Let the summer fun begin. Fun Fun Fun Fest, returning to Austin this November, has just released its first lineup leak of the season. What could top last year's Run DMC reunion? Try an early confirmation that LA-based hip-hop great Ice-T will take to the stage for the festival's eighth incarnation.
The five acts dropped Wednesday represent Fun Fun Fun's commitment to an eclectic festival that pleases the most diverse musical ears (especially those with a penchant for punk and indie sounds). Accompanying Ice-T in the initial lineup leak are legendary New York hardcore outfit Judge, British electronica DJ and producer Bonobo, indie rockers The Walkmen, and The Julie Ruin (a project helmed by Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre).
Like every FFF surprise, the leak didn't come in the form of a dry email or simple Tweet. The highly-anticipated news was crafted into a video released for Fun Fun Fun fanatics on the festival's website. (You can also watch the throwback montage above.)
Tempted by the lineup leak? The festival will be releasing Fun 2 Early Bird tickets on Thursday, June 20 at 10 a.m. But you better move quick — the discounted tickets are in short supply. The full lineup is expected to be announced on July 9.
To help ensure his career is “alright, alright, alright” in the AI era, Oscar-winning movie star Matthew McConaughey has trademarked two of his greatest assets: his face and voice.
Last year, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued eight trademarks designed to prevent AI users from mimicking McConaughey’s likeness or voice without authorization. Applications for the trademarks, known as “motion marks” and “sound marks,” include:
A 7-second video of him seated near a fireplace and Christmas tree in his living room.
A 7-second video of him standing on a porch
A brief audio clip of him saying, “Just keep livin’, right?” J.K. Livin Brands, which owns McConaughey’s Just Keep Livin apparel business, controls the trademarks.
A brief audio clip of him uttering his iconic “Alright, alright, alright” catchphrase from the 1993 cult classic film Dazed and Confused.
“My team and I want to know that when my voice or likeness is ever used, it’s because I approved and signed off on it,” McConaughey, a Uvalde native and longtime Austin resident, told The Wall Street Journal. “We want to create a clear perimeter around ownership with consent and attribution the norm in an AI world.”
As AI continues to infiltrate the entertainment business, McConaughey and other Hollywood A-listers are pursuing trademarks to stop AI-driven misuse of their faces and voices. However, everyday actors with limited resources may be unable to afford going through the trademark process and defending a trademark violation.
“Some actors fear a possible future in which studios will pressure them to sign away their likeness,” Scientific American reported in 2023, “and their digital double will take work away from them.”
The Wall Street Journal notes that various actors and singers have grappled with AI-created fake videos, audio, and images on the internet, including Tom Hanks and Taylor Swift. A study released in 2024 by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers predicted AI-generated content could cause music creators to lose 24 percent of their revenue by 2028, and could lead to screenwriters and directors losing 15-20 percent of their revenue.
The threat of AI stealing work from actors became a sticking point in 2023 negotiations between entertainment studios and striking members of SAG-AFTRA, a labor union representing performers, recording artists, and broadcasters.
Kevin Yorn, founder and managing partner of Southern California law firm Yorn Levine, which handled the trademark applications for McConaughey, says that while the actor and his attorneys support the evolution of AI, legal boundaries must be put in place.
“Protecting individual voice, image, and intellectual property is essential to building a future that works for everyone,” Yorn says in a statement provided to CultureMap. “Along with Matthew, we are forward-looking, engaged in the possibilities of AI, and thoughtful about how everyone’s creative identity is represented and protected.”
