Apple Music Opens a Studio Dedicated to Radio and Live Music in Culver City, and Other News – SURFACE

Apple Music has opened a sleek new Culver City studio and events space.

Apple Music has opened a new Los Angeles studio and events space in Culver City designed to host live radio, performances, interviews, and fan gatherings. The facility includes broadcast studios, a performance soundstage, editing and podcast suites, and production rooms equipped for the company’s Spatial Audio technology, giving artists flexibility to create and present work in multiple formats. Since opening, the space has hosted hundreds of artists and supported live shows, album events, and on-air takeovers for Apple Music Radio. The studio also anchors Apple Music’s growing global network of creative hubs, which already spans cities in Europe and Asia with more locations planned.

The City of New York appears to be preparing to dissolve its Urban Design Division.

New York City appears poised to dissolve the Department of City Planning’s Urban Design Division, a unit that has shaped major rezonings and citywide design standards since its revival in 2007. In mid-December, agency leadership informed staff that the division would break apart and redistribute its designers across other departments, a move announced without prior consultation and just before a new mayoral administration takes office. City officials frame the change as an effort to embed design expertise more broadly within planning work, while critics argue it strips the agency of a centralized design voice. Former city officials, architects, and educators warn that the reorganization weakens coordination, public understanding, and design quality at a moment of intense urban change.

Thanks to Colm Dillane, the Australian Open tennis tournament has its first official fine art poster.

KidSuper founder Colm Dillane has created the Australian Open’s first official fine art poster, marking a new crossover between collectible contemporary art and the tennis tournament. Produced with London-based publisher Oditi, the limited-edition giclée print went on sale this week in three sizes. Each will be sold once and accompanied by authentication and framing.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT Health invites users to upload their medical records for A.I. health guidance.

OpenAI has introduced ChatGPT Health, a new feature that lets users upload medical records and connect wellness apps to receive personalized health guidance within a dedicated health space. Through partnerships with services like B.well, the product allows patients to pull data from platforms such as Apple Health and MyFitnessPal, while drawing on a health-focused A.I. model developed with physician input. OpenAI says it encrypts this data and keeps health conversations separate from model training, though privacy advocates question how securely sensitive information remains siloed. The company frames the tool as support for understanding test results and preparing for doctor visits, not as a substitute for clinical care.

With news of Saks’ financial decline, Amex cardholders are rushing to redeem their store credits.

As reports point to Saks Fifth Avenue’s financial distress, American Express Platinum cardholders have begun rushing to use their semiannual Saks credits and gift cards before any restructuring unfolds. Bankruptcy law does not guarantee that retailers honor gift cards, and the resulting uncertainty has pushed shoppers to spend now rather than wait. American Express says the Saks benefit remains unchanged, while Saks maintains that customers can redeem credits as usual, even as experts note the pressure this rush puts on the retailer’s cash flow.