Gibson: B.B. King “Rumble in the Jungle” 1974 ES-355 Limited-Edition Guitar Available WorldwideGibson, the iconic American instrument brand, has shaped sound across generations and genres of music, becoming one of the most relevant, played, and loved guitar brands around the world. Gibson is proud to commemorate the legendary B.B. King and his landmark appearance at the Zaire 74 music festival for one of the most iconic sporting events of all time, the “Rumble in the Jungle.” To honor his performance, Gibson Custom and the Murphy Lab have handcrafted a limited-edition recreation of the 1974 ES-355 that B.B. famously used at the festival in a striking walnut finish. This Gibson B.B. King “Rumble in the Jungle” ES-355 guitar is available worldwide at authorized Gibson dealers, and on www.gibson.com.

B.B. King’s performance at the Zaire 74 festival--which took place September 22-24 at the Stade du 20 Mai in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo)--was a powerful moment in music history, bringing the soul of the blues to the stage, uniting a global audience. B.B. King’s performance alongside James Brown and more set the tone for one of the most iconic sporting events of all time, the “Rumble in the Jungle,” a groundbreaking heavyweight championship fight between boxing legends Muhammed Ali and George Foreman, which ended up taking place on October 30, 1974.

“B.B. King’s performance at the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ was not just a concert--it was a defining cultural moment,” says Vassal Benford, CEO and Chairman of the B.B. King Music Company. “We are honored to collaborate with Gibson to create a guitar that captures both the artistry and spirit of B.B. King’s legendary performance. This instrument is more than a tribute-it’s a continuation of his enduring legacy, ensuring that future generations of musicians can connect with the heart and soul of the blues. The ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ guitar is a knockout, and Gibson’s craftsmanship is unmatched. This is a great surprise for the BIRTHDAY month of the Iconic Mr. King. Thank you, Gibson from the ALL of the King Family!”

Handmade by the master craftspeople of the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville, Tennessee, the B.B. King “Rumble in the Jungle” 1974 ES-355 is an instant collector’s item, and only 100 guitars will be made.

Explore the B.B. King 1974 ES-355 “Rumble in the Jungle” from Gibson Custom HERE.The post Gibson: B.B. King “Rumble in the Jungle” 1974 ES-355 Limited-Edition Guitar Available Worldwide first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Max Lousada’s farewell note to Warner Music Group staff: ‘Ultimately, music has to win. It’s just too important not to.’Max Lousada, the longtime CEO of Recorded Music at Warner Music Group, writes farewell note to WMG's staff
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From TikTok Music’s shutdown to Atlantic Music Group’s new leadership team… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe biggest stories from the past week – all in one place…
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Festivals caught in Lyte collapse deny ticket profiteeringTwo festivals caught in Lyte collapse deny ticket profiteering and paint a more nuanced picture of why they used the defunct ticket resale platform to move their own tickets. Festivals. Continue reading
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Focusrite announces three new Scarlett interfaces for project studiosToday, Focusrite announces a much anticipated expansion to the world ’s best-selling range of audio interfaces, Scarlett, completing the line’s fourth generation. The three new additions, Scarlett 16i16, 18i16, and 18i20, complement the existing range with greater connectivity to meet the demands of the modern project studio. 

Scarlett ’s fourth generation introduced several major advances that build on Focusrite ’s legacy in professional audio: best-in-class audio specifications, enhanced creative capability, powerful workflow tools and more. The three new interfaces add more analogue inputs and outputs, front-panel monitor switching and mute control, S/PDIF and ADAT connectivity, additional headphone outputs, and a built-in talkback mic on Scarlett 18i20.

Focusrite Scarlett 4th Gen 16i16, 18i16, and 18i20 now feature:

Huge 122dB dynamic range, using the flagship RedNet range converters – found in the world’s best studios.

All-new, remote-controlled preamps with 69dB of gain for studio sound from any mic.

Pair Focusrite Control 2 for desktop with Focusrite’s new mobile app; enjoy full wireless control over inputs and monitoring mixes, allowing the adjustment of settings without being tethered by cables.

Re-engineered Air mode with Presence, and all-new Harmonic Drive, adding rich harmonics to recordings by emulating the characteristics of vintage preamps.

New Auto Gain and Clip Safe modes can handle up to eight microphones at a time, making session setup simple, and ensuring every take is a keeper.

Brand-new Custom-designed headphone amps for the best playback ever heard from Scarlett.

Redesigned Dynamic Gain Halos now with output as well as input metering.

Professional studio features included: A/B speaker switching, built-in talkback mic on 18i20 and more. 

MIDI in /out plus S/PDIF, and ADAT in/out.

Refreshed Easy Start tool, making it easier than ever to get set up and recording in minutes. 

Includes Ableton Live Lite, Pro Tools Artist 3 months, and FL Studio Producer Edition 6 months. 

Huge bundle of plug-in instruments and effects; including Antares Auto Tune, Marshall Amp Modelling, synths, keys, drums, EQ, compression, reverb, and more...

Three new Scarlett interfaces

Scarlett 18i20 4th Gen, an update to the flagship 3rd Gen model, is a rack-mountable USB audio interface featuring 18 inputs, including eight advanced fourth-generation Scarlett preamps, and 20 outputs. 18i20 not only has an impressive amount of analogue and digital I/O, but also features additional workflow enhancements that make it a perfect fit for even the most complex project studios: a built-in talkback mic; A/B speaker switching for instant referencing on different monitors; and eight channels of LED bar metering, assignable to inputs or outputs as well as master output metering.

Scarlett 18i16 is a desktop-format USB audio interface with 18 inputs, including four 4th Gen Scarlett preamps and 16 outputs. Ideal for multitrack recording and designed for producers, 18i16 is the industry-leading interface for project studios. It makes an ideal hub to integrate hardware with a DAW, providing enough analogue and digital I/O to connect a huge number of external instruments, processors, and effects. Plus, manage complex routing with ease via the included Focusrite Control 2 software for desktop and mobile devices. 

Scarlett 16i16 is a desktop-format USB audio interface which shares the same feature set as 18i16 but is slightly more compact, with 16 inputs, including two 4th Gen Scarlett preamps, and 16 outputs. 

Scarlett 4th GenA giant leap for the world ’s most popular audio interface range, Scarlett ’s fourth generation debuted in 2023 with the Solo, 2i2, 4i4, Solo Studio, and 2i2 Studio. 

All Scarlett 4th Gen interfaces feature re-engineered audio circuitry and professional-grade converters (taken directly from Focusrite's flagship RedNet interfaces), which deliver up to 122dB dynamic range. With up to 69dB of mic preamp gain on tap, they are designed to get the very best sound from any microphone. Custom-designed headphone amps with independent volume controls drive high-impedance headphones louder and with more clarity than any previous Scarlett.

Scarlett ’s 4th Gen mic preamps feature a re-engineered Air mode, based on the sound of legendary Focusrite consoles. Each one now includes a selectable all-analogue Presence mode, and a new DSP-based Harmonic Drive mode for added richness. 

The range also introduced two new features designed to ensure artists and producers never miss a perfect take: Auto Gain analyses ten seconds of incoming audio before setting set the perfect level, while Clip Safe automatically readjusts it to prevent clipping. These tools help artists record themselves easily and let experienced engineers quickly set multiple gains in high-pressure environments.

The included Focusrite Control 2 software takes care of setting up routing, levels, monitoring mixes, independent outputs, and routing options. In addition to the desktop application, the iOS and Android Focusrite Control 2 apps enables engineers and performers to adjust monitor mixes and mic preamp gains while away from the computer.

To help users get up and running with Scarlett in record time, Focusrite has developed an Easy Start tool that quickly guides from initial connection to their first recordings. 

All Scarletts come with Ableton Live Lite, three months of Pro Tools Artist recording software, and six months of FL Studio Producer Edition. Also included is a curated selection of essential production software from Focusrite, Softube, Native Instruments, Antares, and many more. In addition, there are five free masters from Landr that can be used at any time, plus a two-month subscription to Landr Studio, offering unlimited music distribution on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and TikTok.

These interfaces will be available beginning mid-October 2024 with U.S. pricing as follows:USD (excluding tax)                                                              Scarlett 18i20: $649.99                                   Scarlett 18i16: $499.99                                   Scarlett 16i16: $369.99                                  The post Focusrite announces three new Scarlett interfaces for project studios first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

The elephant is leaving the building: Hipgnosis name and branding set to change to reflect new structure under BlackstoneStorm Thorgerson-designed logo will no longer represent company with a new name likely, say MBW sources
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The Music Business UK Awards 2024 in association with YouTube: The finalists revealed!The UK's finest will duke it out for prizes aplenty on the evening of Tuesday, November 5
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Music creator economy: recalibrationThe music creator economy has been long in the making but was thrust into the wider music industry’s limelight with the Covid lockdowns triggering a surge in new creators. As with any bubble, many creator tools companies saw their ensuing surge flatten post-lockdown. The market is now settled into a steadier, organic growth pattern, but this lockdown cohort of creators is transforming the music creator economy. The effects, however, will be felt much more widely. Their new needs, expectations, and aspirations will be seen not only in the way they make music but also in how they navigate their careers. The music creator economy is one of the driving forces of the Bifurcation process turning one music industry into two.

This rise of this new generation of creators coincided with structural fissures beginning to manifest in the traditional streaming economy. Streaming has been through a number of cycles with creators: 1) distrust; 2) enthusiasm; 3) royalty dissatisfaction; and now 4) apathy. Our latest music creator report, which presents data from MIDiA’s latest global music creator survey, shows that progressively more creators are starting with lower expectations for streaming. Their royalty expectations are already so low that this is no longer a pain point for them. Instead, they are becoming critical of streaming’s ability to further their careers, focussing on the medium’s closed door between them and their fans. Today’s creators want platforms where they can build high value, smaller fanbases, rather than low value, large-but-anonymous audiences.

Here are a few highlights from the report:

Tip of the iceberg: The traditional music business only sees the smallest segment of the music creator economy – the around seven million Artists Direct that self-release onto streaming via distributors like DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, and Amuse. However, this segment is the smallest component of the base of music creators, and it has been growing more slowly than the share that upload directly to social platforms for a number of years. Though the growth rates for non-DSP and Artists Direct were much closer in 2024 than 2023, a growing share of non-DSP are only uploading to social platforms. MIDiA’s 2024 survey found that a quarter of music creators upload directly to user-generated content platforms like TikTok without using a distributor or label

Long-tail imbalance: Despite the democratisation social and streaming have driven, streaming is still dominated by big artists, with less than three percent of artists accounting for more than nine tenths of all streaming royalties. What’s more, the top 0.009% has increased its share since 2017, so it’s little wonder the long tail is losing faith in streaming. Two-tier licensing is only going to grow the imbalance and represents a closing of the door on the long tail by the music industry establishment. It’s a case of ‘if you can’t join them, beat them’

A new generation of creators: Creators with less than five years’ tenure represented close to half of all music creators in 2023. This wave of creators, swelled by the lockdown cohort, brings with it a different set of needs, expectations, and aspirations that will shape tomorrow’s music business. It is a generation that values speed and results from their creation; and control and autonomy in their careers

New expectations: This new cohort of creators is driven by making the best music they can and moving people with their music, even if that is only a few people. They want creative fulfilment and high-quality fan bases rather than large-scale, anonymous audiences. They are thus gravitating to SoundCloud, YouTube, and TikTok – places they can engage directly with fans

Different tools: These newer, younger creators are also prioritising different tools and workflows, spending their time with Splice, Beatstars, Label Radar, and FL Studio. While older, more established creators opt for the likes of Cubase, Pro Tools, and Native Instruments

The report provides detailed data on these themes and much more (reasons for using secondary DAWs, AI, workflows, income splits, user profiles, etc). If you want to understand where today’s music creators are at and want to go, have a read of our report “Music creator survey | Recalibration”!

TikTok Music Shuts DownTikTok Music is set to shut down worldwide by the end of the year. Keep reading to find out why this is and what this means for artists on the. Continue reading
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Musicians battle Climate Change: Join the ‘Be Cool!’ CampaignMusic Declares Emergency US and The ClimateMusic Project have joined forces to help musicians battle climate changes with the launch of the “Be Cool” campaign. Learn how artists and fans. Continue reading
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Grammy winner Eve sells rights to Iconoclast in eight-figure deal"Eve’s contributions to hip hop and popular culture are unparalleled," said Olivier Chastan, founder and CEO of Iconoclast
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Robert Kilduff appointed Chief Financial Officer of Universal Music Group NashvilleExec brings over 30 years of experience in financial leadership, strategic financial planning, operations, and corporate development.
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What to Watch Out for Before You Sign a Record DealYou just got offered a record deal. What are some red flags you need to look out for before you sign the deal?
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Top Mixer Chris Lord-Alge Auctions His Gear on ANALOGrGlobal music industry marketplace ANALOGr is supervising the online auction of top gear from top mixing engineer Chris Lord-Alge. "OK, I admit it -I'm a hoarder. I still have my first Teddy Bear," he says. "I'm not retiring, I just need to clean house."

Renowned as one of the most influential and sought-after mix engineers in the music industry, Lord-Alge's name is synonymous with powerful, polished, and commercially successful sound. His mixes have soared to the top of the charts for iconic artists like Green Day, Muse, Bruce Springsteen, and Madonna. His mixes are known for their clarity, punch, and distinctiveness, setting a Platinum standard for modern rock, pop, and alternative music.

"I've acquired so much outboard gear, so many things I've used over the years from power amps to compressors, to EQs, to speakers to reverbs," he says. "I'd love for you to have your own piece of CLA that I actually use on the mixes that you know. Jump on in with ANALOGr, and let's find something that fits your your studio."

Highlights from the Chris Lord-Alge ANALOGr collection:

• SSL 4000E Console from CLA

• Rolling Stones Pinball Machine signed by Mick Jagger

• Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day's signed Gibson Signature Guitar

• Bluey Compressor Prototype Pair

Check out CLA explaining how the gear actually works in hits he mixed:

https://analogr.com/l/chris-lord-alge-artistfirst-collection/66bbf980-d224-41a7-aeab-0c034ef91018

The Gear That Shaped the Hits: Lord-Alge's studio collection includes high-end recording and mixing equipment, meticulously selected and fine-tuned to meet his exacting standards. From vintage compressors to cutting-edge digital interfaces, every piece of gear has played a pivotal role in crafting some of the most memorable tracks of the past few decades. Now, for the first time, this exceptional collection is available to other engineers, producers, and studios. Owning a piece of Chris Lord-Alge's gear is not just about acquiring equipment; it's about investing in a piece of music history.

Pristine Condition: CLA is known for his precision and care, and each item in this collection has been maintained to the highest standard. Whether you're after the warm analog tones of a classic Universal Audio compressor or the precise dynamics of an SSL console, you're guaranteed gear that performs like new.

The Collection: Each piece of gear has been carefully selected and used by Chris Lord-Alge to create the iconic mixes that have defined modern music. More than just a sale, it's a step into the world of a true sound architect and the tools that have shaped the sonic landscape of our time.The post Top Mixer Chris Lord-Alge Auctions His Gear on ANALOGr first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Promoters scalp their own tickets, Lyte collapse revealsThe sudden collapse of ticketing platform Lyte laid bare one of live music's open secrets: promoters scalp their own tickets with the help of the same secondary ticket platforms they claim to despise.
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