Music Business Worldwide launches The MBW Database, a vital new resource for the music industry (and its investors)New site offers over 150 charts, built from more than 2,500 data points. It will be constantly updated.
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Range Music Publishing Announces New SigningsOn the heels of a massive first year with five chart-topping hits across multiple radio formats, Range Music Publishing kicks off 2025 by adding writers/producers Darius Coleman, Alex Goose, James Maddocks and Simon Oscroft to its diverse roster.
Coleman, signed in partnership with Tommy Brown and Champagne Therapy Music Group, has worked with an impressive array of artists, including Normani, Chris Brown, Renee Rapp, DJ Khaled and Coco Jones. He co-wrote "You See Me" from The Color Purple soundtrack, which was nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media at the 67th Grammy Awards.
Los Angeles-based producer/songwriter Alex Goose has collaborated with Childish Gambino, Vince Staples, Brockhampton, Aaron Frazer, Adrian Quesada (Black Pumas), Freddie Gibbs, and Kevin Gates. He’s also composed original music for global brands such as Nike, Apple, Samsung, Google, and Target and produced the iconic Ghostbusterstheme for the 2016 soundtrack Ghostbusters (Answer the Call).
Maddocks, signed in partnership with Charlie Handsome, is known for his versatility across country, hip-hop and R&B. Recent successes include co-writing Morgan Wallen’s No. 1 country radio hit “Cowgirls” (feat. ERNEST) and collaborating with artists such as Post Malone, Khalid, Lil Baby and H.E.R.
Simon Oscroft, signed in partnership with Baxter House, is a songwriter from New Zealand now based in Los Angeles. He’s a long-term close collaborator with Almost Monday and co-wrote and produced their current #1 Alternative hit, “Can’t Slow Down.” Other cuts include songs with Pale Waves, The Aces and OneRepublic.
Casey Robison, Head of Range Music Publishing, says, “We’re excited to introduce the latest additions to Range Publishing. These exceptional writers bring remarkable talent, creativity, and expertise, further elevating our roster. Their contributions will play a vital role in our continued growth as we build on the momentum of our first year.”
In its first year of operation, Range Music Publishing celebrated five chart-topping hits across multiple radio formats. Notably, Shaboozey’s “Bar Song (Tipsy),” co-written by client Sean Cook and co-signed with Warner Chappell, reached #1 across Top 40, Country, Hot AC, Rhythmic charts and tied “Old Town Road” as the longest-running number-one song of all time on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Shaboozey as a breakout star.
Beyond Cook’s work on “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and Paul Russell’s “Lil Boo Thang,” Range has also found success with Geoff Warburton (Tyler Hubbard’s “Back Then Right Now,” Luke Bryan’s “But I Got a Beer in My Hand”, co-signed by Big Machine) and Tyler Dopps (#1 Dance radio hit “Young & Foolish” by Loud Luxury featuring Charlieonnafriday).
Last year, Range Music Publishing inked an exclusive, global administration deal with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), the global music publishing division of Universal Music Group. The new agreement expanded on Range Media Partners’ existing relationships with Universal Music Group’s Capitol Music Group and Virgin Music Group.
Range Music represents a wide range of talent including Jack Harlow, Shaboozey, Tanya Tucker, Cordae, Pentatonix, Saweetie, Midland, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Lauv, Dylan Gossett, MAX, Bazzi, Sean Douglas, Paul Russell, Wondagurl, Russell Dickerson, Coi Leray and more. The publishing division is supported by Range Music’s entire partnership, which includes Matt Graham, Jack Minihan, Tyler Henry, Melissa Ruderman, Chris Thomas, Evan Winiker, Cory Litwin, Shawn McSpadden, Rachel Douglas and Jared Cotter.
Range Media Partners is one of the most disruptive new representation businesses in entertainment, with a foothold in the music, film, television, production, comedy and sports industries, as well as offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, and Nashville.The post Range Music Publishing Announces New Signings first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

These keyboards can control your DAW – and have a built-in trackpad to replace your mouseNUX is launching three new keyboard controllers with built in track pads, so you can say goodbye to your desktop mouse.
The NUX NTK is available with either 37, 49, or 61 keys. The lineup marks the brands’ first series of USB keyboard controllers, which are designed to make working with your DAW much more seamless, and streamline your desktop setup.

READ MORE: The feature set of Minimal Audio’s Wave Shifter frequency modulator is seriously impressive

All three models have buttons for DAW transport control, plus a range of pre-configured presets for simple integration with DAWs such as Cubase (Cubase LE is included with all models), Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Nuendo, Ableton Live, Studio One, FL Studio, and GarageBand. There’s also a memory slot for a custom DAW configuration, plus a MIDI mode on each model, allowing users to configure controls via the keyboard using its display and push encoder, or through the included software editor.
Each keyboard hosts two wheels for pitch bend and modulation, and has nine programmable faders. The 49- and 61-key models also have eight rotary knobs, with the mighty 61-key NTK being the only keyboard in the range to feature eight velocity-sensitive pads, plus a Bank A/B button. All three keyboard controllers also feature a five-pin MIDI output and a sustain pedal jack, alongside USB-B connectivity.
Take a closer a the NTK-61 model in the video below:

For 2025, MusicTech has rounded up the best MIDI controllers to buy in this year, starting with the 12 best Ableton Live controllers you can currently find on the market. Among our picks is the Ableton Push, Novation SL MkIII, and Yaeltex TURN – just to name a few.
To find out more head over to NUX. Official pricing details and availability are yet to be confirmed.
The post These keyboards can control your DAW – and have a built-in trackpad to replace your mouse appeared first on MusicTech.

Joe Satriani: “Anyone can make decent music at home, which is good for people who – because of their sex or appearance – have been cut out of the music scene”Technology has made the barriers to entry in music production lower than ever. Nowadays, Google can be your music teacher, music tech equipment is affordable and social media can get your name out there fast. In the eyes of guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani, that’s definitely a good thing.
Of course, while modern musicians have to fight to get their name out their in a more saturated market, Satriani acknowledges that the industry has been “democratised” and is keen to emphasise its benefits.

READ MORE: Can labelled AI content help preserve the music industry?

The topic came up during an interview with Terrie Carr of WDHA, during which Satriani discusses how technological advances have helped musicians from marginalised backgrounds.
“If you happen to listen to Alyssa Day, she can shred any guy out there,” he says [as transcribed by Ultimate Guitar]. “There’s no difference in aptitude and technical prowess… The opportunity is so important. I don’t think it’s any different for any other art form or business form, if society, either locally or on a bigger scale, doesn’t provide an opportunity for someone to grow into that niche, that business, that art form, then it it sits dormant. And I think, with the digital age, music production has become democratised.

“Everybody can pretty much make a decent musical product at home with their laptop, or their iPad, or something like that. And this has been a good thing for people who, maybe because of their sex or their appearance, have been cut out of the music scene, because they don’t fit. They don’t have a TV look, or they don’t have the right sound for a particular radio station.”
Satriani goes on to talk about how you can find “the most amazing guitar players” on Instagram, who are breaking boundaries in terms of the skills they’re showing off.
“That’s all broken down; the artists and the fans connect without the need for the music industry infrastructure. This has been great for music. If you go to Instagram, you just see the most amazing guitar players from ages eight to 18. They’re just playing better than guitar players have ever played before in the history of the world. So this is a great thing.”
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‘Banned’ TikTok still outperforms YouTube, Facebook in U.S.TikTok outperforms YouTube and Facebook in the US in January, according to a new report from Guggenheim Partners and Apptopia. Unofficial app stores are seeing up to 2000 TikTok downloads per hour.
The post ‘Banned’ TikTok still outperforms YouTube, Facebook in U.S. appeared first on Hypebot.

Streaming is losing steam. It’s time to reimagine music’s futureStreaming was supposed to save the music industry, but it's leaving artists behind. As streaming is losing steam, it’s time to rethink the model and put creators back at the center of their own success, writes Alexandre Saboundjian, the CEO of Winamp.
The post Streaming is losing steam. It’s time to reimagine music’s future appeared first on Hypebot.

Sampleson releases rePEDAL, a FREE AI guitar pedal maker for macOS and Windows
Sampleson’s rePEDAL is an experiment in machine learning; the project is currently in beta, and feedback is welcome. In short, rePEDAL is an AI-powered overdrive pedal generator. You get an infinite amount of overdrive pedals in a single plugin. The HD interface looks fantastic and incredibly user-friendly, with just a few controls. In terms of [...]
View post: Sampleson releases rePEDAL, a FREE AI guitar pedal maker for macOS and Windows

DR-05XP & DR-07XP recorders from Tascam Tascam have announced the upcoming launch of two new handheld recorders that build on the strengths of their popular DR-series devices.

AI training on copyrighted content ruled not “fair use” by US court – how could this impact the music industry?In a landmark decision, a US district court has ruled that using copyrighted material without permission to train AI does not constitute “fair use”, a ruling that could have far-reaching implications for the music industry’s ongoing legal battles against AI companies.
The case in question saw news conglomerate Thomson Reuters, proprietor of the renowned Reuters news agency, face off against Ross Intelligence, a now-defunct legal AI startup.
The dispute centred on Ross Intelligence’s use of Thomson Reuters’ Westlaw legal research database to train its AI-powered search engine without authorisation. Ross argued that its use of copyrighted material qualified for a “fair use” exemption – an argument strikingly reminiscent of those made by AI firms facing lawsuits from the music industry.

READ MORE: So…How did Apple Music become a hero of streaming services, and Spotify a supervillain?

On 11 February, Judge Stephanos Bibas of the US District Court for the District of Delaware rejected Ross’s fair use defence, overturning a 2023 decision that had previously sent the case to a jury trial.
In his ruling, Judge Bibas noted that “originality is central to copyright.” And per court documents, Thomson Reuters’ headnotes (“A headnote is a short, key point of law chiseled out of a lengthy judicial opinion”) were determined to “have original value as individual works.”
“More than that, each headnote is an individual, copyrightable work,” the judge noted. “That became clear to me once I analogised the lawyer’s editorial judgment to that of a sculptor. A block of raw marble, like a judicial opinion, is not copyrightable. Yet a sculptor creates a sculpture by choosing what to cut away and what to leave in place. That sculpture is copyrightable.”
The court also ruled that Ross’s use of Thomson Reuters’ data was “not transformative” because, “it does not have a ‘further purpose or different character’ from Thomson Reuters’”
“Even taking all facts in favor of Ross, it meant to compete with Westlaw by developing a market substitute. And it does not matter whether Thomson Reuters has used the data to train its own legal search tools; the effect on a potential market for AI training data is enough.”
Ross’s use was “commercial”, which undermined its fair use defense.
While the ruling appears to favour copyright holders, Judge Bibas stressed that his decision specifically addressed non-generative AI, stating, “Because the AI landscape is changing rapidly, I note for readers that only non-generative AI is before me today”.
This distinction opens the door for future debates, particularly in cases involving generative AI tools, such as those used to create music, like Suno or Udio. These tools don’t just analyse and categorise data — they generate new content, and are likely to be treated differently under copyright law.
Regardless, the Thomson Reuters versus Ross case marks a crucial moment in the ongoing legal conversation surrounding AI and copyright. It signals that courts are becoming more vigilant in scrutinising the relationship between AI and copyrighted material, which would hopefully pave the way for more cases in which the music industry — among others — fights to retain control over their intellectual property.
The post AI training on copyrighted content ruled not “fair use” by US court – how could this impact the music industry? appeared first on MusicTech.

After a juicy tease earlier this week, Apple’s second generation of PowerBeats Pro earbuds are hereApple has given Beats’ Powerbeats Pro an upgrade. Following on from the sporty earbuds’ first-gen release in 2019, the brand new Powerbeats Pro 2 model is set to be Beats’ most secure earbuds to date, as well as boasting Active Noise Cancellation, Heart Rate Monitoring and 10 hours of battery life.
Tested by nearly 1,000 different athletes, the Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds are designed to suit just about any sportsperson’s requirements. The nifty hooks are 50 per cent smaller this generation, designed with an ultra-flexible nickel-titanium alloy to adjust to any ear shape. They’re also able to withstand rain, snow, and heat, meaning they’re suitable for even the sweatiest of athletes.

READ MORE: Stevie Wonder demoed the Apple Vision Pro, according to CEO Tim Cook: “It’s always great to get feedback from Stevie”

While the 10-hour battery life, runners can comfortably set off without concerns of your podcasts cutting off mid-run. The portable charging case also ups the ante, holding up to 45 hours of battery life. That means you can get plenty of miles out of your buds before needing to recharge via USB-C or wirelessly.
The Powerbeats Pro 2 will also be the very first Apple-branded headphones equipped with built-in heart rate monitoring. As it stands, the Apple Watch is currently the only Apple product able to track your heart rate. The addition will allow users to share and track data with fitness apps, a vital feature for athletes hoping to keep tabs on their progress.

Apple has also upgraded the buds’ noise cancellation potential, fitting the earphones with an Apple H2 chip, which is also used in the AirPods Pro 2. It means that the earbuds can adapt the intensity of their noise cancellation depending on your environment. There’s also a Transparency Mode, allowing you to switch off noise cancellation if you’d like.
Adaptive EQ is also a new feature that will adapt the listening experience to each user. The Powerbeats Pro 2 will continuously scan your ear shape to optimise your listening experience, actively customising the sound. There’s also five different sized ear tips included, so your customised listening experience will also be extra comfy.
Tactile buttons allow you to adjust volume and skip tracks on-the-go. However, there’s also a voice control option if you don’t want to break your stride.
The Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds currently come in four colours. There’s more classic options Jet Black and Quick Sand, but a vibrant Electric Orange and Hyper Purple are available to give that extra touch of personality.
You can grab a pair of Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds for £249.99 from Apple now.
The post After a juicy tease earlier this week, Apple’s second generation of PowerBeats Pro earbuds are here appeared first on MusicTech.

The feature set of Minimal Audio’s Wave Shifter frequency modulator is seriously impressiveMinimal Audio has introduced its Wave Shifter “warped” frequency modulator plugin.
Wave Shifter offers frequency shifting, ring modulation, and amp modulation effects that modulate the input signal, generating new harmonics and inharmonic sidebands. Flexible frequency controls like BPM sync, tuning, and stereo spread gives you additional control over your sound.

READ MORE: “The first take is ‘the take’… if you keep it on a loop, you get unlimited options which blocks your process”: Jungle’s J Lloyd on keeping creativity free and imperfect

The plugin includes controls typically found in synthesizers, such as FM and soft sync, enabling the creation of “unique harmonic distortion effects”. Dive into FM feedback routing for chaotic textures, add grit with noise operators, or use the external sidechain input to turn any sound into a frequency modulation source.
The onboard morphing LFO lets you build anything from high-tech data rhythms to complex harmonic movement. Feel free to customise its behaviour with adjustable waveforms, randomisation, and stereo offset to create unique, evolving effects.
In the event that you’re feeling uninspired, Wave Shifter also features a diverse collection of presets – over 70, in fact – ranging from futuristic, sci-fi-esque sound effects to high-powered distortion and beyond.
The plugin is fully compatible with macOS 10.11 and higher, including native Apple silicon, as well as Windows 10 and higher. It can be used in any major DAW that supports 64-bit AAX, AU, VST2, and/or VST3 formats.
Wave Shifter is available at an intro price of $29 (usual price $49), or $15 per month as part of Minimal Audio’s All Access subscription plan.

Learn more at Minimal Audio.
The post The feature set of Minimal Audio’s Wave Shifter frequency modulator is seriously impressive appeared first on MusicTech.

“Our core experience still needs significant improvement”: Sonos interim CEO promises return to brand’s “scrappier” rootsFollowing the announcement of 200 job cuts last week, Sonos is headed in a fresh new direction, with interim CEO Tom Conrad promising a return to the company’s “scrappier” roots.
During the company’s latest Q1 earnings call, Conrad – who took over after Patrick Spence’s departure in January – laid out his vision for a “more focused” Sonos. The interim chief also did not mince words about the challenges ahead.

READ MORE: Sonos CEO apologises for disastrous app rollout in open letter

“Despite recent progress, our core experience still needs significant improvement,” Conrad admits, citing the “complex and long-standing software problems” that plagued the company and frustrated its customers.
The admission comes in the wake of a disastrous app update last May that ultimately led to then-CEO Patrick Spence’s resignation. Conrad, a board member since 2017, says he has been working closely with the software team since last fall and expressed confidence in their commitment to “improving the Sonos experience to a place that exceeds the expectations of all of our customers”.
“I’m all in on reinvigorating and accelerating this essential work.”
“I’m returning Sonos to a scrappier and more focused enterprise,” Conrad says. “I’ve reorganised our product and engineering staff into functional teams for hardware, software, design, quality and operations and away from dedicated business units devoted to individual product categories.”
“This allows us to bring together rightsized cross functional projects that maximise our efficiency as we continuously evaluate, prioritise and focus on the highest value market opportunities.”
Despite these challenges, Sonos reported better-than-expected earnings for Q1 of 2025, with a revenue of $551 million.
In a message shared on its website last week, Sonos described the decision to let go 200 of its employees – including nearly 50 managers and executives – as a “very difficult” one: “There’s no way around the fact that this is a terrible outcome,” the brand said.
“Being smaller and more focused will require us to do a much better job of prioritising our work – lately we’ve let too many projects run under a cloud of half-commitment.”
The post “Our core experience still needs significant improvement”: Sonos interim CEO promises return to brand’s “scrappier” roots appeared first on MusicTech.

Audio-Technica has released its next generation of cartilage conduction headphonesIf you thought Audio-Technica’s first cartilage conduction headphones were a game-changer, brace yourself for round two.
The newly announced ATH-CC500BT2 takes everything that made the original great and pushes it further, offering a refined blend of high-quality audio, all-day comfort, and intuitive features that integrate seamlessly into daily life.

READ MORE: It looks like Apple is about to unveil its newest PowerBeats Pro model

Designed to deliver premium sound without blocking your ears, the ATH-CC500BT2 lets you stay connected to your environment while enjoying crystal-clear music and calls. Whether you’re tackling a work-from-home marathon, enjoying a nature walk, or squeezing in a quick workout, these headphones adapt effortlessly.
The secret lies in Audio-Technica’s cartilage conduction technology, which transmits sound vibrations through the ear’s cartilage instead of the ear canal. This means enhanced hygiene, reduced ear fatigue, and an overall safer listening experience.
The ATH-CC500BT2 isn’t just a refresh — it’s a complete upgrade. Next-generation vibration drivers deliver clearer, richer sound at higher volumes, while the brand’s proprietary Acoustic Pure Sound Stabiliser mechanism prevents external vibrations from degrading audio quality.
Call clarity is also a major highlight, thanks to AI Noise Reduction powered by intelliGo, which isolates your voice from background noise, making online meetings and phone calls smoother than ever.
Need all-day power? You’ve got it. With a best-in-class 20-hour battery life on a full charge and a 10-minute quick charge yielding two hours of playback, the ATH-CC500BT2 ensures you’re never without your soundtrack. And for those unpredictable weather moments, an IPX4 water-resistant rating keeps you covered.
Image: Audio-Technica
Meanwhile, Audio-Technica’s Connect app adds another layer of personalisation, allowing you to fine-tune your listening experience. Switch to Clear Voice Mode for enhanced dialogue, activate BGM Mode for relaxing background music, or enable Limit Sound Leakage Mode for discreet listening in public spaces.
For those seeking a moment of calm, the new Soundscape function offers a library of nature sounds designed to enhance focus, relaxation, or meditation.
Add in multipoint Bluetooth connectivity, voice assistant support, and an ultra-lightweight design (32 grams!) featuring flexible titanium and soft silicone materials, and you’ve got a pair of headphones that truly does it all.
The Audio-Technica ATH-CC500BT2 is now out, priced at £119/€139.
For more details, visit Audio Technica.
The post Audio-Technica has released its next generation of cartilage conduction headphones appeared first on MusicTech.

DJs recognised as “skilled workers” under UK’s post-Brexit visa rulesDJs are officially classified as “skilled workers” under the UK’s post-Brexit visa regulations, a new study has found.
According to The Guardian, analysis of Home Office data from 2021-2024 reveals that DJs were among several professions — alongside cabin crew, fitness instructors, and veterinary nurses — granted skilled workers visas since 2021.

READ MORE: “There’s no such thing as ‘Album of the Year’ – someone made that up”: Jacob Collier doesn’t mind that he didn’t win a Grammy for his album, Djesse Vol. 4

Researcher Robert McNeil from the University of Oxford told The Guardian that many of the vocations in the list are “challenging and require particular skills” even if they “might not be the sort of things that are front of mind for most people when they imagine roles that are critical for UK employers to recruit from overseas.”
In a new blog post, McNeil explains that “middle-skilled jobs” were on the list because the Home Office had lowered the criteria required to apply for a skilled worker visa after the UK had left the EU.
“When people think about such middle-skilled jobs, roles like plumbers, bricklayers or engineering technicians spring to mind. But defining what is actually middle-skilled is not straightforward,” he states. “Some of the results are surprising.”
That said, foreign DJs seeking work in the UK still face significant hurdles. According to Home Office sources cited by The Guardian, applicants must secure sponsorship from an employer and meet a minimum salary requirement of £38,700 per year. For those under 26 and undergoing higher education, this threshold is slightly lower at £31,000.
Per Mixmag, successful applicants of the skilled worker visa can remain in the UK for five years, though DJs can also apply for a Creative Worker visa concession, which will allow them to work in the country for up to three months.
Meanwhile, “Permit Free Festivals” like The Warehouse Project, Creamfields, and Wireless can sponsor international artists for up to six months. The UK also offers a Creative Worker visa, which allows artists to stay for up to 12 months with a certificate of sponsorship.
In related news, a new report from The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) found that electronic music added an estimated £2.4 billion to the UK economy last year.
2024 also saw record-breaking ticket sales for electronic music events, raising £163 million alone (recorded by Skiddle).
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Qrion: “My process is to first sit down in a chair and think about a specific moment – a memory, sound, or smell”Momiji Tsukada prefers melodies to words. Better known to her fans as Qrion, the Japanese-born and US-based DJ, producer, and songwriter has built a keen fan base of 400,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, toured across the globe, and played high-profile shows at Colorado’s Red Rocks and EDC Las Vegas. Yet, to hear her tell it, shyness is still a big part of everyday life. “I’m really not good at communicating in the world,” says Tsukada. “Music is the way I express what I think and feel.”
Clearly, her songs are resonating with people. Since the release of her first single, Another Sea, in 2012, Tsukada has followed up with a string of EPs and a debut album that made it into Billboard’s 20 Best Dance Albums of 2021. She was selected as Spotify Japan’s EQUAL Artist, DJ Mag’s ‘Future Star’, and even made it onto Forbes Japan’s ‘30 Under 30’ list.

READ MORE: Ela Minus: “I never wanted to be signed to a label; I never wanted to play big festivals”

Over the last few years, however, we’ve heard a bit less from Tsukada – but for good reason. The intensive process of creating 2021’s I Hope It Lasts Forever left the artist exhausted and in need of a reset. Now, Qrion is back with a deeply personal, and determinedly hopeful new album, We Are Always Under The Same Sky.
Released on Tsukada’s go-to independent label, London’s beloved Anjunadeep imprint, she says the anticipation to get the record into the hands of fans has been building up over the last few months. “I finished it last October,” she enthuses. “It was supposed to be released earlier, but it got pushed back a little bit. We waited, waited, and waited, and I was getting anxious that maybe the hype was getting too high. Now I see the reaction from the people on the [dance]floor, and I’m really happy.”
A thread linking all of Tsukada’s work is her focus on memory – capturing the feeling of a specific place, time, season, or feeling through music. Her new album is no exception: the record’s ten tracks draw deeply on Tsukada’s lived experiences, expressed through uplifting melodies, emotive lyrics, and animator and designer Zee Yorke’s vibrant album art, which Tsukada says is intended to be a “sketch of her childhood.”
Image: Press
One theme Tsukada’s music returns to more than any other is Sapporo. Located in the far north of Japan, and famous for its beer, ramen, and annual snow festival, the area is fondly chronicled on tracks like Ice Palace, and Miyanosawa – the town where Tsukada spent her childhood. “I grew up there for 20 years, and I’ve been in the US for 10 years,” says Tsukada. “I guess I’m more American now, but still the memory is super important – Sapporo is the place where my journey started.”
When asked what first set her feet on the path to globe-trotting producer and DJ, a key source of influence emerges – her parents. Growing up, Tsukada’s mother worked evenings running a Sake bar in town while her father worked as a pianist performing in bands and in hotel lounges. From a young age, she says, they both encouraged her to push back against the rigid norms and expectations of Japanese society, and to find her own way.
“Japan’s culture values being the same, or being cohesive,” Tsukada says. “I do agree with that, and it’s very beautiful, but my parents would always say ‘You should wear different colours because it’s more unique.’ I didn’t understand the meaning at first, and I would actually get called out by my classmates because I really liked blue colours and girls are supposed to like pink.
“There was a moment when I had to give a speech in front of my classmates,” continues Tsukada. “And I said there was no such thing as ‘pink is for women, blue is for boys’. I still vividly remember the moment.”
Image: Press
After gifting her with a rebellious streak, Tsukada’s parents set another crucial example – they were both musical. She recalls her mother playing classical piano in the family home when she was growing up, while her father played freestyle jazz. “One time I was copying his freestyle playing, trying to make an original song on piano at home,” Tsukada recalls. “He was listening from the other room and he came up to me and said ‘What was the song? It was good.’ That was the moment I thought, ‘Oh, maybe I can create my own music.’”
It was her father who first introduced her to GarageBand and encouraged her to begin making her own tracks. His passing, when Tsukada was in her late teens, was devastating – and something she was still struggling to process while making her 2021 debut album, I Hope It Lasts Forever. In contrast to that album’s bittersweet nostalgia, We Are Always Under The Same Sky looks backward with warmth, energy, and a sense of new beginnings.
“When I worked on the last album I was dealing with substance abuse,” Tsukada admits. “So, I put all those sad feelings into the melody. Now that I’ve finally recovered, I’m able to put happiness into the music.”
Despite her early grounding in piano, Tsukada says that her new songs started not at the keyboard, but during a moment of quiet contemplation: “My process is to first sit down in a chair and think about a specific moment – a memory, sound, or smell – and then I try to express that as a melody. So, obviously Goa comes from when I was in Goa, India – that idea is in the melody.”
Image: Press
Once she has the beginnings of a melody, she moves over to Cubase. “That was the first music software I got for myself when I was 17,” she recalls fondly. “I saved money from a part-time job and bought Cubase because my favourite Japanese artist was using it and he’d done an advertisement. I didn’t know Ableton Live or Logic Pro existed back then – nowadays I’m very comfortable using it.”
When it comes to crafting sounds, Tuskada says she prefers to work in-the-box. “I had a phase where I kept buying analogue synthesisers,” she recalls. “But I realised that software plugins are easier for me because there’s just more flexibility. I do sometimes use hardware drum machines, but mainly I’m playing my melodies on a MIDI keyboard and using VSTs.”
Tsukada says her go-to soft-synth whilst working on We Are Always Under The Same Sky was u-he’s venerable Diva, coupled with EchoBoy from Soundtoys. “They’re great for making textures and I love filling the blank space with ambient noise,” she says, referencing the album’s beautiful closer, Sad Song, which also features South Korean producer and vocalist, DIDI HAN.
Tsukada brought a number of different collaborators on board for the new album, including Pinkpirate, Josie Man, and Blake.08. The album as a whole offers an exciting snapshot of the diversity of talent surging into EDM as the scene becomes less male and less western-centric. However, according to Tsukada, none of that was planned; it was simply a matter of what the music needed. “It just sort of happened,” she says. “I really like male vocals, but, because my music is very chill and has a lot of texture, I feel that female vocals – the high notes – these work much more.”

Despite collaborating with plenty of artists over the years, Tsukada says her natural instinct is still to write in isolation. “Working alone is definitely more comfortable for me,” she admits. “I’m really shy when I meet a person for the first time and I get really anxious. But the song Lean Into Light was actually finished in a studio in London together with Pinkpirate. She was a really chill person and we did a little bit of arranging together during the session to finish it off.”
As she gets ready to embark on a tour of North America, and looks ahead to future dates in India and Asia, Tsukada says she has turned the page on a new chapter in her career and in her songwriting. Where once her songs dealt with loss, frustrations, and struggles, now, she draws upon the joy of “stories, emotions, travels, and meeting new people.”
One thing that hasn’t changed is the role that music plays in Tsukada’s life. It’s still her art form, her anchor, and her preferred way of communicating with the world: “I always think about what I will be doing in five or ten years. I don’t know if my style will change and people won’t like it, or if my style will become more mainstream and maybe people will love it. I’m not sure, but I know I want to believe in my passion and keep doing what I love – making music and sharing it with people.”
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