Media and Telecom Sector

Spotify will label artist profiles as "AI Personas" and exclude their music from recommendations starting mid-September, unless users explicitly follow them. The company announced Tuesday that it will allow artists to self-disclose AI identity beginning August 11, but will also use human review and AI tools to identify profiles where the name and imagery appear to represent photorealistic AI-generated identities. Music from labeled AI Personas won't appear in editorial suggestions or algorithmic recommendations by default—a direct response to listener complaints about discovering fake artists. Spotify will notify artists of "Likely AI Persona" badges and allow appeals; users will soon be able to flag suspicious profiles themselves. The move reflects a core tension: Spotify is rolling out its own AI tools (AI DJ, Prompted Playlists, forthcoming AI remixes via licensing deals with UMG and Merlin) while trying to prevent low-effort AI-generated content from degrading the user experience and driving subscription cancellations. The distinction matters—Spotify is judging artist identity, not how music was made, which will still be disclosed through AI Credits and SongDNA. This is a curation choice, not a ban on AI music itself.

Trump Media & Technology Group reported a $238 million net loss in the second quarter of 2026, driven largely by declining cryptocurrency values. More than $190 million of the loss stemmed from unrealized drops in the company's holdings of Bitcoin, other digital assets, and equity securities rather than actual sales. The parent company of Truth Social held roughly 9,477 Bitcoin valued at approximately $557 million at the end of June, alongside more than 756 million Cronos tokens worth about $40 million. Operating expenses climbed as the firm recorded $25.6 million in legal expenses tied to litigation from its 2024 merger. Meanwhile, quarterly revenue rose 89% from a year earlier to $1.7 million, helped by the commercial launch of its Truth+ streaming service and management fees from its Truth.Fi exchange-traded funds. Amid the crypto downturn, interim CEO Kevin McGurn announced the company is pulling back from parts of its Crypto.com partnership, including the termination of plans for a separate publicly traded CRO treasury vehicle. Trump Media is also commercializing Truth API, a data feed charging high-frequency trading firms between $60,000 and $100,000 a month for early access to posts by influential users including President Donald Trump. The company closed out the quarter with roughly $1.9 billion in liquid financial assets while proceeding with plans for a fourth-quarter merger with nuclear fusion developer TAE Technologies.

Trump Media & Technology Group is charging high-frequency trading firms up to $100,000 a month for faster access to Truth Social posts. CEO Kevin McGurn told investors on Monday that the company has signed up more than 10 customers for its Truth API data feed, which delivers presidential statements milliseconds before they reach the public feed. Contracts range from $60,000 to $100,000 monthly, offering traders an edge on market-moving announcements regarding tariffs and foreign policy. The high-speed data tier arrives as Trump Media attempts to salvage its core business after years of losses and a recent slide in advertising revenue. In the second quarter, the company's revenue rose 89% to $1.67 million, but net losses ballooned to $238 million due to falling crypto values. The commercialization of presidential posts has drawn scrutiny from ethics experts and lawmakers, including a bill from Senator Mark Warner to ban special access to government accounts. Trump Media shares slipped nearly 6% following the announcement.