Copyright Office to investigate PROs: ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMRThe U.S. Copyright Office has published a "Notice of Inquiry" to collect information on performance rights organizations (PROs). The inquiry into ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, Global Music Rights (GMR) and others comes at the behest of Congress and organizations representing venues, promoters, songwriters and music publishers.
The post Copyright Office to investigate PROs: ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR appeared first on Hypebot.

Blueprint Music Goes Live: A New Era for Artists and FansThe wait is over. Blueprint Music is officially live, ushering in a revolution for the music industry. Designed to give artists and fans direct control over music creation, revenue, and experiences, Blueprint challenges the exploitative status quo and puts power back where it belongs—with the artists and their fans.Unlike traditional streaming services and record labels, Blueprint ensures artists receive 50% of all revenue generated from their music—a stark contrast to current industry payouts that leave musicians with mere fractions of a cent per stream. Fans, meanwhile, gain unprecedented access, from exclusive content and early music releases to VIP experiences and voting rights on upcoming projects, all powered by Blueprint Tokens.“Musicians deserve better than the outdated industry model,” said Phil Ryan, Co-Founder of Blueprint Music. “Blueprint isn't just another platform—it’s a movement. We’re here to ensure artists are fairly compensated while giving fans a deeper, more meaningful way to connect with the music they love.”Blueprint Music is live, and fans and musicians can claim early access now early adopters are already signing up, and many are using this time to join now ahead of any exclusivity.  Artists and fans who sign up now can claim exclusive perks, VIP access, and the chance to help shape the platform before the full-scale launch in June 2025.  For artists who sign up now, they will secure their spot and start earning 50% of all revenue from their music. For fans who sign up now, they will gain voting rights, early access to unreleased music, and behind-the-scenes content from top artists.Blueprint Music is what the music industry needs and it is already attracting major artists and thousands of fans who are tired of an industry that underpays creators and limits fan interaction. The platform’s blockchain-powered ecosystem ensures:Fair artist payouts – 50% revenue share, no middlemen.

Direct fan engagement – Exclusive content, VIP access, and artist-fan voting.

True ownership – Secure transactions, transparent rights, and artist-first policies."Blueprint Music is a platform that finally puts the power back where it belongs—with artists and fans. As an artist myself, I know this is the change the music industry has needed," said Simon Webbe, Co-founder of Blueprint Music.Since its pre-launch announcement, Blueprint Music has seen a surge in signups from both artists and fans eager to take control of their music experience. The platform is already in talks with top-tier global artists preparing to launch exclusive content and interactive fan experiences.“The music industry is overdue for disruption,” said Oliver Moorhouse, Co-Founder of Blueprint Music. “Blueprint is built to empower artists and give fans a seat at the table. This is the future of music, and it’s happening now.”The post Blueprint Music Goes Live: A New Era for Artists and Fans first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Henry Naldjian promoted to Chief Technology Officer at Sony Music PublishingExec to oversee company’s ongoing "technological transformation efforts"
Source

Should voice actors be concerned about being replaced by AI? The Simpsons’ Hank Azaria thinks so – maybeHank Azaria, known for voicing multiple characters in The Simpsons, has given his thoughts on how AI may affect careers like his in the future.
In a video for The New York Times, Azaria records the voice he uses for the character of Moe in The Simpsons, to see how well AI can recreate it. Within the video, Azaria likens the future of AI in the voice acting industry to how streaming has currently impacted music – if something is readily available for free or at a low cost, he feels many people opt to use it, despite the ethics behind it.

READ MORE: Rights management platform for generative AI raises $2.1 million in investment for “trailblazing” attribution model

“I think there’s a humanness that the AI can’t do right now – at least vocally, and may never be able to do – that involves a character’s motivation, certain emotions, subtleties of physicality, facially or otherwise, that add up to a human being,” Azaria says.
Looking to the future, he adds, “People are going to listen to and enjoy and watch what they like, and they’re not going to care whether AI generated it or a human generated it, or some combination of the two. Right now, what AI generates by itself as Moe the bartender or anything else isn’t going to cut it. But if it does start to cut it, people are going to listen to it, and they’re going to be grateful that it’s so readily available.
“Look what happened to the music industry. Do you think I cried a tear because the record industry reinvented itself? I got to listen to all the music for free all of a sudden,” he explains. “I don’t think people are going to feel much differently about any of this.”
You can watch the full video below:

Currently, the UK government is considering proposed changes to copyright law, which could allow AI developers to mine from creators’ content on the internet. The suggested change would mean creative works could be used to develop AI models unless the rights holders actively opt out. A number of musicians have since spoken out about the suggested changes, including Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Max Richter.
Richter made his thoughts on the matter known earlier this week with a speech to MPs calling for greater protection for music creators: “Music is the closest thing humanity has to magic,” he said, “But all of this will fade into history unless we support creators’ rights because, unless artists can be fairly rewarded for their work through copyright, there is no future for human creators.”
The post Should voice actors be concerned about being replaced by AI? The Simpsons’ Hank Azaria thinks so – maybe appeared first on MusicTech.

“The first take is ‘the take’… if you keep it on a loop, you get unlimited options which blocks your process”: Jungle’s J Lloyd on keeping creativity free and imperfectJungle’s J Lloyd has shared how he avoids over-producing and keeps the freedom of creativity present within their music.
Opening up the original multitrack session for Back On 74, Jungle’s massive hit from their fourth album, 2023’s Volcano, Lloyd shares a recording of the acoustic guitar for the track, which has a mistake in it. Explaining why the mistake is there, Lloyd shares that the recording is the very first take of the guitar part being played, and that the first take should also be your final in order to keep natural creativity running through a track.

READ MORE: My Forever Studio: Jungle’s foley and fake horn revelation

In a teaser video for his Mix With The Masters documentary on YouTube, Lloyd shares, “Something I learned a while back [is] the first take is the take, it’s the bit where you’re just reacting to it. If you keep it on loop and do 30,000 takes or 30 guitar takes you just end up with unlimited options which again just blocks the process because then you have to go into this editing thing…
“It’s the creation part of it, and then the editor – and these are two very separate roles. A lot of the creative is very free, it’s not thinking about it, it’s just feeling it, and you want to stay there. As soon as you go to the edit, you’ve got to be careful with software because it tries to pull you into being an editor very quickly,” he says.
“If you’re writing in a DAW, you’ve got to be very aware of not being drawn into being the editor because if you get drawn into being the editor, it’s a different mindset, and that mindset will essentially make you quite critical of things, and if you’re critical of things you’ll shut down ideas.”
You can watch the clip below:

Jungle are playing at a number of festivals through spring and summer – find out where you can catch them live.
The post “The first take is ‘the take’… if you keep it on a loop, you get unlimited options which blocks your process”: Jungle’s J Lloyd on keeping creativity free and imperfect appeared first on MusicTech.

Mercuriall Audio Software Metal Area MT-ABOSS Metal Zone MT-2 modeling Controls: Level. Dist. High. Low. Middle. MidFreq. Input Gain. Mono/Stereo. Quality switch. On/Off knob. YouTube.com/watch?v=7PSvyW78x-Y Read More

It looks like Apple is about to unveil its newest PowerBeats Pro modelApple may well be announcing the second generation of Beats’ PowerBeats Pro earbuds this month, according to reports, with an announcement expected to arrive as early as 11 February.
The first-gen PowerBeats Pro were released back in 2019, and were the first wireless earbud release from the brand following on from the tethered PowerBeats 3, launched in 2016. It is expected this new release will launch alongside a new iPhone SE, as per Bloomberg.

READ MORE: Stevie Wonder demoed the Apple Vision Pro, according to CEO Tim Cook: “It’s always great to get feedback from Stevie”

Beats was acquired by Apple in 2014, offering alternative looks and features to Apple’s simplistic AirPod design. The brand typically opts for a sporty aesthetic, including ear hooks for stability when moving and exercising on its existing PowerBeats Pro model. The new BeatsPro 2 Bluetooth earbuds are expected to be the first Apple-branded headphones with built-in heart rate tracking, which it currently offers within the Apple Watch.

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Official details are yet to be confirmed, including any details on pricing or availability. Currently, the suspected February announcement is predicted to be on the small scale, as there are no launch events currently scheduled, both in-person or virtual, according to TechCrunch.
Apple confirmed the launch of its AirPods 4 line up back in September, which it described as the “most advanced and comfortable headphones Apple has ever created”. The AirPods host an open-ear design, with two versions to choose from – the standard AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC).
Alongside the launch, Apple also confirmed a slight upgrade for its AirPods Max, with new colourways and USB-C charging. It further confirmed that the AirPods Pro 2 would introduce the “world’s first” end-to-end hearing health experience, and a clinical-grade Hearing Aid feature.
Check back on MusicTech for more updates as we get them, or head over to Beats to view its current product lineup.
The post It looks like Apple is about to unveil its newest PowerBeats Pro model appeared first on MusicTech.

Charli XCX, Noah Kahan donate $25K as Chappell Roan challenges critics to help artistsWhen the "Pink Pony Club" singer won the 2025 Grammy for Best New Artist, she delivered a powerful speech calling on the industry to do more to help artists. Now, Chappell Roan challenges critics to match her donations to help artists dropped by their record labels.
The post Charli XCX, Noah Kahan donate $25K as Chappell Roan challenges critics to help artists appeared first on Hypebot.

Boz Digital Labs releases FREE Bark of Dog 3 bass enhancer plugin
Developer Boz Digital Labs has released Bark of Dog 3, a free bass enhancer plugin for macOS and Windows. Bark of Dog is one of the first plugins that Boz Digital Labs ever released, and it quickly put the developer on the map as one to watch.  Since then, Boz Digital Labs has released lots of [...]
View post: Boz Digital Labs releases FREE Bark of Dog 3 bass enhancer plugin

Klevgrand update free Syndtsphere instrument Klevgrand have announced that one of their innovative free virtual instruments has just received a major update.

“Even enduring genres like classical and jazz have undergone a noticeable simplification”: New study concludes modern music has become less complexA new study by researchers at the Sapienza University of Rome has put statistical weight behind the theory many listeners have long suspected: modern music is becoming less complex.
The study, titled Decoding Musical Evolution Through Network Science, analysed approximately 20,000 MIDI files spanning four centuries and six macro-genres, including Jazz, Classical, Rock, Pop, Hip Hop, and Electronic.
The results reveals a trend toward simplification across the board, with Classical and Jazz compositions having higher complexity and melodic diversity than more recently developed genres.

READ MORE: “Music is the closest thing humanity has to magic – but it will fade into history unless we support creators’ rights”: Max Richter blasts proposals to allow AI companies to train models on copyrighted material

“The observed results could partly be attributed to the rise of more homogeneous and less complex genres in recent years,” researchers say. “However, our analysis indicates that even enduring genres like classical and jazz have undergone a noticeable simplification compared to their origins.”
What’s behind this ‘musical dumbing-down’? According to the study, the culprits might be the very tools that have made music production and dissemination so readily accessible to all of us.
Digital audio workstations and streaming platforms have revolutionised how we create and consume music in the 21st century. While these advancements have opened doors for countless aspiring musicians, they may also be fostering a culture of musical homogenisation and simplicity.
“The observed trend of musical simplification reflects broader societal changes, including the influence of global interconnectedness, rapid content dissemination, and the algorithmic curation of music consumption,” the paper states.
“Our study highlights that the democratisation of the composition process and the advent of new technologies and platforms have fostered the development of genres characterised by reduced complexity relative to earlier eras.”
Before we turn this into another ‘music was better in my day’ rant though, it’s worth noting that the study’s use of MIDI data limits its analyses to “structural aspects of music”. Other “critical dimensions, such as lyrics, timbre, production techniques, and cultural context”, remain unexplored.
More importantly, just as length alone doesn’t make a song better or worse, simplicity in music doesn’t necessarily equate to lower quality. As technology continues to redefine how we create and consume music, the real challenge lies in fostering a landscape where accessibility and innovation coexist with artistic depth and complexity.
The post “Even enduring genres like classical and jazz have undergone a noticeable simplification”: New study concludes modern music has become less complex appeared first on MusicTech.

String Armonica mkII: Merkaba Electronics’ hybrid electro-acoustic synth gets an upgradeTexas-based boutique instruments firm Merkaba Electronics has announced the String Armonica mkII, the latest iteration of its quirky-looking electromagnetic synth.
At its core, the String Armonica mkII reimagines musical synthesis by using 12 chromatically tuned strings — instead of electronic waveforms — as its sound source. Each string harmonically resonates through a custom-built internal synthesizer, enabling users to play a range of four octaves using a MIDI keyboard.
All strings can sound simultaneously in full polyphony as well. The result is a rich, acoustic-electric blend, unlike any conventional synthesizer or purely acoustic instrument.

READ MORE: Five new plugins, effects and VST instruments you need to know about this week

Sporting somewhat of a sushi-boat-meets-guitar aesthetic, the updated mkII features several key upgrades, including adjustable string height with redesigned bridges and custom-polished steel pickup plates for improved tone and performance.
It also adds four new built-in modes: Staccato Mode, for sharper, more defined sounds; Harp Sweeping Function, for seamless sweeping across strings using the pitch wheel; Arpeggiator, which offers five patterns for dynamic, rhythmic sequences; and Envelope Mode, which allows notes to automatically fade in with adjustable timing.
Each string on the mkII is equipped with an individual pickup and summed to a stereo output, creating an immersive experience. Players can also control sustain using the included felt damper, enabling both infinitely sustained and staccato notes.
Additional expressive controls include an external expression pedal for nuanced dynamics and an onboard tremolo system operated via the MIDI keyboard’s mod wheel.
“The String Armonica has a unique timbre, reminiscent of the Glass Armonica, which is how we stumbled upon the name,” says Merkaba Electronics. “It can sound like a variety of instruments including a celesta, a reed organ, or singing bowls. We believe it will be a great tool for composers to add a new layer of high harmonic richness to their compositions.”
Priced at $1,599.99, each unit also comes shipped with a custom hard shell case for safe transport.
Check out a demo of the String Armonica mkII below.

Learn more at Sound Stone.
The post String Armonica mkII: Merkaba Electronics’ hybrid electro-acoustic synth gets an upgrade appeared first on MusicTech.

Is Waves Curves Equator really the “Soothe2 killer”?$79 ($40 introductory price), waves.com
It feels like barely a month goes by without another plugin company releasing a new spectral balancing or resonance-suppressing tool.
It all started with Oeksound’s seminal Soothe, but we now have multiple options, with each developer adding its own mark or functionality tweak. With each successive release comes a wave of ‘Is this a Soothe2 killer?’ YouTube videos, and Waves’ Curves Equator is no exception. It’s the first of several plugins from Waves that aim to revolutionise EQ and it takes the best bits from competing designs to create a powerful, intuitive tool. But is it enough to topple Soothe?

READ MORE: “At $99, this endearing plugin could easily become a firm favourite”: Wavea Flite review

With Curves Equator, you can easily reduce the threshold so any frequencies that poke above it will be notched down to create a smoother-sounding mix. Various target curves are provided to broadly shape how you want it to sound, including Flat, Pink noise or Warm profiles, plus a Tilt function that lets you quickly brighten or darken the overall results. You’re not EQ-ing the audio as such, but rather letting the plugin know where you want to focus the ducking of unwanted resonances.

There are also Input and Output sliders, a Mix dial, a safety limiter, and an excellent auto-makeup function for gain matching. This is on by default and it really helps to give a better sense of what effect Curves Equator is having without your judgement being clouded by a volume drop. When used on a bass-dominant mix, low frequencies will be tucked in and auto gain brings up the overall volume accordingly, which results in a beautiful lifting of the top end.
To shape the reduction with more precision, you have a few options. The first is to engage the multiband crossover that splits the threshold into four bands, allowing you to make broad strokes to affect certain areas of the spectrum. Alternatively, eight flexible nodes can be set to low shelf, high shelf or bell shapes. These nodes let you target specific frequency regions – ideal for when you want to hone in on more obvious and prominent resonances in your source audio. Although Curves Equator is arguably a little late to the table when it comes to this type of plugin, it feels like Waves has learnt from the competition with its intuitive and fluid presentation of controls.
Learn mode on Curves Equator. Image: MusicTech
Most unique is the Learn function, which listens to a short portion of audio and then creates a personalised suppression curve based on the average spectral spread. This could be used on a vocal to keep it more consistent and sit comfortably in the mix, or on the mix bus to make sure that certain sections of a track don’t poke out too much. You could also learn a reference vocal or track, and then have Curves Equator pull your audio towards it. In theory, you could do something similar using Sonible’s smart:EQ 4, but for that, you would have to load in an audio file rather than just learn directly from your arrangement. Of course, there’s an argument that if you smooth out all the edges when mixing then you’ll end up with something that sounds a little bland; you need to use these kinds of tools with a degree of caution.
Another feature of Curves Equator is the ability to use a sidechain signal to trigger the ducking, which can help when carving out space for a vocal or prominent instrument. With the sidechain (SC) button switched on, you engage a Rider button that causes the amount of reduction to be dynamically triggered by the sidechain audio level. If you then use the SC Learn function, the plugin will listen and come up with an average shape for the sidechain frequency spread, and only this weighting will be used to engage the ducking. I find this works well on static elements like a kick and bass, or with instruments that tend to stay in the same frequency range. However, it doesn’t respond to differences in frequency over time like Wavesfactory’s Trackspacer, Mastering the Mix’s Fuser, or indeed Soothe2. Those plugins react to the incoming frequencies in real-time and will only duck what’s coming into the sidechain input, rather than using a flat shape. With this in mind, I can get more successful results using alternative tools to make space for melodic tracks with movement, such as a vocal that varies in pitch from verse to chorus.
Editing on Curves Equator. Image: MusicTech
To wrap things up, there’s a decent selection of artist presets covering a lot of bases, and a useful Delta button to let you hear exactly what audio is being reduced. A clutch of advanced controls can additionally be revealed at the bottom of the plugin window. These include Attack and Release, Sensitivity and Precision dials that control how sharp the cuts are, tilt the centre frequency, smooth the learnt curve, plus a Balance amount where you can choose from stereo or mid/sides operation.
Processing power and latency are less than Soothe2, but unfortunately, there are no options for oversampling. Ideally, I’d like to have a latency-free (and glitch-free) bypass button, but this isn’t a dealbreaker.
At the full price of $79, Curves Equator is around half the price of Soothe2, but there may be further costs down the line via the Waves Update Plan. When you purchase the plugin you get a year of WUP, which includes free updates and a second license, but when the year runs out, so does the extra license, meaning you can only use it on one machine. If you then upgrade your computer or operating system to one that’s not supported by your older plugin, you may need to pay for another year of WUP (which works out to around $12 per Waves plugin owned). These costs quickly add up, so it’s worth factoring them into buying decisions.
Advanced controls on Curves Equator. Image: MusicTech
When it comes to gentle balancing of individual tracks or a whole mix, Curves Equator does a great job. Its linear phase filters give transparent-sounding results, and when you listen to the delta signal, it actually sounds cleaner than Soothe2, which has subtle, watery artefacts.
Tested on a range of material, I can quickly dial in improvements that benefit individual tracks, or a whole mix when used more sparingly. When it comes to very fine-tuned resonance suppression, I would probably still reach for Soothe2 as it can be more precise– as mentioned, there are better plugins for reducing mix clashes. But for general mix duties, Curves Equator is a superb choice.

Key features

Resonance suppression and mix balancing plugin (VST2, VST3, AU, AAX, Audiosuite)
Removes problematic frequencies, fixes resonances and balances inconsistencies
Linear phase filters provide transparent sound
Shape and tilt the target curve
4 bands and 8 adjustable nodes for additional control
Learn feature provides personalised suppression curve
Learn via sidechain allows tailored frequency unmasking
Rider feature allows attenuation only when audio from the SC comes in
Dynamic auto-makeup gain matches input loudness
Advanced controls help refine the attenuation
Resizable user interface

The post Is Waves Curves Equator really the “Soothe2 killer”? appeared first on MusicTech.

Austrian Audio’s PolarDesigner3 public beta Beta testing for the latest version of PolarDesigner is now open to all users, and those who participate and provide feedback will be entered into a competition to win an OC818. 

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman admits that AI’s benefits may not be widely distributedIn a new essay on his personal blog, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company is open to a “compute budget,” among other “strange-sounding” ideas, to “enable everyone on Earth to use a lot of AI” and ensure the benefits of the technology are widely distributed. “The historical impact of technological progress suggests that most […]
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