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Will Smith’s Concert Crowds, AI, and Where We’re Headed

Will Smith
Jason Tate

Andy Baio has the best break down of the Will Smith AI(?)-crowd controversy I’ve seen:

This minute-long clip of a Will Smith concert is blowing up online for all the wrong reasons, with people accusing him of using AI to generate fake crowds filled with fake fans carrying fake signs. The story’s blown up a bit, with coverage in Rolling Stone, NME, The Independent, and Consequence of Sound.

[…]

But here’s where things get complicated.

The crowds are real. Every person you see in the video above started out as real footage of real fans, pulled from video of multiple Will Smith concerts during his recent European tour.

YouTube Altering Videos With AI

YouTube
Jason Tate

Ashley King, writing for Digital Music News:

YouTube reveals [they’re] using artificial intelligence to make video enhancements to content on its platform without first informing content creators. Confirmed to be applied to a subset of YouTube Shorts, the undisclosed changes have left some creators feeling unsettled about how their work is being used. It also raises questions about the overall implications of undisclosed algorithmic mediation.

Lana Del Rey Aiming for January Release

Lana Del Rey
Jason Tate

Lana Del Rey has confirmed her new album is now titled Stove and aiming for a January release.

It was slated for last spring, but Del Rey decided to add six songs. “They were more autobiographical than I thought, and that took more time,” she said. “The majority of the album will have a country flair. Eight years ago, when I was looking to make a country record, no one else was thinking about country. Now everyone is going country! I’ve asked myself, Should I retire all my snakeskin boots? Should I put my cowboy hats in storage?”

How Spotify’s Tool Went From ‘Payola’ Accusations to Widespread Use

Jason Tate

Ashley Carman, writing for Bloomberg:

In 2020, Spotify made waves in the music industry with the announcement of a tool that would alter how people hear music on its platform: Discovery Mode, which allows labels and artists to accept a 30% reduction in royalties in exchange for an algorithmic boost. These promoted songs can show up in certain playlists  , including Spotify Radio, autoplay and particular personalized selections. […]

The Discovery Mode tool has become a critical part of many marketing strategies, particularly around an album release or to promote a catalog. Almost everyone I spoke with emphasized that the tool alone won’t create new fans or offer long-lasting impact. It requires a more holistic strategy, meaning people might hear a song on Spotify because of Discovery Mode, but, at the same time, also encounter a billboard with the artist in question or hear the song in a TV show or on TikTok. Shortly thereafter, the artist might go on tour. This means artist teams try to be selective about what they include, though people I spoke with noted that both Spotify and distributors encouraged them to opt every song into it.

YouTube Music Turns 10

YouTube
Jason Tate

Sarah Perez, writing for TechCrunch:

YouTube is celebrating 10 years of its YouTube Music app on Thursday with the launch of new features that bring it closer to rival Spotify and others. The app will now include “Taste Match” playlists, which are playlists that combine multiple users’ overlapping interests, similar to Spotify Blend. The app will also start notifying users of upcoming releases, merch, and concerts, and is partnering with Bandsintown to help fans discover concerts when watching videos and Shorts on YouTube itself.

Yellowcard Set Record on Alternative Airplay Chart

Yellowcard
Jason Tate

Yellowcard’s “Better Days” has topped the Alternative Radio charts.

“Better Days” reaches No. 1 a tick under 22 years after “Way Away” debuted on Alternative Airplay on the tally dated Sept. 6, 2003. The nearly 22-year gap between a first entry and first ruler is the longest in the chart’s 37-year history, surpassing the 17 years and nine months it took for Fall Out Boy between its arrival (with the No. 3 classic “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down” in 2005) and its first No. 1, “Love From the Other Side,” in 2023.

FTC Sues Ticket Reseller

Legal
Jason Tate

Rolling Stone:

The complaint alleges that between Nov. 1, 2022 and Dec. 30, 2023, the defendants bought at least 379,776 tickets for approximately $57 million. A portion was allegedly resold on secondary marketplaces for approximately $64 million. 

To scoop up all those tickets, the FTC alleges that the defendants used “thousands of fictitious Ticketmaster accounts, thousands of virtual and traditional credit card numbers, proxy or spoofed IP addresses, and SIM banks to bypass or otherwise avoid security measures, access control systems, or other technological controls or measures on Ticketmaster’s websites that would have otherwise blocked or prevented them from violating Ticketmaster’s posted ticket purchase limits.” 

Good Charlotte Chat About New Album

Good Charlotte
Jason Tate

Good Charlotte talked with Consequence:

Entering the studio for Motel Du Cap, they collectively agreed on what they wanted to do. They went “full circle,” harkening back to the writing process of their earliest days in a way that felt “freeing.” “Those first two records were just completely unconscious. We were just puking our shit. We were just going in the studio and saying, you know, just sit down with an acoustic guitar, write a song in literally 10 to 15 minutes, and go record it,” Benji explains “And we did this one the same way, man. There’s not 20 extra songs laying around there. There might be two or three. If we weren’t feeling it, we moved on.”

Spotify Investigating Playlist Bribery in Turkey

Jason Tate

Digital Music News:

Turkish authorities have responded to the allegations, with the Turkish Competition Authority (RK) opening a formal investigation on July 4. That investigation will look into Spotify’s market practices, including allegations of playlist bribery, manipulation of royalties, and unfair advantages granted to certain artists or labels. The probe is broad and examines both anti-competitive behavior and broader content issues raised by these artists.

Good Charlotte Talk New Album

Good Charlotte
Jason Tate

Good Charlotte talked with Rolling Stone about their latest album:

“We had to rehearse. We had to put it all together and I wanna make sure it’s perfect ’cause [Richie] loves our band and I wanted to give her the shows she wanted, not like some half-ass old tired bullshit show. We put a lot of effort into making it feel special and that’s actually what I cared about the most, was giving her what she asked for, which was a gift. It was a perfect night and we were all having a great time and we were hanging around… and then we were like, ‘Should we make a record?’ And we were laughing and then everyone was like ‘actually, I think we could fuck shit up if we made a record’ because the show was good and we were fucking good. And then the conversation continued.”

Hayley Williams to Contribute to Netflix Film

Hayley Williams
Jason Tate

Hayley Williams will contribute original music to the upcoming Netflix movie The Twits.

Williams added: “Being a part of this movie is like one pinch-me moment after another. My favorite Roald Dahl book growing up was The Twits. I’m drawn to learning about twisted characters like Mr. and Mrs. Twit and The Wormwoods from Matilda. The way Phil and Daisy adapted the original story was really exciting to me, as was the animation style. It feels like a cautionary tale — and also a really lovely depiction of chosen family and community, which is one of my favorite topics. I owe David Byrne for pulling me into the music for this. It was so fun and so surreal starting a song from scratch with him.”

Matt Healy Warns of Threat to Small Gig Venues

Jason Tate

BBC:

More than 1,000 pubs, bars and restaurants across the UK will host music events as part of a new nationwide festival backed by The 1975’s Matty Healy, who has warned about the talent pipeline drying up.

”Local venues aren’t just where bands cut their teeth, they’re the foundation of any real culture,” the frontman said in a statement.

”Without them, you don’t get The Smiths, Amy Winehouse, or The 1975. You get silence.”

Spotify Stock Falls on Earnings Report

Jason Tate

Digital Music News:

After posting solid MAUs growth – along with a net loss – for Q2 2025, Spotify has seen its stock price plummet by about 12% on the day.

In the appropriate earnings report, Spotify disclosed an average of 696 million MAUs, including 276 million paid subscribers. Both figures represent double-digit YoY improvements and exceeded guidance. […]

“However,” CEO Daniel Ek elaborated during the earnings call, “as I look at our progress, the one area that hasn’t yet met our expectations is our ads business. We’ve simply been moving too slowly, and it’s taking longer than expected to see the improvements we initiated to take hold. It’s really an execution challenge, not a problem with the strategy.”