Montana has become the first state in America to ban TikTok. In a Senate Bill signed on Wednesday, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte stated his aim is to protect the private information of the residents of his state.
According to NPR, Senate Bill 419 highlights the Chinese government as a reason for the ban, citing the nation as a potential threat.
“The Chinese Communist Party using TikTok to spy on Americans, violate their privacy, and collect their personal, private, and sensitive information is well-documented,” Gov. Gianforte said.
The owner of TikTok, tech giant ByteDance, denied sharing information. However, government officials highlight the records of consumers are available as the nation’s government allows for storing public records.
The ban will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024, but it is currently unclear on how it will be enforced, and is also facing opposition that the bill is unconstitutional.
Cardi B is helping Beats usher in a new era for their popular studio buds line. In a new spot, using her banger “Up,” Cardi shows the capabilities of the upgraded product line, Studio Buds+. In the spot, Cardi shows off how a clearer call function allows for easier communication, a powerful sound exemplified by her music, and noise-canceling to box out all the hater and extra noise around you.
Beats Studio Buds +, an amazing upgrade to the Studio Buds series that offers balanced sound and improved capabilities for iOS and Android users, has just been announced by Beats. Studio Buds Plus, which is now available in a stunning transparent design, significantly improves Active Noise.
ANC, Transparency, call quality, and battery life all work together to provide a superb true wireless experience. For $169.99 (US), Beats Studio Buds Plus are now available for purchase in three gorgeous colors: Black / Gold, Ivory, and Transparent.
“As our fastest-selling product ever since its launch, Beats Studio Buds are beloved earphones for so many people around the world and we’re thrilled to be taking them to the next level,” said Oliver Schusser, Vice President of Beats and Apple Music. “With beautiful new colors to choose from and vast improvements to Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, call performance and battery life, Beats Studio Buds + deliver an unmatched combination of fashion and function for both iOS and Android consumers.”
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20230426 Powers Beats 607 DogWalking 1197 4×5
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20230427 Powers Beats 607 Basketball 6347 4×5
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20230427 Powers Beats 607 Basketball 6621 4×5
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20230427 Powers Beats 607 Metro 4241 9×16
For a more comfortable all-day fit, three innovative acoustic vents enhance audio precision and gently release pressure. Additionally, Studio Buds + provide a secure fit for your earbuds while also forming a comfortable acoustic seal for the greatest listening experience with four ear tip options (XS, S, M, & L) to fit a wider range of ears.
Beats’ unique acoustic platform has an elegant, portable design and delivers strong, balanced sound. Each bud has a unique two-layer transducer that flexes to produce better bass and extremely low distortion. So wherever you go, Studio Buds + produce rich, immersive sound whether you’re taking calls or listening to music.
Users of Apple Music may experience genuine multidimensional sound and clarity by using Studio Buds Plus, which automatically plays spatial audio for available tracks mixed in Dolby Atmos.3 It feels like there are 64 speakers playing at once.
Beats Studio Buds + is available to order starting today for $169.99 (US) from apple.com in the US, Canada and China, with shipping beginning tomorrow
Get ready for more AI. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is currently developing an AI program whose purpose is to “significantly lower the music creation barrier.”
MBW scooped two new positions added to the ByteDance site that is seeking a Product Manager to serve the company in “working on an AI-powered tool that provides intelligent music creation and audio editing capabilities.”
In speaking on the mission for the program, ByteDance has the vision to “to significantly lower the music creation barrier and inspire musical creativity and expression, further enriching the music content.”
The listing also encourages knowledge of algorithms, intelligence creation, and hopefully a merger of music. You can learn more about ByteDance’s plans here.
Are you still on Clubhouse? The social platform has downsized, dropping 50% of its workforce to reset its purpose, and will use a “smaller, product-focused team.”
According to Music Business Worldwide, Clubhouse founders Paul Davison and Rohan Seth shot an email on the decision to lay off workers.
“Today we announced that we’re scaling back our org by over 50% and saying goodbye to many talented, dedicated teammates in the process. We’re deeply sorry to be doing this, and we would not be making this change if we didn’t feel it was absolutely necessary,” the founders said.
In their email, Clubhouse acknowledged how their platform was impacted by a post-COVID world, forcing an evolution. You can learn about the development here.
Get ready to pay a bit more to stream your favorite songs. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek revealed on Tuesday (Apr. 25) his desire to raise prices for American subscriptions for the first time.
“I think we are ready to raise prices, I think we have the ability to do that, but it really comes down to those negotiations,” Ek said.
“We did raise prices in 46 different locations and markets last year, and even in those markets we were still outperforming,” said Ek. “I feel really good about our ability to raise prices over time and we have lots of data now that backs that up. We may have been marginally helped by being a lower-cost provider, but it isn’t a primary part of our strategy and it’s not something that we’re thinking about.”
According to TechCrunch, Spotify currently boasts over 515 million monthly active users, an increase of 5% from the previous quarter. The number is also a 22% increase from the last year. Of that number, 210 million are premium subscribers.
At a private celebration at Mel’s Drive-In in West Hollywood, Nick Cannon and Amp, the live radio app from Amazon, toasted the impending premiere of The Daily Cannon, a new morning program hosted by Nick Cannon, live on Amp every Monday through Friday starting April 24, at 9 a.m. EDT.
Along with brunch-inspired cocktails and shared breakfast fare, the event also featured a performance by DJ Skratchy, an update from Nick about his plans for his new daily program, and brunch-style beverages.
Rapper NLE Choppa will be Nick’s first guest visiting him live from The Daily Cannon studio on the launch program on April 24th, he said before getting into the DJ booth.
“I’m excited to be joining the next generation of live audio entertainment on Amp. Having a place where I can directly connect with listeners five days a week to spotlight the hottest emerging artists, chat about the latest and greatest in music and entertainment, and share real-time announcements in my world and beyond will make The Daily Cannon a show you don’t want to miss,” said host Nick Cannon. “There’s a magical thing that happens when entertainment is unedited and live, and I am excited for our journey ahead.”
Courtney Bee_Mason Moussette_Abby De La Rosa_ Amp The Daily Cannon Launch Party
Courtney Bee Mason Moussette Abby De La Rosa Amp The Daily Cannon Launch Party
The Daily Cannon, a new morning program presented by Nick Cannon, will debut on Amp on Monday, April 24, at 9 a.m. EDT, according to an announcement made by the live radio app from Amazon. The multidimensional talent will serve as a cultural ambassador as he headlines each raw and uncensored show with personally selected new R&B, hip-hop, and pop songs; the inside scoop on celebrity and culture news; and conversations with today’s best musicians, newsmakers, and Amp innovators.
The Daily Cannon on Amp is a cutting-edge radio show that has been redesigned for a live audience that is primarily social. With Amp, listeners can ring in and have live chats with Cannon on the app, allowing him to interact with them in real-time.
Programs on Amp feature a diverse range of emerging and established hosts across the talent spectrum, including artists Nicki Minaj, Halsey, NBA YoungBoy, Joe Budden, NBA star Draymond Green, and artist, producer, and TV personality Kandi Burruss. Anyone can create their own live shows using just their phone.
Ncredible and Justin “Freeze” Fostar are responsible for producing The Daily Cannon. Ben Sumpter and Nick Cannon are the executive producers. The Weiss Agency’s Heather Cohen, Michael Goldman’s management, Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein’s legal counsel, and Michael Goldman are members of Cannon’s team. Bobb & Lezcano Lezcano.
The Amp app can be downloaded in the U.S. iOS App Store here.
With Raggaeton remaining a dominant force on TikTok, Karol G, and Shakira’s “TQG” found a way to break through and become the top trending Latin song on the platform last week. Traditional and regional Latin genres that don’t get as much radio airplay have seen improved commercial success because of TikTok.
Regional Mexican music, a catch-all word that incorporates genres like norteo, corridos, and banda, is leading the charge. This genre went from being absent to a mainstay on the Billboard charts, in part due to the success of regional songs on TikTok. Both “Soy Él Unico” by Yahritza y Su Esencia and “Botella Tras Botella,” which first gained popularity as an original sound on TikTok, debuted at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2021. “Botella Tras Botella” (344k video productions) by Christian Nodal & Gera.MX was the first regional Mexican hit to chart on the Hot 100.
Mexican regional music is having a big year on TikTok, and Peso Pluma, a 23-year-old singer, is leading the push. Peso Pluma, who has over 1.6 million TikTok followers, is behind some of the year’s biggest hits, such as the Natanael Cano collaboration “PRC” (261k video creations), which gained popularity thanks to a dance that utilizes the song’s distinctive trumpet hook, and the Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma joint effort “Ella Baila Sola,” which generated over 470k video creations.
Peso is currently in the spotlight thanks to his collaboration with Yng Lvcas, “La Bebe,” which generated over 40k creations and peaked as #2 on TikTok’s list of the week’s most popular songs. Peso Pluma has five singles that have reached the Billboard Hot 100 as a result of TikTok, including “PRC” (#64), “La Bebe” (#26), and “Ella Baila Sola,” which recently reached the highest-charting position for a regional Mexican song in chart history at #17.
Nick Cannon is turning his talents to radio, specifically Amazon’s live radio app Amp.
The Daily Cannon, a new morning program presented by Nick Cannon, will debut on Amp on Monday, April 24, at 9 a.m. EDT, according to an announcement made by the live radio app from Amazon. The multidimensional talent will serve as a cultural ambassador as he headlines each raw and uncensored show with personally selected new R&B, hip-hop, and pop songs; the inside scoop on celebrity and culture news; and conversations with today’s best musicians, newsmakers, and Amp innovators.
The Daily Cannon on Amp is a cutting-edge radio show that has been redesigned for a live audience that is primarily social. With Amp, listeners can ring in and have live chats with Cannon on the app, allowing him to interact with them in real-time.
“I’m excited to be joining the next generation of live audio entertainment on Amp. Having a place where I can directly connect with listeners five days a week to spotlight the hottest emerging artists, chat about the latest and greatest in music and entertainment, and share real-time announcements in my world and beyond will make The Daily Cannon a show you don’t want to miss,” said host Nick Cannon. “There’s a magical thing that happens when entertainment is unedited and live, and I am excited for our journey ahead.”
Programs on Amp feature a diverse range of emerging and established hosts across the talent spectrum, including artists Nicki Minaj, Halsey, NBA YoungBoy, Joe Budden, NBA star Draymond Green, and artist, producer, and TV personality Kandi Burruss. Anyone can create their own live shows using just their phone.
Ncredible and Justin “Freeze” Fostar are responsible for producing The Daily Cannon. Ben Sumpter and Nick Cannon are the executive producers. The Weiss Agency’s Heather Cohen, Michael Goldman’s management, Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein’s legal counsel, and Michael Goldman are members of Cannon’s team. Bobb & Lezcano Lezcano.
The Amp app can be downloaded in the U.S. iOS App Store here.
Even though April Fools Day was over a week ago, the jokes apparently have not stopped for Elon Musk. Over the weekend, the eccentric Twitter CEO apparently defaced…his own business’s sign.
For reasons completely unclear, Musk had covered up the “w” on the company’s sign outside of its headquarters in San Francisco. While some assumed that it was a routine maintenance or repair issue, it appeared that Musk had done it….just because.
Elon Musk, in a remarkable show of maturity, has removed the “w” from Twitter’s logo outside their San Francisco HQ. The company now reads as “Titter” pic.twitter.com/0i914uEygX
However, while some fans thought that the stunt was funny, the building’s landlord was apparently not having it, stating that the sign could not be altered from its previously-approved design.
Apparently Musk (or one of his staff) may have found a loophole in the contract that allowed them to paint the “w” the background color of the sign (white). While some people were unsure whether the painting was the work of vandalism, Musk proudly took credit on Sunday on (where else?) Twitter, showing off the new sign.
Our landlord at SF HQ says we’re legally required to keep sign as Twitter & cannot remove “w”, so we painted it background color. Problem solved! pic.twitter.com/1iFjccTbUq
The tech industry is getting another hit. Amazon has announced the intention to lay off 9.000 additional employees. According to Variety, that number will be on top of the 18,000 jobs that were announced to be cut on Monday.
Among the divisions that will be impacted is Twitch. Amazon is also said to be ready to downsize the Amazon Web Services (AWS), People, Experience and Technology (PXT), and advertising areas. Last week, Twitch CEO Emmett Shear resigned following a 16-year leadership tenure.
The final call for job cuts will be mid to late April, according to CEO Andy Jassy. The job cuts are reportedly fueled by economic “uncertainty.”
“This was a difficult decision, but one that we think is best for the company long term,” Jassy wrote.
The full Amazon memo from CEO Jassy can be read here. Layoffs are also hitting Meta, Facebook’s parent company. You can read that here.
(@williamlegate) 