a drive to justify these lofty forecourt figures.
Jeep also looks set to hit the reset button, with both the Wagoneer S and the forthcoming electric Recon model offering the brand’s renowned ruggedness with an additional element of opulence.
Where previously a model like the Wrangler (which Recon will aim to rival and potentially replace) served as a faithful – if a little unrefined – workhorse, the electric equivalents will be offered with more premium feeling interiors and next-gen infotainment technology.
But like Land Rover with its most recent Defender, Jeep could find it has to deal with customer backlash, as buyers bemoan the lack of affordable and capable machinery on the market.
While the electric revolution is certainly raising the stakes in term of interior luxury, future-thinking exterior design and cutting-edge tech, it’s currently not doing much for those who want something that can be hosed down after a filthy mountain bike session and topped up in the wilderness with a Jerry can.
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Universal Music Group expected to pull music from TikTok over concerns with AI and artist pay
The current licensing agreement between TikTok and UMG is set to expire on January 31st. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
The music catalogs of Taylor Swift, Drake, Harry Styles, and many other artists represented by Universal Music Group (UMG) are expected to be pulled from TikTok following accusations that the video platform attempted to “bully” and “intimidate” the record label into accepting a subpar licensing deal. The current licensing agreement between TikTok and UMG is set to lapse today, January 31st, with Reuters reporting that UMG will remove its songs from the service once the deal has expired.
In an open letter published on Tuesday, UMG said that TikTok was trying to build a music-based business “without paying fair value for the music” and accused the company of selectively removing developing artists’ music from the service while continuing to promote UMG’s more famous performers. The label says it’s focused on three main areas for contract renewal: securing appropriate compensation for performers and songwriters; protections against AI-generated music flooding the platform; and bolstering online safety.
“TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay,” said UMG in its open letter, claiming that around 1 percent of its revenue comes from the platform despite TikTok’s massive and growing presence within the music industry.
The risk that generative AI poses to the reputations and livelihoods of human performers is also central to the concerns that UMG raised, as is the general safety of its artists:
TikTok is allowing the platform to be flooded with AI-generated recordings — as well as developing tools to enable, promote and encourage AI music creation on the platform itself – and then demanding a contractual right which would allow this content to massively dilute the royalty pool for human artists, in a move that is nothing short of sponsoring artist replacement by AI. Further, TikTok makes little effort to deal with the vast amounts of content on its platform that infringe our artists’ music and it has offered no meaningful solutions to the rising tide of content adjacency issues, let alone the tidal wave of hate speech, bigotry, bullying and harassment on the platform.
TikTok’s tactics are obvious: use its platform power to hurt vulnerable artists and try to intimidate us into conceding to a bad deal that undervalues music and shortchanges artists and songwriters as well as their fans. We will never do that.
On Wednesday, TikTok issued a blunt statement responding to UMG’s accusations:
It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters. Despite Universal’s false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent. TikTok has been able to reach ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher. Clearly, Universal’s self-serving actions are not in the best interests of artists, songwriters and fans.
The deluge of AI-generated music may be just one of several concerns UMG raised, but it’s one that the label has kept an exceedingly close eye on for some time. For example, it opened a lawsuit against Anthropic last October for distributing copyrighted lyrics with its AI model Claude 2. The company was also successful at taking down the viral AI-generated Drake song via a copyright claim last year, in addition to the many copycats that followed.
UMG hasn’t dismissed AI technology entirely, however, having partnered with YouTube to help establish rules for AI music on the video platform that are safe and profitable for companies and performers alike.
ByteDance is less cautious about adopting AI technology amid pressure from competing startups
By contrast, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has been less cautious about adopting AI technology, having been caught secretly using OpenAI’s technology to build a competing large language model. Reuters reports that just yesterday, ByteDance CEO Liang Rubo said at a companywide meeting that the company hasn’t paid enough attention to AI technologies and faces challenges from newer, more nimble startups.
In a recently published interview with The New Yorker, UMG CEO Lucian Grainge warned that unregulated AI-generated music could wreak havoc on the industry, painting a scenario in which illegitimate versions of Kanye West songs could be produced featuring Taylor Swift’s voice: “Get your head around that. And then it’s ingested into one of the platforms and someone starts monetizing it. I haven’t spent forty-five years in the industry just to have it be a free-for-all where anything goes. Not going to happen while I’m still here!”
UMG’s plight to ensure AI technology can be carefully adopted without eroding the legitimacy of its performers and songwriters is one of many similar battles occurring across other industries. Securing protection against AI likeness and voice replication was a cornerstone concern in the SAG-AFTRA strikes last year, for example, and The New York Times opened a copyright infringement lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft in December over claims their AI models copied millions of the publication’s articles.
The current licensing agreement between TikTok and UMG is set to expire on January 31st. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
The music catalogs of Taylor Swift, Drake, Harry Styles, and many other artists represented by Universal Music Group (UMG) are expected to be pulled from TikTok following accusations that the video platform attempted to “bully” and “intimidate” the record label into accepting a subpar licensing deal. The current licensing agreement between TikTok and UMG is set to lapse today, January 31st, with Reuters reporting that UMG will remove its songs from the service once the deal has expired.
In an open letter published on Tuesday, UMG said that TikTok was trying to build a music-based business “without paying fair value for the music” and accused the company of selectively removing developing artists’ music from the service while continuing to promote UMG’s more famous performers. The label says it’s focused on three main areas for contract renewal: securing appropriate compensation for performers and songwriters; protections against AI-generated music flooding the platform; and bolstering online safety.
“TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay,” said UMG in its open letter, claiming that around 1 percent of its revenue comes from the platform despite TikTok’s massive and growing presence within the music industry.
The risk that generative AI poses to the reputations and livelihoods of human performers is also central to the concerns that UMG raised, as is the general safety of its artists:
TikTok is allowing the platform to be flooded with AI-generated recordings — as well as developing tools to enable, promote and encourage AI music creation on the platform itself – and then demanding a contractual right which would allow this content to massively dilute the royalty pool for human artists, in a move that is nothing short of sponsoring artist replacement by AI. Further, TikTok makes little effort to deal with the vast amounts of content on its platform that infringe our artists’ music and it has offered no meaningful solutions to the rising tide of content adjacency issues, let alone the tidal wave of hate speech, bigotry, bullying and harassment on the platform.
TikTok’s tactics are obvious: use its platform power to hurt vulnerable artists and try to intimidate us into conceding to a bad deal that undervalues music and shortchanges artists and songwriters as well as their fans. We will never do that.
On Wednesday, TikTok issued a blunt statement responding to UMG’s accusations:
It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters. Despite Universal’s false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent. TikTok has been able to reach ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher. Clearly, Universal’s self-serving actions are not in the best interests of artists, songwriters and fans.
The deluge of AI-generated music may be just one of several concerns UMG raised, but it’s one that the label has kept an exceedingly close eye on for some time. For example, it opened a lawsuit against Anthropic last October for distributing copyrighted lyrics with its AI model Claude 2. The company was also successful at taking down the viral AI-generated Drake song via a copyright claim last year, in addition to the many copycats that followed.
UMG hasn’t dismissed AI technology entirely, however, having partnered with YouTube to help establish rules for AI music on the video platform that are safe and profitable for companies and performers alike.
By contrast, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has been less cautious about adopting AI technology, having been caught secretly using OpenAI’s technology to build a competing large language model. Reuters reports that just yesterday, ByteDance CEO Liang Rubo said at a companywide meeting that the company hasn’t paid enough attention to AI technologies and faces challenges from newer, more nimble startups.
In a recently published interview with The New Yorker, UMG CEO Lucian Grainge warned that unregulated AI-generated music could wreak havoc on the industry, painting a scenario in which illegitimate versions of Kanye West songs could be produced featuring Taylor Swift’s voice: “Get your head around that. And then it’s ingested into one of the platforms and someone starts monetizing it. I haven’t spent forty-five years in the industry just to have it be a free-for-all where anything goes. Not going to happen while I’m still here!”
UMG’s plight to ensure AI technology can be carefully adopted without eroding the legitimacy of its performers and songwriters is one of many similar battles occurring across other industries. Securing protection against AI likeness and voice replication was a cornerstone concern in the SAG-AFTRA strikes last year, for example, and The New York Times opened a copyright infringement lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft in December over claims their AI models copied millions of the publication’s articles.
Best Buy Has Every iPad Air at All-Time Low Prices, Available From $449.99
Best Buy today has every model of the 5th generation iPad Air for up to $150 off, with multiple all-time low prices. These deals are available to all shoppers and do not require a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Starting with the 64GB Wi-Fi iPad Air, you can get this tablet for $449.99, down from $599.99. Best Buy has every color on sale at this record low price, which we haven’t tracked since the holidays.
$150 OFFiPad Air (64GB Wi-Fi) for $449.99
Best Buy also has the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad Air on sale for $599.99, down from $749.99. You’ll again find this model on sale in all colors, and it’s another all-time low price.
$150 OFFiPad Air (256GB Wi-Fi) for $599.99
Finally, there are cellular discounts as well during this sale, starting at $599.99 for the 64GB cellular iPad Air and rising to $749.99 for the 256GB cellular iPad Air. Both of these are again $150 discounts and all-time low prices on the iPad Air, and available in every color at Best Buy.
$150 OFFiPad Air (64GB cellular) for $599.99
$150 OFFiPad Air (256GB cellular) for $749.99
If you’re on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.Related Roundup: Apple DealsThis article, “Best Buy Has Every iPad Air at All-Time Low Prices, Available From $449.99” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
Best Buy today has every model of the 5th generation iPad Air for up to $150 off, with multiple all-time low prices. These deals are available to all shoppers and do not require a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Starting with the 64GB Wi-Fi iPad Air, you can get this tablet for $449.99, down from $599.99. Best Buy has every color on sale at this record low price, which we haven’t tracked since the holidays.
Best Buy also has the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad Air on sale for $599.99, down from $749.99. You’ll again find this model on sale in all colors, and it’s another all-time low price.
Finally, there are cellular discounts as well during this sale, starting at $599.99 for the 64GB cellular iPad Air and rising to $749.99 for the 256GB cellular iPad Air. Both of these are again $150 discounts and all-time low prices on the iPad Air, and available in every color at Best Buy.
If you’re on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
This article, “Best Buy Has Every iPad Air at All-Time Low Prices, Available From $449.99” first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
All the news from Congress’ Big Tech child safety hearing
Image: US Capitol / Flickr
The CEOs of five major tech companies will make a case for why their platforms are safe for kids. Looking to push through new online child safety laws, the Senate Judiciary Committee has summoned five tech CEOs to testify in front of Congress. The committee has asked Linda Yaccarino of X, Shou Zi Chew of TikTok, Evan Spiegel of Snap, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, and Jason Citron of Discord to answer questions on the topic of “Big Tech and the online child sexual exploitation crisis.”
All the platforms in question have been accused of facilitating child exploitation, despite well-publicized pledges to crack down on abuse. But the proposed legislative solutions are controversial, too. The most prominent is the Kids Online Safety Act, which would create a legal “duty of care” toward underage users — but could also chill constitutionally protected speech.
Image: US Capitol / Flickr
The CEOs of five major tech companies will make a case for why their platforms are safe for kids.
Looking to push through new online child safety laws, the Senate Judiciary Committee has summoned five tech CEOs to testify in front of Congress. The committee has asked Linda Yaccarino of X, Shou Zi Chew of TikTok, Evan Spiegel of Snap, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, and Jason Citron of Discord to answer questions on the topic of “Big Tech and the online child sexual exploitation crisis.”
All the platforms in question have been accused of facilitating child exploitation, despite well-publicized pledges to crack down on abuse. But the proposed legislative solutions are controversial, too. The most prominent is the Kids Online Safety Act, which would create a legal “duty of care” toward underage users — but could also chill constitutionally protected speech.
VCs are sitting on top of a $300 billion pile of cash even as startups struggle to raise funding
In the world of venture capital, there’s a famous saying that goes, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” And this rings particularly true in recent times. According to reports from the Financial Times, venture capitalists (VCs) have amassed an astonishing $435 billion
The post VCs are sitting on top of a $300 billion pile of cash even as startups struggle to raise funding first appeared on TechStartups.
In the world of venture capital, there’s a famous saying that goes, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” And this rings particularly true in recent times. According to reports from the Financial Times, venture capitalists (VCs) have amassed an astonishing $435 billion […]
The post VCs are sitting on top of a $300 billion pile of cash even as startups struggle to raise funding first appeared on TechStartups.