Getting the finishing details on a Halloween costume completed is the key to impressing friends and strangers alike on the trick-or-treat rounds. Especially when it comes to things like props, these details can push a good Halloween costume to great with the right touches. [Jonathan]’s friend’s daughter will be well ahead of the game thanks to these additions to a toy guitar which is part of her costume this year.

The toy guitar as it was when it arrived had the capability to play a few lackluster sound effects. The goal here was to get it to play a much more impressive set of songs instead, and to make a couple upgrades along the way as well. To that end, [Jonathan] started by dismantling the toy and investigating the PCBs for potential reuse. He decided to keep the buttons in the neck of the guitar despite their non-standard wiring configuration, but toss out the main board in favor of an ESP32. The ESP32 is tasked with reading the buttons, playing a corresponding song loaded on an SD card, and handling the digital to analog conversion when sending it out to be played on the speaker.

The project doesn’t stop there, though. [Jonathan] also did some custom mixing for the songs to account for the lack of stereo sound and a working volume knob, plus he used the ESP32’s wireless capabilities to set the guitar up as a local file server so that songs can be sent to and from the device without any wires. He also released the source code on the project’s GitHub page for anyone looking to use any parts of this project. Don’t forget there’s a Halloween contest going on right now, so be sure to submit the final version of projects like these there!

TikTok has had a major impact on the music industry over the last few years, with many songs that have gone viral on the platform becoming major mainstream hits. The service is now making a bigger push into music by hosting its own festival.

Dubbed as the platform’s first “live global music event,” TikTok In The Mix will take place in Mesa, Arizona on December 10. The headliners are Cardi B, Niall Horan, Anitta and Charlie Puth, all of whom are popular figures on TikTok. The service says there will be surprise guests and performances by emerging artists, some of whom are involved in the TikTok Elevate program for up and coming musicians.

Followers of the four headliners will get presale codes to buy In The Mix tickets starting on October 27. The general sale will start on November 2.

Of course, TikTok will stream the event live on its app. The service also says it will bring the For You feed to life at In The Mix through “a range of activities inspired by our community's favorite trends." Some creators will be present too.

Similar platforms might be more inclined to sponsor an existing music festival than to go it alone. However, TikTok has carved out a space for itself as a destination for music discovery, so it makes sense for it to host its own event with a blend of established names and fairly fresh faces.

YouTube Music has two new features rolling out, and it should come as no surprise that one of them is all about AI. Instead of looking at a compilation of album covers or uploading your own image, you can now use AI to create custom playlist art right from the YouTube Music app. 

Whether or not you've ever thought about what's at the top of your playlist, designing and adding an image is pretty simple. All you need to do is click the playlist's edit button and then on the existing main image. YouTube Music will then bring you to a range of categories, such as nature, humor and animals. Each one will generate a random set of pictures upon selection, such as a dog in a specific art style, that you can change. Just toggle through the options, and when you find one you like, save it as your playlist's new cover photo. 

YouTube Music's other update set to roll out is a feature called speed dial that lets you jump right back into recent listens, like specific artists and playlists. The format is very reminiscent of the top of Spotify's homepage, but YouTube appears to show more options than its competitor. 

These features follow other recent attempts by YouTube Music to compete with more established services, such as adding a comments section and timed lyrics to follow along with songs. AI-powered custom playlist art is available now to English language accounts in the United States, with plans to roll out globally in the future, while speed dial will be available in the coming months. 

The Venn diagram of HomePod owners and YouTube Music subscribers probably doesn't have a lot of overlap. However, those who use both Apple's speakers and Google's music streaming service may be pleased to learn that the two now play more nicely together. YouTube Music is now available natively on HomePod, meaning that you can ask Siri to play tracks from the service even if your iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch aren't close by. 

It's now possible to set YouTube Music as the default music service on HomePod. That means you won't have to add "on YouTube Music" when you bark a command at Siri. If you configure your HomePod in that way, you can still play music from another supported service by saying its name when you make your Siri request (for example "Siri, play Bad Bunny on Deezer" or "Siri, play Taylor Swift on Apple Music").

To change the default music service on HomePod, open the Home app on your iPhone or iPad. Tap the More button (the one with the three dots) and then Home Settings. Go to your user profile under People, then select a default service in the Media section.

Having native YouTube Music support is a welcome update. HomePods don't support too many services natively beyond the likes of Apple Music, Deezer, Pandora, TuneIn Radio and iHeartRadio. It's possible to stream audio to a HomePod from an iPhone, iPad or Mac as well.

With iOS 17, you can ask your HomePod to play music from Spotify and it will do so as long as your iPhone is nearby. Siri needs to route the request through your mobile device via AirPlay. While there's no native Spotify support on HomePod as yet, that change should certainly make things a little easier for some folks.

Duolingo is launching its new music course sometime this fall. The educational tech company first announced that it was gearing up to add music lessons to its repertoire back in September, promising "hundreds of bite-sized lessons" that can teach you music with the help of over 200 tunes. Duolingo, of course, has turned music learning into a gamified experience, dividing lessons into levels you have to complete and docking points (or hearts) whenever you enter an incorrect answer. 

You'll start by having to familiarize yourself with the sounds of the C and D notes of C major using a digital piano. Duolingo will have you matching the sounds of each note with their placement on a staff, so you'd know what they sound like and could spot them on a music sheet by the time you're done. You'll move on to the next notes in subsequent lessons, but before you can proceed, Duolingo will test you on what you've learned so far by having you play familiar ditties like Mary Had a Little Lamb. Don't worry — you only have to follow the notes scrolling on screen, but it could still be plenty challenging for the musically inept, like yours truly. If the first lessons are a bit too basic for you, though, you can skip ahead to the more advanced stages of the course. 

Duolingo

In addition to creating a brand new music course, Duolingo has also updated its math curriculum to help you gain "advanced real-world math skills," such as the ability to quickly calculate tips and hourly wage. "While Duolingo is known for language, we’re expanding to math and music because these are subjects that people often find intimidating," Karen Chow, Senior Learning Scientist for Duolingo Music, told Engadget. "You'll hear people say 'Oh I'm tone deaf' or 'I'm just not a math person.' We want to show people that learning these different subjects is possible and it can actually be a lot of fun!"

You can now sign up for the music course waitlist, if you want to start learning as soon as it becomes available. Initially, Duolingo music will only be available in English and Spanish on iOS devices, but the company says it's "hoping to bring the course to more learners very soon."

Duolingo

Spotify is rolling out a new feature called "Jam," which will give friends a way to curate a single playlist on the service and listen to it together in real time. Participants in a Jam session can contribute tracks to a shared queue, which they can access whether they're in the same room or in various places around the world. The audio streaming giant is rolling out the feature to both free and Premium subscribers, but only the latter will be able to start a session and invite others to join as its host. 

Premium users can launch a joint listening experience by selecting a song or a playlist, and then tapping the speaker icon at the bottom of their screen or the three-dot menu at the top. From there, they can select "Start a Jam." Housemates on the same Wi-Fi connection will be automatically prompted to join and contribute to the session as soon as they fire up their Spotify app. Hosts can also invite people anywhere in the world by getting them to scan a QR code or by hitting share and posting the link on social media. 

While Jam was designed as a collaborative experience where participants can add music to the playlist, hosts will have the power to change the order of the tracks and remove songs they believe don't fit a theme or vibe. Spotify says they also get to determine who's in the Jam, though it's unclear if that means hosts will be able to kick out anybody from the session. That said, hosts can switch on "Guest controls" to allow all participants to rearrange the queue or to remove tracks from it. 

Spotify Jam will be available globally starting today, so all users will soon be able to enjoy the shared experience with their friends. Those who'd rather stream music alone but still be able to discover new songs and artists would probably enjoy Spotify's daylist more. The new playlist launched earlier this month keeps changing throughout the day, based on the kind of music the user typically listens to. 

US Representative Deborah Ross (D-NC) has introduced an updated version of the Protect Musicians Act in an attempt to change the way independent artists bargain with major streaming platforms. Created in collaboration with The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) and The Artists Rights Alliance (ARA), the updated bill aims to "level the playing field" for artists in the digital age and the world of AI-generated music.

"This legislation will help give small, independent music creators a level playing field, empowering them to stand together for fairer compensation and giving them a voice in important negotiations that will determine the future of the music industry,” Ross said.

As it stands, current laws leave many artists, whether signed to a major label or independently working, unprotected and at the mercy of major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. And these companies don't always provide fair compensation to artists when their music is uploaded and streamed on the platforms. Independent artists are often forced to accept whenever rates are being offered without being able to collectively negotiate for better terms. Additionally, there is no real protection for artists against having their voice or music manipulated by AI without consent.

If passed, the Protect Working Musicians Act would allow working artists and independent musicians to come together and negotiate with dominant streaming platforms and artificial intelligence developers. It would also grant working artists and independent musicians the ability to collectively refuse to license their music to online music distribution platforms that refuse to pay fair market value.

It could be argued that many artists have always gotten a raw deal for decades when it comes to the sales and distribution of their music. Back in the day of album downloads and CD purchases, this money was usually split in many ways, leaving only a small amount for the artist. Unfortunately, unfair compensation being offered by streaming platforms is just a modern spin on a longstanding problem. And it's not just musicians that are being affected. For years, streaming giants like Netflix have been offering low wages to its writers, which has contributed to the strike of members of the Writers Guild of America.

TikTok and Billboard are collaborating on a pop music chart. TikTok Billboard Top 50 Chart is a new weekly roundup listing the most popular songs on the social platform in the US. The list debuts with the track “SkeeYee” by Sexyy Red taking the inaugural top spot.

TikTok and Billboard describe the collaboration as the first official chart in the US to provide the “most accurate record” of the hottest songs on the platform. As TikTok has proven it can even revive the fortunes of four-decade-old classic rock tunes, the company says its chart combines creations, video views and user engagement by the US TikTok community to tally the top hits. The list will be updated weekly on Thursdays.

Following Sexyy Red’s top spot is Doja Cat, with “Paint The Town Red” at number two. “August” by Taylor Swift, who has six songs in the top 50, lands at number three. The list includes one startling entry: Convicted sex offender R. Kelly somehow appears at number 45 with his unfortunately titled song “It Seems Like You’re Ready.”

“I am so excited that so many of my songs are charting on TikTok and Billboard’s new chart,” said Sexyy Red. “I always knew I would be a #1 type of artist, so I want to thank all my fans on TikTok for running my music up! I’m just being me on TikTok and people love it.”

You can check out the weekly charts in the TikTok app by selecting the round icon on the screen’s bottom corner and then tapping the “Music Charts” button on the top right. Alternatively, you can view the Top 50 chart on Billboard’s website.

You might see more sponsored recommendations when you fire up your Spotify app, now that the music streaming giant has started offering artists a new paid tool they can use to promote their music. "Showcase" gives artists a way to put their music in front of more people, whether their tunes are newly released or are something from deep in their catalog. They can create multiple campaigns for different content, and they can use Spotlight to promote not just singles, but also EPs and albums. 

These sponsored recommendations will appear under various headlines — succinct information about them designed to get your attention, really — provided by Spotify, depending on what the artist's team chooses. They can promote their stuff as "new music," for instance, or use the headline "on tour," if they're on the road and want to drum up more interest. In the image above, the single that's being promoted entitled White Winter Hymnal uses the headline "seasonal vibes." In addition, artists can choose the people they want to target and can go for both active listeners and previous ones. 

According to Spotify, Showcase ads will be shown in 30 markets. The streaming giant also claims that people who do see them are six times more likely to stream whatever it is being promoted. If you stream music you've seen through a particular Showcase ad, you won't see it again for 28 days. Musicians are charged per click, after all, with prices starting at 40 cents. Initially, though, Spotify will only offer Showcase to artists with at least 1,000 streams over the past 28 days and whose billing country is set to the US. It will roll out the tool within the Campaigns tab for eligible artists in the US over the coming weeks, but it says it will expand access to it worldwide over time. 

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. is setting the record straight. After Variety reported earlier this week that an AI-generated track echoing the voices of Drake and The Weeknd would be considered for a Grammy Award, Mason is insisting that’s not the case. The track, Heart on My Sleeve, was created and submitted for consideration by someone using the pseudonym “Ghostwriter.” The song features lyrics written by Ghostwriter but imitates the voices of the rappers without consent.

Despite that, in an interview with The New York Times, Mason suggested the track would technically be eligible in songwriter categories because of the lyrics. “As far as the creative side, it’s absolutely eligible because it was written by a human,” he said.

However, it seems things have changed. In a recent Instagram post, first spotted by Deadline, Mason offered some clarity. The CEO made it clear the song “is not eligible for Grammy consideration.”

“Let me be extra, extra clear: Even though it was written by a human creator, the vocals were not legally obtained, the vocals were not cleared by the label or the artists and the song is not commercially available and because of that, it’s not eligible,” he said.

Based on Mason's statement, it appears the problem isn't with the fact that the track was generated using AI, but thorny issues around consent. This could possibly mean that The Grammys would consider tracks that were created by AI as long as the necessary permissions were granted and it was distributed through the proper channels. But while Mason believes the industry will have to evolve and adjust to AI, copyright issues remain complicated. And Heart on My Sleeve was recently pulled from streaming services, including Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal and YouTube, after a complaint from Universal Music Group — which represents both Drake and The Weeknd.

“I take this stuff very seriously,” Mason said. “It’s all complicated, and it’s moving, really, really quickly. I’m sure things are going to continue to have to evolve and change."

As for Ghostwriter, the creator has already released a new song using AI to imitate rappers Travis Scott and 21 Savage. The new song, Whiplash, was posted to social media platforms, including TikTok and X, formerly known as Twitter, instead of Spotify and other streaming services. Ghostwriter also tagged the rappers requesting an official collaboration. While the song seems to be resonating with some fans on the platforms, neither Scott nor 21 Savage have responded.