Today’s Big Story

Spotify Is Making Big Moves

A new remix feature will let you speed up, slow down, and edit songs … for TikTok, of course

Do you hear that? It’s all the chatter about big changes coming to Spotify. Starting with some exciting news that the service has been developing tools that would let users make remixes of their favorite songs.

The audio streaming company is developing tools that would allow subscribers to speed up, mash-up, and otherwise edit tracks from their favorite artists, which could then be saved for repeat listening, according to the Wall Street Journal. One use case for the tools is to allow Spotify users to adjust the speed of the songs they listen to. These music modifications are already popular with teens and young adults on TikTok, with content analysis firm Pex finding that nearly 40% of songs on the platform had their speeds or pitches modified in 2023, compared to 25% the year prior. Spotify reportedly isn’t planning to make these user-generated remixes sharable on third-party services. Instead, the company is aiming to make it easier for artists to receive royalties or other compensation for their work, without having to release multiple versions of their music on the platform.

According to the WSJ, Spotify will likely make some of these more basic tools available via the standard Spotify Premium subscription that starts at $10.99 (or $5.99 if you’re a student). Anything fancier may otherwise be placed behind the more expensive “Supremium” tier, which is also expected to feature another long-delayed and requested feature: Lossless audio.

The Verge asks, “Could lossless streaming on Spotify actually be happening this time?” After originally being known three years ago as “Spotify HiFi”, it now seems like Spotify has again pivoted on strategy. But Reddit sleuths have been trudging through a lot of this code to try and piece together Spotify’s plans. The lossless mentions are very direct—“lossless has arrived” is one snippet—with Spotify supporting “up to 24-bit/44.1kHz” FLAC files.

Intriguingly, Spotify is also planning some kind of headphone optimization feature that uses “patented technology” to enhance sound for specific models, with Apple’s AirPods getting a mention in the code. Reddit user Hypixely also believes Music Pro will allow more advanced library filtering (by mood, genre, etc.). Spotify is pushing further into AI playlists, but it’s not certain whether those will be part of the Music Pro add-on with this new update.

Debating the Debate?

Major news organizations urge Biden, Trump to commit to presidential debates

A dozen major news organizations—including The Associated Press and the five big broadcast and cable networks—issued a joint statement on Sunday urging President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump to commit to debates during the 2024 campaign season.

“General election debates have a rich tradition in our American democracy,” the group wrote. “There is simply no substitute for the candidates debating with each other, and before the American people, their visions for the future of our nation.” Media organizations rarely weigh in so explicitly on the campaign plans of presidential candidates. According to the New York Times, the statement underscores just how much uncertainty surrounds whether this year’s debates will occur.

For more than four decades (beginning in 1976), debating has been a staple of American general elections. So far, Biden hasn’t committed to the debates, expressing concerns about Trump’s behavior on stage and the Commission on Presidential Debates’ ability to enforce its own rules of decorum. Trump, who refused to debate his GOP rivals in the primaries, now says the two presumptive nominees have “an obligation” to debate, which he said is “for the good of our country.”

Too Early to Wear Our AI

If you were thinking of getting this ‘second brain’ to cut your phone time down to size, maybe wait

The Humane AI Pin has been out for a few days, and to say the release has been divisive might seem like an understatement. Most reviews that have come out have been lukewarm at best. Most who have used the Pin for a few weeks have noted the device is buggy, slow, and lacking a few features one would expect from a device that proposes to be your personal assistant, or in Humane’s words, your “second brain.”

WIRED called it “clunky,” and The Verge flat out says that it’s promise to free us from the shackles of our smartphones just doesn’t deliver. “The AI Pin is an interesting idea that is so thoroughly unfinished and so totally broken in so many unacceptable ways that I can’t think of anyone to whom I’d recommend spending the $699 for the device and the $24 monthly subscription.” Ouch.

The Washington Post’s tech writer was a bit more diplomatic, saying that the interactions with the device felt “surprisingly natural, to the point where I sometimes find myself reaching for the Pin to ask a question even when I’m not wearing it.” But even he agreed that no one should be buying this thing … yet. Perhaps one day, we won’t need any silly phones at all, but that day isn’t today. Or even tomorrow.

Iran’s Israel Attack Raises Fears

White House officials worry that Israeli response may trigger a wider war

As expected (and feared), Iran retaliated against Israel early Sunday, ratcheting up regional tensions, while confirming long-held concerns about the Israel-Hamas war spiraling into a broader war in the region. The unprecedented action—Iran’s first direct military attack on Israel, its decades-long foe—sent more than 300 drones and missiles toward Israel in the early hours of Sunday.

The Associated Press reports that the country was able to successfully put to the test its aerial defense array, which, along with help from allies, blocked 99% of the projectiles and prevented any major damage. A majority of the U.N. Security Council members, including the United States, condemned the attack, urging Middle Eastern leaders to avoid escalation, but ambassadors for Iran, Syria, Russia and China criticized the support of the United States and other countries that helped shoot down the drones and missiles.

Some experts are now saying that Sunday’s attack is bad not only for the Middle East, but also for Russia's war in Ukraine as new fault lines emerge between Moscow and Tehran. Meanwhile, the Group of Seven, or G7, nations is already considering additional sanctions against Iran following its attack on Israel—which could spill over to Russia as well. And while Biden has pledged an “ironclad” commitment to Israel’s security against Iranian threats, senior administration official told NBC News the president has also made clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the United States will not participate in any offensive operations against Iran.

Combat Work Stress

Proven ways to beat back burnout

When someone asks how you’re doing, is your answer something like “I'm dragging,” or “Man, I'm so busy”? If it is, you're not alone. We know that Americans are over-worked and under-slept, so I don't have to tell you that workplace stress is real and rampant. But workers around the world are more stressed than ever, according to a recent Gallup report.

The State of the Global Workplace reports that worldwide, more than 44% of workers say that they have a problem with daily stress at work. That's a record high and up slightly from 43% in 2020, which was its own record at the time. (The U.S. and Canada are home to the world's most stressed-out workers.) But there are some proven tactics to help minimize your stress.

Mondays are hard, but life is magical.