🎤 Billie Eilish ticket prices

Good morning. This is Shades of the Day, bringing you different shades of perspective in news and culture so that you can see the big picture quickly.

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It’s Thursday, May 2— here’s what you’ll find in today’s newsletter:

  • The UMG-TikTok deal

  • Billie Eilish’s ticket prices

  • 4 quick hits of news from the last 24 hours

- Jeff (co-founder of Shades)

🎶 The UMG-TikTok deal

🎶 WSJ: After a months-long standoff, Universal Music Group struck a deal with TikTok. The fresh licensing deal will allow songs from the world’s largest music company back on the app.

🎶 In a statement, UMG and Tiktok presented the agreement as a win-win: The two agreed to work together to squash unauthorized AI music from the app

🎶 @TheoriginalJN's reaction on X: Of course TikTok and UMG struck a deal! They both benefit from having big songs and artists on the platform.

🎶 @thesheilabeef on TikTok was excited: This is big for TikTok creators. Dealing with muted sounds was annoying.

🎶 By the way, Bloomberg says the UMG deal doesn't fix TikTok's biggest problem — it's still facing a looming US ban.

🎤 Billie Eilish ticket prices

🎤 Billie Eilish is set to tour the world with her “Hit Me Hard and Soft” album. The Independent says fans outraged over “ridiculous” £145 ticket prices for floor seats.

🎤 Variety wonders if the high ticket prices are really about her making the tour eco-conscious.

🎤 A Redditor on r/BillieEilish: The tickets are absurdly expensive, hitting double previous tour prices!

🎤 But maybe this is a lot of nothing? Another Redditor points out that these prices are for presale only — prices will probably come down.

Shades poll: £145 ($181) for a concert ticket?

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4️⃣ Quick hits

🏀 Brittney Griner opens up about her time in Russian prison, recovery, and return to basketball in a candid interview.

🚴 Peloton announces job cuts and CEO Barry McCarthy's departure amid efforts to revitalize the company.

🎓 Biden breaks silence on campus clashes amid pro-Palestine and pro-Israel tensions, plans to speak.

🕊️ Hamas agrees to continue cease-fire discussions in Cairo amid ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict and humanitarian crisis.