Juke Box Zero

AI Music, Mystery Army

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice. That joke doesn’t hold up as well in the age of AI, when you might be able to become a successful musician (or at least music maker) simply by becoming practiced in the art of typing directives. And then, you can tell everybody that this is your song. You didn’t need to put the words and the melodies together, you just share a few vibes and let the software write the songs that make the whole world sing. Think you can be a juke box hero? Have goals related to becoming a shooting star? See yourself joining Guitar George and being a sultan of swing? So you wanna be a rock and roll star, then listen now to what I say: Get an electric guitar, take some time and learn how to play Just download an app. The leader of the band is Suno, “a generative artificial intelligence startup in Cambridge that lets people be rock stars without ever picking up an instrument. Users type a few words into the app—’I want a walk-up song for my Little League at bats,’ say—and Suno will spit out a complete tune...Paying users can train Suno on their voices, so their creations can even sound like they’re singing them.” The company’s founder argues that “Suno will do for music what Instagram did for photography. Not everyone can be Ansel Adams, but anyone can post a selfie. Not everyone can be Olivia Rodrigo, but now anyone can crank out a ballad.” Bloomberg(Gift Article): AI Music Startup Suno Bets Anyone Can Be a Rock Star. Of course, your rock stardom is based entirely on the prior work of other artists. “Suno argues that its technology is designed to create new songs, not rip off existing ones, and it’s acknowledged training its models on copyrighted material. Whether that’s legal is an open question.” It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll. You can get to the slop a lot faster.

+ As you might imagine, many music publishers are reacting to the realization that, “They’re playing our tune” with lawsuits. But others are ready to turn the page. Variety: AI Music Generator Suno Strikes Licensing Deal With BMG as It Preps New Label-Backed Models. You might prefer that old time rock and roll, but everybody’s talking ‘bout the new kid in town.

2

Unclaimed Wages

“Since the Pentagon started blowing up boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean last September, accusing them of being used for drug trafficking, dozens of vessels have been attacked, killing at least 221 people. Washington has not been shy about claiming the strikes, often publishing footage on social media of tiny fishing boats cutting through the water before being obliterated by American munitions.” But they’re not claiming the attacks on Ecuadorian fishermen in the Pacific Ocean. And, to the extent we can believe that, it might make the situation even scarier. NYT (Gift Article): They Spoke English, Wore U.S. Flags and Attacked Fishermen. Who Were They? “’It would be one thing if the U.S. didn’t have an overt maritime strike campaign, but they do, and they’re posting snuff films of boats going up in flames regularly. And that’s what makes this even more squirrelly,’ said Brian Finucane, a former State Department lawyer who specializes in the laws of war. He worked in the Obama and Biden administrations, as well as in the first Trump one. ‘Who are these people that are operating, and under what authority?’ Mr. Finucane asked. ‘And they are using a UPS store as their company address? Come on.’”

3

We Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet

“Resuming a limited bombing campaign didn’t get it done. Neither did making apocalyptic threats to wipe out Iran’s entire civilization. Every time Trump touts a possible breakthrough in negotiations, the hard-liners in Tehran seem to delight in changing their terms and yanking away a possible deal. It’s like Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown, except this time, the pigskin is the Strait of Hormuz. Nothing has worked. So Trump’s new strategy is to try doing nothing, and see whether that works.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): Trump’s New Strategy of Nothing. “But this new tack will require the president to show patience. Trump is, to say the least, not known for his self-discipline.”

+ The president isn’t the only one required to show patience, and for many in the military, that patience is wearing thin. “Two leading specialist military papers, the Navy Times and the Stars and Stripes, are reporting that there have been multiple attempts by sailors to jump overboard as poor conditions and mental stresses on the Lincoln reach breaking point. The crew is in its ninth month at sea, and has spent 250 days consecutively without making land – a record for an aircraft carrier in modern times.” USS Abraham Lincoln sailors tried to jump overboard amid extended deployment. More from Stars and Stripes.

+ And oil companies aren’t wasting any time adjusting to the new abnormal. That means going around the strait. Gulf Oil Giants Are Spending Billions to Build Ways Around Strait of Hormuz.

4

And Presto, No Testo

“The Trump administration seems to harbor a hulking obsession with testosterone. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once claimed that the president’s testosterone levels are unusually high for a man of his age, and Kennedy is known to take a supplementary dose of the male sex hormone himself. In April, the FDA moved to expand access to testosterone-replacement therapy for greater numbers of men. And last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that ‘warfighters’ older than 30 will have their testosterone levels checked annually so that they can stay on the ‘leading edge of lethality.’ The need for expansive testing or for testosterone replacement is questionable, according to several medical experts I spoke with. But underneath the administration’s preoccupation lies a real trend.” Olga Khazan in The Atlantic (Gift Article): Where Has All the Testosterone Gone? (I don’t want to give away the answer, but let’s put it this way. No, I’m not just happy to see you...)

5

Extra, Extra

We Can’t Cater to Everyone’s Needs: “The government has on rare occasions engaged in sleight of hand to safeguard presidents from possible jeopardy, particularly for journeys to hazardous locations, such as when George W. Bush or Barack Obama flew to Iraq during days of war or when Bill Clinton made a brief visit to Pakistan with its history of terrorism. The Trump team’s ruse in Ankara, however, stands out not only for its misdirection but also for the way it shifted the evident peril to others.” What’s the one thing worse than being invited for a ride inside a catering container with Donald Trump? Not being invited. NYT (Gift Article): With Trump Secretly Evacuated, Imperiled Air Force One Became a Flying Decoy.

+ Primary Education: “Democrats remain mixed over what ideological direction the party should take. But across a series of closely watched primaries, they are sending a clearer message about the party’s path forward: They want change.” (That, and maybe some Xanax.) Here are four takeaways from the primaries from NPR and Semafor. And the most predictable headline from this week’s primaries: Mike Lindell refuses to concede in Minnesota primary despite getting far fewer votes.

+ Fits Like a Glove: “Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers may soon be outfitted with gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks intended to gain compliance from combative individuals.” (It’s not exactly like they’ve been using kid gloves so far...)

+ Freedom Fries: France Bans Unsolicited Telemarketing Calls. (It’s only a matter of time before some candidate sends me an unsolicited text about this news.)

+ Cut! David Ellison “says he’s considering moving his studio out of California. Not long ago, he was talking a big game about how a merger with Warner Bros. Discovery would boost the state.” Paramount Has Spent 100 Years in Hollywood. David Ellison Loved That. Until He Didn’t. (People who work for the company? They’re just extras.)

+ Movers and Lakers: “Only 14 months after agreeing to purchase the Lakers at a record-setting $10 billion valuation, Mark Walter is selling the team to Bob Iger, the former Disney CEO, and Joshua Kushner. The deal would value the Lakers at $12.5 billion.”

+ You’re the Special Sauce: “’McDonald’s secret sauce is really commercial surveillance,’ says Jeff Chester, executive director at the Center for Digital Democracy, a group that advocates for consumer protections. Privacy experts I spoke with said this level of detail may feel invasive, but it’s fairly standard for how large companies in the US run their loyalty programs.” Reece Rogers: McDonald’s Built a 515-Page Dossier on Me. It Says I’ll Never Stop Eating There. (Mine has one line about me dipping fries into my milkshake, and the rest was redacted.)

6

Bottom of the News

“Runners have 6.5 hours to complete the race, a cutoff time comparable to some of the major marathons. Besides wine, the course is marked with tables of cheese, croissants, oysters, steak and ice cream. Oh, and every runner wears a costume. This year is ’80s-themed.” Wine, Cheese and 26.2 Miles: What Could Go Wrong?

+ High school football player in Arkansas practices with a venomous snake in his helmet. (Man, I thought my high school football coaches had hard summer sessions...)