“I’m most proud of elevating the sound and clarity of how we experience hip-hop”: Dr. Dre gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of FameRapper and producer Dr. Dre has been honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Eminem, and more were in attendance at the presentation earlier this week as Dr. Dre’s star was unveiled. Dre has seven Grammy awards, is the CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and the co-founder of Death Row Records.

READ MORE: “Dr. Dre especially would love if there was a way to have total isolation with live drums”: Trevor Lawrence Jr. on blurring the lines between acoustic kits and drum machines

As reported by Billboard, Dr.Dre is the 2,775th person to receive a star on the iconic Walk of Fame, which occupies 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard, plus three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California.
In his speech at the presentation, Dr. Dre states, “Growing up in Compton, I never imagined that I would one day be represented here among some of my childhood heroes. I’ve been fortunate enough to make a living doing exactly what I love to do. How about that? Isn’t that the dream?”
He adds, “Over the course of my career, I’ve had the privilege of finding and nurturing new talent as well as pushing the boundaries in hip-hop both in content and substance. But I’m most proud of elevating the sound and clarity of how we experience hip-hop.
“Getting that thing right is one of my greatest achievements. I love that this honour is unique to Los Angeles and brings fans from all over the world to connect with their favourite artists. I’ll be here forever.”

Last year, Dr. Dre revealed that he had previously turned down opportunities to work with Prince and Michael Jackson. The producer said that he liked “the way [he] [feels] about Stevie, Prince, Michael, Bruce Springsteen and all of these amazing artists,” and that this “could change by working with them” in a podcast hosted by Kevin Hart.
He added, “These are my fucking heroes…. I like the idea of what I grew up listening to and I want to keep it like that. And I don’t want to fuck up that idea and that look.”
The post “I’m most proud of elevating the sound and clarity of how we experience hip-hop”: Dr. Dre gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame appeared first on MusicTech.

Universal Audio has slashed $250 off its UAD Essentials bundle – deal ends 1 April and no, we’re not jokingLooking to add more effects to your production arsenal without breaking the bank? UAD’s latest deal on its Essentials bundle might just be the perfect solution.
From now till 1 April – we’re serious – the audio brand is offering an attractive $250 off its Essentials bundle (usual price $299), which features 11 “must-have” UAD offerings that “gives you the rich analogue tones heard on decades of classic albums”.

READ MORE: “Songwriters are generating record-breaking revenues via streaming services”: Spotify releases its annual Loud & Clear Report

Available now through Plugin Boutique, the $49 bundle requires no UAD hardware. When bought separately, the plugins are worth over $1,000.
Here’s what you’ll get with the Essentials collection:

Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection (3 plug-ins)
Pultec Passive EQ Collection (3 plug-ins)
Century Tube Channel Strip
Oxide Tape Recorder
Galaxy Tape Echo
Pure Plate Reverb
PolyMAX Synth

To sweeten things further, Plugin Boutique is also running a deal where you can buy any two UAD plugins for just $99. The deal was originally priced at $499, which means a delicious $400 in savings that could go to new synths, new mics, new MIDI controllers — you get the point.
Universal Audio hardware owners can pick from the entire UAD library of around 130-140 plugins that run on UA (DSP) hardware (30 of these are now native), while non-Universal Audio hardware owners can pick only from Native plugins.
“UA plugins perfectly model the best vintage gear and instruments as used by your favourite artists, engineers, and producers for decades. Now the authentic analogue sound of UA plugins is available natively for Mac and Windows with no UA hardware required. Save up to 83 percent on UAD Essentials Edition & the Custom 2 Bundle in our time-limited sale,” says Plugin Boutique.
The post Universal Audio has slashed $250 off its UAD Essentials bundle – deal ends 1 April and no, we’re not joking appeared first on MusicTech.

GForce unleash VSM IV The latest version of VSM extends the instrument’s functionality with new effects and modulation capabilities. 

Moog Music is moving out of its current Asheville homeIt’s the end of an era – Moog is moving out of its current famous home on Broadway Street in Asheville, North Carolina.
The brand has resided at its current red brick-walled building – which is easily recognisable for its bright music and synth-themed mural windows – since 2011, per the city’s website.

READ MORE: Moog’s Apple Vision Pro Animoog Galaxy softsynth is a “multidimensional sonic, visual and spatial experience”

It won’t be going too far though, according to a statement from the brand (via abc13 News), Moog is moving to the Asheville Citizen-Times building along O’Henry Avenue where it will continue to carry out work on product design, development, and engineering. It’s also expanding its manufacturing facility in Weaverville, a city just north of Asheville.
The Citizen-Times, which will be vacating its offices ahead of the synth brand’s move, reports that Moog president, Joe Richardson, says the new location moves Moog towards the city centre “where so much creativity and musical expression lives”.

The first floor of the building is currently home to record maker and cafe, Citizen Vinyl. Richardson also comments that Moog staff are “big fans of Citizen Vinyl” and that they appreciate CEO Gar Ragland’s efforts to support music in different ways.
“I sure hope there is a day in the future [when we] will be collaborating with artists and bringing more music to Asheville that we can all benefit from, both commercially and as lovers of music,” he adds.
Last September, it was revealed that “more than half of existing positions” at Moog’s Broadway Street facilities had been cut. In the previous June, the brand was acquired by inMusic, the company which also owns Akai, Alesis, M-Audio, Numark, and others. At the time of the layoffs, it was reported that most of its synths would then on be made in Taiwan. Richardson now states that the company intends to increase staff.
Check out the current product lineup from Moog.
The post Moog Music is moving out of its current Asheville home appeared first on MusicTech.

“Who knew that I would earn more money from a short guitar riff than I ever earned in 50 years as a member of Roxy Music?”: Phil Manzanera on being sampled on Kanye West and Jay-Z trackA guitar riff by musician and producer Phil Manzanera that he “forgot all about” was once sampled in a song by Kanye West and Jay-Z, leading to him earning more money than he ever did during his time as a guitarist in English rock band, Roxy Music.
The sample is taken from the title track of his 1976 solo album K-Scope, and can be heard on the song No Church In The Wild from West and Jay-Z’s 2011 album, Watch The Throne. In his new book, Revolución To Roxy, Manzanera has recalled how he found out about the sample.

READ MORE: Fred Again.. has produced a track on Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign’s VULTURES album

An extract of the book shared by inews (via MusicRadar) reveals that Manzanera was contacted by a representative of Roc-A-Fella Records, who informed him of the sample which had been sourced by 88-Keys. “Delving as deep as I knew how into the furthest recesses of my memory, I vaguely recalled being near the end of recording and at a loss for something new to play,” writes Manzanera.
“One evening I’d been sitting on the sofa and noodling with my guitar when I came across this riff which I quite liked. I played it only a few times, recorded it in the studio the next day, and then forgot all about it.”
After originally thinking that the call from the representative was a mix-up, Manzanera returned a call to the business affairs department at Virgin and spoke to an executive. “I told her about the phone call from Roc-A-Fella Records and asked if she knew anything about it. ‘Oh yes we know about it,’ she said cheerfully, ‘we’ve been discussing it with them for weeks.’”

Apparently, they didn’t need his permission to use the sample because the label owned the copyright, but the executive explained that negotiations had taken place and that he would receive a third of the royalties from sales of the track.
“Who knew that I would earn more money from a short guitar riff that I wrote one evening on a sofa in front of the telly in 1978 than I ever earned in the entire 50 years as a member of Roxy Music?” he says in the book. “Thank you, Kanye West, thank you Jay-Z, thank you Virgin and Universal, and thank you to the capricious mistress that is rock ‘n’ roll.”

The topic of West and sampling has been a point of prominent discussion in recent months. The rap artist has been criticised by Ozzy Osbourne for allegedly using an unauthorised sample from a performance of Black Sabbath’s Iron Man. Donna Summer’s estate has also accused West of using an alleged unauthorised interpolation of the late singer’s 1977 hit I Feel Love.
The post “Who knew that I would earn more money from a short guitar riff than I ever earned in 50 years as a member of Roxy Music?”: Phil Manzanera on being sampled on Kanye West and Jay-Z track appeared first on MusicTech.

Tyler, the Creator: “I’m always ahead of even myself, so AI will never catch up to me creatively”Amid the current AI debate within the music industry, artists have expressed a range of stances from curiosity to disdain and even considerable concern for the future of music if it’s eventually out of human hands. Tyler, The Creator, however, has expressed his own stance on it, and from the sounds of things, he appears unperturbed by the rapid advantages in technology.

READ MORE: “We should start putting out music again on Tuesdays and not Fridays”: Tyler, the Creator discusses changes he’d make to the industry

The musician says in a new interview that he feels he is “always ahead of even myself” which means that in his mind, “the AI will never catch up to me creatively”.
On a recent episode of De La Soul’s AOI podcast, the artist says he reckons AI can’t outpace “the superpower that we have” in terms of human creativity that “keeps things unique and moving forward”.
“Why have a computer do that special power that us as humans have?” he questions. “[We should make it] clean up the ground or for getting the cancer cells out of us. What? Making a beat? Like, no. Stop.
“It might have its perks but I’m always ahead of even myself, so the AI will never catch up to me creatively. It’ll only be a reference point of what I already did, not where I’m going because it’s not me.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pigeons & Planes (@pigsandplans)

In other AI news, YouTuber Rick Beato also recently weighed in on the subject and admitted he had mixed feelings on the emergence of the technology.
“There will be things that people like, that are created by AI, and there will be people 20 years from now, [saying], ‘Oh, I much prefer AI Rolling Stones than [the original] Rolling Stones. That’s just gonna be a thing.”
He continues, “People, companies – whether it’s Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, Warner Music, UMG, Sony – are gonna have all their own AI-generated music. Those are the downsides. Who’s gonna hold the copyright on it? What are the songs that the models are gonna be trained on? I believe, in the future, you’ll go to Apple Music or Spotify, you’ll see The Beatles, and The Beatles AI; Led Zeppelin, and Led Zeppelin AI.”
The post Tyler, the Creator: “I’m always ahead of even myself, so AI will never catch up to me creatively” appeared first on MusicTech.

Music Biz Weekly Podcast looks back on 13 Years and 600 EpisodesCelebrating dual milestones of 13 years and 600 episodes, Music Biz Weekly co-hosts Micahel Brandvold and Jay Gilbert look back at what the internet, social media, and music marketing were like when their popular podcast launched.....
The post Music Biz Weekly Podcast looks back on 13 Years and 600 Episodes appeared first on Hypebot.

How are Musicians & Songwriters paid? Two short Spotify videos explainHow do artists and songwriters get paid? As part of its annual Loud & Clear report on payments to musicians, Spotify has created two short videos to explain.....
The post How are Musicians & Songwriters paid? Two short Spotify videos explain appeared first on Hypebot.

A second look at using Spotify Marquee to market music [Brian Hazard]Now that time has passed, and the platform has been adequately tested, Brian Hazard gives his updated review on Spotify's Marquee artist feature.....
The post A second look at using Spotify Marquee to market music [Brian Hazard] appeared first on Hypebot.

Plasma Is A New FREE Distortion Plugin By Dimethoxy
Plasma from developer Dimethoxy is a free, open-source digital audio effect for VST3 hosts. There has been no shortage of interesting distortion effects in the last few years. One of my personal favorites is Minimal Audio’s Rift, which takes a decidedly different approach to how distortion is achieved. And let’s not forget our very own [...]
View post: Plasma Is A New FREE Distortion Plugin By Dimethoxy

20,500 Artists made $50K+ from Spotify last yearSpotify just revealed its annual Loud and Clear report revealing some top level numbers with some granular insights from 2023.

ADAM Audio relaunch Authorised Listening Centre programme Those interested in investing in some new ADAM Audio monitors are now able to demo a huge range of the company's products at stores around the world. 

Textural Memories for Imaginando’s Visual Synthesizer Textural Memories is a new VS preset expansion pack created by Perplex On, a German media artist renowned for his inventive audio-visual performances.

“AI has totally humiliated me whenever I’ve gone and asked it to impersonate myself”: James Blunt says he won’t be using AI to write lyrics in the futureLike many artists, James Blunt has asked AI to create lyrics in the style of his own writing out of sheer curiosity. It seems though, the results he got back have taught him “not to use” the tech again, and also that he “must do better” as a lyricist, according to the pop artist.
Outside of his music, Blunt is certainly not one to take himself too seriously, so it’s not surprising that he’s of course experimented with the likes of AI tools for a bit of a laugh. With that said, the Goodbye My Lover singer has some interesting observations on the current limits of its role in music.

READ MORE: “In the future you’ll go to Spotify, you’ll see The Beatles, and The Beatles AI”: Rick Beato shares his worries about AI

Appearing on the I Never Thought It Would Happen podcast, he says, “Every single one of us must have, having heard of [AI], typed in and then written ‘Give me a verse based on this, in the style of, in my case, a James Blunt lyric.’
“The truth is, either AI comes up with something very, very generic or my lyrics are just absolutely mundane,” he laughs. “So AI has totally humiliated me whenever I’ve gone and asked it to impersonate myself. It’s taught me, if anything, not to use AI and [that I] must do better.”
On a more analytical note, Blunt goes on to add: “The thing about songwriting and music generally is, it is your flaws and your failings and your mistakes which make it have character.
“Character is something that is not formulaic or generic and even if I have written something before and I say ‘Let me write it in the style of me again,’ it will be boring to myself, I need to go out and test myself and push myself to do something different. And some of those things I would make by mistake and I don’t think AI can do that yet. I don’t think it can bring in true character flaws and mistakes at this stage.”
You can listen to the full episode below:

James Blunt is currently on tour. View the full list of his live dates.
The post “AI has totally humiliated me whenever I’ve gone and asked it to impersonate myself”: James Blunt says he won’t be using AI to write lyrics in the future appeared first on MusicTech.

This ‘secret’ composer is behind 650 fake artists on Spotify. His music has been streamed 15bn times on the platform (report)Revealed in a Dagens Nyheter expose: the musician 'behind the world's most listened to network of fake artists on Spotify'
Source