youtube
Page: 7
Little Mix gave fans a sip of their secret potion with their spellbinding 2015 music video for “Black Magic,” and the magic still exists in 2023 — as the clip has officially hit one billion views on YouTube. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In the video, […]
Defunct dance duo LMFAO hit a hard-partying high mark this week when the video for their 2011 electropop anthem “Sexy and I Know It” hit the one billion views mark on YouTube. The song that ran up to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in January 2012 is the […]
YouTube is planning to roll out a new artificial intelligence tool that will allow creators to make videos using the voices of popular recording artists — but inking deals with record companies to launch the beta version is taking longer than expected, sources tell Billboard.
The new AI tool, which YouTube had hoped to debut at its Made On YouTube event in September, will in beta let a select pool of artists to give permission to a select group of creators to use their voices in videos on the platform. From there, the product could be released broadly to all users with the voices of artists who choose to opt in. YouTube is also looking at those artists to contribute input on that will help steer the company’s AI strategy beyond this, sources say.
The major labels, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group, are still negotiating licensing deals that would cover voice rights for the beta version of the tool, sources say; a wide launch would require separate agreements. As label leaders have made public statements about their commitments to embracing AI in recent months, with UMG CEO Lucian Grainge saying the technology could “amplify human imagination and enrich musical creativity in extraordinary new ways” and WMG CEO Robert Kyncl saying, “You have to embrace the technology, because it’s not like you can put technology in a bottle” — some music executives worry they’ve given up some of their leverage in these initial deals, given that they want to be seen as proponents of progress and not as holding up innovation. Label executives are especially conscious of projecting that image now, having shortsightedly resisted the shift from CDs to downloads two decades ago, which allowed Apple to unbundle the album and sent the music business into years of decline. Some executives say it’s also been challenging to find top artists to participate in the new YouTube tool, with even some of the most forward-thinking acts hesitant to put their voices in the hands of unknown creators who could use them to make statements or sing lyrics they might not like.
The labels, sources say, view the deal as potentially precedent-setting for future AI deals to come — as well as creating a “framework,” as one source put it, for YouTube’s future AI initiatives. The key issues in negotiations are how the AI model is trained and that artists should have the option to opt-in (or out); and how monetization works — are artists paid for the use of their music as an input into the AI model or for the output that’s created using the AI tool? While negotiations are taking time, label sources say YouTube is seen as an important, reliable early partner in this space, based on the platform’s work developing its Content ID system that identifies and monetizes copyrighted materials in user-generated videos.
Publishing, meanwhile, is even more complicated, given that even with a small sampling of artists to launch the tool at beta there could be hundreds of songwriters with credits across their catalogs — which would be sampled by the model. Because of this, a source suggests that YouTube may prefer paying a lump sum licensing fee rather that publishers will need to figure out how to divide among their writers.
As complicated as the deal terms may be, sources say music rights holders are acting in good faith to get a deal done. That’s because there’s a dominant belief this sort of technology is inevitable and if the music business doesn’t come to the table to create licensing deals now, they’ll get left behind. However, one source familiar with the negotiations says this attitude is also putting music companies at a disadvantage because there is less room to drive a hard bargain.
For months, AI-soundalike tools that synthesize vocals to sound like famous artists have been garnering attention and triggering debate. The issue hit the mainstream in April when an anonymous musician calling himself Ghostwriter released a song to streaming services with soundalike versions of Drake and The Weeknd on it that he said were created with artificial intelligence. The song was quickly taken down due to copyright infringement on the recording, not based on the voices’ likenesses, but in the aftermath a month later Billboard reported that the streaming services seemed amenable to requests from the major labels to remove recordings with AI-generated vocals created to sound like popular artists.
In August, YouTube announced a new initiative with UMG artists and producers it called an “AI Music Incubator” that would “explore, experiment and offer feedback on the AI-related musical tools and products,” according to a blog post by Grainge at the time. “Once these tools are launched, the hope is that more artists who want to participate will benefit from and enjoy this creative suite.” That partnership was separate from the licensing negotiations currently taking place and the beta product in development.
On Wednesday, UMG, Concord Music Group, ABKCO and other music publishers filed a lawsuit against AI platform Anthropic PBC for using copyrighted song lyrics to “train” its software. This marked the first major lawsuit in what is expected to be a key legal battle over the future of AI music, and as one source put it a signal that major labels will litigate with AI companies they see as bad players.
The Warner Music Group announced former longtime Google executive Carletta Higginson as its new executive vp/chief digital officer today (Oct. 10). Higginson, who will join the company Oct. 16, replaces outgoing evp of business development/chief digital officer Oana Ruxandra, who announced her departure Oct. 4 after five years with the label group. Higginson is the […]
Amy Winehouse has finally reached the YouTube billion views club. The Grammy-winning late soul/R&B star who tragically died at 27 of alcohol poisoning in 2011 is now part of that elite society thanks to her 2007 “Back to Black” visual crossing the nine zero mark. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest […]
Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl has a message for a music industry facing disruption from artificial intelligence that’s often likened to the rise of file-sharing a quarter century ago: “You have to embrace technology, because it’s not like you can put technology in a bottle,” he said during an onstage interview at the Code […]
On a trip to visit his mother in Israel last year, Lyor Cohen, YouTube’s global head of music, asked her one of those big life questions that’s impossible to answer with anything but a big answer.
“She has 16 grandchildren and four sons, she’s 92 years old, and she is moving around this world by herself and still enjoying her grandchildren, healthy,” said Cohen. “And I said to her, ‘You’re a very, very lucky person.’ And she said, ‘Yes, I know that.’ And I said, ‘So, why are you so lucky?’
Without hesitation, she replied, “The more you give, the more you receive.”
At 63, with three kids and an illustrious career in music, Cohen said it’s this giving spirit that inspired him to accept this year’s Spirit of Life award from City of Hope, one of the country’s leading cancer treatment and research centers.
“We’re in the giving business and so we’re grateful to be here and to have the privilege,” said Cohen. “It’s a privilege to do it, but you have to get out of your normal grind to recognize that.”
Dr. Joseph Alvarnas speaks to a group on a tour of City of Hope on April 17, 2023.
Ryan Hartford
The honor, bestowed by City of Hope’s music, film and entertainment industry (MFEI) fundraising group, is reserved for entertainment industry titans and has helped the MFEI group raise $150 million since launching in 1973. Now in its 50th year, recent recipients in music include Republic Records founders/chief executives Monte and Avery Lipman (2022), Epic Records chairperson/CEO Sylvia Rhone (2019) and Sony Music Publishing chairman/CEO Jon Platt (2018). As such, the events around them are regularly a who’s-who of industry heavyweights and well-wishers leading up to the gala dinner where the award is presented, which this year will take place Oct. 18 at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles.
In April, before the monthslong rollout of events including the All In For Hope Poker Tournament in May and the Music Trivia Bowl in July began, Cohen and seven of his staff members woke up early to drive over 100 miles from the Coachella Valley in rush hour traffic for a tour of the City of Hope campus in Duarte, Calif., just outside Los Angeles. It was the morning after the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival’s first weekend, where Cohen’s team oversaw what was likely the largest festival livestream event ever, broadcasting to more than 45 million people worldwide, according to the company. Many of them noted they hadn’t even had a cup of coffee yet.
Cohen, the tallest of the bunch, dressed in all black with a scarf around his neck, led the group, which also included Universal Music Publishing Group, North America president Evan Lamberg, entertainment lawyer Dina LaPolt, Culture Collective founder/CEO Jonathan Azu and Spirit Music Group chairman David Renzer — all of whom are on the City of Hope MFEI Board — as they followed City of Hope staff around the expansive 100-plus acre grounds.
There, they spoke with doctors and scientists to better understand the organization’s research efforts and care services. One of the key advantages City of Hope has in the field, several staff members explained, is that the proximity of scientists, treatment staff and manufacturing facilities, all of which are on-site, allows cross-collaboration that brings their research — seeking cures for cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases — directly to patients without delay. Throughout, Cohen listened closely and expressed an intent to focus on how to address health disparities for Black people in the United States to create more equitable access to healthcare and establish greater trust in the system.
“I’ve made a living on Black music,” he said, “and what I’m particularly interested in is figuring out how the Black community could demystify getting early treatment and understanding about cancer and how they get the opportunity to help educate and eradicate cancer in these communities.”
Dr. Debbie Thurmond speaks on a tour of City of Hope on April 17, 2023.
Ryan Hartford
Cohen launched his career in the 1980s New York hip-hop scene as a road manager for Russell Simmons‘ Rush Productions before going on to manage the label. He later headed up Def Jam and then Warner Music Group before co-launching 300 Entertainment and, in 2016, joining YouTube. He had a hand in the careers of Public Enemy, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, De La Soul, Eric B. & Rakim, A Tribe Called Quest, Jay-Z, DMX, Ja Rule and Ludacris. He acknowledges this is an opportunity to support the people and culture that built his success.
Supporting economically disadvantaged and racially diverse communities facing barriers that limit their ability to find and sustain specialized care was the focus of City of Hope’s Closing the Care Gap event on Aug. 29 and has been at the center of the organization’s MFEI fundraising since 2018. According to City of Hope, only 20% of cancer patients in the United States are treated at National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers, which can sometimes mean the difference between life and death. It’s something the City of Hope treatment and research center is addressing through community partnerships, government policy, expansion and diversifying its own workforce.
“My big takeaway is that there are so many people that have committed a lifetime to helping others that are selfless, that are so enthusiastic about solving some of these big problems,” Cohen said after the tour. “I saw and met many of the doctors here that loved the fact that they were in an organization that’s biased to speed of getting things done, and breaking the code and making things happen. I felt like this is a joyful place to work and a joyful place to solve these problems.”
Jordan Schepps, Jonathan Azu, Ali Rivera, David Renzer, Waleed Diab, Dina LaPolt, Stephen Bryan, Vivien Lewit, Jake O’Leary, Lyor Cohen, Evan Lamberg, Zach Horowitz, and Loren Fishbein on a tour of City of Hope on April 17, 2023.
Ryan Hartford
Lyor Cohen discussed “a future where generative AI has a profound impact on music” at the annual Made on YouTube event on Thursday (Sept. 21). YouTube’s longtime global head of music is nothing if not enthusiastic about artificial intelligence and its potential ability to supercharge music-making. Cohen told the attendees that “AI tools are opening up a new playground for creativity;” AI “can be used by artists to amplify and accelerate their creativity;” and AI can usher in “a new era of musical creativity.”
Cohen was joined by Charlie Puth, who played some piano and showed off his beatboxing, and Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl. Kyncl acknowledged that not everyone in music is as excited about AI as Cohen seems to be: “Change is unsettling; we are in that period of change.” He proposed charting a path forward where AI enthusiasts can gain from the technology while artists who are wary of it are somehow shielded from its impacts.
Artists “will create and they will use all kinds of tools to create… that’s their job,” Kyncl said. “It’s our job, the platforms and the music industry, to make sure that artists like Charlie who lean in [to AI] benefit. It’s also our job together to make sure that artists who don’t want to lean in are protected.” He pointed to the success of YouTube’s Content ID system, which helps the platform track user-generated content, as a potential model, because creators can choose to monetize that UGC or block it depending on their preferences.
YouTube previously signaled its interest in being part of music’s AI-driven future in August when it announced an “AI Music Incubator” that will include input from Anitta, Juanes, Ryan Tedder, Rodney Jerkins, and many others.
“This group will explore, experiment and offer feedback on the AI-related musical tools and products they are researching,” Universal CEO Lucian Grainge wrote in a blog post. “Once these tools are launched, the hope is that more artists who want to participate will benefit from and enjoy this creative suite.”
At the Made on YouTube event, CEO Neal Mohan also discussed a suite of new tools for creators that aim to put “the creative power of AI into the hands of billions of people.” These include Dream Screen, which “lets you create AI-generated video or image backgrounds for Shorts by typing in an idea,” and a search function that “will act like a music concierge” when it comes time to find a track to place into a video. “Our creator can just describe her video, and if she wants she can even include information about the length or type of song she’s looking for, and Creator Music suggests the right track at the right price,” Mohan explained.
Jade Beason, a YouTube creator, told the crowd she “spend[s] a lot of time trying to find the right music for videos” and is sometimes “guilty of actually just using the same song [over again] because I just can’t find the right one.” “Music has the ability to change how your audience actually feels when they’re watching your content,” she continued. “It’s the difference between someone seeing a video of yours and laughing or crying… so the idea that we can do this easily amongst everything else is actually quite wild.”
Turn around, because Bonnie Tyler’s 1983 classic, “Total Eclipse of the Heart” has reached one billion views on YouTube. The clip, filmed in England’s Holloway Sanatorium, is the Welsh artist’s first to reach the impressive milestone. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Written and produced by Meat […]
Bad Bunny has notched his 14th music video with more than 1 billion views on YouTube as a lead, featured artist or collaborator thanks to his collaboration on Nacho’s “Báilame (Remix),” also featuring Yandel. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The Puerto Rican artist now ties J […]