Witch Pig Seven String Synth Seven String Synth is based on samples recorded from a Schecter JL7 seven string guitar, going through an emulation of the Electro-Harmonix Micro Synthesizer guitar pedal. Four versions... Read More

Ambient’s new extensions for Sennheiser mics Ambient’s latest audio technology accessory allows the use of large windsheilds and microphone flags with Sennheiser's current range of handheld transmitters. 

BlackRock bullish on Bitcoin, Gemini CEO’s ‘delusion,’ and CEXs’ unhappy staff: Hodler’s Digest, July 2-8BlackRock’s PR campaign for a Bitcoin ETF, Gemini’s fight with DCG over Earn program funds, and CEX employees’ sentiment.

Meta’s Threads goes live, OpenAI launches GPT-4 and Pornhub blocks accessHey, folks, welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular roundup of the week in tech. Been too slammed to follow the news cycle as closely as you’d like? Not to worry. That’s why WiR exists. We’ll get you up to speed in no time.
Thanks to the July 4th holiday, the workweek was somewhat disrupted. But plenty still happened. Meta released Threads, its Twitter competitor, which quickly grew to tens of millions of users. Meanwhile, Twitter quietly removed the login requirement for viewing tweets that it’d imposed only days before. Somewhere in the midst of it all, secretive hardware startup Humane revealed the details of its first product. And OpenAI made its GPT-4 generative AI model generally available.
Read on for more of the top stories from the week — and if you haven’t already, sign up here to get WiR in your inbox every Saturday.
Most read
Threads goes live: This week, Instagram announced the highly anticipated launch of its text-based social networking app, Threads, which allows Instagram users to authenticate with their existing credentials in order to post short tweet-like updates. Within 24 hours, the app, which is available for iOS and Android in around 100 countries (but not the EU, reportedly due to local data privacy regulations), passed 30 million sign-ups.
Twitter takes the gloves off: With the success of Threads, Twitter is threatening to sue Meta, which it accuses of poaching former Twitter employees to create the new platform. Shortly after Threads launched, a lawyer for Twitter, Alex Spiro, sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg accusing the social media giant of engaging in unlawful misappropriation of Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property.
A tough thread to delete: In more Threads news, turns out that deleting a Threads account requires deleting the linked Instagram account as well. The rationale, Meta elaborates on the policy page, is that a Threads profile is part of the user’s Instagram account. The discovery of this stipulation has surprised many users, unsurprisingly.
OpenAI launches GPT-4: OpenAI this week announced the general availability of GPT-4, its latest text-generating model, through its paid API. GPT-4 can generate text (including code) and accept image and text inputs — an improvement over its predecessor GPT-3.5, which only accepted text — and performs at “human level” on various professional and academic benchmarks. But it’s not perfect, as we note in our previous coverage.
Humane unveils the Ai Pin: Humane, the startup launched by ex-Apple design and engineering duo Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, this week revealed details about its first product: the Ai Pin. Humane’s product is a wearable gadget with a projected display and AI-powered features — like a futuristic smartphone, but in a vastly different form factor.
Pornhub blocks access: Pornhub is blocking access to users in Mississippi, Virginia and Utah, which have recently passed laws that require age verification to access adult websites. Internet privacy advocates have long been critical of these age checks, which require users to share personal information like their government ID in order to use the internet.
Reddit’s valuation gets cut, again: Fidelity has further slashed the estimated worth of its holding in the social media giant Reddit. Fidelity Blue Chip Growth Fund valued its holdings in Reddit at $15.4 million as of May 31, according to the fund’s monthly disclosure released last Friday. That’s down 7.36% from the $16.6 million mark at April’s closure and altogether a slide of 45.4% since its investment in August 2021. The updated share value suggests a $5.5 billion valuation for Reddit.
Goldman looks to ditch Apple: Four years after partnering with Apple on the launch of the Apple Card, Goldman Sachs may be eyeing the exits. The Wall Street Journal reports that Goldman is “looking for a way out” of its high-profile deal with Apple, which recently expanded to include savings accounts for Apple Card holders. The investment banking firm is apparently in talks to offload the partnership to American Express, the WSJ report added, but so far nothing seems to be set in stone, nor is it clear whether Apple would support the handoff.

Audio

Need a podcast to pass the time? You’ve come to the right place. TechCrunch offers a growing roster of quality shows, and this week, there’s lots in the way of new material.
Equity featured Immad Akhund, the CEO and co-founder of Mercury, which made headlines earlier this year for how it stepped in to help fill the business banking void left in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse.
And the Found crew interviewed Charles Baron, the co-founder and CMO at Farmers Business Network, a startup that offers a suite of online services to farmers.
TechCrunch+
TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys — which you know if you’re already a subscriber. If you’re not, consider signing up. Here are a few highlights from this week:
Europe, the fuzzy tech cloud: Haje writes about the differences between the U.S. and European startup environments. The latter, he writes, has an appetite for experimentation that fails to fully settle into a coherent whole — in contrast to the handful of major hubs in the U.S. attracting the bulk of the talent and investment.
Moving to save cash: For company founders and shareholders with an exit on the horizon, a move for tax reasons can make a lot of financial sense. However, many times it’s not that simple. Peyton Carr, managing director of Keystone Global Partners, expands on this.
Being a Black founder in France:  The French startup ecosystem for Black founders is shrouded in mystery, but Dom attempts to pull back the curtains. She finds that deep-seated racial stereotypes and prejudices still fester in the country, manifesting in the form of economic discrimination against Black entrepreneurs.

Get your TechCrunch fix IRL. Join us at Disrupt 2023 in San Francisco this September to immerse yourself in all things startup. From headline interviews to intimate roundtables to a jam-packed startup expo floor, there’s something for everyone at Disrupt. Save up to $600 when you buy your pass now through August 11, and save 15% on top of that with promo code WIR. Learn more.

Meta’s Threads goes live, OpenAI launches GPT-4 and Pornhub blocks access by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

Getting It Done: The Week in D.I.Y. and Indie MusicThis week, our tips and advice for the independent, do-it-yourselfers out there covered how to use ChatGPT to your advantage, common AI music myths, and more… Five essential tips for. Continue reading
The post Getting It Done: The Week in D.I.Y. and Indie Music appeared first on Hypebot.

REWIND: The new music industry’s Week in ReviewA busy week by any definition, the music industry was no exception, with Spotify adding more video content features, Anime music taking over the world, and more… Tidal joins Apple. Continue reading
The post REWIND: The new music industry’s Week in Review appeared first on Hypebot.

WA Production release InstaComposer 2 The latest version of WA Production’s AI-powered MIDI generator now allows users to organise their ideas and song parts into eight scenes, as well as deliver a range of improvements and enhancements. 

Toolife Studio SaxHorn SAXHORN gives you saxophones, trombones, trumpets, tuba, and flugelhorn. 38 pre-arranged section presets for all popular styles get you started right. customize your horn section... Read More

R&R Hall of Fame Honors Ringo Starr and His Annual Peace & Love eventThe Rock & Roll Hall of Fame today presented a special Beatles Fridays event on Ringo Starr’s July 7th birthday. Fans enjoyed The Beatles: Get Back to Let It Be exhibit, which has been extended through the remainder of the year, along with the first-ever recording of Rolling Stone “Music Now” podcast with a live studio audience, which will be available on Monday, July 10th , and took part in the Rock Hall’s video op for Ringo’s #PeaceAndLove Birthday celebration wishing Ringo a Happy Birthday! 

More information about Beatles Fridays can be found at Beatles Fridays | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

How to find your sound as an artist
From embracing your strengths to breaking the rules, we explore six tips that will help you find and develop your signature sound.

The Beach Boys July 4th Spectacular at the Hollywood Bowl“America’s Band” The Beach Boys played the Hollywood Bowl for three consecutive nights (7/2-4) to celebrate the 4th of July. Originally scheduled for 2020, the show was canceled during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Beach Boys played with the L.A. Philharmonic conducted by Thomas Wilkins. The philharmonic opened the show paying tribute to the armed forces of the United States. As each theme was played, a different division stood up to be recognized for their dedication and sacrifice for our country.  Members of the Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Air Force, and Navy were in attendance. 

2023 marks the 60th anniversary of the first time The Beach Boys played the Hollywood Bowl and also John Stamos’s birth year. It has also been 11 years since The Beach Boys played the Hollywood Bowl on their 50th anniversary tour which brought back all surviving members including Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and David Marks playing under the Beach Boys name in a number of years. The Beach Boys Formed in Hawthorne, CA in 1961 and became America’s biggest group with 36 Top 40 hits and over 100 million album sales worldwide. In the band’s nearly 62 year history, there have been many lineup changes but lead vocalist Mike Love has been the only consistent member to this day from the original group and keyboardist/vocalist Bruce Johnston has been a member since 1965. Johnston was originally brought in to become Brian Wilson’s replacement on the road. The touring group consists of Love’s son Christian on guitar and vocals, keyboardist Tim Bonhomme, Randy Leago (Sax/Flute/Harmonica), bassist Keith Hubacher, and newest member drummer Jon Bolton. 

Joining the Beach Boys were Full House star John Stamos who has toured with the group on and off for nearly 40 years and Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath. McGrath recorded “Do It Again” with Stamos for Mike Love’s solo album Unleash the Love released in 2017 which was a combination of re-recorded Beach Boys hits and originals. After an intermission following the orchestra, out came the Beach Boys, McGrath, and Stamos opening with “Do It Again.” In total there were 22 songs performed which were all big Beach Boys hits. McGarth left the stage after “Surfin’ U.S.A.” and would return later. “Surfer Girl” was dedicated to Love’s granddaughter Stella. Love introduced Johnston as “the only member of their camp to win a Grammy” which was for Barry Manilow’s “I Write the Songs,” however Johnston performed a Beach Boys song he wrote and sang lead on which was “Disney Girls (1957). This was followed by back to back tributes to the band’s co-founders Dennis and Carl Wilson. First came “Forever” which Dennis Wilson had sung lead on until his passing in 1983. This song was featured in “Full House” and has been performed by Stamos over the years and this time it was not only a tribute to Dennis but also his Full House co-star Bob Saget, and Stamos played it on a guitar Saget owned. The next song was “God Only Knows” which was sung by Carl Wilson originally and up until his passing in 1998. Christian Love provided lead vocals. 

McGrath returned for “California Girls.” The final songs before the finale were “Help, Me Rhonda”, “Kokomo,” and “Good Vibrations.” The Beach Boys left the stage for the fireworks as the orchestra performed several John Philip Sousa compositions like “The Washington Post March,” and “Stars and Stripes Forever.” The Beach Boys returned to play “Fun, Fun, Fun” and close out this historic night. 

Setlist:

Do It Again with Mark McGrath

Surfin' Safari with Mark McGrath

Catch a Wave

Surfin' U.S.A. with Mark McGrath

Surfer Girl (dedicated to Stella Love on her birthday)

Don't Worry Baby

Little Deuce Coupe

I Get Around

Be True to Your School

Getcha Back

Darlin'

Disney Girls (1957)

Forever with John Stamos

God Only Knows

Sloop John B ([traditional] cover)

Wouldn't It Be Nice

California Girls with Mark McGrath

Barbara Ann (The Regents cover)

Help Me, Rhonda

Kokomo

Good Vibrations

Encore

 Fun, Fun, Fun

Meta’s vision for Threads is more mega-mall than public squareIn the latest sign that Meta’s new Twitter lookalike Threads is unlikely to capture the essence of its predecessor, the company is apparently actively disinterested in cultivating its new app into useful hub of breaking news and world events.
In a reply to a question from The Verge’s Alex Heath, Instagram head Adam Mosseri, currently the default hype guy for Threads too, said that Meta’s goal isn’t to replace Twitter, but rather “to create a public square for communities on Instagram that never really embraced Twitter and for communities on Twitter (and other platforms) that are interested in a less angry place for conversations, but not all of Twitter.”

He continued:
“Politics and hard news are important, I don’t want to imply otherwise. But my take is, from a platform’s perspective, any incremental engagement or revenue they might drive is not at all worth the scrutiny, negativity (let’s be honest), or integrity risks that come along with them.
There are more than enough amazing communities – sports, music, fashion, beauty, entertainment, etc – to make a vibrant platform without needing to get into politics or hard news.”
Mosseri’s take here is strange and fairly alarming for a few reasons. For one, it echoes some of the anodyne ways that Facebook has described itself over the years: just a big, friendly, neutral place where people could “connect” — Mark Zuckerberg’s favored pitch and one that conjures images of a male and female USB cable making love. Contrary to its stated neutrality, his company ritualistically incentivized particular forms of content and behavior, driving Facebook users deeper into ideological echo chambers while fanning the flames of the polarization and extremism that plagues global politics today.
As the former head of Facebook’s News Feed, Mosseri knows all of this yet seems to be taking away the wrong lessons.
After being cowed by its embarrassing failures during the 2016 presidential election and its subsequent role in hosting the Stop the Steal movement, which culminated in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Facebook opted to rebrand and retreat. It’s strange that Mosseri pretends that Meta’s desire for a social network floating in a vacuum, never influencing the world for the better or the worse, is in any way achievable.
Of course, “politics and hard news” will find their way onto Threads; they already have — see anti-LGBTQ hate group Libs of TikTok testing the waters there. Without Meta’s investment in or preparation for counterbalancing forces, extremism and viral misinformation will outcompete whatever legitimate news sources opt to invest resources in the new app.
Meta obviously has no interest in boosting journalism these days. The company has long been happy to extract what it wants from news orgs while offering bait and switch tactics in return, if that. Meta is currently blocking access to news in Canada to protest a new law that requires the tech giant to compensate publishers. (The company is currently worth $745 billion.)
Meta’s anti-journalism crusading aside, Mosseri’s take on the public square is squarely ahistorical.
Instagram and now Threads are obsessively designed to shuffle normal users together with brands, encouraging commercial activity at every turn. And while the lofty notion of a virtual public square or town hall is evoked often by social media execs to further the agenda of the day, public squares aren’t just the domain of trade and commerce. Historically, they’re also the heart of culture and a place for political discourse — itself an pesky and unavoidable side effect of existing within a society.
Surely Mark Zuckerberg — a self-styled Classics guy who named his children after Roman emperors — would know that the Roman Forum was not just a rustic shopping center but a place where people could gather, engage in political life and hear the news of the day.
Meta’s insistence on a diminished, commodified version of public life stuffed to the gills with advertising fits the company’s narrow vision, but it’s a disappointing if predictable turn for a promising Twitter successor to take so little interest in the world itself.

Threads won’t be fun — but it will give brands a refuge from Twitter

Meta’s vision for Threads is more mega-mall than public square by Taylor Hatmaker originally published on TechCrunch

Coinbase domain name reportedly used by scammers in high-profile attacksTwitter users have been sharing security incidents surrounding the crypto exchange, including claims that scammers are using Coinbase’s domain name for attacks.