Author: Rap Hooks

While Marilyn Manson is currently scheduled to kick off the European leg of his One Assassination Under God tour in Brighton, England, this October, a senior member of Parliament is urging local officials to cancel the show.

Earlier this month, senior MP Siân Berry penned an open letter to Brighton and Hove City Council leader Councillor Bella Sankey, asking her and the council to cancel Manson’s upcoming performance at the city-owned Brighton Centre on Oct. 29. In her letter, Berry cites the “multiple allegations of sexual assault, grooming and domestic violence” leveled against Manson over the last few years.

Manson — whose offstage name is Brian Warner — was named by actress Evan Rachel Wood as her alleged sexual abuser in February 2021, leading to more women coming forward and sharing similar stories of alleged abuse from Manson. A number of women have filed suit against Manson for alleged abuses ranging from sexual assault, harassment and grooming. The shock rocker has denied all allegations.

In her open letter, Berry detailed immediate concerns she shares with her co-signees, including that the show’s age restrictions “means children as young as 14 can attend.” While she acknowledged that prosecutors in Los Angeles announced in January that Manson won’t face criminal charges due to the expiration of the statute of limitations on domestic violence charges, she added multiple policies the city council could use to justify canceling Manson’s performance, including a 2024 document from the city saying the council was “committed to listening and responding to the needs of survivors in our city.”

“Many survivors in Brighton and Hove, and organizations supporting them, will have very serious concerns about this booking and its impact on other people visiting the city centre, local residents and the wider community,” Berry wrote. “Freedom of expression is an important principle that should be defended, including in relation to artists, but there is an obvious risk to community cohesion and the council has separate equalities obligations to foster good relations between people who share protected characteristics and people who do not share them.”

Berry added that members of the cabinet previously acknowledged that the performance was “problematic,” but said they would not consider canceling the show. She still urged them to reconsider.

“The level and nature of the accusations against Warner are concerning enough alone, but so too is the message sent out by providing a platform for this individual, at our city’s biggest publicly owned venue, and what this will mean to survivors,” she said. “We believe a solution must be found and that, despite these difficulties, the Council should act in line with its obligations to our values and the serious concerns around public safety and community cohesion.”

Billboard has reached out to Manson’s representatives for comment. Read Berry’s full open letter on her website.

Stories about sexual assault allegations can be traumatizing for survivors of sexual assault. If you or anyone you know needs support, you can reach out to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). The organization provides free, confidential support to sexual assault victims. Call RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE) or visit the anti-sexual violence organization’s website for more information.

In 2019, 16-year-old rapper Lil Tecca had one of the year’s biggest breakout hits with the No. 4-peaking Billboard Hot 100 smash “Ransom,” a fun hip-pop single with an eye-catching Lyrical Lemonade music video. It was Tecca’s first top 10 hit, and to date, still his last, as the rapper would not even reach the Hot 100’s top half again for the next half-decade.

But while Tecca has still yet to match the crossover success of his first big hit, he’s hardly faded away from the mainstream — he reached the Hot 100 a dozen times total before 2025, and made the top 10 of the Billboard 200 with four of his first five albums (2023’s No. 11-peaking TEC being the lone exception). And in 2025, he confirmed he was still a vital hitmaker with the Neptunes-reminiscent “Dark Thoughts” (reaching No. 28 on the Hot 100) and the Buggles-sampling “OWA OWA” (No. 50) — and now, he’s also got the highest-charting album of his career with those songs’ parent set, the No. 3-bowing Dopamine.

How did Tecca maintain and grow his early success? And what rap peers of his could follow a similar trajectory? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.

1. Lil Tecca reaches a career-best peak of No. 3 on the Billboard 200 this week with Dopamine, moving 48,000 units in its first week. On a scale from 1-10, how surprising is this first-week performance to you?

Kyle Denis: Maybe around a 6. If you’ve been paying attention to Lil Tecca’s recent momentum, especially around his pre-release singles like “Dark Thoughts” and “Owa Owa,” these numbers aren’t too surprising. 

Angel Diaz: I guess I would say a 3? You hear “Dark Thoughs” and “OWA OWA” everywhere. I’m more surprised that he didn’t push more units. Those tracks have gotten a lot of traction since he released them, and he and his team even decided to make them the first two songs on the album. 

Jason Lipshutz: A 4. If you’ve been paying attention to the streaming success of Dopamine singles “Dark Thoughts” and “OWA OWA” over the past few months, you would have assumed that Lil Tecca’s latest project could become his highest-charting album to date, even if nothing else from the album immediately took off with hip-hop listeners. “Ransom” was a bigger chart hit for Tecca, but the longevity of his latest hits, particularly “Dark Thoughts,” has been impressive, and suggested a wider interest in the New York rapper that helped him land a No. 3 debut.

Michael Saponara: I’d probably say about a 5. He notched a top 10 album and 40k-plus first-week sales with PLAN A last year, so I figured he’d continue to build on that trajectory, but adding a top five album to his resume and reaching No. 1 on the Top Rap Albums chart are nice feathers in the cap for Tecca with Dopamine.

Andrew Unterberger: 5 sounds right. It’d have been higher for me at the start of the year, but after the two advance hits, it was clear Tecca was going to have greater juice this time around. A No. 3 debut is still around the high end of what I might have predicted, though.

2. Before this album’s release, “Dark Thoughts” and “OWA OWA” had already brought Tecca back to the Hot 100’s top half for the first time since his “Ransom” breakthrough six years ago – which of the two songs do you find more interesting from him at this point in his career? 

Kyle Denis: I find most “Video Killed the Radio Star” samples incredibly derivative, so I’ll go with “Dark Thoughts,” which interestingly positions Tecca as a straight-up pop-rapper with a gifted ear for hooks. We knew that ear was there from “Ransom,” but hearing him float over Neptunes-lite production opens up a world of possibility for where he goes on the next album. 

Angel Diaz: I think both are two of the most interesting songs he’s made up until this point of his career — but I’m going to go with “OWA OWA” here because “Video Killed the Radio Star” sample is top of mind for me. I recently finally got a chance to watch the Yacht Rock documentary on HBO Max — where they talk about the advent of MTV and music videos having a hand in ending the subgenre’s run — and “Video” was, appropriately, the first clip the channel ever played.  

Jason Lipshutz: “OWA OWA” boasts a smart, pretty unexpected Buggles sample, but “Dark Thoughts” is the more complete song, as a stellar homage to the Neptunes’ sunnier early-00s masterworks that lets Tecca shine within the track’s melodic pockets. The whole affair beams with confidence, and nicely toes the line between old-school beat-making and more modern sing-rapping. And while both hits clock in at two minutes and change, “Dark Thoughts” has listeners reaching for the replay button more quickly.

Michael Saponara: “OWA OWA” boasts a smart, pretty unexpected Buggles sample, but “Dark Thoughts” is the more complete song, as a stellar homage to the Neptunes’ sunnier early-00s masterworks that lets Tecca shine within the track’s melodic pockets. The whole affair beams with confidence, and nicely toes the line between old-school beat-making and more modern sing-rapping. And while both hits clock in at two minutes and change, “Dark Thoughts” has listeners reaching for the replay button more quickly.

Andrew Unterberger: Definitely “Dark Thoughts.” It’s one of the most engaging pop songs of the year, and I love how in an era of void-skewing hip-hop singles, “Dark Thoughts” is actually a misdirection of a title for what’s a relatively upbeat single. Besides, Nicki Minaj and will.i.am already got to that “Video Killed the Radio Star” hook 15 years ago.

3. Many of Tecca’s peer rappers from his turn-of-the-decade breakthrough period have since fallen on hard times commercially. What do you think about him has allowed him to stay relevant and reach new heights this far into his career? 

Kyle Denis: I’d say it’s probably a combination of his consistency (he’s dropped five albums in five years!) and willingness to experiment and expand his sounds. Several of his peers might have balked at the top 40-facing production of “Dark Thoughts,” but Tecca embraced it without sacrificing his idiosyncrasies. Through that embrace, he found a really interesting pocket for himself across Dopamine, one that certainly sets him apart from his class from a sonic standpoint.

Angel Diaz: I think he’s been able to keep a core audience and the pop leanings on this recent project will certainly gain him some new ones. You gotta remember that each of his five albums debuted within the Top 15 of the Billboard 200 and his 2019 mixtape We Love You Tecca debuted at No. 4. The kid has a loyal fanbase and he just delivered the best project of his young career. 

Jason Lipshutz: Sometimes, it just takes enough swings of the bat to connect on the right stylistic evolution. Tecca has been consistently releasing projects over the past half-decade, and has explored different approaches to modern hip-hop across all of them — he’s still only 22 years old, and his youthful restlessness as an artist has served him well. “Dark Thoughts” and “OWA OWA” sound nothing like “Ransom,” but they were the right songs to connect with a wider audience, coming from an artist who’s been able to reinvent himself and still maintain a sizable listenership.

Michael Saponara: I think Tecca’s been able to organically build a fan base that will ride for him while his songwriting and sound mature throughout his 20s. We’ve seen so many artists explode onto the scene with a massive hit and then quickly fizzle out because listeners were fans of a song rather than them. So Tecca deserves a ton of credit for being able to build off of “Ransom” and cement himself as a fixture in rap. 

Andrew Unterberger: Hooks help! The main thing that “Ransom” and “Dark Thoughts” have in common is a chorus that sounds good, feels good and gets stuck in your head randomly. Tecca certainly knows his way around a refrain that’s clever, melodic and hooky — and that’s part of the hitmaking process that far too many rappers tend to wave off as incidental in 2025.

4. Now that Tecca has reached a new commercial peak, what kind of career move(s) would you advise him to make next? 

Kyle Denis: I’d love to see him hop on some other tracks, while continuing to prioritize pushing “Dark Thoughts.” With some diligence, the right timing, and a remix – Role Model could be a fun left-field choice, but a Doechii remix is probably the right call — “Dark Thoughts” could be Tecca’s first Hot 100 top 10 hit since “Ransom.” I’d also advise him to get a North American tour ready for the fall, or at least hop on a bigger artist’s trek – maybe he tags along with Wayne & Co.? 

Angel Diaz: Keep exploring production that uses unexpected samples. Magic always comes when you blend genres. To quote the great Steve Porcaro who was quoting someone else in that Yacht Rock documentary that I can’t recall at the moment – I think it was his late brother Jeff – but Tecca must always keep in mind that “the groove is a delicate thing.” 

Jason Lipshutz: Keep exploring, Tecca! Dopamine contains traces of the flow and production that he utilized on “Dark Thoughts,” but also toys around with dance, pop, trap and rage music, turning into a 41-minute listen that flies by without ever growing stale or repeating itself. Tecca’s adventurousness has been his greatest asset as a popular hip-hop artist, and has helped score his latest hit singles — he should protect that instinct.

Michael Saponara: I would say to continue doing what he’s doing because it’s working. With two albums in less than a year, maybe take the foot off the gas for a little while to make people miss you. Whenever he does return, I’d like to see him take a major swing at a commercial smash hit, while collaborating with a rap titan in the lane of Playboi Carti, Young Thug and Future. 

Andrew Unterberger: Look for more crossover opportunities! I don’t mean to just accept every feature/remix opportunity you’re offered — or to start being craven in your own offers — but look for places to reach new audiences. Find some unexpected festival billings. Maybe try to get on an award show, or a late-night show or two. Lil Tecca has definite appeal for both pop and alt audiences, but a lot of both types of fans probably still don’t know much about him. Get out there and let ’em know.

5. Who’s another hitmaking rapper who’s been hanging around for at least a half-decade who you think may be due for a similarly head-turning commercial breakout like this? 

Kyle Denis: I’ll go with JID. He’s had some recent wins with “Enemy” and “Surround Sound,” but I think he could score his first Billboard 200 top 10 album with his next release if he plays his cards right. 

Angel Diaz: Not sure if it would be considered head-turning, but Baby Keem hasn’t dropped an album since 2021. Won’t be surprised if his next project debuts at No. 1.

Jason Lipshutz: I’ve been ready for the commercial resurgence of Polo G for years. Topping the Hot 100 with “RAPSTAR” was simply the cherry on top of a killer run around the beginning of the 2020s, full of gritty beats and storytelling bravado. Last year’s Hood Poet was solid, but Polo is too talented for “solid,” and deserves another mainstream moment.

Michael Saponara: I really hope it can be Chance The Rapper.

Andrew Unterberger: Aminé, for sure. His lone hit came even longer ago than Tecca’s — 2017’s “Caroline” — but he’s maintained a fanbase with a genre-hopping mentality that’s recently seen him excel in a kind of updated hip-house, with help from producers like Kaytranada and Lido. A breakout hit in this new mode feels very possible for him, and from there the sky’s the limit.

Roy Woods is thriving.

“The energy’s high right now. I feel back in motion after a couple of years – it feels like I pressed the restart button,” he tells Billboard Canada.

The Toronto R&B singer and rapper released his new EP, Dark Nights, in April, and it showed off a new side of the OVO Sound-signed artist.

At nine tracks, Dark Nights is a bold and unfiltered reflection on betrayal, heartbreak and emotional survival. It debuts a more vulnerable side of the Toronto singer-songwriter, who opens up about some of the darkest moments he’s faced – and how he has learned to live through them.

With such complex emotions on the line, Woods took his aptly titled EP and created a short film based on the project’s major themes. The 20-minute short film premiered June 12 at NXNE, followed by a Q&A with Billboard Canada’s National Editor Richard Trapunski.

“My manager, Banks, and I wanted to show this type of pain in a different way than the traditional music videos,” Woods shares. “We wanted to showcase the art in a different light.”

Before the EP’s release, he recalled having initial conversations about the short film at the top of the year. Woods and his collaborators noted that the tracklist flows into one another, boldly telling a story from start to finish.

“There’s so much depth in the songs,” he explains.

While Woods had dabbled in acting as a child, making a short film was completely new territory. The project took four days to film and consisted of all-day shoots – not to mention managing a robust cast and crew. Yet, he fondly recalls the experience. “The energy was on 10. There was a lot of excitement, and everybody was ready to do the best job possible.”

With dreamy nighttime hues and dimly lit rooms, Dark Nights follows Woods through a relationship that transforms into a complicated dynamic that includes betrayal, unplanned pregnancy and big existential questions. Based on a true story, Woods channels somber energy and anguish in his first major acting role.

He cites the darker, moody era of late 2010s Toronto R&B music as inspiration. “We didn’t bring it back, but kind of reignited the flame. We stay true to its essence and bring it in a modern light,” he says. “We wanted to stay true to that Roy Woods aesthetic.”

He describes the aforementioned artistic vision as “late night driving R&B moody music, that’s balanced with songs that are good for parties and good vibes.” It’s an energy Woods has mastered in his almost-decade-long career.

In 2015, Woods signed with Drake’s OVO Sound record label and skyrocketed onto the scene mere months later when his track “Drama,” from his debut EP, Exis, was released in collaboration with the beloved Toronto rapper. The EP peaked at No. 27 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, marking his first placement on the chart. Woods continued on an upward trajectory, as his following full-length efforts, Waking at Dawn and Say Less,also earned him spots on the Billboard 200 and Canadian Albums charts.

“I’m so grateful for my music to reach those heights. When it happened, it made me realize that I was an artist of this calibre,” Woods explains. But it doesn’t change how he approaches his current work. “Because if I did, then I’m chasing something that doesn’t feel true to me. Those songs were created by me expressing, writing and feeling good about making music, with no pressure to make it.”

Woods cites Drake and PartyNextDoor as two of his biggest influences, so he feels lucky to be their label-mate. Of his relationship with OVO, Woods praises the record label for their mentorship and guidance, which has kept him away from the shifting, often pressured expectations of emerging in the music industry.

“I didn’t want to change who I was in the music that I make. At OVO, we’re keen on making music that is true to ourselves and the people around us,” he shares.

Now, 10 years on, the concept of embarking on a creative project with no expectations became a mainstay for Dark Nights — the EP and the short film. “This music that I’ve been making lately, and now the short film feels so good because I’ve been in the moment. I’m creating to create, [and] I’m loving it. I’m having fun with it again.”

He credits this flexibility to his “very personal” relationship with fans. “I’m so grateful to [them] because they stand by me, learning, growing and loving myself now compared to the person and the artist that I was earlier in my career,” Woods says.

Although he’s Brampton-born, Woods’ love extends to Toronto, the city he came up in. “I receive a lot of respect when I’m in my city. The love is always different than any other place,” he explains. “I’m learning that I’m an important figure to not only the area I grew up in, but the entire city of Toronto.”

Now that Woods has pressed the restart button, he assures listeners that he isn’t going anywhere. With aspirations to stay in his acting bag, he’s going to continue exploring creative projects outside of music. “We’re flooding the gates. You’re gonna get annoyed with Roy Woods, and that’s what I want right now. I’m going all the way, you know? Godspeed.”

This article was originally published by Billboard Canada.

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Now that the NBA Finals are over with the Oklahoma City Thunder crowned as the new champions, the basketball league is already gearing for next season with the 2025 NBA draft.

The NBA draft takes place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., starting on Wednesday (June 25) and broadcasts live on ABC and ESPN.

If you don’t want to miss the NBA draft, we’ve put together a list of ways to watch and stream from your smart TV, laptop, tablet, smartphone and any other compatible internet-connected device.

How to Stream the 2025 NBA Draft Without Cable

The first round of the NBA draft takes place on Wednesday (June 25) at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC and ESPN, while the second round happens on Thursday (June 26) at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ESPN.

Basketball fans can also watch the NBA draft live on ESPN.com with a traditional cable login. However, if you don’t have cable, you can still watch the 2025 NBA draft live online with a free trial from DirecTV and Fubo.

Shopping for the best streaming deals? Join DirecTV and use a five-day free trial to try out the service and watch the NBA draft for free.

You could go for DirecTV’s traditional signature packages, which start at $59.99 for the first month of service ($89.99 per month) afterward. The “Choice” package comes with more than 125 channels, including ABC and ESPN for the NBA Draft. It includes ABC, ESPN, PBS, NBC, Fox, CBS, TNT, NBA TV and other channels, and access to on-demand content and DVR storage.

Although Sling TV doesn’t offer a free trial, new subscribers can join at a discounted rate with up to 50% off for your first month of service. Sling Orange + Blue lets you access more than 45 channels including ABC, Fox, NBC, ESPN, ESPN2, A&E, AMC, MTV, BET, E!, VH1, Bravo and others (DVR storage included). Please note: Sling TV’s pricing and channel availability varies from location to location.

Elsewhere on the roster of streamers, FuboTV’s Pro package is $64.99 for the first month of service and 84.99 per month afterwards after a five-day free trial. You’ll get access to more than 230 channels (over 100 sporting events), cloud DVR and streaming on up to 10 screens.

Hulu + Live TV starts at $82.99 per month to stream more than 95 live and on-demand channels — including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN News, ESPN U, FS1, FS2, FX, MTV, truTV, BET, Food Network, Lifetime, Paramount Network, ID, TLC and others — along with everything on Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+.

Which Celebrities Are Making Appearances During NBA Draft?

It’s likely there will be a number of celebrities and famous recording artists in attendance during the NBA draft, since the two-night event is in Brooklyn. Be on the lookout for stars such as Spike Lee, LL Cool J, 50 Cent, 2 Chainz and others. Tune in to find out who’s at the draft.

2025 NBA Draft Order

The teams that didn’t make the NBA Playoffs during the 2024-25 season (with some exceptions) were eligible to receiving one of the first 14 picks via lottery in the NBA draft. Below, you’ll find the draft order for the first round.

Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.

On Friday (June 20), French streaming service Deezer launched its latest tool to combat what it calls the “spamming of AI-generated songs.” Now, the service will tag every song it identifies as fully AI-generated so that users have transparency when they find the content on the service. 

The tagging tool is the latest in a series of announcements from Deezer about how AI-generated music is increasing rapidly on its service — and causing harm in the process. According to Deezer, up to 70% of the streams generated on fully AI-generated tracks are deemed fraudulent or artificial. 

Deezer began sounding the alarm in January, when it reported that its proprietary AI detection tool identified that 10% of songs uploaded to Deezer daily were fully AI-generated. While the company says it has no issue with human artists using AI as part of their creative process, the purely AI-generated songs tend to be used to spam the platform or siphon royalties away from human artists. To combat this, Deezer began removing fully AI songs from their recommendations. 

Then, in April, Deezer claimed the figure nearly doubled, reporting that 18% of daily uploads were fully AI-generated. In a new interview with Billboard, Deezer director of research Manuel Moussallam attributes that jump to two key reasons: the further adoption of AI music tools like Suno and Udio; and, simply, the fact that “our data got better.”

“Part of the stuff we were catching as AI-generated in January, we weren’t totally sure about, so we were very conservative in the numbers we reported. We didn’t want any false positives,” Moussallam explains. “I think the 18% [figure] is actually much more accurate and closer to what we actually saw from January, but still, that number is increasing.” 

While most of its competitors have not yet taken a public stance on AI-generated music or created any rules specifically to tackle issues it may present, Deezer believes there’s no way to ignore what is happening. In a new interview with Billboard, chief innovation officer Aurelien Herault, along with Moussallam, explains that the clock is ticking: “At some point, the industry will need to make a decision on this because AI music will exist forever now. There’s no going back.”

You’ve both said before that your team had a lot of conversations with the music business about the rules you were developing at Deezer before you launched them. Have you had those same conversations with AI companies, like Suno or Udio?

Herault: Not officially. We are in touch with some of the researchers who work there because we go to the same conferences, but no, we didn’t make contact. Actually, I don’t think they care a lot about us being able to detect their outputs because the issue is on our side, because people are using these tools massively to spam our catalog. 

Are you starting to see patterns of how people are using AI content for spam? For example, are most people creating multiple accounts and hopping between them to spread out their mass uploads? Are they artificially running up the streams?

Herault: What I can say is that they are creative.

Moussallam: Well, not creative on the music side, but on the spam side? Very creative.  

Herault: The reason why we got worried about AI-generated music in the first place is that it’s really close to the fraud behavior we were already seeing. You create a lot of accounts. You deliver a massive amount of albums every day. 

Moussallam: I think maybe the only new phenomenon we see from AI music is it can also be used for impersonation. You take one artist that streams a lot and then try to create stuff that resembles the style of that artist. That’s quite worrying on our side.

Herault: They even try to deliver these songs on official artist pages. That’s why it’s important to combine our AI efforts with our fraud detection system to avoid this kind of behavior.  

Take me back to when you first discovered how much AI-generated content was being uploaded to Deezer and why you decided to devote so much time and so many resources within the company to work on this issue.

Moussallam: I think it dates back to maybe 2022 when the first large open-source generative models were released within the scientific community. It was before you had commercial models available, and we had a chance to play with it ourselves. Over time, we started to see momentum with these models. Soon they could generate full songs, which was not possible a few years before. 

Obviously, when Suno launched, it was a huge moment. The first thing we did was to go on the platform and download a few songs that people were sharing over there, and then, using fingerprints, we were able to check whether people were also distributing these AI songs into our catalog. We soon found out that, yeah, they were. Back then, we had no idea of the amount, but we knew it was happening. It was really important for us to quantify this phenomenon, and this is what led us to actually researching it. 

It took us a few months, and we finally found a system to identify the scale. Eventually, we felt confident enough to share the number in January. We had to double-check a lot, and to make sure we didn’t have too many false positives. We knew that would be a huge problem. We only communicated to the general public once we were confident. 

Herault: Today, we are talking about AI detection, but we’ve seen the same spam and artificial streaming behavior with other kinds of content on Deezer, like public domain songs, noise and rain sounds. So we’ve been developing tools to understand what is on our platform before AI came along. It’s been 12 years now of research and development, so that’s why we can react pretty quickly when new developments occur. 

I often hear mixed reviews about the products that are on the market right now that claim they can detect AI-generated music — and, even more controversially, can attribute AI-generated music back to the songs that inspired it from the training data. I imagine you’ve had folks doubt how good your tools are. How do you assure them of their accuracy?

Herault: We made a lot of presentations to the music industry, showing our results. And we also published a paper in the scientific community, so it’s accessible to everyone. 

Moussallam: In the first paper we published, we stated that this problem cannot totally be solved by our tool. If anything, we are the most in doubt about our own technology because we did the work — we know exactly how limited it is. This is still an open problem, and it is still easy to bypass our detector. 

Herault: That’s why we share data. We want to open the discussion. We explained to the industry that we cannot solve everything, but we can solve part of the problem with these tools. 

How feasible is AI music attribution right now? 

Moussallam: It’s impossible to know if we’re going to be able to do it. It’s a really fast-moving and exciting field, so we want to dive into that. But this is going to take years, probably. The only thing I’m sure of is that there is nothing on the shelf right now that’s able to do this in a satisfactory manner.

One debate I hear in the music tech world is whether or not this flood of AI-generated music is going to be a serious burden for streaming services, in terms of servers and storage space. Someone at a rival music streamer told me they don’t think this is a real concern. Others believe it is. What is your take? 

Herault: This is a serious topic for us, and we already removed some content that was using too much space — because it’s not only an economic issue, it’s also an ecological one. Do we need to store all this content so we all have the same catalog and all have a copy of the same things? It’s really a question worth thinking about, and we already have had some discussion to remove some content, especially because a lot of content is not listened to at all. 

That sounds like an issue that streaming services are going to have to face, then.

Herault: Not only music streaming, I mean, there’s all kinds of AI-generated content — images, audio, video. It’s everything. 

Moussallam: Audio is actually not such a big file to store when you compare it to movies or some images. 

I always wonder whether younger generations will care whether or not their music came from an AI model or a person. It’s hard for us to wrap our heads around, but if these kids are raised on AI content, maybe their listening habits are different from ours. Have you taken this into account when deciding how you want to treat AI music on Deezer?

Moussallam: It’s an amazing research question, but it’s one which doesn’t have an answer yet. I think a lot of people are wondering if we are seeing a shift in terms of the relationship that people have to music. It also raises the question of, why do people love music in the first place? Do you need to have a human relationship, either directly or indirectly, to music to attach meaning to it? I believe a lot of people need that. But I am not sure what people are going to do in the future.