ELVIS Act protecting musicians’ voices “from the misuse of AI” signed into law in TennesseeNew protection for songwriters, singers and other music industry professionals against the misuse of their voice using AI has been signed into law in the state of Tennessee, USA.
The ELVIS Act, which stands for “Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security” was signed into law on Thursday 21 March by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in Nashville. It will officially go into effect on 1 July.

READ MORE: Roland and UMG partner for a new set of principles of AI use in music

As reported by Music Business Worldwide, the ELVIS Act is a first of its kind law to be introduced in the US and updates existing state rules to protect not only against the unauthorised use of someone’s likeness, but now also their voice. The bill was originally introduced in January to update Tennessee’s Protection of Personal Rights law.
The office of Governor Bill Lee shares in a press release that “while Tennessee’s existing law protects name, image and likeness, it doesn’t specifically address new, personalised generative AI cloning models and services that enable human impersonation and allow users to make unauthorised fake works in the image and voice of others”.
The statement explains,  “Artists and musicians at all levels are facing exploitation and the theft of their integrity, identity, and humanity. This threatens the future of Tennessee’s creators, the jobs that they support across the state and country, and the bonds between fans and their favourite bands.”

Dr. Moiya McTier, Human Artistry Campaign Senior Advisor says, “Fittingly named after one of the world’s most iconic voices, the ELVIS Act marks a history-defining moment – protecting us all from irresponsible and unethical AI. The Human Artistry Campaign applauds this strong, bipartisan effort to stop unauthorised AI-generated deep fakes and voice clones that steal essential parts of our individuality.”
Dr. McTier concludes, “The life’s work and irreplaceable contributions of the creative community to our culture deserve safeguards that allow AI technology to be used responsibly without violating anyone’s rights or appropriating their art.”
Find out more via the Human Artistry Campaign website.
The post ELVIS Act protecting musicians’ voices “from the misuse of AI” signed into law in Tennessee appeared first on MusicTech.

Streaming fraud leads to prison sentence for Danish man in case called ‘historic’ by artists’ groupsStreaming fraud and manipulated audio are two of the biggest headaches in music today, and a criminal case shows how the two go hand in hand
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Why are producers sharing screen captures of their DAW on YouTube?Uploading to streaming services is a breeze in 2024. Opening the DAW to your producer buddies, though, so you can them how you layered that vocal part or created an intricate synth patch, is impossible on Spotify and Apple Music. It’s no surprise, then, that traditional producers are following the moves of their younger peers, who regularly post screen recordings on TikTok from BandLab and FL Studio to show off a new production technique. YouTube is still one place to find long-form tutorials, but it’s also one of the platforms to join in on viral trends.
READ MORE: No, Daniel Ek, the music industry isn’t like professional football
My YouTube homepage is overflowing with videos by Klaus Veen, Virtual Riot, Azali and similar producers. Their videos aren’t influencer-style. There’s no presenter, no dialogue, and no high- (or low)-production camerawork. It’s just a screen recording of a DAW playing a new track and — if you’re lucky — some text that describes what’s happening in the project. So simple, so enthralling.

These videos are racking up hundreds of thousands of plays, some even more, and the comment sections are nothing short of inspiring. People are actually having interesting discussions about the project in the video. Producers are cracking nerdy jokes about the techniques. Others stumbling upon the video are begging for the work to be put onto streaming services (for better or worse).
And it gets better. When one user, ixer, released their video ‘I think I broke the amen’ — a tracker-style chop of the amen break — other producers tried it out for themselves. Virtual Riot got involved, which inspired hundreds more beatmakers to slice up the break, kickstarting a fun trend that brand community managers could only dream of starting.

Another mesmerising Virtual Riot video, ‘I heard you like polyrhythms’, has over one million views and is almost eight minutes of intrigue. The creation is so masterful that it’s encouraged other producers to try and break down how Virtual Riot did it so that you can do it too. It also started another trend, obviously.

Then there’s the Daft Punk Face to Face breakdowns. For several years, producers have been hunting down samples and, every time a new one is discovered, they’ll place it into an Ableton Live session and record the results. Last year, the community of Daft Punk fans finally cracked it.

Education lies at the heart of this movement. Everyone loves a YouTube tutorial. Hell, we’ve made hundreds. TikTok has them aplenty, too, with creators showing viewers how they make tracks in Ableton in just a couple of minutes. Or, in the case of the Soulja Boy Crank Dat speedrunning trend, in 17 seconds.

@prodrobtmb
First ever sub 17 Soulja Boy Crank Dat #producer #producertok #beats #beatmaking #flstudio #rap
♬ original sound – robtmb

But these long-for screen captures are different to your average presenter-style tutorial — they cut the long-winded intro speech and just get into it. They open up their effects chains, show their synth patches, reveal their piano rolls and don’t mess around. You can divulge tons of information from those small acts alone. You might even find yourself asking more questions than you had before, leading you to learn new music production secrets.

Browser-based DAWs and music creation platforms are already fulfilling this demand. BandLab and Soundtrap, for example, let you create and collaborate on projects in real time, giving your friends a free look into your production and recording choices. You can learn from one another, online, as you create a track together. You can share your project with your network of followers, letting them Fork the track (on BandLab) and make edits on their own copy of your project.
Github does this for the coding community, too. You can share your code, take suggestions on edits, and collaborate with peers on improving it.
YouTube has long been the place for people to share their music. Uploading screen caps of a DAW isn’t new either; but it’s encouraging to see producers comfortable using these platforms to collaborate and mainstream the idea that music is better together.

[Editor’s note: BandLab Technologies and MusicTech are both a part of Caldecott Music Group] 
The post Why are producers sharing screen captures of their DAW on YouTube? appeared first on MusicTech.

The new ‘SoundCloud era’ is YouTube screen captures of a DAWRemember the early days of SoundCloud? You’d find a sample, make a one-minute loop at midnight, then upload it to show your producer friends; artists would publish tracks with a list of the gear they used before swathes of commenters asked, hoping to find the secret sauce; dance acts would upload bootleg edits of songs DJs could easily download and spin later that night — even if it wasn’t strictly legal. Of course you remember.

READ MORE: No, Daniel Ek, the music industry isn’t like professional football

Well, I’m starting to think YouTube screen captures are the next evolution of that wonderful iteration of SoundCloud.
Maybe I’m late to the party but, for the past few months, my YouTube homepage has been overflowing with videos by Klaus Veen, Virtual Riot, Azali and more. The videos aren’t influencer-style. There’s no presenter, no dialogue, and no high- (or low)-production camerawork. It’s just a screen recording of a DAW playing a new track and — if you’re lucky — some text that describes what’s happening in the project. So simple, so enthralling.

These videos rack up hundreds of thousands of plays, some even more, and the comment sections are nothing short of inspiring. People are actually having interesting discussions about the project in the video. Producers are cracking nerdy jokes about the techniques. Others stumbling upon the video are begging for the work to be put onto streaming services (for better or worse).
And it gets better. When one user, ixer, released their video ‘I think I broke the amen’ — a tracker-style chop of the amen break — other producers tried it out for themselves. Virtual Riot got involved, which inspired hundreds more beatmakers to slice up the break, kickstarting a fun trend that brand community managers could only dream of starting.

Another mesmerising Virtual Riot video, ‘I heard you like polyrhythms’, has over one million views and is almost eight minutes of intrigue. The creation is so masterful that it’s encouraged other producers to try and break down how Virtual Riot did it so that you can do it too. It also started another trend, obviously.

Education lies at the heart of this movement. Everyone loves a YouTube tutorial. Hell, we’ve made hundreds. I don’t think I would’ve passed my music technology degree without YouTube tutorials. But these screen captures are different to your average presenter-style tutorial — they cut the long-winded intro speech and just get into it. They open up their effects chains, show their synth patches, reveal their piano rolls and don’t mess around. You can divulge tons of information from those small acts alone. You might even find yourself asking more questions than you had before, leading you to learn new music production secrets.

It all makes me dream of what kind of social platform we producers could have. Perhaps producers would revel in a social media platform that enables us to share our projects in a browser, giving peers and fans free rein into our production and recording choices. Maybe that’s the new SoundCloud.

The post The new ‘SoundCloud era’ is YouTube screen captures of a DAW appeared first on MusicTech.

Pulsar Audio unveil Primavera spring reverb Pulsar Audio's new spring reverb plug-in is based on modelling rather than sampling, allowing it to offer a greater degree of control than convolution-based alternatives

Here’s how Microsoft is providing a ‘good outcome’ for Inflection AI VCs, as Reid Hoffman promisedExactly how much Microsoft is paying all the investors of Inflection AI as part its oddly structured deal to abscond with the cofounders, much of the staff, and the rights to use the tech hasn’t been publicly revealed. And Microsoft declined comment when asked. But unnamed sources tell the Information that it’s plunking out approximately […]
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Music-making platform BandLab surpasses 100 million usersApp has grown by 40 million users since January 2023
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ELVIS Act signed into law in Tennessee to protect artists’ voice and likeness from the misuse of AIThe bipartisan ELVIS Act was signed into law on Thursday (March 21) by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee
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Vastly Improved Servo Control, Now Without Motor SurgeryHobby servos are great, but they’re in many ways not ideal for robotic applications. The good news is that [Adam] brings the latest version of his ServoProject, providing off-the-shelf servos with industrial-type motion control to allow for much, much tighter motion tracking than one would otherwise be limited to.
Modifying a servo no longer requires opening the DC motor within.
The PID control system in a typical hobby servo is very good at two things: moving to a new position quickly, and holding that position. This system is not very good at smooth motion, which is desirable in robotics along with more precise motion tracking.
[Adam] has been working on replacing the PID control with a more capable cascade-based control scheme, which can even compensate for gearbox backlash by virtue of monitoring the output shaft and motor position separately. What’s really new in this latest version is that there is no longer any need to perform surgery on the DC motor when retrofitting a servo; the necessary sensing is now done externally. Check out the build instructions for details.
The video (embedded just below) briefly shows how a modified servo can perform compared to a stock one, and gives a good look at the modifications involved. There’s still careful assembly needed, but unlike the previous version there is no longer any need to actually open up and modify the DC motor, which is a great step forward.

Dynamic Range Day 2024 Dynamic Range Day was started by mastering engineer Ian Shepherd, and aims to raise awareness of the negative impact that excessive dynamic processing can have on music.

A Binary Version of the Engima MachineThe Enigma machine is the most well-known encryption tool used by German forces in World War II, mostly because it was so famously cracked by the Allies to great effect. Like many hackers, [christofer.jh] was intrigued by the design of the Enigma, and felt compelled to build a binary version of his own design.
The original Enigma machine was designed to scramble the 26 letters in the Latin alphabet. This design is altogether simpler. Instead of 26 letters, it will scramble 1s and 0s of binary code based on the initial settings of the scrambler rings.

To send a message encoded with the machine, you must first translate your text into binary. You can use any method, and [christofer.jh] suggests a simplified one himself. Then, digit by digit, you push a button corresponding to the 1s and 0s of your message, check the output, note it down, and then push the lever to advance the rings. Enter the next digit, and so on. Decoding then involves setting up the machine in the same initial state and entering the ciphertext to get the message back out.
It’s an amusing little design and one that could be a good laugh to assemble for those interested in classical cryptographic methods. Design files are there so you can print your own if you so desire. Or, check out some previous Enigma projects from the pages of Hackaday.

Online Q&A with Studio Manager Candace StewartConnect with Candace Stewart, the legendary manager of East West Studios in Hollywood.

With over 30 years of experience in studio management, Candace is a leading figure in the recording business. As part of the core team at East West, she has helped the studio deliver over 190 Grammy nominated songs and albums. She has worked with artists across all genres of music, including The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Foo Fighters, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Pharrell, and Snoop Dogg, as well as acclaimed film composers such as Jerry Goldsmith and Paul Williams.

For the next seven days, Candace Stewart will answer all of your business and industry-related questions on our community platform. Learn about how to cultivate a successful career as a producer or engineer and find out what it takes to run one of the world’s leading studio destinations.

Create your profile for free to get started on the community platform or become a member to participate in this exclusive online discussion. Starting at $99/year.

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Roland and UMG partner for a new set of principles of AI use in musicAs AI technology advances, more and more musicians are using it throughout the creative process. With free-to-use voice cloning AI software and TikTok’s AI Song features, AI is becoming increasingly easy to access and use when creating tracks.
However, it can be difficult to discern when an artist has utilised AI. In order to combat improper or undisclosed usage of AI, Roland and Universal Music Group have joined forces to lay down ground rules for AI usage in music.

READ MORE: TikTok testing generative AI songmaking tool – and so far, it absolutely sucks

The Principles for Music Creation with AI serves as a guideline for responsible AI usage in music. A dedicated website, AIForMusic.info, lists the 7 principles that will ensure human creativity is protected and AI is used with care.
The full list of core principles are:

We believe music is central to humanity.
We believe humanity and music are inseparable.
We believe that technology has long supported human artistic expression, and applied sustainably, AI will amplify human creativity.
We believe that human-created works must be respected and protected.
We believe that transparency is essential to responsible and trustworthy AI.
We believe the perspectives of music artists, songwriters, and other creators must be sought after and respected.
We are proud to help bring music to life.

In many ways, the list feels rather dystopian. Roland and UMG make a strong point of how AI could threaten human creativity; as the site preaches, “music is central to humanity,” and we should continue to put human creativity at the forefront of music creation.
“Enjoying and creating music is integral to our health, well-being, and happiness,” the site reads. “Music provides a human connection to each other and the world around us and is deeply personal.”
In a statement shared by Music Week, Roland and UMG explain their alliance. “United by a mutual desire for clarity of direction and intention to the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in music creation, the partnership involves the exploration of innovation sitting at the cross-section of music and technology,” the statement reads.
Masahiro Minowa, chief innovation officer at Roland, was also quoted by Music Week: “as companies who share a mutual history of technology innovation, both Roland and UMG believe that AI can play an important role in the creative process of producing music. We also have a deep belief that human creativity is irreplaceable, and it is our responsibility to protect artists’ rights.”
The partnership comes after a series of UMG deals with AI -driven companies. In October, UMG announced it was teaming up BandLab, stating it would be an “an expansive, industry-first strategic relationship concentrated on artificial intelligence.”
Last year, UMG also joint forces with YouTube‘s ‘Music AI Incubator’, as well as generative AI sound wellness startup Endel.
“At UMG, we have long recognised and embraced the potential of AI to enhance and amplify human creativity, advance musical innovation, and expand the realms of audio production and sound technology,” UMG’s chief digital officer, Michael Nash says. “This can only happen if it is applied ethically and responsibly across the entire industry.”
“We are delighted to collaborate with Roland… to promote adoption of these core principles with the goal of ensuring human creativity continues to thrive alongside the evolution of new technology,” he concludes.
The post Roland and UMG partner for a new set of principles of AI use in music appeared first on MusicTech.

GoFundMe launched to support the uncredited vocalist on DJ Deeon’s Freak Like Me after 28 years of no compensationWhile DJ Deeon’s 1996 release Freak Like Me has been a club staple for years, the identity of the vocalist has remained a mystery for 28 years. Until now.
Thanks to Berlin DJ Sarah Farina, it has been revealed that Tish Bailey is the woman who sings the dancefloor classic. However, Bailey has not received a penny from her involvement.

READ MORE: James Blake launches Vault, a direct artist-to-fan unreleased music streaming platform

In order to compensate for nearly three decades of no credit, Farina has set up a GoFundMe to support the wronged singer.
“Imagine the voice in Freak Like Me is your own, recorded during a studio hang out with a friend and swapped between producers without your permission,” the GoFundMe reads. “Now imagine you were never credited or paid a fee or royalties and simply ignored after being promised it would be ‘made right’.”
At the time, Bailey didn’t have access to the legal support to argue her case. She had given up any hope of receiving compensation. That is, until DJ Farina hunted Bailey down and offered their support in 2019.

An avid Freak Like Me Fan, Farina religiously played DJ Deeon’s classic during their sets. It became their mission to discover who the voice belonged to – and, after relentless searching, they soon reached out to Bailey.
In an Instagram post, Farina shared Bailey’s story. Farina explains how Bailey recorded vocals at DJ Funk’s studio at the age of 19 and heard nothing more of it – only to hear them years later at a house party when a DJ played DJ Deeon’s Freak Like Me.
“Since its 1st release in 1996, both independent and major label artists have sampled, remixed and re-released lyrics written & sang by Tish Bailey,” the post reads. “Like may Black femme artists and vocalists, Tish’s voice was used without her being credited, paid a fee or given royalties.”

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A post shared by Sarah Farina (ﾉ• ◡ • )ﾉ (@sarahfarinabln)

While the GoFundMe aims to support Tish, Farina is also uplifting Bailey’s voice by having her feature on the DJ’s upcoming EP Stay Soft, out 5 April.
Bailey herself has spoken out in light of the GoFundMe campaign. “Though I never desired fame or notoriety, knowing millions worldwide have heard my voice and enjoyed it for decades and continue to even today, brings me joy,” she writes on her website.
“Though few know my name or have seen my face, I know I’ve brought a lil spicy joy to countless people,” she continues. “That’s my life’s purpose so despite any downside, I humbly appreciate the opportunity to reach the hearts of many.”
People can support to Bailey by donating to the GoFundMe or pre-ordering her EP with Farina on Bandcamp.

The post GoFundMe launched to support the uncredited vocalist on DJ Deeon’s Freak Like Me after 28 years of no compensation appeared first on MusicTech.

Orange Clip by Schwabe Digital Schwabe Digital's new Orange Clip plug-in makes the sound of FL Studio's popular built-in clipper plug-in available to users of any DAW.