Essential Financial Strategies for Touring MusiciansIncome from live performances has become less reliable, but there are financial strategies for touring musicians that help turn a road trip into a profitable success. Avoid common pitfalls and learn how to maximize your earnings while on the road.
The post Essential Financial Strategies for Touring Musicians appeared first on Hypebot.

Instagram reported to be working with Spotify on continuous music sharing featureInstagram and Spotify appear to be working on a new feature that would let Instagram users continuously share what songs they’re listening to via the app’s Notes section.
Though not yet official or confirmed for a launch, the potential feature has been leaked by app researcher and reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi on Threads. If true, it looks like we’re heading ever-closer back to the days of Myspace, when music was more widely shared on online profiles.

READ MORE: Spotify gained 10 million more paying users in the first half of 2024

Paluzzi’s Threads post shows a screenshot with a new option that would allow users to “continuously share” their music from Spotify, instead of selecting a song from Instagram’s catalogue, though it states that you can “stop sharing at any time”.
Instagram already launched the ability to share 30-second song clips over a year ago via Notes. The Notes feature itself arrived in December 2022, and began allowing users to share small status updates via thought bubbles. These display above a user’s profile picture on their profile page and via the direct messaging feature.
In other Spotify news, CEO Daniel Ek revealed in July that a deluxe tier of the streaming platform is indeed on its way, following rumours of a Hi-Fi subscription plan with lossless audio circulating for a number of years.
It’s been suggested that it could bring more AI-powered features, headphone sound quality optimisation, and advanced library management. Ek said it may arrive “at around a $17 or $18 price point”, and will be “sort of a deluxe version of Spotify that has all of the benefits that the normal Spotify version has, but a lot more control, a lot higher quality across the board, and some other things that I’m not ready to talk about just yet”.
It is currently predicted that Spotify will release the deluxe version later this year.
The post Instagram reported to be working with Spotify on continuous music sharing feature appeared first on MusicTech.

“I used to be very shy but I would observe what everyone was dancing to and what worked”: How The xx’s Romy found her confidence as a DJRomy has revealed how she found her confidence to enter the world of DJing in a new video series produced with White Claw.
The Grammy nominated DJ and vocalist/guitarist for The xx has collaborated with the hard seltzer brand to launch its Refreshing Sounds Series, in which she dives deeper into the stories and connections that have influenced her solo career.

READ MORE: “Apple leaked it so I can say it”: Flying Lotus confirms he made two of Apple’s iPhone ringtones

Since embarking on her solo DJ career in 2022, Romy has collaborated with the likes of Fred again.., Calvin Harris, Charli XCX, Dua Lipa and HAAi. Exclusively via MusicTech, you can now get the first-look at Episode 2 of the series, which offers fans a look “behind the decks” into Romy’s world.
Speaking of her first steps into DJing, Romy recalls how watching from the sidelines helped her to navigate her own shyness and find the confidence to become one herself.
Image: Romy x White Claw for Refreshing Sounds
“[In] UK club culture, there’s a unity and a hopefulness,” she states. “There was a club in Soho called Ghetto, it is now Tottenham Court Road tube station. I used to go all the time and I used to be very shy but I would observe what everyone was dancing to and what worked and that really stayed with me.
“When these other amazing DJs have been part of the gig I just go out into the crowd. I love feeling the energy, and it makes me feel less nervous. It’s all about discovery, and about leaving the night with something that you didn’t come there with.”
You can take a look at the episode below:

The episode forms part of a three-part series which complements Romy’s exclusive mix of fan favourite track Twice. The Refreshing Sounds series captures exclusive BTS content on Romy’s musical journey across London and Ibiza, where she is set to debut the track to an intimate crowd.
To find out more, or catch up on Episode 1, head over to White Claw Refreshing Sounds.
The post “I used to be very shy but I would observe what everyone was dancing to and what worked”: How The xx’s Romy found her confidence as a DJ appeared first on MusicTech.

Disclosure London Boiler Room set shut down due to crowd surgeDisclosure had their London Boiler Room set over the weekend cancelled after a crowd surge at the Lee Valley Showground in Waltham Cross.
The duo were announced as performers during the event three days before it was scheduled to take place on 25 August. Other artists on the lineup included Sara Landry, Flowdan, Giggs and Rosey Gold.

READ MORE: Long live pub raves: How big-name DJs are helping to save British pubs

Per Mixmag, at the time Disclosure’s set was announced, only 100 tickets were left to be purchased. These sold out shortly after.
An eyewitness told Mixmag that attendees began queueing to enter the tent where Disclosure were set to play around half an hour beforehand. A crowd surge then occurred when some pushed their way into the tent via a forcibly opened gap. The duo’s set was then halted only five minutes in to allow security to deal with the unfolding issue.
Disclosure’s set was then cancelled entirely, though other artists continued to play their planned sets on the same stage afterwards.
“Unfortunately it’s out of our control, but the festival has deemed it unsafe for us to play due to crowd surges,” the duo said in an Instagram story. They shared their disappointment, adding that they had flown to London from LA specifically for the event.
This isn’t the first time in recent memory Boiler Room events have been marred by uncontrolled crowds.
Last month, Peggy Gou’s Boiler Room headline set in Seoul, South Korea was shut down due to overcrowding at the city’s SFactory. No casualties were reported, however 11 fire engines and 42 firefighters were sent to the venue to assist.
“During the party we faced crowd-flow issues, causing safety concerns and [leading] to the early closure of the event,” Boiler Room wrote at the time.
It added: “Contrary to what has been reported, we sold to the capacity that was instructed by our partner in Seoul and at the time the event ended we were under capacity.”
The post Disclosure London Boiler Room set shut down due to crowd surge appeared first on MusicTech.

Warm Audio reveal Titanium WA-47T & WA-87 R2 TS Warm Audio have announced the launch of Limited Edition Titanium versions of two of their popular mics, the WA-47T and WA-87 R2.

Bastl Thyme+ is a delay pedal for maniacs$550 / £535 / €495, bastl-instruments.com
In theory, delay is simple. You play something, your delay pedal (or plugin, or rack unit, or DIY tape unit) captures what you played and spits it back out after a predetermined amount of time. And then it repeats for as long as you tell it to. That’s basically it. Sure, there are ways to dress it up but, at its core, that’s all delay is.

READ MORE: We dare you to try and reach Elektron Digitakt II’s limitations

But the wonderful weirdos at Bastl Instruments are never content to leave things as they are. Thyme+ is a delay unit, but one unlike any other we’ve ever encountered. In fact, getting it to behave like a traditional delay can be a challenge. This is a delay for maniacs; for people who demand the most bizarre sounds and who are willing to pay for them.

Bastl uses the metaphor of a tape machine to describe Thyme+, but it is unabashedly digital. You can reduce the fidelity, modulate playback speed slightly, and add a low-pass filter to darken the tone. But it’s never going to sound like tape. It’s always going to sound like a slightly lo-fi digital delay that can be pushed into bit-crushed chaos. Thyme+ has a fair amount of aural character (even if the filter is a little dull), but that’s not the reason to get one — it’s all about the Robots.
The “Robots” Bastl constantly mentions in its marketing materials are basically just LFOs (well, more like cycling envelopes). But there are a lot of them — nine, in fact; one per parameter for almost all the knobs on the front of the device. The only parameters you can’t modulate are the input gain and the rate and amount of the modulation. Everything else is not only fair game, but has its own dedicated Robot. So you can slowly change the fine timing of the delay to get gentle, tape-esque warbles, while harshly and quickly modulating the volume into ringmod territory yields complex effects that would be impossible on most other delay units.
Robot switch on the Thyme+
There are a lot of waveshapes to choose from for the LFOs, from slewed randomness, to stepped triangles and, of course, sine. Beyond that though, the robots can be put into one-shot mode, controlled by an external CV source or, our favourite, triggered by an envelope follower. If you use the envelope follower on the volume in the patch described above, you get something that sounds like a broken radio sputtering to life when you first play a note as the transient is cut off and the volume drops in and out, before gradually settling into drunken echoes that toddle off into infinity.
Now, here’s the really wild part. You can save those settings as presets. There are eight banks of eight, for 64 in total. And you can essentially play those presets like an instrument simply by pressing the keys on Thyme+. The keys can be latching, or momentary for punch-in style effects. You can also hold down the select button while changing parameters on the fly and when you let go, they revert back to the preset. You can even connect a footswitch to the back for controlling the bypass switch. This all makes Thyme+ a treat for live performance.
The other major feature that makes Thyme+ stand out is a 32-step sequencer with four patterns. Sync it up with your DAW or Eurorack skiff via MIDI or CV and you can dole out rhythmically consistent doses of chaos, or create completely new riffs based on the timing of the effects. Without having to resort to complicated automation or MIDI routings in a DAW, we can’t think of another way to accomplish the same task.
Preset bank on the Thyme+
The biggest knock against Thyme+ is that it is difficult to tame and master. The line between subtle modulation and out-of-control weirdness is thin on many of the parameters. And while the idea of sequencing a bunch of delay presets together to create something unique is superb, actually getting musical results is difficult.
Creating a Karplus-Strong preset and punching it in on drums for some Aphex Twin-style outbursts is fun. But using that in a sequence with other presets rarely gives reliable results. With more time we’re sure we could master the quirks of Thyme+ but it demands just that… time.
At $550 Bastl Thyme+ isn’t an impulse purchase, though. If you have your eye on one, you probably know what you’re in for. Lots of weirdness with a steep learning curve. If you’re not turned off by a challenge and don’t mind dropping a decent chunk of change on a pretty niche instrument, you won’t find anything else quite like it.

Key features

3 read heads for multitap delay
Morphable low-pass to high-pass filter
9 “Robot” modulation sources
5 morphable wave options for modulation
Envelope follower and CV control of “robots”
3.5mm MIDI in
Sync via MIDI or analog clock
6.5mm stereo in and out
64 presets
32-step sequencer with 4 patterns
Dimensions: 215 x 115 x 30 mm
Weight: 700 g

The post Bastl Thyme+ is a delay pedal for maniacs appeared first on MusicTech.

What can you do with a degree in music production or music technology?Many hobbyist musicians and producers consider a degree in music technology because they’re passionate about honing their craft and dream of making music full-time. Happily, these versatile qualifications can unlock an incredibly wide variety of other paths too, blending creativity with technical expertise.
Whether you’re drawn to live sound, fascinated by the intricacies of audio post-production, or are eager to develop your own music software, a music technology degree equips you with the tools to break into these exciting fields and many more.

READ MORE: How will young people learn music and production in a post-AI music industry?

If you’re just starting your research, you might not even realise some of these roles exist — but the career opportunities are vast and varied. Here is a list of potential job paths for music technology graduates, aiming to inspire you and show how you can turn your passion for music into a rewarding career.
Becoming an artist
We’ll start with the obvious — transforming your own musical endeavours into a profession. It’s definitely not an easy or certain path, but many music technology students dream of becoming the next chart-topping producer or DJing to sold-out crowds around the world.
Through a music technology degree, you’ll develop advanced skills for composing, mixing, and mastering your music and taking your ideas to their full potential. Some degrees also include modules related to the inner workings of the music industry, arming you with the knowledge to build a career as an artist. Of course, you’ll need an immense amount of dedication and perseverance, too!
A foley artist working in a studio. Image: EvgeniyShkolenko/Getty Images
Audio post-production
Those with a penchant for storytelling might consider a career in audio post-production. This diverse field plays a vital role in bringing films, TV shows, and digital content to life through the use of sound.
Roles on the more creative side include foley artists, who use everyday objects to recreate the sounds seen on screen, and soundtrack composers, who craft original music that elevates the emotional impact of a scene.
If you’re looking for a more technical position, you might consider dialogue editing, where you’ll be polishing performances using advanced tools like iZotope RX.
Seeking a more holistic role? The dubbing mixer is the person who layers dialogue, sound effects, and music into a polished final product that pulls the audience in.
Sound and lights panel console at a live gig. Image: guruXOOX/Getty Images
Live sound
As the lifeblood of any concert or event, live sound offers a range of exciting — and often challenging — roles to those with a music technology degree.
As a front-of-house (FOH) engineer, you’ll shoulder the mighty responsibility of what the audience hears. If you prefer working closer to the action, monitor engineers handle the customised mixes for performers to ensure they can hear exactly what’s required to deliver a stellar performance.
If you’re a bit of a gearhead, working with playback could be up your street — many of today’s live rigs run on Ableton Live and incorporate complex networks of MIDI devices and other hardware. You could even find your place as a lighting designer, many of whom got their start in music before discovering they had a knack for combining audio and visuals with a strong degree of musicality.
A keyboard lesson in a home setting. Image: hobo_018/Getty Images
Music educator
If you find joy in sharing your love of music with others, becoming a music educator might be your calling.
You could teach high-school music technology courses, or step into the role of a lecturer at a university, guiding the next generation of musicians and producers through the intricate world of music technology. What’s more, these institutes also need technicians to look after department equipment and resources if you’d rather sit behind the scenes.
For a more personal touch, tutoring lets you work one-to-one with students, helping them hone their skills and passion for music. You could even set up your own YouTube channel or Patreon to impart your music technology wisdom even further afield.
Video game sound designer
Another thrilling field many music technology graduates gravitate towards is video game sound design.
You might find yourself creating sound effects and ambiences that bring game environments to life, to crafting original scores that set the tone and mood for different scenarios.
The technical aspect makes video game sound design even more exciting. Unlike TV and film audio, where everything is laid out against the footage, integrating sound assets into a game requires a more interactive approach where effects and music trigger at the correct times during gameplay. If you’re interested in this area, you might want to get some experience writing code or using industry-standard software like Wwise.
An audio engineer recording a vocalist in a studio. Image: shironosov/Getty Images
Studio work
Fancy a spot in the studio hot seat? With a music technology degree, you could embark on a career in the world of commercially recording music.
From technically focused audio engineers who ensure the studio session runs smoothly for clients, to mixing and mastering engineers who deliver a radio-ready final product, there are many hats you can wear in this field.
You could specialise in a single area you’re particularly passionate about, or become a jack-of-all-trades producer who can take an artist all the way from rough ideas and demos to a polished recording. For those who thrive on creativity and collaboration, studio work offers a blend of technical precision and artistic expression.
Music software developer
Perhaps the career most emblematic of the words ‘music’ and ‘technology’ is that of a music software developer. Typically, this path involves creating the tools that musicians and producers use every day — but the possibilities are endless.
You could be developing digital audio workstations (DAWs) that enable people to record, edit, and produce music. Or, you could design plugins and virtual instruments that help them unleash their creativity through innovative effects or inspiring synthesisers.
On a simpler level, you could even just create and sell patches for platforms like Max/MSP and Reaktor — many musicians use this as a side hustle. Mobile app development is another area worth exploring. In any case, this career path is ideal for individuals who enjoy coding and want to have an impact on the musical creation process.
Working for audio brands
If you’re a little more hands-on, working for a gear company could be a good fit, with music technology graduates in demand at companies that design and manufacture everything from microphones to mixing consoles.
Like many on this list, audio gear is a pretty varied field to get into. You might hold a role as a product specialist or a salesperson, who knows the ins and outs of the hardware and can explain its features to potential customers. Or, you could work as a technician who provides support and maintenance for gear used in studios, live venues, and other settings.
One particularly exciting area is product development. Like audio software developers, you’ll be shaping the creation process by collaborating with engineers to deliver innovative hardware tools that musicians and producers rely on.
An A&R working with a mix engineer. Image: Tashi-Delek/Getty Images
Record labels, A&R and PR
A music technology degree can open doors to the business side of the music industry too, particularly within record labels. You could work as an A&R (artists and repertoire), discovering and nurturing new talent while helping artists develop their sound. On the publishing side, licensing and sync specialists manage the rights and permissions for music used in films, TV shows, adverts, and other media.
You might even consider starting your own label if you’ve got a more entrepreneurial spirit, allowing you to support artists and shape the landscape of a particular scene. Many smaller independent labels — particularly those dedicated to niche or underground subgenres within electronic music — are run by those with music technology or production backgrounds.
Acoustic design
Those with a keen interest in the physical, real-world side of audio could consider a career in acoustic design. Here, you’ll be optimising sound within various environments in a highly specialised role.
For example, you could be designing spaces like concert halls, theatres, and recording studios to achieve optimal sound quality, or configuring audio systems for venues to ensure clear and balanced sound distribution. In any case, you’ll need significant technical know-how and a creative mindset for problem-solving.
Audio forensics
A more unusual role you might not have considered is audio forensics, where sound expertise is applied to legal and investigative contexts. With a music technology degree, you could work as a forensic audio analyst, enhancing audio recordings for use in legal cases, analysing audio evidence from crime scenes, or providing testimony in court as an expert witness.
If you’re interested in applying your audio processing skills to important real-world situations, audio forensics could be a highly rewarding career path.
A journalist working on an article. Image: Tero Vesalainen/Getty Images
Music technology journalist
For those who love writing, a career as a music technology journalist is one to consider. The field is broad, encompassing articles, reviews, and guides on the latest gear, trends, and techniques in the industry.
In fact, many of us who write for industry magazines and websites — MusicTech included — began our journeys with a degree in music technology. Our studies gave us the technical foundation and industry insight needed to inform and inspire our readers.
Music technology journalism not only allows you to stay connected with the latest developments but lets you contribute to the community by sharing your knowledge and passion. It’s a role that works well as a side gig alongside another career too, whether that’s in music technology or something entirely different. Who knows — you might even attend high-profile industry events like NAMM, SXSW, and ADE.
The post What can you do with a degree in music production or music technology? appeared first on MusicTech.

Streaming Music and Sound Sample Clips on AllMusicOnce there was a pipe dream of an infinite faucet of music that could be turned on and (nearly) every song ever recorded would be available to hungry listeners and curious audiophiles. We're happy to announce a project to add the ability to stream music directly from AllMusic album and artist pages.

Meta and Instagram spotted developing a new social music-sharing featureMeta and Spotify are exploring deeper music integration in Meta’s Instagram app. New findings indicate the companies are testing a feature that would allow users to continuously share what music they’re listening to through Instagram’s Notes. The new functionality was first spotted by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, who often finds unreleased features while they’re still […]
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Ondo’s USDY yield coin expands to ArbitrumTokenized treasury products are gaining widespread adoption on blockchain networks.

Building A Small Gyro Stabilized MonorailMonorails aren’t just the core reason why The Simpsons remains on air after thirty-six seasons, twenty-six of which are unredeemable garbage. They’re also an interesting example of oddball rail travel which has never really caught on beyond the odd gadgetbahn project here and there. [Hyperspace Pirate] recently decided to investigate the most interesting kind of monorail of all—the gyro stabilized type—on a small scale for our viewing pleasure.
The idea of a gyro-stabilized monorail is to use active stability systems to allow a train to balance on a single very thin rail. The benefits of this are questionable; one ends up with an incredibly expensive and complex rail vehicle that must always run perfectly or else it will tip over. However, it is charming to watch in action.
[Hyperspace Pirate] explains how the monorail vehicle uses control moment gyroscopes to keep itself upright. The video also explains the more common concept of reaction wheels so the two systems can be contrasted and compared. It all culminates in a wonderful practical demonstration with a small 3D-printed  version of a 20th-century gyro monorail running on a 24″ track.
If you’re studying mechanical engineering this is a great project to pore over to see theoretical principles put into obvious practice. Video after the break.

Indian streaming service Wynk Music to shut down; subscribers pushed to Apple Music via new Airtel partnershipWynk rival Gaana was recently consolidated into a subsidiary of Times Group after merger talks with Wynk fell apart
Source

Italy’s paid music streaming subscription revenues jump 23% as local acts completely dominate chartsWith Italy lagging Western countries in paid music subscribers, strong growth is expected to continue
Source

Supercon 2024: May the Best Badge Add-Ons WinOne of our favorite parts of Hackaday Supercon is seeing all the incredible badge add-ons folks put together. These expansions are made all the more impressive by the fact that they had to design their hardware without any physical access to the badge, and with only a few weeks’ notice. Even under ideal conditions, that’s not a lot of time to get PCBs made, 3D print parts, or write code. If only there was some standard for badge expansions that could speed this process up…
The SAO Wall at Supercon 2023
But there is! The Simple Add-On (SAO) standard has been supported by the Supercon badges since 2019, and the 2×3 pin connector has also popped up on badges from various other hacker events such as HOPE and DEF CON. There’s only one problem — to date, the majority of SAOs have been simply decorative, consisting of little more than LEDs connected to the power pins.
This year, we’re looking to redefine what an SAO can be with the Supercon Add-On Contest. Don’t worry, we’re not changing anything about the existing standard — the pinout and connector remains the same. We simply want to challenge hackers and makers to think bigger and bolder.
Thanks to the I2C interface in the SAO header, add-ons can not only communicate with the badge, but with each other as well. We want you to put that capability to use by creating functional SAOs: sensors, displays, buttons, switches, rotary encoders, radios, we want to see it all! Just make sure you submit your six-pin masterpiece to us by the October 15th deadline.

Best of the Best
What’s in it for the winners? Why, nothing short of Hackaday immortality: we’ll put the top SAOs into production and distribute them to each attendee at Hackaday Europe in 2025. Because we actually have to get these things made, entries will have to meet all of the manufacturing requirements outlined on the Hackaday.io page Contest page to qualify.
In addition to a single Best Overall winner, we’ll be picking a top entry for each of the following categories:

Functional: This challenge is about pushing the envelope for SAOs, so for this category we’ll be looking for the most capable add-on.
Fine Art: We’ve seen some absolutely gorgeous SAOs over the years, so even though we’re largely pushing for function over form this year, we still want to acknowledge the incredible artistry that goes into them.
Fun: It’s not all about business. SAOs are often a bit tongue in cheek, with many referencing online memes or parts of hacker culture. If you want to win in this category, you’ll need to lighten up a bit.

Honorable Mention
We know this community too well to believe you’ll all stick to the predefined categories, so as usual in our contests, we’ll be keeping an eye out for entries that best exemplify the following Honorable Mention categories.

Coolest Toys: We’re suckers for interesting parts, so the SAO selected for this category will be the one with the most unique or impressive electronic components onboard.
Light Show: We want to challenge the idea that SAOs are just for blinking LEDs, so naturally, at least one of you is going to go against the grain and add as many LEDs as possible.
Most Ambitious: Sometimes, it’s the thought that counts. Whether or not the final product worked as expected, the SAO selected for this category will be the one that took the biggest swing.
Best Communication: Getting SAOs to talk to the badge and each other is what this contest is really all about, so we’re looking for the one example that really ran with the concept.
Least Manufacturable: SAOs often employ design or assembly hacks (like mounting LEDs upside-down) that don’t scale well. In this category we’re looking for hand-crafted masterpieces. To quote Hunter S. Thompson, “A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production.”

A Little Inspiration

There’s no shortage of gorgeous SAOs out there already, just search Hackaday.io or Tindie, and you’ll come up with dozens of badge add-ons that you didn’t even know you needed until right now. But as for examples of functional SAOs that do more than just blink LEDs…that’s quite a bit harder. We weren’t joking when we said they’ve been quite rare so far.
But we can point you towards a couple resources that should help you get started. Our own [Arya Voronova] wrote up her tale of creating a Jolly Wrencher SAO back in 2022 that goes over the basics, and we’d also recommend taking a look at her ongoing “I2C for Hackers” series of articles if you need to brush up on the communication side of things. If you need some pointers on the artistic front, you can’t go wrong following in the footsteps of [TwinkleTwinkie]. His Supercon 2019 talk PCB Art is Pain is a fantastic look at pushing the envelope of PCB design and production, and his Hackaday.io post about backlighting board art is required reading around these parts.

Arturia launch KeyLab Mk3 controllers Arturia have announced the launch of the latest versions of their flagship MIDI controller keyboards.