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The world has lost a special soul. Tina Turner, also known as the "Queen of Rock'n Roll," passed away yesterday at the age of 83. She was one of the most successful recording artists of all time, selling over 100 million records worldwide, and will forever be remembered as the trailblazer she was.
In other news… Top Black talent circles BET, Grimes likes her own deepfakes, and college kids are disillusioned with Big Tech.
Top Trends
YouTube → Extraction 2
Twitter → Ted Lasso
Google → Tina Turner
Reddit → Bill Lee
TikTok → “Money Trees” - Kendrick Lamar
Spotify → “Seance” - Saleka
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ENTERTAINMENT
Black entertainers line up to bid for BET
The Future. Paramount Global, which is in the midst of shedding several of its legacy cable brands as it transitions to streaming, is reportedly readying a sale of BET Media Group… and every major Black entertainer is circling. Whoever prevails could have the opportunity to not just remake BET and VH1 but create a new narrative around the channels as the go-to destinations for modern Black entertainment.
Black entertainment, Black-owned
Twenty-two years after founder Robert L. Johnson sold BET to Viacom, BET is on the cusp of, once again, being Black-owned.
Tyler Perry, who has countless shows with the company and already owns 25% of BET+, is set to make a bid (potentially with Ariel Investments).
Media investment firm Group Black has corralled the likes of Kenya Barris, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and Shaquille O’Neal to make an offer.
Sean “Diddy” Combs is reportedly mulling a bid and combining the company with his music-centric cable and digital brand, Revolt Media.
And last but not least, mega-producer and entrepreneur Byron Allen will likely submit an offer.
BET Media Group, which includes both BET and VH1, will likely go on the market for about $3 billion. Although the network has been shedding subscribers and revenue year after year like every cable outlet, it’s possible one of these new owners could turn things around.
As Allen gracefully notes, “I’m rooting for Black ownership when it comes to BET and VH1. That’s nothing but a win-win whoever gets it.”
MUSIC
Grimes, multiplied // Illustration by Kate Walker
Grimes grades her AI copycats
The Future. After announcing that she would split half the recording revenue with anyone who made a successful AI-generated song using her voice, Grimes has been true to her word and provided a tool to help people use her vocals. Hundreds of songs have already been created, which may demonstrate there’s a market for offering your likeness to other artists… as long as permission and proper revenue-sharing are in the mix.
Listening session
How does the real Grimes feel about all the new fake Grimeses?
For starters, Grimes and her team debuted a software called Elf.tech that allows anyone to turn their vocals into Grimes’ — a generation called “GrimesAI-1.
Over 300 songs have been made using the tool and have been submitted to streamers for distribution.
She sat down with NYT to review five songs made using the tool… and, lo and behold, she’s a big fan. (They’re all pretty fascinating.)
Grimes, who has been toying with AI for years and interestingly views the identity of “Grimes” as something separate from herself, is no stranger to selling herself for parts. In 2020, she put up 10% of her soul for auction (whatever that means) for $10 billion.
There have been no bidders.
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WORK
The new workforce
Young people think little of Big Tech
The Future. Current college students majoring in tech or recent grads are put off by the deluge of layoffs hitting Big Tech and are now looking to apply their skills at less well-known yet stable firms, the government, or startups focused on more “greater good” work. And with ChatGPT starting to be used across the industry to take on tasks reserved for entry-level positions, many students may now feel that even if they land a job at a Big Tech firm, it may come with an expiration date.
De-FAANGed
Big Tech is facing a disillusionment crisis.
While enrollment in computer science and engineering majors are up 5% at MIT, fewer students are actually graduating with those degrees.
And enrollment in tech-focused majors are down at Princeton, even though they still remain the most popular at the university.
For those graduating, applications at blue-chip firms are down 10% at name-brand firms and 15% down at startups considered “fast-growing.”
Meanwhile, applications are up 104% at government entities and 44% at nonprofits (with a focus on those dealing with sustainability or energy).
A study by job-focused software company Handshake found that "Above all, students want a stable job that pays well, and they're willing to flex other requirements — from company brand and growth rate to remote-work options — to get it.”
How radically… traditional.
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Highlights
The best curated daily stories from around the web
Media, Music, & Entertainment
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Roku City, the cool screensaver of Roku devices, now counts Paramount+ as one of the first advertisers — the streamer bought a “neighborhood” that will feature characters and locations from Paramount titles. Read more → thr
With the Twitter Files, a potential partnership with The Daily Wire and Tucker Carlson, and hosting Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign announcement, does Elon Musk want to take up Rupert Murdoch’s mantle? Read more → axios
Fashion & E-Commerce
The use of generative AI in fashion runs the risk of reinforcing beauty biases that the industry has been trying to evolve past for years. Read more → businessoffashion
QR code restaurant menus may end up being simply a pandemic fad as restaurants start to ditch them. Read more → insider
A closet full of clothing companies like H&M and Kering are signing up for the Science-Based Targets Network (SBTN) to monitor their specific environmental impact. Read more → businessoffashion
Tech, Web3, & AI
The White House is seeking public input as it starts to generate a national AI strategy to protect copyright, ensure cybersecurity, and fight against misinformation. Read more → wsj
Paging Google: Eric Schmidt, the company’s former CEO, says that AI poses an “existential risk” and could get people “harmed or killed” if “misused by evil people.” Read more → engadget
Pi, a new emotional support AI chatbot from the co-founders of LinkedIn and DeepMind, is designed to be your coach, confidante, personal assistant, and everything else humans used to be. Read more → headlines
Creator Economy
Peabody-nominated Project is launching a new podcast platform, Brazen, that hopes to mainstream direct-to-consumer podcasting, with an initial focus on journalism. Read more → thr
The University of Southern California’s content creator incubator club, USC Reach, is opening up chapters in 25 universities. Read more → tubefilter
Twitch is urging creators to start posting clips of their streams to YouTube Shorts to help push discoverability. Read more → tubefilter
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Today's email was brought to you by David Vendrell.
Editing and publishing by Sara Kitnick.