Spotify says support for external payments on iOS has already boosted subscriptionsSpotify says its ability to direct its customers to external payment links in its iOS app has already had a positive impact on sales. In a newly filed amicus brief in support of Epic Games in its ongoing legal battle with Apple over external payments on the App Store, Spotify claims its internal data indicates […]

New Spotify Upcoming Releases hub powered by Countdown PagesThe new Spotify Upcoming Releases hub is dedicated to highlighting soon-to-be-released albums. It's powered by Countdown Pages and is designed to build new release discovery and momentum.
The post New Spotify Upcoming Releases hub powered by Countdown Pages appeared first on Hypebot.

Royalties generated by German artists on Spotify reached $520m in 2024, up 17%Germany is among the leading countries in Europe in the popularity of local-language music
Source

Lutefish’s New Device Aims to Solve the Biggest Problem in Remote Music CollaborationMinnesota-based music tech company Lutefish aims to make online music collaboration easier, better, and more musical. Founded by musicians who know the pain of laggy jam sessions and clunky digital tools, the company has just launched the Lutefish Stream, a new device designed to tackle one of the biggest challenges in the world of remote music-making: latency.Unlike traditional software-based solutions, the Lutefish Stream is a plug-and-play hardware device that connects directly to your router via Ethernet. It streams ultra-low-latency 48K audio in real time, offering musicians the ability to rehearse, write, or jam together from hundreds of miles apart—as if they were in the same room. With latency as low as 30–35 milliseconds, it’s fast enough to make tight, real-time collaboration possible.A statement from the company notes that the device was “created by musicians, for musicians,” and is designed to “make it easier than ever to rehearse, jam, and create music together across distances (up to 500 miles apart).”But Lutefish didn’t stop at just solving the latency problem. This week, the company introduced a new feature for the Stream: the In-Session Metronome, designed to help musicians stay in sync, without stepping on anyone’s creative toes.A statement from the company discloses that the metronome allows users to “stay perfectly in time while jamming remotely,” with customizable tempo, volume, and sound options. Importantly, only the user who activates it hears it, preserving the organic flow of a live session without introducing a distracting global click.“Rhythm is critical when you’re making music,” said Patrick Finn, business manager at Lutefish. “With the Stream, and now the in-session metronome, we’re giving musicians tools that make online collaboration not just possible, but musical, connected, and fun.”The metronome supports a range of features typically found in professional studio tools: adjustable tempo from 30 to 252 BPM, multiple sound types (including click, wood block, and cowbell), and on-the-fly activation. Whether you're locking in a groove or working through a complex time signature, the feature is built to give musicians more control without disrupting the group’s vibe.The Lutefish Stream also supports professional audio gear, including microphones, instruments, and mixers. Its design skips the need for complicated software installs or unreliable wireless connections, making it a practical solution for musicians at any level who want to collaborate more often and more effectively.Lutefish describes itself as “more than a company—we’re a community of musicians driven by a shared passion for creativity, innovation, and the power of music.” That ethos is embedded in its mission to break down the barriers that prevent musicians from making music together—whether they live across the street or across the state.If remote collaboration has felt frustrating, impersonal, or just plain impossible, Lutefish’s Stream might be a game-changer. It’s not just about playing together; it’s about making the experience feel authentic again.More information is available at www.lutefish.com.The post Lutefish’s New Device Aims to Solve the Biggest Problem in Remote Music Collaboration first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

NITO study of 20 shows found $6.2M in ticket reseller profitAn analysis of 20 concerts in Maryland showed $6.2M in ticket reseller profit above original face value. The study was conducted by NITO (National Independent Talent Association) at the request of Maryland State Attorney General's Office.
The post NITO study of 20 shows found $6.2M in ticket reseller profit appeared first on Hypebot.

Fracture Sounds release FREE Electric Strings for Kontakt Player
Developer Fracture Sounds has released Blueprint: Electric Strings, their latest free vintage string synth for Kontakt Player. In my last post, I incorrectly stated that the excellent cinematic library, Arrival, was compatible with the free Kontakt Player, and it’s not (I convinced myself that Pianobook libraries were always compatible). If any of you have read [...]
View post: Fracture Sounds release FREE Electric Strings for Kontakt Player

Engineer Michael B. Tretow – an “eternal part of the ABBA sound” – dies at 80Michael B. Tretow, an audio engineer who worked extensively with ABBA – and was often called the group’s ‘fifth member’ – has died aged 80.
In light of the news, all four members of the Swedish pop powerhouse have issued emotional tributes praising Tretow’s role in crafting the ABBA sound over the course of their career.

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

In a collective post on the ABBA Facebook page, Björn Ulvaeus says Tretow’s “importance for ABBA cannot be overstated”, adding: “He was curious and always willing to try new paths. It could be anything from the latest tech to a sound he had heard somewhere.
“Without his thoroughness and talent, our songs would not be played as much as they are to this day.”
Benny Andersson adds: “You meant more to the four of us in ABBA than any other person. I hope and think that you felt that throughout the years when working (and laughing non-stop) in the studio.
“Our music lives on as it seems, and you are the one who made it sound timeless. You were a fantastic inspirer and bringer of happiness. And the finest sound engineer the world has ever seen.”
Meanwhile, Frida describes Tretow as an “eternal part of the ABBA sound”, while Agnetha Fältskog notes: “You were not in good shape at all, but your laughs and your sense of humour were still ever so present.
“So many wonderful memories are with us. Your encouraging words during the recordings meant a lot. We are sad now, such a unique and talented person has left us.
Michael B. Tretow worked on all but one of ABBA’s albums, 2021’s Voyage. He also worked on Chess, a musical with music from Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, and created numerous jingles for Swedish radio television.
While Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus share production credits on ABBA’s albums, it’s widely thought that Tretow – always listed as an engineer – played a key role in creating the ‘ABBA sound‘.

In their own words. Michael B. Tretow, ABBA's sound engineer throughout their career, has left us. He will be fondly remembered.Photo credit: TT
Posted by ABBA on Wednesday, May 21, 2025

The post Engineer Michael B. Tretow – an “eternal part of the ABBA sound” – dies at 80 appeared first on MusicTech.

Inspira & Endura plug-ins from MQA Labs MQA Labs' new plug-ins aim to provide music creators with unprecedented control over the critical details in their recordings by introducing previously unavailable methods for managing impulse response, noise-shaping and dither.

“It’s real sampling gold, right at your fingertips”: Tracklib launches a new mobile app to make beats on the goOver the past year, Tracklib has been expanding its musical offerings, from royalty-free sounds to a new desktop platform. Now, the platform has announced its latest venture – a mobile app to make beatmaking quick and easy on the go.
The Tracklib app offers artists access to the platform’s existing library of pre-cleared and curated sounds. Producers can experiment with vintage sounds spanning from vintage ‘70s soul to rare funk grooves, or toy with samples packs provided by Grammy-winning producers. And you can work with the comfort that every sample is ready and legal to use.

READ MORE: Will GTA 6 change the way gamers discover music?

The app allows you to drag, mix and match different ideas in the palm of your hand. You can pinpoint perfect loops, adjust pitch and BPM, and let your creativity run rampant.
Thankfully, Tracklib syncs up your mobile beats with your Tracklib account. This allows you to seamlessly transition your beats from your phone to your computer, so you can brainstorm on the go, get home, load up your computer and drag your new beat straight into your favourite DAW.
The app is available to Tracklib premium subscribers, and is currently only available on iOS. Of course, you could test out the app with a free Tracklib trial, to see whether you gel with it.

“Most beatmaking apps rely on generic stock sounds,” Andreas Liffgarden, Chairman of Tracklib, says. “What we’ve built is the first of its kind – a mobile app that gives producers instant access to an amazing, curated catalogue of hundreds of thousands of songs and sounds.”
“It’s real sampling gold, right at your fingertips,” he insists.
Tracklib is a favourite among many high profile artists, with Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Kaytranada all experimenting with Tracklib samples. The portability of the new Tracklib app could help these artists bash out more hits, allowing creativity to flourish even outside of the studio.
While the new app is exciting on its own, the company has teased more new products down the line. “We’re just getting started,” Andreas Ahlenius, CEO of Tracklib, teases. “More is coming very soon.”
The Tracklib mobile app is now available on iOS, and can be used with a free trial or a Tracklib subscription is required.
Credit: Tracklib
The post “It’s real sampling gold, right at your fingertips”: Tracklib launches a new mobile app to make beats on the go appeared first on MusicTech.

“People sleep on this”: Vaughn Oliver reveals his favourite hack for crafting drum loopsVaughn Oliver, one half of the production duo Oliver, is no stranger to crafting killer drum loops. As the creator of Power Tools, one of Splice’s most downloaded sample packs, his sounds have featured in hits by the likes of Dua Lipa, The Weeknd, SZA, Doja Cat, Adele and many more.
Now, in a new tutorial, the producer, DJ, and mix engineer peels back the curtain on some of the techniques behind his signature loops, and offers tips on levelling up your drum sound.

READ MORE: Thomann just launched its Synth Days sale – and you can get up to 80% off synths, drum machines, and plugins

One of the tricks in Oliver’s basket? Ableton’s Multiband Dynamics – a stock plugin many producers overlook beyond its famous OTT preset.
“Reduce Ambience. This is a big hack,” says the producer. “If you guys don’t know about this, this might be one of the best gate plugins, the Multiband Dynamics from Ableton.”
“And everyone knows it for OTT, right? People just go for the OTT preset, but I highly recommend going through some of the other stock presets because they do some insane stuff.”
“Basically, this is like a gate,” Oliver explains, as he illustrates using the tool to “tighten” his loop and “get rid of some of that high-end stuff”.
“You can really, really dial it in. Sometimes like say you have a loop that has a bunch of noise in the background or maybe there’s too much reverb – try Reduce Ambience and really play around with it.”
“And it’s multiband, so if you only want to affect the low end in it… say you have a snare where the low-end decay is too long, you can dial it back with that while keeping the high-end intact.”
As Oliver puts it, “People sleep on this because it’s like OTT. Everyone just always uses OTT and it’s like a really powerful multiband dynamics plugin and processor. So yeah, experiment with some of the other presets.”
Before reaching for the latest third-party plugin, Oliver’s advice is simple: master your DAW and mess around with what you already have.
“You might already have something that’s good or better than that in here that you don’t have to pay for,” says the producer.
Check out the full video below.

Take a look at the Oliver: Power Tools Sample Pack over at Splice.
The post “People sleep on this”: Vaughn Oliver reveals his favourite hack for crafting drum loops appeared first on MusicTech.

Is DistroKid the best music distribution platform for independent producers and beatmakers?Ad feature with DistroKid
The rise of music streaming has brought an incredible opportunity for musicians, producers and beatmakers around the globe. Freed from the conventional model of physical distribution, you no longer need to hire a lengthy chain of expensive middlemen to get your music out to the world. But, in truth, that’s only the first part of the music revolution. More than ever, a producer also needs to manage other aspects of their creative business; releasing music on the ever-expanding network of online platforms, scheduling releases, promoting and marketing and, of course, coordinating the collection of their royalties.

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

What you really need is one place to do all of this. That’s where DistroKid comes in. A one-stop shop for distributing your music digitally and much more, it has a variety of plans starting at just $2.08 a month or $24.99 a year. Designed to fit into today’s hyper-connected world, it has a mobile app and a web-based interface for managing and monitoring all your releases and building your audience. So, how can it help you do this?
Why should I use DistroKid?
We’re all familiar with the process of making tracks and albums — a satisfying pursuit, but one that can take a lot of time and effort. Once you’ve put the finishing touches to your masters, a whole new chapter begins, and, historically, this meant shopping your material around to labels. This decidedly hit-and-miss endeavour that could involve an awful lot of legwork.
When streamers and online stores like iTunes and Spotify first appeared, it was possible to get your music onto them, but it wasn’t easy. Then, even more services started to appear, making the whole thing more complicated. Coordinating releases and payments could be a nightmare.
DistroKid solves these problems by providing a single portal to do it all. Crucially, you receive 100% of the money you make, with DistroKid’s set monthly or annual fee covering their services. This means that the better you do, the more you make, without a third party taking a cut of each sale, or a percentage of monthly takings, as can be the case with some other services. So your costs as far as distribution go are set and a known quantity.
Which platforms can my music be streamed on with DistroKid?
DistroKid lets you upload to a wide range of services — you get to choose any or all of them, but the most popular are Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube Music, Amazon, Pandora, Deezer, Tidal and iHeartRadio. Plus, many smaller services are also available, and more are being regularly added.
All the accounting is handled centrally in your account, removing the hassle of collecting royalties. The developers have even thought about the different kinds of releases that artists might need to do. It’s possible, for example, to upload a collaboration between multiple artists, both at a track and album level, so that everyone is credited and paid correctly.
Which DistroKid package is best for me?
The entry Musician package covers a tremendous set of tools for a small artist or band. It includes unlimited song and lyric uploads — many others would limit the amount you can upload but not here — as well as a Spotify verified checkmark, the ability to create royalty splits if there’s more than one person to be paid, 21 extra tools (more on these shortly) and access to the mobile app. That’s all just $24.99 per year.
The Musician Plus package, which allows two artists or bands, is the most popular at $44.99 per year. Along with everything in the Musician tier, it adds synced lyrics on Apple Music, daily streaming stats, the ability to customise the name of your label, customise release and pre-order dates and customisable iTunes pricing for downloads. It’s not hard to see why this is the most popular tier, with streaming stats especially an invaluable tool for seeing the results of promotions and other campaigns that you might create. And customising pre-order and release dates gives you complete control over your promotional campaigns rather than having to build things around a date over which you have little control.
Finally, the Ultimate tier, which is $7.50 per month or $89.99 a year, allows up to 100 artists or bands, making it ideal for someone running a record label, even a larger one. You get everything from the previous tiers plus 1TB of instant sharing space, the ability to monitor music on both Spotify and Apple Music and RIAA Gold and Platinum monitoring.
What other services does DistroKid give me?
So what about those extra goodies we mentioned earlier? After all, distribution is just one part of the process; an enterprising producer or musician will need to promote their work and create supporting content and campaigns as well. To this end, DistroKid also provides 21 extra services — and counting — most of which are included with all the tiers, including the Musician tier.
For promotion, your account provides access to HyperFollow, a way to make pages that showcase your music, videos, social media links and more as well as Mini Videos to create free, short-form videos and Promo Cards, giving you dozens of customisable images you can use to promote yourself. In terms of getting heard, your account gives access to Playlister, Slaps.com, Playlist Spotlight and the Wheel Of Playlist — a chance to get on DistroKid’s Spotify playlist. There’s a bunch of other stuff too, notably the ability to add liner notes and credits to albums, AI analysis of your music, Twitch integration and much more, including Vault — free, unlimited backups of everything you ever upload.
As creatives, we usually prefer making music — composing, arranging, mixing and producing — to the business of selling and distributing it. While some people love it, others just see it as a daunting part of the process. But DistroKid streamlines it so that it’s quick and easy rather than feeling like work. When even the founders of competitors TuneCore and CDBaby have joined DistroKid, you know it’s on to something.
“I hate to say it, but DistroKid is simply the best distributor in the market.” — Jeff Price (via X), Founder of TuneCore
“This is amazing. I’ll be sending everyone I know to DistroKid now.” — Derek Sivers (via HackerNews), Founder of CD Baby
There’s never been a better time to take control of your music career by letting DistroKid handle the distribution of your tracks and albums and even promotion, while keeping 100% of the money you earn. With an easy-to-use interface and pricing that makes it accessible for everyone, it truly is the perfect way to get your tracks heard by the world and earn money.
Why not check it out today and take the next steps towards building your career in music?
Sign up now and start distributing your music today!
The post Is DistroKid the best music distribution platform for independent producers and beatmakers? appeared first on MusicTech.

Solid State Logic (SSL) SSL 80'S BundleDial it back to the '80s with these essential 1980s-inspired plug-ins from Solid State Logic - available as a bundle for a limited time only for just $49.99 (usually $519.97). Fusion Vintage Drive The Fusion Vintage Drive plug-in is a digital emulation of the Vintage Drive processor from SSL's critically acclaimed Fusion hardware. It has been designed to produce gentle harmonic saturation and soft compression reminiscent of driving vintage hardware into the analogue sweet spot, to all-out authentic analogue distortion. LMC+ The LMC+ Plug-in brings a significantly enhanced version of the classic SSL Listen Mic Compressor as originally found in the centre section of the legendary SL 4000E console to your DAW, with a range of new creative tools for artists, producers and engineers. X-Delay X-Delay has been inspired by legendary hardware processors from the 80's era of big delays, huge vocals and blazing guitar tracks. It is perfect for cavernous FX, up-front doubling and vast stereo soundscapes. And all with that SSL sound that can slap-you-back to the '80s or take you straight to 2080. Read More

How The World’s Largest Songwriting Camp WorksThis week, Ari is joined by Danny Ross, the founder of Anti Social Camp, to discuss how songwriting camps and writers’ rooms work.

SSL & Spitfire Audio announce official controller mappings SSL have teamed up with Spitfire Audio to create official SSL controller mappings for the renowned sample library maker’s Originals Intimate Strings.

The latest Google Gemma AI model can run on phonesGoogle’s family of “open” AI models, Gemma, is growing. During Google I/O 2025 on Tuesday, Google took the wraps off Gemma 3n, a model designed to run “smoothly” on phones, laptops, and tablets. Available in preview starting Tuesday, Gemma 3n can handle audio, text, images, and videos, according to Google. Models efficient enough to run […]