5 Links to Consider | July 2, 2025
A round-up of this week's compelling and considered clicks, compiled from The Absolute Sound's veteran staff of experts and reviewers.
Can the music industry make AI the next Napster?
While many fields are mired in questions about whether AI models are illegally trained on pirated data, the music industry is coming at the issue from a position of unusual strength: the benefits of years of case law backing copyright protections, a regimented licensing system, and a handful of powerful companies that control the industry. Record labels have chosen to fight several AI companies on copyright law, and they have a strong hand to play.
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images The 30 Most Intriguing Musicians of 2025
(#3) Cristóbal Tapia de Veer You may not recognize the name, but you know his music. Cristóbal Tapia de Veer composed the music for the hit TV show The White Lotus—and it’s one of the most intensely creative soundtracks I’ve heard in recent years, mixing voices, instruments, textures in mysterious ways. The TV industry agrees—at least judging by the Emmy Awards he has won. And this music is now showing up in unexpected places, getting remixed by DJs and migrating to dance floors. Full article here...
Apple Music to Open 15,000-Square-Foot Studio in L.A.
Apple announced a new Los Angeles studio for its Apple Music division, touting it as the company’s “most ambitious creative project to date.” A central feature of the Apple Music L.A. studio is a 4,000-square-foot soundstage for live performances, multicam shoots, fan events and screenings. The facility has “two advanced radio studios” with immersive Spatial Audio playback and adaptable setups for “live interviews, casual chats, or impromptu performances.” There’s a dedicated Spatial Audio mixing room outfitted with a 9.2.4 PMC speaker system as well as a photo and social media lab, edit room and green room. Read full article here...
(Image: Courtesy of Apple)
What Michael Tilson Thomas learned from James Brown (a lesson in groovology)
In this web exclusive, conductor and composer Michael Tilson Thomas sits down with CBS News' Lesley Stahl to discuss his family history of show business; mentoring and directing young musicians; and the competitive element of his relationship with Leonard Bernstein. He also gives Stahl a lesson in conducting, including how to "mix it up," and explains why D♯ and E♭ – which share the same key on a piano – can represent two different notes.
Toshifumi Hinata - Vendetta (Official Music Video)
Comments by Toshifumi Hinata on "Vendetta" from the album "The Dark Night Rhapsodies": How the violinist played the solo, it was wonderful and close to what I had envisioned. "Vendetta" has a connotation of revenge. There is a book called “Living Well Is the Best Revenge” written by Calvin Tomkins, a journalist from The New Yorker. I think the word "well" is about feelings and not about wealth. Speaking from my own experiences, many unpleasant things happen in life, and I believe living my life with my best effort is the best revenge for them. I wanted to express that something swirling behind the image of this song.
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