Universal Audio’s LUNA DAW now free Having previously only been available to those with Apollo interfaces, UA's LUNA DAW is now supported natively on macOS and free to all. 

What is EQ? A comprehensive guide
In this comprehensive guide, learn about what EQ (equalization) is, its common types, and how to use it in your music.

BlackRock’s spot Ethereum ETF plan is confirmed after Nasdaq filingEarlier in the day, BlackRock registered corporate entity “iShares Ethereum Trust” in Delaware, the first hint that a filing for a spot Ethereum ETF filing was imminent.

Artist to Artist Tips: The Importance of Branding When Establishing Your ActHi! We’re Mom Rock, America’s #1 no-frills rock band. Here are five tips to build your b(r)and:

TIP #1: PEOPLE LISTEN WITH THEIR EYES FIRST

Never underestimate the power of a good outfit. When the band was starting out, we were playing a lot of basement shows with four or five different bands on the same bill. Most of the time, attendees weren’t specifically there for the music and just came for the party, and in a sea of skinny jeans and tee shirts, it was almost impossible to stand out.

One day, Curtis bought a purple and gold metallic sweats set off of a friend and wore that on stage, and everything clicked into place. We all found our own monochromatic jumpsuits and wore them every time we played, as well as did photoshoots in them in empty classrooms. Soon enough, the party people began to identify us from the outfits, and we gained a following around our city.

Like Taylor Swift, we had “eras” of our own; the jumpsuits gave way to all-silver numbers (sewn by Curtis’s mom!) and then we pivoted to a retro throwback baseball jersey look. Right now, we’re rocking some NASCAR fire suit-inspired coveralls with logos all over them. We believe our show clothes get us—and our fans—into the “Mom Rock” mindset.

TIP #2: THE BRAND IS BIGGER THAN YOURSELF

We’ve always been a fan of audience participation, so we wanted our fans to become a part of our brand, too. When we were in our “baseball era,” we wanted to give fans the opportunity to feel like they were a part of our “team,” so we sold the jerseys as merch with the opportunity to customize the name and number that appeared on the back. After performances at festivals, we would walk around and hand out baseball cards that doubled as business cards (wallet sized for easy storage!) It’s always so amazing to see showgoers wearing jerseys in the crowds and find some common ground with not only us, but also each other.

Nowadays, we have our NASCAR trading cards and NASCAR-dupe tee shirts, but we’ve been working on new ideas to flesh out the concept with even more opportunities to expand outward with efforts like brand collaborations and multimedia projects. If you have a solid foundation, building on top of it is easy!

TIP #3: BE AWARE OF TRENDS, BUT DON’T FOLLOW THEM

As music lovers, we always want to hear what other artists our fans are listening to. If we notice that our fans seem to like another band that we’ve never heard of, we’ll look into them and their brand, identifying our similarities and differences. If we see a band excelling in an area that we consider to be a weakness of ours, we’ll analyze them to see what they do and how their fans react to it. This is only helpful if you are self-aware enough to identify those weaknesses in the first place, so we try to “take inventory” every so often to gauge what we should be focused on.

That being said, we don’t like to be followers. With attention spans so short, micro-trends dominate the landscape, so if you try to chase a trend, you’ll likely end up missing the boat entirely. Hard-core trend-chasing also takes away the time, energy, and resources necessary to focus on any original concepts that may have been thought of and rolled out in the process.

TIP #4: COMMIT TO THE BIT

We’ve always gravitated toward big, high-concept ideas. Coming up with ideas is one thing; executing them the way we imagine them is a different story, requiring a lot of prior thought and preparation. We aim to align everything we do—stage wear, album art, merch, video content, and even social media posts—to our current aesthetic for a full package cohesive vibe.

We aren’t afraid to draw inspiration from some more unorthodox sources, so beyond music, we look to branding in film, television, literature, fashion, and sports. By diversifying our influence pool, we always have fresh ideas flowing.

Even if an idea seems too involved or difficult to pull off, go for it!

For example, for our debut album Now That’s What I Call Mom Rock, we took a very “meta” approach to its branding, playing with the irony of a musical artist being reduced down to a “brand.” From the parodied infomercial music video to the logomania on our stage outfits to the album art depicting ‘80s editorial-style print ads, we went all out, poking fun at consumerism while indulging in being the thing consumed.

TIP #5: BE YOURSELF, HAVE FUN

The corniest tip on this list, but by far the most important!

In the age of social media, brands are constantly faced with concerns of authenticity and fakeness. Fans can easily sniff out when someone or something is disingenuous, so sticking with ideas and concepts that are natural to you is always the best bet. The more that you genuinely enjoy an idea, the more invested you will become. The more invested you are, the more likely the execution will be better! This of course goes beyond building an image or a brand—sticking to your guns will benefit you immensely in the long run.

We started this band because we were some college kids who loved to play music and entertain people. We didn’t have all of the concepts from the get-go, but the more we got to know each other and the Mom Rock “identity” as a whole, the more naturally they came to us and the more we enjoyed building the brand. –Mom Rock

The Nashville-based trio, MOM ROCK — Curtis Heimburger [vocals, guitar], Tara Maggiulli [bass, vocals], and Wilson Reardon [drums] — craft bouncy rock & roll anthems charged up by airtight pop hooks and one-liners delivered with the swaggering aplomb of an Avenger. Following millions of streams, packed shows, and acclaim from the likes of Rolling Stone, the band might just rescue you(even for one night) with their 2023 eight-track debut LP — Now That’s What I Call Mom Rock.

Launch contracts are “basically worthless” until a rocket is proven and flying, Rocket Lab CEO saysRocket Lab is waiting until Neutron is more technically mature before signing launch contracts with customers, CEO Peter Beck told investors on Wednesday. The statements provided an inside look on how the space company is thinking about bringing the Neutron next-gen launch vehicle to market – and the lessons learned from selling its first rocket, […]
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Amazon’s music streaming division hit with round of layoffsOnline retail and technology giant Amazon has reportedly started making layoffs in its music unit
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Genelec reveal 9401A System Management Device The 9401A  brings ST2110, AES67 and Ravenna AoIP networking capabilities to Genelec's range of Smart Active Monitoring monitors and subwoofers.

Universal Audio UAD Century Tube Channel Strip Capture "first take" magic with easy-to-use preamp, EQ, and compression: With a vintage-inspired tube mic preamp, transparent dynamics control, and intuitively voiced EQ, the Century... Read More

Universal Audio LA-2A Tube Compressor Is FREE On AudioDeluxe
AudioDeluxe offers the LA-2A Tube Compressor plugin by Universal Audio as a free download for a limited time. You thought you were escaping from the LA-2A, didn’t you? Universal Audio is fairly adamant that you need this dynamics processor in your life, and they won’t take no for an answer. All jokes aside, the UAD [...]
View post: Universal Audio LA-2A Tube Compressor Is FREE On AudioDeluxe

Music funding programme beatBread offers new advances of up to $3 million for songwritersUtah-based indie artist and label music funding platform beatBread is now offering advances of up to $3 million to songwriters via a new Songwriting Advance Division.

READ MORE: The Alchemist and Earl Sweatshirt say the greatest hip-hop producers of all time are DJ Premier, Madlib, Pete Rock and RZA

As of today, songwriters will now be eligible for advances of up to three million dollars against the publishing rights on their catalogue or catalogue plus future songs.
Like other advances given to independent artists, songwriters will have the ability to customise the scope, term length and size of repayments for the advances, which is completed through streaming and airplay revenues that are earned.
The company has announced that they are bringing in music publisher and former BMG executive Spencer LeBoff, who has worked with the likes of Dua Lipa and songwriters for Selena Gomez and Maroon 5, as the new General Manager of Publishing.
“We are providing a unique opportunity for songwriters to maximise the value of their copyrights while retaining ownership over their work,” LeBoff said in a statement. “The team at beatBread have done such a great job of paving this path on the sound recording side and I’m so excited to extend it into publishing.”
“We are excited to continue to expand the choices available to artists, writers and their partners on our platform.” beatBread Founder & CEO Peter Sinclair explained in a statement.
“We believe creatives should have more access, more choice, more transparency and more leverage than industry incumbents have traditionally offered. Creative empowerment is our north star, and with this new initiative, we are one step closer to our goal of creating a more open and creator-friendly music industry.
According to beatBread, the company distributed around 500 advances across multiple genres and continents as of late last year.
For more information you can head to beatBread.
The post Music funding programme beatBread offers new advances of up to $3 million for songwriters appeared first on MusicTech.

Las Vegas Sphere has reportedly made a loss of $98.4 millionThe Las Vegas Sphere has reportedly made a large financial loss of $98.4 million since its opening in September.
The colossal venue, which has a capacity of 18,000 people and cost $2.3 billion to build, is currently hosting a residency from U2 until February 2024. The run of shows were set to wrap up in December, but further dates have been added.

READ MORE: Las Vegas Sphere opens its first show with U2 – and it’s a mind-melting cocktail of visual effects, to say the least

The Sphere hosts the world’s largest LED screen, and was built to host not only live music but also sporting events and film screenings. It measures at 366 feet tall and 516 feet wide, also making it the world’s biggest spherical structure.
Despite the large investment in the dazzling venue, The New York Post reports that The Sphere is expected to post a quarterly loss of $1.27 a share, according to a survey of Wall Street analysts. Revenue from the venue so far includes $4.1 million from two sold-out U2 shows and $2.6 million from suite licensing and advertising on its exosphere.

The publication also reports that The Sphere’s chief financial officer, Gautam Ranji, has seemingly quit according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
Though the filing says this was “not a result of any disagreement with the company’s independent auditors or any member of management on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure or internal controls,” The New York Post says that “a source with knowledge” claims CEO James Dolan was “yelling and screaming” at Ranji, who “calmly left the room and gave his notice to the company’s general counsel.”
U2 will be continuing their shows through to the new year, all of which are centred around their 1991 album, Achtung Baby. You can find out more about The Sphere and view its upcoming events via its official website.
The post Las Vegas Sphere has reportedly made a loss of $98.4 million appeared first on MusicTech.

AI music platform Soundful launches “Soundful Collabs” series with big-name artistsThe AI music production platform Soundful has launched a new “Soundful Collabs” series campaign.

READ MORE: “She is a generation-defining artist”: Taylor Swift named Apple Music’s 2023 Artist of the Year

It’ll be working with some of the biggest artists and producers to capture their “Sonic DNA”, giving users of the platform the opportunity to create tracks that sound like them, as well as “simultaneously pioneering a clear and ethical path for content monetisation.”
Among the names involved in the initial launch are 3LAU, Autograf, CB Mix, DJ White Shadow, Kaskade, and Starrah. But Soundful will be working on numerous other names throughout the campaign. The programme will provide a new revenue channel for artists, producers and labels involved, too, as they can earn income from every tranasction.
Soundful’s founder and CEO Diaa El All said in a statement, “Working directly with this elite group of talented stars to adapt our technology to their signature sounds was a very ambitious undertaking, and quite honestly, took some world-class creativity and engineering to pull it off.
“I’m incredibly proud that our subscribers can now create tracks in the sound of some of their idols. It’s a huge step towards leveraging the promise of AI to inspire creativity while also rewarding artists and other rights holders with ethical and meaningful income.”
Premium subscribers to Soundful can access the collabs by paying an extra fee for finished track creation and downloads.
Soundful launched its beta a year ago, and has grown to have over half a million users – and brands are using Soundful for content for advertising, social media, promo videos and vlogs.
Soundful co-founder and board member Neil Jacobson, CEO of Hallwood Entertainment said, “My thesis is and has always been that the growing number of musicians coming online globally who are learning that they don’t need to be instrumentalists in order to be copyrightable musicians, is one of the most exciting movements in music.
He continued, “Soundful is the bridge to both creators and those who need affordable, licensable music at scale through the most seamless platform that exists. The more people learn to create music, the more their ear as a listener will be developed. The developed ear is what will drive sophistication, thereby higher quality music overall.”
The post AI music platform Soundful launches “Soundful Collabs” series with big-name artists appeared first on MusicTech.

Hipgnosis Song Management appoints Daniel Pounder as CFO, Jonathan Baker as General CounselHSM currently services two clients: the Blackstone-backed private fund, Hipgnosis Songs Capital, and the UK-listed Hipgnosis Songs Fund
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Aux, RealCount win Music Tectonics 2023 music tech startup competitionTwo promising music tech startups were named the winners of the 2023 Swimming with Narwhals Startup Pitch Competition at the recent Music Tectonics Conference. AI-powered music samples creator Aux is the. Continue reading
The post Aux, RealCount win Music Tectonics 2023 music tech startup competition appeared first on Hypebot.

Elektron releases limited silver-faced e25 Remix Edition of Digitakt, Digitone and Syntakt to celebrate 25th anniversaryElektron has launched a line of silver-faced, limited edition versions of its Digitakt, Digitone and Syntakt drum and synth machines to honour of the brand’s 25th anniversary.
The e25 Remix Editions are “inspired by yesteryear, and hell-bent on pulling your sounds through the veil of possibility and into reality,” according to Elektron.

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For those not already familiar with these three instruments, here’s a short overview of each one: The Digitakt is an eight voice digital drum computer and sampler which was released in 2017. The Digitone, an eight voice polyphonic digital synthesiser, then followed hot on its heels the following year.
Finally, the Syntakt landed in 2022 as the baby of the bunch. This offering is a 12 track drum computer and synthesiser, which we scored 9/10 in our review due to its flexibility and functionality.
For this special reissue, Elektron has introduced a number of unique additions to the models. The instruments have each been hand-built in stainless steel, individually numbered and have laser-etched logos.
The faceplates have been brushed to give them their own unique finish, so that no two units look the same in appearance. The box they arrive in also contain e25 poster versions, and a “multiple decade-covering/greatest hits” sticker sheet. Interestingly, they also come with a special Remix Edition cassette tape, which features an hour of original music from the Elektron Team.
Take a closer look in the teaser video below:

Earlier this year, the Elektron Analogue Four Mk II was featured in our round up of the best polyphonic synths to buy in 2023. The four-voice analogue synth comes with a built-in sequencer, arpeggiator, and reverb, chorus and delay effects.
The e25 Remix Edition of the Syntakt is priced at $1,149, with the Digitakt and Digitone both coming in at $999. Find out more, and shop the range (including a special e25 Remix t-shirt) over at Elektron.
The post Elektron releases limited silver-faced e25 Remix Edition of Digitakt, Digitone and Syntakt to celebrate 25th anniversary appeared first on MusicTech.