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Thursday has arrived, FutureParty people. And today, we’d like to give a special ode to someone you’ve never heard of, Shigeichi Negishi, the inventor of karaoke, who passed away last week at 100 years old. Few people have simultaneously brought such joy and embarrassment to the world. So, the next time you’re out with friends, belt one out for the late Mr. Negishi.

In other news… U2 soars at The Sphere, social shopping is blowing up in the US, and Apollo wants a piece of Old Hollywood.

We hope you enjoy this and all upcoming issues, but we have one request: please share your feedback. If you have any thoughts at all about our new look, format, and direction, please reply to this email. It’ll go straight to us. Do not hold back.

LATEST PODCAST EPISODE

YT: Alien: Romulus, X: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, G: Palm Royale, R: M. Emmet Walsh, TT: “Stressed Out”, S: “Enough (Miami)”

🎥 Apollo Global Management has reportedly made an $11 billion offer just for Paramount Global’s film and TV studio, which is over $3 billion more than the market cap for the entirety of the entertainment conglomerate. Read More → wsj

🎤 Travis Kelce is in negotiations to host the reboot of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? at Prime Video — the latest play in setting up his post-NFL career. Read More → complex

🥨 NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Paris Olympics on Peacock will feature shoppable ads that’ll let viewers order food and beverages right from their screens. Read More → variety

🎮 Unreal Engine’s lifelike MetaHuman avatars are coming to Fortnite, where they can be used to populate user-generated games. Read More → theverge

🧑🏾‍🔬 Three top researchers at Stability AI have left the company, putting the future of the firm behind Stable Diffusion in question. Read More → forbes

62.9% of you voted Yes in yesterday’s poll: Do you feel like your physical health is impacted by the state of the economy?

“Can’t afford extracurricular activities. Have to do more things at home for entertainment.”

“More like my mental health.”

“I’ve lost 20 lbs in the last year due to my unemployment.”

.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT AG1.

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.MUSIC.

U2 turned The Sphere into a hit

The Future. U2’s residency centered around their album Achtung Baby hasn’t just become the talk of Las Vegas — it’s become a genuine success story for The Sphere at the Venetian venue. Considering the Sphere’s visual scope and Vegas’ long history with artist residencies, the one-of-a-kind venue may end up becoming the defining final act for aging rock stars tired of touring but still looking to put on a great show.

Top of the charts, visible from space
Over 40 dates, U2 may have cemented The Sphere’s success as a home for high-production value residencies.

• During their first 17 shows, U2 sold over 281,000 tickets at the 18,000-seat venue, grossing over $109.8 million.

• This vaulted the band to No. 12 on Bloomberg’s Pop Star Power Rankings, No. 4 on live gross ticket sales over the past 3 months, and No. 2 on ticket sales over the past 30 days.

That’s a great result for the Irish rock band… but the ultimate test of The Sphere’s longevity in capturing music lovers’ attention will be the numbers from upcoming residencies from Phish and Dead & Company (two bands famous for their devoted fanbases).

Still, The Sphere has other revenue streams to help. Most of its money doesn’t come from music. Half of its revenue came from screenings of Darren Aronofsky’s immersive film, Postcard from Earth, while another chunk came from advertising on the venue’s outer “exosphere.”

• Listen: SpringHill Company co-founder Maverick Carter stops by The Limits with Jay Williams to discuss how he and LeBron James created the vision for their multi-hyphenate brand.

• Read: Slow Productivity, the new book by Center for Digital Ethics founding member Cal Newport, argues that productivity culture has morphed into a “busyness” epidemic.

• Watch: Bloomberg details how NVIDIA’s new Blackwell chip is key to future innovations in AI.

.ECOMMERCE.

Social shopping is becoming a bestseller in the US

The Future. After years of being successful in China, social shopping is finally catching on in the US, thanks to TikTok Shop, Shops on Instagram, and Facebook. As more brands get in on the action, the next era of influencers may be the modern version of the ole QVC pitchman.

Share and shop
A new survey from creator management platform Grin details how much Americans are engaging with ecommerce on social platforms.

• 68% have bought products directly on social media apps, with 26% doing so more than once a week.

• 76% said they’ve considered buying an app, subscription, or other software because of a recommendation from an influencer.

• Over 50% say they plan on using social shopping tools for holiday gifts this year, with 20% saying they plan on buying them directly through apps.

The survey — which had a split of 70% Gen Zers and millennials and 30% Gen Xers and boomers — also found a generational divide between the apps they use. The former loves TikTok, while the latter is all-in on Facebook Shops.

.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT KOTAKU.

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Have you ever failed on a level so many times that you nearly chucked your controller through the monitor?

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Kotaku is a free gaming newsletter packed with vital tips and guides, so you’re prepared for whatever enemies a game sends your way. (And so you can save your monitor!)

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Neuralink is officially disrupting hands.

JOBS OF THE WEEK

Explore a weekly curated list of the latest and greatest opportunities in business, tech, and entertainment. For more listings, check out the complete job board.

Account Manager, Media & Entertainment
Roku
Santa Monica, CA

Digital Video Editor
Kroenke Sports Enterprises
Denver, CO

Manager, Awards — Animation
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Partner Manager, IBM (AI)
Cohere
San Francisco, CA