Michael Andor Brodeur, writing for The Washington Post: As covid-19 forces more and more classical musicians and organizations to shift operations to the Internet, they're having to contend with an entirely different but equally faceless adversary: copyright bots. Or, more accurately, content identification algorithms dispatched across social media to scan content and detect illegal use of copyrighted recordings. You've encountered these bots in the wild if you've ever had a workout video or living room lip-sync blocked or muted for ambient inclusion or flagrant use of Britney or Bruce. But who owns Brahms? These oft-overzealous algorithms are particularly fine-tuned for the job of sniffing out the sonic idiosyncrasies of pop music, having been trained on massive troves of "reference" audio files submitted by record companies and performing rights societies. But classical musicians are discovering en masse that the perceptivity of automated copyright systems falls critically short when it comes to classical music, which presents unique challenges both in terms of content and context. After all, classical music exists as a vast, endlessly revisited and repeated repertoire of public-domain works distinguishable only through nuanced variations in performance. Put simply, bots aren't great listeners.

These systems aren't just disrupting the relationships between classical organizations and their audiences; they're also impacting individual musicians trying to stay musically present -- and financially afloat -- during the crisis. Michael Sheppard, a Baltimore-based pianist, composer and teacher, was recently giving a Facebook Live performance of a Beethoven sonata (No. 3, Op. 2, in C) when Facebook blocked the stream, citing the detection of "2:28 of music owned by Naxos of America" -- specifically a passage recorded by the French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, whom Sheppard is not. [...] And this wasn't Sheppard's first run-in with Facebook, which has blocked or muted past performances of Faure, Chopin and Bach for being too digitally reminiscent of other performances of Faure, Chopin and Bach.

The process to get unlicensed versions of movies, music and other content taken off the internet isn't working as intended and should be updated, the Copyright Office said in an expansive report Thursday. From a report: Updating that system would require an act of Congress, which can now look to the Copyright Office's conclusions as it considers legislating on the matter. In its report, the office found the system for notice and takedown of infringing materials is unbalanced and out of sync with Congress' intent when it established the process in the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The DMCA includes liability protection for online companies whose users illegally upload copyrighted material if the online companies take down the material when they are notified by the rights-holder. Copyright holders have complained that this process doesn't proactively protect their intellectual property against online infringement, and the report appears to agree, concluding "Congress' original intended balance has been tilted askew."

Netflix said Thursday it will ask customers who have not watched anything on the on-demand video streaming service in a year or more if they wish to maintain their subscriptions -- and will cancel the subscription if it does not receive a confirmation. From a report: The company said it has started to notify customers who have't watched anything on the service in 12 months since they became a subscriber to check if they wish to keep their membership. The company is also reaching out to those who haven't streamed anything in the past two years, it said. "You know that sinking feeling when you realize you signed up for something but haven't used it in ages? At Netflix, the last thing we want is people paying for something they're not using," the company said.

Technology company ScreenHits is launching ScreenHits TV, a streaming video aggregator app that lets consumers bundle different services together in a single interface. From a report: The service creates a one-stop electronic programming guide where users can search the libraries of both free and subscription streaming platforms, as well as live online TV without jumping from platform to platform and without having to repeatedly sign up for new services. Subscribers of SVOD platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, HBO Go, MUBI and other streaming services, including BBC iPlayer, can integrate their existing services within the app, which is set to go live across multiple territories, including the U.S. and the U.K., by the end of this month. Entry-level subscriptions to ScreenHits will start at $1.99 per month and will initially be available on Samsung Smart TVs, Amazon Fire Stick, Apple Store, Google Chrome, Android and for the desktop.

The mythical, unreleased version of the 2017 superhero film "Justice League" will finally see the light of day on Warner Media's HBO Max in 2021. From a report: After years of campaigning from talent and comic book fans, the studio behind the DC Films ensemble "Justice League" will offer original director Zach Snyder's cut of the film, which saw heroes Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Cyborg and Superman share the same screen. Director Zack Snyder announced the news on a live Q&A Wednesday, following a virtual screening of his Henry Cavill-led Superman film "Man of Steel." Snyder completed the majority of work on "Justice League" in 2016, but stepped away from post-production and editing in light of a family tragedy. Warner Bros. brought in "The Avengers" helmer Joss Whedon to finish the job, and the varying styles of both men led many fans to believe Snyder had envisioned a much darker take on the project.

Budgeted at a reported $300 million, the film grossed over $650 million worldwide and did not resonate with critics, sitting at 40% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The DC assemblage was largely perceived as a miss in comparison to the juggernaut of Marvel Studios, and led to a creative pivot away from a tightly connected cinematic universe in favor of a far more loosely assembled collection of comic book adaptations.

Andrew Pulver writes via The Guardian: Film-maker Lilly Wachowski has responded to Elon Musk and Ivanka Trump after the pair bantered on social media using a phrase from the Wachowskis' hit 1999 film, The Matrix. After Musk tweeted "Take the red pill" -- referring to a key scene in The Matrix, which subsequently gave rise to the phrase "redpilling" as an alt-right, misogynist meme, along with a red rose emoji normally associated with the Democratic Socialists of America, the party to which Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib belong -- Trump replied: "Taken!"

Wachowski then pithily responded, "Fuck both of you," before following up with a tweet supporting the Brave Space Alliance, which describes itself as "the first Black and trans led LGBTQIA center located on the South Side of Chicago." Musk, the South African-born entrepreneur who is CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, posted his original tweet with no other comment, but it is thought to refer to his clash with authorities in California over his plans to reopen the Tesla factory in Fremont, in which he was supported by Donald Trump.

Apple is acquiring older movies and shows for its TV+ streaming service, aiming to build a back catalog of content that can better stack up against the huge libraries available on Netflix, Hulu and Disney+. From a report: The company's video-programming executives have taken pitches from Hollywood studios about licensing older content for TV+ and have bought some shows and movies, according to people familiar with the matter. The move represents a subtle strategy shift for Apple TV+, which launched in November with a lineup of original programs. The company plans to keep TV+ focused on original shows, and hasn't yet acquired any huge franchises or blockbusters for its back catalog, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private.

Disney's Head of Streaming, Kevin Mayer, is leaving to become the chief executive of TikTok and ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok. CNBC reports: It's a huge score for TikTok, a social media platform that hosts short form videos. Mayer was considered one of the top candidates to replace former Disney CEO Bob Iger, before Bob Chapek was ultimately named chief executive. Mayer is also leaving Disney after the successful launch of its streaming platform, Disney+, which rolled out in November and had 54.5 million subscribers as of May 4. Mayer earned a reputation at Disney as being the company's top deal maker. He spearheaded the company's acquisition of BAMTech, which makes the streaming technology that powers the company's online video services. He was also instrumental in Disney's acquisitions of Lucasfilm (and the Star Wars franchise), Pixar, Marvel and 21st Century Fox over the last decade and a half.

Disney veteran Rebecca Campbell will take over as Disney's head of streaming, the company announced in a news release. Campbell is a 23-year veteran of the Disney company and has held leadership roles across Disney's media, international and parks businesses. Most recently she served as president of Disneyland Resort.

Long-time Slashdot reader sandbagger writes: Science fiction and fantasy can help readers make sense of the world. Rather than limiting readers' capacity to deal with reality, exposure to outside-the-box creative stories may expand their ability to engage reality based on science according to an article by an assistant professor of English at Clark University.
"Let them read science fiction," the article concludes. "In it, young people can see themselves — coping, surviving and learning lessons — that may enable them to create their own strategies for resilience." But it'd be interesting to hear what Slashdot's readers think.

Do you think your mental resiliency is greater because of the science fiction you read when you were young?

9to5Mac has learned more exclusive details about Apple's upcoming over-ear headphones, dubbed the "AirPods Studio," including specifications and settings. From the report: One of the key features of regular AirPods is ear detection, which automatically pauses the song when you take the earphones off. We've learned that AirPods Studio will have a similar feature, but it will work in a different way. Instead of ear detection, Apple is working to include sensors that can detect whether the headphones are on your head or neck. Based on this, we assume that AirPods Studio will play or pause content when they detect being placed on your head. Neck detection can be used to keep the headset turned on while the music is paused, just like when you take just one of the AirPods out of the ear.

Another new sensor will be able to detect left and right ears to automatically route the audio channels. That means there's likely no right or wrong side to use AirPods Studio, whereas current headphones have fixed left and right channels. Just like the AirPods Pro, Apple's new headphones will have Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode. Users will be able to easily switch between the two modes to reduce external noise or to hear the ambient sound.

As AirPods Studio are expected to be mainly focused on professional users, pairing the earphones with a Mac or iOS device will unlock custom equalizer settings, with low, medium, and high frequency adjustments available, sources told us. According to a Bloomberg recent report, Apple's own-brand over-ear headphones will be available in at least two variations of the headphones -- one using leather fabrics and another with lighter materials to fitness use cases. Bloomberg also said Apple is testing a new modular design with exchangeable magnetic ear pads. [...] As for the price, rumors suggest that it will cost $349.

Google is making it easier for Google Play Music users to make the switch to the company's now preferred music app, YouTube Music, ahead of its plans to shut down Google Play Music later this year. From a report: Starting today, Google Play Music users will be able to move their libraries, personal taste preferences and playlists to the newer YouTube Music service by way of a new "transfer" option available in the app. The company has been steadily working to make YouTube Music its default music service, in order to eventually replace Google Play Music. Last year, for example, Google shut down the Google Play Artist Hub and began preinstalling YouTube Music on Android smartphones. It said at the time those moves were part of its broader strategy to merge the two services. Now we have a deadline of sorts for Google Play Music's end-of-life -- sometime later this year, according to Google's announcement.

An anonymous reader writes: If you take out The Office's physical interactions between characters and try to tell the same jokes over Slack, does The Office still work? It's a question that creative collective MSCHF set to find out, recreating all 201 episodes of the series over Slack. Viewers will join a live Slack, where different channels are dedicated to various departments, including accounting, warehouse, and a general office room. Viewers are requested to avoid posting in the "company" channels, but are encouraged to pop in and out of channels to keep up with the episodes as they don't all play in one. Since it is a live Slack, inappropriate messages and images do pop up, but the MSCHF team has a number of moderators working to keep it as troll-free as possible, a representative told The Verge. It could take roughly two to three weeks for each episode to "air" over Slack, so settle in.

Today, shares of AMC are up 40% (recouping about 26% of their value lost since January) solely on an unconfirmed report from the Daily Mail that Amazon is interested in buying the global theater chain. "AMC's market capitalization was about $427 million when the news broke, down from $752 million at the end of 2019," adds Quartz. From the report: The Daily Mail reported AMC and Amazon have at some point held talks about a takeover, though it was unclear if those talks were still ongoing. Deadline reported a few hours later that there were in fact no talks, according to unnamed sources. Neither AMC nor Amazon immediately responded to a request for comment. AMC Entertainment, which is owned by China's Wanda Group, is nearly $5 billion in debt, while analysts suspect it could be forced to declare bankruptcy. But the Daily Mail report alone was enough to show AMC's investors a light at the end of the tunnel. For Amazon, acquiring AMC would instantly give it a direct, global theatrical distribution pipeline for its own original films. It previously explored purchasing the smaller cinema chain, Landmark Theatres, before it was outbid by Cohen Media Group.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Everyone is stuck at home, which you would think would mean a lot more TV watching, not less. And up to a point, that's true: millions of us are putting millions of hours into streaming content from Netflix, Disney+, and others. What we aren't doing, though, is watching cable -- especially sports, which aren't happening in the bars and restaurants we aren't going to. Residential customers have been cutting the cord for years, but now commercial subscribers to pay-TV companies have started jumping into the cancellation heap, The Wall Street Journal reports. Restaurants, bars, hotels, and airlines aren't continuing to pay for pricey channel bundles when nobody is coming in, and even if they could, those viewers would have nothing to watch.

Cable operators continue to charge fees for sports programming that currently doesn't exist thanks to a fairly tangled web of rights and contracts. And while some customers could receive rebates down the line, managing cash flow today may be easier if you just cancel the package altogether. That's even truer for small businesses, which are trying to shore up enough resources to survive long-term. One bar and grill in Arizona told the WSJ cutting off its cable plan is saving the business $1,600 per month. Although the restaurant does anticipate opening for in-person dining in the next weeks, tables will be spaced farther apart, capacity will be limited and the screens dark, as there are no professional or college sports to show. Last week, Variety reported that cable broadcasting's so-called "Pay TV" services have already lost 1.7 million paying subscribers in just the first three months of 2020. Meanwhile, satellite TV witnesses a higher 14.3% drop in paying subscribers in just those same three months.

It begs the question, will the pandemic finally kill cable TV?

In just the first three months of 2020, cable broadcasting's so-called "Pay TV" services have already lost 1.7 million paying subscribers, reports Variety: Comparing the losses against Q1 2019 paints a grim picture for most providers, but especially for AT&T, who lost a massive 3.6 million video customers in a year. Comcast has the second highest losses, down by 900k, with Dish down 600k and Charter losing 400,000 customers versus Q1 2019.... [R]ecall that COVID-19 only began to hit the country in a big way in the last 2-3 weeks of Q1. If Coronavirus is to blame for the declines, then Q2 will be appalling, with the industry well on track to meet Variety Intelligence Platform's estimate of 8 million subscribers lost across 2020.
While the 1.7 million cancellations represents just 2.3% of the 72.1 million paying subscribers that cable TV services had enjoyed at the start of the year, satellite TV witnessed a higher 14.3% drop in paying subscribers in just those same three months, according to Broadcasting & Cable. In the same article Craig Moffett of MoffettNathanson Research predicts "With sports off the air, and with the pain of the tsunami of unemployment just beginning to hit as the quarter ended, all these numbers will get worse in Q2." He also notes that YouTube TV and Sling TV lost 341,000 subscribers in the same 13 weeks, while subscriber numbers also dropped at AT&T Now and fubo.

Barron's says Moffett extrapolated the trends to a grim conclusion: Moffett adds that while it is a little early to declare the cable sector dead, he says it isn't actually too early to draft the industry's obituary.

So he wrote one: "The cable network business, once among the world's most profitable industries, succumbed today after a long and painful slide into irrelevance ...When the coronavirus crisis hit in early 2020, sports went off the air, and that was the beginning of the end. By the time sports came back, the damage had been done. The patient was unresponsive. The deceased is survived by Disney+ and Peacock. A shiva will be held over Zoom..."

Netflix, meanwhile, signed up more than 15 million new subscribers in the first quarter.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek reiterated previous gripes he's had with Apple during an interview this week, saying its platform is still not open enough to third-party apps like the Sweden-based music streamer. But according to the cofounder of high-end speaker and home audio company Sonos, Spotify operates an even-more closed ecosystem than Apple. From a report: In a tweet posted Wednesday, Sonos cofounder John MacFarlane said it was "solid irony" that Ek was criticizing Apple's platform. "Having worked closely with both Apple and Spotify, I would say it's more significantly more difficult to work within Spotify's 'closed' ecosystem than Apple's," he wrote. "Respect and appreciate both companies, but 'open' Spotify is not." Sonos products for the most part rely on third-party services like Spotify and Apple Music to stream music, podcasts, and audiobooks through the Sonos app. Industry analysts and commentators have suggested in recent years that Apple buy Sonos to boost its struggling HomePod smart speaker business.

Jeff Grubb, writing for VentureBeat: One of the tidbits revealed during the first Xbox 20/20 event today is that Dirt 5 supports 120 frames per second on Xbox Series X. Publisher Codemasters' racing game is coming in October, but it supports Smart Delivery. So if you get it for Xbox One, you'll get the Xbox Series X version at no additional cost. And what does the Xbox Series X-optimized version of Dirt 5 get you? In an interview with the Xbox team, Codemasters confirmed that Dirt 5 supports the next-gen console's high-framerate feature. This means you can drive around the rally racer at 4K and 120 frames per second. High framerate is one of a number of key features for the next-gen consoles. And that makes sense. Racing games already have nearly photorealistic visuals. More graphical effects are not going to make much of a difference to the presentation of a Dirt 5. So this enables Codemasters to put that extra horsepower toward running the game faster.

OK, so the Xbox Series X can run Dirt 5 at up to 120fps, but that's not going to matter if you don't have the right display. High-refreshrate content is common on the PC, but consoles have primarily topped out at 60fps. Because of this it hasn't matter that most TVs top out at 60Hz. But it is a problem for the next-gen consoles. To actually see Dirt 5 running at 120fps, you'll need a TV that runs at 120Hz or faster. That means the TV updates its frames 120 times every second. The good news here is that a lot of TVs already have this feature. The bad news is that even if you have an HFR panel, support is a lot more complicated than that. The issue comes down to the audio/video interface running between your TV and the Xbox Series X.

McGruber writes: On Twitter, William Shatner is sending his contempt to the Lethbridge Police department and three of its officers that celebrated May Fourth by drawing their rifles on and then taking down a woman dressed as Stormtrooper, who had been standing in the parking lot of a Star Wars-themed business. According to CTV News, the restaurant was promoting its special May the 4th drive-by and takeaway menus with a dancing stormtrooper.

"In the video, Ashley can be seen dropping the blaster and trying to get on the ground as the officers surround her but being unable to do so due to the rigidity of the costume," reports CBR. "The officers then push her down, remove the helmet, handcuff her and pat down the stormtrooper costume. At the same time as Ashley's boss Brad Whalen, the owner of the Cantina, screamed to the police that Ashley was holding a plastic gun, the author of the video approached the officers to tell them the same thing. The police, however, instructed him to stay back and not interfere."

An investigation has been opened to see if the officers' actions were appropriate.

An anonymous reader shares a report: The Academy has announced that DVD and Blu-Ray screeners will be banned after the next Oscars ceremony. This marks the end of a long-standing tradition. Not just in the movie business, but also on pirate sites where the DVDscr tag is closely watched. Although Oscar DVD Screeners may soon be history, this doesn't mean that screener leaks will be thing of the past.

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced Disney to postpone the release of its biggest movies, including Mulan and Black Widow, but will those movies actually end up heading straight to a streaming or digital-on-demand platform if the coronavirus pandemic drags on even longer? From a report: Disney says it might consider sending some major movies straight to streaming on a "case-by-case" basis. On Tuesday, Disney held its Q2 2020 earnings call for investors, with CEO Bob Chapek, CFO Christine McCarthy, and executive chairman Bob Iger in attendance (remotely) to give statements and take questions. [...] In the Q&A section of the call, investors asked if Disney had considered a "premium streaming" release for its postponed movies, like Mulan, Black Widow, and The Eternals. With the pandemic forcing theaters to close and people to say at home, is Disney willing to forgo theaters and instead release movies on digital platforms, as some studios have (i.e.: Trolls World Tour)? CEO Bob Chapek said it's a maybe.