Breaking: Shanghai upgrade executed on testnet but not without issuesEthereum validators are now one step away from being able to unstake their Ether from the Beacon Chain

Tesla has a home battery to sell you, with or without solarTesla is opening up Powerwall home battery sales, nearly two years after limiting them because its supply was “too low.”
Tesla announced its backup battery tech long ago, in 2015, explicitly intending for the product to work in tandem with solar panels. Yet up until 2021, the automaker also allowed folks to buy the big batteries separately. Eventually, Elon Musk clarified that supply issues were to blame for the restrictions, but the executive teased in 2022 that “ordering a Powerwall by itself should be possible” by the end of the year.
Some months apparently behind schedule, this is now happening — with caveats.
Tesla said this week that it is now selling Powerwalls separately “in select US markets.” The company hasn’t put out an official list of these markets, as far as we can tell, but its website offers a way for prospective shoppers to see if their address has been whitelisted.
For example: I typed in my Los Angeles address, and Tesla’s site responded: “We’re assessing where to service next. Reserve your Powerwall to help us expand into your area.” However, the device does seem to be available separately in other areas, such as Austin, Texas.
Tesla’s focus on Texas is no coincidence. The company relocated to Austin in 2021. A year later, Tesla launched its invite-only electric plan in parts of Texas where retail choice is available, including Houston and Dallas. As we wrote in December, the plan is called Tesla Electric and it’s exclusively available to Powerwall havers. Tesla recently told investors that it intends to expand its electric plan to other markets, but the company was vague about it, like always. With that in mind, it’s plausible that Tesla is doing this as part of its plan to grow Tesla Electric.
You might be wondering, “Why would someone want a Powerwall sans solar? The stand-alone device could be appealing to folks who aren’t in an ideal spot for sun, or for those who don’t want to pay for solar and a home battery all at once. As we observed at CES 2023, lots of companies seem to believe that demand for backup batteries and generators is on the rise — and surely extreme weather events linked to climate change could be driving interest.
Tesla has a home battery to sell you, with or without solar by Harri Weber originally published on TechCrunch

Fanan Team 999gen2 The next generation of our 999 rhythmic MIDI arpeggiator, with improved "ply" and "speed" features. 999gen2 VSTi creates no sound but triggers other VSTis that opened in the... Read More

Metallica Acquires Majority Interest in Furnace Record PressingMetallica and Furnace Record Pressing ("Furnace”) today announced that Metallica has acquired the majority interest in Furnace, a leading provider of high-quality vinyl records and related services. The acquisition formalizes a long-standing relationship between the band and Furnace that has produced more than five million pieces of Metallica vinyl since 2014.

Having worked together on such landmark projects as the highly acclaimed definitive deluxe box set editions of Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All, Ride The Lightning, Master Of Puppets, …And Justice For All, Metallica (a/k/a The Black Album) and S&M2, Metallica and Furnace have long enjoyed a prolific and productive relationship — one rooted in a shared fiercely independent ethos and passionate dedication to quality. This partnership between Metallica and Furnace represents yet another example of the band’s unflagging commitment to artistic control of all aspects of its career, as well as its devotion to its fans: The capacity to meet the massive demand for Metallica vinyl via trusted partner and industry leader Furnace will enable the band and its Blackened Recordings label to better serve the needs of any and all vinyl lovers in the Metallica family—as well as those of the various artists and record labels who will continue to utilize Furnace’s services.

Founded by Eric Astor in 1996, Furnace is known for making extremely high-quality records at its 70,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility in Alexandria, Virginia. With it’s 12 Pheenix Alpha presses and two Finebilt presses, Furnace is one of the largest record pressing companies in the U.S. Furnace offers standard and heavyweight pressings, color vinyl, special effect color vinyl, and custom vinyl etching to meet the creative needs of any music artist. Furnace also oversees other services related to the creation and packaging of records. In addition to Metallica, Furnace counts many major artists, global music companies, record labels and indie/punk acts as clients. Eric Astor (Founder and CEO), Ali Miller (COO) and Mark Reiter (VP - Operations) will continue in their respective roles leading Furnace. Each remains an equity owner of the company and each will be a member of the company’s Board of Directors.  

“Building Furnace into the dedicated and experienced family of experts that it is today has been a huge effort, but immensely gratifying” said Eric Astor, founder of Furnace. “Knowing our long-term future is secured while also being better able to take advantage of growth opportunities is really exciting for every member of the Furnace staff.” Ali Miller, Chief Operating Officer of Furnace, added, “We have found ideal partners in Metallica. They want us to continue our customer driven focus. To that end we look forward to providing even greater capacity and service to each of our customers in the future.”

“We couldn’t be more happy to take our partnership with Furnace — and Eric, Ali and Mark specifically — to the next level,” said Lars Ulrich, co-founder of Metallica. “Their indie spirit, the passion they have for their craft… culturally we’re kindred souls.” James Hetfield, co-founder of Metallica, added, “Furnace has been great to Metallica and more importantly to our fans. This deepened relationship between Metallica and Furnace ensures that fans of vinyl everywhere, particularly our Fifth Members, will have continued access to high quality records in the future."

Metallica was represented by its affiliated growth equity and content investing platform known as Black Squirrel Partners ("Black Squirrel”), with Kirkland & Ellis acting as counsel and Citrin Cooperman assisting with financial due diligence and tax advisory. Dunlap, Bennett & Ludwig acted as counsel to Furnace.

RME Fireface UFX III announced RME's latest Fireface offers a total of 94 inputs and 94 outputs, improved A-D and D-A converters, DC-coupled analogue outputs and enhanced digital clocking and jitter suppression thanks to the company's SteadyClock FS technology.

Best Online Jazz Piano Lessons in 2023Learning jazz piano can be a daunting task, but with the right guidance and resources, it can be an incredibly rewarding experience. While traditional jazz piano lessons with a private instructor can be helpful, they can also be expensive and time-consuming. Fortunately, there are now many excellent online jazz piano lesson programs available that offer the convenience and flexibility that many people need. One of the best online jazz piano lesson programs available in 2023 is MDecks.com.

MDecks.com is a comprehensive online music education platform that offers a wide range of apps, courses, books, and resources for jazz pianists of all levels. Their jazz piano books are especially noteworthy, as they cover a wide range of topics and provide clear and concise explanations of jazz theory and technique.

Also, mDecks Music uses an interactive PDF format that allows the user to watch video lessons and interact with the material all within the pdf (even the paperback versions of the books offer qr-codes to access linked material on every page of the books)

One of the standout jazz piano books from MDecks.com isEssential Voicings For Jazz Piano Vol.1 & 2

This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about 4-note rootless voicings, essential for all jazz piano players. The book is written by Ariel J. Ramos and presented by Adam Turano, both renowned jazz pianist and educator, and is designed to be accessible to students of all levels. The course offers amazing workouts to master 4-note rootless voicings in every key, and also complete jazz standards solos using 4-note rootless voicings on the left hand.

Another excellent jazz piano book from MDecks.com isAdvanced Piano Tricks Vol.1

This book covers a range of topics, including jazz theory, chord voicings, improvisation, and more. The book is designed to be a comprehensive guide for jazz pianists of all levels, from beginners to advanced players. A clear example of how good this course is, is in the following demo of Yesterday by The Beatles, which was arranged using quite a few techniques taught in this course.

For Advanced Players looking for modern jazz voicings you should check outPentatonic Voicings Course

Pentatonic voicings is an interactive piano course that aims to help students improve their comping and arranging skills by mastering essential voicings of the standard jazz vocabulary.The course offers comprehensive lessons, exercises, and backing tracks, providing a complete, step-by-step guide to pentatonic voicings. Students will learn the theory behind pentatonic voicings and how to build, practice, and add them to their repertoire. The course also includes piano arrangements and transformation studies to help students bring their pentatonic voicings to life. The course is designed to be viewed on any device and includes QR codes to access the accompanying videos with ease. Unlock the Power of Pentatonic Voicings with this amazing piano course.

In addition to these, MDecks.com also offers a wide range of courses and resources to help jazz pianists improve their skills. Some of their courses, books & apps include:

The Music Theory Journal: A comprehensive journal that covers a wide range of topics and techniques in music theory and practice. With a new volume published every two months, it offers video lessons from the mDecks Music YouTube channel, accompanied by supplementary materials to study and practice.The journal explores tonal harmony, scales and modes, jazz harmony, innovative piano tricks and techniques, chord symbol knowledge, songwriting techniques, and advanced harmony concepts. It also provides insights into reharmonization techniques and offers a wealth of resources for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of music theory and expand their musical horizons.

Bebop Lines You Should Know: This book is an essential guide for anyone who wants to master bebop improvisation. It covers everything from basic to advanced concepts like Chromatic Approaches, Enclosures, Scale Combinations, Lick Transformations, and Beat Targeting. The book also includes a collection of bebop lines from legendary artists like Bud Powell, Kenny Barron, Wynton Kelly, and Bill Evans, along with play-along backing tracks, video lessons, and a Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro XML file with progressions from the bebop lines. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced musician, this book is an indispensable tool for mastering bebop improvisation.

Upper Structures for Piano Voicings & Improvisation Vol.1&2: The Upper Structures for Piano Voicings & Improvisation course is a comprehensive guide for pianists who want to take their skills to the next level.The course includes two volumes of interactive PDFs, video lessons, and challenges, along with complete song charts of well-known jazz standards. Taught with the help of comic strips, the course covers upper structure triads, perfect and altered quartals, and chord building with colors. This course is designed for all levels of players and offers a complete practice method for voicings using Upper Structures.

Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro App: If you’re looking to master tonal harmony, Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro is the app you need! With a vast library of backing tracks, chord progressions, and exercises, our comprehensive app is designed to assist musicians of all levels in understanding and exploring the complex world of tonal harmony. Featuring an interactive chord and scale map, advanced analysis tools, and customizable practice modes, our app is the ultimate tool for musicians looking to take their skills to the next level. Download Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro today and start exploring the fascinating world of tonal harmony like never before!

The Jazz Standards Progressions Book Collection: The Jazz Standards Progressions Book Collection is a comprehensive resource for jazz enthusiasts looking to improve their skills. It includes 64 volumes and over 29,973 pages in PDF format, with chord progressions fully analyzed for over 1300 jazz standards.Unlike traditional fake-books, the collection provides chord-by-chord analysis with chord symbols, functions, chord-scales, and arrows and brackets analysis. The harmonic analysis was created by well-versed jazz musicians and includes an XML file for each jazz standard that can be imported into Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro to study each progression in-depth. The collection is available in PDF format and paperback for Concert, Eb, and Bb instruments and also includes a re-harmonized version of each volume.This is an essential resource for anyone looking to deepen their knowledge and understanding of jazz standards.

Overall, MDecks.com is one of the best online jazz piano lesson programs available in 2023. With a comprehensive range of books, courses, and resources, it is an excellent choice for anyone looking to learn or improve their jazz piano skills. And we cannot leave without mentioning their mDecks Music Youtube Channel, which is an amazing source of materials for musicians of all levels and tastes.Whether you are a beginner or an advanced player, MDecks.com can help you achieve your goals and become a better jazz pianist.

Eric Levin, long-time Warner Music Group CFO, to retire later this yearLevin, who joined WMG in 2014, will help Robert Kyncl search for his successor
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4 things to DO NOW before TikTok is banned: The Breadcrumb StrategyAs a bill advances in Congress fueled by new anti-U.S. statements from China that could ban TikTok, it’s time for every musician, label, and music marketer to contemplate life without. Continue reading
The post 4 things to DO NOW before TikTok is banned: The Breadcrumb Strategy appeared first on Hypebot.

Which new Spotify features are worth using? [Michael Brandvold & Jay Gilbert]Last week Spotify announced significant new features for artists, including Clips, countdowns, pre-serves, Marquee, Discovery Mode, Showcase, DJ, and more. Experienced music marketers Michael Brandvold and Jay Gilbert take a. Continue reading
The post Which new Spotify features are worth using? [Michael Brandvold & Jay Gilbert] appeared first on Hypebot.

SESAC Music Group acquires distribution and content delivery platform AudioSaladAudioSalad has over 16 million audio and video assets under management
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NIH-plug Is A Plugin Framework With Eight FREE Plugins (Including A Disperser Clone)
NIH-plug is a FREE plugin framework, and you can currently download eight FREE VST plugins to try it out, including a free Disperser emulation. JUCE has long dominated the audio DSP development realm. Having a readily available framework for development is a fantastic resource for those venturing into making their own plugins. Competition is always [...]
View post: NIH-plug Is A Plugin Framework With Eight FREE Plugins (Including A Disperser Clone)

Music fans have much more power than you (and they) thinkIf music fans were given ranks, Leah D. Nelson would be an expert. Here she discusses the true and ultimate power of today’s music fan. by Leah D. Nelson from. Continue reading
The post Music fans have much more power than you (and they) think appeared first on Hypebot.

Toneworks release Catalyst host & sequencer Toneworks' first release is equipped with a comprehensive step sequencer, harmoniser and arpeggiator, and can either host software instruments directly, or control them via MIDI. 

AKAI DECAP - Drums That Knock DECAP – Drums That Knock Producer & Sound Designer DECAP brings his highly successful signature sound "Drums That Knock" to the MPC platform. Drums That Knock includes... Read More

This is the true #music and #MusicIndustry #decentralization era.