Weekly Roundup – June 24th, 2025

"The song Echoes of Tomorrow is a laid-back, catchy tune that might happily slot into a summertime playlists on Spotify or Apple Music. Only the lyrics, which make curious references to “algorithms,” reveal its non-human creator: Artificial intelligence.
The track’s mimicry of flesh-and-blood pop is pretty unsettling. Yet what’s really disturbing is the sheer quantity of similar AI tunes sloshing around online. Tools like Udio and Suno, trained on millions of songs crafted by human artists, are now churning out millions of their own tunes at the click of a button. Deezer SA, a rival of Spotify Technology SA, estimates 20,000 AI tracks are uploaded to its platform daily, or 18% of the total. While they only account for 0.5% of total listens, real royalties are being earned and often fraudulently so, judging by the spread of bots to amplify listens. This may not be a Napster-scale issue yet — but the $20 billion music market is clearly vulnerable."

"Major sports events benefit media companies beyond the main rights holders, executives from Fox-owned Tubi and Roku Media told Axios at an event in Cannes on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The value of sports rights have soared as media companies bid for assets they hope will retain audiences in a competitive landscape.
What they're saying: The interest in athletes can drive interest in related programming.
"One thing we know about Gen Z audiences is they care as much sometimes about these athletes, the stories behind the athletes — what we call shoulder content and programming — as they do the live event," Tubi CEO Anjali Sud said."

"Disney will partner with ad-tech startup Shopsense to create new virtual storefronts that will be linked to some of the commercials it shows on its streaming outlets. Viewers can move to purchase fashions, products and offers tied to the series, movies or sports they are watching. The company is teaming up with Gopuff, a digital delivery service, to offer a virtual “concession stand” that will allow subscribers to order snacks, drinks and candy while streaming programs."

"In just 30 seconds, the video sprints from one unlikely scenario to another: a pot-bellied partier cradles a Chihuahua; a bride flees police on a golf cart; a farmer luxuriates in a pool full of eggs. Oddball details fill the screen, like a sign reading "Fresh Manatee."
"Kalshi hired me to make the most unhinged NBA Finals commercial possible," the video's creator, P.J. Accetturo, said on X.
...
One week after its streaming debut, the video also racked up more than 3 million views on Kalshi's X account. It's also raising questions about how AI might reshape advertising budgets.
"We are incredibly pleased with the outcome and effectiveness of the ad so far," Kalshi media representative Jack Such told NPR. "It has generated a lot of buzz on social media."
Accetturo, an advertising veteran, says AI will be a big part of the industry's future. Experts who spoke to NPR tend to agree, even if they're not yet sure how much the technology might displace jobs.
Like earlier advances, AI "will lower the entry barrier for some of the smaller brands" who can't afford a traditional video ad campaign, according to Alok Saboo, a professor of marketing at Georgia State University."

"The comedian Andrew Schulz has risen to arena-headliner status on the strength of his irreverent, defiantly anti-woke standup. His material is a high-energy blend of gleeful raunch and precise observation, all peppered with ethnic jokes, slurs and smack talk. (Which, as much as such a thing is possible, generally comes across as good-hearted or, at least, not meanspirited.) But provocation is not the only trick in his bag. In Schulz’s most recent special, “Life,” which came out on Netflix this year, the 41-year-old moved into more vulnerable and narratively driven territory. It’s about his and his wife’s experience with I.V.F. (told in highly un-family-friendly language).
Despite all his success with standup, Schulz has perhaps become even better known for his podcasting. His shows “Flagrant,” co-hosted by Akaash Singh, and “Brilliant Idiots,” co-hosted by Charlamagne tha God, are appointment listening for millions, not just for humor but for political discussion too. That relatively newfound breadth and Schulz’s ready embrace of disparate subject matter — from politics to sports to theology to culture writ large — has led to him becoming a star of the so-called online manosphere. Although that term, or “podcast bro,” or any other potentially reductive label one might apply, would most likely frustrate the entertainingly pugnacious Schulz.
But whatever you want to call him or his corner of the online world, it’s influential. Donald Trump went on “Flagrant” last fall ahead of the presidential election, and progressive politicians like Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg have been guests on the show this year. For me, that raised questions about what Schulz’s bigger goals are, and what responsibilities might come with his growing influence."