Jay Komas

Match3 is not the best game economy. I know some who would say it’s not even economy! Also, digital board games are just video games with terrible UX. Listen to the episode for more on these hot takes from me and the fellas.

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“Recent lawsuits highlight the complex copyright issues faced by labels and producers where multiple people are involved in the production of a track, with a number of clashes over unauthorised use of stems, loops and beats in hit songs. A series of lawsuits have highlighted how critical it is for labels and producers to meticulously track and clarify ownership of any beats, stems or loops used in their releases. In particular, where elements of the track have come from third parties, it is essential to understand who created what and who owns the copyright. The most recent case involves songwriter and producer Jon Hume, who is suing Universal Music over allegations that the Dean Lewis track ‘Be Alright’ contains stems that he created. They were used without his permission, he claims, after the label told him that his work was not going to be used in the final release. The dispute echoes similar recent cases, including 2Point9Records’ lawsuit against Sony Music’s Ministry Of Sound Recordings, producer Sébastien Graux’s claim against Feid and Universal Music, and a dispute between Dutch producer Noam Ofirand and Norwegian Frederik Øverlie. No one disputes that Hume was involved in the writing of ‘Be Alright’ back in 2015 and, according to the MLC database, he has a 50% stake in the song copyright. He also created an original version of the track, playing all the instruments and adding Lewis’s vocals. He then provided that recording - and its constituent stems - to Lewis’s label. There was talk of Universal using his stems at one point, but he was ultimately told - before the record’s release in 2018 - that “we did not end up using any of Jon’s files in the final master”. However, last year he discovered that more than half of the stems in the released version of ‘Be Alright’ were from his original recording, contradicting the assurances the label gave.” Read the full article for more: #IP #IntelectualProperty #Legal #CopyrightInfrigement #Copyright #DerechoDeAutor #DroitdAuteur #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz #Creators #Stems #Loops #Beats #Songs #Songwriters #Artists #SoundRecordings

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“Apple Music is rolling out a new ‘premium’ data analytics toolkit for its record label and distributor partners. The new ‘Apple Music Partner Program’ features various tools for Apple Music’s partners to track trends on its streaming service as well as global radio plays using Shazam technology. According to the landing page for the platform, it offers “access [to] more tools to break the next talent, spot emerging trends, and uncover new insights about your content”. “Apple Music already runs another analytics platform in Apple Music For Artists, which was made available for every artist on Apple Music in August 2019. Apple Music For Artists allows artists to monitor the volume of their streaming plays on Apple Music, all within a data set that updates daily. Spotify launched its own Spotify For Artists app in 2017 (an evolution of the ‘Fan Insights’ tool it introduced two years earlier) to provide artists and their teams with information pertaining to their popularity on the service. Like Spotify for Artists, the Apple Music For Artists service is available as both a desktop interface and a standalone mobile app.” #Apple #AppleMusic #Artists #RecordLabels #Spotify #Fans #Fandom #Streaming #StreamingRoyalties #Royalties #RecordedMusic #StreamingServices #StreamingMedia #MusicTracks #MusicStreams #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz

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This little gem might not be on your radar, but it definitely should be... A California Civil Code 1542 waiver provision is a game-changer in the entertainment industry, offering crucial protections against unknown claims and releases. Having this in your contracts is like a safety net for producers, ensuring you’re not blindsided by anything that might pop up later down the line. Reality TV is full of surprises, but as a producer, you don’t want to be on the wrong end of a bombshell moment. Surprise-proof your contracts, and reach out to Ameri Law if you want to make sure they’re air-tight! #realitytv #tvproducer #entertainmentindustry #entertainmentlawyer #entertainmentadvice

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“…music copyright valuation continues to grow at an accelerated pace. The global valuation ascribed to music copyright reached $41.5bn, according to industry economist Will Page. This is 14.5% more than 2022. More folks are streaming music than ever before. Vinyl sales are up. Concert ticket sales surpassed 2019’s figures, according to Live Nation. And beneath all of this are the songs, or copyrighted works. Without them, there would be no tours, no vinyl records and no streaming services. Funds that invest in this intellectual property are expected to continue to see a return. But across the industry, this is not the case.” “There are reasons for this - based both on data and perception. Qualitatively, the way the music industry - as a monolith - is perceived continues to be challenged. For example, in BBC’s daily news podcast, Global Story, a report on Taylor Swift referred to the music industry as ‘in crisis’ despite the macroeconomic data arguing otherwise. This is supported by the evidence of burgeoning inequality. While arenas and stadiums celebrate a bumper year, small music venues in the UK suffered their “worst year in a decade” according to the Music Venue Trust. Music education hubs - often the places where music is first created - are being cut by two-thirds in 2024-2025. However, quantitatively, the data reveals a different story. Music listenership is up, according to the IFPI. Revenue collections from CISAC, the international trade body representing collective management organizations was up 28% in 2022. Simply, more music would mean more return, especially for firms that own much of the music that is consumed, such as funds like Hipgnosis, Round Hill or Primary Wave or the three multinationals, Universal Music Group, Warner Music and Sony Music. However, debt is now more expensive, and liabilities are outstripping return. Listening to more music is not enough.” #CMOs #CISAC #IFPI #Artists #UK #RecordingRights #Performers #Royalties #MusicRoyalties #Music #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #Copyright #Copyrights #Songs #Songwriters #Recordings #MusicPublishing #Streams #Streaming #MusicStreaming #LiveMusic #Global #RecordedMusic #RecordLabels #IndieMusic

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“Warner Music Group (WMG) CEO Robert Kyncl has come out in favor of a US Senate bill that would crack down on unauthorized deepfakes, arguing that the technology could ruin lives, reputations and businesses if left unchecked. Although many in the music business are embracing AI, it’s also the case that “generative AI is appropriating artists’ identities and producing deepfakes that depict people doing, saying, or singing things that never happened,” Kyncl will tell a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Commitee on Tuesday (April 30). “Through AI, it is very easy for someone to impersonate me and cause all manner of havoc,” Kyncl said, according to his pre-prepared remarks shared with MBW. “They could speak to an artist in a way that could destroy our relationship. They could say untrue things about our publicly traded company to the media that would damage our business.” #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Legal #GenerativeAi #GeAi #Music #MusicBusiness #Musicians #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicLicensing #WMG #MusicVideos #Artists #MusicBiz #Streaming #StreamingServices #StreamingMedia #WarnerMusicGroup #USCongress #USA

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Calling Investors: Invest in the original Xbox “Duke” controller… I am working with a new gaming peripherals company set to take the world by storm and they are looking for investors to join the team. Founded by Duke Schnepf, son of gaming visionary, and Xbox founder, Brett Schnepf, backed by multiple founding fathers of the Xbox, this company is pushing the boundaries of the gaming peripherals sector. Their journey began with Brett Schnepf, a luminary whose contributions to gaming history are etched in stone. As a founding member of the Xbox console team, Brett's design prowess shaped modern gaming, with iconic creations like the Sidewinder PC controller and the legendary Duke controller. Today, Duke Schnepf carries forth his father's legacy. Upside and a half! In late 2024, a major streaming platform will release a series chronicling the founding of a pioneering gaming console (can you guess which one) and the launch of Duke's ground-breaking products, offering an intimate look at the visionary minds behind this revolution. Looking for investments of $10K, $20K, $50K, $100K, $250, $500K, and $1M. Higher investments with equity shares are available for discussion. We foresee full returns and profits delivered within 1 year. If you're interested in being part of this exciting journey, please get in touch to set up a call ASAP. #Gaming #InvestmentOpportunity #Innovation #GamingPeripherals #TechInvestments #gamedev #investors #angelinvestors #gameinvestor #PEinvestment #AngelInvestment

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“Sony Music Entertainment is set to acquire the catalog of legendary rock band Queen in a landmark deal worth GBP £1 billion (USD $1.27 billion at current exchange rates). That’s according to Hits, which reported on Wednesday (June 19), citing sources, that Sony Music has emerged as the winning buyer for Queen’s recording and publishing rights, as well as royalties from previous deals with Disney Music Group and Universal Music Group. Disney owns the band’s recorded music catalog in North America, while UMG has a global distribution agreement with Disney. Separately, Queen band members Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon – plus the Freddie Mercury estate – each own equal shares in the company Queen Productions Ltd, which owns the group’s recording catalog outside the US and Canada, Music Business Worldwide noted in a report last year. UMG, as Disney’s distributor, will reportedly retain distribution rights in North America, although Sony will receive the royalties. UMG’s worldwide distribution rights will then transfer to Sony in 2026 or 2027, making Sony Music the sole distributor and owner of all Queen content globally, Hits explained. The deal also reportedly includes name and likeness rights, opening doors for merchandise and other ventures. Meanwhile, Queen’s founding members, May and Taylor, who continue to tour with vocalist Adam Lambert, will reportedly retain control of revenue from live performances.” Read the full article for more: #Queen #SonyMusic #UMG #DisneyMusicGroup #UniversalMusicGroup #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz #Creators #Artists

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“Among AI music generators capable of creating entire songs with just a prompt, Suno and Udio are considered by many to be among the best. They are also considered by many to have used copyrighted music to train their AI models, without authorization. Now, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is coordinating lawsuits on behalf of major recording companies against the two AI companies. Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group’s UMG Recordings, and Warner Records Inc. are among the plaintiffs in two new federal copyright infringement lawsuits filed on Monday (June 24). The lawsuit against Suno was filed in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, while the lawsuit against Udio was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, over what the RIAA calls “mass infringement of copyrighted sound recordings copied and exploited without permission by two multi-million-dollar music generation services.” “AI companies, like all other enterprises, must abide by the laws that protect human creativity and ingenuity,” the complaints against Suno and Udio state. “There is nothing that exempts AI technology from copyright law or that excuses AI companies from playing by the rules.” That assertion is likely to be the key point of contention in the lawsuits. US courts have not yet ruled that using copyrighted materials to train AI amounts to copyright infringement.” Read the full article for more: #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Suno #Udio #RIAA #Sony #SonyMusicEntertainment #UniversalMusicGroup #UMG #WarnerRecords #Legal #IP #IntelectualProperty #Copyright #CopyrightLaw #CopyrightInfrigement #DerechoDeAutor #DroitdAuteur #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz #Creators #Songs #SoundRecordings #Tech #Technology #GenerativeAi #GeAi

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“In a groundbreaking move, the Recording Industry Association of America just announced lawsuits brought by labels including Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group Recordings, and Warner Records against AI music generators Udio and Suno, accusing them of copyright infringement. The lawsuits claim Suno and Udio’s software steals music to “spit out” similar work and ask for compensation of $150,000 per work. This case underscores the ongoing battle between the music industry and generative AI companies over the unauthorized use of copyrighted material. The RIAA lawsuit highlights that Udio and Suno’s models are trained on copyrighted music without permission, a fact admitted by Udio’s CEO and co-founder, David Ding. According to court documents, Ding has stated that Udio’s high-quality outputs are the result of training on “publicly available and high-quality music” obtained from the internet. This admission forms the crux of the plaintiffs' argument that Udio’s outputs are derivative works of copyrighted recordings. For instance, using a prompt like “my tempting 1964 girl Smokey sing Hitsville soul pop” and excerpting lyrics from The Temptations, Udio generated a track titled “Sunshine Melody,” which closely resembles the copyrighted song “My Girl” by The Temptations (all tracks have now been deleted by Udio). The plaintiffs have provided side-by-side transcriptions of the musical scores to demonstrate the similarities in melody, chords, and backing vocals, proving that Udio’s outputs are not merely inspired by but copied from the original recordings. The lawsuit further reveals a pattern where users of Udio’s service could generate outputs with vocal replicas of specific artists by entering prompts based on genres and descriptors of copyrighted recordings from online music databases like RateYourMusic.com. 404Media demonstrated this technique, showing how Udio and Suno’s services could replicate specific artists' vocals, reinforcing the argument that their models use copyrighted material without authorization.” Read the full article for more: #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Suno #Udio #RIAA #Sony #SonyMusicEntertainment #UniversalMusicGroup #UMG #WarnerRecords #Legal #IP #IntelectualProperty #Copyright #CopyrightLaw #CopyrightInfrigement #DerechoDeAutor #DroitdAuteur #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz #Creators #Songs #SoundRecordings #Tech #Technology #GenerativeAi #GeAi

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I really enjoyed this conversation with fellow Zynga alum Michael Martinez, founder & CEO of casual mobile studio FunCraft. In this episode of the Naavik podcast, we discuss how Michael built a $35 million revenue run rate company with not one, not 2, but now 3 hit games in the highly competitive casual word game genre on mobile. Some great lessons for any gaming entrepreneur, including: - Bigger is not always better: Funcraft's team size will surprise you! - Speed is of the essence: this is one advantage startups have over larger incumbents - Ad monetization works: Funcraft generates impressive ARPDAUs from ads alone and is able to do LTV-positive UA against them - Remote culture can be an asset: it opens up hiring globally - Failure provides valuable learnings: Michael talks candidly about the failure of his prior gaming startup, Juicebox Games, and what he's doing differently this time around Real talk, with lots of real metrics to benchmark against.

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Video games and licensing have had a rocky history, with game studios in the past explicitly saying that licensing was not part of their strategy. But all that has changed over the last couple of years with the introduction of a handful of successful streaming series based on games. This was one of the notable trends at Licensing Expo this year and I think we are going to see a flood of new content and merchandise tied to games. #videogames #licensing #merchandise https://bit.ly/4e5dYuV

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While other gaming platforms historically lean into brands why are the top 100 mobile titles so dependent on original IP? A great fireside chat with the co-CEO's of Scopely at Gamesbeat. Much talk of Monopoly Go. At a time when mobile seems to face so many challenges I would hope that the industry would see the success of Monopoly Go! as a positive sign. It isn't just #1 it has arguably redefined what #1 can be. I would hope this would be an inspiration. Yes, it once again demonstrates the value of experience and development time. Yes, it had a considerable marketing spend by a team that knows deeply how to execute that spend. There are other publishers with some or all of these traits. I'm assuming they're reconsidering their definition of success especially if they've succeeded in reaching at least the top 50. The definition of a ceiling to success has been raised. "Things that are truly great in this industry are exponentially more valuable than things that are just quite good." - Walter Driver Of course, my POV would be that the world-class Monopoly brand [BTW, we have others :) ] contributed to that success by creating raised awareness, effective UA and as importantly stickiness because a casual player immediately got the core principals of the game.

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“The impact of generative artificial intelligence may be more readily seen in music than in other industries. Record companies are working arm-in-arm in court to fight back.” “There’ve been over 25 copyright infringement lawsuits filed against artificial intelligence companies from most corners of the creative industries. Groups that’ve sued include artists, authors and news publishers, among various others alleging mass theft of their copyrighted works to teach AI systems. Of those entities, record companies have taken the most aggressive stance thus far in trying to get out in front of the technology. Only companies from the music industry have united to bring claims that urgently seek to block the AI firms from profiting off of the alleged infringement of their intellectual property. That trend continued on Monday when leading record labels sued two artificial intelligence startups over tools that allow users to make music based on existing songs. In lawsuits filed in federal courts in New York and Massachusetts, the labels — led by Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music — accuse Suno AI and Uncharted Labs Inc., the developer of Udio AI, of illegally powering their AI systems on massive troves of copyrighted recordings. They seek injunctions that could force the companies to cease further infringement, which may include the destruction of models taught on their intellectual property, and damages of nearly $350 million. Suno chief executive Mikey Shulman said in a statement that the company’s technology is “transformative” and is “designed to generate completely new outputs, not to memorize and regurgitate pre-existing content.” He added, “That is why we don’t allow user prompts that reference specific artists. We would have been happy to explain this to the corporate record labels that filed this lawsuit (and in fact, we tried to do so), but instead of entertaining a good faith discussion, they’ve reverted to their old lawyer-led playbook.” The lawsuits expand multifront legal battles waged by creators that have the potential to prevent further encroachment of technology into creative industries. The Recording Industry Association of America, a trade group for the labels, views the unregulated creation of AI-generated content as an existential threat, primarily due to the possibility that they’ll directly compete against human-made tracks and disrupt the market for music samples." Read the full article for more: #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Suno #Udio #RIAA #Sony #SonyMusicEntertainment #UniversalMusicGroup #UMG #WarnerRecords #Legal #IP #IntelectualProperty #Copyright #CopyrightLaw #CopyrightInfrigement #DerechoDeAutor #DroitdAuteur #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz #Creators #Songs #SoundRecordings #Tech #Technology #GenerativeAi #GeAi

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Dear Stretch Network Partners, Please allow me to inform you about additional changes that will take place in the global network on July 8. 🍀 All Heads-up tables will be removed 🍀 Badugi cash tables will be removed 🍀 Sonic cash tables will become 6-max 🍀 The minimum buy-in for Sonic Omaha cash tables will be 20 BB 🍀 Sonic Omaha 7 card cash tables will be added These changes apply only to cash tables and only to our Global Network. In your local networks, you decide your product strategy, but we would be happy to assist you in managing your local networks as well. If you need our help, please contact us. The above-mentioned changes are part of the new strategy for the Stretch Network Global Network, which prioritizes the comfort of novice players and casual traffic to maintain the proper balance of our ecosystem between amateurs and professionals. Caring for the ecosystem of the Global Network is our priority. The changes we are implementing now and will continue to implement will significantly improve the user experience for your players, extend their LTV, ARPU, and, of course, Revenue.

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Helpful online gaming safety tips for kids. There are a lot of tools available to ensure a fun and safe experience, but ultimately nothing beats talking with your child about what they enjoy playing (and how much / who with), ensuring you’re comfortable with it, and agreeing your own house rules.

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