Mediagazer: Stability AI releases a new family of audio models called Stable Audio 3.0 that is trained on licensed data; the top model can generate six-minute songs (Ivan Mehta/TechCrunch)

James Murdoch's Lupa Systems acquires around 50% of Vox Media, including its podcast network, New York magazine, and Vox.com, sources say for $300M+ — James Murdoch is acquiring roughly half of Vox Media, a dramatic expansion in American media for the younger son of the media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Properties not included in the Lupa-Vox deal, including The Verge and Eater, will operate under a new independent company led by Vox president Ryan Pauley — Murdoch's company has agreed to acquire New York Magazine, the Vox Media Podcast Network and Vox.com. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Discussion: New York Post, Adweek, TVNewsCheck, CNN, Forbes, @lpjr.bsky.social and Vox Media

The Guardian:

Granta and the Commonwealth Foundation say they can't determine yet if AI was used to write a prize-winning short story after critics pointed to signs of AI use — Granta publisher says ‘perhaps we never will know’ true authorship of work that won Commonwealth prize

Oliver Darcy / Status:

Sources: Paramount hopes to close its acquisition of WBD by July 15, a far more ambitious timeline than Paramount has publicly telegraphed — Paramount is hoping to close its deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery much sooner than the company has publicly stated, Status has learned.

Discussion: New York Post, Radio & Television …, The Wrap, Media Play News, Cord Cutters News, @passantino.bsky.social, @oliverdarcy.bsky.social and TVBEurope

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:

Roku launches a creator hub with licensed creator content and programming from partners like Peacock and HBO Max, alongside new FAST channels from top creators — Roku will also expand its licensing of creator content, its content chief tells THR. — Roku is making a big bet on creator content …

Discussion: Tubefilter, TV Tech, TheDesk.net, Charlie Walters on LinkedIn, Roku, Realscreen, Cord Cutters News, The Streamable and Media Play News

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Jeff Bezos says Amazon MGM Studios' decision to acquire and release Melania “was a good business decision”, denying that it was “a way of buying influence” — Jeff Bezos insists that Amazon MGM Studios' decision to acquire and release “Melania,” a documentary about the First Lady …

Discussion: The Wrap, CNBC, Mediaite, The Guardian, The Hill, Consequence, @fangsbites.bsky.social, New Republic and The Hollywood Reporter

Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:

Stability AI releases a new family of audio models called Stable Audio 3.0 that is trained on licensed data; the top model can generate six-minute songs — Stability AI, the company behind Stable Diffusion, is releasing a new family of audio models, called Stability Audio 3.0.

Discussion: Billboard, Crypto Briefing and Stability AI, more at Techmeme »

Sanuj Bhatia / Android Central:

Google adds a conversational search feature to YouTube and rolls out the new Gemini Omni model in YouTube Shorts Remix and the Create app — Seriously, who is asking for all these tools? … What you need to know — Ask YouTube now supports conversational searches instead of relying only on simple keywords.

Nate Silver / Silver Bulletin:

A look at Disney's 10-year mismanagement of FiveThirtyEight as Nate Silver says Disney is refusing to negotiate with him about restoring the site's archive — Nothing on the internet lasts forever. But Disney's 10-year mismanagement of FiveThirtyEight is its own story.

Discussion: @natesilver538, Ben Welsh on LinkedIn, Awful Announcing, Mediaite and FlowingData

Jake Kanter / Deadline:

Audio from an all-hands: BBC's new DG Matt Brittin said he wants to use data to build a “sat nav around bias” and iPlayer is not doing a “good enough job” — In his first address to staff on his second day in office, former Google executive Matt Brittin said that he wanted …

Discussion: Telegraph

Axios:

A look at the sale prices of digital media companies: BuzzFeed sold ~86% below its peak valuation; Vice, Mic, and Food52 all sold over 90% below their highs — Digital media companies that waited too long to sell all or parts of their businesses saw their final sale prices plummet from their peak valuations.

Discussion: Business of TV and UnHerd

Ted Johnson / Deadline:

YouTube partners with the Television Academy to stream the Sports and News & Documentary Emmys; sports will be on May 26 and news and documentary on May 27-28 — YouTube will partner with the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences to stream next week's Sports and News and Documentary Emmys.

Discussion: Awful Announcing and Amy Schmelzer on LinkedIn