AmplifyWorld extend Artist Fund deadline AmplifyWorld have announced that the deadline for applications to $500,000 Artist Fund programme has been extended by one month.

One Giant Steppe for Space FlightIn a recent photo essay for the New Yorker magazine, author Keith Gessen and photographer Andrew McConnell share what life is like for the residents around the launch facility and where Soyuz capsules land in Kazakhstan.
Read the article for a brief history of the Baikonur spaceport and observations from the photographer’s15 visits to observe Syuz landings and the extreme separation between the local farmers and the facilities built up around Baikonur. A local ecologist even compares the family farmers toiling around the busy spaceport to a scene our readers may be familiar with on Tatooine.

We assumed Soyuz capsules splashdown somewhere near Russia just like the iconic images of Apollo capsules. While they can land in water, their 13 target landing sites are all on land in the sparsely inhabited Kazakhstan steppe (flat grasslands). According to russianspaceweb.com, the descent is slowed with a single large parachute. When the capsule is about one meter from the ground, solid rocket thrusters fire, “reducing the descent speed of the capsule to between 0 and 3 meters per second.” We learned that the rockets’ force, not the crumple zone on the capsule, causes so much stress that each is only suitable for a single use.
 
A typical final descent trajectory for the Soyuz spacecraft in Kazakhstan (courtesy russianspaceweb.com)
While there is fascinating engineering in the Soyuz landing, from the landing rockets mentioned above to parachute wires acting as antennae for transponders to the multiple automated and backup systems, there is some hacking by the local farmers as well. The cast-off parts of the single-use capsules become scrap metal for use around the farms, leading to haunting images that seem to come from a dystopian future where space flights are as common as commercial air travel but still out of reach for many.
 

“‘But think of the exposure.’ Go f**k yourself”: Internet divided after artist reveals sum offered by Rockstar Games for GTA 6 song featureHow much does it cost to licence a song for a video game? What if it’s for likely the biggest video game in history?
It’s a question many have tried to answer in the last few days, after The Human League and Heaven 17 founding member Martyn Ware was offered what he felt was a measly sum for the inclusion of one of his songs in the forthcoming sixth entry in the Grand Theft Auto series.

READ MORE: Tom Petty’s Love is a Long Road sees 36,979% increase in Spotify streams following GTA 6 trailer launch

Ware feels as though what he was offered for Heaven 17’s 1983 single Temptation pales in comparison to the total revenue GTA 6 is sure to bring in, prompting many to question his grasp of the potential non-monetary benefits such a feature may bring.
“I was recently contacted by my publishers on behalf of Rockstar Games [regarding] the possibility of using Temptation on the new Grand Theft Auto 6,” he writes in a new post on X.
“Naturally excited about the immense wealth that was about to head my way, I scrolled to the bottom of the email [regarding] the offer… It was $7,500! For a buyout of any future royalties from the game – forever…
He goes on, “To put this in context, Grand Theft Auto [5] grossed, wait for it… $8.6 BILLION. ‘Ah, but think of the exposure.’ Go fuck yourself.”
MusicTech reached out to Martyn Ware for comment, which he declined.

I was recently contacted by my publishers on behalf of Rockstar Games re the possibility of using Temptation on the new Grand Theft Auto 6
Naturally excited about the immense wealth that was about to head my way, I scrolled to the bottom of the email re the offer…
— Martyn Ware (@martynware) September 7, 2024

Many gaming publications estimate that GTA 6 is likely to become one of the best-selling video games of all time. It’s been over a decade since the release of GTA V in 2013 — which is still reportedly pulling over 30 million monthly users — and hype has been building for its sequel for years. Indeed, when the launch trailer for No. 6 dropped on YouTube in December 2023, it garnered over 100 million views in 24 hours and currently sits at 208 million views at the time of writing. You can see why Ware claims that he should be entitled to more than the $7,500 he’s been offered for his song.
But online commenters also feel that due to the sheer number of people who stand to hear it, the “exposure” argument also has legs.
“GTA isn’t out yet, and when it releases [it] will be the most purchased video game of all time. You missed out on millions of listeners,” one user writes.

gta6 isn’t out yet, and when it releases will be the most purchased video game of all time, you missed out on millions of listeners
— beatdropkilla (@beatdropkilla) September 8, 2024

“You were also offered $7,500 for a song out of hundreds on the radio people will hear randomly while driving,” another says. “GTA 5 made $8.6 billion dollars because it’s GTA 5, not because of the soundtrack. Now you get nothing and look dumb for the entire internet.”
It’s also rare that a publisher would pay a flat fee for licensing; a number of factors are at play, like placement within the game, for example. Is it heard at a key moment in the story, which every player will hear if they play the full game? Or is it just one of many songs on GTA Radio, which features many in-game “stations”, many of which are not default, and must be selected to be listened to? The variables quickly stack up, and the fee ultimately paid by the publisher to the rights holder fluctuates in accordance.
As another user points out, GTA 5 had “around 440” licensed songs, and thus the total spent by Rockstar on licensing added up quickly. “Really that fee for one (albeit brilliant) song is normal,” they write. “Might seem low but if they pay $7,500 each then that’s $3.3 million on the music alone. The fee in my honest opinion is irrelevant. 200 million people…”

Martyn is it too late to change your mind? GTA had around 440 songs in the last game so really that fee for 1 (albeit brilliant) song is normal. Might seem low but if they pay $7500 each then that’s 3.3 million on the music alone. The fee imho is irrelevant. 200 million people …
— Simon Raymonde (@mrsimonraymonde) September 7, 2024

Another user asserts that exposure is not a valid form of payment, particularly from a company which stands to make such a large profit from its forthcoming title.
“You did good,” they tell Ware. “That is no way to evaluate art, especially from the creator of a game that will likely make over a billion dollars on its launch night.
“Exposure isn’t payment, because while there’s a chance you could get more famous being included in such a big project, there’s an even bigger chance you’d be treated as just another random song on the game’s radio that people won’t care to Shazam and listen to. Unless they’re willing to offer royalties, it isn’t worth it.”
It’s unclear whether negotiations will be had between Martyn Ware and Rockstar Games, but given Ware’s tone, and the fact he’s aired his grievances about the initial offer on social media, we’d assume at this point that the offer is now off the table.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is currently set to arrive in autumn 2025, though rumours are floating about that it may be delayed further to 2026.
Visit Rockstar Games to stay in the loop.
The post “‘But think of the exposure.’ Go f**k yourself”: Internet divided after artist reveals sum offered by Rockstar Games for GTA 6 song feature appeared first on MusicTech.

Spotify For Artists survey asks you to ‘Share your thoughts on Spotify’Spotify is sending online surveys looking for feedback to artists and their teams using the Spotify For Artists platform.
The post Spotify For Artists survey asks you to ‘Share your thoughts on Spotify’ appeared first on Hypebot.

Release details
Release title:
In My Wishes
Main artist name:
VLCAM
Release date:
21st May, 2012
https://publme.lnk.to/275081-InMyWishes
#newmusic #Release #Music #indepedent #artist #Electronic #pop

Spotify wins lawsuit over Eminem’s publisher in licensing rights disputeBack in 2019, Eminem’s publisher Eight Mile Style took up a lawsuit with Spotify over unpaid royalties. It sought roughly $30 million [per MusicRadar] from the streaming giant, insisting that Spotify had amassed billions of streams on Eminem tracks without proper licensing rights. After five years, the ruling is in – and Spotify has come out on top.
While it’s true that Spotify apparently doesn’t have the proper licence to stream Eminem’s tracks – more on that later – a Tennessee judge found that the streaming giant will not be liable to cover the unpaid royalty bill. Instead, Kobalt Music Group – which handles rights and collects royalties for artists – will have to pay.

READ MORE: How Eminem used AI to recreate Slim Shady voice on new album, The Death of Slim Shady

The ruling came after Spotify had contested that Kobalt was to blame; Spotify claimed that it had been licensed by Kobalt to “reproduce and distribute the compositions” back in 2020, but it has since come to light that Kobalt did not have the rights to license Eminem’s music in the US and Canada, as those rights had been transferred to Bridgeport Music in 2009, per Music Business Worldwide.
Therefore, Spotify says it was misled to believe it had the rights to Eminem’s back catalogue. The streaming platform has since amassed billions of streams on tracks like Lose Yourself and Without Me, but Kobalt apparently never had the authority to give Spotify the rights in the first place.
“Eight Mile suggests that it was somehow ‘duped’ by Spotify into thinking the compositions were properly licensed to explain away why it knowingly accepted and deposited royalty payments while remaining silent for years,” Spotify contested. “Eight Mile’s story defies logic.”

Tennessee judge Aleta A. Trauger has sided with Spotify. “While Spotify’s handling of composer copyrights appears to have been seriously flawed, any right to recover damages based on those flaws belongs to those innocent rights holders who were genuinely harmed,” Trauger said.
“Eight Mile Style had every opportunity to set things right and simply chose not to do so for no apparent reason, other than that being the victim of infringement pays better than being an ordinary licensor,” she continues.
Trauger deemed Eight Mile Style’s suit to be an effort to rinse Spotify of as much money as possible. “The evidence in this case shows that Eight Mile Style was not a hapless victim, but, rather, a sophisticated steward of its copyrights that was aware that the licensing status… had fallen into confusion and simply allowed its rights to be violated in a way that would be entirely inexplicable other than as a strategic choice to manufacture infringement damages,” she continues.
“The law has long disfavoured plaintiffs who strategically exploit regimes of civil liability to maximise their own recoveries at the expense of the public good and in contravention of basic principles of fairness,” she concludes.
The post Spotify wins lawsuit over Eminem’s publisher in licensing rights dispute appeared first on MusicTech.

7 Music Promotion Alternatives to Short-Form ContentTired of feeling forced to sell your whole music brand under the constraints of short-from content. These music promotion alternatives will expand your reach and elevate your music career, all without following the latest content trends.
The post 7 Music Promotion Alternatives to Short-Form Content appeared first on Hypebot.

Spitfire Audio partner with AI pioneers DAACI Spitfire Audio have announced a new partnership with DAACI, a company who specialise in developing assistive AI tools for music creators.

Minimal Audio Morph EQ is 80% OFF until September 20
Minimal Audio’s Morph EQ is available for just $10 at Audio Plugin Deals, down from a list price of $49.  The deal represents a saving of 80% off and will end on September 20, 2024.  This deal is only available on the Audio Plugin Deals website and not through the Minimal Audio website.  Morph EQ [...]
View post: Minimal Audio Morph EQ is 80% OFF until September 20

EastWest Ethereal Voices Bundle offer EastWest have announced a limited-time sale on their Ethereal Voices Bundle, a collection that brings together three of their popular vocal sample libraries. 

Art Alexakis Chats About Vinyl Reissues, Touring, Disinterest in Releasing New RecordsShortly before the arrival of the vinyl release of their platinum-certified Songs from An American Movie Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile and launch of the tour, Alexakis spoke to AllMusic about both topics, as well as the stories behind a few Everclear classics.

Bitcoin ‘could very well catch fire’ as next generation of investors matureEconomist and podcast host Suze Orman is bullish on Bitcoin, but says ETFs are the way to go.

Self Driving Cars Learn from Our Eyes[Michelle Hampson] reports in IEEE Spectrum that Chinese researchers may improve self-driving cars by mimicking how the human eye works. In some autonomous cars, two cameras use polarizing filters to help understand details about what the car sees. However, these filters can penalize the car’s vision in low light conditions.
Humans, however, have excellent vision in low-lighting conditions. The Retinex theory (based on the Land Effect discovered by [Edwin Land]) attributes this to the fact that our eyes sense both the reflectance and the illumination of light. The new approach processes polarized light from the car’s cameras in the same way.

The images pass through two algorithms. One compensates for brightness levels, while the other processes the reflective properties of the incoming light. They mounted cameras on real cars and drove them in actual dim environments to test everything out.
The result? Studies show that the approach improved driving accuracy by approximately 10%. However, the algorithms require extensive training on difficult-to-obtain data sets, so that is one challenge to adoption.
Self-driving cars certainly need improving. Oddly enough, navigation can be done with polarizing filter cameras and a clear view of the sky. Or, you can look under the road.

The Try Guys say their subscription strategy is workingAfter a rough couple years, YouTube creators The Try Guys said they’re on-track to reach profitability, with subscriptions to their three-month-old, ad-free service 2nd Try now accounting for 20% of the company’s revenue. Of course, those numbers also mean The Try Guys remain reliant on other revenue streams, including YouTube advertising. But in an interview […]
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Reverse Engineering The Web API of an Akaso EK7000 Action CameraRecently, [Richard Audette] bought an Akaso EK7000 action camera for his daughter’s no-smartphones-allowed summer camp, which meant that after his daughter returned from said camp, he was free to tinker with this new toy. Although he was not interested in peeling open the camera to ogle its innards, [Richard] was very much into using the WiFi-based remote control without being forced into using the ‘Akaso Go’ smartphone app. To do this, he had to figure out the details of what the Android app does so that it could be replicated. He provided a fake camera WiFi hotspot for the app in order to learn its secrets.
Normally, the camera creates a WiFi hotspot with a specific SSID (iCam-AKASO_C_1e96) and password (1234567890) which the Android app connects to before contacting the camera’s IP address at 192.72.1.1. The app then shows a live view and allows you to copy over snapshots and videos. Initially, [Richard] tried to decompile the Android app using JADX, but the decompiled code contained so many URLs that it was hard to make heads or tails of it. In addition, the app supports many different Akaso camera models, making it harder to focus on the part for this particular camera.

No worries! A Raspberry Pi SBC provided a fake camera WiFi hotspot. A simple application records HTTP requests from the app and provides responses. This was easier than setting up a man-in-the-middle attack, although — since the traffic isn’t encrypted — this was a possibility.
Ultimately, this allowed [Richard] to determine the relevant URLs to retrieve photos and videos, while the RTSP live stream URL was discovered from the decompiled Akasa Go app. Using the fake WiFi camera setup, the parameters to set the stream resolution and FPS were then determined, giving [Richard] full remote control over the camera without the need to use the mobile app.
We’ve seen a lot of camera WiFi reverse engineering. WiFi hotspots are handy for hacking. They also are handy in hotel rooms.