GOLDEN SIGNS WORLDWIDE PUBLISHING DEAL WITH POSITION MUSICFROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Tyler Bacon (President and CEO, Position Music), Mike Molina (CEO, Global 7 Publishing), Zev Perilman (CEO, Global 7 Publishing), Delmar Powell (VP of A&R, Position Music), Mark Chipello (Partner and Head of A&R, Position Music) [Photo: Delia Bush]

President and CEO Tyler Bacon announced today that Golden has signed a worldwide publishing deal with Position Music as part of a joint venture with Global 7 Publishing. The writer musician, and GRAMMY-nominated producer has collaborated on projects across multiple genres such as Reggaeton, R&B, Dancehall, Afrobeat, Hip-Hop, and Pop.

Hailing from Barranquilla, Colombia, Golden is a self-taught musician who has been honing his craft over the past decade. Golden was discovered by seasoned music producer Mike Molina and veteran manager and A&R Zev Perilman, later signing to their publishing and record label venture Global 7 Entertainment. In 2023, Golden co-produced two songs on the ¿Téo? album Luna. That same year, he co-produced the track “Double Back” for R&B artist Coco Jones which hit Top 20 on US Urban Radio. “Double Back” was the second single from the album What I Didn’t Tell You, which was nominated for Best R&B Album at the 66th  Annual GRAMMY Awards. Alongside his frequent collaborator London On Da Track, Golden recently co-produced "Dolla" by Shenseea from her upcoming album Never Gets Late Here, out May 24.

“For the past year and a half, Delmar Powell and the rest of the team at Position Music have shown me immense support and provided me some amazing opportunities,” says Golden. “Position alongside Global 7 has helped me to tap into elements of my creativity in inspiring new ways. I’m hyped to now officially be with them. They’ve been a dream come true — consistently attentive, and an affirmation of the countless hours spent making this music. This opportunity gives us all the chance to share my music with a wider audience, to see my songs connect deeper with the world, and to reach new heights in my career.”

“We’re really looking forward to continuing to work with Tyler, Mark, Delmar, and the rest of the Position Music family for this next chapter in Golden's career. They've built a remarkable business and team that I believe perfectly complements Golden's skillset and career trajectory. Golden is a one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-generation producer, writer, and artist, and I can't wait to see what Position and Global 7 can do together to elevate his career in this next chapter,” says Mike Molina.

“Position's multi-faceted A&R team is a great fit for Global 7 Publishing's debut signing Golden. Golden is a special talent who thrives across genres and wanted a partner that could accelerate his success across the board.

We’ve been impressed by their support from the beginning and understanding of Golden's vision, drive, and passion. Their culture and approach to publishing is exactly what Global 7 Publishing was looking for in a JV publishing partner and we’re really excited to build with them. Having someone as talented and ambitious as Golden in our family has been a blessing and we couldn't be more excited for what lies ahead,” says Zev Perilman.

Golden joins a Position music publishing roster that includes Audien, Tinashe, Cannons, Jack LaFrantz, ¿Téo?, Austin Powerz, Brandyn Burnette, Dru “Falconry” DeCaro, Evalyn, Joe Kearns, John “Feldy” Feldman, Judah & the Lion, Krupa, KANNER, No Love For The Middle Child, and more.

“We're thrilled to welcome the young and talented Golden to the Position Music family,” says Delmar Powell,VP of A&R at Position Music. “Golden's unique sound and innovative approach to music production and songwriting make him a perfect fit for our roster. We're excited to collaborate with him and support his artistic vision as he continues to create impactful music across all genres.”

Live Nation & Goldman Sachs are bullish on live music. Others are concerned.Two reports paint a very positive picture of the live music in 2024 and beyond. But the new Goldman Sachs 'Music In The Air' study and the most recent Live Nation report to investors only address the top of the market.....
The post Live Nation & Goldman Sachs are bullish on live music. Others are concerned. appeared first on Hypebot.

Kristal McKanders Dube to lead Global Corporate Communications for BMGMcKanders Dube joins BMG after nearly six years at Warner Music Group
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The Brilliance of Ye’s Direct-to-Fan PlaybookWhatever your opinion of the GOAT, aka Ye, aka Kanye West, his team is perfecting the use of exclusive content and limited-time offers to activate his army of fans.....
The post The Brilliance of Ye’s Direct-to-Fan Playbook appeared first on Hypebot.

Tencent Music’s AI-powered tech can ‘predict the next hit song,’ and 5 other things we learned from its latest annual reportTME is also facing 695 copyright infringement lawsuits, and it's negotiating a 10% stake in an 'overseas entertainment company'
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Not all viral attention is good attention on Instagram Reels & TikTokBefore hopping on that next big Instagram or TikTok trend, consider whether it's a good move for your long-term career.....
The post Not all viral attention is good attention on Instagram Reels & TikTok appeared first on Hypebot.

PreSonus introduce Quantum ES & HD interfaces The new Quantum series comprises four audio interfaces that cover everything from mobile recording to an expandable pro studio rig. 

Airwindows Releases Consolidated, A FREE Multi-Effects Plugin
Airwindows has released Consolidated, a free multi-effect plugin that combines 400 effects into one multi-fx plugin. It is hard to think of a free plugin developer more dedicated to his craft than Chris Johnson over at AirWindows. You get constant regular releases, and it is evident the amount of passion and love that goes into [...]
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“If I record everything dry and put a bunch of plugins on it, I’ve made no decisions”: St. Vincent on the importance of “committing” to sonic ideasSt. Vincent has appeared in a new episode of the Tape Notes podcast detailing her music production approach, and explaining, again, why she prefers not to rely heavily on plugins in the studio.
The musician – who just released her new album All Born Screaming – recently explained why she’s not a fan of plugins in the studio, saying their “flashy” interfaces “make you think they’re doing more than they’re actually doing”.

READ MORE: Save nearly $2,000 on Brainworx’s Heritage Bundle at Plugin Boutique

Now, she has doubled down on her aversion to plugins, saying they don’t allow producers to “commit” to the “firm foundation” of an idea.
“Creative people will use whatever tools they have at their disposal to make cool shit. I firmly believe that,” she says. “Me personally, I like drum machines. I like oscillators that I can mess with. I find that sometimes when I’m working with plugins, you can sometimes hear with your eyes instead of with your ears, and that’s not that cool to me.
“And I like committing things to tape. I like committing the sounds, because instead of building a house on sand, you’re building a house on a firm foundation of an idea. It would make me too crazy, I think, with unexplored possibilities, to record everything dry and then put a bunch of plugins on them. That would make me crazy – because you’ve made no decisions. 
“That’s my approach to things because that’s just how my brain works, and that’s what it is. I don’t begrudge anybody else’s process cause like I said, great artists will make great work on whatever they’re given.”
She concludes: “[I’m] not a snob here, in terms of creation, but I personally prefer to make big sonic decisions and stick with them so that you can actually build upon something.”

St. Vincent – whose real name is Annie Clark – released All Born Screaming, her first entirely self-produced album, last month. Listen to its lead single, Broken Man, below.

And for more Tape Notes episodes, head to tapenotes.co.uk/
The post “If I record everything dry and put a bunch of plugins on it, I’ve made no decisions”: St. Vincent on the importance of “committing” to sonic ideas appeared first on MusicTech.

“The best-selling tools from Native Instruments, iZotope, and Brainworx”: Native Instruments announces tiered NI 360 subscription platformNative Instruments has announced a new tiered subscription model – NI 360 – which will begin rolling out fully in late 2024.
Billed as a replacement for the company’s current Komplete Now model – which gives users a curated selection of plugins for a monthly fee – NI 360 offers a wider selection of tools from Native Instruments, iZotope and Brainworx.

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NI 360 is available via three price tiers: Essentials, which for $15 a month comes with 50+ plugins; Plus, $25 a month with 100+ plugins; and Pro, which, designed for professional producers, offers 130+ including “top-tier” instruments and effects. Users get access to new instruments, effects and production tools as they are released.
Headline tools included in the Essentials subscription include Ozone Elements and Guitar Rig 7 Le, while Plus features Ozone Standard and Guitar Rig 7 Pro, and Pro features Kontakt 7, Ozone Advanced and more.
Additionally, NI 360 is a flexible subscription model, meaning users can modify, pause or cancel their subscription at any time without losing access to previously created projects. Projects remain playable and exportable.
Native Instruments also remains “committed to maintaining the availability of perpetual licences”.
“360 is designed to complement, not replace, perpetual licences, offering additional flexibility and access to an expanding array of tools.”
“This service grants access to one of the largest collections of music production software in the world,” says Native Instruments. “Whether you’re sketching out a new idea or applying the final touches to a masterpiece, 360 equips you with an extensive range of best-selling tools from Native Instruments, iZotope, and Brainworx.”
Early May is seeing the beginning of the NI 360’s soft rollout, with select users invited to try the subscription to provide Native Instruments feedback that will inform the full rollout. This will take place later this year.
For more information, head to Native Instruments.
The post “The best-selling tools from Native Instruments, iZotope, and Brainworx”: Native Instruments announces tiered NI 360 subscription platform appeared first on MusicTech.

Native Instruments preview NI 360 Available to a limited number of users now with a full launch planned later in 2024, NI 360 will offer subscription-based access to products from Native Instruments, iZotope and Brainworx.

Understanding How Digital & Physical Mechanical Royalties WorkThis week, Ari is joined by Serona Elton, head of educational partnerships at the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC), to discuss mechanical royalties and licensing in the music industry.

Musik Hack Master Plan plugin: Mastering isn’t supposed to be this easyPerpetual: $175 ($89 offer until 31st May 2024)
Rent-to-own: 5 x $35 (5 x $18 offer until 31st May 2024)
musikhack.com
The tools and processors involved in mastering are similar to those in mixing, but they also tend to be pricier, more nuanced and more complex. Plus, they’re used in a way that’s quite different to the techniques we learn to use when mixing.
As a result, we’ve seen a significant uptick in the number of all-in-one mastering solutions coming to market. That includes AI-driven online services through to conventional mastering plugins that hide the complexities of mastering behind simplified controls.

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Master Plan from Musik Hack falls squarely into the latter bracket, packing a full mastering chain into a single plugin with just a handful of large, welcoming, and intuitive controls.
What is Master Plan?
At the centre of Master Plan – both figuratively and literally – sits the big, chunky Loud dial. This controls an underlying limiter/clipper circuit that can deliver an astonishing loudness boost while never letting the audio exceed 0dB-FS.
At lower settings, the boost is pleasingly clean and transparent, while at high settings the sound becomes aggressive and in-your-face — as you would expect. Impressively, though, this doesn’t break up into a wall of noise. What inspires us most with the Loud circuit is how well Master Plan keeps the peaks under control, especially when the optional TruePeak mode is enabled. Other all-in-one plugins and online services tend to get this wrong — kudos to Musik Hack here.
Also often overlooked is the need for dedicated input and output level controls, the latter of which is vital during mastering, so it’s great to see that Master Plan features both.
Talking of inputs and outputs, Master Plan’s Unity mode cleverly matches your master’s volume with the source. This means that when bypassing the plugin, you can hear the tonal and dynamic results of your settings without being (aurally) blinded by the additional loudness they create.
Another tool when judging your masters is an output filter that simulates different listening scenarios – mono, phone speaker, and such. Although not exactly scientific or super-accurate, these filters do at least give some idea of how your masters will sound on different devices.
Musik Hack Master Plan (dark mode)
How do you use Master Plan?
Master Plan is so simple that, if the source mix is well-balanced, you can get a near-perfect master with a quick twiddle of the Loud dial. Still, the plugin does allow you to delve much deeper than this — and rightly so.
Low- and high-shelf EQ bands each offer ±8dB of boost/cut. The shelving is pleasingly smooth and gentle, allowing for easy broad-brush adjustment of the overall tonal balance of your master, but there is no way of changing the EQ corner frequencies.
Preset frequencies are reasonably well-chosen, but we often find the low band to be a touch too high, and the high band to be too low. Of course, it all depends on what you throw at the plugin, but we would prefer a choice of two or three frequencies per band, which would make all the difference here, adding tons of flexibility without detracting from the plugin’s ‘easy mastering’ paradigm.
The Wide dial adjusts the apparent width of the stereo image but is more subtle than the basic mid/side balance adjustments found on many other mastering plugins, and much more akin to what a professional mastering engineer may do. Here, low and low-mid frequencies get barely any widening while higher frequencies become progressively wider the higher they are. This allows the stereo image to be widened significantly without the core of the music sounding distant or lost. It’s very effective although, as with all stereo width enhancers, it’s quite easy to overdo things.

How do you actually master your mix with Master Plan?
Beyond these primary controls – characterised by their vintage-looking knob controls – are six additional processing stages that can be used to further hone a master. These are all presented in an immensely simple way: an on/off button plus a slider to control the processor’s strength.
The first of these, Thick, enables a saturation processor that sits at the front of the processing chain from where it can add extra harmonics and sparkle to a mix. This is followed by Clean, which removes muddiness (geddit?), essentially applying a dynamic EQ that kicks in when things get too intense in the low-mid range.
A three-band multiband compressor comes next, its many underlying parameters gathered together into three simple faders that set each band’s gain reduction amount. We usually adjust thresholds, ratios and such to achieve a targeted amount of gain reduction, so directly selecting that gain reduction feels a bit back-to-front – a feeling enhanced by the faders being moved upwards to create a gain reduction. But it works well and makes it effortless to shape the tonal and dynamic balance of your music.
The Multi stage is followed by a second, exceptionally gentle, compressor intended to even out longer-term dynamics within a mix. This in turn is followed by another dynamic EQ-style stage, targeted at controlling harshness at the upper end of the mid-range. The chain is rounded off with a tape emulator.
The plugin constantly monitors and measures various loudness metrics: short-term and integrated loudness, peak/true peak, and crest factor (the difference between peak and short-term loudness). However, it only displays these as a numeric readout at the bottom of the plugin window, which is useful but not as intuitive as a graphical meter – we fix this by adding a loudness metering plugin in the chain after Master Plan.
We also find we often need to add a high-pass filter before Master Plan because the plugin lacks any way of taming the very low end of a mix – a frequency range that is often over-cooked during mixing and that needs dealing with during mastering.
The need to add filter and metering plugins ironically denies Master Plan’s intention to be the only plugin you need in your mastering chain.
Should you buy Master Plan?
Such grievances aside, Master Plan’s supreme simplicity masks a surprisingly deep and extensive chain of well-chosen mastering processors, while the basic controls reach into those processors and tweak them in just the right way to provide you with loads of tonal and dynamic control.
Master Plan isn’t going to do a better job than an experienced mastering engineer wielding an arsenal of high-end mastering processors, but it comes remarkably close at a fraction of the cost.
Key features

All-in-one mastering plugin for desktop hosts
Designed to make mastering quick and easy
Two-band shelving EQ
Limiter/clipper Loud circuit
Stereo width adjustment
Additional stages for saturation, dynamic EQ, compression and tape emulation
Input and output gain control
Unity bypass mode
Numeric readout of loudness metrics
Dark or light user interface design

The post Musik Hack Master Plan plugin: Mastering isn’t supposed to be this easy appeared first on MusicTech.

The Art of the RebrandMany artists have changed their name, look, or genre throughout the years, but some have been far more successful and well-accepted by their audience than others. So what marks the difference between a smooth transition and a failed one?

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