PRS Guitars Brings Back the Mira as an S2 594On Tuesday, PRS Guitars announced the return of the Mira model to the Maryland factory line, now with the 24.594” scale length. "This new iteration, available in both gloss and satin finishes, will be a regular offering in the S2 Series," they said in a statement. "The 22-fret S2 Mira 594 covers a wide range of styles, including rock, blues, garage, and punk. Pairing its all-mahogany construction with PRS 58/15 LT vintage-voiced pickups results in warm, focused midrange. The humbuckers are paired with two mini-toggle switches to individually tap the pickups, delivering both authentic humbucking and chimey single-coil sounds."“The Mira has had an interesting history over the course of the last 17 years, but I don’t think it found its true voice until now,” said PRS Guitars Director of Sales, Jim Cullen. “The S2 Mira 594 combines our 24.594” scale length with a Pattern Thin neck shape and a very simple and straight forward feature set that provides an incredibly lively, simple-to-use tool to create music. I hope you are as inspired as we are with the newest evolution of this classic model.”"The S2 Mira 594 is available in: Antique White, Black, Dark Cherry Sunburst, Platinum Metallic, Vintage Cherry, and debut color Black Rainbow Holoflake.""The S2 Mira 594 Satin features the PRS 'sinky' satin nitro finish, and is available in: Matcha Green, Mavis Mint Metallic, Metallic Midnight, Dark Cherry Sunburst, Red Apple Metallic, and debut color Cloud Burst.""The Mira was first introduced in 2007 as an all-mahogany pickguard guitar with moon inlays, 24 frets, 25" scale length, a stoptail bridge, and a single mini-toggle. It has appeared across all of the Series and in various configurations, including the popular Mira X. In 2013, the Mira was moved from Core and was one of three models to launch the S2 Series. It was last offered as an S2 in 2018, becoming part of the SE Series from 2020-2023.""PRS Guitars continues its schedule of launching new products each month in 2025. Stay tuned to see new gear and 40th Anniversary limited-edition guitars throughout the year. For all of the latest news, click www.prsguitars.com/40 and follow @prsguitars on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and YouTube."The post PRS Guitars Brings Back the Mira as an S2 594 first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

The Orchard launches physical distribution network, OPEN, following merger between Germany’s SPV Distribution and MembranIt's understood that The Orchard and Napalm will now co-own OPEN
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How To Use Live Performances to Build A Music Industry NetworkNetworking doesn't have to be so scary! For artists, the concert venue might just be the best environment to put your best foot forward and build connections. Learn how to use use live performances to build a music industry network.
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Karra, bifurcation and YouTube’s gainA couple of weeks ago, electronic music artist Karra posted a video on YouTube about why she took her album down from streaming (one that she spent $100,000 making) and is now going to focus her efforts on YouTube (“an incredible platform for [her] artistry”) as well as selling content to music creators. The details in here will be familiar to most and many of them (fraud, bots, demonetisation, fractional royalties, slow payments, lack of support) are widely recognised as ‘industry glitches’. But when they are all stitched together, they can become an insurmountable challenge for independent creators. Big labels and publishers have the organisational scale to swat these glitches away like flies, but for creators doing everything on their own, it can make the system feel rigged against them. Karra’s solution was to opt out of the streaming economy entirely. Is she an outlier, or a sign of Bifurcation gathering pace?

Karra’s story is one of an artist trying to do what a label artist would do (co-writers, mixing and mastering, photoshoots, videos etc) but on her own. The result was a wholly professional release but because she lacked the operational resources of a record label, all of the glitches (canvass not uploading, social not monetising, music taking down for suspected fraudulent activity, fraudsters posting to her streaming profile, dodgy merch companies not paying etc) simply became too much. The kicker though was that her streaming royalties added up to little more than one percent of her outlay. Sure, if the album had been more successful or if she had spent less making it, that equation might have changed but this was an album with over a million streams, so not nothing. The kicker however, is that her YouTube video telling the story generated more revenue in one week than the album did on streaming in one year. 

There may not be many artists who depend upon streaming royalties to pay their bills, instead using it to fuel their core income streams (live, merch etc). But when the investment and effort vs rewards equation is so imbalanced, it is not surprising that a growing number of creators are now looking elsewhere. Among the non-DSP artists MIDiA has been tracking, YouTube keeps coming up as the place they turn to. Creating ‘content’ on YouTube is not of course for all artists, but now, neither is streaming. The reality of today’s music business may be fragmentation and complexity but this also means that artists now have more paths they can follow. 

The flipside of the complexity and fragmentation is that this strengthens the case for record labels. The depth and breadth of expertise needed to navigate today’s music business simply cannot be recreated by an independent creator’s own team. The likely implication is that successful independent creators have a choice between staying independent but specialising on one or two platforms, or working with a label to work across all of them.

An interesting additional element to the case for YouTube is that it enables artists to tell their story. As we enter the AI era, story telling has never been more important for artists to differentiate from something generated by a text prompt. As Mary Spender puts it, YouTube can play the role of ‘proof of work’. If / when AI music swamps streaming, not only will artists face royalty dilution and attention competition, they will have no meaningful way of communicating their ‘human-ness’ there. Unlike, of course, YouTube.

Streaming’s problems are a combination of self-inflicted injuries, industry dysfunction and unscrupulous third-party behaviour. Fixes are needed from both within and without. While larger rightsholders might look at this and think that these are little more than glitches for their businesses, if streaming fails, they fail. For all its creator-level faults, streaming works well at the rightsholder level. Rightsholders revenues are now dominated by streaming. As we first outlined in Bifurcation Theory in early 2024, streaming’s problems are opportunities for the expanding, non-DSP side of the music business. With a growing body of newer, younger creators prioritising YouTube and social over streaming, it will only be a matter of time before this starts translating into a clear culture-shift. Expect that to happen even faster if Gen AI starts to dominate functional playlists on streaming. YouTube will be waiting with open arms.

Keep an eye out for MIDiA’s forthcoming ‘Future of Streaming’ report that uses conversations with streaming’s leaders to present a bold vision for the industry’s future.

4 Ways Artists Can Use YouTube Analytics to Grow Their ReachYouTube's guide for using analytics to help creators grow their channels offers artists some interesting tips and insights. Let's take a look!
The post 4 Ways Artists Can Use YouTube Analytics to Grow Their Reach appeared first on Hypebot.

Emmy-Nominated Composers and Songwriters Attend BMI Brunch(Top, L-R) Robert Lydecker, Kenny Wood, Christopher Lennertz, Brian Claeys, Bailey Gordon, Jesse Hartov, Ilan Eshkeri, Sean Douglas, Kathryn Bostic, Sherri Chung, Dominic Lewis, Mark Evitts, Carlos Rafael Rivera, Carl Johnson, Julia Newman, (Bottom, L-R) Duncan Thum, Rickey Minor, BMI’s Tracy McKnight and Barbie Quinn, Tova Litvin, Kyle Rodriguez, BMI’s Louie Stephens, and Doug Rockwell at BMI’s Emmy Brunch on Thursday, September 4, 2025, in Beverly Hills, CA. Photo credit: JC Olivera for BMI.On Monday, BMI released a statement to report that it had, "hosted an exclusive brunch at its Los Angeles office to celebrate its Emmy-nominated composers and songwriters, bringing together top talent and industry professionals for a morning of recognition and connection. Held on Thursday, September 4, 2025, the event honored the exceptional work of this year's Creative Arts Emmy contenders.""A highlight of the brunch was a video montage showcasing standout moments from the nominated scores, prompting cheers and applause from guests. Among the Emmy-nominated attendees were Sherri Chung (Based On A True Story), Christopher Lennertz (The Boys), Dominic Lewis (Your Friends & Neighbors), Rickey Minor (The Kennedy Center Honors), Julia Newman (Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story), Thomas Newman (Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story) and Carlos Rafael Rivera (Dept. Q), to name a few," they said. The celebration highlights BMI’s continued commitment to supporting and recognizing excellence within the composer and songwriter communities."The post Emmy-Nominated Composers and Songwriters Attend BMI Brunch first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

SoundExchange launches appeal of ruling in SiriusXM lawsuit, says satellite radio firm has underpaid royalties by $400MSoundExchange is challenging a judge's ruling that the PRO doesn't have authority under the law to sue on behalf of rightsholders
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A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: The Origins of Spinal TapBack in the '80s, before the internet, Spinal Tap fans could only speculate at the real-life inspirations for the many unforgettable scenes and set pieces in the film. Now, at last, we can reveal the truth. Here are the stories behind some of the finest moments in Spinal Tap.

Tay Keith Named BMI Songwriter of the Year at 2025 AwardsMemphis native Tay Keith has built a career on hits that define the sound of today’s hip-hop. Now, he’s earned one of the industry’s top honors. At the 2025 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, the GRAMMY-nominated, multi-platinum producer received the Songwriter of the Year award.A statement from the company discloses that the recognition comes from his work on chart-dominating singles including Drake’s "First Person Shooter," Sexyy Red’s "Get It Sexyy," and Travis Scott’s "Meltdown."The honor is the latest in a growing list of milestones for Keith. A statement from the company states that he has previously been named Complex’s “Top Rap Producer in Their Twenties” and ranked No. 12 on Billboard’s list of Top Producers of the 21st Century R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. Recently, he also celebrated his fifth Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 with Travis Scott’s “4×4,” making him one of only four hip-hop producers to achieve that distinction.Beyond the charts, Keith is pushing boundaries in other areas of music. A statement from the company discloses that he founded DRUMATIZED, the first record label created to bridge country and hip-hop, and established Nashville’s second Black-owned recording studio. His commitment also extends to philanthropy through efforts like the Music For Healing Initiative with the American Cancer Society and the My Memphis Poetry Challenge, designed to inspire the next generation of creatives.Keith first rose to prominence in his hometown, producing for Memphis artists such as Yo Gotti, Moneybagg Yo, and Blac Youngsta before breaking out with BlocBoy JB and Drake’s "Look Alive." He has since collaborated with Drake on multiple tracks, with the biggest being "SICKO MODE"—a multi-platinum hit that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned a GRAMMY nomination.With this new recognition from BMI, Tay Keith’s role as both a hitmaker and an architect of hip-hop’s future is firmly established.The post Tay Keith Named BMI Songwriter of the Year at 2025 Awards first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

From JYP’s AI artist venture to UMG’s Downtown deal inquiry pause… it’s MBW’s weekly round-upThe biggest headlines from the past few days – all in one place
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Contacts for Music Festivals That Book Emerging ArtistsHoping to land a spot on a festival lineup in 2026? Here are contacts for music festivals that are now accepting artist applications.
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How Artists Can Shape Their Brand in 2025In this era of music marketing, it's crucial for artists to take an active role in shaping their brand look and narrative. Here's a handy guide to artist branding to help you get started!
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Focusrite Group hosts inaugural Educational Summit at Create-it StudiosAttendees of the Focusrite Group’s inaugural Educational Summit, held August 14-15 at the cutting-edge Create-it Studios in Franklin, TN.The Focusrite Group announced on Thursday that it, "hosted its inaugural Educational Summit on August 14-15 at the cutting-edge Create-it Studios in Franklin, TN. Organized by Dr. Lee Whitmore, Vice President for Education, Focusrite Group Americas, the summit brought together leading voices in music, audio, and education for two days of thought leadership, collaboration, and exploration of best practices in preparing the next generation of creators.""The event followed closely on the heels of the July 26th Focusrite Group Create-it Takeover, held at Create-it Studios, a groundbreaking creative innovation space developed in collaboration with Walmart and sponsored by Full Sail University," they said in a statement. "Located inside Walmart in Franklin, TN, Create-it Studios is a one-stop destination for podcasting, music production, video creation and live events, open to everyone, regardless of experience or background.""At the Education Summit, attendees participated in panels, workshops, and discussions that spanned topics such as immersive audio, curriculum design, music technology innovations, and cross-industry collaboration. A highlight of the program was a Dolby Atmos® panel moderated by GRAMMY®-nominated engineer and audio educator John Merchant, with guest experts GRAMMY-winning engineer Jon Blass and noted electronic music producer/DJ Greg “Stryke” Chin sharing insights on the future of spatial audio.""Special thanks were extended to the Create-it team, along with Full Sail University’s Andrew Duncan and Michael Orlowski, for their contributions to the event."Attendees included representatives from:Belmont University

Calhoun Community College

Columbia State Community College

Dark Horse Institute

Dolby Laboratories

Eastman School of Music

Florida State University

Full Sail University

Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT

Lipscomb University

Loyola University New Orleans

Metro Nashville Public Schools

Miami Dade College

Middle Tennessee State University

North Carolina State University

University of Alabama at Birmingham

University of North Alabama

Virginia State University“Focusrite has always been deeply committed to supporting education and empowering the next generation of music creators,” said Dr. Lee Whitmore. “This summit gave us the opportunity to bring together a remarkable group of educators, industry leaders, and innovators to share knowledge, inspire one another, and advance the role of music technology in education.”"The Focusrite Group Educational Summit marks the beginning of an ongoing initiative to foster dialogue and collaboration between academic institutions, industry leaders, and creators, ensuring that the tools, resources, and inspiration needed for tomorrow’s music innovators remain accessible and impactful."The post Focusrite Group hosts inaugural Educational Summit at Create-it Studios first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

On… The China ParadoxThis article originally appeared in Tim Ingham’s latest MBW+ Review email, issued exclusively to MBW+ subscribers.
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Music Tectonics Creator Fair: Hypebot readers save 66%!The Music Tectonics Creator Fair is happening on November 4 at Santa Monica Pier. It's a unique opportunity to explore the future of music-making and learn about tools that can move your career forward.
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