10 mistakes that can kill your podcast

Michael Olatunji, co-founder of podcast and video production studio Outset Studio, identifies 10 mistakes that can kill your podcast... Over 21 million people in the UK listen to podcasts on a regular basis. They range from celebrity gossip to niche discussions on the mining industry. Creating a podcast is also a fantastic way of promoting…

Spotify slashes 1500 jobs, Google delays launch of Gemini AI robot

Swedish music-streaming giant Spotify has announced it is cutting 17% of its workforce, about 1,500 jobs, as the company seeks to clamp down on costs. Chief executive Daniel Ek said he had made the "difficult" decision with economic growth slowing "dramatically". Spotify employs about 9,000 people, and Mr Ek said "substantial action to rightsize our…

AI could increase cyber attack risk, new features added for Apple Watch

Artificial intelligence could increase the risk of cyber-attacks and erode trust in online content by 2025, a UK government report warns. The tech could even help plan biological or chemical attacks by terrorists, it says. But some experts have questioned whether the tech will evolve as predicted. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to highlight…

Microsoft cleared to buy Activision Blizzard, Kia plans £25,000 EV

Activision Blizzard is the maker of the hugely popular Call of Duty games Microsoft's revised offer to buy Call of Duty-maker Activision Blizzard has been approved by UK regulators. The Competition and Markets Authority said the deal addressed its concerns, after the watchdog blocked the original $69bn (£59bn) bid in April.…

Female-led AI startups less likely to get investment, NGOs promised greater cybersecurity

  An “urgent issue” of gender imbalance in artificial intelligence investment must be addressed according to a government-backed body which has found that female-founded companies accounted for just 2% of AI startup deals over the past decade. The report by the Alan Turing Institute found that when female-founded companies have secured funding, they raise on…

Spotify won’t ban AI content, Tesla robot learns yoga moves

The boss of Spotify says he has no plans to completely ban content created by artificial intelligence from the music streaming platform. Earlier this year the platform pulled a track featuring AI-cloned voices of the performers Drake and The Weeknd. Daniel Ek told the BBC there were valid uses of the tech in making music…

WhatsApp gets ready to support iMessage, Apple prepares to launch iPhone 15

The hugely popular instant messaging platform WhatsApp appears to be getting its ducks in a row, ready to open its apps up to support for third-party messaging services like Apple's iMessage. The move comes as the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA) gets ready to come into force in March 2024. The EU recently confirmed that it has…

Shiny snippets: Spotify raises prices, Twitter unveils new logo

Spotify is raising the price of its main monthly subscription for the first time in its 15-year history as it comes under pressure to boost payments to the music industry. The streaming service will charge users £10.99 a month for its premium service, up from the £9.99 it has been since launch. The Swedish company…

ShinyShiny snippets: Amazon’s Book Depository to close down

UK-based online store Book Depository is being closed down by its parent company, the US technology giant Amazon. Book Depository has told customers it will cease operations later this month after almost two decades in business. It comes after Amazon announced plans to cut thousands of jobs as it shakes up its businesses globally. The…

ShinyShiny snippets: US vinyl sales overtake CDs for first time since 1980s

Vinyl record sales outperformed CDs in the US for the first time since 1987, according to a new report. Just over 41 million vinyl records were sold in 2022, to the tune of $1.2bn (£.99bn). Only 33 million CDs were sold, amounting to $483m. It was the 16th consecutive year of growth for record sales, about…