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The Star
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Ascott Star Rewards Festival 2025 promises a great time with live music, lifestyle rewards
KUALA LUMPUR: Great travel deals, equally amazing live music and even lifestyle rewards await MyTown Shopping Centre visitors this weekend at the Ascott Star Rewards (ASR) Festival 2025. The free-for-all festival from July 24 to July 27 from 10am to 9.30pm daily, will see visitors blown away by breathtaking live performances from renowned local artistes throughout the weekend. Visitors will be able to catch the performances of big names like Naqiu, Wany Hasrita, Wany Kayrie, Afifi Tirmizie, HOW1E, Kidd Santhe, Vanessa Reynauld, Yulia and Ara Johari. Organised by Ascott Malaysia, the festival will also see aspiring musicians compete in a karaoke contest with the winner walking away with a real music recording contract from Sony Music Entertainment. 'Sony Music will assist in writing and creating a song for the contest winner as well as help in the production and distribution of the song once it is complete. 'If it goes well, we plan to also sign a longer contract with the winner to help them achieve their dreams in the industry,' said Song Music Entertainment Malaysia managing director Kenny Ong during the ASR festival launch ceremony on Thursday (July 24). Travel lovers will also find a variety of amazing travel deals which include exclusive room offers of up to 40% off for all Ascott hotels in Malaysia and our Southeast Asia neighbours like Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines and Indonesia. Those who make bookings at the event will also be treated to a free cash wind chamber mini-game where they stand a chance to take home instant cash prizes. The same offers will also be available for online booking three days after the festival is over from July 28 to July 30. The exclusive deals at participating hotels will only be for the staying period of between July 21 this year until March 31 next year. Visitors may also look out for exclusive lifestyle rewards from major partners at the event including CIMB, ASTRO Rocketfuel, ShopBack and Jaecoo by Weststar. Visitors will also be able to sign up for the ASR loyalty programme on-site or online to enjoy even more exclusive benefits at the festival like room discounts, bonus points, priority bookings and special giveaways. Other activities like interactive games, flash mob performances, lucky draw sessions, and even happy hour sales will be available for visitors to enjoy throughout the four-day festival. 'Whether you're dreaming of your dream holiday, exploring new lifestyle perks, or even just looking to enjoy great music, the ASR Festival invites you to Travel Your Way,' said The Ascott Limited area general manager (Malaysia and Sabah, Sarawak) Sharon Ang at the launch ceremony.
The Hindu
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
‘Mrs. and Mr.' movie: Ilaiyaraaja's name removed from all promotional materials, Vanitha Film Productions tells Madras High Court
Music composer R. llaiyaraaja's name has been removed from all promotional materials related to the movie 'Mrs. and Mr.,' Vanitha Film Productions told the Madras High Court on Wednesday (July 23, 2025), pursuant to a civil suit filed by him to restrain the production house from exploiting his personality rights for the promotion of the movie. Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy recorded the submission made by Sridhar Moorthy, counsel for the producer, that the composer's name had been removed fom the materials posted on Instagram as well as other platforms. Earlier, Mr. Ilaiyaraaja's counsel A. Saravanan said that use of his client's name amounted to misrepresentation. It was brought to the notice of the court that Mr. Ilaiyaraaja was not the music composer of 'Mrs. and Mr.' However, the producers had used one of the songs composed by him for another movie and printed his name in the promotional materials thereby giving an impression as if he was their music composer, the counsel said. In his civil suit, Mr. Ilaiyaraaja had also sought a direction to Vanitha Film Productions to remove forthwith the song titled 'Sivarathri,' which he had composed for the 1990 Kamal Haasan-starrer Michael Madana Kama Rajan, from the movie Mrs. and Mr., which was released on July 11, 2025. Further, he had also sought a permanent injunction restraining the production firm from exploiting his personality rights for the promotion of the movie and sought a direction to the production house to disclose the profits and gains derived from the exploitation of such rights. Along with the suit, the composer had filed two applications seeking interim relief. One of the applications was for an interim direction to remove the song 'Sivarathri' from Mrs. and Mr. and another for an interim direction to not sell, distribute, screen, exhibit, or broadcast the movie with the song. After filing a counter affidavit to the applications seeking interim relief, Mr. Moorthy told the court that Mr. Ilaiyaraaja had wrongly mentioned Ms. Vanitha Vijayakumar as the producer of the movie though the promotional materials clearly mention Jovika Vijayakumar to be the producer. Therefore, he said, the composer would have to file an application to amend the causetitle. He also stated that Sony Music Entertainment would also have to be included as one of the defendants to the suit since that music company had been assigned the rights of the song 'Sivarathiri.' Taking note of his submissions, the judge granted time till August 18 for the composer to file necessary applications for amending the causetitle and including a new defendant.
Kyodo News
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Kyodo News
"Demon Slayer" film sets Japan opening 3-day box-office record
TOKYO - The animated film adaptation of the popular manga "Demon Slayer" has set a new record for Japan's highest box-office revenue in its first three days, the distributor said Tuesday. The latest film, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba 'Infinity Castle -- Part 1: Akaza Returns'" drew 3.84 million visitors, hitting 5.52 billion yen ($37 million) in box-office revenue over the three-day period from Friday, Aniplex Inc. said. The subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. added the film earned 1.64 billion yen on its first day, 1.84 billion on the second, and 2.04 billion on the third, making it the highest-grossing movie ever released in Japan on an opening day. Sunday marked the highest single-day box-office revenue on record. In the four days through Monday, total revenue topped 7.32 billion yen, according to Aniplex. The manga title, serialized in the Weekly Shonen Jump from 2016 to 2020, tells the story of Tanjiro Kamado, an adolescent boy who battles human-eating demons while searching for a cure for his sister, who has turned into a demon. The previous animated work based on the series, released in 2020, became the first film in Japan to surpass 40 billion yen in box-office revenue.
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
If you can't sink the ship, buy it!: Major record labels court AI music startups like Suno and Udio amidst the million dollar copyright lawsuits charged against them.
iStock Universal Music Group, These In April 2024, UMG, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group filed a suit against The labels are exploring a potential deal that includes licensing fees and equity stakes in Suno and Udio, a move that could lead to lawsuit settlements. Reportedly a deal of such kind would be enough to settle lawsuits between the two sides. Accepting the Shift: Rather than trying to ban AI or block AI from the music industry, these companies have made peace with the technological shift and have begun to adapt themselves around the potential benefits fostered by AI. 'WMG believes that machine learning and AI technologies have creative potential for artists and songwriters.' The company said in a July 2024 statement regarding AI technologies. 'However, it is imperative that all uses and implementations of machine learning and AI technologies respect the rights of all those involved in the creation, marketing, promotion, and distribution of music.' While early discussions are still underway, any licensing deal would likely come with its own restrictions. Labels want an assurance that the AI-generated songs will not cause impersonation without consent and distribute content that harms their brand's value into the market. Despite concerns, labels see opportunity in new revenue streams, from marketing jingles and soundtrack content to virtual artists. Live Events The silver lining: This lawsuit-driven experiment isn't the first time the music industry has experimented with Other virtual performers have also gained significant traction in this manner. For instance, in 2023, Warner Music signed the CGI influencer Noonoouri, whose music, created with synthetic vocals and AI-generated lyrics, blurs the boundary between synthetic and human-generated music. This deal symbolized that AI wasn't just remixing soundtracks anymore; it was now producing the next generation of pop stars. Startups like Suno and Udio, with venture capital support and next-gen generative models as their armor, are creating new boundaries of what AI can do. For example, Suno can create full-fledged songs with vocals, lyrics, and instruments, and all it requires is a single text prompt. Udio, on the other hand, boasts its studio-level audio quality. The Stake: The talks symbolize a pattern, familiar in the entertainment industry, in the way it did for accepting TikTok; every digital disruption was initially met with resistance before being co-opted. This time, however, the stakes are higher, not just in dollars, for this could potentially undermine artist earnings and intellectual property rights if the AI were to flood the market with convincing fakes and unauthorized pastiches. Whether these licensing talks culminate in a deal or dissolve amid legal tension, one thing is clear: AI is no longer an invader but a part of the industry's future. Warner Music Group , and Sony Music Entertainment, amidst the ongoing lawsuit, are in the early-stage discussions to license portions of their vast music catalogs to 'Suno' and 'Udio.' The same firms they are currently AI music startups were long viewed as threats in the industry with outstanding billion-dollar lawsuits stacked against them; now, however, they are viewed as potential partners in the rapidly evolving music industry. With their ability to generate studio-quality songs from text prompts and dramatically lessened monetary April 2024, UMG, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group filed a suit against Suno and Udio , accusing them of using copyrighted material to develop their model without consent. Although, beneath the tensions remains an undeniable fact: AI is here to stay, and the music industry is adapting. Therefore, negotiations between the two sides could open doors for AI-generated tracks to consensually mimic the styles of popular artists, garnering both the label's approval and commercial labels are exploring a potential deal that includes licensing fees and equity stakes in Suno and Udio, a move that could lead to lawsuit settlements. Reportedly a deal of such kind would be enough to settle lawsuits between the two than trying to ban AI or block AI from the music industry, these companies have made peace with the technological shift and have begun to adapt themselves around the potential benefits fostered by AI. 'WMG believes that machine learning and AI technologies have creative potential for artists and songwriters.' The company said in a July 2024 statement regarding AI technologies. 'However, it is imperative that all uses and implementations of machine learning and AI technologies respect the rights of all those involved in the creation, marketing, promotion, and distribution of music.'While early discussions are still underway, any licensing deal would likely come with its own restrictions. Labels want an assurance that the AI-generated songs will not cause impersonation without consent and distribute content that harms their brand's value into the market. Despite concerns, labels see opportunity in new revenue streams, from marketing jingles and soundtrack content to virtual lawsuit-driven experiment isn't the first time the music industry has experimented with AI-generated music or artists. K-pop label SM Entertainment was notably known for fusing traditional K-pop music with virtual personas since 2020, with the debut of their 4th generation girl group, 'Aespa.' Each of the girl group's members has a hyper-realistic AI avatar counterpart, curated to interact with the fans, participate in videos, and also live in a fictional world called 'KWANGYA.' This fusion reshaped how K-pop marketing worked, for these avatars were not just novelty tools but rather integrated parts of the groups' concepts and marketing strategies, signaling a future where artists can have both a traditional presence and a digital one, the label's creative virtual performers have also gained significant traction in this manner. For instance, in 2023, Warner Music signed the CGI influencer Noonoouri, whose music, created with synthetic vocals and AI-generated lyrics, blurs the boundary between synthetic and human-generated music. This deal symbolized that AI wasn't just remixing soundtracks anymore; it was now producing the next generation of pop like Suno and Udio, with venture capital support and next-gen generative models as their armor, are creating new boundaries of what AI can do. For example, Suno can create full-fledged songs with vocals, lyrics, and instruments, and all it requires is a single text prompt. Udio, on the other hand, boasts its studio-level audio talks symbolize a pattern, familiar in the entertainment industry, in the way it did for accepting TikTok; every digital disruption was initially met with resistance before being co-opted. This time, however, the stakes are higher, not just in dollars, for this could potentially undermine artist earnings and intellectual property rights if the AI were to flood the market with convincing fakes and unauthorized these licensing talks culminate in a deal or dissolve amid legal tension, one thing is clear: AI is no longer an invader but a part of the industry's future. Disclaimer Statement: This content is authored by a 3rd party. The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). ET does not guarantee, vouch for or endorse any of its contents nor is responsible for them in any manner whatsoever. Please take all steps necessary to ascertain that any information and content provided is correct, updated, and verified. ET hereby disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied, relating to the report and any content therein.
TechCrunch
02-06-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
Major record labels are reportedly in licensing talks with AI firms Udio and Suno
In Brief Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment are in talks to license their work to AI startups Udio and Suno, according to a new report from Bloomberg. The deals would set forth a framework for how AI companies compensate artists for their work. The record labels are pushing to receive a small amount of equity in Suno and Udio. Udio and Suno allow aspiring music artists to receive an audio recording via prompts that describe sounds or songs, such as 'a modern country ballad about unrequited love.' Any deal would help to settle lawsuits between the music companies and AI startups. The labels sued Udio and Suno last year for copyright infringement. Both sides are in talks to see if they can agree on terms, as opposed to continuing legal fights. The music companies are pushing to get more control of the use of their work, while the AI startups want flexibility to experiment, the report notes.
