Universal vs. TikTok Dispute
After the license agreement between Universal Music Group and TikTok expired, the conflict continued, leaving major artists like Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, and Billie Eilish off the platform. The root of the dispute: Universal found TikTok's terms unsuitable for protecting its artists' music, citing inadequate compensation and insufficient rights protection against security concerns and the implications of artificial intelligence.
Unfortunately, this battle between music industry giants is having a direct impact on artists, while negotiations remain at a standstill.
Note that TikTok Business users are not affected by this dispute. Only TikTok Creator users are.
What this means for TikTok Creator users:
- Videos created with Universal Music tracks risk losing their audio.
- Check whether any of your older videos are now marked as "Muted". If so, take the time to choose a new track for those silent videos.
We encourage you to stay tuned as this dispute unfolds.
LinkedIn Ads Sunsets Lookalike Audiences
As of February 29, 2024, LinkedIn ended Lookalike Audience targeting on its advertising platform. Here is what that means for advertisers:
- Creating new Lookalike Audiences is no longer possible.
- Existing Lookalike Audiences can no longer be edited.
- These audiences will become static for currently active campaigns.
To fill the gap, LinkedIn recommends using Predictive Audiences. These are built from lead gen forms, conversions tracked via the Insight Tag, or contact lists. They help you reach high-intent audiences similar to your existing customers. Note that each ad account can have a maximum of 30 Predictive Audiences.
In short, the removal of Lookalike Audiences on LinkedIn Ads as of February 29, 2024 requires advertisers to rethink their targeting strategies. Predictive Audiences offer a compelling path forward for maintaining dynamic campaigns and reaching relevant prospects. Taking proactive steps to adapt and leverage these new features will be key.
Meet EMO, Alibaba's New AI Tool
Researchers at Alibaba's Institute for Intelligent Computing have developed a new AI tool called EMO (Emote Portrait Alive). It animates portrait photos into audio-driven avatar videos. Here are some highlights.
EMO easily transforms static character images into dynamic avatars that sing, complete with diverse facial expressions, head movements, and variable durations.
The tool works across many languages, including for singing. Whether it is Mandarin, Japanese, Cantonese, or Korean, it intuitively recognizes audio tonal variations to produce expressive avatars.
In summary, EMO adds a new dimension to expressive avatar creation, opening the door to fascinating applications in animation and visual communication.
Google Consent Mode V2
Google's new consent framework (Consent Mode V2), introduced in response to the Digital Markets Act, made consent implementation mandatory for all Google Ads users as of March 6, 2024. Without consent, personalized remarketing ads are blocked and conversion tracking will be as well. Additionally, traffic from users categorized as unassigned cannot be tracked.
The technical changes required to upgrade to V2 are minor for those who already had consent implemented. The EU's Digital Markets Act imposes obligations on gatekeepers like Google, Amazon, and Meta, with steep penalties for non-compliance. Google now requires a clear declaration of the user's consent type. Tracking code must also specify four consent states covering different purposes, ranging from analytics to personalized advertising.