Has the Music Festival bubble burst?Has the music festival bubble burst? Explore the factors that contributed to the dramatic rise in music festival cancellations.
The post Has the Music Festival bubble burst? appeared first on Hypebot.

Vinyl vs. Digital Music: A Battle for Superior QualityVinyl vs. Digital Music: find out which format reigns supreme in sound quality, durability, and overall listening pleasure and how that might change your release strategy.
The post Vinyl vs. Digital Music: A Battle for Superior Quality appeared first on Hypebot.

New Music Critique: Changing TymzContact: changingtymzinfo@gmail.com

Web: changingtymz.com

Seeking: Label, Press

Style: Hard Rock, Metal

It’s not so much that they don’t make metal like this anymore, but you certainly have to dig around to find it. Joann E. Wolfe’s vocals are strong and insisting, recalling the likes of German Warlock queen Doro Pesch. Powerful and teutonic. Meanwhile, the musicians back her elegantly and expertly.

The lead guitar is present and makes itself known, without feeling the need to jump in with two feet Steve Vai-style. Prog-metal bands such as Queensrÿche, Crimson Glory and Dream Theater are obvious references, but Changing Tymz have their own thing going on. The post New Music Critique: Changing Tymz first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Signing Story with Rockers CursiveDate Signed: March 25, 2024

Label: Run for Cover

Type of Music: Rock

Management: Paul Clegg - Cursive

Booking: Eric Dimenstein - Ground Control

Legal: Matthew Kaplan

Publicity: Amanda Pitts, Christina Cambria - Chromatic PR

Web: cursivearmy.com

Try this (Signing) Story on for size:  Two college kids from Omaha enroll in a business class requiring them to complete a commercially minded project before the semester ends. The longtime friends, engineer Mike Mogis and friend Justin Oberst, are so pleased with the results of the project that they decide to continue with it outside academia. In its first year in operation, 1993, Saddle Creek Records (originally called Lumberjack) unveiled its first release: the self-titled solo debut by the then-unknown, 13-year-old younger brother of Justin: Conor Oberst.

As Cursive bassist Matt Maginn told New Noise in an interview in mid-June, Saddle Creek “started as a collective, and then after a while, it became sole ownership for one person (co-founder and now President Robb Nansel), and we lost some of our love for (the label). We still love Saddle Creek—past, employees, all that stuff—but once everyone realized there really wasn't a collective anymore, they just all gave up and walked away.”

Turns out Cursive’s Plan B for how to release their next album didn’t pan out either, as 15 Passenger went into the ether.

“The label gave us enthusiasm again, and that spiraled into, “Let’s use (Run for Cover) to put out our own record, since we have this outlet now,” Maginn recalled. “We just didn’t have enough time to dedicate to our on label.”

Thus, for their 10th album overall and first in five years, Cursive didn’t opt to release Devourer through 15 Passenger or Saddle Creek, but rather Run for Cover Records. Incidentally, a 17-year-old founded that Boston-based label in 2004 at college. Sound familiar? 

Of course, the similarities between Saddle Creek and Run for Cover weren’t the only reasons Cursive opted to release Devourer, due September 13. Cursive had many suitors, according to Maginn, not to mention that one of the band’s trusted friends put the two parties in touch in February.

“Between their roster, friendliness toward artists, and creativity—and the easy hangs we had over Zoom—it seemed like the right move,” he said of Cursive signing to Run for Cover. “They have great digital marketing strategies and are fan-friendly too.”

Under the terms of the deal, Cursive maintain ownership of their music and also have a 50/50 profit split with their new home. Run for Cover also repaid Cursive what they spent from their own personal savings to make Devourer.

“We’ve been a DIY band our whole lives, and (Run for Cover) understands that and is cool with whatever we deliver to them,” Maginn concluded. “That label is doing it right.”The post Signing Story with Rockers Cursive first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Getting It Done: The Week in D.I.Y & Indie Music NewsIn this week’s indie music news, our tips and advice for independent, do-it-yourselfers covered album release tips from Jack White, Spotify Countdown pages, a YouTube subscriber hack, and more. D.I.Y. Continue reading
The post Getting It Done: The Week in D.I.Y & Indie Music News appeared first on Hypebot.

REWIND: The new music industry week in reviewKeep up with the latest talk of the town with the new music industry week in review. With middle-class musicians rising, a new report that shows good things for indie. Continue reading
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Product Profile: Donner HUSH-I Pro Electric Acoustic GuitarDonner just released their new HUSH-I Pro electric acoustic guitar. The HUSH-I Pro is meant to be a more professional version of Donner’s previously released HUSH travel guitar.

I’ve been aware of headless guitars throughout my career, but never felt the inclination to play one. Having now spent some time with the HUSH-I Pro electric acoustic guitar, once you get used to the reverse engineering on the guitar, i.e. the tuners at the bottom and strung-through design with strings routed through the top of the guitar, it’s surprisingly easy to play, albeit the lack of a headstock affecting the guitar’s overall balance takes a bit of getting used to.

So, who is this guitar for and not for? I’ll start with who it’s not for. If you are a player who wants a regular acoustic guitar that you can hear in the room you’re playing in, you have no sound limitations, i.e. no family members or neighbors you’re concerned about disturbing, you want to record your guitar using a microphone, then this may not be for you. On the other hand, if you are looking for a lightweight travel guitar or a unique gig-ready solution this could just fit the bill. 

The overall build quality of the HUSH-I Pro electric acoustic guitar has been upgraded over the previous Donner HUSH electric acoustic guitar. Crafted from mahogany, The HUSH-I Pro is available in natural wood and white finishes, paired with laurel and maple fingerboards and medium stainless-steel frets. The design is compact, lightweight and easy to carry and store with a total weight of just under four pounds.

A new upgraded zinc alloy ergonomic quick-release stand is a welcome improvement over previous versions which required an Allen wrench and screws to install. The HUSH-I Pro electric acoustic guitar features a rechargeable lithium battery with USB-C fast charging design, and Bluetooth audio inputs add to the guitar’s flexibility.

Stored in its custom designed case, the HUSH-I Pro is about six inches wide and less than a yard long and will easily fit in an airline storage bin. Featuring a detachable neck-through mahogany solid-body with a satin finish, stainless-steel frets and a dual-action truss rod design, the guitar’s symmetrical neck is comfortable and easy to play, and the on-board USB-C charging port means you can charge the guitar virtually anywhere. 

Donner’s new HUSH-I Pro Electric Acoustic Guitar has 18 onboard factory preset tones, 20 onboard user accessible IR (Impulse Response) algorithms, eight acoustic guitar tone simulations and a versatile 5-band EQ adjustment module (the previous version had a 2-band EQ).

Donner’s advanced R & D team independently developed the new audio algorithm platform for the guitar, which features a new, upgraded H1 chip, and which supports more professional and complex sound algorithms, along with high-definition audio sampling rates. Unlike the previous version, the HUSH-I Pro Electric Acoustic Guitar features multiple onboard effects, including Overdrive, Compressor, Boost, Bypass, Modulation (Chorus, Phaser, Tremolo, Flanger, Auto Wah), Delay (Analog, Echo, Dual, Tremolo, LoFi), and Reverb (Room, Hall, Spring, Cloud, Shimmer). The guitar’s electronics include switchable Dynamic Air Boost and Tone Boost, upgraded tone-shaping capability and a new global volume control knob.

The 18 factory presets are user editable, and you can overwrite and then save the stock factory settings. The sample rate is 24-bit 44,100 Hz. There are no user slots to save your edited patches and as far as I can tell no provision to backup the factory sound bank. That said, the onboard selection of effects and IRs should be more than sufficient for most players to craft some highly useable tones. Multiple effects per patch can be selected and there is also an onboard tuner. The onboard screen, while a bit on the small side, is reasonable high-res and easy to see in most lighting conditions.

Donner provides an App (for Mac and Windows) to upgrade the firmware and add new features as they become available. Once plugged into your PC, you can use also the guitar to track directly into your DAW. The onboard Bluetooth audio capability makes it easy to jam with or rehearse to backing tracks. Not sure how many hours of performance time per battery charge you can get, but should be more than sufficient for the average gig. Like I said earlier the guitar can be powered from or kept plugged into any USB-C power source.

Plugging the guitar in, the basic sound you’re presented with sounds consistent with a high-end acoustic electric dreadnaught guitar. In the studio, it’s a great solution for quickly capturing ideas. On stage you can just plug it to the house PA and go, the selection of onboard IRs, tone shaping controls and effects means you should be able to get some reasonably convincing mic’ed guitar tones. Having the onboard user selectable IR’s is a great idea. I can’t think of another acoustic electric guitar currently on the market that has that capability.

Sum it up, the overall fit and finish of the guitar is solid, and the symmetrical neck makes for comfortable playing experience. The fretwork on the guitar is very well done, and the quick release top and bottom frames are a welcome improvement over the previous version. 

Just a few complaints: the screen and control buttons are too close together making them somewhat difficult (for people like me with big hands) to get to. Also, the top frame gets in the way of adjusting the controls on the fly. My biggest niggle is that the guitar’s saddle is, in my opinion, cut too low to the bridge and hence does not have enough room for adjustment. Those comments aside, Donner’s new HUSH-I Pro is a very well-built, versatile and great sounding acoustic electric guitar with a highly unique design and should appeal to a wide range of players. 

Donner’s new HUSH-I Pro Electric Acoustic Guitar is available now and comes with a gig bag, strap, monitoring headphones, cleaning cloth, USB cable, picks and a custom-designed carrying case.

For more details and special promotional launch pricing, check out donnermusic.com.The post Product Profile: Donner HUSH-I Pro Electric Acoustic Guitar first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Apollo leads $700m investment into Sony Music Group partnership. (It’s a kind of magic!)Sources told MBW earlier this month that Apollo had co-funded Sony's takeover of Queen's catalog
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From Universal Music’s Q2 results to Spotify’s new ‘deluxe’ tier… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe biggest stories from the past week – all in one place…
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Spotify Countdown Pages are now available to more artistsMore artists now have access to Spotify Countdown Pages for new release promotions. Spotify Countdown Pages offer a pre-release destination where fans can pre-save an upcoming album, preview the tracklist,. Continue reading
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The Rise of a Middle Class of MusiciansRecent studies reveal the emergence of a growing middle class of musicians, challenging the notion that only a top tier of superstar artists find "success." How are these musicians finding such sustainable success?
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Exploring the Shift Towards a Post-Social EraIn 2024, social media usage, behavior, and engagement patterns across various platforms are shifting dramatically. Are we nearing a post-social era?
The post Exploring the Shift Towards a Post-Social Era appeared first on Hypebot.

New Toys: Taylor 614ce LTD 50th Anniversary Acoustic GuitarCelebrating 50 years of exemplary guitar making, the Taylor 614ce LTD 50th Anniversary Acoustic is a limited-edition guitar of which 614 guitars will be made. Master luthier Andy Powers' latest offering has a Sitka Spruce top, Bigleaf Maple sides and back, gloss finish, impeccable appointments and Taylor V Class bracing. This bracing is advertised as increasing sustain, and this guitar does not disappoint. West African Crelicam Ebony as the fret board and bridge material also contributes to sustain. Electronics are the Expression System 2 Pickup with volume, bass, treble control and a phase inversion switch for feedback reduction. This is a high-end guitar of fantastic quality and sound.

Maple tends to have a more precise, forward and focused sound than the more traditional mahogany or rosewood. Maple can have a hard sound, and Taylor has taken deliberate steps in the aging of the spruce top and bracing to counteract that characteristic. With the necessity of manufacturing heading towards sustainable tone woods, you will see more use of maple. 

Grand Auditorium is one size smaller than the de facto standard dreadnought, and has become increasingly popular over the last few years. The Venetian cutaway enables players to reach the highest frets. Pictures do not do it justice—this guitar has a translucent white finish that shows the flame of a perfectly book- matched maple back, and a touch of white paint on the top blended smoothly at the edges of the spruce top gives a nice subtle shading similar to a sunburst finish. Taylor calls this Edgeburst.

The appointments of this guitar are definitely premium. The green abalone “Wing” neck inlays are a unique Taylor design. The sound hole rosette is also abalone. The headstock inlays are mother of pearl. The bridge is the Taylor swept wing design. The ebony bridge pins sport gold dots and match the gold tuning machines to celebrate the 50th anniversary.

The guitar plays beautifully as you would expect. Tuning and intonation is precise and this guitar shines for recording. The neck is a touch on the wide side, which is a giveaway that it is designed for finger style players, but still within a width that makes it good for any style. The action is a touch on the high side but still plays accurately and easily, even with the medium gauge strings the guitar shipped with. 

I fell in love with this very special guitar. This guitar is a great addition to any player’s tool kit. MSRP list: $3,999.00

taylorguitars.comThe post New Toys: Taylor 614ce LTD 50th Anniversary Acoustic Guitar first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Why UMG’s slowdown in streaming revenue growth is (partly) an illusion… and 4 other things we learned from UMG’s latest earnings callUMG's leadership team isn't worried about one quarter's worth of results, and says they're looking at the long term
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Alexis Lanternier appointed as the new CEO of DeezerHe will succeed interim CEO Stu Bergen at the France-headquartered music streaming service
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