‘I’m not going to get embarrassed or feel awkward if someone begins weeping when they start talking about a story that becomes a song. If they start to cry, I don’t try to stop that.’Dan Wilson, co-writer of Someone Like You and many other award-winning songs over the last 20 years, reflects on his time as an artist, why he's happier behind the scenes and never ruling out the waltz option
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New AI-powered ‘instant’ music-making app Udio raises $10m; launches with backing from will.i.am, Common, UnitedMasters, a16zUdio, developed by former researchers at Google DeepMind, says it can create a mastered track from user prompts in less than 40 seconds
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Ron Keel Band at the Whisky A Go GoThere's a photo on this writer's office wall at Music Connection Towers, one of the many vintage promo shots that this publication has received over the years, of the band Keel in their A&M Records prime. It's pinned up next to King Diamond, Maria McKee, the Ramones and the Cure, and the Keel guys look spectacular. We'd publish it here if we could be sure that we had the permissions.

People often forget how close Keel was to really breaking. Fresh out of the band Steeler and a two-week spell in Black Sabbath (they demoed together but nothing was ever released), Ron Keel formed Keel, released a ton of great music, got produced by Gene Simmons, scored a major deal and went on the road with Bon Jovi on the Slippery When Wet tour. The sky was the limit, but they were destined to remain a cult favorite.

That said, the Whisky hosts a lot of these '80s hair/glam/sleaze rock shows, and few of them are as on it as the Ron Keel Band were on Saturday night. Ron himself looked determined to enjoy the fact that, at midnight and as the date turned to April 7 2024, he was celebrating 40 years since the first ever Keel show.

So we got a career-spanner. Steeler faves like "Cold Day in Hell" sat comfortably alongside Keel classics such as "Right to Rock" and their awesome cover of Patti Smith's "Because the Night." Keel even gave a nod to his brief Black Sabbath history, performing "Mob Rules."

The RKB played for well over two hours, and not a moment of it was wasted.

Musicians, Industry Pros: Register a .MUSIC domain FREE here to protect your digital futureMusicians, songwriters, industry pros, and every person and company involved in music should protect their digital footprint by registering a .MUSIC domain. The team behind the effort is giving away 1 million unique domains between now and May 24th.....
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The Fan Economy, Expanded Rights are now a $3.5B business: What’s Next? [Mark Mulligan]Expanded artists rights - the monetization of an artists brand via merch, fan subscriptions, sponsorships, image and likeness and more. Mark Mulligan and a new MIDiA Report looks at where things stand and what's next.....
The post The Fan Economy, Expanded Rights are now a $3.5B business: What’s Next? [Mark Mulligan] appeared first on Hypebot.

Vulnerability is a Superpower in Songwriting AND Music MarketingAs an already busy musician, songwriter Katie Dahl is an expert on never-ending social media marketing and content creation. Luckily, the secret to success is the easiest option.....
The post Vulnerability is a Superpower in Songwriting AND Music Marketing appeared first on Hypebot.

New US bill could make developers disclose their use of copyrighted music to train generative AI modelsAll uses of copyrighted materials would have to be registered with the Register of Copyrights under the proposed Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act
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Sleater-Kinney at the Showbox, SeattleA surge of excitement rushed through The Showbox – one of Seattle’s most historic venues- and transformed into an electrified, hushed pause as Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker took the stage. The longtime founding members of Sleater-Kinney, the Pacific Northwest-based band whose brazenly bold lyrics and strikingly sharp compositions helped place “Riot Grrl” into the glossary of essential musical history, grabbed their guitars and strummed out the delicately dark intro to “Hell,” from their 2024 release Little Rope. After several stated measures highlighting Corin’s crystalline calls and Carrie’s sustained chords, the two careened into the song’s chorus. The sound of the band’s iconic incendiary wails and intricate guitar work took to the air, hit the walls, and pierced the ears of the awestruck, sold-out crowd on the first of two back-to-back shows. 

Sleater-Kinney continued to fill the venue with their distinctive sonic aberrations that featured acerbic lyrics exploring the weight of the world from internal and external vantage points. Carrie embraced the lead in the angularly structured “Needlessly Wild” (Little Rope), with Corin stepping in to create the co-fronted vocal/guitar collaboration found in many of their compositions, including the brusque “Bury Our Friends” from 2015’s No Cities to Love, and the sleek “The Center Won’t Hold,” the title track from the band’s 2019 release.  

Corin and Carrie’s clarion calls moved into a round of classics, which included “One More Hour” from 1997’s Dig Me Out and 2000’s eponymous “All Hands on the Bad One.” Together, the consecutive songs showcased Sleater-Kinney’s signature polyphonic sonic lexicon where mellifluous vocals effortlessly intertwine with complex guitar arpeggios. The band then moved toward darker poetic odes that explored multifaceted themes: confronting humanistic fears in “Hunt You Down” (Little Rope), the depths of depression with “Jumpers” (from 2005’s The Woods), and tackling precarious situations in the cautionary Brothers Grimm-meets-Aesop’s fable “The Fox” (The Woods) - each song performed with guttural beauty and biting grace.  

The hour-and-a-half show neared its dénouement as Corin unleashed herself from her guitar to perform the stunning “Untidy Creatures” (Loose Ends) alongside the adoring crowd. Following a brief interlude, Sleater-Kinney returned for the time-honored encore with a selection of songs including the critically acclaimed indie-hit “Dig Me Out” and the searing “Entertain” (The Woods). Sleater-Kinney’s impactful show made a palpable impression on the concertgoers, who emerged from The Showbox with a renewed sense of strength, prepared to tackle whatever strange, circumstantial haunts might lurk around life’s sharp corners. 

Playlist:

Hell

Needlessly Wild

Bury Our Friends

The Center Won't Hold   

Small Finds 

One More Hour  

All Hands on the Bad One  

Hunt You Down 

Hurry On Home

Start Together 

Don't Feel Right  

Slow Song 

Jumpers   

Can I Go On 

Six Mistakes   

Dress Yourself

The Fox  

Modern Girl  

Untidy Creature

Encore:

Good Things

Say It Like You Mean It

Dig Me Out

Entertain

Canada an unsung heavyweight of global music, but new Canadian content law could backfire: reportCanadian artists rank third behind only US and UK artists in their share of the world’s top 1,000 singles, a new report says
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.MUSIC is giving away 1 million free domains: Get Yours Now!.MUSIC, the new top-level domain dedicated to music, is giving away a million free MUISIC domains through May 24th.....
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How are artist and royalty disputes resolved on SoundExchange?Artist and royalty disputes often happen when there is an overlap in royalty splits, or the cause could be as simple as a typo. Sound Exchange explains how they resolve these disputes.....
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QUICK HITS: Secretly adds labels • Feedfm + Cynite • Image-Line buys MSXII • Bella Figura funding • KobaltSecretly Distribution is adding Jazz Is Dead and Linear Labs to its growing independent record label distribution roster.....
The post QUICK HITS: Secretly adds labels • Feedfm + Cynite • Image-Line buys MSXII • Bella Figura funding • Kobalt appeared first on Hypebot.

YACHT's Claire L. Evans on Crafting “Chain Tripping” and Capturing “The Computer Accent”AllMusic spoke with YACHT vocalist Claire L. Evans about the motivations, challenges, and revelations of integrating AI into their music-making process and a look at the possible future of collaboration.

‘Don’t sign things you don’t fully believe in. Otherwise you’ll have to fake it.’Jamie Oborne talks success, ambition, adding Jack Antonoff to his management stable, and the “unflinching” artistry of The 1975…
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Killer Mike and Fantastic Negrito Engineer Sets Up Shop in Los Angeles with the Lauten Audio EdenAlexandro ‘Migui’ Maloles has had a meteoric rise over the past decade. The four-time Grammy-winning engineer has brought his considerable live and studio engineering chops to bear with artists like Fantastic Negrito, Killer Mike, Daniel Caesar, Lil Dicky, Tate McRae, Doja Cat, E-40, and P-Lo. Having recently relocated to LA to be closer to his clients, Migui has assembled a new studio to accommodate the steady work he keeps getting offered. Looking for versatility in a streamlined setup, he has made the Lauten Audio Eden Large Diaphragm Tube Condenser his studio microphone of choice. 

Being a conduit for artistsLike many engineers, a key element of Migui’s success has been his ability to tap into the artistic worlds of the artists and performers that he works with. His easy-going manner and ability to authentically channel many different styles of music are a natural outgrowth of his innate curiosity. “What makes an artist choose an engineer is based on their ability to curate a creatively comfortable atmosphere,” he said. “Having that openness to create and low-key, positive attitude makes them feel like they can be themselves in the studio.”

“My whole goal is to be as transparent as possible, and I think of myself as being somewhat of an artistic chameleon. I just want to translate for these artists as clearly as possible and bring their interior worlds to life.”

Migui favors streamlined gear setups in his studio. In practice, he often chooses deliberately minimalist signal chains to minimize both the technical and conceptual distance between his artists and their performances.  “The gear is obviously a huge part of the process, and you want to know every inch of what you have,” he said. “When it comes down to the base of it, though, it’s about getting the idea out and if you can get that atmosphere and energy the gear is really just the icing on the cake of that.” 

“Given that, I take what I have really seriously and that’s one of the reasons why I started using the Lauten Eden for vocal performances — it was the perfect platform for that kind of setup.”

Simplicity and versatility Although he now works in major studios around the world, Migui still likes returning to his roots and working in small, minimalist rooms. His studio in LA, which he describes as ‘more of an overdub and finishing room’, has been streamlined for a quick and rewarding recording process. “One thing that I go for when buying gear is versatility,” he said. “What are the things that sound amazing, and I can get a lot out of, quickly? I want the stuff that sounds like butter and is easy to manipulate after the fact.”

“When I needed to pick my main studio mic I knew the Eden would be really good for that and also wouldn’t break the bank, so it was an obvious choice.”

Migui regularly utilizes Eden’s Multi-Voicing switch to give his artists a quick ‘vibe check’, empowering the artist to help find the sound that they want before delivering a performance. The ability to change things up while still maintaining a high-quality baseline sound is ideal for his workflow. “The Eden is always up and ready to go because it’s three different microphones in one with that Multi-Voicing switch,” he said. “There’s a simplicity to using it where I can just get straight to the point, get a few inspiring sounds without any trouble, and process it however we need after the fact. 

“Being able to change the sound up just enough is sometimes the x-factor that makes the artist go for it in the moment, and that’s what we want!”

Despite his success, Migui remains humble and continues to hone his skills and workflow to suit each project. Driven by his own curiosity, he’s always on the lookout for ways to keep his process simple, and inspiring. “At the end of the day I’m relying on my experience and taste to work with these artists and keeping that simplicity and transparency at the forefront of what I do,” he said. “Riding the vibe is so important, and if you do that, you can make some incredible art.” 

About Lauten Audio Lauten Audio is a family-owned maker of original, inspiring microphones. Currently available products include the flagship “Eden” tube microphone, the award-winning “Atlantis” FET condenser microphone, the groundbreaking “Synergy Series” of noise-rejecting condenser microphones, and the new Series Black family of condenser microphones. Lauten Audio and its diverse family of users can be found in studios, on stages, and in homes worldwide.  

 For more information, visit http://www.lautenaudio.com or call 1-877-721-7018.