Is the Historic Climate Bill Enough to Save the Planet?
The Inflation Reduction Act is a huge victory for Democrats. The New Yorker staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert assesses its possible environmental impact and whether it truly reflects changing attitudes about the climate crisis.
newyorker.comRiffage Media releases season two of its podcast, The Day Everything Changed
San Marcos-based podcast network Riffage Media recently released the second season of its science-fiction drama “The Day Everything Changed,” a follow up to season one of the network’s first audio drama. The five-episode season will be available to listen to for free in its entirety on most major podcast platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Audible.[San Marcos, TX]
sanmarcosrecord.com'Reply All' podcast paused amid charges of toxic behavior
Former employees at Gimlet Media, the podcast’s publisher, charged that two people behind “Reply All” had exhibited behavior similar to what they were investigating at Bon Appetit. The editor of Bon Appetit, Adam Rapoport, resigned last year after an old photo of him and his wife dressed in stereotypical Puerto Rican costumes surfaced on social media. The “Reply All” series on Bon Appetit was reported over eight months. In the second episode of the podcast, Pinnamaneni confessed to regrets about her own past behavior and how she reacted to the union drive. Staffers want to tell what happened and the podcast is paused as they try to understand what went wrong, he said.
Podcast odd couple: Obama, Springsteen in Spotify series
Bruce Springsteen, left, appears with former President Barack Obama during their podcast of conversations recorded at Springsteen's home studio in New Jersey. The eight-episode series covers their upbringings, racism, fatherhood and even recall a White House singalong around a piano. (Rob DeMartin/Spotify via AP)NEW YORK – Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen are teaming up for an eight-episode Spotify podcast series, swapping stories about their upbringings and even a White House singalong around a piano. The seemingly offbeat relationship between the former president and rock star began when Springsteen performed benefits for Obama during his presidential campaigns. Springsteen uses a few of those guitars during the course of the podcast.
Extremists exploit a loophole in social moderation: Podcasts
This combination of photos shows various podcasts, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. But Apple and Google, among others, have left open a major loophole: Podcasts. But Apple and Google, among others, have left open a major loophole for this material: Podcasts. Accounts that have been banned on social media for election misinformation, threatening or bullying, and breaking other rules also still live on as podcasts available on the tech giants’ platforms. “Podcasts filled with hatred and incitement to violence should not be treated any differently than any other content," Segal said.
Austin-based ‘Joe Rogan Experience’ is world’s most popular podcast on Spotify
SAN ANTONIO – “The Joe Rogan Experience,” adopted by Austin in an internet-breaking move over the summer, has reached the top of Spotify after only being on the streaming platform for a few months. Here’s one reason why Spotify paid Rogan, a comedian and UFC commentator, a reported $100 million: The podcast ranked No. Spotify announced Rogan took the top spot in its 2020 Wrapped: Top Songs, Artists, Playlists, and Podcasts lists, released on Monday. Rogan signed a Spotify deal in May giving the company exclusive rights to run the podcast on their platform and phone, desktop application. “The Joe Rogan Experience” hit Spotify on Sept. 1.
Bad Bunny is Spotify's most-streamed artist of 2020
The Puerto Rican superstar is the music platform’s most-streamed artist of the year with 8.3 billion streams globally. With more than 3.3 billion streams, Bad Bunny’s sophomore solo album “YHLQMDLG” tops Spotify’s list of most-streamed albums globally. The album’s single, “Blinding Lights,” is Spotify’s most-streamed song of the year with 1.6 million streams globally. In the U.S., late rapper Juice WRLD was the most-streamed artist on Spotify. His album “Legends Never Die” was the platform’s most-streamed album in the U.S., while Ricch’s “The Box” was the country's most-streamed song.
Apple to cut app store fees as legal scrutiny intensifies
Both those companies have helped spur increasing scrutiny of Apple's app store practices among lawmakers and regulators in the U.S. and Europe. The app store commissions feed Apple's services division, which saw its revenue climb 16% to nearly $54 billion during the company's last fiscal year ending in September. That's because the small developers in line to qualify for the cut only contribute about 5% of Apple's app store revenue, based on SensorTower's estimates. “This latest move further demonstrates that their app store policies are arbitrary and capricious," Spotify said in a statement. “We’re launching this program to help small business owners write the next chapter of creativity and prosperity on the app store," Cook said in a statement.
Apple's smaller rivals unite to fight iPhone app store rules
The activism from smaller rivals adds to scrutiny the tech giants are facing from U.S. and European regulators and lawmakers. Apple is the group's main target, though Google's app store policies are also on its radar. Both companies this summer dropped the popular game Fortnite from their app stores after the game’s developer introduced a direct payment plan that bypasses their platforms. Apple and Google both take a 30% cut from in-app revenue purchases, which has long been a sore spot with developers. Epic is backing the new coalition along with Spotify, online dating app maker Match Group, and other members including Tile, Basecamp, ProtonMail and European media industry associations.
This Disney playlist will take any day and make it practically perfect
Disney tunes have a way of getting us out of the rut we’re in and putting a smile on our face. Each music provider has a Disney playlist filled with hundreds of songs from every Disney film known to man. Having the right playlist is an important task -- and choosing the right playlist shouldn’t be taken lightly. Everyone should have a Disney playlist saved, ready to be played at any moment. The playlist is a melting pot of classic Disney hits, Disney covers and songs you can hear when visiting a Disney theme park.