Orchestral Tools announce Arkanum Arkanum updates Orchestral Tools' Drones library with a collection of new patches made by the experimental musican behind the original release. 

These desktop lamps beam near-infrared light, in a bid to improve your moodAs humans spend increasing amounts of time indoors, we lose access to the sun’s natural benefits. Recognition of season affective disorder has grown accordingly. While the actual occurrence of the condition is low (around 5% — or 10 million or so Americans),  it’s led to increasing awareness of the sun’s impact on the production of […]
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AVA London 2024 The full line-up for this year’s AVA London event has now been announced, with electronic music and digital arts communities taking over a range of London venues.

How jazz samples can inspire your next track
The musicians behind the Signature sample label discuss the importance of jazz in today's music.

Google releases new open LLMs, Rivian lays off staff and Signal rolls out usernamesWelcome, folks, to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering noteworthy happenings in the tech industry. This week, Google launched two new open large language models, Gemma 2B and Gemma 7B, in its continued bid for generative AI dominance. The company, which describes the LLMs as “inspired by Gemini,” its flagship family of GenAI […]
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Getting It Done: The Week in D.I.Y. & Indie MusicThis week, our tips and advice for independent and do-it-yourself musicians looked at album covers in 2024, a Groover expansion, how to drive music promos, safely releasing a cover song,. Continue reading
The post Getting It Done: The Week in D.I.Y. & Indie Music appeared first on Hypebot.

REWIND – New Music Industry’s Week in Review: Live Nation, Superfans, Concert Fraud & moreIt was a busy week by any definition, and the music industry was no exception, with Live Nation breaking records, a new UMG-backed Superfan hub, talk of AI copyrights, a. Continue reading
The post REWIND – New Music Industry’s Week in Review: Live Nation, Superfans, Concert Fraud & more appeared first on Hypebot.

MonkeyC release Rando software sampler Rando helps users to find inspiring new sounds by randomly combining samples from their existing libraries. 

Memories of DJ/Musician Mojo Nixon (1957-2024)Mojo Nixon was an irreverent, tongue-in-cheek psychobilly singer and songwriter known for pop culture-skewering songs like "Elvis is Everywhere" and "Don Henley Must Die" and for being name-dropped in the Dead Milkmen cult favorite "Punk Rock Girl."

Memories of Mojo:"Mojo was a comet of person,  but he was also very thoughtful.He looked after the people he played on the radio and was an americana mentor. He was one of the people architects of the genre as an artist and a person” - Todd Snider"When Bill Crawford and I did The Live Show broadcast during SXSW in 1989, Mojo was our special guest. Early Mojo was a funny guy but not the way-over-the-top persona most folks knew him as.  He was sharp, witty and fearless about saying stuff no one else would. A year later, my friend Jim Dickinson produced Mojo's first solo album Otis after Mojo split from Skid Roper, the one with “Don Henley Must Die” that was recorded in Memphis. Dickinson was showing me around his trailer home and Zebra Studios in Senatobia, Mississippi a few years later, name-dropping Dylan,  Toots, the Replacements and other acts he’d produced. But h estopped and paused when it came to Kirby, as Dickinson addressed him. “Now there’s an artist,” he said almost sentimentally, an emotion Jim Dickinson was not known for showing. He referred to other recording studio clients as ‘victims.’ Mojo Nixon stood apart and alone." - Joe Nick Patoski"I have a lot of fun Mojo memories, but the weirdest - and my favorite - is the time that, out of boredom, he told his listeners that I had checked myself into a mental institution in Wyoming to recover from a nervous breakdown. I was on vacation in Florida feeling relatively sane at the time, but he must have sounded sincere because tons of friends and fans reached out to check on me. It was the most press I had had in years. The Houston Press called me and then ran a story with my favorite headline ever…"Hayes Carll Is Not In a Mental Institution, says Hayes Carll.'” - Hayes Carll"My fave memory may always be the last show he played. It was absolute, pure rock-n-roll fire. The whole band, Mojo, Pete, Matt, and Jesse Dayton’s drummer, whose name I cannot recall at this moment. It was incredible. Seeing him right after he was smiling like a dog chasing a cat, wild eyed, sparkling, glowing with love in the moment. I’ll always remember that mischievous twinkle in his eye. He was the king who preferred to be the jester.”  - Kevin Russell/Shinyribs"What I admired about Mojo  was his institutional knowledge of  the radio and music  business. I remember once he said, "All that's left on AM now is hate." He could tell stories like how Dickey Betts saved the Allman Brothers with " Ramblin Man." There was a lot more to the guy besides that manic persona.” - Long Haul Paul"Mojo had me, Justin Townes Earle, Joe Ely and Gurf Morlix on the show for one segment. We all passed around a guitar and played songs. He was as lively and rambunctious as I remember him being on stage years before in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Mojo was a force of Rock and Roll nature.” - Tim Easton"My favorite memory of Mojo was the day I met him. He was hosting his annual SXSW coverage for Outlaw Country in his room at the San Jose. I was not working for SiriusXM at the time. I was just another artist on that relentless press junket. Right off the bat he said, "I hear you can dance like a hillbilly." I pulled my clogging shoes out of my purse, laced up and commenced to stomping on the floor, I'm sure to the absolute dismay of every single other guest in the hotel. It was SO loud. Mojo got down on his knees at my feet and beat the floor with his hands while letting out a series of hoots and hollers. It was the most fun I had the whole time I was there.” - Elizabeth Cook"I remember, showing up for an interview with Mojo at the San Jose Hotel one South by Southwest. He didn't see me sit down across the table from him before he growled to the guy next to him,'I don't feel like doing any fuckin' interviews today.' It was 'We Can't Make it Here' era. I guess I got political during the interview. He later told Kellie, 'I could have killed him. That shit ain't funny.' Probably wasn't funny, but I was supposed to be God's own protest songster at that time. I did my best.” - James McMurtry"In the late 1980s I met Mojo and Skid at the Continental Club. His first show there was under-attended but that just made Mojo work harder. It was the first time I saw an artist abandon the stage and take over the dance floor. He demanded your attention, not by being a jerk but by being really funny and compelling. He was one of a kind and I’ll miss him."  - Casey Monahan"Interestingly, I think Mojo loved the Folk Alliance. I sat in on a meeting with Mojo and Louis Meyers when Louis was looking for a  good city to move FA to when it had outgrown Memphis. Mojo was very convincing that San Diego should be the place to go. Of course, the FA board wanted it to stay in the central US, but Mojo’s enthusiasm for San Diego was something to witness. Leaping around the room, strong emphasis with his hands and loud positive voice about every little thing that was cool about San Diego. I reckon he was always so!" - Mike Stewart“Mojo Nixon was the first person to play my father Kent Finlay on the radio - SiriusXM Outlaw Country.  It was the day Dad died, Texas Independence Day, 2015.  We were all gathered around the radio - me, Brian T., James McMurtry and Kellie Salome, Jon Dee Graham and some others. Mojo opened the show in his unmistakable Mono way: 'Kent Finlay: DEAD!' And in my grief and daze, I go, 'Boy, I’m glad I called everybody already…people would be running off the road.' But Mojo did a beautiful job paying tribute to my father, playing songs off a record Todd Snider and Brian and I eventually put out on our Eight 30 Records and Aimless Records called I’ve Written Some Life."Later at one SXSW, I was standing in the back of the Continental Club at Mojo’s Mayhem next to the great man himself and asked him how SX was treating him that year. He said, 'Well Jenni, I don’t really know. I shit my pants on Wednesday.' I laughed with him and said, 'Well at least you got that out of the way right out of the gate. Like eating a lizard first thing in the morning - nothing worse can happen after that.' He replied, 'Well that’s the thing…I really don’t know - I don’t remember Thursday…' Mojo was a true character and a wonderful lovable soul that the world will certainly miss.” - Jenni Finlay "I was a little apprehensive about appearing on Mojo’s radio show. Wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep up with his energy. But when I entered the studio he was friendly and professional, and within a minute or two we were talking about how much we both loved Don Walser. It was smooth sailing from there.“ - Slaid Cleaves"I had a few quiet sit-down discussions with the man known as Kirby, but I had many more occasions where I just listened to the man called Mojo. Every year (for several years) attending the AMA conference meant you got a ticket to the big Awards show. Despite the top-notch talent on the stage, the real show was in the Lobby. Mojo came in his best Hawaiian shirt, with Bullethead by his side, and Tepper satelliting in and out of the scene, with all his great stories loaded into the cue in his brain, and he’d wait for someone to walk by in a particular band shirt or mention a specific artist, and then, like the drug-addled bastard child of Jerry Clower, he’d wind up his story telling gears and slay everyone in listening range. It was the perfect field for Mojo, as his stories ran the gamut of west coast Cowpunkabilly weirdness, and he had his days at MTV in his back pocket as well. The BEST stories however, came with a look over his shoulder and a hushed tone. ('I was constantly trying to get hold of her back in the day and her husband does not care for me at all!') Those little asides punctuated already great stories, with the little personal embellishments said only for those of us in direct ear shot. He’d drop into a normal voice for more somber topics, but often follow that with a loud Mojo-esque capper, to let you know he wasn’t TOO broken up about anything. He was the Ringmaster MC. He teetered on the verge of being obscene every chance he got. I don’t recall him ever being mean-spirited to anyone around him, as long as you weren’t the topic of any of his songs that is. Even then, a spited subject like Don Henley, could find it in his heart to climb on stage with Mojo and help sing along. That is one of my favorite Mojo stories, which I believe he covers in The Mojo Manifesto documentary. Do yourself a favor and spend some time with Mojo on the interwebs. Youtube has many moments of Mojo Mayhem, and I believe the doc is on Amazon at present. Gonna miss you Mojo. Keep ‘em tucked up in them Daisy Dukes till you get past the gate keeper." - Swank*

"I was in Austin, Texas for South by Southwest around 1993 when a guy from USA Today took a picture of me walking down the street. I had this full beard and crazy jacket. They ran the picture in the newspaper the next day but confused me with Roky fucking Erickson. The headline said, “Texas legend Roky Erickson walks the streets of South by Southwest.” I’m not sure if that says I’m crazy or Roky’s crazy. Who’s supposed to be offended here? The guys from my band made a t-shirt that they sold with the picture: “Mojo Nixon Mistaken for Roky Erickson.” The shirt looked like the front page of the USA Today with the photo of me looking like I was pretending to be Roky. I mean, I was proud to be mistaken for Roky Erickson, but it does say something about how fucking high I was.” - Mojo Nixon (Excerpt from True Love Cast Out All Evil - The Songwriting Legacy of Roky Erickson 

"I'm positive there will be more and more Mojo stories circling around the globe for an enternity. Oh the stories we could tell...In the end, we are all just stories that live on an on as they are told and re-told again and again. And so, there is no doubt that Mojo will live on forever." - Jenni Finlay

Compiled by Jenni Finlay

www.jennifinlaypromotions.com

As Techstars retools, some former staffers say it lost focus on what made it successfulWell-known accelerator group Techstars announced a slew of changes to its operations this week, including the shuttering of some of its city-based programs. 
Criticism from former members of its decisions lit social media channels who argued that the famed startup accelerator has lost focus on the very thing that historically made it so successful.
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The MLC Announces Six Advisory Committee AppointmentsThe Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) announced six appointments to the organization’s advisory committees, including three appointments to the Dispute Resolution Committee, one appointment to the Operations Advisory Committee and two appointments to the Unclaimed Royalties Oversight Committee.

Dispute Resolution Committee

Songwriter, David “DQ” Quiñones, has been appointed to the Dispute Resolution Committee, to fill a songwriter seat. Quiñones attended Shenandoah Conservatory for music education and opera studies before attending Berklee College of Music where he studied music production and engineering. He has an extensive studio resume in vocal production and arrangements and has written most notably for Beyoncé, BTS, Brandy, The Pussycat Dolls, Enrique Iglesias and Nicki Minaj.

Consuelo Sayago (Industry Relations Advisor at Spirit Music Group) has been appointed to the Dispute Resolution Committee. Sayago is a seasoned music industry professional who has dedicated her career to championing the rights of creators. With a background in contract administration at BMI and EMI and most recently serving as Vice President, Global Administration at Spirit Music, she has played a pivotal role in working with CMOs worldwide to form equitable standards and alliances.

Matthew Skiba (Vice President, Rights and Content at Vydia) has been appointed to the Dispute Resolution Committee. Skiba brings a wealth of knowledge to the committee from his role at Vydia, where he’s held positions in digital rights management. Previously, Skiba worked in publishing administration and infringement claims at The Royalty Network, Inc., managing settlement agreements for mechanical and sync infringements.

The Dispute Resolution Committee makes recommendations to the Board on policies and procedures for the processing of royalties related to works that are subject to disputes over ownership and is comprised of five songwriters and five representatives of music publishers.

Operations Advisory Committee

Lidia Kim (Vice President, Legal and Business Affairs at Concord Music Publishing) has been appointed to the Operations Advisory Committee. Leveraging a rich background in the legal industry, Lidia oversees the digital business and legal affairs for Concord Music Publishing, advising company executives and internal departments on global digital and catalog matters, and managing the global digital licensing network, DSP relations and mass copyright litigation and other new media rights enforcement matters. Her expertise extends to managing business affairs as well as drafting and negotiating agreements with both emerging and established talents, including artists, songwriters and contemporary classical composers.

As described in the Music Modernization Act of 2018, The MLC’s Operations Advisory Committee makes recommendations to the Board on policies and procedures related to the operations of the Collective, including the efficient investment in and deployment of information technology and data resources. It is comprised of six representatives of music publishers and six representatives of digital music providers.

Unclaimed Royalties Oversight Committee

Songwriter, “Bruce” Waynne Nugent, has been appointed to the Unclaimed Royalties Oversight Committee,filling one of the five songwriter seats. With over two decades of experience in the music industry, working at the intersection of entertainment and technology, Nugent brings a vast array of knowledge in music production and A&R, co-producing for artists like Frank Ocean, Justin Bieber and Nelly.

Dale Esworthy (Executive Vice President, Worldwide Administration at Sony Music Publishing), who previously held a position on the Operations Advisory Committee has also been appointed to the Unclaimed Royalties Oversight Committee. In his position, Esworthy manages all administration operations for the company across its network of 38 offices in 24 countries, including copyright, royalty administration, tracking and other client services.

The Unclaimed Royalties Oversight Committee recommends policies and procedures to The MLC’s Board related to the distribution of unclaimed accrued royalties and is comprised of five songwriters and five representatives of music publishers.

Committee appointments are for three-year terms. Alisa Coleman, Board Chair states: “The MLC Board and its nominating committee appreciate all the submissions by writers and publishers who want to do their part by working with The MLC on these important committees. In reviewing and interviewing the many applicants, the Board has chosen those who we believe will best contribute to the diversity and knowledge of the existing committees.”

More information on The MLC’s Board of Directors and three advisory committees can be found here.

Initial Audio’s New Dynamic EQ Plugin Is FREE Until March 31st
Initial Audio’s Dynamic EQ plugin is currently available for FREE from the company’s website, which represents a saving of $49.  The deal is part of the developer’s 10th-anniversary sale and terminates at the “end of March.”  Dynamic EQ is a parametric equalizer with multi-band compression.  Initial Audio states that “each band has a built-in compressor [...]
View post: Initial Audio’s New Dynamic EQ Plugin Is FREE Until March 31st

GForce unveils the streamlined OB-EZ plugin for just £24.99 (for now)GForce has unveiled the OB-EZ , a new plugin featuring the rich Oberheim 8-Voice sound of OB-E in a streamlined interface, ideal for fat-tone-loving producers looking to simplify their workflow.

READ MORE: Arturia launches KeyLab Essential 88 mk3, putting a “full piano range at the fingertips” of producers

According to GForce, the OB-EZ is far from a lite version of the acclaimed OB-E (check out our review of the soft synth) when it comes to sound.
On the contrary, the OB-EZ features the same OB-E engine under its hood. The 260 plus patches included in OB-EZ are designed to deliver the same fatness and punch as those found in the OB-E, with enhanced tweakability.
Users can easily fine-tune all the essentials such as cutoff, resonance, envelopes, tuning, portamento, delay, reverb and more. Additional features include a Vintage knob for adding variation, Panning Modes for wide soundscapes, Vibrato, a fully resizable UI, as well as CC MIDI Mapping.
There’s also a powerful new Preset Browser for you to get down and dirty with your next production. And for those who prefer to go full-Oberheim, GForce has included the ability to import OB-EZ user presets in OB-E (the feature will arrive in spring). The presets cover everything from polyphonic keys and mega octaphonic pads to powerful unison basses and recreations you’ve probably heard on countless hits.
“OB-EZ is the fastest path to Oberheim fatness!” says Oberheim veteran Marcus Ryle.
The OB-EZ is priced at £49.99 (excluding VAT) with an intro price of £24.99. The software will be free for all current and new OB-E owners. It runs as a VST, VST3, AU, and AAX plugin on macOS and Windows.

Learn more at GForce Software.
The post GForce unveils the streamlined OB-EZ plugin for just £24.99 (for now) appeared first on MusicTech.

Spitfire Audio relaunches its Spitfire Symphony Orchestra plugin for an “even richer orchestral experience”Spitfire Audio has relaunched its Spitfire Symphony Orchestra plugin – originally released a decade ago – with multiple new enhancements for a “richer orchestral experience”.
The enhanced edition of SSO now incorporates percussion, woods, winds, strings, harp, and piano. It hosts a new Kontakt 7 UI, and comprehensive bug fixes have been implemented for a stable workflow. MusicTech reviewed the original SSO seven years ago, and scored it a mighty 10/10.

READ MORE: Spice up your use of samples with MonkeyC’s Rando sample randomiser plugin

The original SSO was captured at Lyndhurst Hall in AIR Studios (founded by Sir George Martin, known for his production work with The Beatles). Performed by London’s first-call orchestral players, the SSO sample library utilises a legato programming transformation that has been created by Andrew Blaney for improved realism.
The plugin features a complete Orchestra (118 Piece), with a selection of over 800 articulations across the whole orchestra including alternative techniques and legatos, with up to eight round robins per articulation and multiple dynamic layers.
It offers a wide range of mic signal options including Close, Tree, Ambients, Outriggers and Leader. There’s also Ostinatum mode for strings, brass and woodwind, and percussion mapping to allow for two-handed playing.

Paul Thomson, Spitfire Audio’s Co-Founder, states, “Our aim is to not just meet but exceed the expectations of composers. With this comprehensive relaunch, we are confident that SSO will continue to be a top choice amongst the world’s most successful composers, offering a rich and immersive orchestral experience.”
He adds, “There’s something truly unique about the sound in AIR Studios. The players recorded on the sessions performed at the peak of their abilities and as a result, the samples are absolutely stunning.
“It’s a timeless experience that we are continually nurturing – we’ve reimagined the legato programming, introduced a new, better user interface, and removed bugs, all while maintaining exceptional quality, ease of use and affordability. The result is a cohesive orchestral toolkit that is even more exciting now than it was when it was created a decade ago.”
Spitfire Symphony Orchestra is available now for £499 ($629 / €569), and there’s a 20 per cent discount currently running until 7 March 2024.
Find out more at Spitfire Audio.
The post Spitfire Audio relaunches its Spitfire Symphony Orchestra plugin for an “even richer orchestral experience” appeared first on MusicTech.

DAACI wants you to join its open beta to test its AI-powered Natural Drums pluginMusician-led AI tool developer DAACI is currently welcoming users to its open beta community to test its first creator plugin, Natural Drums.
Described as an “assistive AI co-pilot plugin”, Natural Drums creates drum grooves in real time, as if a session drummer is right there in your studio with you. It integrates into your existing DAW workflow, and will “assist creativity” and not replace it.

READ MORE: “Our AI isn’t trained on other people’s catalogues”: AI-powered “meta-composition” software DAACI places the human at the centre of music-making

Users can start with an idea and let the plugin enhance their initial input. Like working with a real drummer, you can play along and make changes in real time. It has been created by expert drummers and “draws on their many years of experience playing music in live settings”.
In line with DAACI’s musician and composer-led approach to generative AI, it doesn’t pull from a list of precomposed patterns, but rather “thinks like a musician” to create beats that feel human-like and unique.
The Natural Drums open beta gives users early access to a beta licence key ahead of full product release, plus discounts on future betas and full product licences, full technical support, insider access to the DAACI team, sneak peeks at upcoming products, and more.

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DAACI CEO Rachel Lyske states, “This is an incredibly exciting time for DAACI as we start to put our tools into the hands of the people who we value the most – musicians, artists and composers.” She adds, “Our solutions are built by musicians for musicians and now we are inviting people to get involved and help shape the future.
“Natural Drums is a perfect start to the pulse of this beta community. Over 30 years ago, at the start of my creative journey, the first thing I wrote was a simple drum beat. The challenge then was to express the complexity I was hearing in my head… I had to write it all out by hand and I didn’t have the tools to bring my ideas to life. Now, Natural Drums is in the hands of our users and they can benefit from DAACI’s unique approach and system.”
Join the open beta now for £18 over at DAACI.
The post DAACI wants you to join its open beta to test its AI-powered Natural Drums plugin appeared first on MusicTech.