WTF now?!: Monday 3–Sunday 9 February 2025
Elliott Bledsoe
I am the grumpy cat of arts marketing! ?? ATM doing stuff w/ BlakDance, CircuitWest + others. President of Wikimedia Australia and Co-lead of Creative Commons Australia. On Turrbal/Jagera land
My weekly reading round-up
The arts isn’t exempt from Trump’s assault on the US government, more audiobooks are coming to Spotify, a new court verdict clarifies rights reversion is the US and more.
What's going on?
Here’s what I’ve noticed this week:
Trump's attack on the arts
The entire US government is under attack from Trump and his attack DOGE Musk – including arts and culture.
The sweeping changes to the US federal government since Donald Trump’s second administration began are so numerous it is almost impossible to keep up with them. Between rapid fire executive orders and Trump’s government efficiency attack dog Elon Musk and his DOGE goons storming into government agencies all over the place, it is understandable that a lot of the attention has focused on alarming situations like scuttling the US Agency for International Development (USAid) based on evidenceless claims of corruption, DOGE’s access to sensitive data from the US Treasury’s payment system, targeting the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Justice and at least 12 other government agencies. It is hard not to see a cynical pattern of targeted, systematic dismantling of government agencies that have or could hold Musk and Trump’s businesses to account or that don’t align with their personal political ideology. We will wait to see what if any of the Congressional, legislative and judicial interventions that have been initiated in response to DOGE stick.
Amidst the Trump tumult the arts in the US has also been hit, albeit less dramatically. On Friday Tump announced his intention to remove the Chair and Board of Trustees of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and appoint himself Chair. Trump is clearing the decks of those he sees as not sharing his “Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture”. The day before the National Endowment for the Arts changed its guidelines to encourage projects that celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and they cancelled a round of Challenge America funding, a program for underserved communities.
The first executive order issued by Trump took aim at DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives) in the US federal government by revoked a number of Biden administration orders. National institutions have had to comply with the directive to end DEI programs. Also within that extensive list or revocations was the order that had re-established the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. The Committee was established under President Ronald Reagan’s administration in 1982 and continued until Trump’s first administration when he abolished it. Biden brought it back in 2022.
It makes you wonder what havoc Dutton’s government efficiency push could have on the arts if we see a Coalition win at the upcoming federal election. Will Revive survive? Indeed, will Creative Australia survive?
What’s worth reading on Trump and the arts:
Dara Kerr – Saturday 8 February 2025
The Guardian
Rhea Nayyar – Monday 3 February 2025
Hyperallergic
Maya Pontone and Isa Farfan – Friday 31 January 2025
Hyperallergic
Spotify adds more audiobooks despite music industry’s concerns
Spotify is inking deals with book publishers to bring in more audiobook titles despite the music industry’s concerns they are pushing down music royalties.
So much Spotify! This week they announced their first full year of profit, prompting a share surge for the music streamer. Last week they were touting a new deal with Universal Music, and this week they have inked a similar one with Warner Music Group. That’s two of the ‘Big Three’ record labels in on whatever it is Spotify is planning next. It’s unclear what that is, but there is speculation that could include a subscription option above premium that includes lossless audio playback.
The subscription bundling thing continues with company announcing partnerships with Crooked Lane, Alcove Press and Podium Entertainment to expand the list of audiobook titles available for Premium subscribers to listen to. Their ambitions for more audiobooks is so big both announcements were made on the same day. As the ink dries on these new agreements Spotify does not seem to be worried about the impact bundling of audiobooks into its plans is having on mechanical royalties. The music industry has hit back with the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) undertaking a coordinated notice-and-takedown campaign against Spotify for unlicensed music in podcasts on the platform. Sadly, I doubt it will do much but what other plays are there?
What’s else is worth reading on Spotify’s recent behaviour:
Spotify Posts First Full-Year Profit for 2024, CEO Says Streamer Will ‘Double Down’ on Music in 2025
Todd Spangler – Friday 4 February 2025
Variety
Jem Aswad – Friday 4 February 2025
Variety
Friday 4 February 2025
National Music Publishers’ Association
Thursday 6 Febraury 2025
Spotify
Jess Weatherbed – Friday 7 Febraury 2025
The Verge
Melina Spanoudi – Friday 7 Febraury 2025
The Bookseller
Thursday 6 February 2025
For the Record, Spotify
Thursday 6 Febraury 2025
For the Record, Spotify
Young Australians are concerned about misinformation on?Facebook
Young people are aware content on social media can be misinformation and Meta abandoning fact-checking has them concerned.
It will probably be months before we have any data to show what the impact of Meta’s backflip on fact-checking and other actions has had on Facebook, Instagram and Threads’ user base and active user numbers, as well as advertising spend on the platforms. Bluesky had seen a bump in new registrations since Musk took over X and, at least in my experience, another post the Meta changes. I don’t have anything concrete to basis it on, but it feels like trust in the social media platforms is in free fall.
BTN High have interviewed young Australians about their level of trust in social media in the wake of changes. It is easy to be pessimistic at the moment but the comments by young people are telling. Australia may be pushing for a social media ban for under 16s, but the responses BTN tell me that (some) young people (at least) are thinking critically about the social media platforms they inhabit. Have a read?—?it will fill you with hope, too.
What’s worth reading on changes in trust of social media:
Neelima Choahan and Michelle Wakim – Thursday 6 February 2025
ABC News and BTN High, Australian Broadcasing Corporation
Michelle Wakim – Tuesday 4 February 2025
BTN High, BTN, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Google’s quietly drops no weapons and no harm AI commitments
Google has updated its AI Principles, including updating its website. In doing so, it quietly drops its no harm, no weapons, no surveillance and no breaches of human rights commitments.
Google published a blog post on Tuesday about updating its AI Principles. It reads pretty self-contratulatory; boasting about year-on-year AI transparency reportings and about bring the first organisation to publish AI Principles, which Google has had in place since 2018. It also cites the rapid pace of AI technology development and the debate around it as the basis for changes to Google’s AI principles.
There are some telling statements. Google talks up the “numerous beneficial uses for society and people around the world” and the shift of AI from “niche research topic in the lab to a technology that is becoming as pervasive as mobile phones and the internet itself”. The post also recognises organisational, international and governmental efforts to regulate AI.
Alongside the crowing there is also thinly veiled cautioning as well. The blog post says:
There’s a global competition taking place for AI leadership within an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape. We believe democracies should lead in AI development, guided by core values like freedom, equality, and respect for human rights. And we believe that companies, governments, and organizations sharing these values should work together to create AI that protects people, promotes global growth, and supports national security.
This is pretty obviously a shot at DeepSeek and other China-based AI technologies.
Even with all the loaded statements, there is also an important ommission. While the blog post authors note changes to Google’s AI Principles it doesn’t mention that the updated AI Principles webpage has removed a number of statements committing to not use their AI technology to create weapons or cause injury. When you look at the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine capture of the page on the last day of January Google said they would not design or deploy AI in applications areas, including:
The change casts a concerning shadow over the notion of safe and responsible AI.
What’s worth reading on Google’s updated AI Principles:
Jess Weatherbed – Wednesday 5 February 2025
领英推荐
The Verge
James Manyika and Demis Hassabis – Tuesday 4 February 2025
The Keyword, Google
February 2025
Tuesday 4 February 2025
Google DeepMind blog, Google
WTF now?!: Monday 3–Sunday 9 February?2025
My weekly reading?round-up
Trump’s assault on the US government includes the arts, Spotify inks new deals to add more audiobooks despite the music industry’s claims it is driving down royalties, we have a new court case on rights reversion is the US and more.
What’s going?on?
Here’s what I’ve noticed this week:
Trump’s attack on the arts The entire US government is under attack from Trump and his attack DOGE Musk – including arts and culture.
The sweeping changes to the US federal government since Donald Trump’s second administration began are so numerous it is almost impossible to keep up with them. Between rapid fire executive orders and Trump’s government efficiency attack dog Elon Musk and his DOGE goons storming into government agencies all over the place, it is understandable that a lot of the attention has focused on alarming situations like scuttling the US Agency for International Development (USAid) based on evidenceless claims of corruption, DOGE’s access to sensitive data from the US Treasury’s payment system, targeting the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Justice and at least 12 other government agencies. It is hard not to see a cynical pattern of targeted, systematic dismantling of government agencies that have or could hold Musk and Trump’s businesses to account or that don’t align with their personal political ideology. We will wait to see what if any of the Congressional, legislative and judicial interventions that have been initiated in response to DOGE stick.
Amidst the Trump tumult the arts in the US has also been hit, albeit less dramatically. On Friday Tump announced his intention to remove the Chair and Board of Trustees of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and appoint himself Chair. Trump is clearing the decks of those he sees as not sharing his “Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture”. The day before the National Endowment for the Arts changed its guidelines to encourage projects that celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and they cancelled a round of Challenge America funding, a program for underserved communities.
The first executive order issued by Trump took aim at DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives) in the US federal government by revoked a number of Biden administration orders. National institutions have had to comply with the directive to end DEI programs. Also within that extensive list or revocations was the order that had re-established the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. The Committee was established under President Ronald Reagan’s administration in 1982 and continued until Trump’s first administration when he abolished it. Biden brought it back in 2022.
It makes you wonder what havoc Dutton’s government efficiency push could have on the arts if we see a Coalition win at the upcoming federal election. Will Revive survive? Indeed, will Creative Australia survive?
What’s worth reading on Trump and the arts:
Trump says he will appoint himself chair of Kennedy Center Dara Kerr – Saturday 8 February 2025 The Guardian Read it →
Trump Disbands President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities Rhea Nayyar – Monday 3 February 2025 Hyperallergic Read it →
Museums Scramble to Grasp Impact of Trump’s DEI Mandate Maya Pontone and Isa Farfan – Friday 31 January 2025 Hyperallergic Read it →
Spotify adds more audiobooks despite music industry’s concerns
Spotify is inking deals with book publishers to bring in more audiobook titles despite the music industry’s concerns they are pushing down music royalties.
So much Spotify! This week they announced their first full year of profit, prompting a share surge for the music streamer. Last week they were touting a new deal with Universal Music, and this week they have inked a similar one with Warner Music Group. That’s two of the ‘Big Three’ record labels in on whatever it is Spotify is planning next. It’s unclear what that is, but there is speculation that could include a subscription option above premium that includes lossless audio playback.
The subscription bundling thing continues with company announcing partnerships with Crooked Lane, Alcove Press and Podium Entertainment to expand the list of audiobook titles available for Premium subscribers to listen to. Their ambitions for more audiobooks is so big both announcements were made on the same day. As the ink dries on these new agreements Spotify does not seem to be worried about the impact bundling of audiobooks into its plans is having on mechanical royalties. The music industry has hit back with the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) undertaking a coordinated notice-and-takedown campaign against Spotify for unlicensed music in podcasts on the platform. Sadly, I doubt it will do much but what other plays are there?
What’s else is worth reading on Spotify’s recent behaviour:
Spotify Posts First Full-Year Profit for 2024, CEO Says Streamer Will ‘Double Down’ on Music in 2025 Todd Spangler?—?Friday 4 February 2025 Variety Read it →
Music Publishers Begin ‘Extensive’ Spotify Podcast Takedowns Over Licensing Violations Jem Aswad?—?Friday 4 February 2025 Variety Read it →
NMPA Announces Extensive Podcast Takedown Action Against Spotify Friday 4 February 2025 National Music Publishers’ Association Read it →
Warner Music Group and Spotify Announce a New Multi-Year Agreement Thursday 6 Febraury 2025 Spotify Read it →
Spotify signs Warner Music deal heralding new subscription tiers Jess Weatherbed?—?Friday 7 Febraury 2025 The Verge Read it →
Spotify to grow its Sci-Fi and Fantasy offering through new publisher partnerships Melina Spanoudi?—?Friday 7 Febraury 2025 The Bookseller Read it →
Spotify Partners With Crooked Lane and Alcove Press To Bring More Mystery and Crime Audiobooks Thursday 6 February 2025 For the Record, Spotify Read it →
Spotify Listeners Gain Even More Great Stories With Audiobooks From Podium Thursday 6 Febraury 2025 For the Record, Spotify Read it →
Young Australians are concerned about misinformation on?Facebook
Young people are aware content on social media can be misinformation and Meta abandoning fact-checking has them concerned.
It will probably be months before we have any data to show what the impact of Meta’s backflip on fact-checking and other actions has had on Facebook, Instagram and Threads’ user base and active user numbers, as well as advertising spend on the platforms. Bluesky had seen a bump in new registrations since Musk took over X and, at least in my experience, another post the Meta changes. I don’t have anything concrete to basis it on, but it feels like trust in the social media platforms is in free fall.
BTN High have interviewed young Australians about their level of trust in social media in the wake of changes. It is easy to be pessimistic at the moment but the comments by young people are telling. Australia may be pushing for a social media ban for under 16s, but the responses BTN tell me that (some) young people (at least) are thinking critically about the social media platforms they inhabit. Have a read?—?it will fill you with hope, too.
What’s worth reading on changes in trust of social media:
Do young Australians still trust social media? Neelima Choahan and Michelle Wakim – Thursday 6 February 2025 ABC News and BTN High, Australian Broadcasing Corporation Read it →
Trust in Social Media Michelle Wakim – Tuesday 4 February 2025 BTN High, BTN, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Read it →
Open Futures white paper asks if open source AI should only use open?data
A new white paper from Open Futures considered the importance of open data in open source AI, but why frameworks around open data need to become more sophisticated.
Open Futures have published a new white paper looking at the notion of open source AI and what role data plays in it. To me there are two fundamental questions is reaises: Should open source AI have to rely on open data? And is open data in its current form appropriate given it fails to protect non-copyright interests in data? In particular, it challenges the looseness of current attempts to define open AI which leave the reliance on open data to train open AI a desirable but non-compulsory requirement.
However, even if open data were make more prominent in open AI, questions arise as to the amount of open data available and suitable for training AI, but also to the longstanding modus operandi of open data: ‘to release as much data as possible, as openly as possible’. That approach has failed to adequately address legitimate reasons why some data should not or cannot be made freely available without any restrictions on use. This is particularly relevant to other data considerations beyond copyright, such as privacy and respectful engagement with First Nations knowledge.
In response, the white paper proposes two key paradigm shifts are needed to take open AI forward. First, it advocates a maturing of data governance with respect to open data from basic notions of ‘open’ to a more sophisticated 'data commons' approach that can accommodate a range of stakeholder interests and data governance practices. Considering the needs and perspectives of all stakeholders involved in the data-sharing process is the second paradigm shift. While the paper doesn’t address Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) and Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDSov) specifically, such an approach leaves room for these community-based ideas and others.
Within these paradigms, the white paper also suggests six pivotal focus areas. These are:
Overall, I am supportive of the white paper’s suggestions. To me it is part of a wider maturing of the open community and their understanding of what they are trying to achieve by being open. If you are interested, I wrote a more detailed overview of the white paper.
Alek Tarkowski – February 2025
Open Future
A bit on the side
Other tasty tidbits this week:
More to read
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Disclosure
Conflict of interest
I am the Copyright Officer (part-time) at the Australian Digital Alliance (ADA) and at the Australian Libraries and Archives Copyright Coalition (ALACC). The views expressed in this blog post are my own and do not express the views of the ADA or the ALACC.
AI use
This blog post was drafted using Google Docs. No part of the text of this blog post was generated using AI. The original text was not modified or improved using AI. No text suggested by AI was incorporated. If spelling or grammar corrections were suggested by AI they were accepted or rejected based on my discretion (however, sometimes spelling, grammar and corrections of typos may have occurred automatically in Google Docs).
The icon in the banner image (i.e. the first image at the top of the blog post) was generated by AI using Text to Vector Graphic (Beta) in Adobe Illustrator. Prompt: { ‘An outlined question mark and exclamation mark’ }.
Credits
Image: A colourful icon of a question mark and exclamation mark. The question mark is in two shades of pink and the exclamation mark is in two shades of blue. Both sit on an orange background. The icon is an adaptation of an vector graphic generated by Elliott Bledsoe using the AI tool Text to Vector Graphic (Beta) in Adobe Illustrator.
Provenance
This blog post was produced by Elliott Bledsoe from Agentry, an arts marketing micro-consultancy. It was first published on Sunday 9 February 2025. It has not been updated. This is version 1.0. Questions, comments and corrections are welcome – get in touch any time.
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