OCTO8R Octobillion Plucks [11-45] This is extension of 35 plucks for presets pack Octobillion for Vital. All included plucks are morphable. Demo: https://youtu.be/9whN3wMbUFI Read More

Last week in music industry commentaryCommentators in the thick of the industry last week shared their opinions and thoughts on Spotify’s new AI DJ, new music technology, and more. LGBTQIA+ musician Villano Antillano proves the. Continue reading
The post Last week in music industry commentary appeared first on Hypebot.

Fears over Silvergate, $8B hole at FTX, senators seek Binance’s numbers: Hodler’s Digest, Feb. 26 – March 4Delay in Silvergate’s financials sparks fears over bankruptcy, FTX reports $8.6B deficit and Binance’s balance sheet sought by U.S. senators.

OpenAI launches an API for ChatGPT, a startup attempts a humanoid robot, and Salesforce turns it aroundTGIF, my TechCrunch homies. It’s that time of week again — the time for Week in Review, where we recap the past five days in tech news. As always, lots happened, so let’s dig in sans delay.
Well, perhaps with a slight delay. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that TechCrunch Early Stage, TechCrunch’s annual founder summit, is around the corner — on April 20, to be exact. Set in Boston this year, Early Stage will host sessions with advice and takeaways from top experts and provide opportunities to meet entrepreneurs taking incredible journeys. Trust me, it’ll be worth the trek.
Disrupt, TechCrunch’s flagship conference, will also be well worth the trek. (And I’m not just saying that because yours truly will be participating — I swear it!) This year, Disrupt will feature six new stages with industry-specific programming tracks, inspired by our popular TC Sessions series. Experts across climate, mobility, fintech, AI and machine learning, enterprise, privacy and security, and hardware and robotics will be in attendance and will have fascinating insights to share.
So, signed up for both events? Great. Now, here’s the Week in Review!
most read
ChatGPT in API form: OpenAI introduced an API that’ll allow any business to build ChatGPT tech into their apps, websites, products and services. (As a refresher, ChatGPT is the free text-generating AI that can write human-like code, emails, essays and more.) Snap, Quizlet, Instacart and Shopify are among the early adopters.
Becoming human: A startup, Figure, emerged from stealth this week promising a general-purpose bipedal humanoid robot. (Brian broke the news of the startup’s existence in September, in case you missed it.) The Figure robot’s alpha build, which the company completed in December, is currently being tested in its Sunnyvale offices. It’s focused on a wide range of manual labor tasks for now.
Warrantless surveillance: Zack reports that the Secret Service and ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit repeatedly failed to obtain the correct legal paperwork when carrying out invasive cell phone surveillance. The findings were published last week by Homeland Security’s inspector general, tasked with oversight of the U.S. federal department and its many law enforcement units, which said that the agencies often used cell-site simulators without obtaining the appropriate search warrants.
Salesforce turns it around: This week, Salesforce reported its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings, including revenue that topped expectations and guidance that came in ahead of street estimates. It was a much-needed win for the company, which was facing increasing pressure from activist investors, including Elliott Management.
Hydrogen powered: Startup Universal Hydrogen took to the air this week with the largest hydrogen fuel cell ever to fly. The 15-minute test flight of a modified Dash-8 aircraft was short, but — as Mark writes — it showed that hydrogen could be viable as fuel for short-hop passenger aircraft. (Many technical and regulatory barriers stand in the way, however.)
Pause your streak: Ivan reports that Snapchat will allow users to pause their Snap streaks — where you send a snap to your friend once every 24 hours — so they don’t have to worry about breaking them if they decide to not access the app for a while.
New nonprofit for AI: A community-driven AI research group, EleutherAI, is forming a nonprofit foundation. Funded by donations and grants from backers, including AI startups Hugging Face and Stability AI, former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, Lambda Labs and Canva, the nonprofit plans to research issues around large language models along the lines of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Ceasing “Succession”: The official trailer for the final season of “Succession” premiered this week, and it appears that the series is ending with an epic mic drop. As Lauren writes, the HBO series was not only hugely successful, with its 13 Emmy wins and five Golden Globe awards, but it was also an interesting commentary on the media industry. Creator and showrunner Jesse Armstrong has admitted to taking inspiration from lots of places, including the Rupert Murdoch playbook.
audio
Like Elon Musk’s meddling with Twitter, the TechCrunch podcast machine never stops. This week on Equity, Mary Ann, Becca and Alex gathered to riff through the week’s biggest startup and venture news, including what’s happening in the land of NFTs, AI versus crypto in venture hype cycles and Amazon’s unlikely partnership. And on The TechCrunch Live Podcast, Matt Burns spoke with Sagi Eliyahu, CEO and co-founder of Tonkean, and Foundation Capital partner Joanne Chen, all about addressing blind spots in leadership and the best ways for founders to work with their board of directors.
TechCrunch+

TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys — which you know if you’re already a subscriber. If you’re not, consider signing up. Here are a few highlights from this week:
The “branding” issue for female VCs: The goal of being a VC is to generate returns for limited partners, and there’s an understanding that a diverse startup ecosystem will lead to better outcomes for all. But Natasha and Rebecca write about how balancing those two, for female VCs, has often manifested in different, often frustrating ways.
Jumping on the AI bandwagon: Camilla Tenn, a PR consultant for Eleven International, writes on whether tech startups should shift their messaging toward AI-related topics. If AI-related coverage can get a new, unknown brand into its target publications today, she argues, it could help get the brand’s pitch deck in front of potential investors tomorrow.
Turning open source into a business: Despite the premise of open source software distribution being “free,” multibillion-dollar companies like Red Hat, MongoDB, GitLab and Elastic have already broken ground building profitable businesses with open source at their core. But is it possible for a smaller open source project to find its way into this land of commercial opportunity? Victoria Melnikova investigates.

OpenAI launches an API for ChatGPT, a startup attempts a humanoid robot, and Salesforce turns it around by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

Waves Berzerk Distortion Plugin Is FREE Until March 6th!
Waves Audio and Sanjay C. offer the Berzerk distortion plugin as a FREE download for a limited time. I didn’t fall in love with Waves Berzerk on the first listen, but it’s one of those plugins that tend to grow on you after a while. I didn’t get the expected results at first simply because [...]
View post: Waves Berzerk Distortion Plugin Is FREE Until March 6th!

Getting It Done: The week in D.I.Y. & Indie MusicThis week, our tips and advice for the independent and do-it-yourself musicians out there covered how to get fans excited about your new release, music law basics, and more… Crowdfunding. Continue reading
The post Getting It Done: The week in D.I.Y. & Indie Music appeared first on Hypebot.

REWIND: The new music industry’s week in reviewLast week was a busy week by any definition; the music industry was no exception, with TikTok restrictions advancing, Eminem opposing a ‘shady’ named podcast, and more. U.S. Copyright Office. Continue reading
The post REWIND: The new music industry’s week in review appeared first on Hypebot.

Bil VornDick’s gear collection on ANALOGr Bil VornDick's extensive gear collection is being auctioned, with the proceeds of the sales going to the VornDick family and the Nashville Engineer Relief Fund charity.

Coco Jones is Named BET Amplified Artist for MarchBET names the multifaceted actress, singer/songwriter and rising R&B star Coco Jones as its BET Amplified artist for March! BET Amplified is BET Music's stamp of approval for the next big thing in music. As BET celebrates Women’s History month, the brand is proud to amplify powerful and talented up-and-coming female artists, and Coco Jones is no exception. 

Fresh off of an Outstanding New Artist win at the 54th NAACP Image Awards, Coco Jones’ rocketship to stardom shows no signs of stopping any time soon. Since breaking onto the entertainment scene as a Disney star, the “ICU” singer has gone on to star in movies, join the cast in Peacock's “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” reimagining “Bel-Air” as “Hilary Banks,” and score a Top 20 Urban Radio hit with multiple Billboard chart entries. 

Coco Jones can now also add BET Amplified Artist to her list of accolades. As a BET Amplified artist, Coco Jones will receive BET Music’s support across multiple BET campaigns and platforms, including BET, BET Her, BET Jams, BET Soul, BET.com, BET Socials, and BET’s Official YouTube Page.

Previous BET Amplified artists include Armani White, Babyface Ray, DIXSO, Doechii, Glorilla, Ice Spice, Kalan.FrFr, Lakeyah, Lehla Samia, Lola Brooke, Muni Long, Nardo Wick, Tone Stith, Young Stunna and more!

ABOUT COCO JONES:

Coco Jones – the 25-year-old multi-hyphenate actor, singer/songwriter who stars on the Peacock hit Bel-Air, recently released her major-label debut EP What I Didn’t Tell You with hit single “ICU.”  Coco has been in film and on TV since she was a tween, starting out as a recurring guest on Disney’s musical sketch comedy, So Random!, and, in 2012, as the golden-voiced love interest in the network’s TV movie, Let It Shine. Most recently, she won Outstanding New Artist at the 54th NAACP Image Awards. You also may have seen her on the tiny screen—with millions of social media followers, dedicated to upping representation for proud, talented, dark-skinned Black women. 

In 2020, in an act of vulnerability and bravery, Jones decided to respond to a viral tweet asking what had happened with her career via YouTube. She filled fans in on obstacles she’d faced as a dark-skinned Black girl in both the acting and music industry and was met with an outpour of support. “It reignited me dreaming big dreams,” Jones says of the endearing online experience. From there, she began speaking positive affirmations, claiming the creative endeavors she longed to sink her teeth into.

Fast-forward to 2023, the multi-faceted Coco Jones, signed to High Standardz/Def Jam Recordings, has at last launched her music career with a brand of R&B as soulful as it is relatable, as diary-honest as it is marked by powerful storytelling. And though she’s young, it’s been a long time coming.

Binance launches anti-scam campaign after Hong Kong pilot runThe new campaign features a withdrawal warning message that attempts to prevent users from sending their crypto to scammers.

Leon Russell: The Master of Space and Time’s Journey Through Rock & Roll History Leon Russell Photo by Jim Roup; Album covers Courtesy of UMe

Leon Russell, (April 2, 1942-November 13, 2016), the former Claude Russell Bridges, was born in Lawton, Oklahoma, and left the physical world dying of a heart attack in Nashville Tennessee.

   Russell is the subject of a new biography. Leon Russell: The Master of Space and Time’s Journey Through Rock & Roll History, from author and musician Bill Janovitz, published March 14, 2023, via Hachette Books.

   The 592-page title is described in the book announcement as “the definitive biography of the legendary musician, composer and performer, a profound influence on countless artists, including George Harrison, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Elton John, and Willie Nelson.

   “Leon Russell is an icon, but in many ways, he is also an underappreciated artist. A Zelig figure for a number of decades, he is spoken of in tones, reserved not just for the most talented musicians, but also the most complex and fascinating.

    “Russell’s career is like a roadmap of American music, yet he worked integrally with English rock royalty like Beatles and the Stones. He played piano on records by such giants as Frank Sinatra, the Beach Boys, and Phil Spector, and on hundreds of classic songs with major recording artists. Russell inspired Elton John’s career, and Elton inducted him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

    “In his prime, Russell filled stadiums on solo tours, and was an organizer/performer of both Joe Cocker’s revolutionary Mad Dogs and Englishmen 1970 tour and George Harrison’s 1971 Concert for Bangladesh. Russell founded Shelter Records in 1969 with producer Denny Cordell, establishing offices and studios in Hollywood and eventually Tulsa, fostering wild and free atmospheres for musicians to live and work together.  

   “The book dives deeps and explores the personal side of Russell, who struggled with his demons, including substance abuse, severe depression, and a crippling stage fright that wreaked havoc on his psyche over the long haul.”  

   The litany of collaborators and beneficiaries of the creative worlds Russell inhabited were recording artists such as Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, Rita Coolidge, Dave Mason, Bob Dylan, Freddie King, J.J. Cale, Jim Keltner, Jimmy Karstein, Gene Clark, Marc Benno, Gary Lewis, the Wailers, Kim Fowley, Claudia Linnear, Don Nix, Mud Crutch, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, the Dwight Twilley Band, Gary Busey, Phoebe Snow, Bonnie Raitt, and the Gap Band. 

    As a bandleader, Russell was an early proponent of culturally diverse groups.

For over a half a century I’ve been dialoging with a handful of musicians, writers, deejays, record executives and songwriters about Mr. Russell. 

    In early 1960, future guitarist of the Everly Brothers (1961-1963) Don Peake, and guitarist Elliot Ingber, a 1965 founding member of the Mothers of Invention, were playing at the Sea Witch club and Pandora’s Box. Peake and songwriter/record producer Kim Fowley encountered “Claude” [Leon] and a pal from Oklahoma, [either Chuck Blackwell or Johnny Williams]. 

“Claude had a soft southern accent,” recounted Peake in a February 2023 interview we conducted.  

  “Kim was always deep in the trenches checking out talent. We went to an Italian restaurant on Pico Blvd. called Mama’s, owned by the mother of the great singer, Timi Yuro, who was on Liberty Records. In 1961 she had a big hit single, ‘The Hurt.’ Later, in 1962, I really got to know Claude at a Phil Spector session at Gold Star studios.” 

   In LEON RUSSELL: The Master of Space and Time's Journey Through Rock & Roll History (Hachette Books; 3/14/23; $31; ISBN: 9780306924774), shines the spotlight on one of the most important music makers of the twentieth century.

   A long out-of-print collection of intimate, solo piano and vocal recordings by legendary musician, composer, and performer Leon Russell is being reissued. Signature Songs, originally released in 2001, will be available on CD and pressed for the very first time on vinyl, via Dark Horse Records on March 17, 2023.

    Signature Songs includes stripped-down and unique takes on songs from across Russell’s remarkable canon, from the GRAMMY® Hall of Fame classic, “A Song for You,” to his own classic hits, “Hummingbird,” “Delta Lady,” “Tight Rope,” “Stranger In a Strange Land,” “This Masquerade,” “Out In The Woods," and “Lady Blue.”

    When Elton John heard the news about Russell’s physical departure, he immediately took to Twitter to comment on his musical hero.

    “My darling Leon Russell passed away last night. He was a mentor, inspiration and so kind to me. Thank God we caught up with each other and made The Union. He got his reputation back and felt fulfilled. I loved him and always will.”  #LeonRussell #RIP #TheHandsOfAngels.  

     For Leon Russell fans, I recommend seeking out a copy of a live album from the Omnivore Entertainment Group distributed earlier this century. Nine selections from a 1973 Russell concert at the Budokhan in Japan, coupled with bonus tracks added to the CD release from a memorable 1971 show from Houston, Texas.

   Harvey Kubernik is the author of 20 books, including 2009’s Canyon Of Dreams: The Magic And The Music Of Laurel Canyon and 2014’s Turn Up The Radio! Rock, Pop and Roll In Los Angeles 1956-1972.   Sterling/Barnes and Noble in 2018 published Harvey and Kenneth Kubernik’s The Story Of The Band: From Big Pink To The Last Waltz. In2021 they wrote Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child for Sterling/Barnes and Noble. Otherworld Cottage Industries in 2020 published Harvey’s Docs That Rock, Music That Matters.

Kubernik’s writings are in several book anthologies. Most notably, The Rolling Stone Book Of The Beats and Drinking With Bukowski. Harvey wrote the liner notes to the CD re-releases of Carole King’s Tapestry, The Essential Carole King, Allen Ginsberg’s Kaddish, Elvis Presley The ’68 Comeback Special, The Ramones’ End of the Century and Big Brother & the Holding Company Captured Live at The Monterey International Pop Festival.  

    During 2006 Harvey spoke at the special hearings initiated by The Library of Congress held in Hollywood, California, discussing archiving practices and audiotape preservation. In 2017 Harvey Kubernik appeared at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, as part of their Distinguished Speakers Series.

   In December 2021, Harvey Kubernik was interviewed and served as a consultant on the Ron Chapman-directed Revival69: The Concert That Rocked The World about the 1969 festival held in Toronto, Canada featuring the debut of the John Lennon and Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band. Chapman interviewed Klaus Voorman, Shep Gordon, Alice Cooper, Robby Krieger, Danny Serrafine, promoter John Brower, Rodney Bingenheimer, and Geddy Lee of Rush. Pennebaker/Hegedus Films is executive producer.  The movie is an official 2023 SWSW selection in Austin, Texas and screened March 12th and 16th at the Zach Theatre.    

   In 2023, Harvey, photographer Henry Diltz and authors Eddie Fiegel, Barney Hoskyns and Chris Campion were filmed by French director France Swimberge for her Mamas & Papas documentary scheduled for the European arts television channel, Arte. Kubernik is serving as consultant.   

W. A. Production Loop Engine WA Production presents LOOP ENGINE, the next generation of cutting-edge multi-voice loop tools. This revolutionary plugin unlocks a new standard for MIDI generation by drawing... Read More

Vigilante hackers fix Black Ops III, and other TC newsWelcome back to the TechCrunch Podcast, where I’m standing in for Darrell while he’s honeymooning with his lady love. This week, I sat down with Amanda Silberling and Mary Ann Azevedo to talk through some of their interesting stories.
You can listen below or subscribe in iTunes or Spotify to get new episodes delivered weekly on Fridays!

News articles from the episode: 

Hack the planet: Lorenzo writes a great story about how gamers are fixing a video game “taken over” by hackers
Hello, robot: Aisha reports that Snapchat launched an AI chatbot powered by OpenAI’s GPT technology
Broken dishes: Carly reports how Dish was hit by a multiday outage after a reported cyberattack

… and the longer interviews: 

Musk the Uninclusive: Amanda takes a look at Senator Markey’s letter that calls on Elon Musk to reinstate Twitter’s accessibility team
From stocks to building blocks: Natasha Mascarenhas and Mary Ann Azevedo explore Amazon’s new employee perk that lets employees use their stock to finance home purchases

One more thing… 
Love podcasts? Don’t miss our mini feature series Inside Startup Battlefield, where we go behind the scenes to learn more about what it’s like to participate in the most famous startup pitch competition ever: TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield!

Introducing the Inside Startup Battlefield podcast

Vigilante hackers fix Black Ops III, and other TC news by Haje Jan Kamps originally published on TechCrunch

SoundsDivine Wonky Tapes Vol.2 'Wonky Tapes Vol.2' features 40 patches for the Sequential Prophet 5/10. This is the 2nd in a series of 3 soundsets for the Prophet 5/10, inspired by dusty old synthesizer sounds... Read More

Space & Time bundle by GPU Audio GPU Audio have released new delay and reverb effects in their free Beta Suite series of GPU-powered PC audio plug-ins.