Key Songs in the Life Of… Lylette PizarroLylette Pizarro, founder of Influence Media Partners, selects the magnificent seven songs that tell the story of her life and career to date
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FLOSS Weekly Episode 796: Homebrew, I’m More of a Whopper GuyThis week Jonathan Bennett and David Ruggles chat with John Britton and Mike McQuaid about Homebrew! That’s the missing package manager for macOS; and Workbrew, the commercial offering built on top of it. We cover lots of territory, like why the naming scheme sounds like it was conceived during a pub visit, how Workbrew helps businesses actually use Homebrew, and why you might even want to run Homebrew on a Linux machine!

https://brew.sh
https://workbrew.com
https://johndbritton.com
https://mikemcquaid.com

Homebrew 15th Anniversary Stream with Creator Max Howell – https://workbrew.com/homebrew-turns-15
Strap – Bootstrap your macOS development system – https://strap.mikemcquaid.com && https://github.com/MikeMcQuaid/strap
Homebrew Bundle – Bundler for non-Ruby dependencies from Homebrew, Homebrew Cask, and the Mac App Store – https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-bundle
MAS Mac App Store command line interface – https://github.com/mas-cli/mas
Dotfiles
Mike’s Dotfiles – https://github.com/MikeMcQuaid/dotfiles
John’s Dotfiles – https://github.com/johndbritton/dotfiles
Brewfiles
Mike’s Brewfile – https://github.com/MikeMcQuaid/dotfiles/blob/main/Brewfile
John’s Brewfile – https://github.com/johndbritton/dotfiles/blob/main/dot/Brewfile

Did you know you can watch the live recording of the show Right on our YouTube Channel? Have someone you’d like us to interview? Let us know, or contact the guest and have them contact us! Take a look at the schedule here.

Direct Download in DRM-free MP3.
If you’d rather read along, here’s the transcript for this week’s episode.
Places to follow the FLOSS Weekly Podcast:

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Secretly Distribution & Oh Boy Records Announce Global DealThe late John Prine (L) and Jody Whelan of Oh Boy Records (photo: Neilson Hubbard)
Today, Secretly Distribution (SD) announces a worldwide distribution deal with Oh Boy Records. The storied independent label, founded in 1981 by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and icon John Prine, started as Prine's vehicle to become an independent artist after his major-label record deal had expired. Winner of the A2IM Libera Award in 2022 for small record label of the year, Oh Boy continues to be run by the Prine family.
Secretly Distribution and Oh Boy will be co-presenting "Independents' Day," an AmericanaFest day party at Vinyl Tap on September 18, which will feature performances by artists from Oh Boy and other SD labels.
Oh Boy's catalog features albums from Prine, including 2018's The Tree of Forgiveness, as well as Kelsey Waldon, Swamp Dogg, Alice Randall's My Black Country (the companion to the award winning author and songwriter's book of the same name), Arlo McKinley, Emily Scott Robinson, and Tré Burt. Upcoming releases from core Oh Boy artist Dan Reeder, whose new album Smithereens will be out in October, and recent signing Palmyra (one of NPR's Best New Artists of 2024), will be among the first new Oh Boy titles to be handled by SD's global team and distribution network.
"Oh Boy is thrilled to be able to join Secretly Distribution at this time of growth and expansion for both companies. We've long been fans of the artists they work with, but in getting to know their team it also quickly became clear that Secretly holds dear the same independent values; the values that have fueled Oh Boy since its inception in 1981, and have seen Secretly Distribution build a truly independent global distribution network. We are honored to be represented by this excellent company and are excited to celebrate our collaboration in Nashville in September during AmericanaFest."- Jody Whelan, Managing Partner, Oh Boy Records
With the addition of this iconic Nashville label, SD continues its roster's expansion in not only size but also geographical breadth and genre diversity. In addition to Oh Boy, other recent label additions include Finland's Timmion (Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators, Franka Oroza); Italy's Record Kicks (Seun Kuti & Egypt '80, Michelle David & the True-Tones); Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad's Jazz is Dead and Linear Labs (Lonnie Liston Smith, Ghostface Killah); Dear Life (MJ Lenderman, Kath Bloom); with new label services clients including Andrew Bird and Guster.
"SD has been fans of Oh Boy for so long - I have John Prine LPs that I swiped from my mom's collection decades ago. They are a truly iconic American independent label - founded by artists, for artists looking for a sustainable way to release music outside of the major label system - and when I met Jody and Fiona it was clear immediately that their ethos perfectly aligns with what we strive for at SD.
Oh Boy is a cornerstone of the vibrant Nashville scene, and we could not be more thrilled to work with them on both their incredible catalog and their current roster of next generation folk, country and blues artists."- Josh Madell, Director of Artist & Label Strategy, Secretly DistributionThe post Secretly Distribution & Oh Boy Records Announce Global Deal first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

“People expect Daft Punk to come back to life, but they’re gone”: Thomas Mars on his Olympics supergroup and why Daft Punk didn’t joinFrench rockers Phoenix took over the Paris 2024 Olympic Games closing ceremony in style, bringing on fellow indie acts Vampire Weekend, Air, and Kavinsky, making it the ultimate Millennial jam fest.
In a recent interview with Vulture, frontman Thomas Mars opens up about the ceremony’s supergroup and whether Daft Punk were ever on the Olympic cards.

READ MORE: “Everything is white – like you need to fill the space with your music and thoughts”: Beabadoobee on Rick Rubin’s studio, Shangri-La

“Air was the first band we thought of,” he says. “When we started playing music outside of France, like at Top of the Pops, we were their backing band. We wanted to share that with them and perform our song Playground Love. Kavinsky has a song called Nightcall, which was produced by Daft Punk, and he asked me to sing it at the time. I never do things outside of Phoenix, so I said no and didn’t regret it.”
He continues, “I thought the song was perfect and didn’t need my voice. It’s such a classic and fits so well in this condensed mix of songs, so I really wanted to incorporate it. For French people, there’s something that happened about ten years ago that proved to be an influence.”
Inspired by a fake poster that went viral, the musician wanted to bring some magic to the stage. “Someone created a fake poster for a French music festival that never happened. It was like: Daft Punk, us, Air, Kavinsky, Cassius, all of these bands,” he says. “People thought it was a real show, so there was high demand for it but it never happened. We wanted that poster to come to life.”
As for bringing a Daft Punk back from retirement, Mars shuts down that as a possibility.
“Daft Punk doesn’t exist anymore. That was never an option. People expect them to come back to life, but they’re gone. There were a few bucket-list people that I really admired and wanted to join us, but I’m not sure I want to mention them, because it’s going to disappoint people,” he says.
“They’ll be like, ‘Oh, I wish that would’ve happened’. But it turned out to be a great and strange mix of people, which is what we’ve been doing all of these years. We took a group photo and it’s so unusual,” he continues. “Only in this context would these people come together. That’s the main thing we’re all proud of.”
Daft Punk or not, Phoenix had plenty on their hands. While Vampire Weekend, Air, and Kavinsky made an unforgettable line-up, Mars opened up about the dangers that could have thrown the show off course: “They thought of putting us on the rooftop of the Louvre for a performance. We recorded our last album, Alpha Zulu, in the Louvre. There were bees on the roof. People were concerned about the bees. There were a lot of hives to harvest honey. These are the things you don’t know about Paris.”
The musician adds, “There were a lot of hurdles for the people who organised it. French people are extremely relieved that everything went great. There was definitely a climate of fear going into the elections and the Games. But I think people really enjoyed them, and there was a sense of appreciation.”
The post “People expect Daft Punk to come back to life, but they’re gone”: Thomas Mars on his Olympics supergroup and why Daft Punk didn’t join appeared first on MusicTech.

30% Patreon Creator Pay Cut: What You Need to KnowA 30% Patreon creator pay cut is coming to all new fan subscriptions paid via Apple. As of November, Apple is requiring Patreon to switch to its iOS in-app purchase system or risk being removed from the App Store.
The post 30% Patreon Creator Pay Cut: What You Need to Know appeared first on Hypebot.

“Everything is white – like you need to fill the space with your music and thoughts”: Beabadoobee on Rick Rubin’s studio, Shangri-LaWhile he’s deservingly touted as one of the greatest producers of our time, Rick Rubin has a famously hands-off approach to making records. Last year, he admitted he knows “nothing about music”, and that he doesn’t know how to use a mixing desk.
Instead, Rubin claimed it’s his “taste” and “ability to express” what he feels that “has proven helpful for artists”.

READ MORE: Jacob Collier disagrees with Rick Rubin’s philosophies: “His audience is non-creative people for whom creativity is novel”

You might not be surprised, then – given his minimalist approach to creativity – that Rubin’s Shangri-La studio space in Malibu, California is equally simplistic in design. At least according to Beabadoobee, for whom Rubin produced her new album, This is How Tomorrow Moves.
“It’s just so serene and peaceful,” she explains in a new interview with NME. “Everything is white – it’s almost like a blank canvas for your creativity, like you need to fill the space with your music and your thoughts. People call my house the Teletubby house because every room’s a different colour. I remember going back home and it being like going from this beautiful, serene white space into [something like] an acid trip.”
She adds: “Shangri-La is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to and there’s something so magical about it that just made me want to stick around and only focus on the record.”
Beabadoobee says that Shangri-La imparted a dose of inspiration quickly after she arrived, when she wrote the bridge of Girl Song.
“It was one of the first things I ever wrote in the studio, and I was like, ‘Oh my god, this place is magical – it just made me write my favourite bridge, and I don’t even fucking write bridges! That was lit.”

Beabadoobee’s new album This is How Tomorrow Moves arrived on 9 August. Back in May, she detailed, again, the process of working with such a legendary producer as Rick Rubin. She explained that he made her relearn all her demos on acoustic guitar before recording the album.
“It really helped my confidence as a musician – when I heard the songs, just me and acoustic guitar, I was like, ‘Oh shit, this is actually a really good song,’” she said.
The post “Everything is white – like you need to fill the space with your music and thoughts”: Beabadoobee on Rick Rubin’s studio, Shangri-La appeared first on MusicTech.

New Twitch DJ Program: Everything You Need To KnowThe new Twitch DJ program offers groundbreaking opportunities to expand reach, make money, and engage with audiences. Here's what you need to know to leverage this platform effectively.
The post New Twitch DJ Program: Everything You Need To Know appeared first on Hypebot.

Radio Promotion and Sync Licensing on a budgetCan you do radio promotion and sync licensing on a small budget? Two experienced music marketers, Michael Brandvold and Jay Gilbert, offer proven suggestions on a new episode of the Music Biz Weekly Podcast. Watch and listen here.
The post Radio Promotion and Sync Licensing on a budget appeared first on Hypebot.

Melda Production update plug-in line-up Melda Production are celebrating their 16th anniversary with an update to their range of over 100 plug-ins.

SoundCloud’s new store pays artists 100% of merch sale profitsThe internet has vastly shifted how we support our favourite artists. Rather than buying CDs, streaming has quickly become most people’s preferred way to consume music. As a result, physical CD sales aren’t what they used to be, and streaming revenue certainly isn’t enough to live on.
Nowadays, artists rely on merch sales more than ever. But merch sales can come with a load of hidden fees, meaning artists only get a fraction of the profits. Thankfully, the SoundCloud Store is here to change that.

READ MORE: Resident Advisor and SoundCloud team up to “improve music and event discovery”

Launching today, SoundCloud’s new online store allows a selection of SoundCloud Next Pro artists the opportunity to sell exclusive merchandise to fans. The best part? 100% of all profits will make their way back into artists’ pockets.
SoundCloud Store also boasts no upfront costs, as artists won’t have to pay for inventory or storage fees. Every hoodie, shirt or exclusive accessory will be made to order and immediately shipped out. And SoundCloud will notify fans about any merch an artist wishes to sell.
Of course, the store is in its early days. Only Wiz Khalifa, Denzel Curry, wolfacejoeyy, Bk The Rula, and Armani White currently have merch available. But SoundCloud is encouraging eligible Next Pro artists to apply, with hopes to expand the store in future.
This isn’t the first time SoundCloud has attempted to help artists make a living. In 2021, the streaming platform introduced Fan-Powered Royalties to aid independent artists, allowing those with a loyal, dedicated fanbase to earn more per stream. The shift earned Portishead 500% more revenue on a track than the band otherwise would have earned.
Alongside the artist merchandise, the store also boasts the exclusive SoundCloud Essentials Collection. The Essentials Collection will allow SoundCloud lovers to wear their music-loving heart on their sleeve, with selection of SoundCloud-centric tees, tanks, shorts and hats for grabs.
The SoundCloud Store is currently only available in the United States, European Union, and Canada. For more information, head to SoundCloud.
The post SoundCloud’s new store pays artists 100% of merch sale profits appeared first on MusicTech.

MeldaProduction’s new V17 plugin update brings efficiency improvements and six new virtual instrumentsMeldaProduction has officially announced V17 of its plugin suite.
The latest version introduces MPluginManager as a new and easy way to manage all installations, licensing, and subscriptions from one convenient location. MPluginManager automatically detects and uninstalls older versions of plugins, ensuring you have the latest updates without downloading any unnecessary data.
Melda’s modular virtual instrument MSoundFactory also gains six new instruments, including Cyberpunk Bass, Trap Bass, Cyclicity, Ethereal Keys, Alchemist Whoosh, and Organic Scape — all of which are available for free for existing users.

READ MORE: Universal Music Group and Meta to tackle unauthorised AI-generated content and more in new “expanded global agreement”

Additionally, core efficiency improvements have been made across the board, with Melda updating the compatibility of all its plugins (“including the free ones”, says the brand) to meet current standards. Some plugins like the MTurboDelay feature a lot of new presets with the update.
V17 maintains backward compatibility with all previous plugins, ensuring a seamless transition if you’re upgrading from earlier versions. Users who have previously installed MeldaProduction plugins can also take the chance to restart their 15-day trial period with the new version.
That said, making a decision about which plugin to buy can be tricky when you’re on a tight budget or deadline. One way to have all of Melda’s 100-plus plugins at your disposal is via the brand’s “Subscribe-To-Own” program, which allows you full access to all of its plugins for a monthly fee. For just €15 a month (or €165 annually), you will own the perpetual licence for MCompleteBundle, which costs €2,099 if purchased.

Learn more at MeldaProduction.
The post MeldaProduction’s new V17 plugin update brings efficiency improvements and six new virtual instruments appeared first on MusicTech.

Tyler, The Creator slams “meme” musicians: “You’re taking up space”Tyler, the Creator has hit out at musicians who make “meme records” for “taking up space” in the industry.
The rapper – real name Tyler Okonma – did not mince words in his latest critique of the genre and the internet culture surrounding it. In a new teaser for the web series Mavericks with Mav Carter, the musician says, “There’s so many n***as out right now that aren’t musicians that are getting treated like musicians because they make meme records.”
“Publicly [they] will be like, ‘I don’t give a fuck about music. I just do this shit for money.’”

READ MORE: Bicep’s Matt McBriar recovering after undergoing surgery to remove non-cancerous brain tumour

He compares the phenomenon to the famous Spider-Man clone meme, saying, “When every publication is like, ‘Hell yeah, let’s put that out,’ you taking up space for n***as like me.”
Despite his comments, Tyler says that “I don’t wanna seem like a hater. Sometimes I have hater energy ’cause I just think I’m that good.”
Asked if his frustrations stem from how much he ‘cares about this art form’, the musician tells Carter, “I love this art form so much, bro.”
Reposting the clip of Tyler on X, rapper Russ commented, “Spot on. Making music solely to get rich is why the majority of the music sucks ass.”
The full episode will be released on YouTube later today (14 August).

Earlier this year, Tyler, the Creator chimed in on the AI debate, explaining why he was unphased by the technology as far as music-making is concerned.
“It might have its perks but I’m always ahead of even myself, so the AI will never catch up to me creatively,” he said. “It’ll only be a reference point of what I already did, not where I’m going because it’s not me.”
The post Tyler, The Creator slams “meme” musicians: “You’re taking up space” appeared first on MusicTech.

We dare you to try and reach Elektron Digitakt II’s limitations£899/$999, elektron.se
You know a company’s influence is crystallising when its name enters common usage. ‘Google’ and ‘Photoshop’, for example, are as much verbs as they are product names, while in music, ‘Hammond’ tends to be applied to organs of all sorts of brands.
Elektron, it seems, is rising to a similar stratum. More and more, in various manners of speaking, performers and producers talk about playing Elektron to ostensibly describe a particular role or workflow. Often the word is used as an adjective for a style of performative sequencing, generally with multiple units synced over MIDI. The Elektron workflow is also an increasingly ubiquitous term, referring to the Swedish company’s rather unique approach to the user interface. One wonders how long it’ll be before other developers look to appeal to those specific skills Elektron users (excuse us: Elektronauts) will have honed through this workflow.

READ MORE: ROLI Seaboard Block M has the most expressive power you’ll find in a portable instrument

The original Digitakt is one of the most popular drum computers and samplers on the market. It has eight audio tracks and eight MIDI tracks on a sensibly laid-out interface with an incredibly well-considered sequencer, boasting over 400 factory sounds for massive sound-sculpting potential. Sampling into its memory via a line input is quick and intuitive, and it’s in the blend between those sounds and the ones already onboard where the magic happened.
In many ways, the Digitakt turned the page for Elektron. Announced at 2017’s NAMM show, it marked a move away from Elektron’s larger instruments, like the 2001 Machinedrum, and into more compact designs. The Digitone eight-voice synthesizer followed in 2018, along with its sibling, the keyboard-equipped Digitone Keys and, in 2022, Syntakt drum computer and synthesizer.
Digitakt has become incredibly dear to Elektron and its user base. Which also means that too much of a departure could be a mistake; it wouldn’t be the first time public opinion has judged an original model to be preferable. But, too similar, and there’s simply no point.
The screen on the Digitakt II
When it comes to Digitakt II, on the surface, it looks more in danger of the latter– except for a noticable price hike. Perhaps expected, though, considering the original Digitakt was released the seven years ago into an economically unrecognisable music technology world.
In any case, little on the panel separates the Digitakt II from its predecessor. But this is to be respected, whether you’re new to the Elektron ecosystem or not. Elektron’s signature workflow for this format of machines— sequencer buttons in two rows along the bottom, eight encoders on the top right, a screen on the left— has been proven to work marvellously and really needs no overhaul.
The Digitakt’s primary strength is the speed and ease of use, paired with a well-designed signal flow and robust effects that are actually useful. It’s a breeze to capture sounds at the line input and feed them through its architecture, hitting its transport buttons with gusto to performatively record and play them. All of that prowess has been carried forward into Digitakt II.
On the subject of buttons: if there’s any bugbear with Elektron’s design, it’s the insistence on using the most rattley buttons imaginable, even if they are supremely satisfying to hit. This machine could capably double as an acoustic shaker if required. Alas, we digress.
Sampling on the Digitakt II
Clues remain of major upgrades under the hood. A keyboard setup button has appeared on the left, and another row of LEDs sits above the Page button; an FX button has joined the five parameter buttons (TRIG, SRC, FLTR, AMP and LFO).
“The Digitakt experience, but multiplied”, is how Elektron opens Digitakt II’s manual, and it’s not wrong. Digitakt’s eight mono tracks expand here to 16 stereo tracks, any of which can be assigned to output MIDI to seamlessly integrate other gear into sequencing. Digitakt’s sequencer had a 64-step limit; Digitakt II doubles that. While Digitakt had 1GB of internal storage accompanied by 64MB of RAM, Digitakt II has a capacious 20GB plus 400MB of RAM. Digitakt allowed 128 samples per project and now Digitakt II allows 1024 – we challenge anyone to reach that limit.
From sample storage to sequence length and variance between patterns, we find ourselves nowhere near the limitations of Digitakt II. It allows over five times the Roland SP-404MKII’s samples-per-project allowance, for instance, and 4GB more internal storage. It doubles the track allowance of the Polyend Play. While it doesn’t trounce these competitors in every department (the effects section of the SP-404MKII is best-in-class, for example), it all suggests that this is a workhorse of an instrument that will serve its users for a long time to come.
The OS 1.50 update to the original Digitakt introduced workflow enhancements that now constitute the core of Digitakt II, namely the SRC page and Machines for delivering samples in various ways. These consist of the Oneshot, which linearly plays samples forward, backward or looped; Werp allows samples and loops to automatically stretch to the tempo of a project or pattern by warping audio and chopping it into quantised sections. Stretch, well, stretches audio into the tempo of your project or section with a granular-style engine, while Repitch does the same but with a more traditional pitching method. Grid lets you slice a sample into segments to be triggered individually. Each feature brings its own distinctive flavour into the mix and makes for huge variety, even within sequences consisting of reasonably homogenous sounds.
Back of the Digitakt II
Sonically, the Digitakt II leaves very little to complain about. The onboard sounds are rich and varied– deep kicks, industrial clatters, sizzling hats, garage-reminiscent woodblocks, it’s all here– and its sampling fidelity is flawless. The Machines’ audio editing imparts minimal artefacts into the samples, and the choice selection of effects sounds adds all the sparkle one could ask them to.
In essence, Digitakt II breaks into entirely new territories of functionality. One thing it takes pains to retain is the purity of its purpose as a drum computer and sampler. While it can manipulate samples any which way, to the point of making new sounds entirely, it’s not a synthesizer and nor is it pretending to be. There’s Elektron’s Syntakt and Digitone for that. We could cite all the ways it pushes the boundaries of that role, for instance the brilliant, exquisitely-detailed multi-mode variable filter, or the Euclidean sequencer, which allows for mathematically complex sequences of pseudo-irregular patterns. We could list the brilliantly tweakable and cutely animated effects, from delay to bit-crushing, or the well-expanded modulation capabilities, but if we did, you’d be here all day.
What we can say is that it’s a pleasure to operate, it sounds fantastic and it has all the connectivity, memory and functionality one could hope for from a machine like this. And that’s without the Overbridge software package which, at the time of writing, isn’t available for Digitakt II. It’s highly playable, with all manner of handy functions that we’ve come to expect from Elektron by now, but here the developer has outdone itself.
We can likely expect a Digitone II and Syntakt II. If those upgrades are as expansive as this, the Digitakt II looks set to lead the charge, possibly influencing the entire groovebox market, all over again.

Key features

Digital drum computer & stereo sampler
16 audio tracks for stereo or mono samples, or MIDI
128-step sequencer
Euclidean sequence generator
20GB internal storage and 400MB RAM
Effects: delay, reverb, chorus, bit reduction, sample reduction, and overdrive per track
Dimensions: 215 x 176 x 63 mm
Weight: 1.48 kg

The post We dare you to try and reach Elektron Digitakt II’s limitations appeared first on MusicTech.

Techivation introduce AI-Impactor Techivation's latest AI-series plug-in is described as an intelligent attack enhancer that’s been designed to make any sound stand out and cut through a busy mix.

Roblox strikes deal with DistroKid – but indie artists won’t be paid any money from itRoblox revenues are forecast to hit $3.5bn across the course of this year
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