The Collective lives on: former ICON Collective staff have started new educational programsOn May 30, 2025, students arriving at ICON Collective in Los Angeles to continue their music production studies were hit with a blow. A piece of paper hanging on the locked front door delivered an abrupt message: the school had been shut down.
“Dear Students,
As of Thursday, May 30th, 2025, ICON Collective has officially ceased operations. The building is closed and no further classes or administrative functions are taking place. We understand this news may come as a shock and we are deeply sorry if you’re learning about it for the first time here.”

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A statement published by ICON owners cited financial difficulties for the shutdown, leaving hundreds of students with unfinished educations and dozens of instructors and staff without jobs.
However, after the school closed, ICON’s community proved that the commitment to music the school curated will live on. Different goodbye events popped up. Students, staff, and alumni started a massive Instagram group chat, and within weeks, new educational programs were available to any aspiring producer who sought to follow the same path as SLANDER, NGHTMRE, Jauz, Mindchatter, Kayzo, Sullivan King, Pauline Herr, Wenzday, SIPPY, Lumberjvck, Skellytn, and numerous alumni who have gone on to play the biggest events, organise their own festivals, and earn Platinum records.
Two of such programs are Resident Artist House and Futureproof Music School.
“I saw a true community of people really creating and working towards a craft. Not working towards a degree or a piece of paper,” says Vito Finamore, director of Resident Artist House and the former director of student services at ICON Collective.
“It was full of people who were dedicated to their art and were encouraging each other in the best way, both the teachers and the students,” says John von Seggern, former Director of Educational Technology at ICON and founder of Futureproof Music School.
Here’s how these new programs are building on ICON’s community through individual educational philosophies.
John von Seggern. Image: Press
Resident Artist House
Resident Artist House (RAH) is a platform for “real artist development,” which the directors of the program describe as such:
“Real artist development goes back to the core of what artistry is and what music is. It’s the expression of human emotion through vibration. It’s not a product. It’s not a franchise,” says Chevy Bhorntus, Director of RAH and former Chief Operating Officer at ICON Collective.
Bhorntus mentions he knows A&Rs who have been laid off from major labels, as business models are shifting towards investing in artists based on metrics.
Finamore remembers when it was the opposite. “When a label used to sign you, they invested in you. They genuinely had a passion for what you were doing,” he says.
The directors of RAH, all of whom are working music professionals, will invest in the artists who sign up and provide individual guidance on whatever element of their journey needs attention. Whether it’s related to music production, performing, branding, or anything else.
Resident Artist House. Image: Press
To that end, RAH is not the place for an aspiring artist who is still learning the basics of Ableton Live:
“The ideal person for us is someone who has been making music. They are passionate about what they’re making. They’ve had a reasonably decent response from their immediate circle, but they need help taking the next steps,” says Bhorntus.
There are two tiers through which artists can move forward with RAH. The Ground Floor provides access to the community. For $10 per month, users can join weekly live streams to engage with the directors and other artists, get feedback on their music, and attend in-person events in locations like their current home base of Apex Art Studios in North Hollywood.
The second tier, called Full Development, essentially hires the RAH directors as the artist’s personal team. Manager. Branding specialist. Mastering engineer. This tier requires an application to ensure the artist is ready for this phase, and if they are, “We have the ability to go big,” Bhorntus says.
“It’s not one size fits all. It’s not ‘Come and learn how to produce music.’ We’re the next step,” Bhorntus adds. “We are offering the ability to work in custom with every artist on what they need.”
Protohype. Image: Press
Futureproof Music School
Futureproof Music School was developed by Seggern and Protohype, the prominent bass artist, former instructor, and alumnus of ICON. Their goal is to create sustainable music careers by providing educational options that keep up with the constantly changing music industry.
As the former Director of Educational Technology, Seggern oversaw ICON’s online program, handling all the logistics such as filming courses and organising mentor sessions.
Futureproof follows a similar model, except it isn’t tied to a specific curriculum like ICON was. For $99 a month, students get access to a monthly mentor session with a professional producer and the full library of courses, which includes topics such as “How To Make Dubstep” and “How To Promote Your Music In 2025: Facebook Ads.”
However, after running ICON’s program, Seggern has built Futureproof in a way that is much more adaptable. One example of this methodology involves filming simpler courses with relevant information that can be updated as new techniques arise. At ICON, he produced videos that had an extremely high quality visually, but were very difficult to alter once they were complete.
“We’re trying to make a structure that can stay flexible and move quickly instead of getting out of date rapidly,” says Seggern.
With such a large library, students will sign up and select their own goal for their music career. Then, Futureproof’s proprietary AI system, Kadence (which Seggern developed), will lay out a custom lesson plan based on the courses available, but also provide guidance outside of their offerings.
“It’s future-proof because it can create a roadmap for any goal,” Seggern says. A test goal he delivers to Kadence is “I want to be a world-famous breakcore DJ, but I don’t know anything about music, and I just started learning FL Studio.”
“If I put that in, it does a bunch of AI-powered research trying to figure out how I can become a breakcore DJ in 2025. I’ve also told it certain information sources, like music industry sites and blogs to search. Then it’ll set you a goal for the end of the year,” Seggern says. “Maybe your goal should be releasing your first EP. That’s a pretty good goal, considering you’re starting from not knowing anything. The intention of the program will be to achieve the goal that you set when you joined. Instead of the goal being some arbitrary thing that we made up.”
Futureproof also embraces Kadence within its courses. Seggern designed it to help by offering tips on mixes and similar advice for producing. Plus, it has a deep memory attached to every student’s activities at the school. The more they participate, the more personalised the advice. But don’t worry, Seggern ensured that students can’t cheat with Kadence.
“I put a thing in there not to help the students with quizzes,” Seggern says. “The homework is mostly making tracks. Kadence can’t make tracks. You have to make them yourself. But it can tell you if you’re more or less on the right track for the assignment you’re doing.”
The post The Collective lives on: former ICON Collective staff have started new educational programs appeared first on MusicTech.

Classical Highlights for September 2025What is in the current batch of new classical albums deemed by our reviewers as worthy of a listen? Start with the vocal ensemble Gesualdo Six (pictured) who put together another outstanding program on the new album Radiant Dawn. Find this and many more in our September classical review roundup.

Activist investor pushes Polygon tokenomics overhaul amid POL price slumpActivist investor calls for Polygon to scrap 2% inflation and launch buybacks to rescue POL’s price and restore investor confidence.

Lucid Motors sets record as Gravity sales pick up and tax credit expiresThe company has seen EV deliveries increase for seven straight quarters, even though it's still way off the ambitious goals it promoted when it went public in 2021.

Guitar Center partners with Schecter to launch exclusive SC-6 six-string bassTwo instrumental powerhouses, Guitar Center and Schecter Guitar Research, have teamed up to produce the Schecter SC-6 Six-String Bass, a piece that boasts unique clarity and a dynamic range, the ideal guitar for musicians looking to push the boundaries of their sonic comfort zone.

Exclusively available at Guitar Center stores in the U.S. and online at guitarcenter.com, the SC-6 has a Nyatoh body with a natural satin flamed maple top that offers rich resonance alongside a durable and easy-to-navigate rosewood fretboard. Available for $799.99, the SC-6 is easy on the eyes and houses Schecter Diamond 6ST Active Bass Pickups paired with the powerful 18V active 3-band EQ for a striking and flexible tone. 

“The SC-6 marks a major step in bringing extended-range basses into the spotlight for a wider audience,” said Gabe Dalporto, CEO of Guitar Center, in a press release. “By partnering with Schecter, we’re able to deliver a bass with boutique-level features at an affordable price, giving passionate players and aspiring performers access to the tools they need to push their music further.”The post Guitar Center partners with Schecter to launch exclusive SC-6 six-string bass first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

2G Gone? Bring It Back Yourself!Some parts of the world still have ample 2G coverage; for those of in North America, 2G is long gone and 3G has either faded into dusk or beginning its sunset. The legendary [dosdude1] shows us it need not be so, however: Building a Custom 2G GSM Cellular Base Station is not out of reach, if you are willing to pay for it. His latest videos show us how.
Before you start worrying about the FCC or its equivalents, the power here is low enough not to penetrate [dosdude]’s walls, but technically this does rely in flying under the radar. The key component is a Nuand BladeRF x40 full-duplex Software Defined Radio, which is a lovely bit of open-source hardware, but not exactly cheap. Aside from that, all you need is a half-decent PC (it at least needs USB-3.0 to communicate with the SDR, the “YateBTS”  software (which [dosdude1] promises to provide a setup guide for in a subsequent video) and a sim card reader. Plus some old phones, of course, which is rather the whole point of this exercise.
The 2G sunset, especially when followed by 3G, wiped out whole generations of handhelds — devices with unique industrial design and forgotten internet protocols that are worth remembering and keeping alive. By the end of the video, he has his own little network, with the phones able to call and text one another on the numbers he set up, and even (slowly) access the internet through the miniPC’s network connection.
Unlike most of the hacks we’ve featured from [dosdude1], you won’t even need a soldering iron, never mind a reflow oven for BGA. 

‘We’re in the business of working with people who change the way other people feel.’Peter Edge, RCA's Los Angeles-based CEO, on building careers in an age of shortened attention spans, why "premium" artists are winning in a crowded marketplace, and more
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Tubesessor plug-in from Heritage Audio The latest Heritage Audio device to be treated to a software counterpart is the Tubesessor, an optical valve compressor that offers the company’s take on the Tube‑Tech CL‑1B.

How Bands and Music Venues Can Market Live Shows Like the ProsEven the best live performances can fall flat if nobody knows they’re happening. Whether you're a band gearing up for a new release or a venue building your calendar, effective marketing is what turns a good show into a packed house. Learn how bands and music venues can market shows like the pros.
The post How Bands and Music Venues Can Market Live Shows Like the Pros appeared first on Hypebot.

Soniccouture Sun DrumsVintage Drums For Modern Beats. Sun Drums is a sister instrument to Soniccouture's acclaimed Moonkits - focusing purely on sticks, not brushes - with the same studio, the same vintage desk & mics, the same softer, dynamic drumming style. Featuring a huge collection of vintage & modern drums, Sun Drums is built with a modern, dry sound in mind - from classic breakbeats to booming hip-hop or just fat pop drums: 100+ VELOCITY LAYERS. BEAT TOOLS. 100 KITS. 8GB LIBRARY. Kontakt Player NKS. Read More

17 Killer Social Media Content Ideas for MusiciansA helpful guide for artists to cut through the noise of social media with time-tested and original content ideas that fit your brand.
The post 17 Killer Social Media Content Ideas for Musicians appeared first on Hypebot.

Akai’s new MPC Live III has launched: here’s everything you need to know about features, pricing, and availabilityAkai has launched the third iteration of its MPC Live workstation, offering the “fastest processor of any MPC to date”, and reimagined pads.
Building upon the MPC Live II, which landed back in 2020 and introduced built-in speakers, this new model offers a boatload of upgrades and new features, notably with the addition of new MPCe pads, which are 3D-sensing, ultra-responsive, and designed for more nuanced expression.

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Akai says that the MPC Live III has been crafted for “producers who move fast”, with a vast range of tools for all needs – from basic beatmaking to advanced music production – all within a standalone unit that requires no laptop. Let’s take a closer look at what it has to offer:
What are the key features of the Akai MPC Live III?
Credit: Akai Professional
Starting with the new MPCe pads, not only are they much more responsive, but they also enable X/Y control of one-shot layers, sample blending, plus dynamic note repeats and articulations. The unit also has a new 8-core processor with 8GB of RAM, stepping things up from its predecessor’s Quad Core, and has an onboard rechargeable battery, speakers, and a mic, plus deep MIDI and CV control.
For the first time ever in an MPC, this new unit also welcomes clip launching, step sequencing, and assignable performance buttons. Pro Stems Separation is onboard, and you can also load up to 32 instrument plugin instances and 16 audio tracks – all made smoother with its snazzy new processor, of course.
The MPC Live III also offers direct sampling via USB-C, and there are 32 channels of MIDI for seamless DAW integration if desired. Check out the video below for further details on its additional features:

How much does the Akai MPC Live III cost and when is it available?
The new Akai MPC Live III is priced at $1,699 USD / €1,649.99 / £1,399.99. It is available to buy now through select dealers including Thomann, Amazon, Andertons, and Bop DJ.
You can find out more about the MPC Live III or locate a dealer via the Akai Professional website.
The post Akai’s new MPC Live III has launched: here’s everything you need to know about features, pricing, and availability appeared first on MusicTech.

A Sound Effect offers the Circus Horror Strings sample pack FREE for a limited time
Whether you’re a fully-fledged horror movie superfan or you just like to embrace the madness of Halloween each year, there’s something strangely appealing about the sound of horror. You can now get that sound free of charge for a limited time with the Circus Horror Strings sample pack by A Sound Effect. But, you’ll have [...]
View post: A Sound Effect offers the Circus Horror Strings sample pack FREE for a limited time

Universal Audio launch UAD Showtime ’64 Tube Amp The latest addition to the UAD plug-in range brings another sought-after amplifier recreation to the collection, capturing the sound of Fender’s iconic Showman.

DAWJunkie releases RazorPluck Jr, a FREE pluck synth for macOS and Windows
DAWJunkie is offering RazorPluck Jr, a compact virtual synthesizer designed for crafting bright, expressive plucks — and it’s free for a limited time. The plugin is available for macOS and Windows. Although RazorPluck Jr is a streamlined version of DAWJunkie’s forthcoming RazorPluck ($49) synth, it feels like a complete instrument. Apart from a small Upgrade [...]
View post: DAWJunkie releases RazorPluck Jr, a FREE pluck synth for macOS and Windows