weekly April 10, 2023, Issue 853
Web 3 & NFTs & AI: Oh My
Well, howdy y’all. This is your old pal Chuck Aly bringing you the scoop on the latest tech trends straight from CRS 2023! Now, I know y’all are probably wondering what all this talk about “Web3,” “NFTs,” “AI,” and the “Metaverse” is all about, but let me tell you, it’s beyond the hype. That’s the opening of the fifth pass ChatGPT-3 took at writing a recap of the CRS panel “Web3, NFTs, AI and the Metaverse – Beyond The Hype.” The session sought to bring attendees up to speed on potentially disruptive technologies. While informative and important as a session, at least one aspect of the technology – AI in its current chatbot form (large language models) – isn’t quite beyond the hype. Yet. But more on that later. Moderator Noah Itman, CRO for Digital Music News, opened by seeking definitions. Calling Web3 “a decentralized network of technologies,” Pex VP/Product Chris McMurtry said, “You’ll hear us talk about blockchain. You’ll hear us talk about NFTs. But ... instead of there being individual local owners, there is a shared ownership amongst the internet.” Defining blockchain, VNUE President/CEO Zach Blair said, “If you are doing a transaction with your bank, the bank ... is a centralized data store with one authority. [Blockchain] adds a level of trust, [because] you have multiple nodes involved in a transaction.” iHeartMedia CCO Rahul Sabnis described the Metaverse not as a destination, but as a way of thinking. “Anytime you have a way of representing yourself in a space, that can be a metaverse type object,” he said, pointing to video games. “[Consider] how many times the next generation cares about the way they appear in those spaces even more so than they do in some of the real world.” He pointed to a Charlie Puth show in Metaverse space iHeartLand that was “equivalent to selling out 50 Madison Square Gardens.” VBO Tickets President/Co-Founder David Boehme admitted the technologies are still in their infancy. “It’s not like this is completely taking over the world,” he said. “We’re investigating where can these technologies be used, and there are also pros and cons, but it is a very exciting time.” Bot & Told: The bulk of the discussion centered on AI, particularly in content creation and rights issues. (continued on page 5)
Grace Of Base: Curb‘s Harper Grace invites radio partners to the Arizona Diamondbacks game in Phoenix Friday (4/7). Pictured (back, l-r) are the team‘s Kyle Payne, the label‘s RJ Meacham, KBAY/San Jose‘s Isaac “Brooks” Wenzel, KNIX‘s Reid Spivey and Steve Geofferies and the label‘s John Clore; (front, l-r) the label‘s Allyson Gelnett, Feld Entertainment‘s Kat Kaczmarzyk, Grace, KNIX‘s Lois Lewis, KSON/San Diego‘s Brooks O’Brian and Spotify‘s Ritz McCain.
“Dear Mick, Keith, Ronnie & Charlie ...” How does one open an email to the Rolling Stones? Robert Deaton, producer of the recently released Stoned Cold Country: A 60th Anniversary Tribute, spent three weeks trying to come up with his next line. “We didn’t have to get permission, but we wanted it,” he says. “This is an iconic band with a great catalog; you just don’t do something like this without their blessing.” More widely known for executive producing television shows including the CMA Awards and New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash, Deaton and BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch broached the idea Robert Deaton four years ago. With recording slated for early 2022, Deaton was being asked if he’d sent the email, as requested by the band’s
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