Crowdfunding for Independent Musicians: All You Need To KnowWith all the buzz about superfan monetization, alternative funding and royalty advances, it's easy to lose site of the importance and potential of crowdfunding for independent musicians. This guide share all you need to know.
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Spotify Lossless audio is finally here – and no, we’re not kiddingAfter quite literally years of users requesting the feature, lossless audio is finally coming to Spotify, with Premium users being granted access in selected markets in the coming months.
Speculation began to ramp up earlier this year, with rumours of a “Music Pro” tier floating around February time. As it turns out, “Music Pro” is not a thing, but Lossless is finally arriving to all Premium users.

READ MORE: Apple AirPods Pro 3: “World’s best” Active Noise Cancellation, Live Translation, next-gen sound design – and everything else you need to know

With Lossless, Spotify users can now stream tracks in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC, meaning greater sonic detail across “nearly every song available on Spotify”.
In terms of when they’ll actually get access to Lossless audio, Spotify Premium users will receive a notification when it becomes available to them.
Spotify is also enabling users to choose their own custom settings for Wi-Fi, cellular and downloads, with quality options for Low, Normal, High, Very High and now Lossless – for “maximum flexibility and control”.
Lossless is available on mobile, desktop and tablet, as well as many Spotify Connect-supported devices including Sony, Bose, Samsung, Sennheiser and more. Support for devices from Sonos and Amazon is arriving next month.
“The wait is finally over; we’re so excited lossless sound is rolling out to Premium subscribers,” says Gustav Gyllenhammar, VP Subscriptions, Spotify. 
“We’ve taken time to build this feature in a way that prioritises quality, ease of use, and clarity at every step, so you always know what’s happening under the hood. With Lossless, our premium users will now have an even better listening experience.”
It’s worth noting that Lossless audio will need to be manually enabled, with a Lossless indicator now appearing in the Now Playing view or bar.
Credit: Spotify
Getting the most out of Lossless audio is also subject to certain bottlenecks relating to hardware, so for the best experience, Spotify recommends you stream on Wi-Fi using wired headphones or speakers on a non-Bluetooth connection.
“Currently, Bluetooth doesn’t provide enough bandwidth to transmit lossless audio, so the signal has to be compressed before being sent,” Spotify explains.
The platform also says some tracks will take a moment to play, owing to the larger audio files associated with lossless audio. “But once it’s cached and loaded, you are ready to listen,” it says.
Spotify says Lossless is rolling out “gradually” to more than 50 markets through October, with Premium users in Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the US, and the UK already beginning to gain access.
For more information, head to the Spotify Newsroom.
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CEDAR introduce DNS 8S noise suppressor New from CEDAR Audio, the DNS 8S is a noise suppressor designed specifically for live sound and broadcast applications where audio over IP is not required.

Apple AirPods Pro 3: “World’s best” Active Noise Cancellation, Live Translation, next-gen sound design – and everything else you need to knowYesterday saw the latest Apple Event from the California tech giant, and among a host of exciting new announcements – including the iPhone 17, all-new and ultra-thin iPhone Air and upgraded Apple Watch models – was the unveiling of its AirPods Pro 3.
The latest generation of its massively popular in-ear headphones, AirPods Pro 3 bring a plethora of new features, including “world’s best” in-ear Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) – removing up to 2x more noise than the previous generation – as well as improved sound quality, fit and battery life, heart rate sensing and even Live Translation.

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The latter – powered by Apple Intelligence – helps users have face-to-face conversations even if they don’t speak the same language as one another.
“With AirPods Pro 3, the most popular headphones take a massive leap forward, providing fantastic sound quality and the world’s best ANC of any in-ear wireless headphones,” says John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. 
“Combined with an improved fit that provides greater stability for even more people, heart rate sensing, extended battery life, and Live Translation enabled by Apple Intelligence, AirPods Pro 3 take personal audio to the next level.”
Those are the new features of AirPods Pro 3 at a glance, but let’s dive in a little further to take a more granular look at the improvements.
“World’s best” Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
Credit: Apple
Sure, ANC is a pretty common feature on earbud headphones these days, but what makes it the “world’s best” – as Apple promise – on AirPods Pro 3 are both ultra-low-noise microphones and advanced computational audio, paired with new foam-infused ear tips for greater passive noise isolation. In fact, these buds offer 2x more noise cancellation than the previous AirPods Pro model, and up to 4x more than the original AirPods Pro.
Improved sound design
Apple says AirPods Pro 3 deliver an “exceptional” spatial listening experience, with next-generation Adaptive EQ, which transforms the bass response, widens the soundstage and brings “vivid” vocal clarity across music, shows and calls.
Upgraded fit courtesy of a new in-ear design
AirPods Pro 3 are said to be the “most secure and best-fitting AirPods ever”, courtesy of over 10,000 ear scans and more than 100,000 hours of user research. The internal architecture has been re-engineered to make each bud smaller, while the external geometry of each tip has been aligned to the centre of the body for increased stability.
Additionally, the ear tips now come in five sizes – including a new XXS size – and AirPods Pro 3 are designed for improved durability with IP57 sweat and water resistance.
Live Translation powered by Apple Intelligence
Credit: Apple
In what could be the most useful upgrade with AirPods Pro 3, they now come with Live Translation, enabling users to have conversations in real time with people who don’t speak the same language.
Powered by computational audio and Apple Intelligence, Live Translation is designed to help people “easily connect”, and there’s even an option to use an iPhone as a horizontal display, which shows a live transcription of what the other person is saying in their preferred language.
At launch, Live Translation is available in English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish, with four more languages – Italian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese (simplified) – coming by the end of the year.
Upgrades to health monitoring
Credit: Apple
AirPods Pro 3 feature Apple’s smallest custom-built photoplethysmography (PPG) heart rate sensor – which shines invisible infrared light 256 times per second to measure light absorption in blood flow. It all sounds very sci-fi, but what does it actually mean?
Well, combined with sensor fusion from the AirPods Pro 3 accelerometers, gyroscope and GPS, users can more closely than ever track their heart rate, calories burned and earn rewards in the Fitness app.
Additionally, AirPods Pro 3 bring Hearing Protection to EU and UK users, following certification in these regions. Conversation Boost is now automatic, hearing-impaired users powerful amplification combined with background noise reduction.
Pricing and availability
Priced at $249.99, AirPods Pro 3 available now for pre-order, and will begin shipping 19 September.
For more information, head to Apple.
The post Apple AirPods Pro 3: “World’s best” Active Noise Cancellation, Live Translation, next-gen sound design – and everything else you need to know appeared first on MusicTech.

Algoriffix adds pitch correction to Pitch Perfekt, a free voice-to-MIDI plugin
Algoriffix has updated Pitch Perfekt, its free voice-to-MIDI plugin, with a new pitch correction feature in the latest version 1.7 beta. We previously covered Pitch Perfekt when it launched in 2024, and it was already a handy tool for converting your voice into MIDI in real-time or from audio files. The new update makes it [...]
View post: Algoriffix adds pitch correction to Pitch Perfekt, a free voice-to-MIDI plugin

Future Audio Workshop SubLab is just $10 Until September 29th
Future Audio Workshop is offering the SubLab bass synthesizer for just $10 at Plugin Boutique until September 29th. SubLab is a sub-bass synthesizer built for modern hip-hop, trap, and electronic music producers. The idea behind the synth engine is to create custom bass and kick sounds, especially 808 bass sounds and similar patches. The plugin [...]
View post: Future Audio Workshop SubLab is just $10 Until September 29th

Own a piece of synth history: A restored Minimoog is being raffled for charity – here’s how you can take partA fully restored vintage Minimoog Model D is being raffled to raise funds for the Bob Moog Foundation.
The decades-old synth, serial number 4605, was originally manufactured in Moog Music’s Williamsville, NY factory in the early 1970s. It has since been fully restored by Moog Music engineer Tim Johnston and bears the signature of musician Todd Rundgren, whose pioneering use of Moog instruments shaped his work with Utopia and his solo recordings.

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The raffle launches Monday, 8 September 2025, at 7am EST and closes Monday, 29 September 2025, at 1159pm EST. It is open internationally, with tickets priced at $25 each, five for $100, 12 for $200, and 35 for $500. The winner will be announced on Thursday, 2 October.
Credit: The Bob Moog Foundation
Funds raised will support the Foundation’s key initiatives, including Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, which has introduced more than 35,000 elementary students to the science of sound, the Bob Moog Foundation Archives, and the Moogseum, which opened in 2019 but continues to recover financially from the impact of last year’s Hurricane Helene.
Speaking on his involvement, Rundgren says, “The Moog modular synthesizer and the Minimoog helped define my sound. I am thrilled to have signed this fully restored vintage Minimoog for the Bob Moog Foundation in support of their educational efforts, including Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, which inspires thousands of elementary school students through sound every year.”

Since its introduction in 1970, the Minimoog has become a landmark instrument, distilling the power of Moog’s massive modular synths – like the System 55 – into a more accessible, portable format. Its influence has endured for decades, bridging engineering, artistry, and creativity.
Purchase your raffle tickets today at the Bob Moog Foundation website.
The post Own a piece of synth history: A restored Minimoog is being raffled for charity – here’s how you can take part appeared first on MusicTech.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard lets you “name your price” for their music on Bandcamp after Spotify exitAfter pulling their music from Spotify earlier this year, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have made their catalogue available on Bandcamp – and fans can pay whatever they want for it.
The Australian rock band’s decision to quit Spotify this July came in protest of CEO Daniel Ek’s involvement in AI military drone technology. Their departure meant the vast majority of their music had disappeared from online streaming platforms.

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“I don’t really consider myself an activist, and I don’t feel comfortable soapboxing. But this feels like a decision staying true to ourselves, and doing what we think is right for our music, having our music in places that we feel all right about,” said frontman Stu Mackenzie in an interview with the LA Times last month.
Now, their albums have returned online via Bandcamp, this time with a “name your price” option instead of the previous $10 minimum.
While Bandcamp’s standard pricing is set at $9 per album or $1.50 per track, artists are allowed to set prices “in a way that reflects your goals, your audience, and the value of your work”. In this case, King Gizzard has opted to let listeners decide.
And the results speak for themselves: King Gizzard’s catalogue currently dominates the entire Top 25 of Bandcamp’s best-selling albums section. Paying supporters also get unlimited streaming through Bandcamp’s free app.
The band are far from alone in leaving Spotify over Ek’s ties to Helsing. Acts such as Deerhoof, Xiu Xiu, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Hotline TNT, the Mynabirds, Kadhja Bonet, and WU LYF have all pulled their music from the platform in recent months.
“We don’t want our music killing people,” San Francisco art-rock band Deerhoof explained earlier this year. “We don’t want our success being tied to AI battle tech.”
They added that leaving the platform was a “pretty easy” decision given that “Spotify only pays a pittance anyway,” though they stressed they “don’t judge those who can’t make the same move in the short term” if the platform remains a key income source.
The post King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard lets you “name your price” for their music on Bandcamp after Spotify exit appeared first on MusicTech.

Save the Music Brings Music Education To Schools in NeedThis week, Ari is joined by Henry Donahue of Save the Music Foundation, bringing music education access to millions of students.

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.

Eric Trump scaling back role at crypto firm ALT5 SigmaThe initial deal between ALT5 and World Liberty Financial included Eric Trump being on the company’s board of directors.

Why SpaceX made a $17B bet on the direct-to-cell marketExplaining SpaceX's aggressive move to dominate satellite-to-phone connectivity.

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
Source

O Brother, What Art Thou?Dedicated word processors are not something we see much of anymore. They were in a weird space: computerized, but not really what you could call a computer, even in those days. More like a fancy typewriter, with a screen and floppy disks. Brother made some very nice ones, and [Chad Boughton] got his hands on one for a modernization project.
The word processor in question, a Brother WP-2200, was chosen primarily because of its beautiful widescreen, yellow-phosphor CRT display. Yes, you read that correctly — yellow phosphor, not amber. Widescreen CRTs are rare enough, but that’s just different. As built, the WP-2200 had a luggable form-factor, with a floppy drive, mechanical keyboard, and dot-matrix printer in the back.
Thanks to [Chad]’s upgrade, most of that doesn’t work anymore. Not yet, anyway. The original logic controller of this word processor was… rather limited. As generations have hackers have discovered, you just can’t do very much with these. [Chad] thus decided to tear it all out, and replace it with an ESP-32, since the ESP32-VGA library is a thing. Of course this CRT is not a VGA display, but it was just a matter of tracing the pinout and guesstimating sane values for h-sync, v-sync and the like. (Details are not given in the video.)
Right now, the excellent mechanical keyboard (mostly) works, thanks to a Teensy reading the keyboard matrix off the original cable. The teensy sends characters via UART to the ESP32 and it can indeed display them upon the screen. That’s half of what this thing could do, back in the 1980s, and a very good start. Considering [Chad] now has magnitudes more compute power available than the engineers at Brother ever did (probably more compute power than the workstation used to program the WP2200, now that we think of it) we’re excited to see where this goes. By the spitballing at the end of the video, this device will end its life as much more than a word processor.To see what he’s got working so far, jump to 5:30 in the video. Once the project is a bit more mature, [Chad] assures us he’ll be releasing both code and documentation in written form.
We’ve seen [Chad]’s work before, most recently his slim-fit CD player, but he has been hacking for a long time.We covered his Super Mario PLC hack back in 2014.

IK Multimedia gives its iLoud Precision monitor line a MKII upgradeIK Multimedia has unveiled the second generation of its iLoud Precision monitor range. The upgraded iLoud Precision MKII studio monitors have modified the hardware for a richer performance, as well as being compatible with IK’s improved acoustic correction software, ARC X, for greater sonic transparency.
Much like the original iLoud Precision line, the MKII also comes in three distinct models. The iLoud Precision 5 MKII is comprised of a 5″ Woofer, boasting 135W RMS, while the slightly larger iLoud Precision 6 MKII is fitted with a 6.5″ Woofer working at 150W RMS.
There’s also the option to get a pair of 5″ Woofers working at 175W RMS if you get the Loud Precision MTM MKII.

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All three models are also kitted out with a 1.5″ tweeter, which has been upgraded since the previous run of iLoud Prevision monitors. According to IK, the tweeter’s new construction is ultra-lightweight and reinforced with graphene to reduce distortion and ensure even more sonic accuracy.
In terms of frequency, the monitors’ response rate lies within ±1 dB accuracy from 45Hz to 30kHz, while it also extends down to 37Hz at -4dB. It’s a range that should offer a “full-spectrum of clarity”, especially when dealing with low-ends.
New fixing mounts are also built-in to the monitors, allowing you to integrate them into your studio with ease. There’s also the option to buy separate metal brackets to mount your speakers precisely, setting your desired angles for optimal listening experience.
While the iLoud Precision line has its own auto-calibration, the monitors are able to capture a heightened level of clarity thanks to IK’s ARC X acoustic correction technology. Building on the success of ARC 4, ARC X allows users to generate 3D model of their studio, analysing the space from three unique perspectives and using the information to correct any potential acoustic issues. It’s technology that IK brand as “remarkably natural”.
While ARC X isn’t a free software, owners of ARC X the iLoud Precision, iLoud Micro Monitor Pro, iLoud MTM MKII, ARC Studio, and ARC 4 are entitled to a free upgrade.
In terms of pricing, the iLoud Precision 5 MKII will set you back $799.99. The slightly larger iLoud Precision 6 MKII costs $899.99, while the pair of iLoud Precision MTM MKII monitors costs $999.99. There’s also the option of getting yourself a dedicated iLoud Precision Remote Control for $99.99.
Head to IK for more information.
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