Sequoia faces Congressional scrutiny over investments in ChinaOne of Silicon Valley’s most prominent investment firms will face government scrutiny over its investments in China. Sequoia Capital has received a polite but pointed request from Congress to enter into more detail on how it will prevent further U.S. investment dollars from advancing Chinese interests. Sequoia announced in June that it would be splitting […]
© 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

OpenAI partners with G42 in Dubai eyeing Middle East expansionThe two companies said they plan to use OpenAI’s models in industries in which G42 has connections and experience, such as energy, finance, healthcare and public services.

Producer Crosstalk: Noah Sierota of EchosmithNoah Sierota, bassist with the Chino, California sibling trio Echosmith, has dabbled in production ever since the band’s 2013 debut Talking Dreams. In fact, he was exposed to engineering from a young age through his father Jeffery David, who collaborates with the group and is also a musician. For Echosmith, the 2023 third Echosmith record, the siblings chose Noah to guide it. “Cool Kids” from Talking Dreams has earned more than 145 million YouTube listens and in total the band has amassed more than one billion streams.

“I always knew what I wanted this record to be,” Sierota says of producing Echosmith. “I’ve come to the point that I know the steps to get us there. I spent a lot of time figuring out how I wanted to tell our story through music. It’s been a joy to map out that journey. I approach my production as an artist first because I am an artist. I did bring in other writers, musicians and our [former band member] brother Jamie, who helped to co-produce. My sister Sydney’s input was also crucial. She’s not just the singer. She’s a huge part of what we do.”

 Echosmith was recorded largely in Sierota’s home studio, which he’s assembled over the past several years. But parts––drums in particular––were locked in at Lucy’s Meat Market in Eagle Rock. Indeed, studio owner Pete Min was also recruited to engineer parts of the record. “He’s smart and creative,” the artist observes. “We then brought in friends and even non-musicians to show them what we’d done and to get their feedback. I love seeing where those conversations lead.”

Organically or intentionally, bands will nearly always evolve. Certainly that’s happened with Echosmith, which Sierota ascribes to each song being like its own story or journal entry. “The storytelling on this record is more raw and honest,” he notes. “It feels more personal than before. Every song is related to a story or experience. Sonically it’s really different because we’ve grown as musicians and gave ourselves permission to do a lot more. I’m a big fan of capturing audio in high quality and then running it through something like a crappy foot pedal. You know: getting it perfectly and then humbling it.”

Many creatives struggle with completing projects not because they don’t have ideas but because when there’s no firm deadline, opportunities for change will always be found. Sierota isn’t immune to such challenges. “I don’t believe that a song can ever be finished,” he observes. “There’s always more that I could do. I’ll hear some of our old stuff and think ‘I wish I’d done something more.’ But there’s value in letting something be what it is. Outside input is helpful as is a timeframe. We announced that this record was coming out before it was finished. Ultimately, there’s no such thing as perfect but when our foster kids sing along or dance to a song, we know it’s ready.”

Among his favorite studio gear is the Blue Bottle condenser tube mic, Hazelrig compressors and Chase Bliss' CXM 1978 reverb effects pedal. “That thing is not just a guitar pedal,” he asserts. “I used it all over the record and it was a ton of fun. The sonic quality is incredible. Being able to use faders instead of knobs changes how you’re moving things. It feels organic. Every producer should have one.”

The three most important lessons he’s learned as a producer are:

Give yourself space for contentment.  

It’s okay to learn to do things in the way that you want to do them.

Find a balance between needing and appreciating outside input but not being directed by it. The song is what should direct the production.

Echosmith dropped July. A tour planned for the fall kicked off in Europe, with U.S. dates to follow in the New Year. Sierota aims to produce not only future Echosmith records but other bands as well. “When I move, I plan to build a full-on studio where I’ll bring in outside artists,” he says. “I want to be able to support them in the same way that I support my own band.”

Contact echosmith.com; all socials = @echosmith; music - stem.ffm.to/echosmith; Carla Senft and Amanda Curtis - Press Here PR, carla@pressherepublicity.com, amanda@pressherepublicity.com

AI company Anthropic recently secured up to $4bn in investment from Amazon. Now it’s being sued for copyright infringement by Universal Music Group.The lawsuit claims that 'Anthropic profits richly from its infringement of Publishers’ repertoires and other copyright owners’ works'
Source

Bitwig Studio 5.1 beta now available The latest version of Bitwig Studio introduces ten new modules and a pair of new FX containers, as well as implementing a variety of improvements to the software’s mixer and audio editing functionality.

BMG expects to spend another $400m on catalog acquisitions this year – and just made its largest ever recorded music acquisition in FranceBMG has acquired the recorded music catalog of superstar French DJ and electronic music artist Martin Solveig
Source

Tape It Denoiser Is A FREE AI-Powered Noise Reduction Tool
Tape It releases Denoiser, a freeware AI-powered studio-quality noise reduction tool. Tape It is a German company founded by Thomas Walther in 2020. Although based in Berlin, Thomas leads a small remote team with members in London, LA, and Stockholm. Denoiser is an AI-powered noise reduction service promising studio-quality results for free. Tape It’s Denoiser [...]
View post: Tape It Denoiser Is A FREE AI-Powered Noise Reduction Tool

The latest version of Reaper is now available with new features and bug fixesUS-based digital audio brand Cockos has announced the newest update to its Reaper DAW, including a range of new features and fixes.
Reaper 7.001 landed just earlier this week (16 October), and a huge changelog has been made available online listing all of the adjustments made to the software.

READ MORE: Universal launches claims-free music and sound effects subscription service for content creators

As also summed up by Sound On Sound, Reaper 7 most notably now has a Track Lanes feature, which allows users to manage and organise alternative versions or takes of their in-progress piece. Using a new Swipe Comping tool, you can also quickly create composite takes by selecting parts from multiple versions of your track, and you can also run A/B comparisons with just one click.
Reaper users can also store and recall self-contained FX chains, even with complex routing configurations, and apply parallel routing to multiple plugins and FX Containers. Track channel and MIDI In/Out counts have been increased, with tracks now supporting up to 128 channels.
MIDI routing is able to handle up to 128 buses, and there are no restrictions on the number of tracks, send/receive paths, FX and ReScripts you can use. Other key features include:

V6 option for overlapping recording to create new media items is replaced by option to add lanes, but playback behaviour is identical to V6
Supports adding lanes by dragging media to a hashed ‘parking area’, automatically removing empty lanes
Supports naming individual lanes, resizing lane name area
Supports reordering fixed lanes by dragging lane buttons up/down
Displays media item volume knob, FX button, mute button by default
Enables preference to record media, copy imported media to project media directory by default
MIDI editor defaults to one editor per project

The update is free to those with a licence. View the full list of changes and find out more via Reaper.
The post The latest version of Reaper is now available with new features and bug fixes appeared first on MusicTech.

Illa J calls out artists looking to profit from his brother’s nameArtist and producer John Yancey, also known as Illa J, has called out “gross” artists in the music industry looking to profit from his brother’s name.
According to Illa J, people in the industry have been “using” him to get their name closer to his brother, J Dilla, who sadly passed away back in 2006.
Illa J shared the message in a video on his Instagram page, where he has been supported in the comments by users who have also shared their opinion that the music industry is “shady,” with others assuring him that he “deserves better.”
“I’ve been in this industry for almost 20 years now, and it’s just gross how people, not only do they use my brother, but they’re so gross that they literally use me to get to my brother,” he begins in the Instagram Reel.
“And they do it in such a gross way that it just makes me disappointed in this industry and in all these people that y’all think they love my brother so much, they just out here to make their name look closer to my brother but they really don’t give a fuck about him.
“You know what I mean? It’s kind of annoying and I’m sick of it. I’m sick of these fake-ass motherfuckers trying to act like they love my brother but they really don’t. They just care about their fucking pockets. All you motherfuckers [are] gross,” he concludes.
Illa J released his latest album, titled No Traffic, back in September which he performed, wrote and produced himself. A documentary about J Dilla was created by The New York Times and released on Hulu back in April this year. It was created with the knowledge and support from his family.

You can keep up to date with his latest announcements via the official Illa J website.
The post Illa J calls out artists looking to profit from his brother’s name appeared first on MusicTech.

Every member of Bandcamp United Union bargaining team was laid offAs news hit that about 60 of Bandcamp’s 118 employees had been laid off, one group was particularly affected – members of the Bandcamp United Union. All of the union’s. Continue reading
The post Every member of Bandcamp United Union bargaining team was laid off appeared first on Hypebot.

Amazon AMP, Spotify Live failed. Will radio rediscover its roots? [MIDiA]As Amazon Amp, Spotify Live, and several other live audio platforms shut down, it became apparent that live audio is not an easy medium to conquer. Could radio finally rediscover. Continue reading
The post Amazon AMP, Spotify Live failed. Will radio rediscover its roots? [MIDiA] appeared first on Hypebot.

Audio Modeling SWAM String Sections SWAM String Sections An innovative suite of four plug-ins, corresponding to the orchestra sections Violins, Violas, Cellos, and Double Basses. Emulate orchestras of all sizes... Read More

Outobugi Dynastia Multiband compressor. Another OTT clone, but with few more features: Mid/side compression. Zero latency. Distortion (2x oversampling). Stereo width. Read More

A Complete Glossary of Music Marketing TermsWhether you’re a independent musician, publicist, or just a curious fan, these music marketing terms are good to have under your belt so you can better understand the inner workings. Continue reading
The post A Complete Glossary of Music Marketing Terms appeared first on Hypebot.

UMG and BandLab team up for “first of its kind” ethical AI collaborationUniversal Music Group and BandLab Technologies have partnered together to promote “responsible AI practices” for all UMG-signed artists and BandLab native creators.
This initiative, which has been newly announced today (18 October), will ensure that AI tech serves the creator community effectively and ethically.

READ MORE: Spotify launches personalised Merch Hub based on listening habits

BandLab is the “world’s first” music creation platform to pledge support for the Human Artistry Campaign (HAC) – a global coalition devoted to ensuring AI technologies are developed and used in ways that champion human creativity. The alliance will advance a shared commitment to the ethical use of AI and the protection of artist rights.
Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group says of the partnership, “We welcome BandLab’s commitment to an ethical approach to AI through their accessible technology, tools and platform. We are excited to add BandLab Technologies to a growing list of UMG partners whose responsible and innovative AI will benefit the creative community.”
Michael Nash, EVP and Chief Digital Officer at UMG adds, “Meng Kuok and his team at BandLab Technologies, as well as the Caldecott Music Group network, have achieved impressive scale at the dynamic intersection of social music and creator technology innovation.
“At UMG, we constantly seek to empower and support both established and emerging artists. Given BandLab’s passion for music and their dedication to nurturing early-stage artistry at the nexus of ecosystem transformation, they are an excellent partner that is compelling for us on multiple fronts.”
Meng Ru Kuok, CEO and Founder of Caldecott Music Group and CEO of BandLab Technologies also says of the partnership, “BandLab Technologies and our wider Caldecott Music Group network is steadfast in its respect for artists’ rights and the infinite potential of AI in music creation and we believe our millions of users around the world share in this commitment and excitement.
“Though new technologies offer unbelievable possibilities to break down more barriers for creators, it’s essential that artists’ and songwriters’ rights be fully respected and protected to give these future generations a chance of success. As demonstrated by BandLab embracing the Human Artistry Campaign principles and this collaboration with UMG, we are committed to getting it right. Through our joint efforts, we anticipate a future of music that is innovative, rewarding, and endlessly inspiring.”
Find out more about Universal Music Group and BandLab Technologies.
The post UMG and BandLab team up for “first of its kind” ethical AI collaboration appeared first on MusicTech.