Universal Music set to take songs down from TikTok
Millions of songs will be taken down from TikTok after talks over payment with Universal Music fell through. It means a wealth of material from huge artists will no longer be available. TikTok is once again facing controversy. This time, it’s over payment and music royalty rights. Universal Music, one...
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Explicit Taylor Swift AI images cause legal panic
Last week, explicit images of Taylor Swift created using AI were shared across Twitter (X), with some posts gaining millions of views. The ensuing legal panic could have ramifications for the use of celebrity likeness, and AI images in general. Taylor Swift was the victim of AI image generation last...
Tyler, The Creator named best-selling male artist on vinyl
Rapper and producer Tyler, The Creator is officially the best-selling male artist on vinyl in the US. He was also named the year’s best-selling rapper. Tyler, The Creator has been named as the best-selling male artist on vinyl in the US for 2023. He reportedly sold a total of 552,000 records,...
FKA Twigs calls out double standards in the modelling industry
The singer’s recent campaign with Calvin Klein faced backlash over her ‘partial nudity.’ ‘I do not see the ‘stereotypical sexual object’ they have labelled me.’ These were the words pasted beneath an image of FKA Twigs, posted by the singer to her own Instagram page this week. The photo features Twigs...
Chicken clucks allow us to identify their emotional state
Scientists have uncovered that a person can identify with 69 per cent accuracy if a call is from a happy or frustrated bird, which could help breeders improve the welfare of their flocks. According to a new study, people can tell if chickens are happy or frustrated from audio...
Billie Eilish claims Variety Magazine outed her
The singer’s latest Instagram post has garnered a mixed response, one which highlights our dangerous hyper fixation on sexuality. Billie Eilish made headlines last month when a Variety Magazine interview stated she was attracted to both men and women. The news came as no surprise to Eilish’s legion of fans. Many...
‘Rizz’ named word of the year by Oxford University Press
Gen Z’s favourite TikTok buzzword ‘rizz’ was crowned word of the year for 2023. Unsure what that means? A brush up on your social media dialect might be in order. The word ‘rizz’ has been named word of the year by the Oxford University Press. Based on more than 32,000 votes and final judgement from a team of language experts, the word is defined as ‘style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability...
LGBTQ+ people still feel unsafe on London transport
A new report suggests that, despite widespread effort, LGBTQ+ abuse still prevails in our everyday spaces. Though the rise in LGBTQ+ figures in the mainstream media – and flourishing national pride campaigns – may foster some ignorance to the realities of queer life in the UK, that reality is still painful for many. But a new report by London TravelWatch has highlighted just how severe LGBTQ+ abuse can be, and how ingrained...
YouTuber ‘The Completionist’ facing claims of charitable negligence
Long time YouTuber Jirard Khalil, known as ‘The Completionist’, is facing accusations of withholding over $600,000 USD in charitable donations over a span of nine years. If you’ve ever donated money to the Open Hand Foundation as part of the annual IndieLand livestreaming event, it’s likely that your money hasn’t actually gone anywhere. Organised by Jirard Khalil, a gaming YouTuber better known as ‘The Completionist’, IndieLand brings together tons of...
M&S ad controversy highlights social responsibility of brands
Amid the ongoing crisis in Gaza, marketing blunders like these demonstrate the urgency of brand due diligence. Each year, the arrival of Christmas creeps slightly earlier. Nowadays, we’re still busy binning Halloween decorations and transforming pumpkins into a buffet of soups and risottos when Mariah Carey starts defrosting. And it hardly raises an eyebrow if major brands launch their festive campaigns on the 1st November. We might still be waiting for...
