New NCR Atleos/LibertyX feature converts BTC to cash at US ATMs Users of the LibertyX ATMs can send BTC to a LibertyX address and receive fiat for their crypto at ATMs in 30 states.

Metro Boomin Continues 'Leslie Joanne Single Moms Are Superheroes' Grant ProgramOn Wednesday night, GRAMMY®-nominated, diamond-certified producer and global superstar Metro Boomin took the stage in Denver, Colorado for the 19th stop of his ‘We Trust You’ tour with Future at the Ball Arena. The duo performed hits like “Like That” and “Type Shit” from their #1 Billboard 200 album, “We Don't Trust You”, which went #1 on Apple Music in over 80 countries and was the most streamed album in a single day of 2024. The Denver show of the tour simultaneously marks the 19th stop in Metro Boomin's “Leslie Joanne Single Moms Are Superheroes” Tour Grant-Giving Program, providing $20,000 grants and show tickets to selected non-profits supporting single mothers in each market. At the Denver stop, Metro Boomin awarded a $20,000 grant to the Rose Andom Center. The Rose Andom Center is a survivor-centered, trauma-informed collaborative that cultivates hope for individuals and families impacted by intimate partner abuse.

The distribution of this grant is a continuation of Metro's national tour initiative, which offers financial support and show tickets to nonprofits that work to support single mothers and their families in each tour market. The program officially launched in Kansas City and Saint Paul and has already traveled to Detroit, Atlanta, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Washington D.C., Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and last night to Denver, providing grants to organizations including Essential Families, Jeremiah Foundation, Alternatives for Girls,  Atlanta Mission, Solomon’s Temple, YWCA Toronto, EMpath, Women Against Abuse, Grace Institute, Calvary Women’s Services, Shades of Blue Project, SAMMinistries, Viola’s House and Rose Andom Center. The ‘Single Moms Are Superheroes’ initiative launched in 2019 focused on hosting annual give-back events and activations. In December of 2023, Metro partnered with St. Louis-based non-profit organization RUNG for Women and presenting sponsor Amazon Access to launch his grant-giving program within the initiative in honor of his late mother, Leslie Joanne.The post Metro Boomin Continues 'Leslie Joanne Single Moms Are Superheroes' Grant Program first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Atlassian acquires Rewatch as it gets into AI meeting botsAtlassian plans to integrate Rewatch into its recently launched Rovo AI platform so that transcripts become searchable within the overall business context.
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Driven To Over-Engineer a Kids’ CarYou know, it feels as though it’s getting more and more difficult to compete for Father of the Year around here. And [Jon Petter Skagmo] just laid down a new gauntlet — the incredibly overly-engineered kids car.
While the original plan was to build the entire car from scratch, [Jon] eventually opted to use an off-the-shelf car that had a dead battery.
While the original architecture was quite simple, the new hardware has just about everything a kid could want in a tricked-out ride, most of which is accessible through the really cool dashboard.
We’re talking headlights, a music player, a siren, a selfie video cam that doubles as two-way communication with the driver, and even a garage door opener that uses an MQTT connection.
Under the cute little hood is where you’ll find most of the electronics. The car’s brain is a Raspberry Pi 3B, and there’s a custom daughter board that includes GPS/GNSS. This was originally meant to geofence [Baby Girl Skagmo] in, but Dad quickly realized that kids are gonna kid and disabled it pretty soon after.
This isn’t the first high-tech rebuild of a kiddie car that we’ve seen here at Hackaday. Makes us wish we were quite a bit smaller…

Steinberg’s 40th Anniversary Sale Steinberg are offering a 50% discount on four of their popular products in celebration of their 40th anniversary. 

2024 Tiny Games Contest: Blind Maze Is Fun For AllIf you think about it, even difficult mazes on paper are pretty easy. You can see all the places you can and can’t go, and if you use a pencil instead of a pen, well, that’s almost like cheating.
However, using a pencil is pretty much a necessity to play [penumbriel]’s Blind Maze. In this game, you can’t even see the maze, or where you are. Well, that’s not exactly true — you can “touch” the wall (or lack thereof) in front of you and to the sides, but that’s it. So you’re going to need that pencil to draw out a map as you go along.
This game runs on an Arduino Nano and a 18650 cell. There are three LEDs deep within the enclosure, which is meant to give the depth of walls. But, even the vision-impaired can play the Blind Maze, because there’s haptic feedback thanks to a small vibration motor.
If you want to play in hard mode, there’s a hidden paperclip-accessible switch that turns off the LEDs. This way, you have to rely on hitting the walls with your head. Be sure to check out the video below.

Sampleson announces CollaB3 V2, a FREE vintage tonewheel organ emulation
From developer Sampleson comes CollaB3 V2, a free vintage tonewheel organ emulation. We see many free virtual instruments come along, so forgive me if I’m missing any! That said, I think CollaB3 V2 is the best free organ I’ve ever heard. CollaB3 V2 is the latest update of Sampleson’s vintage tonewheel organ emulation, and it [...]
View post: Sampleson announces CollaB3 V2, a FREE vintage tonewheel organ emulation

It’s time for streaming services to act on AI musicThe following MBW Views op/ed comes from Ed Newton-Rex, CEO of the ethical generative AI non-profit, Fairly Trained
Source

‘Japan’s UGC monetization is starting late but growing rapidly.’MBW’s World Leaders series meets Alan Swarts, CEO of Orfium Japan
Source

Novation Launchkey MK4 series looks pretty powerful — and pretty affordableIs it MIDI controller season? Following Arturia’s drop of the masterful KeyLab MK3 this week, Focusrite Novation has announced the Novation Launchkey MK4, updating the series from its powerful 2020 incarnation. What’s new? A lot, actually.
The Launchkey MK4 series comprises six MIDI keyboards, ranging from the dinky Launchkey Mini 25 up to the desk-filling Launchkey 61. Naturally, the number beside each model indicates the number of keys on each controller. The standout features include compatibility with all major DAWs, a generative arpeggiator, chord and scale modes, polyphonic aftertouch on each drum pad, high-quality keypads, and a step sequencer for Ableton Live. You’ll also get a bundle of plugins with each purchase — more on that shortly.
When looking for a new MIDI controller, you probably want one that feels authentic, not like a cheap keyboard that happens to connect to your laptop. Novation reckons it’s nailed that feeling, saying it looks, feels and plays like an instrument that you can truly get hands-on with. To keep your eyes off the laptop screen, the Launchkey MK4 comes with OLED displays to quickly reference the virtual instrument you’re using, plus endless encoders to exactly dial in your desired settings
Each keyboard boasts eight of these assignable encoders, with the 49 and 61 key models featuring an additional nine faders. This means you can tweak your DAW or plugins pretty easily; if you’re using a major DAW, you won’t need to set up your MIDI mapping either — it’s automatic. You can, of course, customise your MIDI maps to control any facet of your software with these controllers.

For more creative performances, you can use the 16 velocity-sensitive pads found on all models. These all feature polyphonic aftertouch, too, so it’s not just drums you can bang out on these — you can play rich, evolving chords from virtual instruments, or use them to trigger samples in grid-based software. Novation says that the pads are made with a “patented design that delivers increased responsiveness than standard FSR drum pads.”
You can let the Launchkey assist you in your performances, too. The generative arpeggiator is reportedly an improvement from the Launchkey MK3, and the Chord feature will help you deploy quick chords with Fixed Chord, User Chord and Chord Maps modes. There’s also a Chord Detector, which will show you the chord you’re playing on the OLED display, which seems quite useful. Scale mode, meanwhile, will lock notes on the keyboard to the selected scale so you’ll never play out of key.
OK — onto the software. You actually get a decent bundle with each purchase: Ableton Live 12 Lite, which is a stripped-back version of Ableton Live; Klevgrand plugins including LUXE R0verb and Slammer, which are all beloved for their quirkiness and creative potential; GForce Software’s Oberheim SEM, OB-EZ and AXXESS for some vintage synth flavours; Orchestral Tools’ Parallel Orchestral Bundle for those cinematic and classical sounds; and Melodics, which offers bespoke keyboard lessons for musicians of all levels to help you get to grips with the Launchkey.
One thing to note: there’s the Launchkey and the Launchkey Mini. The Mini keyboards are available in 37- and 25-key sizes, and the major differences include smaller synth-action keys, and touch strips that replace the mod and pitch wheels.
Not bad, right? Well, we’ll be publishing a review of the series in the next few days to tell you how it really performs, but if you’re convinced already, here’s the price of each model.

Launchkey Mini 25: £110/$120/€110
Launchkey Mini 37: £140/$150/€142
Launchkey 25: £170/$180/€168
Launchkey 37: £200/$210/€193
Launchkey 49: £230/$250/€226
Launchkey 61: £280/$300/€277

You can order the keyboards from Thomann, Zzounds and Novation now.
The post Novation Launchkey MK4 series looks pretty powerful — and pretty affordable appeared first on MusicTech.

A timeline of Martin Shkreli and the lost Wu-Tang Clan album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin“Pharma bro” Martin Shkreli made headlines this week when he was ordered by a judge to return copies he’d made of Wu-Tang Clan’s ultra-rare Once Upon a Time in Shaolin album.
Shkreli has long been a controversial figure, after Turing Pharmaceuticals, the company he was CEO of at the time, bought the manufacturing licence for the antiparasitic drug Daraprim in 2015 and raised its price from $13.50 to $750 per pill.

READ MORE: Behringer 2024: Every synth, drum machine and controller Behringer is currently working on

The same year, Shkreli purchased Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, a somewhat mythical 31-track hip-hop album of which only one copy existed at the time. 
In 2017, Shkreli was found guilty of two counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, sentenced to seven years in prison in 2018, and later forced to forfeit his assets. One of them was Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, which was auctioned by the US government to NFT collective PleasrDAO for $4 million. But after he livestreamed the album on X earlier this year, Shkreli revealed himself to still be in possession of copies of the album. A breach of his forfeiture order, Shkreli has been ordered to hand over any copies of the album he owns by the end of this week.
Below, we chart the timeline of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, how it got into and out of Shkreli’s hands, and where it is now.
Once Upon a Time in Shaolin recorded – 2007 – 2013
The 7th studio album by Wu-Tang Clan, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin was recorded in secret over a period of six years between 2007 and 2013. Only one 2CD copy was pressed in 2014, which was then stored in a secure vault at the Royal Mansour Hotel in Casablanca, Morocco, until its sale a year later.
Once Upon a Time in Shaolin purchased by Martin Shkreli for $2 million – 2015
After a year in storage at the Royal Mansour Hotel, the album was sold via online auction house Paddle8 in 2015 to winning bidder Martin Shkreli, who reportedly paid $2 million. The album was sold to Shkreli with a legal agreement stipulating that it couldn’t be commercially exploited – sold or distributed – until 2103.
Martin Shkreli convicted of securities fraud – 2017
Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Shkreli was originally arrested by the FBI in 2015 on securities fraud charges. They were related to his tenure at MSMB Capital Management – an asset management company he co-founded – and alleged he “ran his company like a Ponzi scheme”. He was found guilty of two counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and subsequently sentenced to seven years in prison.
Shkreli forced to forfeit assets – 2018
Following his conviction, Martin Shkreli was forced to forfeit nearly $7.4 million in assets, including the Once Upon a Time in Shaolin album, along with other high-profile art pieces, like a piece by Pablo Picasso, and Lil Wayne’s then-unreleased album Tha Carter V.
Once Upon a Time in Shaolin sold by US government to NFT collectors PleasrDAO – 2021
After Martin Shkreli was forced to forfeit Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, the album was sold by the US government to NFT collectors PleasrDAO – who said they wanted to make the album more publicly accessible – for $4 million.
Martin Shkreli revealed to have made copies of the album before it was sold – 2024
On 9 June, 2024, Martin Shkreli livestreamed the album to an audience of around 5,000 on X. The album’s owners PleasrDAO then sued him for playing it publicly without permission, saying the album’s value had been diminished. A judge then issued a temporary restraining order preventing Shkreli from playing the album publicly. 
Obviously, this meant that Shkreli had to have made copies of the album before it changed from his hands to PleasrDAO’s. Now, a judge has ordered Shkreli to turn over all copies of the album he has in his possession by the end of this week.
Other Once Upon a Time in Shaolin news – 2024
The first exhibition officially offering listeners the ability to hear the album began in June at the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, Tasmania. Attendees were played a 30-minute mix of the album, and were made to sign a waiver promising not to record the album. The same month, PleasrDAO began selling partial ownership of the album via NFTs for $1 each. Each purchase accelerates its release date by 88 seconds.

The world's most expensive album is available for $1.
Enter the chamber and secure a copy – 2103 will come faster than you think.https://t.co/QRmGdIrwOy pic.twitter.com/rTCkuH0It3
— Pleasr (@PleasrDAO) June 13, 2024

The post A timeline of Martin Shkreli and the lost Wu-Tang Clan album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin appeared first on MusicTech.

AllTrack challenges PROs BMI, ASCAP & SESAC, adds new cost for venuesUS performing rights organization AllTrack was launched as an alternative to BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC. Now, the new PRO has obtained membership in CISAC, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers.
The post AllTrack challenges PROs BMI, ASCAP & SESAC, adds new cost for venues appeared first on Hypebot.

Music Marketing vs. Advertising: What’s the Difference?Confused about the difference between marketing and advertising? Learn how each strategy can help you grow your fanbase and take your music career to the next level.
The post Music Marketing vs. Advertising: What’s the Difference? appeared first on Hypebot.

Novation unveil Launchkey Mk4 range The latest version of Novation's popular Launchkey controllers boast the most in-depth DAW control capabilities to date, as well as an array of new creative tools and performance features. 

Turntable returns as Hangout a decade after flameout with $8.2M fundingTurntable Labs has closed a $8.2M seed round before launching the social listening app Hangout later this year. After a promising start, the original Turntable.fm app failed, becoming a poster child for "How Not To Launch A Music Tech Startup."
The post Turntable returns as Hangout a decade after flameout with $8.2M funding appeared first on Hypebot.