Huart Will Keynote Capital's WorkshopFollowing closely on the heels of the launch of his landmark comprehensive and reference text, Home Studio Recording, The Complete Guide, renowned producer, engineer and musician Warren Huart has been chosen as the 2023 Keynote Presenter for the 11th Annual Capital University Creative Arts Workshop. Held this Saturday, March 25, from 9am-5pm EDT at the Convergent Media Center at Capital University in Columbus, OH, the free event is a community celebration for all things music, audio, video, and other creative arts productions. Using Capital University’s immersive technology spaces and classrooms, area professionals and current students will host workshops and presentations throughout the day.  

Known for his production work with such leading acts as Aerosmith, The Fray, Disturbed, Korn, Trevor Hall, Ace Frehley and more, Huart is also the creator and host of the amazingly popular TEC Award-winning Produce Like A Pro educational channel on YouTube (with an audience nearing 700,000 subscribers) and his online Produce Like A Pro Academy and Pro Mix Academy, where he shares his knowledge of recording, production, mixing and more with the goal of helping people make great music. At this year’s Creative Arts Workshop, in addition to holding two back-to-back sessions on Microphone Placement Techniques (10:00-10:45am EDT and 11:00-11:45am EDT in Studio F), Huart will be giving the closing Music Tech Keynote address (3:30-4:30pm EDT), where he will discuss his early musical influences and mentors, key events from his career, recording The Fray, meeting and working with legendary producer Jack Douglas, starting Produce Like a Pro, and the creation of his latest book, Home Studio Recording, The Complete Guide.  

“I am pleased to be involved with this year’s Capital University Creative Arts Workshop, and to be chosen to give the closing keynote address,” states Huart. “Today’s program covers a wide range of topics, and I am privileged to be able to share my experience and insights to attendees.” 

Immediately following the keynote, there will be a community mixer and networking event.  

38 million tracks on music streaming service were played ZERO times in 2022. (Or: why Spotify should take a leaf out of Elon Musk’s book.)Should Spotify, in a quest to improve its margin, start playing hardball with its least successful artists?
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‘Yes, AI is the future of music – but not in the way you’d think.’The following op-ed comes from Oleg Stavitsky, CEO of AI-powered sound app Endel
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A2IM announces 2023 Libera indie awards nomineesThe American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) has announced the 2023 Libera Awards nominees. The ceremony will be held on June 15 at the Town Hall in New York City.  2023 Libera Awards. Continue reading
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5 tips for promoting music events for 2023Everyone is still adjusting to a post-pandemic world, and the music industry finds ways to adapt each year. Here are some tips for concert promoters in our current state this. Continue reading
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Rare Focusrite Console Installed in PhoenixOne of only a handful of historic Focusrite audio consoles has been brought back to life and installed in The Focusrite Room, a unique 1500-square-foot control room, part of a 6,000-square-foot recording complex in the Phoenix area. The Focusrite Studio Console, one of only 10 ever built (specifically, unit #5) and one of only four known to still exist, was installed in the facility late last year and has just finished its commissioning phase. The console was originally located at BOP Studios in South Africa, itself a pioneering world-music venture. Now, one of the world’s few remaining Focusrite Studio Consoles is back in operation, ready to make music – and history – again.   

[Explore The Focusrite Room in 3D here.]  

“Bringing Number Five back was a life-changing event,” says The Focusrite Room and Platinum Underground studio owner and longtime Focusrite aficionado John Aquilino, referring to the nickname the desk has acquired. “When I was a teenager, instead of a poster of Farrah Fawcett on my wall, I had a picture of a Focusrite Studio Console, so you could say I’m a pretty big fan of the brand and its technology. Now, this console is ready for the next chapter in its life.”  

BOP Studios began with the best of intentions: to be a world-class music-production facility in one of the world’s most remote yet creatively fertile locations. South Africa was thrust upon the global music stage with the release of Paul Simon’s Graceland album in 1986, which opened the world’s ears to the music and musicians of that part of the world, with some of that LP (which won the GRAMMY® Award for Album of the Year in 1987) recorded at Ovation Studios in Johannesburg, South Africa, by Simon and engineer/producer Roy Halee. Despite the country being under the oppressive thumb of Apartheid at the time, BOP Studios, financed by a combination of private investment and state and local pension funds, opened in 1991, intended as a destination where African and Western artists and musicians could intersect and collaborate, with state-of-the-art technology, acoustical design (the studio’s architect was the legendary late Tom Hidley) and resort-level accommodations. The Focusrite Studio Console was a centerpiece in BOP’s flagship Studio 1, where it operated alongside consoles from Neve (Studio 2) and SSL (Studio 3) – all three were the largest of their kind ever installed at the time.  

BOP Studios briefly achieved some of its aspirations. Visiting artists included Laura Branigan, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Miriam Makeba, and the Soweto String Quartet; Disney’s The Lion King soundtrack was also recorded and produced at the studio. But political and economic complications posed significant challenges to keeping the facility viable, and it has been closed for much of the last 20-plus years. However, the Focusrite Studio Console was remarkably intact when Aquilino discovered it. He organized a team including his partner in the studio, Ken Hirsch of Orphan Audio, as well as guidance from Phil Dudderidge, Chairman of Focusrite Audio Engineering, who had acquired Focusrite from founder Rupert Neve in 1989. The team went to BOP Studios in September 2019, where they purchased and disassembled the console over the course of ten days, then shipped it back to Platinum Underground, where Aquilino had already designed (with Hanson Hsu of Delta H Design) a new studio room to be built around it. (Platinum Underground, which opened in 2016, was designed by the late Vincent Van Haaff and is constructed 30 feet below ground; the new Focusrite Room is above and to the side of that.)   

Not surprisingly after all that time, the relocated console needed some refurbishing, which included a complete recapping and new switches, as well as the replacement of 4,600 LEDs. The restoration process was initially started by Joel Gette of Thermal Relief Design in Las Vegas, before the desk was moved to its new site in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa for its full and complete restoration and recommissioning by Ken Hirsch and his team at Orphan Audio. Once inside the studio, additional HVAC, with a custom plenum and silent-running fans, had to be installed to keep the console at a constant 72 to 74 degrees F. The console’s original two 7-foot-tall power racks have been replaced with just 3 feet of modern, high efficiency supplies designed by Hirsch. The ancient GML automation is replaced with the Tangerine Automation Interface for GML Automation from THD Labs, which integrates directly with the console faders on a fader-by-fader, bucket-by-bucket basis, with all of that control information sent over a USB bus to the computer. “The automation is now seamless and transparent between the hardware of the desk and the user’s DAW,” Aquilino explains. “Any user can come in to the studio, fire up a session, load up this plug-in and just go, and not have to worry about knowing some archaic, proprietary software.”  

The Focusrite Studio Console came back to life late last year and did a series of local productions with Aquilino, an accomplished engineer for artists including Metal Allegiance, Sacred Reich, and SoulFly, at the board. “I needed a great team to make this happen, like TRD, everyone at Ken’s shop, and of course, Phil,” he says. “But the result is the kind of console that made classic recordings. You cannot duplicate this in today’s business — the console’s cabling is silver wire….. kilometers of it! There is nothing like it anywhere. And now, it's an amazing console in an amazing space.”  

As remarkable as the resuscitated Focusrite Studio Console is, that’s far from the only Focusrite technology in the facility. Aquilino says that the studio is in the process of implementing Dante® connectivity between both the new Focusrite Room and The Platinum Underground‘s existing SSL control room, large tracking room, and isolation booths, complemented by RedNet A16R and HD32R interfaces throughout both studios. “This will allow us to smoothly move projects between spaces, as well as increase flexibility of session management,” he explains, adding that having both vintage and contemporary Focusrite gear in the same facility is the best of both worlds. The studio also has 12 Focusrite ISA 215 dual rack mount mic pre-EQs, for a total of 24 channels of original ISA 110s (each 215 contains two of the original ISA 110 mic pre /EQ circuits in each box). Finally, Aquilino says he’s chosen the S5H speaker from ADAM Audio – part of the Focusrite family – for the mains in The Focusrite Room. “They are absolutely amazing speakers. Just stunning sounding,” he says. “They are the perfect complement to #5. Incredible depth, amazing detail, and the imaging is spectacular.”  

The Focusrite Studio Console had a deep impact on many people’s lives and careers and is much loved by the engineers, producers, and musicians who have experienced it up close. Using Rupert Neve's original design of the ISA 110 EQ processor as inspiration, the Focusrite Studio Console is thought of as the pinnacle of British audio-console innovation. A documentary about it can be seen here.

Multimedia Music raises another $100m, acquires catalog of Emmy-winning composer Sean CalleryNew investment sees the company grow its funds from $100 million to $200 million
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‘Not an agent of China,’ TikTok CEO to tell Congress [Read full testimony]The House Committee on Energy and Commerce has published the written testimony to be given Thursday by TikTolk CEO Shout Zi Chew. “Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an. Continue reading
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As France loses fifth largest recorded music market position to China, TikTok says: We’re not to blame for paid subscription growth slowdown'There is no evidence to suggest TikTok is diverting music fans away from subscription streaming services,' says Global Head of Music at TikTok, Ole Obermann
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Fewer DIY Musicians earned $10K+ on Spotify last year than year before57,000 artists earned more than $10,000 a year on Spotify in 2022, the streamer proudly shared during its recent Stream On Event, up 8.3% over 2021. It was also the. Continue reading
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Paid subscriptions hit 589M as global music revenue growth slows to 9%Paid music subscriptions passed 589 million at the end of 2022, up from 523 million in 2021, with combined ad-supported and paid streaming driving growth at 67% of global recorded. Continue reading
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The Decemberists' Jenny Conlee on Her New Solo Album 'Tides: Pieces for Accordion and Piano'Quarantine encouraged Jenny Conlee, the accordion and piano player from indie folk band The Decemberists, to explore a series of pieces based on Greek scales and repeating musical forms. AllMusic spoke with Conlee about her new recordings and the future of The Decemberists.

Tencent Music Entertainment had 88.5m paying users at the end of 2022, up 16.1% YoYTencent Music Entertainment Group has published its financial results for Q4 and the full year, ended December 31, 2022
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"Music Performance Trust Fund" Launches 75th AnniversaryThe recording industry’s Music Performance Trust Fund (MPTF), a leading non-profit organization enriching lives and uniting communities through the power of music, has launched its 75th Anniversary with new plans to expand initiatives and increase funding for live music performances in thousands of community events and senior centers, as well as Music in the Schools programs, scholarships, and more. 

Primarily funded by four major record companies, including Sony Music, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Walt Disney Records, the MPTF has also played a vital role in support of the music industry’s gig economy. The independently run organization has distributed millions of dollars in financial resources and grants, engaging professional musicians that are members of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) to perform live in admission-free events across North America. Since its founding in 1948, it has distributed approximately $620 million (USD) in sponsorship money.

By partnering with businesses, chambers of commerce, arts councils, municipal government organizations and parks programs, the MPTF supported during the previous calendar year more than 1,200 concerts in parks and public spaces, 400 Music in the Schools events, over 1,000 performances in senior centers and assisted living facilities, and other special events. It also funded and facilitated more than 1,500 live virtual music events held free via MPTF’s Facebook platform since the early days of the pandemic. More than 1,000,000 people also attended MPTF-supported in-person and virtual events last year. 

With the live music sector continuing to rebound from the impact of COVID-19, the MPTF projects it will significantly increase support in the upcoming 2023-2024 calendar year, with funding of more than 3,500 live music events in 100+ markets in the U.S. and Canada, including $3.3 million (USD) in grants and scholarships. The organization additionally aims to fund over 500 music education programs in 2023-2024, through important partnerships with national and local organizations such as Save the Music, Young Audiences Arts for Learning, and more.  

Dan Beck

“As we launch our 75th Anniversary and celebrate this major milestone, the MPTF continues to evolve and successfully navigate the impact of COVID on live music by developing new initiatives, partnering with businesses and organizations, and streamlining operations, while expanding the breadth of our programs across North America,” said Daniel Beck, Trustee of Musicians Performance Trust Fund. “I’m also very pleased to announce that by the end of our fiscal year in March, we anticipate having funded a total of more than 3,000 events with a distribution of over $3.0 million in grants. MPTF will increase our allocations for the upcoming year by 33%, with financial support of $3.3 million in grants, plus $165,000 in scholarships.  This is the largest grant budget in twenty years.”   

While continuing to re-grow its free, live public music events, MPTF is also focusing efforts in several areas which have been affected by the pandemic or suffered setbacks from lack of funding, staffing, or government support. The trust fund will further expand its programs to foster music education and bolster its signature national Musicianfest initiative that brings the power of music to senior citizens, a segment of society which has been isolated more than ever, as well as strapped by fixed incomes, inflation, immobility, and the devastation from the COVID virus.    

Later this year, MPTF will announce new details related to several upcoming special events and initiatives. In April, the trust fund aims to support over 250 live music performances in celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month. The MPTF will also be partnering with local businesses and organizations in events celebrating Juneteenth, as well as anticipating support for the good work of the Chicago Lyric Opera, French Quarter Festival, the Make Music Alliance, and the Broadway League’s annual Curtains Up! event held in Times Square. 

Justin Trudeau, President, Prime Minister of Canada, released the following statement in support of MPTF: “MPTF’s work to spread its joy as far and wide as possible deserves the utmost praise. Furthermore, as a former teacher, I have seen firsthand the tremendous value of encouraging children’s participation in, and appreciation for, music. It makes an indescribable impact on their souls. To the entire team behind this incredible venture, please accept my gratitude for all that you do. Your commitment towards supporting musicians, making music a part of every child’s life, and adding to public knowledge about music, is unmatched.”

A minimum of $150,000 will be awarded to students in the Fall of 2023 through two scholarship programs, MPTF’s Music Family Scholarships and the Music’s Future Scholarship, which was established to help advance music majors. Over the previous year, more than 90 Music Family Scholarships were given to AFM musicians with family members attending college, while 30 Music’s Future Scholarships went to music students unaffiliated with the union.  

For more information on MPTF programs, live stream and in-person music events, and more, visit www.musicpf.org and www.facebook.com/the.mptf/ 

Twitch cuts over 400 roles amid widespread layoffs at parent company AmazonAmazon announced another 9,000 job cuts this week
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