🔵 Updates/followups on recent articles
What happened after various posts went out...
Something I’ve been planning to do of late was a followup article every now and then just because I get a lot of comments and insights back from readers. Often stories continue to develop, so it’s good to provide any clarifications, insights or thoughts from people wiser than myself.
Let’s dive in…
Re: yesterday’s “Death by a thousand bots” post:
After sending out yesterday’s post, which revealed an AI MCP allowing a means to create music and publish to DSPs, all without human input, it was suggested by one of our readers - with a link to the respective post on X - that Lee Parsons, CEO of Ditto Music, might have been responsible for that MCP (see comments below the article for the link).
Since posting however, both Lee’s post and the MCP itself have now been deleted. It is possibly a leap to suggest that it was my article that caused this, but knowing the breadth of industry people who read Network Notes, I don’t think it absurd to suggest that this may have contributed somehow.
Another reader also sent me this - Claw FM, a radio station playing music made and submitted by AI agents. Honestly I can’t quite see what the point is, but suspect it is more of a proof of concept than a serious commercial venture.
Finally, I remarked at the end of the post that Martin Mills had suggested a $1/mo levy might combat the AI slop problem on DSPs. To be clear, his suggestion was just $1 per annum, which if anything makes this even easier to implement, one would think.
Re: the “Universal/Downtown - a few thoughts now that it’s going ahead” post:
The main feedback on this post was less about the acquisition, and more various general sentiments on the wider picture here.
One recurring sentiment was a view that the indies dropped the ball on this deal. I suspect that will cause some in positions of power to bristle slightly, not least because hindsight is a wonderful thing. Could more have been done to prevent this happening? Possibly. Honestly though my own view is that there’s no use crying over spilt milk at this point. The deal is going ahead and that’s that.
Other speculation also came in as to what other moves might happen. I mentioned in the piece that Distrokid is up for sale, and there has been speculation that one of the majors - not Universal - might swoop for that. It would certainly boost market share so I don’t think it takes a genius to unpick which major would benefit most from such a move here.
Re: the “Fan burner accounts: music’s latest dirty secret” post:
One comment made by someone well-placed to give such insight was that artists, labels and indeed anyone engaging with this space needs to be mindful of the degree to which such accounts are breaking ad/sponsorship rules. In short, running a fake fan account amounts to undisclosed promotion, which the likes of Meta and TikTok might well take a dim view of.
Could that mean there is a crackdown coming? Tough to say, but I certainly can see the logic that these accounts are potentially breaking T&Cs, as that’s something we’ve seen a fair bit of action on among reality stars here in the UK. Granted, promoting flat tummy teas etc without declaring that you’re being paid is somewhat different, but if both exist to promote something without declaring that the account is owned and operated by management or label, that’s still a potential problem.
Re: the “The ever-growing management/label push-pull” post:
This post yielded a fair bit of response from managers in particular. One respondent - who is actively dealing with UMG - suggested that it was not absolutely clear (at all) that Universal had rights to artist voice and likeness so as to train Udio on it. The suggestion is that Universal believes they have the right, but that “believe” is not the same as “absolutely, demonstrably possesses”.
In short, it feels murky to some, and if that is the case, we might yet see more issues here, particularly as we get closer to Udio 2.0 launching.
I also had feedback from labels, who felt that the “artists don’t need labels” argument only holds water once that artist has reached a certain level of success (Gorillaz, in the context of this piece). I think that’s a fair comment, and I think something I did not say in the piece (but should have) is that I personally feel labels can still act as nexus points for a scene, sound or movement. Go back through the years and there was always a label as a nexus point, be that Mo’ Wax for the nascent trip hop sound (not that Lavelle would appreciate that term!), Sub Pop for grunge, Warp for IDM (again, sorry re: the term!) and so on. So IMO, this was a fair point to make.
Re: Jeremy Sirota’s move to Suno:
A few readers asked me what my thoughts were about the news that former Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota has accepted the COO role at Suno. This was something I was tempted to write about, but CMU’s scathing article on the development did such a fine job that I feel I simply cannot top it.
To be clear, I know everyone has to make a living and it is easy to sit in judgement of others, but I think the reason this specific move has generated so much chatter is just because of the sheer shift in moral standpoint that seems to have occurred. The indie community would appear disappointed by that u-turn, and I think that is understandable. Money talks though, and much as we all like to hold a moral standpoint, I wonder how much those criticising might also take that pay cheque if the offer was large enough.
That’s it! This is a new thing I am looking to do maybe once a month (depending on how much happens post-publishing), so let me know if this is something you’d like to see more of.
I was also contemplating an “Ask Me Anything” segment maybe once per quarter, so again, let me know if you might enjoy reading. To be clear, the logic here was not an egocentric one; it is more that I feel questions from the readers here might give a barometer of what people are worrying about, what they are thinking and so on, which might in turn be beneficial to everyone.
It would be great to hear from you all what you think though.
Have a great day,
D.
🎶 Listening to “Suntory” by John Carroll Kirby. This landed in my inbox yesterday, and after a tough afternoon that left me a little frazzled, this was a true aural tonic. Save it for the back end of the day when you feel worn out, and let this soothe your soul. Wonderful.
📺 Watching “Living on Longships Lighthouse during Storm Goretti” on YouTube. If you had “video diaries of a lighthouse keeper” on the recommendations bingo card for this week, tick that off now. This is a stunningly shot film, showing you what the lighthouse keepers do in the modern age. It’s super relaxing and beautifully shot. Enjoy.
🤖 Playing with Claw FM… though “playing” might be a stretch. I do find things like this interesting, though more as a weird demonstration of what’s possible. Equally though, there’s a whiff of “know your enemy” here too.
Gleefully accepting music recommendations!
I do really enjoy getting suggestions for either existing music or forthcoming releases to check out. So, if there’s something you think I might like, do feel free to get in touch. Always keen to hear the weird and wonderful things going on out there. And, with 6000+ subscribers, I’m happy to spread word on things I’m loving too.
Love this, yes!
The ask me anything feature sounds like a nice idea..