$500,000 Gift from Mike Curb Foundation Endows New Program at Occidental CollegeThe Mike Curb Foundation has announced a $500,000 gift to Occidental College’s new John Branca Institute for Music. The gift establishes the Mike Curb Endowed Program in Popular Music History, which will enhance the Institute’s curricular offerings by providing a range of guest speakers and career development events to Occidental students and alumni, as well as the naming of recognized music professionals to the Linda and Mike Curb Fellowship.

“We are thrilled that the Mike Curb Foundation is joining forces with the Branca Institute in its inaugural year,” said David Kasunic, director of the John Branca Institute for Music and associate professor of music. “This gift rightly emphasizes the study of the history of popular music as a prerequisite to creating and understanding popular music today, and that the people who know this history best are the experienced music professionals who have been part of this history.”

The gift will enable the College to bring to campus highly accomplished music professionals with expertise in both music history and the music industry, and will support related programming in perpetuity. In particular, the Curb Fellowship will allow the Branca Institute to capitalize on the tremendous pool of knowledge and talent in the Southern California music industry by bringing that talent into Occidental’s classrooms and music workspaces. Renowned music producer Michael Lloyd, the inaugural Curb Fellow for the 2025-26 academic year, produced 1970s teen idols such as the Osmonds and Shaun Cassidy and supervised the music soundtrack for the 1987 film “Dirty Dancing,” including production of the hit “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.”

The fellowship will also allow for a greater range of participants in the Branca Institute, especially those with music industry experience but without academic backgrounds. The Curb Fellow will give talks, masterclasses and workshops on practical elements of popular music-making and history, and, by connecting with alumni during networking events, will reinforce the Institute’s commitment to Occidental students beyond their graduation.

Additionally, the endowed program will enhance the Music Department’s ability to teach, advise and critique popular music as part of its fast-growingmusic program, which embeds music theory and practice within a broader liberal arts curriculum. Students develop an understanding of music as a creative work, as a cultural and historical expression and as a performance medium. “Billboard” Magazine has repeatedly ranked Occidental as a Top Music Business School, praising the College for a music program that will solidly position graduates for careers in an increasingly complex music industry.

Curb’s endowment stems from his longstanding involvement in philanthropic activities and also from his close personal friendship with John Branca. He is the former acting governor and lieutenant governor of California, a GRAMMY Award-winning record producer, a “Billboard” record producer of the year and a BMI multi-award-winning songwriter. Curb continues to preside over his own independent record company, which he founded in 1963 and which has launched the careers of numerous stars; Curb artists have received 33 GRAMMY Awards. He has received a star on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles and on the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville. He has also partnered with the GRAMMY Museum for numerous programs and initiatives.

Join Occidental College to celebrate the establishment of the institute at an on-campus concert on Oct. 18. Members of the Occidental College Music Department will perform the greatest hits from Branca's most renowned clients, including Michael Jackson, Carlos Santana, The Bee Gees, The Beach Boys, and Rodgers & Hammerstein. Tickets are available here. The post $500,000 Gift from Mike Curb Foundation Endows New Program at Occidental College first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Renato Vanzella promoted to General Manager of LATAM at Downtown-owned FUGAExec was formerly FUGA’s General Manager of Brazil
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Pulley System Makes Headphone Cables More ManagableIt’s 2024. You’ve probably got one or more pairs of wireless headphones around the house. [Barnso] prefers wired headphones with a long cable, but he also decries the fact that it often gets tangled in his chair. The solution? A pulley system to make everything easier.
The concept is simple. [Barnso]’s system uses three pulleys. The headphone cable goes to the PC, and then runs over the first pulley. It then runs under a second pulley which is free to move, but weighted so that it naturally wants to fall down under gravity. The cable then comes back up over a third pulley, and then runs to the headphones on [Barnso]’s head. Basically, it’s a super simple cable retraction mechanism that keeps the long headphone cable organized and in one place.
It’s nice to see a simple mechanism that makes life easier, particularly one that solves a problem so many of us have faced in real life. The construction shown in the video is almost (intentionally?) maddeningly hacky but it does the job. If you prefer to go wireless, though, we can show you how to do that too.

Sony Music GSA restructures under new CEO Christoph BehmSony Music's GSA labels to sit within three new frontline label groups, including the Ariola Label Group, the Columbia Label Group, and the RCA Label Group
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It’s harder than ever to be an independent musician, new study confirmsIt's harder than ever to be an independent musician, a new study by Right Chord Music, Musosoup, and the Major Labl Artist Club confirms.
The post It’s harder than ever to be an independent musician, new study confirms appeared first on Hypebot.

How To Increase Spotify Streams and Master the AlgorithmStruggling to get more streams on Spotify? Learn how to increase Spotify streams, feed the algorithm and increase visibility.
The post How To Increase Spotify Streams and Master the Algorithm appeared first on Hypebot.

Power of QR Codes in Marketing & MediaFred Jacobs dives into the revolution happening in audience engagement caused by the use of QR codes in marketing and media with innovative applications and strategies. Power of QR Codes. Continue reading
The post Power of QR Codes in Marketing & Media appeared first on Hypebot.

UJAM Beatmaker Circuits is FREE with any Loopcloud subscription
You can now get UJAM Beatmaker Circuits for free with any Loopcloud subscription for a limited time. Loopcloud is one of the most popular sample platforms for musicians and producers in any genre, and it often comes with a welcome gift for new members. Right now, until November 3rd, 2024, you’ll get the UJAM Beatmaker [...]
View post: UJAM Beatmaker Circuits is FREE with any Loopcloud subscription

How To Get Your Music on TV, Video Games and in Movies (Sync Licensing)I study the sync licensing realm (getting songs placed in film, tv, commercials, video games) quite a bit. On the New Music Business podcast, I’ve had as guests: Music Supervisors: Deva Anderson – Greyhound, Band of Brothers, The Pacific Jen Malone – Euphoria, Atlanta, Empire, Step Up Madonna Wade-Reed – Reign, Smallville, Batwoman Lindsay Wolfington […]

API announce 525A FET Compressor The 525A FET Compressor maintains the discrete audio path of the popular 525, but boasts an expanded feature set that API say make it an even more versatile tool for the modern studio user. 

Orchestral Tools update Benjamin Wallfisch Strings Collections In their largest ever update, Orchestral Tools have kitted Benjamin Wallfisch Strings Collections out with a range of user-requested articulations.

In 3 hours, Hans Zimmer Live reminds you why AI won’t replace real musiciansHans Zimmer’s live show will leave you dumbfounded in ways that no machine-learning model ever could.
Hans Zimmer took the stage at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on 1 October, and started his show by referencing the folk tales of his homeland. “Germany takes folklore from Bavaria and other parts of the country but, tonight, all of the music — the folklore — we’re going to play is from here,” said the 67-year-old composer and producer. He is, of course, talking about Hollywood and the killer lineup of blockbuster titles he’s soundtracked here.

READ MORE: San Francisco’s Portola Festival is for the music heads — but still has room to grow

And so the 20,000 attendees strapped in for an emotional, thrilling rollercoaster ride through Tinseltown’s fantastical universes.
Vocalist Loire Cotler opens the show with a stunning performance of Dune’s House Atreides — with more Dune songs heard later in the show. The remainder of the first act saw the 12-time-Oscar- and 20-time-Grammy-winner and his virtuosic orchestra rally us through Wonder Woman, Man Of Steel, Gladiator and Pirates Of The Caribbean. Zimmer, in a white shirt tucked into blue jeans, floats between synthesizer, guitar, and piano, as his fellow musicians beat drums, plucked and bowed on strings, and bellowed out haunting vocals.
The intensity and emotion each musician put into the performance was awe-inspiring — instruments played with flair, sparkling costumes and jovial dancing. As fun as it is to watch Zimmer play instruments for his musical masterpieces, the ingenuity of his band is breathtaking as they, too, float between instruments and playing styles.
Tina Guo performing during Hans Zimmer Live in 2024. Image: Mathew Tsang/Getty Images
Between each performance, Zimmer, paused to praise an individual from his multicultured band (assembled of musicians from six continents, plus an all-Ukranian orchestra). He told tales of meeting cellist Tina Guo and her crucial role in the Wonder Woman soundtrack; how flautist Pedro Eustache would create new brass and woodwind instruments with tools from Home Depot; expressed his love for colleague and longtime friend Harry Gregson-Williams; and set a wooden chair in front of esteemed guitarist Guthrie Govan and stared at him longingly as Govan shredded his way through the Man Of Steel score.
Zimmer even uses Govan’s solo to point out the perceived lack of creativity in modern Hollywood studios: “Every night…the guitar solo is different. No sequel, no remake… Just using your imagination; making something new… I think that’s what’s needed.” The Tinseltown audience cheers.
This sentimental streak continued in the second act. After a dramatic performance of the Dunkirk theme, Zimmer, now changed into pink chinos and a navy t-shirt, shouted out his sound engineer, Colin Pink, who hilariously warps and pitches Zimmer’s voice as he talks — this evolves into Paul’s Dream from Dune, which quickly turns the crowd’s laughter into silence.
But there was a lot more laughter. Zimmer’s charisma and dry (but warm) humour throughout the show sent chuckles around the stadium. From joking about LA traffic as several latecomers looked for their seats some 12 minutes into the show, to cheekily referencing the poor box office performance of X-Men: Dark Phoenix before erupting into the main theme — “You won’t know this one because none of you came to see it.”
Hans Zimmer at Hans Zimmer Live in 2024. Image: Mathew Tsang/Getty Images
Ultimately, Hans Zimmer Live is a spectacle of human entertainment. In 2024, many producers, artists and musicians have become unnerved by the explosive rise of artificial intelligence and its invasion into their studios. You’ll find machines at Zimmer Live — modular synthesizers, immense lighting rigs, high-resolution screens — but only ones that serve to enhance the organic, incomparable performance that’s only made possible by human musicians.
Generative music platforms might try to ingest our music and regurgitate back at us. But, as Zimmer and his orchestra prove with not only their playing but the warmth, playfulness and creative connection between them, it’ll be musicians — humans — that create and inspire the next blockbuster hit. If we’re not making music, we’re making the instruments from brass and wood; we’re making the stage from steel and circuitry; and we’re building the stadiums brick by brick and filling them with our friends. If you get the opportunity, we highly recommend you join the crowd.
“You want more!?” asks Zimmer before his finale. The stadium shakes with thunderous applause.
Hans Zimmer Live is currently on tour in North America, with a Europe tour set to take place in 2025. Learn more at hanszimmerlive.com
The post In 3 hours, Hans Zimmer Live reminds you why AI won’t replace real musicians appeared first on MusicTech.

Classical Highlights for September 2024In September, our classical editors discovered new recordings of well-known pieces including piano quartets by Brahms, featuring the late Lars Vogt on piano in his final recording. Albums of new music included Solos featuring compositions by The National's Bryce Dessner and Anna Clyne: Shorthand, with Eric Jacobsen (pictured) leading his orchestra, The Knights.

Four-legged robot learns to climb laddersThe proliferation of robots like Boston Dynamics’ Spot has showcased the versatility of quadrupeds. These systems have thrived at walking up stairs, traversing small obstacles, and navigating uneven terrain. Ladders, however, still present a big issue — especially given how ever present they are in factories and other industrial environments where the systems are deployed. […]
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SEC files appeal in Ripple lawsuitThe Securities and Exchange Commission first filed the lawsuit against Ripple Labs and both its founders in December 2020.