R&B artist named Xania Monet has just inked a $3 million deal with Hallwood Media, the company led by former Interscope executive Neil Jacobson, Billboard reports. But Xania isn’t human. She’s the AI-powered creation of Telisha “Nikki” Jones, a 31-year-old poet and design studio owner from Olive Branch, Mississippi. Jones, who grew up singing in church, writes all her own lyrics and uses the AI music-generation platform Suno to bring Monet’s music to life. Her tracks have been gaining momentum fast. On September 20, Xania debuted at No. 25 on Billboard’s
Join our Patreon for extra-long episodes and ad-free content. Techish hosts Abadesi and Michael dive into how AI is shaking up applications and why some grads are crushing it while others are stuck, Timbaland swapping out human artists for AI, and the future of adult content. Chapters00:27 Is It a Graduate Recession?11:29 Timbaland Debuts AI-Generated Artist TaTa24:59 OnlyFans on Sale for $8 Billion [Patreon-Only] Listen To The Episode You can find the Techish podcast on Spotify, Apple, and all good podcast apps. Watch On YouTube Extra Reading & Resources No
Renowned producer Timbaland has launched his own AI entertainment company, Stage Zero, with its first artist, TaTa. The company was co-founded with his creative partner, Zayd Portillo, and film producer Rocky Mudaliar, according to Rolling Stone. Timbaland will handle most of the production for this new artificial intelligence venture, calling the new genre “A-Pop.” “I’m not just producing tracks anymore,” Timbaland said in a statement. “I’m producing systems, stories, and stars from scratch. [TaTa] is not an avatar. She is not a character. TaTa is a living, learning, autonomous music
Four-time GRAMMY® Award-winning producer Timbaland has joined Suno, a leading AI music creation platform, as a strategic advisor. This collaboration comes after months of Timbaland actively using Suno. Love Again Remix Contest To mark the beginning of this partnership, Timbaland previewed his latest single, “Love Again,” exclusively on Suno, inviting artists from around the world to participate in a remix contest. The contest, launching 24 hours after the announcement, will offer over $100,000 in prizes, with Timbaland himself providing feedback on submissions. The top two remixes will then be released on major streaming platforms,
Verzuz, the multimedia platform co-founded by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, announced a new distribution deal with Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter). Episodes will stream for free exclusively on X, while VERZUZ maintains full ownership and creative control. VERZUZ comes to X This partnership follows Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s reacquisition of VERZUZ from Triller after a lawsuit over $28 million in unpaid fees. Despite legal issues, the founders kept their equity in Triller and retained the artists who participated in VERZUZ. Swizz Beatz expressed excitement about the partnership: “We are beyond
The rise of AI-generated music has sparked both excitement and concern within the music industry. From calls for legal action to taking advantage of opportunities to revolutionize music creation and revenue generation, the relationship between Black artists and AI-generated music is, well, complex. Ice Cube: “AI is Demonic” Ice Cube, during an appearance on the Full Send podcast, told listeners: “I think AI is demonic, I think AI is going to get a backlash from real people.” Ice Cube voiced concerns about the unauthorized manipulation of original voices without proper
Timbaland and Swizz Beatz’s battle against short-form music video app Triller has finally come to an end. Earlier this year, the pair decided to sue Triller after alleging they refused to pay them $28 million after acquiring Verzuz, a rap-battle show they founded during the first peak of the pandemic. According to reports, the pair claimed the company had refused to pay the settlement agreement after acquiring their Verzuz platform. Despite Triller denying the claims, the platform has reached an “amicable agreement” with both partners to settle the matter. “Verzuz
Timbaland and Swizz Beatz’ relationship with short-form music video app Triller has taken a turn for the worst. According to reports, the pair have decided to sue Triller after alleging they refused to pay them $28 million after acquiring Verzuz, a rap-battle show they founded during the first peak of the pandemic. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Timbaland and Swizz Beats entered a settlement and signed a payment agreement with the platform. The deal meant Triller was supposed to pay the pair $9 million each and $500,000 on the first of
