Music

Researchers shut down Time4Popcorn’s vulnerable updater to curb botnet risk

• An abandoned updater left Popcorn Time users exposed to possible remote attacks.
• Eye Security sent an update to disable it on Windows and macOS.
• More than two million update downloads were sent before the domains were transferred.

Researchers disabled an abandoned Popcorn Time fork’s updater after finding it could let attackers take control of devices and build a botnet. The intervention reduced a security risk for users, though it raised ethical questions about researchers sending software updates without direct consent. The Time4Popcorn updater was still…

AI voices cut from game; Korean showcase heads for LA

A developer is offering refunds after removing AI-generated voices from his game. Apart explores Cyprus’s divided history, while U-KNOCK brings Korean firms and US partners together; an arcade claw machine has also revealed Android’s recovery console.

Joni Mitchell thought Joan Baez would have “broken my leg”. Baez didn’t even see her as competition

• Mitchell joked Baez would have broken her leg.
• Baez said she never saw anyone as competition.
• She was confident in her distinctive voice.

Joni Mitchell once joked that Joan Baez would have “broken my leg”, suggesting she saw Baez as a rival. Baez, however, said she never considered anyone competition, confident that no one had a voice like hers. The contrast highlights how perceptions of rivalry between prominent folk musicians did…

Spotify ramps up policy enforcement on family plans

• Spotify is requiring some shared-plan members to verify their address in person.
• Missing the seven-day deadline can mean losing paid access for a year.
• Analysts see household checks as a potential way to raise streaming revenue.

Spotify is tightening checks on its existing address rule for Duo and Family plans, asking some members to scan a QR code in person on the plan manager’s device. The move could affect people who live apart temporarily, including students or travelling spouses, as well as users sharing…

Dolly Parton’s Estate Selects New Brand Ambassador With Deep Ties to the Country Legend

• Danielle Parton is the estate’s new ambassador.
• She served in the military for two decades.
• Her role is to share Dolly’s stories and support her legacy.

Dolly Parton’s estate has chosen her niece, Danielle Parton, as an ambassador to help preserve and share the singer’s legacy. Danielle says her role is to tell stories about the woman she knew and support the work and people continuing Dolly’s projects. Danielle served in the military for…

New QUEENSRŸCHE Music Sounds Like ‘Rage For Order’ And ‘The Warning’: ‘This Is Gonna Be A Really Good Album’

• Queensrÿche are working on a follow-up to their 2022 album.
• The new songs reportedly echo *The Warning* and *Rage for Order*.
• Touring is limiting the band’s time to write and record.

Queensrÿche are writing the follow-up to their 2022 album, *Digital Noise Alliance*, and say the new material recalls the sound of their early albums *The Warning* and *Rage for Order*. The description suggests a return to the band’s earlier style, while the members say touring has made it…

On This Day in 1967, Glen Campbell Released the Jimmy Webb-Penned Hit That Helped Make Him a Country Music Superstar

• Campbell released the song on 23 October 1967.
• It became his first country top 10 and pop top 40 hit.
• Jimmy Webb later wrote more hits for Campbell.

Glen Campbell released “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” on 23 October 1967, beginning a successful partnership with songwriter Jimmy Webb. The song became Campbell’s first country top 10 and his first pop top 40 hit, helping establish him as a major country star. The track peaked…

In 1970, Paul Simon wrote this song as a goodbye to his friend. He was trying to forget what had happened

• Simon’s song hinted at the end of Simon & Garfunkel.
• Garfunkel’s film work took him to Mexico.
• The lyrics reflected distance between the old friends.

In 1970, Paul Simon wrote ‘So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright’ for Simon & Garfunkel’s *Bridge Over Troubled Water*, using its farewell refrain to reflect the growing distance between him and Art Garfunkel. The song matters as a subtle expression of the duo’s creative tensions and their approaching split.…

The King Is Back: Gibson Revives the L-5 With the 1957 L-5 Ces Reissue

• Gibson has revived its L-5 CES after an eight-year gap.
• The reissue recreates a 1957 model using 3D scans.
• It is priced at $11,999.

Gibson has brought back the L-5 CES after it was discontinued in 2018, releasing a reissue modelled on the 1957 guitar. The return revives a landmark archtop design, first introduced in 1923, whose influence has spanned jazz, country, blues and rockabilly. The reissue uses 3D scans and measurements…

The War Wages on After Garth Brooks Shuts Down Kansas City Ticket Sales Due to Bots

• Bot activity halted sales for Brooks’s third Kansas City show.
• The show’s future is under review.
• Tickets were priced at $155.50 across seats.

Garth Brooks and the promoters halted ticket sales for a third Kansas City show after bots overwhelmed the online sale. They are assessing what to do next, leaving the show’s future uncertain; the disruption matters because fans could not reliably buy tickets at the advertised price. Brooks had…