Fred Johns 🥔🥔

Can’t you buy an apple device and return it every 14 days and have it for free forever

Spotify just announced a feature that could either save the music industry or destroy it. Starting as early as Q1 2027, Spotify Premium subscribers will be able to use AI to transform any participating artist’s song into a completely different version. Turn a folk ballad into a dance track. Make a hip-hop song sound acoustic. Generate a cover where one artist’s voice performs another artist’s song. Remix a pop hit into lo-fi study music. Create the version of your favorite song that only existed in your head until now. The remixes will be uploaded directly to Spotify. They’ll appear in playlists. They’ll count toward the original song’s chart position. And most importantly the original artist will earn royalties every time someone listens to a fan-created remix of their work. Spotify has already signed a landmark licensing deal with Universal Music Group the world’s largest record label. Negotiations with Sony Music and Warner Music are ongoing. The feature will cost an additional $4–$5/month on top of Spotify Premium. And analysts project 7–8% of American subscribers will adopt it by 2028. This is not Suno or Udio generating music from text prompts. This is fans remixing real songs by real artists with the artists’ permission, on the world’s largest streaming platform, with royalties flowing back to the creators. A music industry analyst who’s covered streaming economics for 15 years told her team something after reading the licensing agreement that reframed how she understood the future of recorded music. “Spotify just turned 640 million listeners into 640 million potential remixers. The question isn’t whether people will use it they will. The question is whether paying artists for fan remixes solves the economics of streaming or creates a world where the original recording is worth less than the infinite remixes generated from it.” Here’s what Spotify’s AI remix feature actually is, who wins, who loses, and why this might be the most consequential decision in the music industry since the launch of streaming itself 🧵

Tale as old as time.

The reason the streets of Amsterdam are covered in trash every morning is not because of all the late night partying but that the city has a €0.17 per aluminum can recycling payout, so vagrants turn over every trash every night to collect the cans. Couldn’t they fix this at the landfill with magnets to separate the cans from the trash for far less than €0.17 per can while saving the gargantuan effort required to sweep the city clean every morning?

Absolutely nothing could of prepared me for this video

So as the token(?) Filipino in most Singapore companies, I funnily get a lot of questions about “ethically hiring a domestic helper.” Truthfully it’s always been a balance of allowing the domestic helper her independence, but not too much that she steals from you and suffers no consequence. Cleaning lady is indeed the best, since you just pay her hourly, she’s not beholden to an employment agency, and at best it’s a side hustle. If you are also “against” an employment agency (because you also have to pay the more expensive agency fee), you can find one easily in any Facebook group. But then of course you run the risks of her also being batshit crazy. I will say, the sad part is that in terms of ethnicities here in Singapore: Myanmar ladies are recently pouring in the agencies because they are the cheapest due to their political instability, followed by the Indonesians, then Filipinos are (funnily enough) the most expensive. I believe in HK as well, Filipinos have become more expensive than Indonesians, demanding for more white gweilo employers because they tend to give more leave days and cash advance (very important). But yes, ask me again in another two years re: domestic help hiring across HK and SG. Market might change by then.

Look at that good boy! He's behaving better than most of the humans on that plane! ❤️

EXCLUSIVE: get up close with Singapore Airlines’ new A350/B777-9 business class suite by @recaro_as, which sets a bold new direction for the airline. Full story up NOW at executivetraveller.com/singa… #PaxEx

베트남 여자랑 국결한 삼촌 인생 ㅈ된거같다;; 우리 삼촌 50대인데 3년전에 베트남 여자랑 국결함 삼촌이 나이도 많고 한국여자랑 결혼은 글렀다면서 국제결혼 업체통해서 20대 베트남 여자랑 결혼했거든 결혼하고 2년동안 삼촌이 진짜 좋아했음 와이프가 어리고 예쁘고 말도 잘듣는다면서 명절때마다 자랑 ㅈㄴ 하고다님ㅋㅋ 근데 어느날부터 삼촌이 연락이 안되는거임 알고보니 국적 취득하고 얼마 안돼서 숙모가 짐싸들고 집나갔다함 심지어 이혼소송까지 걸었다는데 삼촌이 결혼생활 내내 자기를 무시하고 폭언했다고 주장했다더라 삼촌은 절대 그런적 없다고 억울해하는데 결국 몇달동안 소송하다가 이혼함 더 레전드는 이혼하고 얼마안돼서 숙모가 다른 남자랑 재혼했다는 소식 들림ㅋㅋㅋ 근데 그 남자가 누구냐면 베트남에 있을때 숙모랑 만났던 남친이었음 ㅅㅂㅋㅋ 그니까 삼촌이랑 결혼해서 한국 국적 따고 바로 이혼 조진다음에 위자료 챙길거 다 챙기고 베트남 남친 한국으로 불러서 결혼한거임;; 그러면 그 남친도 한국 국적 따기 ㅈㄴ 유리하니까 ㄷㄷ 이거 알고 삼촌 진짜 멘탈나가서 회사도 그만두고 지금까지 술만 마시고 있음 ㅈㄴ 무섭지 않냐;;

The oldest company in every Asian country that is still in business.

I believe there is a very strong case that Kuala Lumpur is the best city for food in the world. Fundamentally slept on because it's so good that Malaysians don't leave and take it with them

‘My heart is so tired’: Indian zi char chef Devid Retanasamy to leave Singapore after 24 years bit.ly/4iAYmSL

Chuck Schumer has gone from a punching bag for Democrats to the architect of their historic landslide, @FranklinFoer writes. He spoke with the senator: theatln.tc/8GgiSxtj 📸: Tom Brenner / Getty

This is Gary Michelson. Spent around $72 million to get prop 38 on the ballot. Now a non-profit he controls will get $4.2 billion from taxpayers. The prop also includes statutory exemption for his non profit from public sector transparency and ethics laws. Generational grift. Ballot props are a bad idea.