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REWIND: The new music industry’s week in reviewA busy week by any definition, the music industry was no exception, with mind-blowing Spotify stats, TikTok tests music limits, AI songs get rights, and more… Senators introduce concert ticket. Continue reading
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www.hypebot.comA busy week by any definition, the music industry was no exception, with mind-blowing Spotify stats, TikTok tests music limits, AI songs get rights, and more… Senators introduce concert ticket. Continue reading
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The Recording ProcessThe recording process is arguably the most important step in accellerating your music career. The listener decides within the first bar if they want to continue listening. A song with great sound quality can make the listener continue listening, even if they’re unfamiliar with the artist, whereas bad sound quality can turn the listener off before the song begins. The following article, excerpted from producer-engineer Frank Demilt’s recent book, The Blueprint: A Bible for Becoming a Successful Performing Artist in the Digital Age, will set you on the right path.
Create Your Session
The first step in recording is to create your recording session. Each DAW has a set of pre-made templates for different recording styles. These pre-made templates are constructed by the makers of each DAW and equipped with the necessary tracks and routing for a seamless recording. Creating your own recording template is also an option, but this can be complicated. The issue is the intricacy that goes into creating your own session. You will need “audio tracks” to record each of your vocal takes, “auxiliary tracks” used for controlling multiple tracks at one time, “efx tracks” for your desired vocal efx, and a “master track” to control the overall volume of your session. Ensuring these tracks are set up properly can be difficult, but creating your own session can be beneficial.
Set Your Input Volume
The second step is to set your input volume on your interface so that your audio is not distorting. If the track is at a good level, the meter will be green; if the track is at a slightly high level the meter will be yellow; and if the track is too high, the meter will be red. While visual cues are good, use your ears, they are your best friends in this process.
Set The Volume of the Beat
Lastly, before recording, set the volume of the beat you’re using. DO NOT TURN YOUR VOCALS UP SO YOU CAN HEAR THEM OVER THE BEAT WHEN THE BEAT IS AT 0 DB! This will cause your vocals to distort immediately and will make it impossible to create the proper blend when mixing. A rule of thumb I learned in one of my first internships is turn the beat down to -10db. Using this level mark will create more headroom in your recording, allowing for a better sound quality during the mixing process.
Check Your Vocal Distance
Now think about the distance of the microphone from your mouth, as this will relate to the perceived character of the recording. Being close to the microphone produces a tight, warm, breathy, detailed recording. However, this positioning will also enunciate all the sounds of the mouth and create greater vocal pops and sibilance. On the other hand, standing about 10 to 16 inches from the microphone when recording will produce a more natural, open, and less “in your face” vocal, and it is less likely to suffer from excessive sibilance and more natural room sounds to your recording, which are not always desired. This distance will allow for the least amount of natural room sound, less emphasis on mouth sounds, and create a more even recording. Most people don’t realize how important this step is. Microphone type, combined with position, is 80% of your vocal sound.
Record Voice with efx or Dry?
The last step of the pre-production process is deciding if you want to record with efx on your voice, or if you want to record “dry.” If you record with efx, you have a myriad of plug-in options that allow for digital audio manipulation. If you use plug-ins on your recording track, you will hear a difference in your voice according to what plug-ins you add.
Once the pre-production process is complete, the first vocal you’re going to record is the lead vocal. You want this vocal to be clear, strong, have feeling and be believable. This is the baseline for the rest of your vocal takes. If you’re mumbling, the audience won’t be able to sing along. If your lead lacks feeling, or believability, you won’t keep your listeners’ attention. Your lead vocal is the most important part of your song. A good lead can propel a song to great heights. A bad lead can make a song crash and burn.
Stacks and backing tracks are used to emphasize certain words and phrases throughout the song. For singers using this technique, these will not be in the same tone but rather a harmony note. Generally, for the hook there will be at least two stacks of the lead vocal panned hard left and right to create a surrounding effect, giving the impression of a wider vocal. Not every song needs this technique; you will have to make this decision depending on the style of the song.
Vocal Harmonies
Whether you are a rapper, a singer, or somewhere in between, harmonies and background vocals are an essential part of the song. These vocals emphasize and support your lead, giving the listener different vocal tones that change their listening experience throughout the song. In the simplest style of vocal harmony, the main vocal melody is supported by a single backup vocal line, either at a pitch that’s above or below the main vocal line. In more complex vocal harmony arrangements, different backup singers may sing two or three other notes at the same time as each of the main melody notes, mostly with consonant thirds, sixths, and fifths.
As a singer when recording these harmony notes, you will want to stack or double each harmony note, so when it’s time to mix the song, you can pan each note hard left and right to create a bigger and wider sounding vocal mix. Harmonies are not used on every line, and in most cases the number of harmonies grows as the song builds.
A basic rule to follow is to use harmonies sparingly in the first verse, add a few more harmonies in the first, possibly add more harmonies in verse two, build on the harmony structure from the first hook in the second hook, have a few harmonies in the bridge, and finally end with the final hook having a full assortment of harmonies.
Your last type of vocals are ad-libs. Singers will use vocal runs like “ohs and ahs,” or humming as their ad-libs throughout the song. Sometimes ad-libs won’t appear until the end of the song to create a vocal climax by adding another vocal layer before the song ends. In most R&B songs you will hear the singer add what sounds like another lead vocal track to the last hook and outro, singing different lines than the lead vocal or echoing the lead vocal. This is where the singer can show off their vocal range and ability.
Pitch Correction
If pitch is a problem in your recording, you can use Antares Auto-Tune or a similar pitch correction plug-in to automatically force the vocal pitch to the nearest note or semitone. The first song to use Auto-Tune was Cher’s “Believe.” It happened on the phrase “I can’t break through.” This effect reappeared in the next verse, on the phrase “So sad that you’re leaving.” This pitch correction technology was created so a singer’s notes and pitch could be placed exactly where they need to be and not sound irregular to the listeners’ ear.
Nowadays, the technology has become a sound of its own. Artists today are using the technology to hide their singing abilities, and as an effect to create a more melodic sounding vocal performance. Beginning with T-Pain, who has been on record saying that he first began using Auto-Tune to manipulate his voice to use it more as an instrument and bend his voice in unnatural ways, Auto-Tune has become popularized in the music industry in a different way than it was intended.
Once all the vocals are recorded and pitch-corrected, you can begin to clean up the vocals before proceeding to post-production. This “rough mix” is constructed to give the mixing engineer an idea of the final sound you’re going for.
For the experienced artist, the recording process is far more intricate than what has been mentioned above. The more experienced recording artist should set their focus on details rather than the broad strokes.
Speak Coherently to the Engineer
As an experienced artist you are more than likely working with an engineer during your recording sessions. While this is great, you should know what is going on during the recording process. Knowing this process will allow you to speak coherently to the engineer. Nothing causes a misunderstanding between an artist and the engineer faster than the artist asking for something and the engineer not understanding.
Be Prepared
The artist should be prepared when going to the studio. First, have a reference track of what you would like your track to sound like. Second, have a basic understanding of technical music language to assist in speaking with your engineer. Third, understand the recording process, being in a music studio with an engineer is different from your bedroom. There are protocols that come with working in a studio; following these protocols can ensure a better session. Finally, vibe and energy are a thing. Just as you, the artist, like to have a specific vibe when recording, an engineer is the same. It is just as much the role of the artist to make the engineer feel comfortable as it is the engineer’s job to make the artist feel comfortable.
Abide by the rules!
Each studio has its own set of rules that must be abided not only by the artists who are booking time but by the staff as well. While most studios will give you a run-down of these rules prior to booking, it is always better to ask. Will an engineer be provided? Can you smoke in the studio? Can we add more time if needed? Is mixing included? Asking these questions allows you to have the right mindset going into the session. Some artists would prefer working with their own engineer, for chemistry reasons. Most studios will allow you to do this, but will provide an on-staff engineer if any problems occur. A lot of artists like to smoke during recording, but not all studios will allow this, as smoke negatively affects the studio equipment and thus can cause you fines for smoking in the room.
Full mixing is usually not included in recording sessions, and while you will leave with a rough mix and your session files, you will have to book a separate mixing session. Lastly, remember that time is an issue. If you only book two hours, you only have two hours. Studios are a business. Just because you only recorded half a verse has no effect on the studio. USE YOUR TIME WISELY!
Creating the right energy in the studio is arguably one of the most important aspects when going into studio sessions. Each artist is different, they have different likes, needs, and wants when recording. Creating this energy can be the difference in creating your next hit single and sitting at the studio desk with writer’s block. You may think the energy is easy to create by manipulating the vibe in the room, but it goes far deeper than that. You must create the right energy with your engineer. While the hardest part may be the technical language barrier, the easiest part is respecting the engineer. It is his or her job to get the best sound possible, and this becomes infinitely easier if the artist is working with the engineer rather than talking at them. Ask the engineer for help, ask for their opinion, tell the engineer what you’re looking for and how you like to work. All of this is extremely helpful and helps the engineer better assist you in creating the best product.
And finally…
Recording is an excruciating process. It can be tedious. It can be frustrating. It can be difficult. But it can also be exhilarating. It can be euphoric. It can be relaxing and calming. It all depends how you approach your session. Go in with the right headspace and with the right understanding and you will create the best possible product. Go in with an ignorant mindset and there is a chance you will have nothing usable from the session. If you were able to create anything. •
FRANK DEMILT (@frankademilt) is a veteran of the music industry. Since 2013, Demilt has worked in some of the top music studios in New York City, New Jersey, Miami, and Atlanta alongside the industry’s top Grammy- and Emmy-winning and -nominated artists. Beginning as an engineer at Soul Asylum Studios in Atlanta, he has since worked in various sectors of the music business. Recently, Demilt was named head of Artist Development, Sync Manager, and lead A&R at Water Music Publishing. He’s also helped launch the creative agency Sloppy Vinyl, a premier artist development and entertainment company in New Jersey. His recent book can be purchased at The Blueprint: The Bible For Becoming a Successful Performing Artist in the Digital Age (Amazon).
The Recording Process
www.musicconnection.comThe recording process is arguably the most important step in accellerating your music career. The listener decides within the first bar if they want to continue listening. A song with great sound q…
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From Warner’s lay-offs to Believe’s big buy… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe biggest stories on MBW from the past seven days
SourceFrom Warner’s lay-offs to Believe’s big buy… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-Up
www.musicbusinessworldwide.comThe biggest stories on MBW from the past seven days…
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YouTube Shorts shares engagement stats, expands Artist Total Reach metricArtists who uploaded to YouTube Shorts in January saw more than 50% of their new channel subscribers come directly from their Shorts posts. Fan-created YouTube Shorts also increased the average. Continue reading
The post YouTube Shorts shares engagement stats, expands Artist Total Reach metric appeared first on Hypebot.YouTube Shorts shares engagement stats, expands Artist Total Reach metric - Hypebot
www.hypebot.comArtists who uploaded to YouTube Shorts in January saw more than 50% of their new channel subscribers come directly from their Shorts posts. Fan-created YouTube Shorts also increased the average. Continue reading
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Human Artistry Campaign offers a positive roadmap for AI developmentAn unusual coalition of 40 organizations ranging from the AFL-CIO and A2IM to Major League Baseball, the RIAA, and SoundExchange, all of whom broadly represent creatives, have come together as. Continue reading
The post Human Artistry Campaign offers a positive roadmap for AI development appeared first on Hypebot.Human Artistry Campaign offers a positive roadmap for AI development - Hypebot
www.hypebot.comAn unusual coalition of 40 organizations ranging from the AFL-CIO and A2IM to Major League Baseball, the RIAA, and SoundExchange, all of whom broadly represent creatives, have come together as. Continue reading
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PPL paid artists and other rightsholders $21.5m in international neighboring rights money in Q1 – equivalent to nearly $240k a dayProminent artists and producers who rely on PPL for their neighboring rights collections globally include eight-time Grammy winner Anderson .Paak and ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus, plus Rita Ora, Steve Angello, and Trevor Horn
SourcePPL paid artists and other rightsholders $21.5m in international neighboring rights money in Q1 – equivalent to nearly $240k a day
www.musicbusinessworldwide.comProminent artists and producers who rely on PPL for their neighboring rights collections globally include eight-time Grammy winner Anderson .Paak and ABBA’s…
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Remember lockdown? The creative marketing you did then still worksThe COVID lockdown forced everyone to get more creative about serving their fans and growing their fanbase. Those strategies still work well, so we’re revisiting them in this week’s Hypebot. Continue reading
The post Remember lockdown? The creative marketing you did then still works appeared first on Hypebot.Remember lockdown? The creative marketing you did then still works - Hypebot
www.hypebot.comThe COVID lockdown forced everyone to get more creative about serving their fans and growing their fanbase. Those strategies still work well, so we’re revisiting them in this week’s Hypebot. Continue reading
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Filipino Singer-songwriter grentperez inducted into Fender Next Class of 2023Filipino-Sydney-based singer-songwriter grentperez was recently inducted into the Fender Next Class of 2023. The multi hyphenate and artist to watch was selected out of over 800 submissions to the program.
grentperez is in great company. Past Fender Next classes have included indie phenoms like Wet Leg, Wet Leg, Phoebe Bridgers, Japanese Breakfast, and more.
With an international touring resume supporting Eric Nam across Australia, New Zealand and more, grentperez will set out on his SOLD OUT, DEBUT North American tour this summer in addition to select performances alongside Cavetown, mxmtoon & Ricky Montgomery on The Bittersweet Daze Tour.
Listen to his latest single, heartbreaking ballad, "Us Without Me" here:
STATS/ SOCIALS:
~ He has over 2M monthly Spotify listeners and over 250k followers
~ He has over 71M YouTube views (with over 600k subscribers) and over 4.5M TikTok Likes (with 188k followers)
~ 156k Instagram followers with 19% engagement
~ His debut single "Cherry Wine" shot up the Spotify viral charts landing the #1 spot in Australia, Canada, Singapore & has over 83M streams on Spotify
Filipino Singer-songwriter grentperez inducted into Fender Next Class of 2023
www.musicconnection.comFilipino-Sydney-based singer-songwriter grentperez was recently inducted into the Fender Next Class of 2023. The multi hyphenate and artist to watch was selected out of ove…
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Trouble in Utopia? As firm offloads Sentric to Believe, tax debt looms and employees go unpaid in SwedenTrouble is brewing for the headquartered tech and artist services company in Sweden
SourceTrouble in Utopia? As firm offloads Sentric to Believe, tax debt looms and employees go unpaid in Sweden
www.musicbusinessworldwide.comTrouble is brewing for the headquartered tech and artist services company in Sweden…
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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Algorithm (And You Can Too)Conrad Withey, founder and CEO of Instrumental, on why today's new music business excites his company... and his 9 things NOT to do as a modern label
SourceHow I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Algorithm (And You Can Too)
www.musicbusinessworldwide.comConrad Withey, founder and CEO of Instrumental, on why today's new music business excites his company… and his 9 things NOT to do as a modern label…
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How The Cure showed what’s right – and wrong – about ticketing [Bill Werde]The Cure’s frontman Robert Smith began his crusade to protect fans even before tickets for the band’s new tour went on sale. His concerns about high Ticketmaster fees evolved into. Continue reading
The post How The Cure showed what’s right – and wrong – about ticketing [Bill Werde] appeared first on Hypebot.How The Cure showed what's right - and wrong - about ticketing [Bill Werde] - Hypebot
www.hypebot.comThe Cure’s frontman Robert Smith began his crusade to protect fans even before tickets for the band’s new tour went on sale. His concerns about high Ticketmaster fees evolved into. Continue reading
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As US eyes TikTok ban another ByteDance owned app hits #1 in App StoreSeemingly unphased by a potential ban in the US, TikTok owner ByteDance is successfully promoting another of its owned apps, Lemon8, to new heights. Currently, the #1 Lifestyle app download. Continue reading
The post As US eyes TikTok ban another ByteDance owned app hits #1 in App Store appeared first on Hypebot.As US eyes TikTok ban another ByteDance owned app hits #1 in App Store - Hypebot
www.hypebot.comSeemingly unphased by a potential ban in the US, TikTok owner ByteDance is successfully promoting another of its owned apps, Lemon8, to new heights. Currently, the #1 Lifestyle app download. Continue reading
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Believe acquires TuneCore music publishing partner Sentric, plots expansionBelieve has announced its acquisition of Sentric. The independent music publishing tech platform provides services for publishers, labels, and distribution companies, including Believe-owned Tunecore. Setnric is valued at $51 million.. Continue reading
The post Believe acquires TuneCore music publishing partner Sentric, plots expansion appeared first on Hypebot.Believe acquires TuneCore music publishing partner Sentric, plots expansion - Hypebot
www.hypebot.comBelieve has announced its acquisition of Sentric. The independent music publishing tech platform provides services for publishers, labels, and distribution companies, including Believe-owned Tunecore. Setnric is valued at $51 million.. Continue reading
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Music fandom’s problem is TV’s opportunity Music fandom is approaching a crisis point. The good news is that because of streaming, more people are listening to more music than ever and more artists are releasing music than at any time in the past. But, while doing so, streaming has turned music into a ubiquitous commodity – a passive soundtrack to our daily routines. The biggest price paid for convenience has been the steady erosion of fandom. With music transformed into a raging torrent of new songs that live for a few minutes in a user’s playlist before giving way to the ‘up next’, music has become a song economy. In this song economy, the artist is a second-class citizen, forever feeding the streaming algorithm with new music in an effort not to be swept away.
Music fandom is fragmenting. Super fans are still present, but there are fewer of them. Most have become passive music consumers, acclimatised through a decade of streaming to background listening and desensitized to the deprioritising of fandom. Even half of music aficionados (those who spend the most time and money on music) are now listening to music in the background while doing other things. It is an inevitable trajectory for a model that offers so few ways for listeners to lean in and connect with an artist’s story. To some extent, this gaping hole in music fandom has been filled by TikTok, allowing the rise of new internet-centric scenes and a place for music fandom to thrive again.
However, with TikTok being used by less than a third of the UK population (and two thirds of those being under 35 years old), most consumers still face a fandom blackhole. It was not always this way. There used to be many more places where even the most casual of music fans could learn about new artists and connect with their story. Traditional platforms such as radio and TV used to play a crucial role in this, but radio listening continues to fall and music showcases have become few and far between. Yet, TV (and video streaming) may represent the missing piece in the fandom puzzle.
The promise of streaming was to democratise listening and do away with the human gatekeepers in favour of the algorithm. As streaming nears its peak, the veneer is beginning to wear off. This is so much so that 54% of consumers want music chosen by humans, not algorithms, while 38% of music streamers say they struggle to find music they like on streaming services. If they are struggling to find new music they like, they are also struggling to find and connect with new artists. When the half-life of a song is the swipe of a finger, the distance between an artist and their potential fans is greater than it ever was. Artists and their labels are finding it harder than ever to even start an artist’s career, let alone sustain it. Instead, artists are stuck in a perpetual struggle to keep their head (just) above water long enough to breath, playing an energy sapping game in the hope that a few streams happen. Consumption is abundant, fandom is not.
The endless hustle of the song economy has forced labels into pursuing short-term marketing tactics aimed at creating hits, pulling them away from their true heartland: long-term artist brand building. Artist branding requires expertise in the first principles of marketing – creativity and integrated marketing communications – joined-up campaigns that build an artist’s ‘brand equity’ and set them up for longevity. Instead, everybody finds themselves stuck in the hamster wheel of chasing the latest trend. It is no surprise so many artists have expressed relief that they arrived on the music scene before the dominance of social media.
The heart of problem Is that streaming is about consumption, not artist-fan engagement. While Spotify’s recent vertical feed launch is a step in the right direction, it is just one (as of yet unproven) move by one music streaming service. Artist storytelling must happen elsewhere. TikTok may be the industry’s go-to, but its role is far from perfect. 64% of TikTok users rarely know what the music is in a video they are watching and just 19% go elsewhere to listen to music they discover on the app.
The problem is not even TikTok. It is the fact that TikTok’s young audience skew means that it is not even part of the equation for most consumers. While the 16% of TikTok users that discover music from viral trends (equating just to 6% of all consumers) is small, 37% of consumers say they discover new music through TV shows (which includes streaming TV shows). It is not all about scale, it is about reaching different parts of the population: twice as many over 35s discover music through TV shows than discover music on TikTok.
Sync has become a massively important part of the modern music business and the power connection that music can deliver in a TV show is loud and clear. Imagine how much more impactful TV could be if there were more showcases where audiences could meaningfully engage in artists’ stories, not just at the breakneck 15 seconds of fame pace of social media.
TV / video is one of the few places genuine cultural moments can still occur. Why does everyone talk about The Last of Us? Because TV and video streaming are some of the few media assets left that can create watercooler moments – times when people can come together and be part of something bigger. TV and video formats enable people to see beyond the song, to share in the story of the artist, and build a depth of fandom so rare in the streaming era. They can help develop artists into more than playlist-fodder. Artists that have a voice, a story to tell, and a fanbase, that are greater than three minutes of a streaming consumer’s day or 15 seconds of a social media user’s day.
If TV sync can have such an impact on music discovery, think about the impact of TV showcases. There is power in seeing artists perform their songs while conveying their musical skills, talent as performers, and having their personality and passion shown on their sleeve. With showcases becoming fewer and further between, audiences are craving what they have been missing. It is no coincidence that Eurovision is enjoying a renaissance. Consider the 2021 winners Maneskin. The rock bands’ success follows a long list of TV showcases and award shows supercharging artist careers, from The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, through Adele at the 2015 Brits, to X Factor launching the career of One Direction (without whom of course we would not have Grammy award winning Harry Styles).
Indeed, X Factor is a key illustration of how TV showcase formats can build fame and fandom while encouraging audiences to become invested in artists’ success by making them part of the story. It is a model that social platforms since tried to adopt for audiences to feel that they understand the artist and their journey, rather than swiping past a vacuous post about what someone happens to be doing that particular day. Showcase formats show artists at both their most creative and most vulnerable. It is that vulnerability that allows audiences in, building the foundations for a relationship where fans feel like they are part of the story. Something that is near impossible to build at scale anywhere else.
Streaming is an amazing consumer proposition, and it will continue to evolve and get better at doing what it does, but its reason for existence is consumption. TikTok and Instagram do a good job of driving virality, but they exist for engagement. Streaming builds audiences and social builds followings. Sustainability has never been a bigger issue for artists and their labels. There is no single-shot cure for the mass of inter-connected challenges, but creating more places where artists can tell their stories at their pace is a central part of what must come next. Until social and streaming get better at it, TV and video streaming are the fandom opportunity waiting to be tapped.
Music fandom’s problem is TV’s opportunity
musicindustryblog.wordpress.comMusic fandom is approaching a crisis point. The good news is that because of streaming, more people are listening to more music than ever and more artists are releasing music than at any time in th…
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Recent Classical Highlights for March 2023Each month here we try to point you to new releases that cover new music -- such as orchestral works by Missy Mazzoli -- or rarely heard or re-discovered music -- like the guitar works of Justin Holland, but there are always the warhorses of classical repertoire that deserve a little love also. Revered conductor Riccardo Chailly (pictured) chose some well-known choruses from Verdi's operas.
Recent Classical Highlights for March 2023
www.allmusic.comEach month here we try to point you to new releases that cover new music -- such as orchestral works by Missy Mazzoli -- or rarely heard or re-discovered music -- like the guitar…
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