1. New Mia Koden absolutely slaps

    Mia Koden is a true head. Her passion for music is matched by her deep, deep knowledge of all things bass music, as evidenced by anyone who has seen her play or heard her mixes.

    Any new release is a treat then, and this is no exception. My only crit is that it arrived with little to no fanfare, and I nearly missed it!

  2. Something doesn't add up in Universal's narrative

    AI is taking jobs from the bottom of companies, not the top. Technology, therefore, isn't threatening senior roles. Yet most of these latest redundancies are senior positions - which makes financial sense as they save the most money. However that suggests a company desperate to save money because it cannot deliver the necessary profits by the usual means, i.e. growth. Curious to see what so many senior execs do next, too. Hopefully, start interesting new businesses to bring more competition to the marketplace 🤞🏻

    Music Business WorldwideMultiple layoffs at Universal Music Group, as $270M cost-cutting program continues - Music Business WorldwideExecs such as Tunji Balogun, Ben Mortimer, Nicole Wyskoarko, and Sam Riback are leaving UMG…

  3. Hearing loss and the AI tech within hearing aids

    I loved this post from Dick Huey about how he has addressed his hearing loss caused by attending, it has to be said, a very enviable array of gigs through his lifetime. This is another area where AI tech may well deliver incredible steps forward, and given so many of us might wind up in this place, that’s quite a heartwarming thing to consider…

    dickhuey.substack.comLosing my hearing and how I fixed itFor my many friends & colleagues in music who probably also need a hearing aid and fake their way through conversations

  5. DistroKid confirms it has removed tracks in response to UMG claims

    The issue here - floods of AI slop notwithstanding - is that DistroKid is a volume operator. That means it isn't there to provide personal support to users, and also isn't motivated to police it's platform all that much. Very much a case of “you get what you pay for”. 🙄

    Music Business WorldwideDistroKid confirms it has removed tracks in response to UMG claims - Music Business WorldwideThe Verge reported that independent artists had been posting on social media about their music being taken down without notice.

  7. Universal vs Summer Walker

    Whilst I do feel legal contracts exist for a reason, and that Summer Walker’s reasons to escape her contract might be up for question, I’d equally counter that at a time where Universal makes much of being artist-friendly, these kinds of lawsuits do absolutely nothing to help that image.

    Note the contract being described as “brutal”. For me it’s a simple reminder of what Universal really is: a corporate behemoth, backed by the likes of Pershing Square. In some respects I don’t begrudge that - we will always have corporations - but it is when those companies make passionate claims about having artists’ interests at heart that I feel things get disingenuous.

    Rolling StoneInterscope Claims Summer Walker Will Owe $50 Million if She Walks Away From Record DealInterscope is suing Summer Walker with claims she'll owe at least $50 million in damages if she terminates her contract under California labor law.

  12. A bot that got Glasto tickets

    From a Network Notes reader, in response to the last piece and the comment about agents becoming the undoing of the internet as we know it:

    “I suspect you’ll have already heard of things like this, but I know someone who vibe-coded a bot that got him Glasto tickets this year.”

    A taste of the future perhaps. Things like OpenAI’s Dots agents can be set to handle tasks like this, but unlike you or me they operate at insane speed, don’t get tired, and won’t stop until the job is done.