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☆ Opinion | Why It’s So Hard to Build in Liberal States
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( The Ezra Klein Show | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There is so much we need to build right now. The housing crunch has spread across the country; by one estimate, we’re a few million units short. And we also need a huge build-out of renewable energy infrastructure — at a scale some experts compare to the construction of the Interstate highway system. [You can listen to this episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” on the NYT Audio App, Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google or wherever you get your podcasts.] Jerusalem Demsas is a staff writer at The Atlantic who obsesses over these questions as much as I do.

Persons: “, Ezra Klein Organizations: Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Locations: Jerusalem

☆ Taylor Swift's new album rollout strategy shows she's too big to fail
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Callie Ahlgrim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Taylor Swift's new album "The Tortured Poets Department" will arrive on Friday, April 19. The quiet rollout strategy says a lot about Swift's stature in the pop-music landscape. Die-hard fans say it's a masterpiece, destined to win Swift her fifth Grammy Award for album of the year. The aforementioned fans who insist "Poets" will dominate charts and break records have no idea what the album sounds like. The particulars of each rollout strategy are rendered irrelevant, dwarfed by the all-consuming enormity of her own personal news cycle.

Persons: Taylor, —, Taylor Swift, Swift, — Maja, Carole King, Fleetwood Mac, Swiftmania, wouldn't Swift, Swifties, Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter Organizations: Department, Service, Spotify Locations: Chicago, Los Angeles, Texas

☆ Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Blackpink's Lisa: Celebrities spotted at Coachella 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Amanda Goh | Ayomikun Adekaiyero | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The annual Coachella music festival, held in Indio, California, is underway. Here are the celebrities who have attended the music festival so far. The likes of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, Taylor Swift, and even Blackpink's Lisa have been spotted among the audience. Here are the celebrities who have been seen enjoying Coachella 2024 so far. Taylor Swift and Travis KelceTaylor Swift and Travis Kelce at Neon Carnival held during the Coachella Music and Arts Festival on April 13, 2024 in Thermal, California.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Lisa, —, Lana Del Rey, Tyler, Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez, Travis Kelce Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Gilbert Flores, Swift, Jason, Lauren Sánchez, Kris Jenner's, Corey Gamble, Lana Del Rey's, Rocky, Shakira, Blackpink's Lisa LISA, BLACKPINK, Bizarrap's, Blackpink's Lisa, Blackpink, Barry Keoghan Barry Keoghan, Tommaso Boddi, Sabrina Carpenter's, Keoghan, Carpenter, Justin Bieber, Jaden Smith Bieber, Smith, Hailey Bieber Hailey Bieber, Campbell Puckett, 🌵🎡, Rob e, mee, fou, ann u, e, Lew, tim e Organizations: Service, Billboard, Los Angeles Times, Coachella Music, Arts Festival, Getty, NFL, Coachella, AP, Valley Music, Arts, spo Locations: Indio , California, Thermal , California, Coachella, Singapore, fes, Fes

☆ Peloton quietly drops unlimited free app membership because it failed to bring in paid subscribers
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | In Gabrielle-Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Peloton has quietly removed its unlimited free-membership tier on its fitness app less than a year after it debuted because the initiative was failing to convert users into paid subscribers, the company said. People who signed up for the company's unlimited free membership before it was removed will continue to have access to it, Peloton said. McCarthy, a former Netflix and Spotify executive, had long wanted a free tier on the company's app. Soon after, the unlimited free tier was no longer available. While app subscribers declined during Peloton's fiscal second quarter ended Dec. 31, Coddington said the company still "believe[s]" in its app strategy and it remains "an important part of the business."

Persons: Barry McCarthy, McCarthy, Morgan, Liz Coddington, Coddington, we'll Organizations: Netflix, Spotify Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S

Listen and follow The DailyApple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon MusicOvernight on Saturday, Iran launched its first direct attack on Israeli soil, shooting hundreds of missiles and drones at multiple targets. Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for The Times, explains what happened and considers whether a broader war is brewing in the Middle East.

Persons: Eric Schmitt Organizations: Spotify, The Times Locations: Iran

☆ Insider Today: Landlords' secret weapon
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Matt Turner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

That chase, and Simpson's subsequent murder trial, changed media forever. A year later, 150 million would watch the jury declare a shocking not guilty verdict. Also read:AdvertisementEmrah_Oztas/ Getty Image, eGreg Bajor/Getty Image, Aleksey Balatskiy/Getty Image, Cici Morosanu/500px/Getty Image, Busà Photography/Getty Image, Abanti Chowdhury/BILandlords' secret weaponBig-time apartment owners have a secret weapon: RealPage, a company that sells software to property managers to help them set rents and juice their profits. Some Spotify staff told BI the company is spending too much on lavish events, especially as it looks to cut even more costs. This week's quote:Advertisement"As a personality hire, you can get away with not being as competent and doing half of your job."

Persons: —, ChatGPT, O.J, Simpson, Bundy, Sheriff Roland Jex, Christopher Darden, VINCE BUCCI, Nicole Brown Simpson, Ron Goldman, Ford Bronco, Robert Kardashian, Goldman, Michael Socolow, Rupert Murdoch, Rebecca Zisser, eGreg Bajor, Aleksey Balatskiy, Cici, Abanti Chowdhury, Jia Feng, Sam Smith, Charli XCX, Daniel Bennett Organizations: Service, Business, Aris, Getty, University of Southern, NFL, Ford, CNN, Fox, RealPage, Spotify Locations: America, ANGELES , CA, Rockingham, Los Angeles , CA, AFP, University of Southern California, London

☆ Sabrina Carpenter may have dropped this year's summer bop with 'Espresso.' Here's how valuable a summer hit can be.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Katie Balevic | Lauren Edmonds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sabrina Carpenter just dropped "Espresso," which is already topping the charts. With her new song "Espresso," the pop star may have just dropped this year's summertime hit. Cyrus' 2023 single "Flowers" breathed new life into her career after a rocky public personaMiley Cyrus performs at the 2024 Grammys. Like Carpenter, Cyrus was a Disney child star who amassed international fame with "Hannah Montana." So with "Espresso," Carpenter has a chance to catapult herself onto the big stage and secure her place as a bonafide star.

Persons: Sabrina Carpenter, —, Taylor, Barry Keoghan, She's, Carpenter, Theo Wargo, Sabrina Carpenter's, Morgan Wallen's, Harry Styles, Olivia Rodrigo, Miley Cyrus, SZA, Cyrus, Amy Sussman, cushioned Cyrus, Forbes, Vijat, Hannah Montana, Pharrell Williams, Cowboy Carter, Armando L, Sanchez, Bill, Timothy Norris, J, Cole, Nicki Minaj Organizations: Service, Coachella, Spotify's, Spotify, Apple, NBC, Getty, Chicago Tribune, Tribune, Billboard, iHeart Locations: Disney

☆ Opinion: What does Iran really want?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“A modern, strong, peaceful Iran could become a pillar of stability and progress in the region,” former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger wrote in 2006. Iran introduced into the Iraqi war zone highly effective roadside bombs known as EFPs – Explosively Formed Penetrators – that wounded and killed hundreds of American soldiers. The official US Army history of the Iraq War concluded that Iran was the only winner of that war. Iran’s ‘cookie-cutter approach’Norman Roule was the top US intelligence official on Iran from 2008 to 2017. The withdrawal of the US troops from neighboring Iraq is a key goal of Iran, which exerts considerable influence over some Iraqi politicians.

Persons: Peter Bergen, Osama bin Laden, Shah, Henry Kissinger, Iran’s ayatollahs, Karim Sadjadpour, Sadjadpour, Reagan, bin Laden, bin, al, Saddam Hussein, –, Noam Chomsky, Iran’s, Norman Roule, Roule, propping, Bashar al, Assad, Christine Abizaid, ”, Trump, Obama, Donald Trump, ‘, Benjamin Netanyahu, hasn’t, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, hadn’t, Biden, Abizaid, Mohammed Shia Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, Saturday, East, CIA, US Army, Israel, US National Counterterrorism Center, US Treasury Department, ‘ Deemed, United Nations, Israel’s, Hamas, Iran, White, ISIS Locations: New America, Israel, Iranian, Damascus, Iran, United States, Palestine, ”, Lebanon, Beirut, Saudi, al Qaeda, Iraqi, Saddam, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Red, Suez, Gaza, New York, Damascus ”, Jordan

☆ How Spotify AI plans to know what's going on inside your head, and find the right track for it
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Trevor Laurence Jockims | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Over the past decade or more, Spotify has been investing in AI and, in particular, in machine learning. Its recently launched AI DJ may be its biggest bet yet that technology will allow subscribers to better personalize listening sessions and discover new music. The AI DJ combines personalization technology, generative AI, and a dynamic AI voice, and listeners can tap the DJ button when they want to hear something new, and something less-directly-derived from their established likes. Behind the dulcet tones of an AI DJ there are people, tech experts and music experts, who aim to improve the recommendation capacity of Spotify's tools. A Spotify spokesperson said the generative AI tool allows the human experts to "scale their innate knowledge in ways never before possible."

Persons: Y, we've, they're, it's, Julie Knibbe, —, Knibbe, they've, Ben Ratliff, Ratliff Organizations: Spotify, Discover, Technology

☆ I tried Spotify's AI feature to make playlists with text and emoji prompts. It's impressive but I'll still make my own.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Spotify has launched AI Playlist, a new feature that makes playlists with a text or emoji prompt. It then gives you three options: "Playlist" to build your own, "Blend" to make a shared playlist with friends, and "AI Playlist" to "turn your ideas into playlists using AI." Jyoti MannOnce you tap "AI Playlist," a text box appears where you can enter a prompt — even by entering just an emoji. Within five seconds it can put together a playlist made up of 30 songs based on what it thinks you'll like. I then asked for a playlist based on the vibes of Joseph Cooper, the main character in the movie "Interstellar."

Persons: —, I've, Jyoti Mann, swiping, Adele, Hozier, Amy Winehouse, Joseph Cooper, Gaga's, Ryan Lewis's Organizations: Spotify, Service Locations: Australia, Sardinia, Italy

Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTube Listen and follow ‘Hard Fork’This week, the companies building artificial intelligence are facing a limit to what training data is publicly available on the internet. Will that stop them from building God? Then, a new bipartisan national privacy law proposal just dropped. We ask what’s in it. And finally, ByteDance is building new apps instead of fighting Congress’s TikTok ban.

Persons: Congress’s Organizations: Apple, Spotify, YouTube

☆ Taylor Swift pulled another power move that showcases just how much industry influence she has
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Shubhangi Goel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Taylor Swift brings her music back to TikTok, undermining a UMG attempt to keep off the platform. Her move is celebrated by fans and highlights the influence she holds in the music industry. It gives her control of where her work is available, unlike other UMG artists, whose music is still off TikTok. Related storiesThe move is another example of the power Swift holds by owning her music. In 2014, Swift pulled her music off streaming giant Spotify over concerns of their "freemium" business model.

Persons: Taylor Swift, —, Taylor, she's, Swift, Scooter Braun, Swift's, UMG, TikTok Organizations: UMG, Service, Universal Music Group, Poets Department, Sony, Warner Music Group, TikTok Locations: TikTok

Listen and follow The DailyApple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon MusicWarning: this episode contains descriptions of violence. A massive scam targeting older Americans who own timeshare properties has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars sent to Mexico. Maria Abi-Habib, an investigative correspondent for The Times, tells the story of a victim who lost everything, and of the criminal group making the scam calls — Jalisco New Generation, one of Mexico’s most violent cartels.

Persons: Maria Abi, Habib Organizations: Spotify, The Times Locations: Mexico, Jalisco

Listen to and follow ‘Matter of Opinion’Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon MusicThis week, the “Matter of Opinion” hosts debate how religious voters will react to Donald Trump’s betrayal of anti-abortion positions, the evolution of Christianity as the domain of the right and whether religion is actually as powerful as it seems in modern U.S. politics. Plus, Ross finds aliens, again. (A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.)

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Ross Organizations: Spotify Locations: U.S

☆ Opinion | What if Dario Amodei Is Right About A.I.?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( The Ezra Klein Show | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Back in 2018, Dario Amodei worked at OpenAI. He and his colleagues decided to study it, and they found that the A.I. Amodei is now the chief executive of his own A.I. company, Anthropic, which recently released Claude 3 — considered by many to be the strongest A.I. And he thinks we’re on the steep part of the climb right now.

Persons: Dario Amodei, didn’t, “, Ezra Klein, Claude, —, we’re Organizations: Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Locations: OpenAI

☆ Taylor Swift's return to TikTok shows even the world's biggest stars still need the app
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Taylor Swift is back on TikTok despite a feud between the app and her label Universal Music Group. Swift's reemergence shows that even the world's biggest stars need TikTok to promote their work. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . UMG artists can still post videos on TikTok, but they can't use their own tracks, making it harder to push a new album. Related storiesSwift's return to TikTok shows that even the industry's biggest stars still need to use the app to help a new album take off.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Swift's, —, Drake, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor, she's, Swift, TikTok, Chauncey Hollis Jr Organizations: Universal Music Group, Service, Universal, Poets Department, Business, Spotify, AMC, Bloomberg Locations: TikTok, Hollywood, Singapore, Australia

Listen and follow The DailyApple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon MusicFor former President Donald J. Trump, 2024 was supposed to be dominated by criminal trials. Instead, he’s found ways to delay almost all of them. Alan Feuer, who covers the criminal cases against Mr. Trump for The Times, explains how he did it.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, he’s, Alan Feuer Organizations: Spotify, Music, The Times

☆ Spotify employees question lavish spending on events while the company lays off thousands
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Some employees criticize lavish spending on events, while Spotify is trying to cut costs. Some employees think Spotify is spending too much on parties and events, especially when the company is laying off thousands of people and looking to cut more costs. However, these employees said event spending has gone too far, given the company's broader efforts at frugality. One former employee described it as the company "spending tons of money flying people to Sweden to drink the Kool-Aid." Noam Galai/Getty ImagesSome of this lavish event spending is focused on solving a problem that's loomed over Spotify for years.

Persons: —, Sam Smith, Charli XCX, Gunna, Daniel Ek, Ek, Daniel Ek Dave Benett, Diplo, Spotifest, Melanie Stetson Freeman, it's, Alicia Keys, Noam Galai, Gustav Söderström Organizations: Spotify, Service, Ikea, Business, Brooklyn, Spotifest, Christian Science, Getty, company's, Apple, YouTube Locations: Drumsheds, Houston, Stockholm, New York, Sweden, New York City, York

Listen and follow The DailyApple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon MusicBy the time his first term was over, Donald J. Trump had cemented his place as the most anti-abortion president in U.S. history. Now, facing political blowback, he’s trying to change that reputation. Lisa Lerer, a national political correspondent for The Times, discusses whether Mr. Trump’s election-year pivot can work.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Lisa Lerer, Trump’s Organizations: Spotify, The Times

☆ Gen Z's Dream of Becoming Influencers Is Getting Harder Thanks to AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Clem De Pressigny | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Advancements in AI tech have given birth to an industry of AI influencers, and major companies are beginning to show interest in their far more cost-effective approach to marketing. AdvertisementMiquela's success didn't spark a virtual-influencer revolution, but that was largely because of cost — human influencers were still cheaper. She sees AI influencers being used to provide a deep level of information, support, and guidance on brands and products. Do AI influencers really stand a chance at building trust with an audience? A study in the European Journal of Marketing found that consumers were just as likely to follow an AI influencer as a human influencer but that they didn't trust the AI influencer as much.

Persons: Zers, Gen Z, influencers, wannabes, — they're, Nikita Baklanov, Julia Broome, Baklanov, Broome, she'd, it's, Miquela Sousa, Lil Miquela, Instagram Miquela, Calvin Klein, Imma, HypeAuditor, Euronews, who's, Jenny Dearing, Dearing, ChatGPT, chatbot, Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Haidt Organizations: Stanford, UGC, Prada, Companies, Meta, Instagram, AIs, Oxford, Advertising, Air, European, Marketing, Air Canada, Google, Alpha Locations: strategize, TikTok, Antarctica, Air Canada

☆ Bonnie Tyler says she'll never get tired of singing 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' when there's an eclipse
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Bonnie Tyler says she'll never be sick of singing her 1983 hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart." "I still get excited when I hear the song on the radio," Tyler told Good Morning America. AdvertisementIt's been over 40 years since "Total Eclipse of the Heart" was released, but Bonnie Tyler says she still loves singing the song whenever there's an eclipse. "I still get excited when I hear the song on the radio," Tyler told Good Morning America. "Every time the eclipse comes, everyone all over the world, they play 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' and I never get tired of singing it."

Persons: Bonnie Tyler, she'll, Tyler, —, It's Organizations: Good Morning, CNN, Service, Eclipse, Business Locations: Good Morning America

☆ Final Trades: Nasdaq, Alphabet, Spotify, Charles Schwab and Teck Resources
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFinal Trades: Nasdaq, Alphabet, Spotify, Charles Schwab and Teck ResourcesThe Investment Committee give you their top stocks to watch for the second half.

Persons: Charles Schwab Organizations: Nasdaq, Investment Locations: Teck

☆ Kendrick Lamar spells out what he hates about Drake in new diss track, 'Euphoria.' Here's their beef explained.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Ayomikun Adekaiyero | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

Kendrick Lamar responded to Drake with a new diss track, "Euphoria," as their beef rages on. AdvertisementKendrick Lamar has taken aim at Drake for a second time with his new diss track, "Euphoria," amid the hip-hop heavyweights' feud. Advertisement"He doesn't have the heart for the lying, disrespect, and animosity it requires to make an effective diss track," Pierre wrote. A 'Drake' diss track appears online – but fans are wary it's AI-generated. Later in the track, Drake references Cole's diss track and apology.

Persons: Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Lamar, Taylor, —, Lamar dissed Drake, J, Cole, Rick Ross, Cole —, he's, Joseph Okpako, WireImage Lamar, Jermaine Cole, Big, Wale, Pusha, Meek Millz, Big Sean, Jay, Tyler, Mac Miller, Kunta, Lamar hasn't, Meek, Getty, Tim Mosenfelder, Aubrey, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jackson, Jackson, Prince, Mike Jack, Prince . Prince, “ Organizations: Metro Boomin, Service, Future, Metro, HBO, Wireless, Lamar, Big, Rocky, Rap Locations: Lamar, Canadian, Florida

☆ Searches for ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ surge on Spotify
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —Excitement over Monday’s eclipse is shining new light on a decades old song. A Spotify representative told CNN that searches for Tyler’s song have soared by nearly 50% in the US over the past week, and the streaming service is expecting that grow on Monday leading into the eclipse. Tyler’s song is the most popular song being added to user-generated “eclipse” playlists on Spotify in the US. The last time an eclipse happened in the US in 2017, sales for downloads of the song increased more than 500%, according to Billboard. Not bad for a song that was a number 1 hit for four weeks in 1983.

Persons: Bonnie Tyler, Tyler Organizations: New, New York CNN, Eclipse, Spotify, CNN, iTunes, Google, Billboard Locations: New York, Welsh, United States

Online data has long been a valuable commodity. For years, Meta and Google have used data to target their online advertising. Political candidates have turned to data to learn which groups of voters to train their sights on. Over the last 18 months, it has become increasingly clear that digital data is also crucial in the development of artificial intelligence. models become more accurate and more humanlike with more data.

Persons: — Organizations: Meta, Google, Netflix, Spotify

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