Here’s exactly how Spotify’s new 1,000 annual streams royalty policy works…Spotify is introducing a significant update to the way it calculates recorded royalties next year
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Arturia update MiniFreak firmware MiniFreak's first oscillator now benefits from 32 wavetable choices, whilst a new effect and enhanced modulation options extend its sonic capabilities even further. 

SampleScience’s free plugin is its most abstract yet – a VHS noise generator to add “lo-fi character” to any audio sourceVirtual instrument and sample library producer, SampleScience, has launched a new free plugin – the VHS Noise Generator. The tool features 26 distinct VHS background noises, each one created using an antiquated VCR and a different tape.

READ MORE: Best freeware instruments in 2023: Nine of the best free drum machines

VHS Noise Generator captures the nostalgic crackle of old VHS tapes, to give your tracks some serious home-made, throwback touches. The plugin has been designed to add “lo-fi character and warmth” to any audio source, including synths, drums, vocals and guitars.
Onboard within the plugin are four effects: distortion, delay, chorus, and reverb as well as amplitude ADSR, multi-LFO, and highpass/lowpass filter. There are also three voice modes to utilise – polyphonic, monophonic, and legato.
Check out the demo below for a clearer idea on how it works:

A range of audio brands have been getting crafty with nostalgic and quirky soundscapes in recent months. Earlier this December, XLN Audio launched its Life plugin which allows users to capture sounds heard in their everyday life – from a dripping tap to an amp crackle – to then use as beats.
With the compatible field recorder app from XLN Audio, Life users can capture sounds and have them automatically appear in the plugin ready to implement into music.
Similarly, Love Hultén and Chase Bliss recently collaborated on a custom, not-for-sale synth which integrates the new Chase Bliss Lossy pedal. The pedal – which is available to the public for purchase – emulates the quirky sounds that occur during audio degradation. It channels the Y2K, nostalgic weirdness of sounds that have been shrunk, transferred, and compromised.
The VHS Noise Generator plugin is compatible with all major DAWs (except Pro Tools), and is available for Windows and macOS in 64-bit VST/VST3/AU formats for free. Find out more or download now at SampleScience.
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2023 Pollstar Top Tours up 46%, but other Artists & Venues struggleRevenue from the Top 100 grossing Tours jumped 46% in 2023 to reach a record high of $9.17 billion, according to an analysis by live event industry trade Pollstar. Taylor. Continue reading
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Algoriddim launches major free update for djay app with improved stem separation from AudioShakeAlgoriddim has launched a major update for its djay music app – djay Pro 5 – offering improved source separation technology with a little help with AI from AudioShake.
The update is free for existing djay users across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. It also includes new Crossfader Fusion technology, for seamless track morphing, and Fluid Beatgrid, a beat and tempo matching engine.

READ MORE: Best DJ Gear 2023: 10 best DJ software for mixing and playlisting in 2023

Algoriddim originally introduced its Neural Mix tech in 2020, which allowed DJs to isolate individual instruments and vocals of any song in real time. Newly updated within djay Pro 5, Algoriddim and AudioShake’s developments mean Neural Mix will now deliver clearer vocals, “perfectly” separated instruments, and snappy drums with improved performance, allowing it to even run on mobile devices.
Its Crossfader Fusion now provides a collection of transition presets with “smart behaviours” and “finely-tuned” automation curves. The brand says it adds an extra layer of control, enabling smooth blending or dramatic changes in sound.
Additionally, Algoriddim’s new Fluid Beatgrid can instantly analyse and predict the structure of any song. It follows every tempo fluctuation and interruption in the beat, and automatically adjusts to varying tempo and rhythmic changes.

Further to these features, djay Pro 5 brings a UI refresh and the introduction of a brand new Starter Mode for new users, offering a streamlined layout without sacrificing its performance tools. According to a press release, the latest features in djay Pro were developed in collaboration with top-tier artists such as World DJ Champion and turntablist, DJ Angelo.
“We’re excited to introduce djay Pro 5, a significant update that marks a new chapter in the evolution of music mixing,” says Karim Morsy, CEO of Algoriddim. “Collaborating with AudioShake has been an absolute pleasure. Combining our unique expertise enabled us to develop exclusive new DJ technologies and elevate Neural Mix to an unprecedented level of quality and performance. The transformation of the crossfader, coupled with cutting-edge beat detection, create a DJing experience like never before.”
Jessica Powell, CEO of AudioShake, adds: “Fitting large AI models onto devices, in real-time, and without a loss in quality, is a big technical challenge – one made particularly difficult with audio, where the sound needs to be separated in high resolution. We’re thrilled to partner with Algoriddim to bring our industry-leading stem separation technology to the rich functionality of the djay platform.”
The standard version of djay is available for free via the App Store. The optional pro subscription is available for £6.99 per month, or £48.99 per year. Find out more at Algoriddim.
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Building new paths for your creativity: Looking back on 2023
The world of music will continue to expand and morph at the speed of human thought—we’re listening, and we’re working hard to keep pace with your creativity.

Fans divided over ticket prices for SAULT’s debut live showSAULT are playing their debut live show on Thursday (14 December), but the cost of a ticket has sparked fierce debate across the internet.
The cryptic music collective has never appeared in public before but had been teasing a live appearance for some time, even as far back as last year when they asked on Instagram: “If we were to do a live show…which songs would you want to hear?”

READ MORE: Female DJs found to gig nearly twice as often as males

The collective is thought to be made up of singers Kid Sister and Cleo Sol alongside Sol’s husband, the producer Inflo, who has worked extensively with Little Simz and Michael Kiwanuka and has also produced songs for Adele.
They confirmed a live show would indeed be happening at the weekend and tickets went on sale for the show at London’s 15,000-capacity Drumsheds earlier today (11th December). SAULT have also said they will be playing a new unreleased album live for the first and only time.
Controversially, however, tickets were priced at £99 each and many fans deemed this to be excessive, especially since SAULT have given much of their music away for free in the past. “SAULT really thought that I would be dropping 99 British queen faces for this gig… not in this Cozzie-Livs [cost-of-living crisis]!” one X/Twitter user wrote.
Another said: “One hundred Great British pounds to stand at Drumsheds? SAULT, I think it’s time to reread the bible!”

Sault really thought that EYE would be dropping 99 British queen faces for this gig… not in this cozzy-livs beloveds! pic.twitter.com/x4z7yo5RKS
— I (@ike_m_) December 11, 2023

one hundred great British pounds to stand at drumshed?? @ sault I think it’s time to reread the bible!!!
— doz (@_dxrxthy_) December 11, 2023

SAULT have taken the absolute PISS out of us with those ticket prices.
— Nathaniel A. Cole (@nathanielacole) December 11, 2023

Sault have lost their damn silhouetted minds. £100 for tickets dropping 3 days before a concert. IS IT CRACK?
— Duaine Carma Roberts (@CarmaChords) December 11, 2023

Other fans, however, have defended the collective. “You’ve basically been allowed to listen to their music for free for the past 5 years, them people need to eat,” one fan pointed out.
“Indie artists with unconventional marketing methods who end up being successful without playing the game will need you to cough up an outrageous amount eventually. artistic integrity isn’t free or cheap.”
Another added: “I can understand the upset with the price? They don’t tour. They have a lot of people to account for, it’s a large collective, it’s not just the vocalists. To even produce a show with-most likely, an orchestra as an indie act isn’t cheap.”
A third person said in agreement: “This whole SAULT dialogue… I see both sides. But ultimately as a musician, I think charge what you believe you’re worth and people will pay. This live performance is a new album played through, probs with a bunch of very dope musicians and singers.
“People talking about ‘inaccessible pricing’ have no clue about surviving as a musician lol and how much you get paid from streaming, literally [have] no clue at all.”

sault charging that amount for live show is crazy but i’m used to artists like mach hommy and roc marci asking for bags for just a vinyl. it is what it is.
you’ve basically been allowed to listen to their music for free for the past 5 years, them people need to eat.
— ellis lamai (@sum1saiditinnit) December 11, 2023

About the SAULT tickets, though I can understand the upset with the price? They don’t tour. They have a LOT of people to account for, it’s a large collective, it’s not just the vocalists. To even produce a show with-most likely, an orchestra as an indie act isn’t cheap.
— Chan (@sinaead) December 11, 2023

This whole SAULT dialogue…I see both sides. But ultimately as a musician, I think charge what you believe you're worth and people will pay. This live performance is a new album played through, probs with a bunch of very dope musicians and singers.
— Akil Henry Music (@akilhenrymusic) December 11, 2023

Another Instagram post suggested that SAULT are planning several more shows for the near future too. According to the post, they will play their album 5 in New York, Nine in London, Black in Los Angeles, Untitled (Rise) in Canada, 11 in Germany, Air in Paris and Earth in Africa.
The post Fans divided over ticket prices for SAULT’s debut live show appeared first on MusicTech.

Top TikTok Songs of 2023 show shifts in music trendsTikTok is its own not-so-little world when it comes to music trends, and those trends can teach us a lot about how music listeners are changing. by Bobby Owsinski of. Continue reading
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All the major Music Streaming News & Updates from 2023 in one place…2023 has proven to be a landmark year for music streaming services, with the royalty pay-out debate noise reaching all-time levels and AI music on everyone’s worry list. But so. Continue reading
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Female DJs found to gig nearly twice as often as malesMusic tech company A2D2 has found that female DJs have been found to play twice as many gigs as their male peers on average.
Using DJ Mag’s list of the UK’s top 100 DJs and data from Resident Advisor, A2D2 identified the hardest-working DJs in the industry today. Despite there only being 11 female DJs in DJ Mag‘s list, however, the company’s research revealed some intriguing findings into how much more they are gigging compared to men.

READ MORE: Setting a goal “could be a limitation” in music creation, Rick Rubin says

The 11 aforementioned female DJs account for 40% of the top 10 hardest-working DJs, while on average, female DJs were found to be playing twice as many gigs as their male counterparts. The average male DJ played 13 gigs in 2023, while the average female played 23, shedding light on the determination these DJs have to succeed in a historically male-dominated industry, or proving true the idea these DJs have to work twice as hard for the same recognition as their male peers.
Ultimately, however, the hardest working DJ was found to be a man. German DJ Claptone leads the pack having worked a total of 94 gigs in 2023, the equivalent of roughly one gig every 4 days.
The research also found that house and techno are the UK’s dominant genres in the EDM landscape, with over a third of DJs in the list specialising in these styles  including a significant number of the most active DJs, such as Carl Cox and Charlotte de Witte.
It also highlighted the growth in popularity of German and Belgian DJs . However, Dutch DJs have continued to maintain their continual dominance over the scene, making up 25% representation in the top 100. German, Belgian and UK DJs, meanwhile, collectively accounted for another 24%.
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A Sound Effect Offers FREE Cinematic SFX By Vadi Sound
A Sound Effect offers the Cinematic SFX sample library by Vadi Sound for free this month. Vadi Sound, the creator of over 60 diverse libraries, including Cinematic Braams, Didgeridoo, and Space Anime, teamed up with A Sound Effect to deliver an early Christmas gift this year. The prolific sound designer offers the bestselling Cinematic SFX [...]
View post: A Sound Effect Offers FREE Cinematic SFX By Vadi Sound

Setting a goal “could be a limitation” in music creation, Rick Rubin saysRick Rubin has discussed the value of not setting goals when it comes to creative pursuits in music, saying they can act as “limitations”.

READ MORE: “We couldn’t figure out what to do with it”: Meduza nearly scrapped hit track Piece Of Your Heart

The topic was brought up during a recent episode of NPR’s All Things Considered show. On it, the Grammy-winning producer, Def Jam Recordings co-founder and well-respected creativity guru talks about working with Johnny Cash, spirituality and his role in music.
Show host Rachel Martin reveals she’d recently tried – and failed – to learn the piano to create music similar to Ludovico Einaudi’s soundtrack for the 2021 film, Nomadland. She asks if there’s still “creative value” in “setting an artistic goal and not meeting it”.

“I tend not to set goals,” Rubin responds. “I feel like a goal could be a limitation. Like, I can remember a big successful artist, a singer in a band saying to me, “I’m excited about our next album. We haven’t started writing any songs yet, but we want it to be this kind of sci-fi punk rock thing.” And I was like, OK, I’m listening. And then I said, “What happens if the best songs you write turn out to be more like Neil Young’s Harvest?” And he’s like, “Oh, that’d be great.”
“So then it’s like, having the goal — that’s not going to help you get there. It’s more like, “start finger painting and see what happens”.
“Did anything come from your piano experience? Did you feel more connected to the piano? Did you feel like you liked hearing yourself playing the notes? Was it a nice meditation being at the piano?”
“Yes,” Martin replies.
“Can you go back to playing the piano for five minutes a day, 10 minutes a day, whatever – you pick the window without having this goal, but just, ‘I’m gonna have fun?’ That might be a really nice gift to yourself.”
This is not the first time Rubin has imparted his wisdom in a podcast. Speaking on his own show, Tetragrammatron, in October, he discussed with producer Kenny Beats’ his background at Berklee College of Music, saying, “There’s a real difference between being a technically great player and creating music – those are two different things”.
Although not particularly a musician, Rubin has in the past pointed out that he acts as more of a listener when working with artists, creating inspiring environments that allow for artists to “go fucking mental” in the studio, as Kesha once said. In January, he bravely admitted on the CBS show 60 Minutes, that he has “no technical ability” and that he “knows nothing about music”.
Read more Rick Rubin stories via MusicTech.
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ModeAudio Smoke Signal: Live Trip Hop Drums Smoke Signal - Live Trip Hop Drums from ModeAudio contains all the quiet fury and thick, hazy atmosphere of vintage 90s Trip Hop, hitting hard and grooving heavy across its selection of... Read More

DOCtron announce IMC-500 processing module DOCtron's live-focused EQ, dynamics and saturation processor is now available in a more studio-friendly form factor. 

YouTube’s Dream Track could be the tipping point for AI-generated musicFor some time now, AI music generation has been the industry’s Waiting for Godot; fast approaching but never really seeming to arrive. With the release of Lyria and YouTube Dream Track, the suspense might finally be over.
Created jointly by Google DeepMind and YouTube, the two companies – which are both owned by parent company Alphabet – call it their “most advanced AI music generation model to date.” Lyria boasts the ability to create vocals and instrumental textures; write lyrics; transform the timbre and tone of one sound into another; and offer nuanced controls over performance and style.
Sure, the audio quality is grainy enough for a breakfast bowl, but Lyria brings several futuristic generative processes under one roof and slaps a user-friendly interface on top. There’s no denying it’s an important step toward consumer-ready AI music creation.

Those creative tools might have some eager producers intrigued, but it’s the announcement of Dream Track that may ultimately prove to be the big story here.
Dream Track, which is currently only available to a closed group of creators, takes the generative power of Lyria and integrates it into YouTube Shorts – the company’s answer to TikTok. Previously, creators looking to add some music to their videos could choose from a vast library of licensed music but Dream Track is capable of generating an entirely new song using just a few written prompts. You can even pick your own singer, with vocal models from artists including Charlie XCX, John Legend, and T-Pain on offer.
It’s a match made in heaven: 30-60 second clips are not only perfect for the 21st-century attention span; they’re perfect for AI music. Generating short musical clips is what these generative models currently excel at, while creating longer stretches of music still represents a significant technical challenge. Moreover, Lyria’s undeniably lo-fi sound may not hold up on an album release, but YouTube’s betting that consumers might be willing to accept it on a short viral clip played over phone speakers.
With the weight of the world’s largest tech companies behind it, YouTube Dream Track could well be the first use-case for AI-generated music that reaches critical mass. If it does, then the implications for artists are significant, and not necessarily positive.

Getting your song attached to a viral video has become a major part of a modern music career. YouTube’s head of music, Lyor Cohen, recently emphasised its importance to the music industry in a company blog post where he wrote: “Shorts are NEARLY DOUBLING an artist’s total reach, so artists can spend more time doing what they do best: making great music.
“Shorts are the appetizer to the entrée,” he continued. “They are the entry point, leading fans to discover the depth of an artist’s catalogue.”
YouTube Shorts aren’t just a way to get discovered, they’re a way to get paid. As of 1 February 2023, the company introduced revenue sharing on these videos, meaning that if an artist’s music is used in a Short, then they can expect to earn income from any viral success. It’s hard to know exactly how much in royalty payments are generated directly from YouTube Shorts, but the company states that if music is used then half of any revenue generated by a video is allocated to music licensing costs. Some estimates put the income from 1m daily views at $1,157.74 per month, theoretically netting music rights holders $578.87, though few credible sources can confirm this at the time of writing.
Keep in mind that YouTube is the fifth biggest music streaming provider by subscriber market share. Once you factor in the amount of music that is streamed on YouTube by non-subscribers, then the platform is easily one of the biggest on the planet. According to reporting from Rolling Stone and research firm, MIDiA, YouTube has the potential to eventually overtake Spotify as the single biggest funder of the music industry. Last year they paid out $6bn in royalties.
And, just like that, the elephant lumbers into the room. Because there is more to Dream Track than simply finding a good use case for AI music. If implemented at scale, generating music could very well become a significant money saver for YouTube, cutting down the amount of royalties they have to pay out to living, breathing artists.

The copyright of a song’s lyrics and music are one of the primary means through which songwriters earn a living. With Dream Track, these two revenue generators are functionally eliminated.
That isn’t to say the music industry is getting the short end of the stick here. Lyria was almost certainly trained on music owned by the world’s largest record label: Universal Music Group. In August of this year, YouTube announced it was working with UMG to leverage the label’s “roster of talent” for an AI Music Incubator program. It would seem that Lyria is the fruit of that joint effort.
So, when Dream Track pulls from UMG’s vast library of music to generate a new song, we can be sure that the label is getting some sort of compensation and that some slice of that money will eventually trickle down to the artists whose music was used to train the model. Maybe.
However, the only individual musicians directly benefiting from this generative process will be the artists who’ve had their voice modelled. They, depending on the deal struck by UMG, should stand to get some type of royalty payment when their voice is used to generate a song.
Can artists get discovered, build a fan base, and go viral primarily through the ubiquity of their vocal model? Perhaps, but right now, and for a long time to come, the vocal models available on YouTube Dream Track will be drawn from a small, exclusive club of label-backed artists – certainly not from young, emerging singers.
All of this might seem a little alarming. But it’s early days – Dream Track is not yet publicly available, and perhaps users will ultimately prefer to use a song they know rather than generating a hazy one-off.
However, Google DeepMind and YouTube are almost uniquely positioned to move the needle here: both companies are owned by a parent mega-corporation, Alphabet, and this allows the left hand to ‘strategically partner’ with the right hand to maximum benefit. Google DeepMind brings a formidable, and very well-established, AI research program to the table, while YouTube has deep connections to the music, TV, and creator industries. It’s likely how they were able to quickly negotiate and implement all this with Universal Music Group.
Even taken individually, these companies operate at a scale so gigantic that their experiments can reshape large chunks of the creative economy. Working together, they’ve managed to produce Lyria within a timespan of months, not years. I’d say the time to begin worrying was yesterday.
 
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