Mammoth’s founder returns with new iOS app for Mastodon, SaturnAfter founding and selling the popular Mastodon client Mammoth, developer Shihab Mehboob is returning to compete with it with the launch of his new app, Saturn. Not to be confused with the social calendar of the same name, Mehboob’s Saturn works with the decentralized social network Mastodon and specifically offers a unique “Highlights” feature that […]
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MicroStrategy announces third debt offering of 2024, plans to raise $700MThe proceeds will be used to pay off $500 million in existing debt and to purchase more Bitcoin. MicroStrategy currently holds 244,800 BTC. 

Pink Floyd’s recordings catalog could soon sell for $400m-$500m. But how much does it earn today?MBW has unearthed annual accounts filed by two UK-based companies owned by Pink Floyd
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PRS For Music returns as sponsor of Pop category at the Music Business UK AwardsRoyalty collection/distribution giant marks 110 years in the business by backing the UK industry's big night
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No Z80? No Problem!Earlier this year Zilog stopped production of the classic 40-pin DIP Z80 microprocessor, a move that brought a tear to the eye of retro computing enthusiasts everywhere. This chip had a huge influence on both desktop and embedded computing that lingers to this day, but it’s fair to say that the market for it has dwindled. If you have a retrocomputer then, what’s to be done? If you’re [Dean Netherton], you create a processor card for the popular RC2014 retrocomputer backplane, carrying the eZ80, a successor chip that’s still in production.
The eZ80 can be thought of as a Z80 system-on-chip, with microcontroller-style peripherals, RAM, and Flash memory on board. It’s much faster than the original and can address a relatively huge 16MB of memory. For this board, he’s put the chip on a processor daughterboard that plugs into a CPU card with a set of latches to drive the slower RC2014 bus. We can’t help drawing analogies with some of the 16-bit upgrades to 8-bit platforms back in the day, which used similar tactics.
So this won’t save the Z80, but it might well give a new dimension to Z80 hacking. Meanwhile, we’re sure there remain enough of the 40-pin chips out there to keep hackers going for many years to come if you prefer the original. Meanwhile, read our coverage of the end-of-life announcement, even roll your own silicon if you want., or learn about the man who started it all, Federico Faggin.

The JawnCon 0x1 Badge Dials Up a Simpler TimeFor hackers of a certain age, the warbling of an analog modem remains something of a siren song. Even if you haven’t heard it in decades, the shrill tones and crunchy static are like a time machine that brings back memories of a bygone era. Alien to modern ears, in the 1980s and 90s, it was the harbinger of unlimited possibilities. An audible reminder that you were about to cross the threshold into cyberspace.
If you can still faintly hear those strangely comforting screeches in the back of your mind, the JawnCon 0x1 badge is for you. With a row of authentic vintage red LEDs and an impeccably designed 3D-printed enclosure, the badge is essentially a scaled-down replica of the Hayes SmartModem. But it doesn’t just look the part — powered by the ESP8266 and the open source RetroWiFiModem project, the badge will allow attendees to connect their modern computers to services from the early Internet via era-appropriate AT commands while they’re at the con.

In a detailed write-up, we get a behind-the-scenes look at how the badge was designed and assembled. Being that the team is only expecting 250 or so attendees, they decided to handle production in-house. That meant printing out the cases over the course of a month and a half on a single Prusa MK4, and hand-soldering a few PCBs each day to hit their final numbers. Each front panel was also individually placed in a laser for marking, an exceptionally time-consuming process, but it’s hard to argue with those results.
While the design is admittedly pushing the definition of what can realistically be called a “badge,” there’s a lanyard attached so it’s technically wearable. If the idea of being surrounded by a bunch of nerds wearing tiny modems around their necks is as enticing to you as it is to us, you’ll absolutely be among friends during this Philadelphia-area hacker con.
Although the JawnCon 0x1 badge clearly appeals to those with graying beards (literally or metaphorically), it should also provide an excellent chance for younger attendees to experience a version of the Internet that no longer exists in the real world.
The crew behind the con has spent the last few months spinning up a number of services that attendees will be able to access, including a bulletin board system (BBS), a multi-user dungeon (MUD), and a private AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) server. There’s also a selection of lo-fi websites to browse hosted on a Cobalt RaQ 4 server appliance from the year 2000. Having seen the reactions similar Internet microcosms have had while running at various Vintage Computer Festivals, we expect it should be a lot of fun for veterans and newbies alike.

We visited the inaugural JawnCon last year and came away eager for more. Judging by this look at the badge, the scheduled speakers, and the various activities set to take place during the two-day con (October 11th to the 12th), they’ve certainly delivered.
If you’re in the Philadelphia area, we highly recommend taking the ride out and experiencing the con in person. But if you can’t make it, don’t worry. We’ll be covering all the highlights of JawnCon 0x1 just as soon as we finish playing with our tiny modem.

Sensoria Pro Event This year's Sensoria Fesitval will include a conference aimed at composers, filmmakers, music publishers and game developers, as well as a haunting live performance from Gazelle Twin.

Where have all the bands gone? Why have bands disappeared from the chartsFrom The Beatles to Queen and Earth Wind & Fire to NWA, bands - who mostly wrote their own songs -dominated music. But that started to change sometime in late 1990's and 2000's.
The post Where have all the bands gone? Why have bands disappeared from the charts appeared first on Hypebot.

How To Make Money In Music: The Financial RealitiesExplore the realities of how to make money in music, understand why many artists face financial challenges and how they can be overcome.
The post How To Make Money In Music: The Financial Realities appeared first on Hypebot.

Lotus Sound Audio releases Free LA2-FOX compressor plugin
Lotus Sound Audio releases LA2-FOX, a FREE Teletronix-inspired compressor plugin for macOS and Windows. Lotus Sound Audio has followed the likes of Analog Obsession (LALA), IK Multimedia (White 2A), BPB (Dirty LA), and many others by releasing a compressor heavily inspired by the Teletronix LA-2A leveling amplifier. While many emulations, tributes, and LA-2A-inspired plugins exist, [...]
View post: Lotus Sound Audio releases Free LA2-FOX compressor plugin

Lyte is offline: Is the innovative ticketing platform out of business?Lyte is offline without explanation and has been since last week without. The home page reads only "undergoing scheduled maintenance."
The post Lyte is offline: Is the innovative ticketing platform out of business? appeared first on Hypebot.

Klevgrand launch Revolv reverb plug-in Created using a&nbs;collection of meticulously recorded impulse responses, Revolv captures everything from Medieval ruins to a&nbs;serene Swedish forest. 

Google can now turn your notes into a fake podcast including “banter” between two hostsGoogle has launched a new feature within its AI-powered NotebookLM research assistant that turns your notes into a fake podcast.
To do so, users just need to click ‘Load’ under the new Audio Overview tool found within the Notebook guide. From here, NotebookLM will generate your notes into the form of a short audio podcast. We have tried it out for ourselves, and it’s freakishly realistic.

READ MORE: North Carolina musician charged over “brazen” AI music streaming fraud scheme that allegedly faked billions of plays

As explained on Google’s The Keyword blog, Audio Overview is “a new way to turn your documents into engaging audio discussions”. It further adds, “With one click, two AI hosts start up a lively ‘deep dive’ discussion based on your sources. They summarise your material, make connections between topics, and banter back and forth. You can even download the conversation and take it on the go.”
Currently, there are a range of Notebook examples you can use to try the feature yourself. We used one on the topic of a ‘mushroom boom’ in the town of Westward, California. The generated podcast featured both a male and female host, and their conversation was even filled with human-like discourse markers and filler words such as “right?”, “so get this” and “like”.
Though it covered the basics of the topic, it did feature a bit of rambling and felt very conversational upon first use. It’s not yet clear though how this feature will handle more sensitive topics, and whether or not the hosts’ attitudes would pivot in response to something more distressing.
Google does currently state that “it’s important to remember that these generated discussions are not a comprehensive or objective view of a topic, but simply a reflection of the sources that you’ve uploaded”.
Try it out now over at NotebookLM, or find out more via The Keyword.
The post Google can now turn your notes into a fake podcast including “banter” between two hosts appeared first on MusicTech.

“Why do so many DJs and festivals fail to tag music they play? It’s disrespectful”: Richie Hawtin backs campaign to credit electronic artists on social mediaA newly launched campaign is urging DJs, promoters, and brands to credit the artists behind the music they are sharing online.
#RespectTheCreators is backed by the Association for Electronic Music (AFEM) alongside a number of venues and artists, namely Richie Hawtin.

READ MORE: “It’s very easy to lose yourself in a large show and end up creating something more for the eyes than for the ears”: Richie Hawtin warns against the spectacle of modern DJing

It asks that when DJs post a video from their gig, or a mix where the music isn’t theirs, that they tag the artists behind the tracks, and list the full track names in the most visible part of the post. Online platforms and promoters are also urged to credit any music featured in any shared sets or promotional materials for events.
“I thought supporting the community and the musicians who make the musical structure that our scene (and DJs) stand on was simply common decency (and sense),” Hawtin comments (via Billboard).
“So why do we see so many social media posts from DJs, promoters and festivals that completely fail to tag the music being played in the clips? It’s disrespectful and only takes further advantage of the musicians who are already struggling for recognition and a fair share of the economic pie of our ‘beautiful’ culture.”

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The campaign was partly inspired by research cited by Dutch DJ and producer Frank Nitzinsky at the International Music Summit (IMS) in Ibiza earlier this year. On average, only three percent of a DJ’s set is music that they have produced themselves, yet up to 90 percent of DJ performance content shared on Instagram does not provide any credit for the artists behind such music.
AFEM COO Finlay Johnson says in a statement that while the campaign “may seem like a straightforward initiative, encouraging people to share and credit new music addresses significant challenges in the discoverability of emerging artists”.
Johnson further adds, “It also serves as a reminder for individuals to consider their metadata, which can directly enhance income through royalty collection. While white label and dubplate culture should be celebrated, the use of generic ‘original audio’ tags on social media does little to support artists. We encourage everyone to acknowledge and promote the team behind a record’s production and release.”
The post “Why do so many DJs and festivals fail to tag music they play? It’s disrespectful”: Richie Hawtin backs campaign to credit electronic artists on social media appeared first on MusicTech.

DPA introduce 2061 Omnidirectional Miniature Microphone DPA’s latest miniature mic promises to combine best-in-class speech intelligibility with a sweat-repellent and water-resistant construction.