Your daily Drop April 24th
🎶 Music Industry & Artist News
🍪 Warner Music Sues Crumbl Over TikTok Music Use
Warner Music Group has filed a lawsuit against cookie chain Crumbl, alleging unauthorized use of 159 recordings in social media posts, including tracks by Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.
🔥 Fyre Festival Brand Up for Sale After Revival Fails
Billy McFarland has put the Fyre Festival brand up for sale following a failed attempt at revival. The sale includes trademarks and digital assets, but not the infamous water bottles.
🏆 Kendrick Lamar Leads 2025 AMAs with 10 Nominations
Kendrick Lamar tops the 2025 American Music Awards nominations with 10 nods. The ceremony, hosted by Jennifer Lopez, will air live from Las Vegas on May 26.
🎤 Lorde Debuts New Single 'What Was That' at Surprise NYC Pop-Up
Lorde surprised fans with a guerrilla-style debut of her new single "What Was That" from her upcoming album. The spontaneous event faced pushback, as the NYPD intervened due to a lack of proper permits, forcing Lorde to notify fans via Instagram that the gathering was being shut down.
🧪 Music Tech & Innovation
🎶 Audio-Technica Unveils $9,999 Levitating Turntable
Audio-Technica has introduced the Hotaru, a luxurious new turntable priced at $9,999, featuring a levitating upper section achieved through magnetic repulsion to minimize vibrations and improve vinyl playback precision. The translucent acrylic design includes integrated lighting with multiple modes, and the base houses an integrated speaker system. Only 1,000 units will be available, with shipments expected to begin in October 2025.
🧠 ReaLJam: Real-Time Human-AI Music Jamming
Researchers have developed ReaLJam, an interface and protocol for live musical jamming sessions between a human and a Transformer-based AI agent trained with reinforcement learning. The system enables real-time interactions using the concept of anticipation, where the agent predicts how the performance will unfold and visually conveys its plan to the user. User studies demonstrate that ReaLJam facilitates enjoyable and musically interesting sessions, highlighting the potential for AI-human collaboration in music.
🤖 The Beatbots: Multi-Robot Percussion Quartet
A team of researchers has introduced the Beatbots, a musician-informed multi-robot percussion quartet designed to produce music that is challenging for humans to replicate. The robots bring precise tempo control and complex rhythmic patterns, offering a novel musical experience. Evaluations through live performances indicate positive audience reception and suggest new possibilities for robotic contributions to music.
🏛️ U.S. Politics
📦 Trump's Tariffs Impact Music Merchandise Industry
President Trump's newly imposed tariffs are affecting the music merchandise industry, with rising costs for imported materials like vinyl and packaging. These increased expenses are leading to higher prices for consumers and challenges for small businesses in the music sector.
📺 Streaming & Entertainment
📺 Fyre Festival Brand Being Turned into a Streaming Service
The Fyre Festival brand is being transformed into a streaming service after Billy McFarland sold its intellectual property. The new platform aims to offer exclusive content related to the infamous festival and its cultural impact.