Concert ticket prices increased 80.5% in 3 years, 4X inflationConcert tickets prices increased 80.5% since 2021 according to a new study. Since 1996,  concert prices ballooned 428.7% from just $25.81 to $136.46.
The post Concert ticket prices increased 80.5% in 3 years, 4X inflation appeared first on Hypebot.

HITS Act becomes law in a Big Win For Independent ArtistsAs the HITS Act becomes law, independent artists and labels get a major new tax break on recording expenses. This is be a financial game-changer for anyone making music outside the major label system.
The post HITS Act becomes law in a Big Win For Independent Artists appeared first on Hypebot.

“It’s unstoppable”: ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus says artists who resist AI are “stupid” and “luddite”Naturally, AI is a topic which divides musicians. Some have strong opinions on its potential negative implications – Gary Numan recently said he believed “it will be the end of mankind” – and others are more keen to embrace it as a useful tool for creativity.
Take ABBA‘s Björn Ulvaeus, for example. In a new interview with Times Radio, he explains that AI is a “great tool that never existed before”, and says that artists who try to resist it are “stupid” and “luddite”.

READ MORE: “It’s performing exceptionally well”: X Audio Systems issues update on its “revolutionary” XTRIKE synth prototype

Many musicians – and indeed people from a variety of industries – fear AI’s potential to replace humans in certain fields. But Ulvaeus says this fear is unfounded.
“[AI] is in no way a substitute for a songwriting partner,” he says. “No, it’s a tool. But it’s a great tool that never existed before, where you can reference anything in the world of music, and which you can use as a sounding board, and you can try new things on.”
He continues: “For instance, when I’ve written something, maybe eight bars, I can record them with a lyric, and just ask it, where would you take me if you went into this or that realm of music? What would it sound like? Usually it comes back with garbage, but sometimes there is something that might point me in a new direction.
“I can get in touch with my AI at any time. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I can try new things. Whenever you feel like it, whenever you have an idea, you can try it out with your AI partner.”
When interviewer Jane Mulkerrins notes musicians including Elton John who are rallying against AI in creative industries, Björn Ulvaeus adds: “If they try to block it, it’s stupid. It’s luddite.”
“There’s no point trying to do that, because it’s unstoppable,” he concludes.
Despite being founded in the early ‘70s – and officially hanging up their boots in 2022 – ABBA are no strangers to embracing new and emerging technology. The Swedish band were one of the first acts to create a large-scale high-profile virtual concert experience using holograms with their now-massive Voyage shows.
A chief area of concern regarding AI in music is that surrounding proper licensing, attribution and remuneration. 
Recently, Suno and Udio – two of the biggest AI music generators – were sued on behalf of ““independent artists whose rights have been trampled the most”.
The lawsuits – filed by country musician Tony Justice and his 5th Wheel Records label – argued that “independent artists, Plaintiffs, and Class Members will never be able to claw back the intellectual property unlawfully copied” by the companies, and alleged that these platforms “undermine the existing streams of revenue, including licensing markets, for independent music, which the Copyright Office itself recognised as valid and protectable under copyright law.”
The post “It’s unstoppable”: ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus says artists who resist AI are “stupid” and “luddite” appeared first on MusicTech.

HOFA release System Ducker plug-in System Ducker is capable of hosting third-party plug-ins, and can be used to keep the likes of delay and reverb from overwhelming dry signals in a mix, as well as offering a simple way for podcasters and content creators to lower background audio automatically when their voice channels are live. 

“It’s performing exceptionally well”: X Audio Systems issues update on its “revolutionary” XTRIKE synth prototypeX Audio Systems has revealed XTRIKE, a “revolutionary” new prototype wavetable synth.
Hailing a “new era in sound design”, the Swiss brand’s latest creation is still in prototype phase, with a pre-launch on Indiegogo, where customers can sign up for an exclusive €200 early-bird discount.

READ MORE: It’s Amazon Prime Day, but these music retailers are also hosting insane deals on keyboards, synths and plugins

At its core, the XTRIKE features dual-daisy architecture, combining a magnetic bender with an expressive pad surface, offering a “tactile, soft-impact-driven interface that feels like a percussive instrument while harnessing the full power of a modern synthesizer”.
Credit: X Audio Systems
The synthesizer itself features four-voice polyphony, and also features an intuitive auto-tuning and micro-tuning engine for precise pitch control, a 16-step sequencer for crafting “complex compositions directly” on the synth, and a looper with 20 seconds of stereo sampling, looping, processing and multilayering.
X Audio Systems is transparent about the status and availability of the XTRIKE at this time.
“Our team is committed to refining the instrument until its design and performance meet our exacting standards,” it writes. “To achieve this, we are implementing minor adjustments before moving to production.”
Credit: X Audio Systems
It notes that the prototype’s features are “performing exceptionally well”, with its graphical display “both visually stunning and highly intuitive”.
“Our current focus is on enhancing the interface, particularly the tactile pad. We are dissatisfied with the responsiveness and appearance of the current silicon pad, which is glued to the faceplate,” the company continues. 
“We are reverting to our original concept of an independent, mechanically isolated pad. By integrating a PCB interface, as used in our initial testing, and fitting it into a dedicated slot in the faceplate, we aim to significantly improve sensitivity and user experience. Additionally, the pad will be available in various colours with a distinctive, creative design.”

Further pricing info and timelines are unavailable at this time, but we’ll endeavour to keep you updated as we know more.
For more info, head to XTRIKES’s Indiegogo page.
The post “It’s performing exceptionally well”: X Audio Systems issues update on its “revolutionary” XTRIKE synth prototype appeared first on MusicTech.

Meta acquires voice startup Play AIMeta has acquired Play AI, a startup that uses AI to generate human-sounding voices.

Real-world asset tokens are the new ETFs — CoinFund presidentTokens are a new financial wrapper, akin to the exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that debuted on US exchanges in 1993, Christopher Perkins said.

2025 One Hertz Challenge: Ham Radio Foxhunt Transmitter[Jim Matthews] submitted their Ham Radio foxhunt transmitter project for the 2025 One Hertz Challenge.
This is a clever Spartan build. In order to create a radio beacon for use in a “fox hunt” [Jim] combined a SR-T300 walkie talkie module with a phototransistor and oscillating LED circuit. The phototransistor and oscillating LED are secured face-to-face inside heat shrink tubing which isolates them from ambient light. When the LED flashes on the phototransistor powers the radio which transmits a tone in the UHF band.
A fox hunt is a game played by radio enthusiasts in which players use radio signals to triangulate and find a hidden beacon. [Jim]’s circuit is the beacon, and when it’s powered by a three volt CR2032 battery, it transmits a strong signal over several hundred yards at 433.5 MHz, within the amateur radio UHF band.
If you’re interested in radio beacons you might like to read about the WSPR beacon.

zazz Transient EnhancerVST plugin for enhancing transient sounds. The plugin captures the initial portion of a transient (with detection controlled via the Trigger section), time-stretches the snippet (with adjustable pitch), and layers it with the original transient. The plugin introduces 250 ms of latency. Read More

Emphaseas x Pretender Release MASSIMIZER, a Free Sidechain Ringmod and Compressor Plugin
Emphaseas and Pretender have released MASSIMIZER, a free sidechain ringmod and compressor effect plugin available on a pay-what-you-want basis via Gumroad. You can download it for free by entering zero at checkout, or choose to support the developers with a donation. MASSIMIZER is a dynamics processor that combines compression and ring modulation. Both effects can [...]
View post: Emphaseas x Pretender Release MASSIMIZER, a Free Sidechain Ringmod and Compressor Plugin

RME update macOS USB3 interfaces RME have announced the launch of significant updates to its macOS USB 3 interface line-up that ensure optimal performance and seamless compatibility with Apple Silicon devices.

High-leverage trader James Wynn deactivates X accountHigh-risk trader James Wynn lost hundreds of millions of dollars in a matter of weeks by speculating on short-term price movements.

A United Nations research institute created an AI refugee avatarA research institute connected to the United Nations has created two AI-powered avatars designed to teach people about refugee issues. 404 Media wrote about an experiment conducted by a class at the United Nations University Center for Policy Research that resulted in the creation of two AI agents or avatars — Amina, a fictional woman […]

2025 One Hertz Challenge: An Ancient Transistor Counts The SecondsIf you’ve worked with germanium transistors, you’ll know that many of them have a disappointingly low maximum frequency of operation. This has more to do with some of the popular ones dating from the earliest years of the transistor age than it does to germanium being inherently a low frequency semiconductor, but it’s fair to say you won’t be using an OC71 in a high frequency RF application. It’s clear that [Ken Yap]’s project is taking no chances though, because he’s using a vintage germanium transistor at a very low frequency — 1 Hz, to be exact.
The circuit is a simple enough phase shift oscillator that flashes a white LED, in which a two transistor amplifier feeds back on itself through an RC phase shift network. The germanium part is a CV7001, while the other transistor is more modern but still pretty old these days silicon part, a BC109. The phase shift network has a higher value resistor than you might expect at 1.8 MOhms, because of the low frequency of operation. Power meanwhile comes from a pair of AA cells.
We like this project not least for its use of very period passive components and stripboard to accompany the vintage semiconductor parts. Perhaps it won’t met atomic standards for timing, but that’s hardly the point.
This project is an entry in the 2025 One Hertz Challenge. Why not enter your own second-accurate project?

patchpool Crossroads for FilterverseCrossroads for Filterverse comprises 120 tagged patches which transform the incoming audio signal into ambient, rhythmic, cinematic and experimental textures usable for numerous areas of application. Deeply exploring the multi-effect and synthesis capabilities of this plug-in, many presets use tempo-synced modulators creating groovy and organic rhythmic textures, often the envelope follower is engaged to supply dynamic interaction with the audio signal, audio rate modulation via Filterverse's inbuilt oscillator provides highly interesting and futuristic sounds, physically modeled string arpeggios, vast spaces, pitch-shifted delays, time-warped glitch and stutter effects, granular textures, mellow choruses and smooth filter sweeps add to the versatile complexity of this expansion. All presets make extensive use of the available modulators and have one or more Macros assigned for direct interaction and DAW automation. The patches are programmed 100% wet for the purpose of inserting Filterverse on a bus, that way several audio sources can be processed by the same instance of the plug-in; using a pre-fader send is recommended so that the output and send levels can be set and automated independently. You can view/download the PDF for this expansion with installation instructions, technical notes, the licence agreement and a detailed patchlist including demo links here. Specs: 120 tagged patches programmed 100% wet. Delivery: download. Price: € 34 EUR. Product page. All demos below make use of effect sounds created only with patches from Crossroads, no further post-processing was applied apart from a limiter on the master outputs. Audio demos. Youtube playlist Read More