Music Gifts 2023: Last-minute music presents for hi-fi fans and music loversWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. For more information on how this works click here.
It feels like everyone’s already thought about and completed their yearly rounds of Christmas shopping. But not everyone! We can’t all be so quick off the mark to prep for the big day, and that’s nothing to be ashamed about. There’s still just enough time to grab a thoughtful present for a loved one this year that could blow them away, allowing you to be rightly crowned as the king or queen of your family’s Chrimbo.

READ MORE: Gift Guide 2023: 12 affordable holiday gifts for producers and musicians

If you’re buying for a real music fan, you’d struggle to disappoint with a music-related gift. We’ve compiled some of the best affordable options, from Bluetooth speakers to headphones, books, accessories and more, to help get the ball rolling – and hopefully de-stress – your last-minute 2023 holiday season shop.
Gift vouchers – Amazon, Thomann, zZounds
Credit: Getty / Betsie Van Der Meer
At this time of year, what a music fan might simply desire are the funds for that much-needed music tech sitting at the top of their mental wishlist. If unsure of which product that might be exactly, gifting a voucher from their preferred music store allows them the freedom to purchase anything, avoiding any potential disappointment if you get it wrong. Amazon, zZounds and Thomann each offer gift vouchers, often ranging from $25 to $1,000.

Buy a gift card from Amazon
Buy a gift card from zZounds
Buy a gift card from Thomann

JBL Flip 6 Bluetooth speaker – $111/£97

There was once a time when home listening required a big hi-fi setup, records or CDs and a power connection – portability was barely a question. But today, all you need is a phone or laptop with Bluetooth connectivity and a trusty wireless Bluetooth speaker.
JBL’s Flip 6 is robust portable speaker that delivers booming sound from anywhere, even if it does meet the unassuming size and shape of a Pringles can. Yes, other portable speakers such as the Bose Soundlink and Anker Soundcore can deliver excellent sound, but for durability on those endless summer nights in the parks with friends, the Flip 6 is a no-brainer.
Buy it at Amazon.
Sennheiser SoundProtex Plus protective earbuds – $70/£56

Regardless if you’re a musician or not, protecting your hearing is crucial. If you’ve got a friend or loved one who’s an excessive gig-goer, a high-quality pair of earbuds is essential. The last thing you want is for their hearing to be worse than granny’s next Christmas, so act now and grab Sennheiser’s SoundProtex Plus. These protective earbuds are a safe bet for the price, making for a safe pair of lugs.
Buy them at Thomann.
Millennium vinyl record holder – $7
Image: Kelly Bowden / Getty
You’ve already bought your loved one the year’s biggest album on vinyl. What’s next? Something to help them show it off to their mates, of course! This vinyl record holder, although an absolute pain to wrap, has a super simple setup – just hang it to nails or hooks on your wall and slot your favoured record inside. It’s a brilliant way to show everyone what’s playing when you’re on DJ duties at a house party, too.
Buy it at Thomann.
AKG K-182 hi-fi headphones – $94/£75

Don’t settle for crappy headphones that fall apart this Christmas. The AKG K-182 hi-fi headphones offer reliable sound quality, delivering clear audio across the frequency spectrum. With comfortable over-ear design and excellent noise isolation, they provide an immersive listening experience. Durable build, foldable design, and affordability make them an ideal choice for those seeking relatively quality sound without the hefty price tag that can come with it.
Buy it at Thomann.
AZATOM Desire X Oak DAB digital radio – $41
AL:

AZATOM’s Desire X Oak DAB digital radio is stylish and functional without breaking your bank, coming in at a cool $41 on Amazon. It offers DAB and DAB+ digital radio reception, providing a wide range of stations with a surprisingly high sound quality. The oak finish gives it an elegant look, and it includes features like alarm functions, preset stations, and an easy-to-use interface.
Buy it at Amazon.
Nanoleaf 4D from $72/£72

Nanoleaf 4D is a kit of light strips and a camera that, when attached to your TV, turns your living room into a raving room. The lights react to whatever’s on the screen, so the light extends out into the wall behind and makes for a more immersive experience. These are, of course, perfect for music fans. Just bring up your favourite music video or a recording of a live gig on the screen and you can have your very own light show in seconds.
Buy it at Amazon.
Sony WF-C500 true wireless earbuds – $55

Sony’s WF-C500 wireless earbuds are an all-round package for music lovers. They have a snug, lightweight fit for comfortable extended wear, enhanced sound quality via DSEE, and customisable EQ settings. Stable Bluetooth connectivity ensures uninterrupted music, while the IPX4 water resistance technology handles splashes. With a 20-hour battery life and rapid charging, these earbuds promise all-day listening with minimal downtime – perfect for when the Christmas board game tantrums are taking their toll.
Buy them at Amazon.
Revolution: The History of Turntable Design – $75

Is your friend or loved one a turntable fanatic? If they have any interest in vinyl records, they’d most likely love //Revolution: The History of Turntable Design//. A perfect coffee table book to go with a living room’s sonic setup, it includes 300 illustrations from the world of turntables, from affordable to high-end, and everything in between. We love the retro throwbacks and strange designs – there are even luxury turntables featured that can fetch upwards of $50,000. Fascinating!
Buy it at Amazon.
Dance Your Way Home: A Journey Through the Dancefloor – from $13

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Dance Your Way Home: A Journey Through The Dancefloor was instantly loved by fans of dance music in 2023. MusicTech contributor Emma Warren delves into why we dance, revealing personal and collective insights through various dance settings, from home to vibrant club scenes, unveiling how dancing shapes our identities and cultures. This book goes beyond music, highlighting the overlooked yet profound aspects of dancing’s impact on our lives, serving as a memoir and cultural reflection that celebrates the universal language of movement and rhythm.
Buy it at Amazon.
For more buyer’s guides, head to MusicTech.
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Bandsintown unwraps shareable live music High Notes for ArtistsBandsintown has released High Notes, its annual shareable graphic recap of an artist’s year performing live. High Notes is designed to be shared by artists to thank fans, grow their. Continue reading
The post Bandsintown unwraps shareable live music High Notes for Artists appeared first on Hypebot.

2024 Music Industry Predictions from Jay Gilbert of Label LogicWe’ve been sharing a series of 2024 Music Industry Predictions from our favorite thinkers and doers, and today, Jay Gilbert takes the microphone. Regular Hypebot readers know Jay as the. Continue reading
The post 2024 Music Industry Predictions from Jay Gilbert of Label Logic appeared first on Hypebot.

Seth Troxler says he wants to resurrect the “anti hero” in dance musicSeth Troxler has spoken of his ambition to resurrect the idea of the “anti hero” in dance music.

READ MORE: Apple to reward musicians who mix their songs in Dolby Atmos format

The techno DJ made an appearance on the radio show Beats In Space in which he discussed his new record label, Slacker 85, and how dance music has started to be “driven by numbers and image stuff”.
Troxler pointed to the existence of a more average music consumer, or slacker, who “doesn’t have a Rolex, who doesn’t want to wear some crazy shirt, who just likes music and doesn’t shave or just doesn’t really care”.

“We grew up with the anti-hero, right? The ’90s was about the anti-hero. It was about being a slacker and being a bit whatever, right?” Troxler suggests. “That was the vibe. You didn’t want to be the cool, to be the cool person was uncool, right? The jock, all that stuff. It was like, that wasn’t cool, when I grew up. I don’t know if it was cool. And it’s cool, whatever, everybody be what you want to be, right? But I just never found those images or that kind of idea to be so cool. So then I was like, ‘Wow, there’s actually a space for music and people for that to represent.’”
He continues: “And it represents me and so many people I know so well. I wanted to open that space again because I think so much of what we do is about culturally retelling tales that inspired us for new generation. I think this place that we are, or I am from being from, there’s the originators, Jeff Mills, all these people, we grew up, all these people who invented techno or dance music, right? We’re very lucky to be around these people.”
Host Tim Sweeney, meanwhile, pointed out that Troxler couldn’t be that much of a slacker with his work ethic, to which he replied: “The thing is I’m able to get so much done because I figured out a system of laziness to do way more with less.
“I got a good team. I delegate stuff. I do the big ideas. I’ve got three people. I just come up with idea, I have an ideas guy and then I execute them.”

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State of the music creator economy – The consumer era MIDiA is excited to announce the publication of the latest edition of its annual ‘State of the music creator economy’ report. Based on months of research, MIDiA creator and consumer surveys, market sizes and forecasts, this report is the definitive assessment of the music creator tools industry. The report is available to clients here.

The highlights:

The pandemic triggered a surge in the music creator economy, bringing an influx of interest and investment. Suddenly, everyone was talking about music creator tools while investors ploughed investment into leading companies, like Native Instruments and Splice, while newer entrants, like LANDR, carved out new models. 

By 2022, the industry found itself in a post-pandemic lull – always a possibility, even before the subsequent cost-of-living crisis. But, as our report reveals, the slowdown does not represent a sector returning to a pre-inflated level, but instead, a natural rebalancing before long-term, dynamic growth kicks in. This is because the pandemic did not create the market but catalysed an already growing sector, driven by a new wave of creators focused on simplicity and efficiency. The pandemic compressed three years of user growth into one and a half years, so slowing revenues are, in large part, a reflection of the bedding in of this cohort. 

But it is post-pandemic trends that will grow the market most: a) the rapid rise of AI, and B) the rise of the consumer-creator. Consumer-creators transformed photography (Instagram) and videography (TikTok); music will be next. Not only will casual music creation become mainstream, it will trigger an unprecedented widening of the music creator economy funnel. So the market’s future will be defined by: 

Simplification

Consumerization 

Perhaps the clearest sign that the music creator space continues to grow at pace, despite lacklustre results from some key companies, is that the number of creators grew by 12% to reach 76 million, with the number of those who upload their music growing by more than double that rate. Interestingly, the number of artists who self-release into the traditional streaming supply chain grew at half this rate. A forking of the music business is taking place before our very eyes, with the streaming ecosystem playing the traditional establishment, and social apps and new platforms, like BandLab, representing a new, future-facing, creator-centred ecosystem. 

Humans like to think of history in chapters, and music is no different – sorted into neat sections: the CD, piracy, downloads, streaming. We are now entering the creator era. A paradigm shift that will see the creator become centre stage, with creation itself being entertainment, and fans being given ever-more ways to participate and create themselves.

The new, post-streaming models will be defined by characteristics that are almost mirror opposites to the DSP model: 

Creator-centric versus rights-centric 

Creation versus consumption 

Dynamic versus static 

Non-linear versus linear 

Fans versus audiences 

The streaming-centred music business and creator tools used to be separate industries but they are now becoming part of one, extended value chain. With revenues of nearly six billion in 2022, and rising to $10 billion by 2030, the creator tools sector is going to have both commercial and cultural transformational impact. Though hardware will continue to be a crucial part of the market, creation is becoming increasingly virtual, software, sounds and services will account for the majority of future growth.

The growth of the creator tools market to date has resulted in a surge of new tools and services. In fact, there are too many, making it hard for creators to identify what they need and why. Cloud services, such as the recently launched FL Cloud, which combine multiple tools to create joined-up workflows, are a new and important part of the market. This reaggregation approach will become far more prevalent, with subscriptions gaining share, up from a quarter of software, sound and services revenues in 2022, to nearly a third in 2030.

AI will, of course, also be a key growth driver, building on an already long history in creation. Current music AI tools cluster around three groups: 

Assistive tools 

Generative creator tools 

Generative consumer tools 

Established creators will increasingly use generative tools as sound sources, but they will play a more foundational role for younger, newer creators. AI’s biggest impact will be its opening up of the consumerization of music, which itself will comprise of three key components: 

Voice

AI

The phone 

The days of audience, creation, rights and distribution being discreet sectors are numbered. Creation is going to become the linking element, with a new generation of fast-moving creators opting into new models that enable them to operate across all elements simultaneously. The shift of cultural capital will be industry-changing and, in this context, ByteDance launching its creator tools, Mawf and Ripple, demonstrates it is staking its claim to be a key player in this brave new world.

Even though this post covered a lot of ground, it is only a tiny fraction of the 7,000 word, 46 page, 18 figure report! It includes four sections, covering:

Music creators

AI

Market size

Future models

With deep data on music creators, consumer creators, market sizes and forecasts, AI vendor mapping and future business models, there is simply no other report you need to understand both the creator tools market and its growing influence on music business and culture.

If you are not yet a MIDiA client and would like to learn more about how to become one, email stephen@midiaresearch.com.

Finally, here is a list of the companies and brands mentioned in the report: Ableton, Amp, Apple, Arturia, Audiocipher, Avid, BandLab, Bandzoogle, Beatclub, BeatStars, Boomy, ByteDance, CD Baby, Coursera, Discord, Discovery Mode, Distrokd, Fender Play, Final Cut Pro, Fiverr, Focusrite, FL Cloud, FL Studio, FRTYFVE, Google, HIFI, IK Multimedia, Image-Line, Instagram, iZotope, Jamahook, Korg, LALAL.AI, LANDR, LANDR Network, Linkfire, Live, Logic, Loopcloud, MasterClass, Mawf, Meta, Moises, Moog, Native Instruments, Neutron, Pandora, Ripple, Roland, SongStarter, SoundBetter, SoundCloud, Songtradr, Spitfire Audio, Splice, Spotify, Stem, Submix, Suno Chirp Bot, Symphony OS, TB303, TikTok, Tracklib, TuneCore, United Masters, Waves, Yamaha, YouTube, YouTube Shorts 

UTEQ500 EQ module from Undertone Audio Undertone Audio's first 500-series module boasts ’Super Parametric’ bands that are said to be capable of replicating the curve of any other hardware EQ.

Fracture Sounds Releases FREE Festive Bells For Kontakt Player
Fracture Sounds released Festive Bells, a free Christmas bells sound library for the freeware Kontakt Player plugin. I do admit I love a good holiday tie-in. We’re roughly a week and some change out from the big holiday celebrations, and today’s freebie is a fun one. Festive Bells from Fracture Sounds is right up your [...]
View post: Fracture Sounds Releases FREE Festive Bells For Kontakt Player

SampleScience Releases FREE VHS Noise Generator Lo-Fi Plugin
SampleScience released VHS Noise Generator, a freeware lo-fi plugin that recreates the noise of old video tape recorders. It’s a good time for lo-fi lovers; we’ve recently had quite a versatile selection of lo-fi-related freebies appear on the scene. We’ve had the delightfully wild MAIM by Wildergarden Audio and, of course, our very own BPB [...]
View post: SampleScience Releases FREE VHS Noise Generator Lo-Fi Plugin

Masterchannel has launched the “world’s first” AI clone of an audio engineerMasterchannel, an AI mastering company, has launched the “world’s first” AI clone of an engineer.
For the clone, the company has emulated the expertise of two-time Grammy nominee, Wez Clarke. In the same way that voice clones capture the vocal characteristics of singers, Wez Clarke AI encapsulates his own unique flair when it comes to the engineering and mastering process.

READ MORE: YouTube’s Dream Track could be the tipping point for AI-generated music

Clarke has mixed 13 UK Number 1 singles, with hits for artists including Beyoncé, Rudimental, Tinie Tempah, Naughty Boy and Little Mix. He also mixed Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne’s Grammy-winning hit, Rather Be.
This new launch builds on Masterchannel’s existing AI mastering service which functions autonomously, and provides both bedroom musicians and professional artists with the opportunity to experience the “meticulous decision-making” of Clarke.
Clarke licensed his expertise to Masterchannel for the collaboration, and will receive 100 percent of the extra revenue generated via use of the AI tool. This follows off the back of recent research from the IFPI which revealed that 74 percent of music fans worldwide agree that AI should not be used to clone or impersonate artists without authorisation. The service also operates without relying on extensive datasets of songs or copyrighted material.
Simon Hestermann, Masterchannel’s CTO, spatial mastering patent holder, and former audio researcher at Fraunhofer IDMT, states: “This latest addition enriches our mastering technology, allowing users to tailor their tracks in Wez Clarke’s signature style. Having Wez Clarke collaborate with us, acknowledging the potential and future of AI in music, is a testament to how artists can use AI to their benefit.
“While there is widespread concern about the unauthorised impersonation of artists, this launch demonstrates that artists can actively shape and harness AI’s role in the industry. Not only does this launch pave the way for other engineers to explore new revenue streams, it also exemplifies a balanced approach to AI use in music, prioritising fair compensation while embracing technological innovation,” he adds.
Clarke comments, “The exciting thing about the clone is that it’s opening up what I can deliver to a much wider audience of bedroom artists and producers. It’s great that they can experience working with a major engineer – I would have loved to have had the opportunity to use something like this when I was just starting out, because it’s a perfect way to learn.
“Producers can get so used to the way their music sounds, and not realise how much better it could get. The clone gives everyone the chance to make their music sound as good as released music, and ultimately they’ll learn how to achieve that professional sound themselves.”
Existing Masterchannel users have the option to upgrade their existing plan to include the Wez Clarke clone now. Find out more at Masterchannel.
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Apple to reward musicians who mix their songs in Dolby Atmos formatApple is reportedly set to offer incentives to record labels and artists who mix their songs using Dolby Atmos technology.

READ MORE: Damon Albarn on posthumous AI releases: “It’s a good opportunity for everyone…There could be hundreds of my songs released after my death”

According to Bloomberg, who cited anonymous sources, the Cupertino giant has plans to “give added weighting” to streams of songs mixed in Dolby Atmos – which means that artists who adopt the tech could see bigger royalty payments.
Notably, users don’t need to listen to the Atmos version of the song for artists to benefit. What’s crucial is that the song is made available in that particular format. The new policy will reportedly motivate artists and labels to record and mix music in Dolby Atmos, even for previously released tracks.
Per the sources involved, mixing music in Atmos is generally inexpensive, making it a viable investment for well-established artists and labels who are looking to increase their royalty earnings.
And given how Apple audio products like the AirPods and HomePod all support Atmos playback, having more tracks available in spatial audio can help drive product sales as well.
Spatial audio made its debut on Apple Music back in 2021. The format is supported by technology from Dolby Atmos, and strives to replicate the immersive, surround-sound quality of in-person music experiences.
At present, Dolby Atmos is also supported by Amazon’s Music app as part of their subscription, while Spotify does not offer support for the format.
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Surround mixing on headphones just got serious with OLLO Audio’s S5X€539, olloaudio.com
OLLO Audio is an independent developer of pro audio-focused headphones based in Slovenia. Its latest release is the S5X, a set of analogue, wired headphones boasting clever design and additional software to help you accurately judge surround mixes while listening in stereo.

READ MORE: Universal Audio’s SC-1 and Hemisphere eight-mics-in-one are tempting additions to any studio’s mic collection

To be clear, while surround headphones do exist, the S5X are not the same. Rather they are “tuned for accurate object positioning in virtualised 3D audio”, according to OLLO. But what does that mean in practice, and can they be used for regular stereo mixing?
Before we get to that, a word on the build. The headphones are beautifully constructed in a combination of wood, metal and plastic. They’re an open-backed design with detachable plugs that terminate in a 3.5mm jack, and a 6.3mm adapter is supplied too.
The ear pads are soft, comfortable and replaceable, should they eventually start to wear out. The headband is, of course, adjustable and the phones feel light when worn, comfortable for the invariably long periods of mixing for which they’ll be employed.
OLLO S5X headphones on desk
You can just plug in and go but OLLO’s whole thing here is the idea of calibration. The headphones are designed to be as flat and neutral as possible to give the most accurate picture of a surround mix when downmixed into binaural (stereo) format. The thinking is that most surround content for games, movies and other applications is in reality experienced on stereo headphones rather than elaborate home cinema systems and as such it’s vital to mix it accordingly.
OLLO takes the idea of calibration very seriously indeed. To demonstrate just how seriously, part of your purchase is the company’s USC (unit specific calibration) plugin which you can download after registering. Then you send them the serial number of your headphones and based on their records of the build and analysis of your specific pair, they generate a calibration file which is emailed back to you. You then load this into the USC plugin, which you insert across the master bus in your DAW, and it calibrates the output for your personal pair of cans. The plugin itself is simple, with on/off and gain controls as well as the ability to hold up to eight configurations, should you own more than one pair.
The company is at pains to point out that this isn’t some kind of enhancement, which some other ‘personalisation’ systems use to magically make everything sound punchier. Nor is it they say for audiophiles expecting a similar result. Instead, it’s a very subtle 0.5 – 1dB change in tolerance where required. Since the headphones are already tuned to be as flat as possible, it’s making very minor tweaks based on the physics of your specific pair. It also works with the Waves NX plugin (for virtual room emulation for headphones), though our experience of trying to get Waves’ own software to authorise properly was frustrating to put it mildly.
So what’s happening here is that when working with a surround project the output from your DAW is being downmixed to binaural format for monitoring in stereo, and passed through the USC plugin to best calibrate it for your headphones. This does of course mean turning the plugin off before doing any actual exporting, or it would be included in the bounces. Most modern DAWs provide at least a few options here, like Logic’s Dolby Atmos with its multiple binaural monitoring modes.
OLLO S5X headphones USC plugin
If any of this sounds like a foreign language, it’s likely that this particular model of headphone is not aimed at your workflow. OLLO points towards its S4X model (€449) as a more conventional mixing tool, with a more mid-focused tuning. The S5X is tuned to have less bass and more high-end presence, which the developers say based on extensive testing offers the most accurate results for object positioning in 3D space.
As such, you would lean towards the S4X for more conventional stereo mixing duties. The S5X however is quite remarkable when fed downmixed surround content. Unless you’re a seasoned pro, it still feels a bit like magic being able to move sounds around in three dimensions and have this translated live to a stereo pair of headphones. But they are indeed extremely accurate, their flat response coping very well with the complexities of working in three dimensions.
When listening to regular stereo mixes they are too upper-mid-heavy and lacking bass but this is precisely because they are tuned for a different use. A good test – and a way to gauge their surround performance on a ready-made source – is to play back an album that has been properly mixed for Dolby Atmos, for example, and where the work has already been done.
We try the 2017 mix of R.E.M’s Automatic For The People since we’re intimately familiar with the original and the results are amazing. The talent lies with the people who mixed it of course, but the S5X does an incredible job of revealing all the detail, much of which isn’t even apparent in the original stereo mixes. Whole melodies appear and there’s just an incredible sense of space that elevates the record to new heights.
OLLO S5X headphones on desk
That’s where you’d hope to end up when mixing your own projects for spatial or surround and, with these carefully-tuned dynamic headphones, you can be assured that the monitoring side of things is taken care of. The goal is accurate translation of what’s on the surround speakers into your binaural mix in real time and on that front they certainly deliver. The sound is incredibly detailed, and separation is spectacular.
You may or may not be the type of user who cares deeply about the fine-grained calibration that the USC plugin offers. Either is fine, honestly. And you can use these without it, though it’s part of the purchase price anyway. While most serious reference phones will do a good job of handling a downmixed surround signal for mixing purposes, the specialised flat tuning on offer here really makes a difference and will be invaluable if you’re doing this kind of work with any regularity. OLLO does offer a 30-day money back guarantee with a few caveats, although you’re not likely to need it.
Key features

Reference class, open-back dynamic headphones with flat frequency response
Hand-picked, left/right matched transducers for better instrument separation
Dynamic Neodymium drivers
30 Ohms
Replaceable earpads with outer diameter of 95 mm
Detachable braided silicone cable with OFC core
Specially tuned for handling downmixed surround audio
USC calibration plugin (AU / VST3)
All components user-replaceable
Front-to-back air pressure equalisation
Works with Waves NX

The post Surround mixing on headphones just got serious with OLLO Audio’s S5X appeared first on MusicTech.

The indomitable Jonna Lee: Building the audiovisual dream of iamamiwhoamiWhen Jonna Lee was young, no one believed she could fulfil her dream of becoming an artist.

READ MORE: Kenya Grace is leading the next generation of bedroom producers: “If you can use a DAW, you can do anything you want”

“That was the one thing I didn’t have growing up. Someone to say ‘You can do whatever you want’. It was always ‘You can’t do that. That’s not possible. You can’t work in music. Stop singing,’” Lee says to MusicTech from her home in Sweden. “I was isolated from all kinds of dreams about being an artist.”
That isolation just further inspired Lee to reach her goals, solo. She’s now not just an artist, but her dream has come to fruition in an incomparable fashion as the audiovisual project iamamiwhoami, a project she sees as limitless:
“Everything is possible because I have all the tools to create whatever I want,” Lee says.
Lee standing on a piano stool
Lee describes iamamiwhoami as a “multimedia entity,” and every song ever released through it – including the 38 songs across four studio albums – is linked to a video that lives on YouTube for free.
Together, these videos create one continuous narrative, which has spanned the entire history of the project; starting with its launch in December 2009, running through to her latest album, 2022’s Be Here Soon, and she is currently working on her new album as well.
Over the past 13 years, Lee as the main character in this story has explored numerous lush environments near her native Sweden, built simple but effective set pieces out of materials like cardboard boxes and toilet paper, dreaming up a cast of peculiar characters (such as giant wolves) that represent different aspects of her vision and personality.
To maintain complete control over such an in-depth and layered narrative, Lee takes the lead on everything. That means anything on the artistic side and the logistical side, through her label To Whom It May Concern (TWIMC).
Still of Lee from the ‘Changes’ music video
“I do songwriting, music production, directing, some mixing and mastering, film editing, all design, conceptual and bases of physical editions, merch design. I like being able to do the full thing, but if I’m not good enough at a certain task at a certain moment, I will have someone else do it if it’s financially possible.
“Then there’s the label side where I do things like strategy and lots of admin. Stuff that I wish I didn’t have to but I must do because I run my own company,” Lee says. “Every one of my collaborators has their own careers aside from [iamamiwhoami], so the only person that lives and breathes my work is myself,” Lee says.
At TWIMC Lee has two teams: her creative team and her label team.
On the creative side, Lee works with Claes Björklund to make the music and John Strandh to produce the videos and tour visuals. Occasionally she’ll outsource mixing and mastering, too.
On the label side, Agneta Edgren is on finance, and Daniel Harding handles administration.

In the early stages, the team was larger. Lee collaborated with other filmmakers, including Robin Kempe-Bergman and Agustin Moreaux, but overall, smaller was better for Lee. And, though she had always been involved in the visual process, Lee and Strandh took it over for 2014’s BLUE, which led to Lee being in a familiar position.
“We hadn’t directed before so we were really concerned. I was told by people that I was working with at the time that I wasn’t capable. ‘Don’t do that. It’s not your thing. You have to let others do things. It can’t just be you’,” Lee says.
More than taking over directing, on BLUE, Lee’s character travels away from the sylvan atmospheres of the Scandinavian forests of earlier videos and towards pristine coastal landscapes.
So not only was the artist taking on a new challenge, she was applying it to a completely new setting, and all she had was filming equipment she rented by the day and a laptop to do the editing and grain.
“That really made the whole BLUE process so hard because I was so insecure, but we kept on doing it,” Lee says. “After that, it was much easier because we felt confident.”
From that point on the process only became more intimate, collaborative, and technologically simple.
Lee looking into the camera with headphones on
“The tools I use are the same as they were, but I would say I use less, as I do more myself now. We have built a solid foundation and a creative trust,” Lee says.
For example, though TWIMC has a shared studio space, Lee and Björklund would produce music in separate rooms for previous albums, only finalising tracks after they aligned on individual creations.
On Be Here Soon, they worked closer than ever – literally.
“We sat down together in a room and wrote all the songs with an instrument each and a mic plugged in. We wanted to make one of those albums that are written there and then; then we produced those together,” Lee says. “We brought in a band – well, actually, just a drummer. We played the rest of the instruments. That’s band enough for me.”
The entire time Lee and Björklund are working on the music, Strandh is in the periphery as well. So when he and Lee start writing scripts for the videos, he creates his connection to the music.
“When you’re working with someone who works in drama and features like [Strandh], then it’s much more interesting to get a different take on it,” Lee says. “We are all connected to the story we’ve been telling for 13 years. It’s a fun way to work.”
Lee photographed facing a light source
Even for independent artists, the creative aspect is the fun part, but without an infrastructure to share the music, the fun can’t make their money (let alone continue an audiovisual narrative for 13 years).
But Lee wasn’t going to let something like a distribution deal prevent her from fulfilling her dreams. So at the beginning of the narrative, she devised a release strategy that included standard methods like emailing blog writers, but she also used tools that set her apart: real-time sharing and YouTube, which in 2009 looked far different than it does today.
“There was less content [on YouTube] that had high artistic value. There were a lot of home videos, music videos in low resolution. Some live footage, some cats, drunk people. It was fun. YouTube at the time was really cool,” Lee says.
Lee capitalised on the cool factor and launched the project by sharing prelude videos on YouTube that were 90 seconds or less (short for budget constraints, not to serve the algorithm). They followed the same aesthetic Lee has applied throughout the project: wondrous organic backdrops paired with her dreamy electronic music.
Framed shot of Lee in a bedroom with headphones on and hands up
Upon release, something strange happened. The videos went viral – at least, that’s what we call it now.
“There was no such thing as ‘viral’. That was really new. Organic virality as well. Not algorithm made. It was just happening,” Lee says.
The millions of views that were coming to iamamiwhoami were based on genuine interest from a worldwide community, and the fact that the releases were coming in real-time further fueled this interest.
Had a label been running this project, they would have made all the videos in advance and released them on a carefully delineated schedule. However, in another stroke of innovation, Lee decided to instead put out the videos as they were being finished. No timeline or calendar. The viral community had to wait on pins and needles for what was coming next.
This was the case for every iamamiwhoami album including Be Here Soon, even though Lee discovered just as they were beginning the filming process that she was expecting a child.
“Music is my passion but also my living, so I decided to roll with it and let the pregnancy be part of the filming and narrative and the album was released as planned. It was terrifying and it felt important at the same time,” Lee says.

don’t wait for me, the first video for Be Here Soon, was posted on March 31, 2022, and as new videos were posted, Lee’s pregnancy became more apparent, with her performing in bodysuits that accentuated her growing belly.
On May 25, 2022, her son Bauer was born. The next day, the penultimate video, call my name, was posted. Fans had to wait until July 8 for the final video, walking on air, so Lee could spend some time with her baby.
Bauer’s birthday is public knowledge because Lee is embracing another tool in the fulfilment of her dream of being an artist: social media.
She is not an early adopter of platforms like Instagram and Twitter, though, only opening accounts in 2017, and so rather than driving innovation on these channels she finds herself asking the same questions as every artist in 2023, whether they’re independent or not: ‘How much to share? What to share? What is cool?’
Lee standing on threatre seats
“I want to share my creative process with the people that follow in a way that feels good, and you don’t even know what that means until you’re actually doing it. I’m just trying to dare to be myself,” Lee says. “In the long scheme of things, does it matter that I have that Instagram account? Because I think without those accounts I wouldn’t have toured. I wouldn’t have the sense that people want to see this.”
Lee is about to tour with iamamiwhoami in Brazil this coming December. Clearly, more people want to see her perform, and through social media, she is currently “generating” (another way of saying crowdfunding) new music in 2024.
At the time of writing, she’s reached three out of five goals for the funding. The third tier is equal to three new songs and videos, with the fourth being a full album and the fifth being another complete audiovisual entry in the narrative of iamamiwhoami.
Relying on donations from the public may not be the most typical way to produce new music. But, in 2023, myriad people around the world believe in Jonna Lee and are supporting her fulfil her dream of becoming an artist.
Learn more about iamamiwhoami. https://ionnalee.com/
The post The indomitable Jonna Lee: Building the audiovisual dream of iamamiwhoami appeared first on MusicTech.

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Damon Albarn on posthumous AI releases: “It’s a good opportunity for everyone…There could be hundreds of my songs released after my death”Considering that the Gorillaz frontman has already got an avatar alter-ego, it’s no shock that Damon Albarn is heavily intrigued by the potential future of AI in music.
While the sonic world is slowly becoming more infused with computer-generated vocals and digitised clones of popstars, the multi-talented Albarn has shared that he feels AI could be an invaluable tool to prolong the musical journey of an artist’s vision after their death – for better or for worse.
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Speaking to French magazine Les Inrockuptibles, Albarn reflected on The Beatles’ use of AI to allow the long-abandoned demo Now And Then to take full form. “Initially, it was John Lennon alone in his flat singing a song – I don’t think it was meant to reach that level of exposure,” he said. “But you know, it’s a good opportunity for everyone.”
The track in question was created from a rough recording of Lennon found on a cassette from 1994. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison brought the demos to a studio in an attempt to complete the tracks, but Lennon’s voice was originally too “hidden” to fully recover – until recent developments in AI. This allowed them to recover the vocals and piano on the demo track.

Albarn went on to ponder the potential of AI re-working his own tracks posthumously. “It’s a question of scale: if enough people are interested, there could be hundreds of my songs released after my death, including songs that I would never have wanted to release,” he reflects.
The Blur frontman’s thoughts shed light on the biggest problem when it comes to AI interfering with the work of deceased musicians – sometimes work is unfinished for a reason. AI’s growing role in music has the potential to control an artists legacy, continuing their creative output beyond the grave instead of allowing an artist to be put to rest
With AI and technology allowing bands like ABBA and KISS to prolong their career through entirely immortalised digital avatars and digital concerts, it seems many artists are eager for their music to be immortalised – but what about those who don’t want to live on forever?
Albarn has also recently admitted to NME that he plans to “wrap up” Blur once again, deeming the venture “too much.” If technology goes too far, it could arguably develop from those tracks an artist “would never have wanted to release” being completed, to then developing full-blown digital tours the artist would have never wanted to take place. It happened with Michael Jackson, and it’s far easier to pull off now.
Despite AI potentially removing agency from an artist’s control of their legacy, Albarn notes: “you know, it’s nice to hear John’s voice.”
The post Damon Albarn on posthumous AI releases: “It’s a good opportunity for everyone…There could be hundreds of my songs released after my death” appeared first on MusicTech.

Spotify is chasing annual profitability. SoundCloud’s already there.Company's revenues projected to be up 9% YoY in 2023
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