Entertainment
Hallwood Signs ‘AI Music Designer’ imoliver to Record Deal, a First for the Music Business
Hallwood Media has signed imoliver — dubbed in a press release as the top-streaming “AI music designer” on AI music platform Suno — to a record deal, marking the first time a traditional label has signed an AI music creator to such a deal, it was announced Thursday (July 24).
To kick off the deal, imoliver will be releasing “Stone,” a song originally released on Suno, to all streaming services on Aug. 8. To date, the song has more than 3 million streams on Suno, a powerful and controversial platform that can generate songs at the click of a button. Given that some streaming services, including Spotify, still do not have any AI music-specific policies in place, imoliver is expected to generate streams like any other artist, unless he breaks other rules like impersonation, spamming, or artificial streaming.
Through imoliver’s new deal with Hallwood, he will gain new marketing, promotion and artist services to further his AI music to greater success. On Oct. 24, imoliver is also slated to drop his debut album. As the press release states: “In the coming weeks, Hallwood will release a series of new singles from the creator, supported by visual storytelling and audio content that will introduce this exciting new talent as well as help music fans better understand this new medium and appreciate how the role of music designer fits into the tapestry of creative music making in the age of AI.”
Hallwood Media is a multi-faceted music company, servicing talent through its recording, management, publishing, distribution and merch divisions. It is helmed (and founded) by former Geffen Records president Neil Jacobson, who has been a longtime advocate for innovation in the music business. Through his investing arm, Hallwood Media Ventures, which was founded in 2021 with partner Todd Lowen, Jacobson has helped fund Disco, Splice, Soundful and other music tech firms.
News of imoliver’s label deal comes just one day after Billboard published a story detailing the rise of a new class of music makers who earn a living from generating AI music and distributing it to social media and streaming services. Though these creators largely exist as outsiders to the music business — without signing traditional label deals, going on tour or selling merch — their AI-generated or assisted work does compete for royalty dollars with entirely human-made songs on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. imoliver is the first of this class of AI music content creators to sign a record deal with an established music company like Hallwood.
Even though some AI music content creators make enough money to devote themselves to this full time, AI music still only accounts for a small sliver of the streaming pie. Deezer recently reported that AI songs only account for just 0.5% of streams on their platform, and “up to 70%” of plays of this type of material is artificial.
In a statement, Jacobson said of the deal: “imoliver represents the future of our medium. He’s a music designer who stands at the intersection of craftwork and taste. As we share his journey, the world will see the dexterity behind his work and what makes it so special. What he does is exactly why I love music and why we push boundaries at Hallwood.”
imoliver added that “signing with Hallwood is a huge moment, not just for me, but for the future of music. It’s a sign the industry is ready to embrace new ideas and new ways of creating. This isn’t about replacing artists, it’s about expanding what’s possible.”
Mikey Shulman, CEO of Suno, adds: “This is a milestone — not just for Oliver, Hallwood and Suno, but for the future of music. A new creator emerging from a new platform, making new kinds of content, shows that the future of music will be more vast and more inclusive than it is today. The boundaries of artistry are ever expanding.”
Donald Trump is once again addressing the possibility of granting a presidential pardon to Sean “Diddy” Combs.
During a Friday (Aug. 1) interview on Newsmax’s Finnerty, the president was asked whether he would consider pardoning Combs following his recent federal conviction. In early July, the Bad Boy Records mogul was found guilty of transportation with intent to engage in prostitution, though he was acquitted of more serious charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering.
“Well, he was essentially, I guess, sort of half-innocent,” Trump told host Rob Finnerty. “He’s still in jail or something, but he was celebrating a victory. But I guess it wasn’t as good of a victory.”
Trump also reflected on his past relationship with Combs, noting they were once “very friendly” and that he “got along with him great.” However, he said that dynamic shifted when he entered politics, describing Combs as having become “very hostile.”
This isn’t the first time Trump has commented on the case. During an Oval Office press briefing in late May, he was asked by Fox News’ Peter Doocy whether he would consider a pardon for Combs. At the time, Trump said he’d “look at the facts,” acknowledging their former rapport while insisting personal feelings wouldn’t influence his decision.
“I haven’t spoken to him in years,” Trump said. “He used to really like me a lot. I think when I ran for politics, that relationship busted up. … I would certainly look at the facts. If I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me, it wouldn’t have any impact on me.”
Combs’ partial acquittal followed seven weeks of testimony, including statements from singer Cassie Ventura, who accused him of abuse and trafficking during their relationship. Combs has denied all allegations. He now faces up to 20 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for Oct. 3.
Watch Trump’s full response on Finnerty about pardoning Diddy in a clip posted on X.
Entertainment
Dead & Company Celebrate 60 Years of the Grateful Dead at Golden Gate Park: Every Song From Night 1
Tens of thousands of Deadheads descended on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park on Friday night for the first of Dead & Company‘s three weekend shows celebrating 60 years of the Grateful Dead. The shows were consequential not just for the anniversary they commemorated, but for fans of the group, which had not performed anywhere other than Las Vegas’ Sphere since July 2023, when it concluded its final tour.
After an opening set by jamgrass phenom Billy Strings, Dead & Company – comprised of Grateful Dead founders Bobby Weir and Mickey Hart, alongside John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti and Jay Lane – dove into its catalog with gusto for two crowd-pleasing sets that spanned material from the Dead’s 30-year career. Highlights included guest appearances by Grahame Lesh (for “Box of Rain,” the beloved Dead song written and sung by his late father, Grateful Dead founding member Phil Lesh) and Strings (for the Dead classic “Wharf Rat”), as well as a touching encore of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” that honored the date, which would have been Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia’s 83rd birthday.
Dead & Company’s setlist choices on Friday leave plenty of options on the table for fans returning on Saturday and Sunday – the band rarely, if ever, repeats a song during these sorts of runs – including classics like “Touch of Grey,” “Casey Jones” and “Truckin’.” On Saturday, Sturgill Simpson will open the show under his “Johnny Blue Skies” moniker, while on Sunday, Phish frontman Trey Anastasio will kick off the festivities.
Here’s a look at Dead & Company’s full opening-night setlist for its three-show San Francisco run celebrating 60 years of the Grateful Dead.
Entertainment
Watch Eminem’s Hilarious Outtakes From ‘Happy Gilmore 2’: ‘Put Some Respect on My Name, B—h’
Eminem made a memorable cameo in Happy Gilmore 2, in which he played the role of Donald Jr. Now, Netflix has released the outtakes from his hilarious scenes, which Em posted to Instagram on Friday (Aug. 1).
In the sequel, Slim Shady pays homage to his character’s father — played by late comedian Joe Flaherty in the original film — by shouting “jackass” during Happy Gilmore’s (Adam Sandler) backswing.
Instead of handling Donald Jr. himself, Happy Gilmore instructs his kids in the flick to take care of him, disposing of him in a nearby pond. Unfortunately, Donald Jr. meets his demise while attempting to wrestle with a family of gators.
“Come on, fake a— dinosaur, you ain’t got a d—k,” Em jokes while battling the alligators in the outtakes. “Put some respect on my name, b—h! F—k you, Detroit, what? I get some Advil, I’ll be back in 20 minutes.”
Fans seemed to enjoy seeing Eminem back in the acting world. “That was awesome! Detroit what,” one person wrote in the Instagram comments. “You should get out more man, do more of this kind of stuff. Us stans need MORE!”
Another added in his comment section: “You’re naturally funny! Please release the whole 1 hour video of you in Happy Gilmore!”
Happy Gilmore 2 hit Netflix on July 25. On the The Dan Patrick Show last month, Sandler revealed how he convinced Em to be part of the sequel.
“I love Eminem. I’m friends with Eminem, but I don’t want to bother the man,” he said. “And everybody kept saying, ‘Man, Eminem would be so funny in this part.’ I was like, ‘I don’t want to ruin this guy’s time. He’s hanging out. He’s in Detroit. He’s doing his life making records.'”
Eventually, Sandler caved after agreeing that Em would be a perfect fit for the role. “Let me bug Marshall and give him a call and say, ‘Dude, I know it’s a pain in the a—, but it’s pretty funny. You mind shooting out to us for a day?’” To which Eminem obliged and the rest is history.
Watch the outtakes clip below.
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