From the recording industry taking a stand to the return of the Guardians of the Galaxy, here are your entertainment headlines.
AI Music Takeover
The music industry does not appear to be fans of artificial intelligence technology. Universal Music Group, the world's largest music company, is pushing streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music to block AI apps from accessing its extensive catalog. The record label said it doesn't want those businesses to train the tech to mirror the voices and styles of actual artists.
"We have a moral and commercial responsibility to our artists to work to prevent unauthorized use of their music and to stop platforms from ingesting content that violates the rights of artists or other creators. We expect our platform partners will want to prevent their services from being used in ways that harm artists," a UMG spokesperson told Financial Times.
The news comes after several videos of AI systems mimicking existing artists have gone viral on social media, including [producer and rapper Hit-Boy recently posting an AI-generated song that sounds identical to Ye West.
It's Not TV — or HBO
Warner Bros. Discovery announced a slew of new programs for its streaming platform — formerly known as HBO Max. The media company revealed the service has undergone a name-change and will only be known as Max, dropping the "HBO" branding entirely.
The change is part of the Discovery and Warner merger deal.
Meanwhile, some of the new content expected to hit the platform include a new Harry Potter series, rebooting the original films, and another Game of Thrones prequel titled The Hedge Knight. The revamped Max platform is set to debut on May 23.
Guardians 3
It's the end of an era for the Guardians of the Galaxy as their story is set to conclude with the release of Vol.3. The MCU flick, slated for a May 5 release, is projected to get off to a $130 million start in the U.S. alone. The prediction is a slight tick down from the $146.5 million the second installment raked in back in 2017. When the first Guardians film premiered in 2014, it took home a staggering $333 million in the U.S. and $773.3 million at the global box office.
