Spotify prevents AI music and incorrect releases from appearing on your artist profile with this new featureSpotify is rolling out a feature that lets artists review music releases before they go live on their profile in response to tracks landing on the wrong pages.
Spotify says the rise of easy-to-produce AI tracks has made this problem worse, and that it is making the protection of artist identity a “top priority for 2026”. The new feature, called Artist Profile Protection, is optional, and is now in limited beta.

READ MORE: Spotify’s new Taste Profile lets you tailor your algorithm and review listening data

This tool is a complete first for any music streaming service, Spotify claims, and that gives musicians the ability to approve or decline releases delivered to Spotify from most music distribution providers. Artist Profile Protection prevents errors such as metadata mix-ups, music going to another artist with the same name, or someone maliciously attaching their music to your profile.
It’s important that artists who do activate this new feature remember they’ll need to actively review all releases before they go live, meaning some legitimate releases may be delayed or blocked if you forget to take action, so you’ll need to be comfortable with actively managing your catalogue.
So, how does it actually work? If you’re included in the beta, you’ll see the feature available in your Spotify for Artists settings.  Artist Team Admins and Editors also have the ability to manage the settings. If you turn Artist Profile Protection on, you’ll receive an email notification when music is delivered to Spotify with your name attached. From there, you can review eligible releases and decide whether to approve or decline them.
To help legitimate releases move smoothly, you’ll also be assigned an artist key: a unique code you can share with trusted providers. When music delivered to Spotify includes your artist key at delivery, the release is automatically pre-approved and goes live as normal.
To find out more, go to the Spotify Newsroom. 
The post Spotify prevents AI music and incorrect releases from appearing on your artist profile with this new feature appeared first on MusicTech.

BPB Deal: Karanyi Sounds Wavesurfer multi-FX plugin is $14 until March 27
Karanyi Sounds is offering an exclusive deal on Wavesurfer for Bedroom Producers Blog readers. The plugin normally costs $59, but you can pick it up for $14 until March 27th by entering the coupon code SURFERBPB14 at checkout. I always liked working with multi-processors. It feels more convenient than slapping multiple plugins on a channel [...]
View post: BPB Deal: Karanyi Sounds Wavesurfer multi-FX plugin is $14 until March 27

Kentucky woman rejects $26M offer to turn her farm into a data centerA "major artificial intelligence company" reportedly offered a Kentucky family $26 million to build a data center on their farm.

4TH ANNUAL WOMEN'S DAY CELEBRATION AT THE HOTEL CAFEOn a night that felt both passionately celebratory and quietly poignant, the Hotel Café hosted its Fourth Annual Women’s Day Celebration, bringing together a beautifully diverse lineup of female singer-songwriters whose music reflected the spirit of International Women’s Day: creativity, resilience, vulnerability and strength.

The evening also carried an undercurrent of nostalgia. With the recent news that the beloved Hollywood venue will soon close this location, many of the artists acknowledged the space’s importance in the Los Angeles singer-songwriter community. For decades, the Hotel Café has been a place where artists share songs in their most intimate form—voice, guitar or piano, and a roomful of listeners ready to lean in.

That reality lent the evening additional emotional weight. The celebration became not only a tribute to women in music, but also a reminder of the vital role the Hotel Café has played in nurturing emerging artists and songwriting culture in Los Angeles.

That sense of shared musical purpose was palpable throughout the night. Performers lingered to watch each other’s sets, harmonized together onstage, and cheered each other on from the wings. It felt less like a conventional showcase and more like a gathering of artists united by the simple joy of making music.

Presented in conjunction with International Women’s Day, the annual showcase highlights female singer-songwriters from across the Los Angeles music community and beyond. The evening featured a stylistically diverse lineup spanning acoustic folk, blues, indie pop and alternative sounds, each sharing original material in the intimate listening-room environment the Hotel Café is known for.

As the lights softened and the room gradually settled into attentive silence, the evening’s celebration of women’s voices began. One by one, the performers took the stage, each introduced by emcee Lex Aguilar with a brief, colorful bio that offered a glimpse into the stories behind the songs.

The evening began on a lighter note with comedian Nthenya, whose quick wit and relaxed stage presence immediately put the room at ease. Her humor felt conversational rather than performative, like a friend sharing sharp observations with the audience. The ripples of laughter helped break the ice and set a welcoming tone for the night’s deeper musical expressions—reminding everyone that community, connection and a little levity are all part of what makes nights like this special.

The opening performer, Juliet, made an immediate impact, as if to signal that the evening would be both emotional and provocative. She brought her husky, impassioned vocal style and bold sonic palette to songs including the feminist anthem “Love or Die,” which pulsed with urgency and conviction, and “Liberté,” a confident declaration of independence propelled by a thumping groove and fuzzy guitar textures.

Next, Lucy Clearwater’s soothing voice and gentle acoustic style set a more reflective tone. Her song “Love a Friend” unfolded with soulful calm that drew the audience inward, while a preview of her upcoming folk tune “One of Those Things” showcased her gift for intimate storytelling. Another standout, “Liar,” explored the emotional fallout of a relationship with a narcissist, adding a deeply introspective dimension to her set.

Singer-songwriter Mary Scholz offered a slightly gentler but no less powerful presence. With her warm acoustic approach and emotionally direct lyrics, she recalled the storytelling intimacy of artists like Ed Sheeran. During one reflective moment, she observed that the word woman can sometimes feel complicated—but only because people choose to make it so. She also debuted one of the evening’s most visceral moments, a raw and emotionally charged song responding to the recent deaths of 165 Iranian schoolgirls following U.S. and Israeli bombings.

With swagger and attitude to spare—and backed by a delirious swirl of funky pre-recorded retro techno rhythms—husky-voiced teen powerhouse Ava James brought an immediate stylistic contrast to the evening’s largely acoustic flow. Her set demonstrated the wide stylistic range of the lineup, and she clearly relished the moment, duetting on a defiant “FU” jam with her friend, the equally gifted singer Layne Olivia.

After a playful interlude by Nthenya, a special highlight of the night was the appearance of Maisy Owen, who had been flown in for the event. With a gentle swaying stage presence and an angelic vocal tone, Owen captivated the room with “All For You,” a tender acoustic piece that showcased her delicate phrasing. She followed with the soon-to-be-released “On My Way Down,” maintaining a soft, emotionally sensitive atmosphere that perfectly suited the intimate setting.

A personal favorite of the night was multi-talented singer, songwriter and virtuosic guitar picker Abby Posner, who immediately owned the stage sporting an effortlessly cool alt-Americana look—wide-brim hat, casual jacket and acoustic guitar slung comfortably across her shoulder. Delivering one of the evening’s most dynamic and socially engaged sets, her blues-tinged tune “Night Train” carried a lively rhythmic pulse, while “Till We Heal” addressed the slow, often frustrating process of social progress. Reflecting on her work supporting California’s Proposition 8 marriage equality campaign, Posner noted that change can sometimes feel like “five steps forward and three steps back.” Her hopeful anthem “I Do Believe in Love” transformed that sentiment into an uplifting audience clap-along moment, while her closing song “Darkest Hours” featured rich harmonies shared with Scholz and her harmony singer Paula Fong.

Kate Grahn followed with a soulfully grounded yet energetic set suggesting a young Sara Bareilles in the making. Her song “Scot Free” blended melodic charm with lyrical wit, delivered with a confident vocal presence. Perhaps the most atmospheric voice of the evening belonged to closing performer Sofia Gomez, whose airy tone and emotional phrasing evoked the moody intimacy of Billie Eilish. At moments her voice rose into a soaring register, giving her performance a cinematic sense of emotional release that brought the evening to a graceful close.

Throughout the night, what stood out most was the unmistakable camaraderie among the performers. These were not artists competing for attention, but musicians celebrating each other’s voices and stories. In honoring International Women’s Day, the showcase became a reminder that music remains one of the most powerful ways to share experiences, amplify voices and build community.

As the final notes faded, the night felt like a fitting tribute not only to the women who took the stage but also to the venue itself—a space where countless artists have found their voice over the years. For one evening at least, the Hotel Café once again lived up to its reputation as one of Los Angeles’ most cherished listening rooms, filled with songs, stories and the unmistakable feeling of artists supporting artists.The post 4TH ANNUAL WOMEN'S DAY CELEBRATION AT THE HOTEL CAFE first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

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Spotify launches SongDNA in beta for Premium subscribers, tracing how songs connect through shared producers, samples and coversSongDNA lets subscribers trace how one song connects to another through shared producers, samples and covers.
Source

US FCC Prohibits Approval of New Foreign-Made Consumer RoutersThe US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is tasked with regulating both wired and wireless communications, which also includes a national security component. This is how previously the FCC tossed networking gear made by Huawei and foreign-manufactured drones onto its Covered List, effectively banning it from sale in the US. Now foreign-made consumer routers have been added to this list, barring explicit conditional approval on said list that would exempt them during a ‘transition phase’.
As per the FCC fact sheet, this follows after determination by an interagency body that such routers “pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States [..]”. This document points us to the National Security Determination PDF, which attempts to lay out the reasoning. In it is noted that routers are an integral part of every day life, and compromised routers are a major risk factor, ergo it follows that only US-manufactured routers are to be trusted.
These – so far fictional – US-manufactured consumer routers would have to feature ‘trusted supply chains’, which would seem to imply onshoring a large industrial base, though without specifying how deep this would have to go it’s hard to say what would be involved. The ‘supporting evidence’ section also only talks about firmware-related vulnerabilities, which would imply that US firmware developers do not produce CVEs.

Currently there do not appear to be any specific details on what router manufacturers are supposed to do about this whole issue, though they can continue to sell previously FCC-approved routers in the US.
Although hardware backdoors are definitely a possibility, this requires a fair bit of effort within the supply chain that should generally also fairly easily to detect. Yet after for example Bloomberg claimed in 2018 that Supermicro gear had been infested with hardware backdoors, this started a years-long controversy.
Meanwhile actually verified issues with Supermicro hardware are boringly due to software CVEs. In that particular issue from 2024 two CVEs were discovered involving a lack of validation of a newly uploaded firmware image.
All of which is reminiscent of an early 2024 White House ‘memory safety appeal’ that smelled very strongly of red herring. Although it’s easy to point at compromised hardware with scary backdoors and sneaky software backdoors hidden deep inside firmware of servers and networking devices, the truth of the matter is that sloppy input validation is still by far the #1 cause of fresh CVEs each year, especially if you look at the CVEs that are actually being actively exploited.
As for this de-facto ban on new routers being sold in the US, this will correspondingly not change much here. The best defense against issues with networking equipment is still to practice network hygiene by keeping tabs on what is being sent on the LAN and WAN sides, while a government could e.g. force consumer routers to pass a strict independent hardware and software audit paid for by the manufacturer.
Speaking as someone who used to run DIY routers for the longest time built around FreeSCO and Smoothwall Linux, there’s also always the option of turning any old PC into a router by putting a bunch of NICs and WNICs into it and run SmoothWall, OpenWRT, etc.. A router is after all just a specialized computer, regardless of what the government feels that it identifies as.

Audio Damage releases Evil Otto, a free OTT multiband compressor plugin
Audio Damage has released Evil Otto, a free OTT-style multiband compressor for desktop. The iOS version is a separate $2.99 purchase in the App Store. To download the desktop version, you just need to join the Audio Damage mailing list (or log in if you are already a member), and you will receive a download [...]
View post: Audio Damage releases Evil Otto, a free OTT multiband compressor plugin

Electro-Harmonix release Oceans Abyss editor Previously limited to preset management only, EHXport App now presents all of the Oceans Abyss' controls and settings in a dedicated software editor with a user-friendly GUI.

Akai Pro unveil the MPC Sample The MPC Sample draws its inspiration from the likes of the MPC60, and allows users to sample, chop and arrange beats anywhere with no computer required. 

INTERSECT is a free open-source sample slicer plugin
INTERSECT is a free, open-source sample slicer plugin for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It has been steadily improving over the past several releases. BPB reader bmovie suggested I give it another try in our community section (thank you!), and I have to say I am impressed with how polished it has become. If you need [...]
View post: INTERSECT is a free open-source sample slicer plugin

UVI Sparkverb algorithmic reverb plugin is FREE on KVR until April 12th
UVI’s Sparkverb algorithmic reverb is available for free on KVR Audio for a limited time. The plugin normally costs €79, and the giveaway runs until April 12th. Unsurprisingly, to claim your copy, you need a free KVR account. I made my first steps in the world of music production there, so if you ask me, [...]
View post: UVI Sparkverb algorithmic reverb plugin is FREE on KVR until April 12th

Renowned mastering engineer Chris Athens has diedMastering engineer Chris Athens has sadly passed away due to complications following a planned heart surgery.
The news has been shared in a statement posted on social media by his wife, Judi Krant Athens. She has confirmed that his successful mastering company, Chris Athens Masters, which he founded in 2010, will continue on in honour of his legacy.
Athens ran his company alongside engineers Kurt Bradley and Dave Huffman. Together, their work has reached over 288 billion streams, achieved 833 platinum records, and 54 diamond records. You can view Athens’ discography via the Chris Athens Mastering website.
“Dear Friends, Clients, and Collaborators, it’s with profound sadness that I share the passing of my husband, Chris Athens, after complications following a planned heart surgery,” Judi says.
“Chris dedicated his life to music and to the art of mastering. He felt privileged to spend his days (and nights) working on music he loved with artists he deeply respected. Those who knew Chris know he was more than just those bionic ears, he was singularly funny, kind, and generous.
“In honouring his legacy, Chris Athens Masters will continue operating, carrying forward the standards and sonic sensibility Chris built throughout his career. Although Chris was the founder and namesake of the studio, it wasn’t a one-man operation, it has always been a team.”
She adds, “Over the last decade and a half, Dave and Kurt have been an integral part of Chris’s process, instincts, and approach to mastering. We’re grateful for the trust so many artists and labels placed in Chris, and we remain committed to continuing the work he loved. We’ll share information about a celebration of life at a later date. Thank you for being part of his journey.”

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Athens had over 30 years of experience in the industry. His career began at Sony Music Studios, followed by 13 years as a Senior Mastering Engineer at Sterling Sound in New York City. He went on to relocate to Austin, TX, where he founded Chris Athens Masters.
He also received Grammy nominations for Album of the Year and Record of the Year for his work with Drake on Views, Scorpion, and God’s Plan, and has three Latin Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, and Best Engineered Album for Rosalía’s El Mal Querer and C. Tangana’s El Madrileño.
The post Renowned mastering engineer Chris Athens has died appeared first on MusicTech.

The MusicTech Magazine March/April 2026 issue is coming: here’s how to get your copyThe MusicTech Magazine March/April 2026 issue goes on sale this week, bundled with NME Magazine. Here’s how you can get a copy.
Last April, we announced the relaunch of the MusicTech print edition after a four-year hiatus, and we’ve since had producer Blake Slatkin and artist Sudan Archives on the print cover. Now, we’re gearing up to launch the March/April 2026 issue, which will as always come bundled with a copy of NME Magazine.
Mark your calendars for Thursday March 26 at 2pm GMT – that’s when the cover stars of both magazines will be revealed and the mags go on sale exclusively via retailer Dawsons. The waiting room is open, so check it out now.
Besides MusicTech, Guitar.com has also returned to print. Guitar.com, MusicTech and NME are sister publications under NME Networks. The new Guitar.com and MusicTech print editions alternate with every bi-monthly edition of NME Magazine – which itself was relaunched in 2023 – meaning three print editions per calendar year for each brand.
Subscribe here for more information about MusicTech Magazine and to receive an exclusive queue jump opportunity, where readers can get their hands on a copy before anyone else. MusicTech will send out queue jump tickets shortly before the magazine goes on sale to subscribers.
The post The MusicTech Magazine March/April 2026 issue is coming: here’s how to get your copy appeared first on MusicTech.