Hans Zimmer has spent his career scoring film worlds, from the ancient Rome of “Gladiator” to the futuristic landscape of “Dune.” So how does the metaverse sound to you? “It sounds like a giant, horrible, dehumanizing disaster right now,” he says.

Zimmer sees the influence of technology everywhere in music. He posits that, from drums to violins to synthesizers, “every piece we use, other than the human voice, is a piece of technology.” But he’s also clear about how innovations like artificial intelligence and streaming don’t fix the underlying issues of fairness in compensation: “The people who have access to the distribution systems will always hold the cards.”

In this conversation, Kara Swisher talks to Zimmer about her process for scoring “Dune” and why she says finding out the film would be released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max was a “crushing moment.” They also discuss how songwriters can adapt to changing viewer demands and a streaming economy, and what he’s working on next.

Kara Swisher is working on a podcast for HBO, which is part of WarnerMedia and is a major player in streaming media.