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12 Jul 2023

Megan Fox Covers Up Tattoo of Ex-Husband Brian Austin Green’s Name

Megan Fox has officially covered a tattoo of her ex-husband Brian Austin Green’s name.

Tattoo artist Jesse Tattoo took to Instagram to share the new artwork he did on the Jennifer’s Body actress, which features a series of snakes and flowers down the side of her pelvic bone. “Coverup tattoo for @meganfox [snake emoji],” the artist wrote in the caption. “Was able to completely hide the old tattoo underneath the new snake and flowers she wanted… very grateful for all of the opportunity tattooing has given me and all of the cool people I’ve met along the way.”

See his post here.

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Fox was married to Green from 2010 to 2021, and the two shares three sons: 10-year-old Noah, nine-year-old Bodhi and six-year-old Journey. After their split but before the divorce was final, Fox met Machine Gun Kelly spring 2020 while they were filming the movie Midnight in the Switchgrass in Puerto Rico. The pair began officially dating that summer and later got engaged in January 2022.

In early 2023, rumors began to swirl that the couple’s relationship was on the rock after the actress deleted all of her Instagram photos with MGK and posted a video of a burning envelope with a caption quoting “Pray You Catch Me” from Beyoncé’s Lemonade, an album dedicated to the pain of being cheated on.

“There has been no third party interference in this relationship of any kind. That includes, but is not limited to…actual humans, DMs, AI bots or succubus demons,” Fox later clarified in another Instagram post. “While I do hate to rob you of running random baseless news stories that would have been much more accurately written by ChatGPT, you need to let this story die and leave all of these innocent people alone now.”

12 Jul 2023

2023 Emmy Nominations: All Program Categories

Numerous music-related shows were nominated in program categories for the 75th annual Primetime Emmy Awards. The nominations were announced on Wednesday (July 12). The awards will be presented on Monday, Sept. 18.

The Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Starring Rihanna (Fox) is nominated for outstanding variety special (live), where it is competing with the Tonys (CBS), the Oscars (ABC), Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium (Disney+) and Chris Rock: Selective Outrage (Netflix). Last year, The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent became the first Super Bowl halftime show to win a top program Emmy.

These are the first Primetime Emmy nominations for Rihanna and Elton John. If the British superstar wins, he’ll become an EGOT. Chris Rock is a four-time Primetime Emmy winner, including a 1997 award for outstanding variety, music or comedy special for Chris Rock: Bring the Pain.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) received its 12th nomination for outstanding talk series, which puts it in a tie with Real Time With Bill Maher for the most nods in the category without a win (yet). Competing with Kimmel’s show this year are The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (CBS, its seventh nod in the category), The Daily Show With Trevor Noah (Comedy Central, its sixth), Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC, its second) and The Problem With Jon Stewart (Apple TV+, its first).

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, which won for outstanding talk series the last seven years in a row, was moved to outstanding scripted variety series, where it is nominated. Its chief competition in its new category is Saturday Night Live, which has won here the last six years in a row. The Emmys have thus shaken up two categories where there was very little suspense. The scripted variety series category is rounded out by HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show, nominated for the fourth year in a row.

NBC’s The Voice is nominated for outstanding reality/competition program for the 12th time, which constitutes a new record for a music or dance program. It tops Dancing With the Stars (11 nods), American Idol (nine) and So You Think You Can Dance (five).

Dear Mama (FX), a program about Tupac Shakur and his mother, Afeni Shakur, is competing for outstanding documentary or non-fiction series. Another series about a rapper, jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, about Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, was nominated last year, but lost to The Beatles: Get Back.

George & Tammy (Showtime), about country music legends George Jones and Tammy Wynette, is nominated for outstanding limited or anthology series.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (The Roku Channel) and Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas (NBC) are nominated for outstanding television movie. Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square won in this category two years ago. Other recent music-related movies to win in this category are Bessie (about gospel legend Bessie Smith, 2015) and Behind the Candelabra (about entertainer Liberace, 2013).

Carol Burnett: 90 Years Of Laughter + Love is nominated for outstanding variety special (pre-recorded). This is the seventh consecutive decade the TV icon has received a nomination. She landed her first nod in 1962 for her work on The Garry Moore Show.

The 75th Emmy Awards are set to telecast live coast-to-coast from Los Angeles on Monday, Sept. 18, (8:00-11:00 p.m. ET/5:00-8:00 p.m. PT) on FOX. Emmy winners Jesse Collins and Dionne Harmon and Emmy nominee Jeannae Rouzan-Clay of Jesse Collins Entertainment will executive produce the show.

Here are the nominees in all program categories.

Outstanding Variety Special (Live)

The Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Starring Rihanna • FOX • Jesse Collins Entertainment, DPS and Roc Nation

Chris Rock: Selective Outrage • Netflix • Netflix / Tenth Planet

Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium • Disney+ • Disney+ Presents in association with Rocket Entertainment / A Fulwell 73 Production

The Oscars • ABC • Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

75th Annual Tony Awards • CBS • White Cherry Entertainment

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)

Carol Burnett: 90 Years Of Laughter + Love • NBC • Silent House Productions

John Mulaney: Baby J • Netflix • Netflix

Lizzo: Live In Concert • HBO Max • HBO Max in association with LizzoBangers and Done+Dusted

Norman Lear: 100 Years Of Music & Laughter • ABC • Done+Dusted

Trevor Noah: I Wish You Would • Netflix • Bob Bain Productions, Day Zero Productions and Mainstay Entertainment for Netflix

Wanda Sykes: I’m An Entertainer • Netflix • Push It Productions for Netflix

Outstanding Talk Series

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah • Comedy Central • Central Productions, LLC

Jimmy Kimmel Live! • ABC • ABC Signature in association with Kimmelot

Late Night With Seth Meyers • NBC • Universal Television and Broadway Video

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert • CBS • CBS Studios

The Problem With Jon Stewart • Apple TV+ • Busboy / EDEN in association with Apple

Outstanding Scripted Variety Series

A Black Lady Sketch Show • HBO Max • HBO in association with For Better or Words, Inc., HooRAE, 3 Arts Entertainment and Jax Media

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver • HBO Max • HBO in association with Sixteen String Jack Productions and Avalon Television

Saturday Night Live • NBC • SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

The Amazing Race • CBS • WorldRace Productions, Inc.

RuPaul’s Drag Race • MTV • World of Wonder

Survivor • CBS • MGM Television

Top Chef • Bravo • Magical Elves

The Voice • NBC • MGM Television and Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon and ITV Studios; The Voice USA, Inc.

Outstanding Television Movie

Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas • NBC • Warner Bros. Television in association with Magnolia Hill Productions and Sandollar Productions

Fire Island • Hulu • Searchlight Pictures Presents, a JAX Media Production

Hocus Pocus 2 • Disney+ • Walt Disney Pictures

Prey • Hulu • 20th Century Studios

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story • The Roku Channel • The Roku Channel, Funny or Die, Tango Entertainment

Outstanding Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary • ABC • Delicious Non-Sequitur Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and 20th Television

Barry • HBO Max • HBO in association with Alec Berg and Hanarply

The Bear • FX • FX Productions

Jury Duty • Amazon Freevee • Amazon Studios

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel • Prime Video • Amazon Studios

Only Murders in the Building • Hulu • 20th Television

Ted Lasso • Apple TV+ • Apple presents a Doozer Production in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television

Wednesday • Netflix • A Netflix Series / An MGM Television Production

Outstanding Drama Series

Andor • Disney+ • Lucasfilm Ltd.

Better Call Saul • AMC • High Bridge, Crystal Diner, Gran Via Productions and Sony Pictures Television

The Crown • Netflix • Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television for Netflix

House of the Dragon • HBO Max • HBO in association with 1:26 Pictures, Bastard Sword, and GRRM Productions

The Last of Us • HBO Max • HBO in association with Sony Pictures Television Studios, PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog

Succession • HBO Max • HBO in association with Project Zeus, Hyberobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions and Hot Seat

The White Lotus • HBO Max • HBO in association with Rip Cord and The District

Yellowjackets • Showtime • SHOWTIME Presents, Entertainment One

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

BEEF • Netflix • A Netflix Series / An A24 Production

Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story • Netflix • Ryan Murphy Productions for Netflix

Daisy Jones & The Six • Prime Video • Hello Sunshine, Amazon Studios

Fleishman Is In Trouble • FX • ABC Signature

Obi-Wan Kenobi • Disney+ • Lucasfilm Ltd.

Outstanding Structured Reality Program

Antiques Roadshow • PBS • GBH

Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives • Food Network • Knuckle Sandwich and Citizen Pictures

Love Is Blind • Netflix • Kinetic Content for Netflix

Queer Eye • Netflix • Scout Productions Inc. and ITV Entertainment LLC for Netflix

Shark Tank • ABC • MGM Television in association with Sony Pictures Television

Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program

Indian Matchmaking • Netflix • The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC) for Netflix

RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked • MTV • World of Wonder

Selling Sunset • Netflix • Done+Done Productions and Lionsgate for Netflix

Vanderpump Rules • Bravo • Evolution Media

Welcome To Wrexham • FX • Boardwalk Pictures

Outstanding Game Show

Family Feud • ABC • Fremantle

Jeopardy! • ABC • Quadra Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television

The Price Is Right • CBS • Fremantle

That’s My Jam • NBC • Universal Television Alternative Studio in association with Electric Hog Dog

Wheel Of Fortune • ABC • Quadra Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television

Outstanding Animated Program

Bob’s Burgers • The Plight Before Christmas • FOX • 20th Television Animation

Entergalactic • Netflix • Netflix / Mad Solar / Khalabo Ink Society / Edelgang

Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal • Shadow Of Fate • Adult Swim • Cartoon Network Studios Rick And Morty • Night Family • Adult Swim

Rick and Morty LLC, Williams Street

The Simpsons • Treehouse Of Horror XXXIII • FOX • A Gracie Films Production in association with 20th Television Animation

Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special

Being Mary Tyler Moore • HBO Max • Hillman Grad Productions, Debra Martin Chase Productions, The Mission Entertainment and Good Trouble Studios; Ben Selkow, Produced by; James Adolphus, Produced by; Lena Waithe, Produced by; Rishi Rajani, Produced by; Debra Martin Chase, Produced by; Andrew C. Coles, Produced by; Laura Gardner, Produced by

Judy Blume Forever • Prime Video • Amazon Studios Meredith Kaulfers, Executive Producer; Sara Bernstein, Produced by; Justin Wilkes, Produced by; Davina Pardo, Produced by; Leah Wolchok, Produced by; Marcella Steingart, Produced by

My Transparent Life • Prime Video • Elysium Media; Serena De Comarmond, Executive Producer; Evan Jenkins, Producer

Pamela, A Love Story • Netflix • A Netflix Documentary / A Dorothy St Pictures, Tripod Media, and Colony Entertainment Production; Jessica Hargrave, Producer; Ryan White, Producer; Julia Nottingham, Producer; Brandon Thomas Lee, Producer; Josh Braun, Executive Producer

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie • Apple TV+ • An Apple Original Film in association with Concordia Studio; Nelle Fortenberry, Executive Producer; Laurene Powell Jobs, Executive Producer; Nicole Stott, Executive Producer; Davis Guggenheim, Produced by. Annetta Marion, Produced by; Jonathan King, Produced by; Will Cohen, Produced by

Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series

Dear Mama • FX • FX Presents A Defiant Ones Media Group Production / An Amaru Entertainment Production in association with DreamCrew Entertainment, Interscope, MACRO, Polygram Entertainment; Lasse Järvi, Executive Producer; Nelson George, Executive Producer; Peter Nelson, Executive Producer; Jamal Joseph, Executive Producer; Ted Skillman, Executive Producer; Allen Hughes, Executive Producer; Stef Smith, Produced by; Loren Gomez, Producer; Joshua Garcia, Producer; James Jenkins, Producer

100 Foot Wave • HBO Max • HBO Presents, Topic Studios, Library Films, Amplify Pictures Maria Zuckerman, Executive Producer; Ryan Heller, Executive Producer; Joe Lewis, Executive Producer; Chris Smith, Executive Producer; Nancy Abraham, Executive Producer; Lisa Heller, Executive Producer; Bentley Weiner, Executive Producer

Secrets of the Elephants • National Geographic • Oxford Scientific Films LTD and Earthship Productions for National Geographic; James Cameron, Executive Producer; Maria Wilhelm, Executive Producer; Pamela Caragol, Executive Producer; Lucinda Axelsson, Executive Producer; Caroline Hawkins, Executive Producer; Jonathan Frisby, Series Producer; Dr. Paula Kahumbu, Producer; Kim Butts, Producer

The 1619 Project • Hulu • Onyx Collective, Lionsgate Productions in association with One Story Up Productions, Harpo Films and The New York Times; Nikole Hannah-Jones, Executive Producer; Roger Ross Williams, Executive Producer; Shoshana Guy, Executive Producer; Caitlin Roper, Executive Producer; Kathleen Lingo, Executive Producer; Helen Verno, Executive Producer; Oprah Winfrey, Executive Producer; Geoff Martz, Co-Executive Producer; Carla Gardini, Co-Executive Producer; Jonathan Clasberry, Producer

The U.S. and the Holocaust • PBS • Florentine Films and WETA; Sarah Botstein, Produced by; Lynn Novick, Produced by; Ken Burns, Produced by; Mike Welt, Produced by

Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking

The Accused: Damned or Devoted? • PBS • A 64th Street Media and Brook Lapping Production Mohammed Ali Naqvi, Produced by/Directed by

Aftershock • Hulu • ABC News Studios, Onyx Collective; Paula Eiselt, A Film by Tonya Lewis Lee, A Film by

Last Flight Home • Paramount+ • Interloper Films, MTV Documentary Films Ondi Timoner, Produced by; David Turner, Produced by

The Territory • National Geographic • National Geographic Documentary Films Presents a Documist and Associação Jupaú Film in association with Time Studios, Xtr, Doc Society Climate Story Fund / A Production of Protozoa Pictures, Passion Pictures, Real Lava; Alex Pritz, Produced by; Darren Aronofsky, Produced by; Sigrid Dyekjær, Produced by; Will N. Miller, Produced by; Gabriel Uchida, Produced by; Lizzie Gillett, Produced by; Txai Suruí, Executive Producer

Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special

The Light We Carry: Michelle Obama & Oprah Winfrey • Netflix • A Netflix Special in association with Higher Ground Productions & Jesse Collins Entertainment; Michelle Obama, Executive Producer; Jesse Collins, Executive Producer; Dionne Harmon, Executive Producer; Tanisha Whitfield, Supervising Producer; Tonia Davis, Produced by; Ethan Lewis, Produced by; Oprah Winfrey, Host

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman And Volodymyr Zelenskyy • Netflix • A Jax Media and Worldwide Pants Production for Netflix; Tom Keaney, Executive Producer; Mary Barclay, Executive Producer; John Skidmore, Executive Producer; Justin Wilkes, Executive Producer; Michael Steed, Executive Producer; Razan Ghalayini, Co-Executive Producer; Tommy Alter, Producer

Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy • CNN • CNN Original Series, RAW; Stanley Tucci, Executive Producer/Host; Shauna Minoprio, Executive Producer; Robin O’Sullivan, Executive Producer; Amy Entelis, Executive Producer; Lyle Gamm, Executive Producer; Jon Adler, Executive Producer; Katie Isaacson, Supervising Producer; Fiona Cleary, Series Producer; Nadya Mahdi, Series Producer; Francesco Ficarra, Producer

Taste The Nation With Padma Lakshmi • Hulu • Part2 Pictures, Delicious Entertainment; Padma Lakshmi, Executive Producer/Host; David Shadrack Smith, Executive Producer; Rachel Tung, Executive Producer; Lauren Budabin, Co-Executive Producer; Matthew Alvarez, Producer

United Shades of America With W. Kamau Bell • CNN • CNN Original Series, Zero Point Zero Production, Inc. W. Kamau Bell, Executive Producer/Host; Christopher Collins, Executive Producer; Lydia Tenaglia, Executive Producer; Sandra Zweig, Executive Producer; Morgan Fallon, Executive Producer; Amy Entelis, Executive Producer; Lyle Gamm, Executive Producer; Dwayne Kennedy, Supervising Producer; Crystal Isaac, Producer; Andrew Ford, Producer

Outstanding Emerging Media Program

For All Mankind Season 3 Experience • Apple TV+ • Apple TV+ in association with Tall Ship Productions Apple TV+ Tall Ship Productions Antibody Elastic

Gorillaz Presents • Google • Nexus Studios, Google, Eleven Management Nexus Studios Google Eleven Management

MLK: Now Is The Time • Oculus • Time Studios, Meta, Flight School Studio Amy Seidenwurm, Executive Producer Ian Orefice, Executive Producer Matthew O’Rourke, Producer/Executive Producer Sulivan Parker, Producer Limbert Fabian, Director

The Notorious B.I.G. Sky’s The Limit: A VR Concert Experience • Facebook & Meta Horizon Worlds • A Gunpowder & Sky Production Gunpowder & Sky The Notorious B.I.G. Estate Alex Coletti, Executive Producer Elliot Osagie, Executive Producer

You Destroy. We Create | The War On Ukraine’s Culture • Meta Quest TV • NowHere Media, Meta Quest VR for Good NowHere Media

Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series

Awkwafina Is Hangin’ With Grandma • Comedy Central • MTV Entertainment Studios, Comedy Partners; Nora Lum, Executive Producer; Teresa Hsiao, Executive Producer; Emily Moffatt, Executive Producer; Harika Manne, Executive Producer; Minnie Bennett, Supervising Producer

Better Call Saul Filmmaker Training • AMC • AMC Networks Content Room, Bacon & Sons Film Co.; Dan Appel, Executive Producer; Melissa Bernstein, Executive Producer; Peter Gould, Executive Producer; Ariel Levine, Executive Producer

Carpool Karaoke: The Series • Apple TV+ • CBS Studios in association with Fulwell 73 and Apple; Ben Winston, Executive Producer; James Corden, Executive Producer; Eric Pankowski, Executive Producer; David Young, Co-Executive Producer; Blake Webster, Producer

I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson • Netflix • Netflix; Tim Robinson, Executive Producer; Zach Kanin, Executive Producer; Akiva Schaffer, Executive Producer; Ali Bell, Executive Producer; Alex Bach, Executive Producer; Alice Mathias, Executive Producer

Only Murders in the Building: One Killer Question • Hulu • 20th Television; Dave Roth, Executive Producer; Zuriht Serna, Executive Producer; Trisha Choate, Executive Producer; Jillian Novak, Executive Producer; Xavier Salas, Executive Producer

Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series

House Of The Dragon: Inside The Episode • HBO Max • HBO in association with 1:26 Pictures, Bastard Sword, and GRRM Productions; Anthony Mauro, Executive Producer; Cristina Catanzaro, Co-Executive Producer; Mia Hildebrand, Co-Executive Producer; Dan Storey, Supervising Producer; Ashley Morton, Supervising Producer; Dana Froome, Producer

The Last Of Us: Inside The Episode • HBO Max • HBO in association with Sony Pictures Television Studios, PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog; Emily Giannussa, Executive Producer; Julio Cabral, Executive Producer; Badger Denehy, Executive Producer; Eddie Maldonado, Executive Producer; Kathy Rocklein Sontag, Executive Producer

Saturday Night Live Presents: Behind the Sketch • NBC • SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video; Lorne Michaels, Executive Producer; Grace Shaker, Supervising Producer; Dina Moles, Supervising Producer; Dan D’Lauro, Producer; Matt Yonks, Producer; Mike Diva, Producer

Succession: Controlling the Narrative • HBO Max • HBO in association with Project Zeus, Hyberobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions and Hot Seat Productions; Chris Grasso, Executive Producer; Melora Soodalter, Executive Producer; Lindsay Nowak, Senior Producer; Jack Quinn, Producer

The White Lotus: Unpacking the Episode • HBO Max • HBO in association with Rip Cord and The District; Shanna Yehlen, Executive Producer; Jim Weiner, Executive Producer; Ximena Lopez, Co-Executive Producer; Katla McGlynn, Co-Executive Producer

12 Jul 2023

At AI Hearing, UMG Asks Senate Judiciary to Protect Artists From Impersonation With New Regulations

Universal Music Group general counsel/executive vp of business and legal affairs, Jeffery Harleston, spoke as a witness in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on AI and copyright on Wednesday (July 12) to represent the music industry. In his remarks, the executive called for a “federal right of publicity” — the state-by-state right that protects artists’ likenesses, names, and voices — as well as for “visibility into AI training data” and for “AI-generated content to be labeled as such.”

Harleston was joined by other witnesses including Karla Ortiz, a conceptual artist and illustrator who is waging a class action lawsuit against Stability AI; Matthew Sag, professor of artificial intelligence at Emory University School of Law; Dana Rao, executive vp/general counsel at Adobe; and Ben Brooks, head of public policy at Stability AI.

“I’d like to make four key points to you today,” Harleston began. “First, copyright, artists, and human creativity must be protected. Art and human creativity are central to our identity.” He clarified that AI is not necessarily always an enemy to artists, and can be used in “service” to them as well. “If I leave you with one message today, it is this: AI in the service of artists and creativity can be a very, very good thing. But AI that uses, or, worse yet, appropriates the work of these artists and creators and their creative expression, their name, their image, their likeness, their voice, without authorization, without consent, simply is not a good thing,” he said.

Second, he noted the challenges that generative AI poses to copyright. In written testimony, he noted the concern of “AI-generated music being used to generate fraudulent plays on streaming services, siphoning income from human creators.” And while testifying at the hearing, he added, “At Universal, we are the stewards of tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of copyrighted creative works from our songwriters and artists, and they’ve entrusted us to honor, value and protect them. Today, they are being used to train generative AI systems without authorization. This irresponsible AI is violative of copyright law and completely unnecessary.”

Training is one of the most contentious areas of generative AI for the music industry. In order to get an AI model to learn how to generate a human voice, a drum beat or lyrics, the AI model will train itself on up to billions of data points. Often this data contains copyrighted material, like sound recordings, without the owner’s knowledge or compensation. And while many believe this should be considered a form of copyright infringement, the legality of using copyrighted works as training data is still being determined in the United States and other countries.

The topic is also the source of Ortiz’s class action lawsuit against Stability AI. Her complaint, filed in California federal court along with two other visual artists, alleges that the “new” images generated by Stability AI’s Stable Diffusion model used their art “without the consent of the artists and without compensating any of those artists,” which they feel makes any resulting generation from the AI model a “derivative work.”

In his spoken testimony, Harleston pointed to today’s “robust digital marketplace” — including social media sites, apps and more — in which “thousands of responsible companies properly obtained the rights they need to operate. There is no reason that the same rules should not apply equally to AI companies.”

Third, he reiterated that “AI can be used responsibly…just like other technologies before.” Among his examples of positive uses of AI, he pointed to Lee Hyun [aka MIDNATT], a K-pop artist distributed by UMG who used generative AI to simultaneously release the same single in six languages using his voice on the same day. “The generative AI tool extended the artist’s creative intent and expression with his consent to new markets and fans instantly,” Harleston said. “In this case, consent is the key,” he continued, echoing Ortiz’s complaint.

While making his final point, Harleston urged Congress to act in several ways — including by enacting a federal right of publicity. Currently, rights of publicity vary widely state by state, and many states’ versions include limitations, including less protection for some artists after their deaths.

The shortcomings of this state-by-state system were highlighted when an anonymous internet user called Ghostwriter posted a song — apparently using AI to mimic the voices of Drake and The Weeknd –called “Heart On My Sleeve.” The track’s uncanny rendering of the two major stars immediately went viral, urging the music business to confront the new, fast-developing concern of AI voice impersonation.

A month later, sources told Billboard that the three major label groups — UMG, Warner Music Group and Sony Music — have been in talks with the big music streaming services to allow them to cite “right of publicity” violations as a reason to take down songs with AI vocals. Removing songs based on right of publicity violations is not required by law, so the streamers’ reception to the idea appears to be voluntary.

“Deep fakes, and/or unauthorized recordings or visuals of artists generated by AI, can lead to consumer confusion, unfair competition against the artists that actually were the original creator, market dilution and damage to the artists’ reputation or potentially irreparably harming their career. An artist’s voice is often the most valuable part of their livelihood and public persona. And to steal it, no matter the means, is wrong,” said Harleston.

In his written testimony, Harleston went deeper, stating UMG’s position that “AI generated, mimicked vocals trained on vocal recordings from our copyrighted recordings go beyond Right of Publicity violations… copyright law has clearly been violated.” Many AI voice uses circulating the internet involve users mashing up one previously released song topped with a different artist’s voice. These types of uses, Harleston wrote, mean “there are likely multiple infringements occurring.”

Harleston added that “visibility into AI training data is also needed. If the data on AI training is not transparent, the potential for a healthy marketplace will be stymied as information on infringing content will be largely inaccessible to individual creators.”

Another witness at the hearing raised the idea of an “opt-out” system so that artists who do not wish to be part of an AI’s training data set will have the option of removing themselves. Already, Spawning, a music-tech start-up, has launched a website to put this possible remedy into practice for visual art. Called “HaveIBeenTrained.com,’ the service helps creators opt-out of training data sets commonly used by an array of AI companies, including Stability AI, which previously agreed to honor the HaveIBeenTrained.com opt-outs.

Harleston, however, said he did not believe opt-outs are enough. “It will be hard to opt out if you don’t know what’s been opted in,” he said. Spawning co-founder Mat Dryhurst previously told Billboard that HaveIBeenTrained.com is working on an opt-in tool, though this product has yet to be released.

Finally, Harleston urged Congress to label AI-generated content. “Consumers deserve to know exactly what they’re getting,” he said.

12 Jul 2023

Some of Taylor Swift’s ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ Vinyls Accidentally Played British Electronica Music

A small number of Swifties got a major surprise when they received their vinyl editions of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), as the vinyls didn’t play Taylor Swift at all and treated listeners to British electronica music instead.

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The accidental mis-press of the vinyl was seen in action via a viral TikTok video posted by user @myschief_marauder. “Does anyone else’s ‘Speak Now’ vinyl not have Taylor Swift on it?” she says in her video before playing the record’s “Side A,” which ended up playing Cabaret Voltaire’s “Soul Vine (70 Billion People)” instead of “Mine (Taylor’s Version).”

“We are aware that there are an extremely limited number of incorrectly pressed vinyl copies in circulation and have addressed the issue. If you have purchased one of the affected goods, please contact customer service at your respective retailer for a replacement or refund,” Universal Music Group, which parents Swift’s label Republic Records, shared in a statement to Billboard.

Distribution company Above Board Distribution also addressed the mishap on Instagram, resharing @myschief_marauder’s original video with a Swift pun-filled caption. “Due to a delicate pressing blunder, some Taylor Swift fans received a misprinted copy of ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),’ which we have learned features audio of our in house compilation ‘Happy Land (A Compendium of Music from the British Isles 1992-1996),’” the company wrote. “Never in our wildest dreams could we imagine this situation. While we know all too well this error was beyond our control, we sincerely hope anyone who received what is Not Taylor’s Version of the vinyl is enchanted by the blissful electronica. Keep your eyes peeled for this special edition we’re sure it’s going to be a Discogs rare pressing classic in years to come.”

Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) was released on July 7 and earned over 575,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first four days of release (July 7-10), according to initial reports to Luminate — marking the biggest week for any album in 2023.

12 Jul 2023

Manuel Turizo Scores Career-High Debut on Latin Pop Airplay Thanks to ‘Copa Vacía’ With Shakira

Manuel Turizo rewrites his career-best debut on Billboard’s Latin Pop Airplay chart as “Copa Vacía,” his collaboration with Shakira, bows at No. 4 on the chart dated July 15, his first top 10 launch, among 12 top 10s.

According to Luminate, “Copa Vacía” traces its start in the upper region on Latin Pop Airplay to 4 million in audience impressions earned in the U.S. during the June 30-July 6 tracking week.

With the new top 10 entry, Shakira collects her 42nd top 10, dating back to the four-week champ “Estoy Aquí” in 1996. She ties with Ricky Martin for the second-most top 10s among all acts, both with 42, just behind Enrique Iglesias who leads with 45. Here’s the scoreboard:

45, Enrique Iglesias
42, Ricky Martin
42, Shakira
33, J Balvin
31, Daddy Yankee
30, Chayanne
30, Cristian Castro

For Shakira, “Copa Vacía” starts at an equal No. 6 as her predecessor, “Acróstico” which rose to No. 2 in its seventh week (dated July 8).

Back to Turizo, as mentioned, “Copa Vacía” becomes the Colombian’s best debut to date, after 25 chart visits. Previously, his best start was his last entry, “Vagabundo,” with Sebastián Yatra and Beéle, at No. 12 in June; the song later peaked at No. 6 (July 8-dated ranking).

12 Jul 2023

Local News Anchor Re-Enacts Beyonce’s ‘America Has a Problem’ to Welcome Renaissance Tour to Philly

According to Beyoncé, “America Has a Problem” — but Philadelphia’s Fox 29 news host Alex Holley is unbothered.

Leading up to the arrival of Bey’s Renaissance Tour in Philly on Wednesday night (July 12), the Good Day Philly co-host got dressed in a costume that mirrors Bey’s own when she performs “America Has a Problem” in order to pay homage to the singer and celebrate the highly anticipated tour touching down Stateside at last.

The funny video kicks off with Holley — wearing a black and gold sequined dress and dark cat-eye sunglasses to evoke Beyoncé’s Mugler bee outfit — behind the news desk, mimicking the instrumental’s introductory dance moves. With the help of a crew member, a fan blows air through her honey-colored locks as she looks in the camera and says, “We got a problem in the studio, because Philly! Are you ready for Beyoncé? I know I am!”

Fellow hosts on Good Day Philly join in on the shenanigans, dressed in all black as Holley’s backup dancers. “Heard you got that D for me/ Pray your love is deep for me/ I’mma make you go weak for me/ Make you wait a whole week for me,” Holley lip-syncs in the video. “Had to make sure Philly was ready to kick off #RENAISSANCEWORLDTOUR on the news!!!!!” she captioned the post.

Fans in the comments section flocked to tell the host she nailed it. One user wrote, “It took me far too long to figure out you weren’t Beyoncé!” while another added, “Lol we found the perfect opening act to Beyoncé.”

Bey’s tour stop in Philadelphia marks her first in the United States since the Renaissance World Tour kicked off; the performer will continue throughout the U.S. until her final Sept. 27 gig at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Watch Holley’s video below.

12 Jul 2023

Yng Lvcas & Peso Pluma’s ‘La Bebe’ Tops Latin Airplay Chart

Yng Lvcas picks up his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as “La Bebe,” with Peso Pluma, ascends 2-1 to lead the list dated July 15. The collab checks into the penthouse on the overall Latin chart in its fourth week at No. 1 on Latin Rhythm Airplay.

“La Bebe” takes over Latin Airplay with 10 million audience impressions, up 1% from the week prior, earned in the U.S. in the week ending July 6, according to Luminate.

The song replaces Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny’s “X100to” from its six-week domination, dipping 2-1 with a 14% decline in impressions, to 9.3 million.

“La Bebe” grants Lvcas his first Latin Airplay champ, who joins four other acts who have also taken over the tally in 2023 with their first leaders: Fuerza Regida and Grupo Frontera through “Bebe Dame” (one week, March 25), Marshmello with the Manuel Turizo-assisted “El Merengue” (one week, June 10), and his contemporary Peso Pluma, as “Ella Baila Sola,” with Eslabon Armado, placed the Mexican at the lead for one week (June 17). Thus, the latter collects his second ruler.

Further, “La Bebe” is the only collaborative charting effort by Lvcas on any Billboard chart. He captured his maiden entry on any Billboard tally when the original version of the song, sans Pluma, debuted on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart at No. 152, reaching a No. 2 high in April, after the remix with Pluma dropped.

Since then, the successful partnership has experienced a rewarding performance across charts. Here’s the recap:

Peak Position, Chart, Peak Date

No. 2, Latin Streaming Songs, April 8
No. 2, Hot Latin Songs, April 15
No. 1, Latin Digital Song Sales, April 15
No. 2, Global Excl. U.S, April 22
No. 5, Streaming Songs, April 29
No. 2, Global 22, June 10
No. 1, Latin Rhythm Airplay, June 24 (four weeks atop)
No. 1, Latin Airplay, July 15

Beyond its Latin Airplay coronation, “La Bebe” holds steady at its No. 2 high for a seventh week on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, despite a 5% decline in streaming activity: it logged 13.2 million clicks in the U.S. during the same period. Plus, it also sees a fall in sales: 12% from the previous week to 1,000 downloads.

12 Jul 2023

Disclosure to Release New Album This Week

Disclosure is coming back in a big way.

On Wednesday (July 12), the Lawrence brothers announced a new album, Alchemy, will be out this Friday.

The 11-track LP is their first since 2020’s Energy, and their first to drop since the pair left Capitol Records. Alchemy will be out via the brothers’ own Apollo Recordings, in partnership with AWAL, the independent distribution and label division of Kobalt Music Group.

“This record is a celebration of us feeling liberated right now,” Guy Lawrence says in a press release. “We’re no longer signed to a major record label. We’re not going to tour this record. We can do whatever we like and be super creative.” 

A statement about the album also reveals that “Alchemy was written while the British duo were at two very different points in their lives. On one hand, Guy was recently married and settling into a new home in Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles. On the other, Howard was reeling from heartbreak and exhausted from a 150-date tour.”

“There was this combination of deep heartbreak and sadness, but also deep admiration and appreciation,” Howard Lawrence says of this period. “Let’s turn this horrible feeling into something beautiful. The whole idea was to channel pain into beauty—which, in hindsight, is always the aim.”

Alchemy will not incorporate any features or samples, instead promising a “back to basics” approach and production melding jungle, breaks, “trance-like supersaw synth riffs” and club tracks” See the album’s cover art below.

In tandem with the LP’s release, Disclosure will host a pair of release parties in London on Thursday and Friday.

This announcement comes on the heels of the 10-year anniversary of Disclosure’s landmark debut album, Settle, released in June 2013 and voted the No. 1 EDM album of the decade by Billboard. The LP was commemorated with a deluxe anniversary edition due in August.

12 Jul 2023

Jelly Roll Scores First Hot Rock & Alternative Songs No. 1 With ‘Need a Favor’

Jelly Roll’s “Need a Favor” spends its first week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Rock Songs charts, rising 2-1 on both July 15-dated tallies.

The track earned 32.4 million airplay audience impressions and 11.5 million official U.S. streams and sold 5,000 downloads June 30-July 6, according to Luminate.

The singer-songwriter earns his first No. 1 on each chart. He first appeared with “Son of a Sinner,” which hit No. 3 on Hot Rock Songs and No. 4 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs in September 2022.

“Need a Favor” also rises to No. 3 on Hot Country Songs. It’s his highest-charting song on the survey, having surpassed the No. 8 peak of “Son of a Sinner.”

Concurrently, as previously reported, “Need a Favor” crowns Mainstream Rock Airplay, becoming Jelly Roll’s second ruler on the ranking, after “Dead Man Walking” in May 2022. He is the first soloist to send two initial entries to No. 1 in the chart’s four-decade history.

In June, “Need a Favor” made crossover history, becoming the first song to have reached the top 10 of both Mainstream Rock Airplay and Country Airplay; it rises 7-6 on the latter list. (“Son of a Sinner” hit No. 1 on Country Airplay for a week in January 2023.)

“Need a Favor” is the lead single from Whitsitt Chapel, Jelly Roll’s seventh studio album. Released June 2, the set debuted at No. 1 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart dated June 17 and has earned 288,000 equivalent album units to date.

12 Jul 2023

‘Ghosts’ Stars Devan Chandler Long, Rose McIver & More Share Their Favorite Songs to Sing in the Car

Shut up and … sing? The lovable paranormal beings and the “livings” of CBS’ Ghosts may not be trapped in a car like Sasappis’ ex-girlfriend Jessica, nor have they belted out Rihanna’s 2007 hit “Shut Up and Drive” on the sitcom, but they — or at least, the actors portraying them — did leave Woodstone Manor to take part in Carpool Karaoke: The Series.

In a new episode of the Apple TV+ series born from James Corden’s viral segment from The Late Late Show, the sitcom’s stars Devon Chandler Long (who plays Thorfinn), Rose McIver (Samantha), Utkarsh Ambudkar (Jay), Rebecca Wisocky (Hetty) and Román Zaragoza (Sasappis) not only argue about the best of the dead, but also show off Ambudkar’s freestyling skills. And of course, they sing.

Among the hits the cast took on while cruising around in a black SUV were a trio of Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s: Tiffany’s 1987 teen-pop anthem “I Think We’re Alone Now,” Silk Sonic’s sensual 2021 slow jam “Leave the Door Open” and Meat Loaf’s classic 1993 power ballad “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).” But perhaps most fittingly, the castmates tried their vocals with Harry Belafonte’s “Jump in the Line,” which was featured in Beetlejuice, the 1988 film starring Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis and Catherine O’Hara about a family of “livings” who move into a home occupied by … yup, ghosts — just like the CBS sitcom that would come more than 30 years later.

While the Ghosts stars belted out some hits together for five-time Emmy-winner Carpool Karaoke: The Series, the songs they prefer to sing while driving around on their own are more varied, ranging from shoegaze to the Disneyverse to swing and beyond. Read on to see which tunes Long, McIver, Ambudkar, Wisocky and Zaragoza told Billboard they love singing at the top of their lungs while behind the wheel.

And until Ghosts returns with new episodes, revisit the sitcom on Paramount+, and check out all seasons of Carpool Karaoke: The Series on Apple TV+.