“I was posting to social media every day. It totally f**king sucks”: How Claude VonStroke uses social media as a fully independent artistClaude VonStroke has bemoaned the necessity of posting to social media as an artist, saying that “it totally fucking sucks”, and suggests that cultivating quality is more important than putting up “a bunch of garbage”.
Two decades into his career, the prominent producer and DJ, real name Barclay Crenshaw, is in what he describes as his “life of leisure” phase. In essence, he says, this is an era of complete independence. The former Dirtybird owner isn’t signed to a label; he’s only taking gigs he wants to play, and he’s releasing music at his own pace.

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In previous phases of his career, such as when he shifted from the funky house beats of Claude VonStroke over to the modern bass project he was running under his birth name, Crenshaw engaged with the daily grind of social media. While he did see the benefits, he absolutely hated it.
“I was posting [to social media] almost every day,” Crenshaw said in a new interview with MusicTech. “It kind of works, and eventually way more people are looking at your stuff, but it totally fucking sucks. It’s not even making music. It has nothing to do with anything. It’s stupid.”
Crenshaw is far from the only artist to decry the ubiquity of social media in modern music. The Guardian reported that pop stars like Charli XCX and Billie Eilish have left social media platforms to preserve their mental health. Sara Quin of Canadian duo Tegan and Sara went on to her frustration with how artists are ostensibly required to be active on social media in order to maintain their careers:
“Myspace or Facebook posts used to be an add-on, but now it feels like making music is about making assets for social media.”
Continuing his criticism of the demands of the online world, Crenshaw says that striving for a “consistent output” is futile. It’s better to stockpile your best ideas, he says.
“People think that the consistent output is better than the good output. Just keep hammering until something catches. You might win over a really long period of time. But it’s just a bunch of garbage. Why would that work? It’s not gonna stick out.”
Crenshaw recently sold all of Dirtybird’s entities to the large-scale independent label and distributor, EMPIRE. He is currently in the midst of his Life of Leisure tour throughout Europe and North America, having just released his latest EP, I Was The Wolf.
Read more about this new phase of Claude VonStroke’s career on MusicTech.
The post “I was posting to social media every day. It totally f**king sucks”: How Claude VonStroke uses social media as a fully independent artist appeared first on MusicTech.

“I want to make sure what happened to me never happens to anyone else” Kesha’s SMASH is a new community platform for artistsKesha has unveiled SMASH, her new platform designed to put artists first.
Writers, musicians, producers, and other creators can join the platform to hire each other for rates they set themselves, sign deals that best suit their interests, and keep all the rights to the final project. Other features include community networking, a marketplace, contracting, and a remote collaboration studio.
READ MORE: Who is the next Aphex Twin? Meet the producers warping the future of electronic music
To celebrate SMASH, Kesha, real name Kesha Rose Sebert, has launched a remix contest for her latest single, BOY CRAZY. Participants can enter by signing up for the SMASH email list. Those who sign up will receive the stems. The winner will be selected by Kesha and given a release on her own Kesha Records this summer.
“My goal is to shift the power structure of the music-making business in favour of the creators,” says Sebert in a press release. “I signed a predatory deal when I was 18 and then spent more than a decade fighting to regain rights to my voice and image. When I finally gained my freedom, I realised the fight wasn’t over. I want to make sure what happened to me never happens to anyone else again.”
The deal to which she is referring is her infamous contract with producer Dr Luke and Kemosabe Records, a subsidiary of Sony. Sebert was obligated to record multiple albums for the label, but in 2014, before she completed her contract, she sued Dr Luke, real name Łukasz Sebastian Gottwald, for emotional distress, sex-based hate crimes, and employment discrimination. She claimed he had abused her for years prior to filing in addition to drugging and raping her.
Gottwald denied the claims and counter-sued Sebert for defamation and breach of contract. The ensuing legal battle finally ended in 2023 with a confidential settlement. The release of her album Gag Order that same year completed her contract with Kemosabe as well.
Speaking to Wired, Kesha spoke further about the app and its goals. “I really want this to feel like artists can come to artists,” she says. “People can ask about what they’re signing and who they’re signing with. Ask, ‘I love the guitar player on that song of yours, I want to hire him.’ If you want to jam, my fantasy is there’s a place you can jam. I’m trying to figure out really how it’s made for the artist by the artist. As artists, we don’t have a hub, don’t have a spot, we don’t have that LinkedIn-style place. The more people supporting artists, the better.
“Do I find it competitive? No. I kind of look at making pop songs in a similar way. If someone makes an incredible pop song, I just listen to it and it inspires me to make the best pop song I can make. But mine is going to be uniquely mine, fueled by my history and my stories. So I think the more the merrier, people supporting artists. Let’s fucking go.”
Sign up for updates to SMASH at smashmusic.io.
The post “I want to make sure what happened to me never happens to anyone else” Kesha’s SMASH is a new community platform for artists appeared first on MusicTech.

No, that’s not a high-end air purifier – It’s Elac’s $45,000 floorstanding speakerIf your home audio setup doesn’t look like it belongs in a Ridley Scott film, are you even listening in high fidelity? Elac seems to think not. Enter the Concentro M 807, a pair of floor-standing speakers that cost $45,000, look like high-end air purifiers, and may or may not open a wormhole in your living room.
Crafted to celebrate the brand’s 99th anniversary, these floorstanders are far from the polite, wood-paneled speakers of yesteryear. With sweeping aluminum contours and a shape that could double as a spaceship exhaust port, they’re engineered not just for acoustics but for awe.

READ MORE: HEDD Audio’s A-CORE range of monitors is its “most advanced analogue loudspeakers to date”

Elac says they teamed up with a Hamburg-based design studio to sculpt these monoliths in high-gloss black or white, complete with aerodynamic lines that reduce diffraction and boost sound dispersion.
Underneath the alien armor is an acoustic arsenal. Each four-way speaker houses Elac’s VXe 6 array, comprising six midrange drivers arranged in a circle around the legendary JET 6 tweeter, known for its “lightning-fast response and wide dynamic range”. There are five radiation patterns for users to choose from as well, letting you adapt your soundstage depending on whether you’re entertaining guests or brooding alone to avant-garde jazz.
Credit: Elac
The M 807 also houses dual 250mm (10”) high-performance aluminum sandwich woofers, carefully positioned for “distortion free bass reproduction” and an “authoritative yet controlled low frequency performance”. In addition, the speaker’s down-firing bass reflex system, ensures a more consistent performance across a wide range of room positions, making it easier to integrate powerful bass into any space.
Inside the cabinet lies a bespoke crossover network made from premium film capacitors, air-core coils, and MOX resistors. According to Elac, this ensures precise phase alignment and level integration for a smoother, more natural sound.
The cabinets themselves feature non-parallel surfaces and six-axis milled reinforcements that effectively eliminate unwanted resonances.
“This advanced construction prevents internal standing waves, ensuring clean, uncoloured sound reproduction with exceptional purity and clarity,” says the brand.
At $45,000 per pair, the Concentro M 807s aren’t for casual listeners. But for those who demand sonic perfection and want it housed in something that looks like it fell off a spacecraft, they might just be the future of home audio.
Learn more at Elac. 
The post No, that’s not a high-end air purifier – It’s Elac’s $45,000 floorstanding speaker appeared first on MusicTech.

The Score Essentials from Sonuscore The Score Essentials brings together a curated selection of content from The Score, offering an immediate, inspiring instrument suited to composers at all levels.

Hinge Health pops 17%, but joins growing ranks of down round IPOsHinge Health, a digital physical therapist company, closed its first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday at $37.56, up about 17% over the $32 IPO price it set the previous day. That’s a good first-day result. But even with the pop, Hinge’s public valuation is significantly less than its last […]

US tourist drugged by fake Uber driver and robbed of $123K BTC — ReportAn American tourist in the United Kingdom was reportedly drugged by an individual posing as a taxi driver, who stole the tourist's $123,000 in Bitcoin stored on a cell phone. According to a report from My London, Jacob Irwin-Cline went out to a London bar and had several drinks before calling an Uber to take him home.Cline said that he did not thoroughly check the details of the Uber ride on his phone and left with a random private cab driver resembling the Uber driver at first glance, but driving a different vehicle — a detail Cline would only discover after the incident.Once inside the vehicle, the US tourist said the driver offered him a cigarette, which Cline said was likely laced with a rare and potent sedative drug called scopolamine. Cline added that the cigarette made him feel extremely docile and tired, causing him to pass out for around 30 minutes before regaining consciousness.Shortly after Cline woke up, the driver ordered him out of the vehicle. As Cline exited, the driver suddenly sped off, striking him with the car and fleeing with his cellphone, which contained his private keys and access to his crypto accounts.The unfortunate incident comes amid a recent spate of kidnappings, extortion incidents, armed robberies, and ransom attempts directed at crypto industry executives, investors, and their families. Related: Chainalysis CEO offers a clue into recent spate of Paris crypto attacksCrypto community members become the targets of violent crimeSeveral kidnapping incidents involving crypto investors, industry executives, and their families have occurred in May.On May 3, the father of an unnamed crypto exchange owner was freed by French police after law enforcement officials raided the property where the individual was being held captive by organized criminals demanding a ransom for his release.Shortly after that incident, the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, the CEO of the Paymium crypto exchange, were the targets of an attempted kidnapping in Paris.The incident occurred in broad daylight when the assailants attacked the family and attempted to force them into a parked vehicle. However, Noizat's daughter and another individual were able to fight off the masked attackers.The rise in violent attacks against crypto investors and professionals has prompted an increase in personal security, including requests for bodyguards and private security measures for those likely to be victimized.Magazine: China’s ‘point running’ crypto scams, pig butchers kidnap kids: Asia Express

zazz EarlyReflections1The EarlyReflections1 plugin is a free and open-source VST effect designed to simulate the early reflections component of reverb. Early reflections are the initial sound reflections that reach the listener's ears shortly after the direct sound, providing crucial spatial cues about the size and nature of the environment. S. Key Features: Focused Spatial Simulation: Emulates early reflections to add depth and realism without the extended tail of full reverb. Lightweight and Efficient: Ideal for enhancing dry recordings or adding subtle ambience without overwhelming the mix. Open-Source Accessibility: Available under the GPL license, allowing for customization and integration into various digital audio workstations. This plugin is particularly useful for producers and sound engineers seeking to create a sense of space and dimension in their mixes without the complexity of full reverb processing. For more information visit the EarlyReflections1 GitHub repository. Read More

Introducing RedNet TNXOn Thursday, Focusrite released an enthusiastic statement, heralding the release of their new RedNet TNX, which they described as "the latest addition to the RedNet range and our first Thunderbolt interface purpose-built for high-channel-count, low-latency Dante® audio for macOS and Windows. Designed to simplify access to high-resolution, low-latency Dante audio, it’s ideal for studios, mobile rigs, and shared workspaces." According to their statement, "RedNet TNX delivers 128x128 channels of 24-bit/192kHz audio straight out of the box, with ultra-low round-trip latency. For larger systems, a paid Dante Ready upgrade unlocks 256x256 channels at 24-bit/96kHz."How intriguing!For more info, visit here.The post Introducing RedNet TNX first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Building a Tiny Table SawIf you want a regular table saw, you’re probably best off just buying one—it’s hard to beat the economies of scale that benefit the major manufacturers. If you want a teeny one, though, you might like to build it yourself. [Maciej Nowak] has done just that.
The concept is simple enough; a small motor and a small blade make a small table saw. [Maciej] sourced a remarkably powerful 800-watt brushless motor for the build. From there, the project involved fabricating a suitable blade mount, belt drive, and frame for the tool. Some time was well-spent on the lathe producing the requisite components out of steel and aluminum, as well as a stout housing out of plywood. The motor was then fitted with a speed controller, with the slight inconvenience that it’s a hobby unit designed to run off DC batteries rather than a wall supply. Ultimately, though, this makes the saw nicely portable. All that was left to do was to fit the metal top plate, guides, and a suitably small 3″ saw blade to complete the build.
We’ve seen mini machine tools like these before, too. They can actually be pretty useful if you find yourself regularly working on tiny little projects. Video after the break.

Italian-language music now part of the ‘$100M+ club’ on SpotifySoanish-language music is also growing rapidly, the streaming platform says in the latest addition to its 'Loud & Clear' report
Source

Will Spotify be correct with its annual Songs of Summer predictions?Spotify has unveiled its annual Songs of Summer list, predicting the 30 songs that will soundtrack summer in 2025.
Despite arriving a whole month before summer begins on 21 June, Spotify is confident that its selection – made by analysing streaming data – will soundtrack your memories in the sun this year.

READ MORE: Zeds Dead sampled a century of sound to create their new sci-fi bass odyssey

The list is curated by Spotify’s editorial team, who are confident after the accuracy of their predictions last year that they’ll be bang on the money again in 2025. The list is populated by big names including Bad Bunny, Charli XCX, Drake and Lady Gaga, as well as Afro-fusion like Show Me Love by WizTheMc, bees & honey, and Tyla, and “lovestruck pop” with Ordinary from Alex Warren and Blue Strips by Jessie Murph.
It’s also worth noting, of course, that no data could possibly predict whether a new, unknown artist might emerge on the scene in a month’s time, which could shake everything up.

While the playlist knocks out lots of well-streamed artists, Spotify has taken at least one risk with singer-songwriter Hannah Cohen. With over 800,000 monthly listeners, Cohen is one of the lesser-known artists on the list, comparatively.
Cohen’s latest record, Earthstar Mountain, is sure to go down well with listeners. The record boasts effortlessly dulcet tones, spanning from glistening acoustic musing to wistful, dreamy indie-funk. Spotify has picked out the aptly named Summer Sweat for its summer playlist.

“Spotify’s editorial team blends cultural expertise, editorial instinct, and streaming data to curate our annual Songs of Summer list,” Spotify explains. “[This playlist] cements Spotify as the ultimate destination for summer listening and proves we know music best.”
“When it comes to afro-fusion, we’re seeing songs like Show Me Love by WizTheMc, bees & honey & Tyla – which fuses electronic, Afrobeats and R&B – and YA BABA by DYSTINCT and French Montana – which blends Moroccan Arabic with French – boil over across Africa, Europe and the United States,” the company goes on.

“We’re also seeing dance BPMs continue to rise,” Spotify says. To celebrate high-speed garage and house, Spotify lists Ely Oaks’ Running Around and Say My Name – Remix by Morgan Seatree and Florence + The Machine.

Some chill tunes also feature, like The Marías’ No One Noticed and NIKI’s You’ll Be in My Heart. These picks are intended for “watching a perfect sunset on a hot summer day with friends”, the company notes.
Spotify yearly Songs of Summer forecast has been fairly accurate in the past few years. Last summer’s list ranked HOT TO GO! by Chappell Roan, Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter and Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar – with Lamar’s song going on to win multiple Grammys.
Here’s the entire list, in alphabetical order:
Ordinary – Alex Warren
NUEVAYoL – Bad Bunny
Super –  Bb trickz
Mystical Magical – Benson Boone
All The Way – BigXthaPlug and Bailey Zimmerman
party 4 u – Charli xcx
My Darling – Chella
With You – Davido and Omah Lay
NOKIA – Drake
YA BABA – DYSTINCT and French Montana
Running Around – Ely Oaks
Summer Sweat – Hannah Cohen
like JENNIE – JENNIE
Blue Strips – Jessie Murph
Gnarly – KATSEYE
How Bad Do U Want Me – Lady Gaga
MUTT – Leon Thomas
Dark Thoughts – Lil Tecca
What Was That – Lorde
Shake It To The Max (FLY) – Remix – MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng, and Shenseea
Say My Name – Remix – Morgan Seatree and Florence + The Machine
What I Want – Morgan Wallen and Tate McRae
You’ll Be in My Heart – Spotify Singles – NIKI
Love Me Not – Ravyn Lenae
Sally, When The Wine Runs Out – ROLE MODEL
back to friends – sombr
No One Noticed – The Marías
Brunette – Tucker Wetmore
La Plena – W Sound 05 – W Sound, Beéle, and Ovy On The Drums
Show Me Love (with Tyla) – WizTheMc, bees & honey and Tyla

The post Will Spotify be correct with its annual Songs of Summer predictions? appeared first on MusicTech.

Why More Musicians Are Rethinking TouringRising costs, low ticket sales, increased competition and strict visa rules are reshaping the touring landscape for artists worldwide. Not all the available data is clear yet, but from major acts to emerging talent, more and more musicians are rethinking touring.
The post Why More Musicians Are Rethinking Touring appeared first on Hypebot.

LANG Electronics announce the P.LANE Type 436 & SILVERR 47 LANG Electronics have announced the launch of two new products that offer a modern take on some classic valve-based gear designs.

Do Spotify playlists still matter? Playlist Marketing in 2025Playlisting was once a top way to grow your music, but many artists got burned by fake streams and shady tactics. Do Spotify playlists still matter? There’s now a new and better way to use playlists to market music reach real fans.
The post Do Spotify playlists still matter? Playlist Marketing in 2025 appeared first on Hypebot.

Native Instruments and iZotope Launch Summer Sales with Major Discounts
Native Instruments and iZotope have officially launched their annual Summer of Sound and Summer Sale events, offering some of the year’s best deals on virtual instruments, effects, and production tools. Both sales run from May 22 through June 30 and feature significant discounts on flagship product lines, bundles, and hardware/software combos. Native Instruments’ Summer of [...]
View post: Native Instruments and iZotope Launch Summer Sales with Major Discounts