DIY Spotlight: Abigail BarlowA lot has happened to Abigail Barlow during her career already. As one half of Barlow & Bear, she won a Grammy for The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, in the Best Musical Theater Album category in 2022, despite Netflix filing and later dropping a lawsuit.

She has a new single called “Rock Bottom,” which she has released herself, despite label interest following that Grammy win. She’s had an up-and-down time of it, and the song sees her reflecting on that. To be fair, it’s been quite a journey.

“I’ve been singing and dancing since I was a wee babe, but songwriting became a main focus of mine in my teenage years,” she says.

Barlow describes her solo sound as Katy Perry-meets-Alan Menken. 

“I love the bubblegum pop sound of the 2010s, with the theatrical storytelling and timeless melodies of the mastermind behind so many of my favorite Disney musicals,” she says. 

As well as the “Rock Bottom” single, Barlow’s Princess Pop album will be released early in 2024.

“‘Rock Bottom’ is the first single off my album Princess Pop: A Musical Fable, dropping in 2024,” she says. “This project has been a way to tell my story. To let my fans in on my POV, experiences I’ve had, and lessons I’ve learned. Each song was written with a different crew of collaborators at different times over the last two years, and tells a piece of my story through the lens of a different fairytale.”

Having made the choice to do this herself, Barlow has no regrets.

“The music industry is not what it once was, and that’s great in some respects and not so great in others,” she says. “As an independent artist, I try to look at the silver lining that being DIY means owning all of my music, having creative power over my project, and integrity in what my brand and messaging is.”

For more information, visit abigailbarlowmusic.com.

5 of Amazon’s best early Back Friday deals on portable speakers, headphones and speakersIt’s time to dust off your deal-hunting hat and get stuck into Black Friday. Even though the day hasn’t yet come around, music tech brands in the worlds of both hardware and software are already gearing up for this exciting annual event by making offers on their products early. There’s no time to wait – now is the time to grab a bargain… perhaps on that piece of music gear that’s been on your mind for some time now?

READ MORE: Black Friday deals 2023: Best early deals for music producers, DJs, beatmakers and musicians

And where is it better to start looking than on Amazon? Although heavily associated with the likes of books and homeware, the major retailer has a vast range of music gear. These come in the form of portable speakers and in-ear headphones for consumers and, for professionals, you’d be surprised by how much you can find. Amazon’s gearing up for Black Friday and so should you. Check out five of our favourite Amazon Black Friday offers below.
5 of Amazon’s best early Back Friday deals on portable speakers, headphones and speakers, at a glance:

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Studio 3rd Gen USB audio interface bundle – 44% off
Audio Technica ATH-M50XGM professional monitor headphones – 39% off
Anker SoundCore Soundcore 2 portable bluetooth speaker – 33% off
SUDOTACK USB streaming podcast microphone – 33% off
Sony HT-SF150 soundbar – 34% off

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Studio 3rd Gen USB audio interface bundle – 44% off

Although the fourth generation is out, Focusrite’s Scarlett 2i2 Studio 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface still delivers the goods. It offers pro-level performance with premium mic pre-amps, providing a brighter and more open recording. It gives you high-headroom instrument inputs, studio-quality recordings, quality headphones, and an easy setup via Easy Start online tool. In this bundle, you get the interface, a microphone and headphones, too, all for $197. It’s a solid choice for beginners.

Price: $197
Check deal at Amazon

Audio Technica ATH-M50XGM monitor headphones – 39% off

The Audio Technica ATH-M50XGM Professional Monitor Headphones are lauded for their acclaimed sonic performance by top audio engineers and reviewers. These headphones feature 45mm drivers, durable materials for comfort, and excellent sound isolation, while their exclusive gunmetal color is available exclusively on Amazon.

Price: $135
Check deal at Amazon

Anker SoundCore Soundcore 2 portable bluetooth speaker – 33% off

Of course, this is not so much for professional use, but Anker’s SoundCore 2 has some pretty rave reviews. It’s not booming and its not perfect, but for $34, this acts as a no-brainer if you’re looking for a speaker to take to the park with you next summer, for example. It gives you 12W audio, boosted bass, IPX7 protection, 24-hour battery life, and a sleek, portable design for easy listening anywhere.

Price: $34
Check deal at Amazon

SUDOTACK USB streaming podcast microphone – 33% off

Are you a podcaster or streamer? The SUDOSTACK USB podcast microphone could be a perfect microphone for you. Now just $61, it’s an affordable solution that can be the hub of a professional podcasting setup. The main takeaway is, of course, its adjustable boom arm, so no more holding the mic! It has a 24bit/192kHz sample rate, cardioid pickup pattern, plug-and-play connectivity, noise reduction accessories, and wide compatibility.

Price: $61
Check deal at Amazon

Sony HT-SF150 soundbar – 34% off

If you want some volume in your living space without a big unit taking up too much room, then Sony’s HT-SF150 soundbar is a pretty safe choice – not too expensive, not too cheap. It offers powerful S-Force front surround, simple HDMI connectivity, Bluetooth, USB, a slim design, and HDMI ARC for TV control. For just $124, this could liven up your home.

Price: $124
Check deal at Amazon

Find more Black Friday deals at MusicTech.
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Old School Keys And Indie Voices Libraries For Kontakt Player Are Now FREE
Splash Sound offers the Old School Keys and Indie Voices libraries for Kontakt Player for free until December 8. Old School Keys is a library of five vintage keyboards that normally cost $43, and Indie Voices is a library featuring vocals recorded by professional singers that normally costs $27. You’ll need Kontakt 5.6.8 or higher [...]
View post: Old School Keys And Indie Voices Libraries For Kontakt Player Are Now FREE

The 12 best Black Friday deals for music production (2023)
We've identified 12 of the best Black Friday deals for music producers in 2023—find the best deals on audio plugin deals, virtual instruments, and more.

Vicious Antelope Book Of Prog: Leads - Pro Soloist Book Of Prog: Leads is a collection of 106 vintage monophonic presets for Cherry Audio Pro Soloist synth plugin that focuses in the 70's Progressive Rock genre. Within those synth leads... Read More

Teenage Engineering releases the EP-133 K.O. II with “knockout” bigger and better featuresTeenage Engineering has launched the EP-133 K.O. II – a sampler, sequencer, and composer which improves upon its PO-33 K.O. micro sampler released five years ago.
The brand is calling it “the evolution of the world’s most sold sampler,” and says it adds further power, capabilities and a reworked sequencer.

READ MORE: Black Friday deals 2023: Best early deals for music producers, DJs, beatmakers and musicians

The original PO-33 K.O. was released back in 2018, and at the time it scored 9/10 in a review from MusicTech. The mini product hosted eight sample slots, eight drum slots, 16 effects, and a 40 second sample memory.
On its official website, Teenage Engineering says: “Based on the legendary PO-33 K.O, the new EP–133 K.O.II adds more power, more sampling capabilities, a fully reworked sequencer and brand new punch-in 2.0 effects. Introducing a workflow that lets you go from idea to track faster than ever. It’s Pocket Operators gone pro.”
Its “knockout features” include a simple yet sleek orange, black and grey aesthetic with the “world’s first” super segment hybrid display. There’s space for 999 individual samples, as well as 12 mono and six stereo voice polyphony.
The EP–133 K.O.II also works in “Projects.” You can have up to nine available Projects, and these can contain up to 80,000 notes. Users can manage these through Patterns in Groups of four, where a Pattern has 12 tracks for samples and MIDI. Its loop mode is also seemingly borrowed from the OB-4, and you can even power it using four AAA batteries. Other features and highlights include:

12 pressure and velocity sensitive pads
Slice samples live or automatically
Stereo / mono sampling at 46.875 kHz / 16-bit
32-bit float signal chain, 24-bit ADC / DAC
Six built-in send FX and a master compressor
Ability to drag and drop using the sample tool

The EP–133 K.O.II is available now for $299.
Find out more over at Teenage Engineering.
The post Teenage Engineering releases the EP-133 K.O. II with “knockout” bigger and better features appeared first on MusicTech.

AudioUi VST PLUGIN UI kit-01 Audio-Ui VST Plugin Interface. Background PNG 900*1200 px. ANIMATION: Big Knob Animation 128 Frames 500*5000 px. Middle Knob Animation 128 Frames 150*150px.... Read More

Spotify confirms royalty changes, predicts $1B more for (some) artistsSpotify has officially confirmed a series of previously reported changes that will eliminate royalties for many small artists, along with renewed efforts to punish streaming bots and reduced royalties for. Continue reading
The post Spotify confirms royalty changes, predicts $1B more for (some) artists appeared first on Hypebot.

CD Baby Celebrates 25 Years Supporting Independent MusiciansD.I.Y. music distributor is celebrating its 25th Anniversary! Founded by musician Derek Sivers to serve musicians, CD Baby has been a steady hand guiding artists through the ever-changing music industry. Continue reading
The post CD Baby Celebrates 25 Years Supporting Independent Musicians appeared first on Hypebot.

How to make money from cover songs on YouTubePosting cover songs is not for every artist. However, if you’re still struggling to get noticed it’s a great way to kick off your career and even start making money.. Continue reading
The post How to make money from cover songs on YouTube appeared first on Hypebot.

Mixing desk used on The Beatles’ Abbey Road set to be auctionedA mixing desk used during the recording of The Beatles’ Abbey Road album will be auctioned off this December. The EMI TG12345 Mk I was used at Abbey Road Studios from 1968 to 1971.
The story of how the mixing desk arrived at this point is a peculiar one too – it was deconstructed after its studio life and parts were given to a school in London. Eventually, these were thrown out.

READ MORE: Black Friday deals 2023: Best early deals for music producers, DJs, beatmakers and musicians

Thankfully, the discarded parts were rescued by the school’s tape machine maintenance engineer, as Music Radar reports. But the reason why he decided to save it is perhaps the most amusing element of the mixing desk’s history.
Unaware of its value, the engineer saved it as he “liked the look of the knobs.” According to Abbey Road, he eventually swapped the parts for an ADAT recorder.
The desk is a solid state transistor-based console, which hosts limiters and compressors on each channel. The missing parts were given by songwriter Terri Britten to sound engineer Mike Hedges, who had the rest of the console stored away. Now ready for auction, it is said to be around 70 percent original and in fully working order.
After the fab four split up in April 1970, it was used across varying solo projects from the members – John Lennon’s Instant Karma, George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, Ringo Starr’s Sentimental Journey and also on some tracks of Paul McCartney’s self-titled album.
The auction is being handled by Bonhams in London, and it will kick off on 14 December. It is estimated to sell for a seven-figure sum, and will be on public preview at Bonhams Knightsbridge from 8-14 December.

Claire Tole-Moir, Head of Bonhams Popular Culture department, says, “Abbey Road was unlike any of The Beatles’ previous albums. This TG console allowed the Beatles to realise their creative ambitions for what would be their final album recorded together.”
She later adds, “This console is an incredibly important piece of Beatles history, and of music history overall – and Bonhams is honoured to bring it to auction.”
The sale will also include a collection of artefacts relating to The Beatles and Abbey Road. Find out more at Bonhams.
The post Mixing desk used on The Beatles’ Abbey Road set to be auctioned appeared first on MusicTech.

Spotify to cease operations in Uruguay following law requiring “equitable renumeration” for artistsSpotify’s services will no longer be available in Uruguay after the country passed a law requiring “equitable remuneration” for artists.
In a statement by a Spotify spokesperson on Monday (20 November) [per Music Business Worldwide], it was confirmed that the company would “phase out” its platform in Uruguay from January 1, 2024, and cease operations fully by February.

READ MORE: Black Friday deals 2023: Best early deals for music producers, DJs, beatmakers and musicians

“Changes that could force Spotify to pay twice for the same music would make our business of connecting artists and fans unsustainable, and regrettably leaves us no choice but to stop being available in Uruguay,” the spokesperson said.
Per Mixmag, The bill in question, Rendición de Cuentas, was approved by the Uruguayan parliament earlier this year, and introduces a requirement for “fair and equitable remuneration” of artists by streaming platforms.
Spotify cites the new law’s ambiguity as a primary reason behind its cessation of operations in Uruguay.
“Without clarity on the changes to music copyright laws included in the 2023 Rendición de Cuentas law – confirming that any additional costs are the responsibility of rights holders – Spotify will unfortunately begin to phase out its service in Uruguay effective January 1, 2024, and fully cease service by February,” the company says.
“Spotify already pays nearly 70% of every dollar it generates from music to the record labels and publishers that own the rights for music, and represent and pay artists and songwriters,” it continued.
“Any additional payments would make our business untenable. We are proud to be their largest revenue driver, having contributed more than $40B to date. And because of streaming, the music industry in Uruguay has grown 20% in 2022 alone.”
Earlier this month, it was reported that Spotify’s royalty payout threshold would be set at 1,000 streams. Tracks now need to get 1,000 streams in 12 months – just over 80 streams per month – in order to begin earning streaming revenue.
The post Spotify to cease operations in Uruguay following law requiring “equitable renumeration” for artists appeared first on MusicTech.

Warner strikes partnership with Small World Records, founded by Ghanaian music entrepreneur SmallGod"SmallGod is a brilliant tastemaker, marketeer and visionary," said Max Lousada, CEO of Recorded Music at WMG
Source

‘The music industry makes the ticket-buying process hard. I’d like to see us focus on the user experience.’MBW's Inspiring Women series meets AEG Presents Chief Digital Officer, Brooke Kain
Source

“Do less. Use the first take. Use minimal effects”: NY-based hot house talent Toribio imparts wisdomRooted in Dominican heritage and influenced by luminaries like Theo Parrish and Masters at Work, stalwart New Yorker Toribio is fast becoming one of the city’s most respected dance music exports. It’s all thanks to his work ethic, infectious persona and raw, vintage-sounding style. Known in the scene as “Papi,” his BDA parties draw diverse crowds across New York City. As a resident DJ at Black Flamingo and a regular in NYC’s burgeoning club scene, Toribio’s magnetic energy resonates globally, too.

READ MORE: For the love of sound : How vintage hi-fi sound systems are driving boutique club nights forward

Toribio’s – real name Cesar’s – latest EP, Tongue In Cheeks, sees the producer and DJ get stuck into his collection of versatile synths from the likes of Moog, Roland – he even owns a Fender Rhodes. This release features a ton of sounds from the Novation Bass Station, though, he says, which provides both basslines and main melodies. They’re centred around Latin-influenced drum patterns sequenced through his MPC. We find out more about this process and why, in his mind, less is more.
Tongue In Cheeks EP by TORIBIO
Tell us about the scene in New York.
New York has always been vibrant. There is a lot of newer talent that seems to be bubbling up at the moment. Whether it be in the house, techno, club, noise, jazz, RnB, experimental, or other electronic scenes. So many talented people are walking among us and it’s nice to have this perspective I’ve come into. I feel I’ve reached a certain level of recognition and found my place here (it only took a little over a decade).
Toribio in his studio
Is there anyone in New York you’d love to collaborate with? If so, who and why?
There are a lot. Q-Tip, Louie Vega, DJ Spinna, Saso, Pedrito Martinez, Yebba, Robert Glasper, Kenny Garrett, Erykah Badu, Esperanza Spalding, Georgia Ann Muldrow, No name, James Murphy and Tokischa when she’s here. All of these people have made music that speaks to my musical DNA and I’d like to add to it.
Tell us a bit about the studio.
I’m on the border of the Bushwick/Ridgewood neighbourhood of Brooklyn/Queens. I’ve been in this particular spot for about four years now. I moved from a known building called the Sweat Shop where a bunch of bands rehearse and some other people have studios. It was mad noisy there so I had to get out of there.
Toribio in his studio
Through a former studio mate, we found a refurbished garage that was used as an office before for a construction company. I’ve kept everything the same outside so it still looks like a construction company works from there (and in a way the work is always under construction). It’s nice because there is no bleed through the walls because it’s in between two apt buildings.
It’s just a place for me to work and create. I have my DJ setup, I listen to records, I practice, and I rehearse my band. It’s my own little space.
Toribio DJing in his studio
Which DAW do you use and why?
I use Ableton Live. I used to use Logic and Reason and a bit of Pro Tools but ever since I started using Ableton I stopped using the others and forgot how to use them, honestly. Being able to use loops and record intuitively and instantly helps me not lose momentum.
What is your favourite piece of gear and why?
My favourite piece of gear is my MPC Live because it’s so intuitive and is such a strong machine on its own. I can do a lot with just my MPC and one synth.
Toribio holding his MPC Live
What synth or effect can be heard the most on the Tongue In Cheeks EP?
Funnily enough, I don’t use it as much anymore but I used the Novation Bass Station all over the EP. That and the SH-101.
Where’s the sample from in No Pare and what did you do to it?
The sample comes from a very important song called El Tiburon by Proyecto Uno. This was a huge hit in the early 90s on a global scale. It’s the epitome track of a genre called Merenhouse or Merengue/house. So many people have tried to remix and sample the song but Proyecto Uno and their publisher wouldn’t approve because they weren’t feeling it. They heard how I flipped it and gave us full approval.
Toribio and a bongo drum in his studio
I sampled the break part where they chant “No Pare Sigue Sigue, No Pare Sigue Sigue” which is the point of the song where they say “Don’t stop, keep it going!” I used that and completely flipped it on its head with my dark electro drums and synths and hard drum programming.
The synth line in Cimarron Palace sounds like one synth is providing the melody and the bassline. How did you get the most of your synth here?
I programmed that line into the SH-101 and recorded one whole take from beginning to end, then I built the track around the improvised movements that I did with the synth. I will program drums and arrange the track around that first take.
Toribio’s studio
Do you have any frustrations with your current setup and why?
Yes, I do! I think I need a smaller mixer than this big Allen & Heath 24-channel one. I have two interfaces daisy chained and they aren’t perfectly synched so it causes lagging issues.
What is your top piece of production advice?
Do less. Use the first take. Try to use minimal effects but use them well.
What is the one piece of advice you would give someone starting out building a studio?
Know your current equipment inside out before you move on to something else or buy another piece.
Check out Toribio’s music via Bandcamp.
The post “Do less. Use the first take. Use minimal effects”: NY-based hot house talent Toribio imparts wisdom appeared first on MusicTech.