will. i. am
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D-Nice and will.i.am are teaming up to host a live stream concert that will benefit victims of the wildfires plaguing the Los Angeles area.
On Wednesday (January 15), will.i.am and D-Nice announced an event to help all of those affected by the wildfires that have been prevalent in Los Angeles, California for the past week and a half. The L.A. Check In, modeled after D-Nice’s popular Club Quarantine events, will feature sets from D-Nice and DJ Hed as well as appearances from surprise celebrity guests and famous hometown heroes. Viewers will be able to get information on places to donate to relief efforts, as well as to get updates on resources that are needed for victims.
The L.A. Check In is also organized by actor and philanthropist Etienne Maurice, the Annenberg Foundation, and will.i.am’s Angel Foundation. “Families and students across the city urgently need our support as many lives have been disrupted, including losing everything in the fires,” the Black Eyed Peas’ co-founder said in the press release announcing the live stream. “Teaming up with fellow musicians and the Annenberg Foundation for fire relief is what the community needs right now to connect us and activate those who wish to donate and volunteer.”
“Club Quarantine was a way for people to find community all over the world through love of music and culture,” D-Nice said in the press statement. “The music I played at that time was secondary to what was really happening, which were the conversations and connections that people were having. L.A. Check In will leverage Los Angeles’ star power while reminding one another of the resilience we build and have in each other.” The event will be broadcast live on Thursday (January 16) at 6 P.M. Pacific Time from will.i.am’s FYI Campus, with viewers being able to tune in through his YouTube page and D-Nice’s Instagram page.
will.i.am has launched a new AI-driven radio service, RAiDiO.FYI, to evolve the static medium into a more personalized experience. With RAiDiO.FYI, users are able to have conversations with AI DJs about anything from music, to breaking news, to sports, to weather reports — and the service will create a listening experience designed to each user.
The new offering is part of FYI, a multi-faceted tech company which will.i.am founded to help “maximize creativity” for artists with the help of AI personas, file management, project management, design tools and more. Users can start listening for free on the FYI app, available for both iPhone and Android smartphones.
will.i.am says he had an “aha” moment when he was recently on a radio show and the DJ opened the request line. “The request line has always been always been awesome for radio with when the callers get to call in and talk to the DJ or talk to the guests, but they’re limited to one person at a time,” he tells Billboard. “And then after the broadcast you couldn’t talk the host.”
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While the relevance of AM/FM radio continues to wane, particularly with younger audiences, will.i.am’s RAiDiO.FYI promises to reinvigorate the medium by switching it from a passive, immovable experience to one that is much more engaging and playful.
“This is an infotainment revolution where you can go back and forth with information in a deep way, and I’m so excited to be launching that with FYI, and to all the folks out there listening,” says will.i.am.
In the future, FYI will continue to partner with content creators from various internet niches to publish their own stations on the radio, including stations dedicated to spots, tech, politics, music and more.
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