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Swiftie search. Taylor Swift’s got the entire internet in the palm of her hand again. This time, it’s a cryptic puzzle prompt to Google “Taylor Swift” and explore a vault of puzzles that’ll unlock the titles of unreleased tracks from her album 1989. And we know “All Too Well” how dedicated Swifties are: the fanbase has already solved 307,000 puzzles and counting.
Oh, and shoutout to Sarah G. for winning our Life is Beautiful giveaway! We hope you have a blast out there in the desert. 🤩
In other news… actors for auction, video games x classical music, and the new “album.”
Top Trends
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ENTERTAINMENT
A-list auction // Illustration by Kate Walker
Actors put themselves up for auction
The Future. The Union Solidarity Coalition’s eBay auction to support struggling Hollywood crews is going viral and raising some serious cash thanks to creative ideas and star power. It’s building to be another successful cross-union fundraiser for TUSC, which raised $315,000 in July for the same cause. With a bevy of similar events going down as the strikes roll on, the fundraisers may become a staple whenever any entertainment union is out on strike.
Supporting roles
TUSC’s eBay auction has become the talk of the town.
Some offerings include having Natasha Lyonne help you solve the NYT Sunday crossword via Zoom (the bid is at $6,100) or having Adam Scott walk your dog in LA for an hour (the bid is at $2,500).
There are a lot of options, with all the proceeds going to cover health care costs for film and TV crew members who are out of work due to the dual strikes.
The auction is live until Friday, September 22nd at 4 p.m. PT.
TUSC founding member Susanna Fogel (The Spy Who Dumped Me, Booksmart) said the auction serves two important purposes for the organization: “It’s a way to raise money, but it’s also a way to demonstrate that we take care of each other.”
Unsurprisingly, the auction has gone viral, inspiring some brilliant parodies on X, like “varnish a cabinet with David Lynch for $10,000” and “having Toni Collette scream at you from across a dinner table for $10,000.”
Those are hilariously great, and only continue to spread awareness for the auction, drum up bids on offerings, and entice more actors to join the action.
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MUSIC
Starfield symphony // Illustration by Kate Walker
Video games are programming a love for classical music
The Future. Classical music has historically been viewed as a rarified art form that’s the domain of elite society. Well, video games are saying “game over” to that notion, as the genre has become a staple in some of the biggest titles out there, including Starfield and Assassin’s Creed. Considering today’s teens are playing more games than previous generations, don’t be surprised if we start to see a major uptick in composition majors in the coming years.
Open worlds and orchestras
J. Aaron Hardwick, an Orchestra Director and Assistant Professor of Music at Wake Forest University, argues video games are re-igniting a love of classical music in wider culture.
Before the hyped release of the game Starfield, the London Symphony Orchestra performed a “Starfield Suite” concert at the world-renowned Alexandra Palace Theatre — it sold out.
That comes on the heels of video game music being included in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s summer series last year and popular video game-inspired symphony series like GameOn! and Distant Worlds.
The Grammys even introduced a Best Video Game Soundtrack award this year, which was given to Stephanie Economou for her work on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök.
According to a poll conducted by the Royal Philharmonic, “more young people are exposed to classical music through video games than through attending live performances.”
Video game composer and conductor Eimear Noone takes it a step further, saying “more young people listen to orchestral music through their game consoles today than have ever listened to orchestral music in the history of music.”
Who knew the contemporary medium would be the savior of one of the oldest.
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E-bikes rule the road
When you see someone on an e-bike, you know they’re living in the future. (And here at TFP, we respect that.) E-bikes are where it’s at because they’re planet-friendly, big-hill friendly, and at up to 60% off retail, wallet-friendly.
Think you might be in the market for an e-bike but don’t know where to start?
Take Upway’s quick three-question quiz and find the bike for you. And don’t worry, every Upway e-bike has approval from top-tier mechanics and a one-year warranty.
Ahead of the curve and already have an e-bike? We see you. Upway offers trade-ins. They’ll also buy your bike and fix it up for the next rider!
One last thing: RN you can snag up to $1,000 off on selected bikes. And use the code TFP for another $150 discount!
MUSIC
The new audience // Illustration by Kate Walker
Music streaming is remaking the album
The Future. Streaming has made music listenership skyrocket (1 trillion streams in the US alone last year), but it’s also totally changed how music gets made — shorter songs, longer albums, and a dash of global appeal. While mainstream artists are trying to adhere to the playbook, it’s only a matter of time before an ambitious artist breaks out by breaking all the norms.
Hit equation
When it comes to streaming, there’s a blueprint for a viral bop, according to Howie Singer, the former Chief Strategic Technologist of Warner Music Group, and Bill Rosenblatt, the President of media tech consulting firm GiantSteps.
Immediate hooks. In order to keep “skip rates” low, musicians are trying to introduce their hook or chorus in the first 30 seconds (when a song counts as a “play” for royalties).
Shorter songs. But making it through the whole song is how it gets recommended by platforms, so artists are keeping tracks around three minutes long, according to producer Mark Ronson.
Longer albums. With shorter songs, there’s more space for albums to have a lot more songs in order to boost royalty opportunities. Drake’s 2021 release, Certified Lover Boy, had a whopping 21 tracks.
International flavor. Artists are working across genres and languages (especially Latin and K-pop) because, besides being creatively interesting, it allows tracks to pop up on more Spotify playlists and reach a global audience.
If you think this may seem like a lot of facets to be gamed by musicians for maximum exposure and profit, you’re not wrong. Last year, British indie rock band The Pocket Gods released an album called 1000X30 Nobody Makes Money Anymore, which consisted of 1,000 tracks that were just over 30 seconds.
Hilarious trolling.
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PayBlox is the free marketplace for merchant accounts
If you’ve started your own company or even have an e-comm side hustle, you know (or will quickly learn) that finding the right payment processor can be a nightmare. There are so many options, and it’s hard to figure out what’s the right choice. Most websites that review and list “The Best Merchant Service Providers” are just paid placements.
PayBlox knows small business owners deserve better. So, they created a platform that uses advanced algorithms and an extensive network of providers to match you with the best processing system. We would’ve loved their help when we started TFP, TBH.
Right now, PayBlox is also doing a small biz giveaway. Ten companies. $1,000 each. Enter to win by signing up for PayBlox using the code FUTURE.
Highlights
The best curated daily stories from around the web
Media, Music, & Entertainment
Disney is increasing its spending on its parks, experiences, and products division to $60 billion over the next decade, with the Mouse House highlighting that while 100 million people visit its theme parks each year, it wants to reach the addressable market of 700 million. Read more → variety
To compete with the NFL, alternative football leagues the USFL (which is owned by Fox) and the XFL (which is owned by Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Redbird Capital) may merge. Read more → axios
Microsoft is planning on launching an Xbox that’s entirely digital (no disks) — a detail revealed after the company accidentally publicized its secretive plans when uploading them to a government website for its ongoing court battle with the FTC. Read more → engadget
Fashion & E-Commerce
Amazon’s update of its Just Walk Out cashier-less retail tech is powered by RFID (radio frequency identification) tags, which would let customers stroll out of the store wearing their new clothes. Read more → techcrunch
The collectibles market has come for cheap, discontinued fragrances from the favorite mall brands of your youth, including Abercrombie & Fitch and Victoria’s Secret. Read more → bloomberg
StockX is dropping “Xpress Ship,” a feature that lets customers pay more to get pre-verified products shipped faster to them. Read more → complex
Tech, Web3, & AI
Google is connecting its Bard AI chatbot to its suite of apps, including Gmail, Drive, and YouTube — setting the stage for your own Google-powered personal assistant. Read more → nyt
Elon Musk is at it again, now saying he’ll charge X users a small fee to use the platform at all. Read more → theinformation
Outdoor navigation company onX has partnered with satellite firm Planet to give users access to satellite-imaged maps that are updated every two weeks — perfect for off-the-beaten-path adventures. Read more → axios
Creator Economy
Karat Financial is launching an angel investing program that’ll connect creators with businesses looking for backers. Read more → tubefilter
TikTok is trying to purge homemade food postings on its new Shop platform. Read more → insider
Megan Thee Stallion is collabing with the Flamin’ Hot snack brand on Flamin’ Hot University — an online education program that features “snackable” classes on fashion, food, and lifestyle. Read more → hypebeast
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Melody Song. Copy edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.