30 Aug YouTube Music AI Incubator Program, Sunsetting Third-Party Storefronts on TikTok, Threads Updates
YouTube Launches New YouTube Music AI Incubator Program
Source: SiliconANGLE
Listen up! YouTube just launched the YouTube Music AI Incubator program dedicated to embracing creative expression through the responsible use of artificial intelligence. YouTube partnered up with artists, songwriters, and producers from Universal Music Group. It feels as if yesterday the first “AI covers” and AI-generated music using the voices of big-name artists like Drake were dropped on TikTok. Now, such music is available to the masses on all corners of the internet and faces momentous regulation to protect the integrity of artists across the globe.
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan shared in a blog post the three critical principles of YouTube Music’s new program. These core principles were developed by YouTube alongside Universal Music Group Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge in order to establish a solid framework for AI in the music industry. In sum, YouTube stated that it responsibly embraces AI with its music partners, AI music creation must include appropriate protections and unlock opportunities for music partners, and YouTube will scale its trust and safety teams and policies to properly address AI concerns.
YouTube’s executive team is buzzing about AI, and CEO Neal Mohan is ready to embrace AI in music with open arms. Mohan shared, “I’m incredibly excited about the opportunity of AI to supercharge creativity around the world, but recognize that YouTube and the promise of AI will only be successful if our partners are successful.”
The YouTube Music AI Incubator is here to take production and experimentation to the next level with artificial intelligence. For more updates, stay tuned to Spreading the Influence.
Goodbye Third-Party Storefronts, Hello TikTok Shop
Source: Glamour
Businesses small and large are waving goodbye to TikTok’s Storefront feature which is set to discontinue globally on September 12th. Why is TikTok sunsetting third-party merchant integrations like Shopify? TikTok shared an FAQs post to their Business Help Center which stated that it is dedicated to developing and offering native solutions for the rapidly evolving retail landscape, so TikTok Shop is open to merchants to better engage with users and grow their businesses. Moreover, TikTok has shifted full force into promoting the use of TikTok Shop following Douyin’s success with in-app shopping and a strong uptick in TikTok Shop use in the United States.
Merchants on TikTok have many questions regarding advertising and transferring storefront information to TikTok Shop. Upon signing up for TikTok Shop, merchants’ storefronts will immediately disconnect from their profiles and all products must be manually relisted in TikTok Shop. All active Video Shopping Ads and Live Shopping Ads linked to third-party storefronts will be discontinued on September 12th and will no longer be available for use. This also means that merchants will no longer have access to performance data on past ads for their storefronts. Merchants who would like to resume promoting their business via Video Shopping Ads and Live Shopping Ads may do so following their official TikTok Shop setup.
So what’s next for TikTok businesses? Transitioning from storefronts to TikTok Shop may be a tedious process, but TikTok’s native shopping experience has proven itself to be an engaging and profitable experience for merchants globally. TikTok recently launched the Fulfilled by TikTok program, which takes the hassle of storing, packaging, and delivering orders out of the hands of merchants so that they can focus on developing their products and business as a whole. Affiliate marketing with influencers and common creators on TikTok has launched businesses to stardom, selling out viral products and boosting the financial success of small businesses. What may be new sales territory for merchants on TikTok may be the next big break for their businesses.
It’s Official: Twitch’s Discovery Feed is Now Available for Testing
Source: Twitch
This July at TwitchCon Paris, Twitch announced its new Discovery Feed where streamers will showcase a personalized mix of Clips, short-form video highlights, for each Twitch user to discover content from new creators, whether they are live or not. The Discovery Feed is now available as a Live Test as promised in Twitch’s original announcement earlier this summer as a “limited experience.” Only a select subset of users on Twitch have access to the Discovery Feed and related features, but more developments are to come in the near future.
During the test period for the remainder of this summer, Twitch will be closely observing the use and performance of the Discovery Feed as extending time spent on the platform overall is a goal of Twitch. Twitch’s central focus during the current live test period is to successfully train the algorithm for recommending short-form content. Streamers and users may share their feedback with Twitch which will be put into consideration when refining the Discovery Feed.
Testing will conclude this fall for the Discovery Feed and users will officially have public access to the new feed this October. Twitch is also releasing a new Stories feature for users in October alongside the Discovery Feed. In a past announcement regarding the Discovery Feed, Twitch shared, “Our investment in Clips is to help viewers discover your channel so they join you and your community when you stream.” Will Twitch’s new Discovery Feed and Stories features improve streamer-viewer relationships and engagement or will they distract from the core element of Twitch, livestreaming?
The Latest on What’s Up with Threads
Source: DEXERTO
Meta is back with more updates for Instagram Threads in response to abundant user feedback. Instagram Threads is now available on desktops, one of the platform’s most requested features from passionate users. Threads users will have access to different features while logged into their accounts on desktops, but Meta shared that the desktop version of Threads will not completely operate at parity with the original mobile version.
On the desktop version, Threads users have the ability to post content, view their feeds, and interact with others’ posts. Unlike mobile users, desktop users will not have access to profile editing features like changing their profile picture or sharing Threads via Instagram DMs. The Instagram Threads shared with TechCrunch that they are currently working on more features to improve compatibility between the desktop and mobile versions of Threads for release in the coming weeks.
Although aspects of Threads seem to be unfinished, as was the initial version launched back in July, Instagram Threads is still functionally in the beta stages of development. Meta is all ears for user feedback and improving user experience and accessibility on Instagram Threads. The Threads team has quite the road ahead of them for earning back the attention of the millions of users who have gone inactive on the platform, but Meta’s efficiency and attention to social sentiment are worth considering when predicting the future of the young platform.