Mediagazer: Endel, a startup that uses AI to make “functional music”, partners with UMG to transform the label's tracks into soundscapes for sleeping, relaxing, or studying (Elias Leight/Billboard)

Top News:

Zack Beauchamp / Vox:

The uproar after right-wing outlet Daily Signal accused Fox of being pro-trans due to state workplace rules signals ongoing backlash after Tucker Carlson's exit — A conservative outlet is attacking Fox for being too respectful of trans employees. It's a sign of the times on the right.

Discussion: Mediaite, @mattwalshblog, The Daily Signal, @brynntannehill, @noamchompers, @sulliview, @andreancaruso, @walshfreedom, @catturd2, @paleozoomer99, @kimmasters, @kf_crow, @jessicashortall, The Daily Beast, Rolling Stone and Insider

Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:

Google says it will use generative AI to boost Search ads' relevance based on query context and debuts a conversational experience for creating ad campaigns — Google is going to start using generative AI to boost Search ads relevance based on the context of a query, the company announced at its Google Marketing Live event today.

Discussion: Wired and Search Engine Land, more at Techmeme »

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

Google plans to start experimenting with Search and Shopping ads that are fully customized based on users' search terms within conversational AI Search — AI chatbots have only just been put into consumers' hands, but tech giants are rushing to monetize them.

Discussion: MediaPost, Ad Age, The Drum, Search Engine Land and The Keyword, more at Techmeme »

Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:

BuzzFeed debuts Botatouille, a free chatbot that suggests recipes from its food brand Tasty, and plans to offer AI personalized services to sell subscriptions — Jonah Peretti, the company's chief executive, has embraced artificial intelligence more than most publishers.

Discussion: @benmullin, @mccarthyryanj, @zachsilberberg, @benmullin, @buzzfeedpr and MediaPost, more at Techmeme »

Bill Donahue / Billboard:

A US judge rules that a case claiming YouTube enables piracy by restricting access to copyright tools to record labels may not proceed as a class action — The case claimed that YouTube offers tools like Content ID to record labels but refuses to allow “ordinary” copyright owners to use them.

Discussion: Plagiarism Today, Complete Music Update, Music Ally and Cord Cutters News

Ann M. Simmons / Wall Street Journal:

A Russian court extends Evan Gershkovich's pre-trial detention until at least August 30, according to state news agency TASS — WSJ reporter is deemed by the U.S. to be wrongfully held — A Russian court extended until at least Aug. 30 the pretrial detention of Evan Gershkovich …

Discussion: Voice of America, The Hill, Talking Biz News, CBS News, Forbes, Politico, Fox News, NPR, The Moscow Times, @nat_vasilyeva, @biettetimmons, @biannagolodryga, Semafor, Kyiv Independent and The Guardian

Yuvraj Malik / Reuters:

Shutterstock plans to acquire Giphy from Meta for $53M in cash, after the UK CMA blocked Meta's acquisition in 2022; Meta can still access Giphy content — Stock photos repository Shutterstock Inc (SSTK.N) said on Tuesday it would buy animated-images platform Giphy Inc from Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) for $53 million in cash.

Discussion: Axios, The Verge, Adweek, CNN, TechCrunch, The Wrap, MediaPost, @theinformation, The Information, Forbes, Quartz, Bloomberg, @morningbrew, @kerrymflynn, Variety, @lutherlowe, @shaig, @danprimack, @lanceulanoff, @axios, @robpegoraro and The Messenger, more at Techmeme »

Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:

Nielsen: from May 15 to May 19, CNN averaged 429K daily viewers, its lowest week since June 2015; Fox News had its worst key demo ratings since September 2001 — This reporting is featured in this week's edition of Confider, The Daily Beast's media newsletter. Subscribe here and send your questions, tips, and complaints here.

Discussion: @schotthappens, @stevenjcbuckley and UPROXX

Etan Vlessing / The Hollywood Reporter:

Comcast unveils plans for Now TV, a $20/month streaming package that includes 40+ live channels, 20 FAST channels, and a subscription to Peacock Premium — The NBCUniversal parent, led by CEO Brian Roberts, is building on technology developed for Sky's Now TV platform as part of its latest direct-to-consumer offering.

Discussion: Deadline, The Wrap, Variety, The Streamable, Light Reading, Media Play News and @michaelmiraflor

The Nib:

The Nib, a 10-year-old political cartoon outlet, is shutting down in August, having published more than 6K comics and paid out over $2M to creators — I'm afraid I have some bad news. After ten years of publishing, The Nib is going to close down this summer. The new issue of our magazine, the Future issue, will be our last.

Discussion: Boing Boing and Graphic Policy

New York Times:

US Department of Education settles with a Georgia school district, which the agency says may have violated students' civil rights by removing some library books — The U.S. Department of Education reached a settlement with a Georgia school district after launching an investigation …

Discussion: Fox News, @paisleyrekdal, Reason, Washington Post and The Daily Signal

Catherine Shu / TechCrunch:

Singapore-based BandLab Technologies, which offers a social music creation platform and has 60M+ registered users, raised a $25M Series B1 at a $425M valuation — Singapore-based BandLab Technologies, the parent company of social music creation platform BandLab, has raised $25 million …

Discussion: Billboard and Music Business Worldwide, more at Techmeme »