👋 Good morning and wooo! Or at least that’s what we’ll be saying from the sidelines of the Boston Marathon today. The race will be the city’s 130th and will (hopefully) see 30k athletes, who fundraised a combined $50.4m, cross the finish line. While first-place open division runners will take home $150k prizes, the Greater Boston area could win, too: The 2024 marathon generated an estimated $500m+ in economic impact for the city.
NEWS FLASH
🤖 Teach a robot to fish… San Francisco robotics startup Physical Intelligence published research showing that its newest AI model can help robots perform tasks they were never trained to do — like using an air fryer — by combining prior knowledge and following instructions. It gets the company one step closer to a robot brain that can accomplish unfamiliar tasks using simple language as guidance. And gets you one step closer to perfectly air-fried chicken nuggets.
🗞️ In the news: Tired of misinformation, AI slop, and influencers trying to convince you of the latest wellness fad? SaySo is a new short-form video app for news, now available for iOS users in the US and Canada, that only allows vetted creators and journalists to post. They must share their sources, which are checked by both human and AI moderators before videos appear in users’ feeds. SaySo has ~30 creators on board, with plans to launch in the UK this summer.
📺 The internet claims another victim: QVC Group, owner of QVC and HSN, will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections. While once a popular place to watch sellers excitedly hock housewares, jewelry, and other stuff you probably didn’t need, today’s shoppers are flocking to livestream platforms like Whatnot and TikTok Shop or hunting deals on websites like Temu. QVC Group shares traded for $900+ over 10 years ago, per AP News, but were going for less than $3 last week.
MORE NEWS TO KNOW
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No need to get up: Uber Eats will pick up customer returns for purchases made through its app from retailers like Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Petco.
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That’s Gucci: Kering, Gucci’s owner, is partnering with Google to release AI-powered glasses, the first luxury brand to put its logo on smart glasses.
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Lights, camera, AI: Upcoming thriller Bitcoin: Killing Satoshi is the first big-budget film to rely heavily on AI-generated imagery, slashing production costs from $300m to ~$70m.
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Wow, fancy: Kraft Mac & Cheese’s Restaurant Edition is trying to bring premium flavors to affordable meals. The lineup includes Parmesan Pesto and Monterey Jack Caramelized Onion, but the brand tested 40+ flavors to get there (all of which we'd like to try).
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THE BIG IDEA
On the road again
Riding shotgun on a road trip is a serious responsibility: navigating directions, finding pit stops for food, and, of course, choosing the best music for the drive.
Now, a new free app takes some pressure off musically minded travelers by guiding you to the best concerts and cultural landmarks — no matter where your journey takes you.
Music Roadtrip provides music fans and travelers with expert travel recommendations, curated itineraries, and integrated booking, per Forbes.
Runnin' down a dream
Launched by husband-and-wife Ronnie and Amy Wright, Music Roadtrip aims to fill a void of apps designed for music lovers looking to explore diverse music scenes across the US and in their own backyards.
Rather than simply rely on algorithms and APIs, the couple — musicians themselves who work in interactive media and IT consulting — developed a network of "ambassadors."
Composed of local musicians, business owners, and longtime locals, the ambassadors curate recommendations and itineraries based on intimate local knowledge.
The map-based app also features:
- Upcoming performances at venues and festivals
- Multiple integrated ticket platforms
- Restaurants and bars featuring live music
- Music museums, recording studios, and music schools
- Artist landmarks, murals, statues, and gravesites
- Music tours, record stores, music fashion, and merch shops
Users can filter by musical genre, save their own itineraries, and submit suggestions to be reviewed.
While recommendations cluster around renowned music cities like Nashville, New Orleans, and Chicago, you'll also find curated picks from Anchorage to San Juan and everywhere in between.
"Show hopping"
The app's launch harmoniously coincides with a swell in music-driven tourism, an industry expected to grow from $102B in 2024 to $400.5B by 2032.
- Travelers are increasingly planning trips around concerts and destination festivals.
- Fans are "show hopping" to see their favorite artists in multiple cities.
- Gen Zers are planning "groupie getaways" — booking places to stay as a group. (We need a better term for that.)
It makes sense then that Music Roadtrip has partnered with tourism boards to spotlight destinations.
But if you need to stop for munchies on your road trip, don't expect the app to pick up the tab.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
What happened to Blockbuster? The $6B giant once generated ~$800m a year from late fees. But these six ads predicted its downfall.
NEWSWORTHY NUMBER
How much it would cost to have drinks with Jeff Lewis, lunch with Margaret Josephs, or dinner with Chris Hansen. Who TF are those people, you ask? While those names might not mean anything to you, they do to superfans of reality TV shows, who can now pay to hang out with their favorite B- to C-list celebrities for a few hours, thanks to Fan Social — a recently launched startup that The Cut described as “a sort of Cameo on steroids.”
But unlike your real friends, you’ll need to provide a two-week notice and pay for everything involved. It’s currently expanding to include athletes, though we’d prefer they added newsletter writers to the mix. (Somebody buy us dinner!)
AROUND THE WEB
📅 On this day: In 1611, Shakespeare’s Macbeth had its first recorded performance at London’s Globe Theater.
🎨 That’s interesting: An excerpt from Kory Stamper’s True Color describes how she became infatuated with colors while attempting to define them in a revision of the dictionary.
💾 Tech: A community archive of retro tech.
🐟 Game: Go fish.
🐈 Aww: Cat vs. wrapper.
SHOWER THOUGHT
Tipping can be seen as a tax on the empathetic. SOURCE
Today's email was brought to you by Juliet Bennett Rylah, Danny Jensen, and Singdhi Sokpo.
Editing by: Sara "Shotty!" Friedman.
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