Apple cuts off Beeper Mini’s access after launch of service that brought iMessage to AndroidWas it too good to be true? Beeper, the startup that reverse-engineered iMessage to bring blue bubble texts to Android users, is experiencing an outage, the company reported via a post on X on Friday. And Apple is to blame, it seems. Users, including those of us at TechCrunch with access to the app, began […]
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Davidson Audio & Multimedia Lyrihorn-1 Lyrihorn-1 delivers a set of rare and unique MIDI control options that enhance expressive play ability over one of the most sought after classic wind synthesizers. Physical modeling has... Read More

Joint Statement Of Tom Petty Family & RR AuctionRR Auction and the family of the late Tom Petty announce that all concerns regarding the recent offering of personal clothing and items of the rock star have been resolved without litigation.

The Petty family is grateful that RR Auction facilitated the safe return of the items, which have been returned to the Petty family's secure archives, and there is currently no belief RR Auction committed or knew of any wrongdoing regarding the disputed ownership of the items.

To show their gratitude, the family has agreed to a select few of the belongings to be offered for auction through RR Auction. The family supports the upcoming sale and verifies the authenticity of the items to be offered.

From Spotify’s 1,500+ layoffs and CFO exit to Enrique Iglesias’ nine-figure deal… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe biggest stories from the past week – all in one place
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“We couldn’t figure out what to do with it”: Meduza nearly scrapped hit track Piece Of Your HeartElectronic music trio Meduza nearly scrapped their hit track, Piece Of Your Heart ft. Goodboys, entirely when they hit a wall creatively in the studio.
The track, instantly recognisable for its vocalised “da da da” melody, reached number two in the UK singles chart at its release. It was also nominated for a Grammy award for Best Dance Recording.

READ MORE: Michael Jackson’s first-ever studio recording released digitally

Speaking to Music Radar in a new interview feature, the group – consisting of Luca de Gregorio, Mattia Vitale and Simone Giani – reflected on how the hit came to be, and how they nearly abandoned it altogether.
“Usually back then we did covers and nothing original. So we started to write something new, and we were having fun with some sounds,” de Gregorio shares. “I remember getting a sound in Serum (his go-to synth of choice) that sounded far, far away. I think in two or three minutes we started it, tweaking the sound, and as soon as I heard this thing, I started playing the melody.
“After getting this riff, we said ‘Ok, let’s work on this, it’s actually pretty good’. We had a verse on this demo sound. When we went back in the studio and tried to add more we couldn’t figure out what to do with it. We were actually close to junking it.”
At its early stage, the track was relying on a vocal chop that wasn’t working out: “We decided that instead of using the chop, we thought we’d try and sing something that’s like a chop but isn’t.
“Josh [Grimmett] from Goodboys, said in the room, ‘Sorry – just quickly, what if it’s ‘da, da, da…’ and proceeded to vocalise a hypothetical melody. Luckily we were recording that moment. That melody, and the original recording of the spontaneous idea from Josh, became central to the track. It just sounded so good!”
Listen to the track below:

View Meduza’s upcoming tour dates via their official website.
The post “We couldn’t figure out what to do with it”: Meduza nearly scrapped hit track Piece Of Your Heart appeared first on MusicTech.

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is the first ever tour to gross over $1 billion, says PollstarCiting box office reports, Pollstar says that Taylor Swift took in an estimated ticket gross of $1.04 billion
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Spotify CEO blames layoffs on fake work, pushes out CFO who just cashed in $9.4M in stockSpotify CEO Daniel Ek seemed to blame workers and another executive for this week’s layoffs that saw 1500 or 17% of the streamer’s global workforce shown the door. In a. Continue reading
The post Spotify CEO blames layoffs on fake work, pushes out CFO who just cashed in $9.4M in stock appeared first on Hypebot.

Spotify CFO cashed out $9 million in shares 24 hours after layoffs were announcedSpotify’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Paul Vogel, cashed out 47,859 shares earning him $9.377 million, just 24 hours after the company announced that 17 percent of its workforce would be laid off in a “hard but crucial step.”
The streaming service’s CEO, Daniel Ek, has since released a statement revealing that Vogel is due to depart from the company at the end of Q1 in 2024 (31 March) as part of a new phase for the streaming giant.

READ MORE: Hainbach says his 1 million annual Spotify streams earned him $2,160 before tax

The findings regarding the shares were uncovered in an SEC filing, as spotted by Music Business Worldwide. The outlet found that the shares were cashed in on Tuesday this week (5 December), with the layoffs announced in a statement from Spotify’s newsroom the day prior on 4 December 2023.
Vogel’s annual base salary at Spotify was $600,000 in 2022, according to SEC documents, but he also pulled in option awards worth $6.187 million in the year.
In a press release from the platform shared online (7 December), Ek explains why Vogel’s time at Spotify is due to come to an end: “Spotify has embarked on an evolution over the last two years to bring our spending more in line with market expectations while also funding the significant growth opportunities we continue to identify.
“I’ve talked a lot with Paul about the need to balance these two objectives carefully. Over time, we’ve come to the conclusion that Spotify is entering a new phase and needs a CFO with a different mix of experiences,” says Ek.
“As a result, we’ve decided to part ways, but I am very appreciative of the steady hand Paul has provided in supporting the expansion of our business through a global pandemic and unprecedented economic uncertainty.
“As we initiate the search for a new leader, we do so from a position of strength. I am enormously proud of the strides we’ve made as a company. We are on track to deliver against the goals we outlined at our Investor Day and our recent actions will help us accelerate these efforts. We look forward to tapping a strong financial leader as our next CFO and I will share more details soon.”
Employees affected by the lay offs at Spotify will receive five months of redundancy pay. The company also promises to cover their healthcare over the five month span.
The post Spotify CFO cashed out $9 million in shares 24 hours after layoffs were announced appeared first on MusicTech.

Erica Synths launch EDU DIY Hi-Hat module Erica Synths and Mortiz Klein’s mki x es.EDU series has gained an analogue hi-hat Eurorack module inspired by the Roland TR-808.

Musicians & Songwriters: What happens when your post goes ‘mini-viral’Learn what happens when a piece of a musician or songwriter’s content goes viral – or in this case, mini-viral – and how to make the most of it now. Continue reading
The post Musicians & Songwriters: What happens when your post goes ‘mini-viral’ appeared first on Hypebot.

Brand Building for MusiciansAll of the recent press about the juggernauts Taylor Swift and Beyonce reminded me of two popular posts on building brands for musicians that should resurface for this week’s Hypebot. Continue reading
The post Brand Building for Musicians appeared first on Hypebot.

HeadRush launches fifth edition of its free ReValver software with new cloning toolsMusic technology brand HeadRush has launched the latest iteration of its ReValver series, ReValver 5 – now offering the ability to shape the sound of the guitar itself by cloning the tone and characteristics of other instruments.
ReValver 5 is free for life and “infinitely expandable.” Users can now recreate the sounds of acoustics, folk instruments, and even other electric guitar and pickup combinations with its Audio Cloning Technology (ACT).

READ MORE: We’re giving away a Roland AIRA Compact S-1 worth $150

In an “industry first,” ReValver and HeadRush pedalboards have combined their amp and effects models together for this new edition of the software. Musicians can now recreate HeadRush presets in ReValver and utilise them in their DAWs via ReValver’s VST and AU plugins.
Additionally, ReValver’s RIR2 cabinet module also allows for control over the cab model’s microphone type, placement, and environment. You can now load any go-to 3rd party cab impulse responses in the RIR impulse response player module for custom tone shaping.
​​According to a press release from the brand, ReValver 5 is also the only software that offers official Peavey and Budda amp and effects models, which have been developed in collaboration with the original engineers. These models – which include the ReValver Peavey 6505 – are a “faithful” digital representation of the iconic amps they emulate.
All parameters inside ReValver 5 can be MIDI controlled, facilitating real-time adjustments and providing ease when preset switching via its GIG Mode feature.

“With over two decades of setting industry standards in realistic amp and effects modelling, this fifth generation release elevates the music creation experience, whether in a commercial studio, a home-based production hub, or live on stage,” says HeadRush.
ReValver 5 will always remain free, but a collection of four paid-for expansion packs are currently available at promotional prices until 31 December. Find out more via then official HeadRush website.
The post HeadRush launches fifth edition of its free ReValver software with new cloning tools appeared first on MusicTech.

Producer slams “hypocrisy” of artists who release physical records while championing “save the planet”Robin Millar, producer and co-founder of artist label Blue Raincoat Music, has argued that the vinyl revival is exposing the “hypocrisy” of artists who champion environmental causes.

READ MORE: Michael Jackson’s first-ever studio recording released digitally

In a new interview with Guardian, Millar says he’s “baffled that no large record company has had the backing of a big-selling artist to stop making physical records.”
The producer notes how CD and vinyl records are packaged with “chopped-down trees and plastic” and shipped to customers worldwide, saying “How can anybody stand up and say ‘save the planet’? Artists are awful for hypocritical bandwagonery.”
According to Millar – who claims he’s no “militant climate warrior”, the quality of digital songs are now comparable to vinyl. He also slams the pollution caused by the global touring of artists, saying shows can be screened online instead.
Earlier this year, it was reported that sales of vinyl records in the US have surged by over 20 per cent in the first half of 2023.
The report, generated by the Californian data analytics service, revealed that 23.6 million LPs were sold from January 2023 to June 2023, up from 2022’s 19.4 million sales.
Physical album sales overall also saw a notable rise of 13.3 per cent in 2023, with 41.5 million physical copies sold compared to 2022’s 36.7 million.
Demand aside, it’s unlikely that we’re seeing the end of physical record production and tours anytime soon as they’re often cited as the main source of income for musicians, who have long lamented the struggles of making a living from music streaming alone.
Berlin-based electronic composer Hainbach, for one, revealed last week that his 1 million Spotify streams have earned him a total of “$2160 a year or $180 per month”, a sum he reckons is enough to cover his utilities bill.
The artist also says going to a live show is “still the best way to support me and other artists”.
The post Producer slams “hypocrisy” of artists who release physical records while championing “save the planet” appeared first on MusicTech.

Rast Sound Lunar Element Delve into the soothing essence of 'Lunar Element', a sound library exquisitely designed for the creators of chillout, ambient, lofi and downtempo music. This sound suite invites you into... Read More

TOKiMONSTA’s new music streaming platform, Sona, has no ads and no subscriptionDJ and producer Jennifer Lee – aka TOKiMONSTA – has launched Sona, a Web3-based music platform where listeners can invest in “digital twins” of tracks.

READ MORE: Michael Jackson’s first-ever studio recording released digitally

According to Techcrunch, Sona uses the basics of decentralised finance to “put the financial power back into artists’ hands” with its rewards model, auctions and ad-free streaming.
The company, which recently received $6.9 million in seed funding, unveils its first product in the form of Sona Stream, a free music streaming service with zero subscriptions or ads. Instead, artists share music and auction off ‘SONAs’, which are “digital twins” or digital assets of songs that can “only be owned by one person at a time”.
The platform allows artists to auction their SONAs to fans for 24 hours, with a set minimum price and sales to the highest bidder, providing immediate liquidity. Collectors will earn a spot on that artist’s profile – and a 70 percent split of Sona streaming rewards (based on their proportional share of total platform streams) for that song.
Artists, meanwhile, receive 30 percent and the company charges a 7 percent fee. The rewards pool is funded from a percentage of SONA sales, benefiting all artists on Sona Stream with each purchase.
Additional features such as tipping, merchandise sales, ticket purchases, stem downloads, and fixed-price audio downloads for DJs, will also be incorporated in the future.
“It’s pooled every two weeks and then redistributed to every artist and collector, proportional to how much [the specific song] is streamed,” co-founder Laura Jaramillo told Techcrunch. “So, you’re paying artists for their work quickly, incentivising the creation of that work, and then also rewarding the people that are actually supporting those artists.”
At present, Sona Streaming is home to five million tracks by artists like Rochelle Jordan, CRi, Adam Oh and Sara Hartman. The startup says that there will be 16 million songs on the platform by next year.
In an Instagram post announcing the project, TOKiMONSTA – who called herself a “not-so-subtle advocate for musician’s rights” – states: “Streaming has been a beautiful tool for music discovery & has truly given anyone a chance to make music their life, but not really a fighting chance. We live in a world where your top streamed artist may not be able to pay rent or buy groceries bc streaming isn’t paying enough and there is a huge payment lag that exists in the music industry.”
“They feel pressured to be multi-hyphenated TikT0k memecore influencers, even if they hate it. Possibly bc they make modular exotica ambient waltz and they can’t really tour the project. They prob don’t have the capital to make merch or the bandwidth to do all the extra things musicians have to make money. These musicians you cherish should be able to make music at a value that’s true to their artistry. We want them to continue being an artist so they can make the music you love.”

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Sign up today at Sona.stream.
The post TOKiMONSTA’s new music streaming platform, Sona, has no ads and no subscription appeared first on MusicTech.