Spotify is raising its Premium prices again for users in the USSpotify has announced that its Premium subscription price will be rising by $1-$2 for its US customers, depending on your plan. Estonian and Latvian customers will also face their own respective price hikes.
The streaming giant has been steadily increasing its prices over the last 3 years. Spotify first increased its initial $9.99 price tag back in 2023, with the following year seeing yet another hike to $11.99. Now, a Spotify Premium membership will cost $12.99 in the US.

READ MORE: Shadow library claims it “backed up Spotify” – all 300TB of it

Other plans across the service will also be subject to a price increase. Student Plans will also raise by $1, moving from $5.99 to $6.99, while Duo and Family plans will both rise by $2, now sitting at $18.00 and $21.99 respectively.
The spike in price comes after 2025’s introduction of lossless audio. At the time, sources claimed that lossless audio would be an exclusive reserved for those willing to pay for a new, pricier Premium tier – however, Spotify opted to make it available to all of its Premium subscribers. It seems increasing prices across the board was the compromise.
Alongside lossless audio, 2025 saw a slew of new features being introduced to Spotify. From AI Prompted Playlists, an improved Spotify DJ, and a track mixing tool for playlists, the streaming platform has been working hard to improve its service.
“Occasional updates to pricing across our markets reflect the value that Spotify delivers, enabling us to continue offering the best possible experience and benefit artists,” Spotify explains in its announcement.
In other Spotify news, as of 1 January, Daniel Ek has stepped down as CEO. Ek attracted criticism in the final leg of his leadership after it was revealed he had invested €600 million in AI weapons company Helsing, with some artists even removing their music from the platform as a result of the move.
In Ek’s wake, Spotify co-presidents Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström have risen to the top of the company as co-CEOs.
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Country Music Association CEO Sarah Trahern to retire at end of 2026CMA says successor is expected to be announced in February
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Inside Neumann: The iconic brand is coming after your entire studio chainI recently visited Sennheiser as part of its 80th anniversary celebrations and was taken aback by the pace of innovation. On the same trip, I also paid a visit to the Berlin headquarters of Neumann — the legendary Sennheiser-owned brand that is approaching its own milestone, 100th anniversary. I was curious, given its rich history of building industry-leading microphones, is Neumann resting on its laurels? Well, yes and no.

READ MORE: I visited Sennheiser’s HQ for its 80th anniversary — here’s what I learned

A short stroll from Checkpoint Charlie, Neumann’s offices are accessed via an unassuming entrance to a former retail space on a street corner. Ever since Sennheiser acquired Neumann in 2022, none of the production has taken place here in Berlin. The building instead houses research and development activities, the service department, and acts as a meeting spot for staff.
Boardroom with a view. Image: Barry Watson
Coffee time. Image: Barry Watson
While enjoying city views from the dome-topped boardroom, Influencer and Relations Manager Boris gives me the lowdown on the company’s origins: Having started out making lathes to cut phonograph discs in the 1920s, Georg Neumann saw a growth in the development of studio technology and decided to pivot and start developing microphones. I’m reminded of the truly iconic microphones that followed while catching a look at the ‘Cabinet of Fame’ on the reception area wall — the original Neumann condenser, the CMV 3, the U 47 and U 67 tube mics, plus the more modern, ubiquitous studio staple, the U 87.
Vintage mics. Image: Barry Watson
Boris talks about Neumann’s engineers being meticulous in everything they do and, although they’ve recently managed to revive the U 67 in a re-issue edition, relaunching the now-incredibly-rare U 47 is a far more thorny proposition. The sticking point is a steel tube that’s no longer available. Without it, the mic just won’t sound the same. That doesn’t stop producers and engineers from constantly asking for a reissue of the U 47, though.
In the spirit of the historical pivot from disc-cutters to microphones, the brand is exploring new avenues once again. Boris explains that Neumann wants to provide the entire recording chain for users, from microphones through to the audio interface, speakers and headphones, and even software to help with monitoring. He cites audio brand Klein and Hummel coming into the fold to produce Neumann-badged headphones and studio monitors—“they have a nerdy mindset like us”— as a major step towards this goal. And more recently, the acquisition of high-end converter brand Merging Technologies has given Neumann its first audio interface, the MT 48.
Repair and restore
In the service department, I meet Medzid, who talks me through the near-endless list of historical products they can repair and spruce up cosmetically. We’re talking decades upon decades of product coverage, using the exact parts and specifications so that gear leaves HQ sounding almost identical to when it first left the factory.
Medzid explains he has careful discussions with clients before undertaking restoration work, since some of the vintage character of any aged microphone comes about due to things becoming worn or dirty, and they’re affected by all sorts of environmental factors too. Speaking of environmental factors, Medzid recalls receiving a package containing several of Bob Marley’s microphones for service, following the artist’s death. I won’t quote Medzid verbatim, but a herbal odour filled the air when opening the boxes, by all accounts. How very rock and roll.
R&D for your R’n’B
In research and development, the exceptionally passionate and affable department head, Martin, describes the real-world —and frankly eccentric— stress testing that all new products endure. For example, microphones are hit hundreds of times against a steel plate and dropped from a 1.5-metre height to verify longevity. Martin takes delight in showing us how it’s done with a surprise mic drop onto the hard floor. I recoil in horror, and, in turn, Martin breaks into a wide grin. Engineers do know how to have fun.
Martin in the anechoic chamber with the test rig that includes a mouth simulator speaker. Image: Barry Watson
We then delve into the acoustic void of the anechoic chamber used to test frequency characteristics of microphones down to the low-mid range — frequencies below this require a much larger chamber at Sennheiser HQ. Martin demonstrates the test rig, which includes a quirky mouth simulator speaker that gives the engineers a better idea of how microphones will react to proximity.
In the chamber, Martin reflects upon the reissue projects, and he’s rightfully proud of the results. He explains the tough job of making a reissued mic sound as intrinsically special as the vintage originals. The M49 reissue project, for example, involved trawling through countless sets of tubes until the right ones were found —1980s new old stock (NOS) parts discovered in storage. “We don’t throw the bad tubes away,” remarks Martin. They get tucked back into the cellar in the hope that they might be viewed as “classics” one day. I like this way of thinking.
Thinking inside the box
Michalis “MsM” Michael is the special guest for the afternoon keynote talk. The London-based mix engineer and producer started out helping out a number of friends who were making grime music and eventually realised he’d worked this up into a full-time job. He’s enjoyed success with multiple top-20 singles plus a number-one single, and these days works with the likes of Slowthai and Mahalia.
MsM plays back a couple of his projects and explains that he used to have a studio packed full of analogue gear — this obsession was only heightened by sharing an office location with gear supplier, Funky Junk.
Moving to a smaller workspace and to be able to work while travelling, he then started working purely in the box, this time relying primarily on Neumann technologies to provide an interface and monitoring system that sounds the same everywhere. He uses Neumann monitors (because they’re “speakers you can’t blow up”), with the proprietary MA 1 software handling room correction. Away from the studio, RIME software (Reference Immersive Monitoring Environment) recreates the sonic signature of his Neumann monitors blasting into a control room when he needs to mix on NDH-series headphones. Meanwhile, an MT 48 interface ties everything together.
MsM’s takeaway message from the keynote is to “teach the young ones how to listen” instead of drawing them deeper into the corner-cutting world of AI.
Producer MsM with a photo of his former studio. Image: Barry Watson
Brave new world
The biggest thrill of the day comes from testing the new VIS (Virtual Immersive Studio), which harnesses the power and integration of Apple’s Vision Pro and Logic Pro. This augmented reality system offers mixing of immersive audio by placing instruments and tracks playing back in Logic in a virtual 3D soundfield.
Once strapped in, I place each instrument around me at different distances and heights and then begin to adjust levels and EQ to refine the mix. It’s my first time using a Vision Pro, and the experience is remarkable, particularly considering the Vision Pro’s onboard speakers are being used and it’s only a binaural approximation of a real surround speaker array. My grooving, swiping and pinching must look humorous to bystanders, but I don’t care — I’m lost in the moment.

I’m left feeling that Neumann is really onto something here — it’s a bold step into the future for a brand that inevitably leans heavily into past achievements. I’ll certainly be following Neumann’s journey into immersive audio very closely.
Could we see another 100 years of meticulous quality and innovation?
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Touring Economics: Why Concert Tickets Cost $150 in Austin But $68 in ClevelandNew data uncovers how venue competition and regional pricing patterns are reshaping the sustainability of live music in different U.S. cities.
The post Touring Economics: Why Concert Tickets Cost $150 in Austin But $68 in Cleveland appeared first on Hypebot.

How AI-Curious Artists Can Move Beyond ChatGPTHow artists can become AI experts just by building stronger intuition, and why that's even important in the first place.
The post How AI-Curious Artists Can Move Beyond ChatGPT appeared first on Hypebot.

Dreamtonics add choirs to Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro Rather than bringing new solo voices to the table, the latest expansions for Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro introduce a trio of modelled choirs.

Pro-C 3: FabFilter upgrades its hugely popular flagship compressor plugin – here’s what’s newOver a decade on from the release of Pro-C 2, FabFilter has given its flagship compressor plugin a significant upgrade. With six new compression styles and the long-awaited introduction of character modes, Pro-C 3 welcomes in a new-age for the iconic compressor.
Pro-C 3’s most obvious upgrade comes in the form of its new compression styles. Alongside the eight styles of its predecessor, users can now experiment with an array of hardware-inspired algorithms, from Versatile’s vanilla compression, suitable for any material, to Smooth’s ultra-smooth algorithm perfect for low ratios and longer envelope timings.

READ MORE: Cubase 15, as reviewed by a Logic Pro user: “The most versatile DAW I’ve ever used”

Elsewhere, there’s also more “extreme” styles, such as the Upward algorithm or even TTM’s combination of downward and upward compression across bands. There’s also a warm opto-like tube compression style in the form of Op-El, while sonic richness can be attained thanks to the Vari-Mu algorithm.
Pro-C 3 also has a Character panel. In the past Pro-C 2 focused purely on compression, so the injection of three unique flavours of realistic analogue saturation will be a welcome upgrade for many. Users can experiment with Tube, Diode and Bright variations, which can then be tweaked and adjusted by, say, raising the Drive or switching between Pre and Post Compression.
The plug-in’s Side Chain EQ has also been improved, allowing users to precisely filter and equalise their sidechain input with ease. While Pro-C 2 limited the number of available EQ bands to three, Pro-C 3 doubles that. All six available bands can be set to any filter shape you desire, and every one can be independently switched to mid or side processing.

There are also a slew of intuitive new tools thrown in to make life easier, such as an Auto Threshold control to help with level-independent compressor triggering, as well as intelligent Auto Gain and Auto Release functions.
There’s also a new Host Sync tempo triggering tool for rhythmic compression, as well as an Adjustable Maximum Lookahead to balance your latency. FabFilter has also hiked up its max oversampling ceiling to 32x for clearer, cleaner playback.
There’s also a slew of aesthetic and organisational tweaks to make life easier. With new tagging and metadata abilities, it’s never been simpler to browse and navigate your way through your presets. Some buttons have also been rejigged for easier access, like the Bypass and MIDI functions.
Alongside all of that, Pro-C 3 also supports fully immersive audio, thanks to its customisable channel/stereo linking abilities. To make it simple, routing automatically adapts to the multi-channel demands of Dolby Atmos, which FabFilter notes will “open the plug-in up to a whole new world of production possibilities”.
FabFilter Pro-C 3 is available now, priced at £149 for new users, with an upgrade available for existing Pro-C 2 users at £72.
Head over to Plugin Boutique to get your copy, or learn more at FabFilter.
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From the makers of Melodyne comes Tonalic, a plugin that puts a real session musician “by your side”Celemony has introduced Tonalic, a new plugin that rethinks how producers work with guitars, bass, drums and percussion in the box.
Rather than relying on MIDI, loops or generative AI, Tonalic uses actual studio performances from world-class session players and adapts them to fit your music in real-time, creating an experience that feels like having a musician playing right inside your DAW.

READ MORE: The RMX-100 has been reborn – AlphaTheta welcomes next-gen effects processor RMX-IGNITE

At the heart of Tonalic is a brand-new engine developed by Celemony, built on the company’s famed Melodyne software. The result is a system that can intelligently “adapt performances by the finest studio musicians to any song” and “integrate them organically into any production”.
Forget about working with loops and samples. Instead, Tonalic introduces a new workflow based around small icons called Tonalics, which represent a song’s musical patterns. When dragged onto a Tonalic track, they instruct the engine where and how a part should be played – automatically adapting it to the song’s chords, tempo and groove.
Notably, the Tonalic regions themselves contain neither audio nor MIDI data. They act purely as performance instructions, guiding the engine to select the most suitable passages from the original recordings, and then adapt them to the current song. According to Celemony, this approach allows the results to remain tight and convincing, yet shot through with flashes of studio magic.

“The whole process is dynamic and automatic,” says Celemony. “Whatever direction the song takes, Tonalic notices, follows suit and takes musical decisions that invariably gel and sit well with the spirit and idea of the song. The results sound so organic and authentic you’d think the performer had played the material that way in the first place.”
The source material itself is extensive. Tonalic draws from over 7,000 performance patterns recorded by more than 30 session musicians in studios around the world. Contributors include rock and pop mainstays such as Tim Pierce and high-profile names like Foo Fighters bassist Nate Mendel and Skunk Anansie guitarist Martin “Ace” Kent. The library is also set to continue growing over time.
Tonalic is available in two editions – Tonalic studio and Tonalic arranger – both featuring identical content but differing function sets. The studio version adds deeper editing capabilities, allowing users to modify individual notes within performances, much like Melodyne.
The plugin integrates as a software instrument in all major DAWs, with particularly deep ARA-based integration in Presonus Studio One 7 and Fender Studio Pro 8.
Tonalic is available now via subscription or prepaid license, with pricing starting at $14.9/€14.9 per month. To celebrate the launch, Celemony is offering the first month for just $1/€1. Users can switch at any time between the prepaid and subscription license models, between the two editions.

Learn more at Tonalic.
The post From the makers of Melodyne comes Tonalic, a plugin that puts a real session musician “by your side” appeared first on MusicTech.

Slate Digital’s ML-2A brings a full virtual mic locker to stereo recordingSlate Digital has unveiled the ML-2A, the latest evolution of its modelling microphone lineup. The new release delivers a factory-matched pair of small-diaphragm cardioid condenser microphones designed to work seamlessly with Slate’s Virtual Microphone System (VMS), giving users access to a wide range of vintage and modern mic models straight out of the box.
Built as a refinement of the original ML-2, the ML-2A features upgraded hardware, improved dynamic range and enhanced sonic detail, making it suitable for precise instrument capture in both mono and stereo applications. Each pair ships factory-matched and includes a mounting bar for accurate stereo setups.

READ MORE: AKG’s C-Series: new professional condenser mics are for musicians and content creators

As with Slate Digital’s ML-1A and earlier ML-2 systems, the ML-2A relies on the VMS plugin to emulate the sound of multiple microphones. Once paired with the software, the ML-2A effectively becomes a flexible “mic locker”, allowing you to audition and swap microphone models during the mixing process to find the perfect sound for each project. Zero-latency processing also makes real-time monitoring a breeze for modern producers.
Designed for demanding recording environments, the ML-2A is built to handle extreme sound pressure levels of up to 156 dB SPL. A built-in -20 dB pad allows the microphones to take on close-miked drums, loud guitar cabinets and other high-impact sources without distortion, while the onboard 80 Hz low-cut filter helps tame unwanted low-end rumble at the source.
Credit: Slate Digital
The included VMS plugin currently features 27 microphone models, spanning a broad range of studio staples. These include dynamic mics such as the S-57 and S-421, ribbon models like the S-121, small-diaphragm condensers including the S-451 and S-222, and large-diaphragm condensers such as the S-414 and S-67. Users can blend models, adjust proximity effect and add colour or vintage saturation via Slate’s Virtual Preamps Collection for a completely in-the-box front-end recording workflow.
Importantly, Slate Digital is now shipping every ML-2A with its full set of mic models included. There’s no longer a need to purchase additional mic packs separately. Buyers will also receive a three-month subscription to the Slate Digital Complete Access Bundle, which includes over 150 plugins from Slate Digital, SSL and Harrison Audio.
“With the ML-2A, we set out to redefine and enhance what the original ML-2 offered,” says Chad Carrier, Slate Digital’s VP of Products. “Optimised for both mono and stereo instrument recording, it’s powerful, versatile and perfect for producers and engineers who want access to the ultimate mic locker.”
The ML-2A is available now for $399/€399/£299 excluding tax. See it in person at its global debut at the 2026 NAMM Show (22-24 January), at the Slate Digital booth (18303).
 

Learn more at Slate Digital.
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Josh Baker on why workflow, AI tools and delegation are as important as the musicJosh Baker has just had one of those years all DJs dream about. Bigger rooms conquered, more tickets sold, and stages shut down, all while piling on the Avios. It’s enough to leave the supremely confident house DJ, producer, and entrepreneur in a daze.
But standing on the Amnesia Ibiza Terrace at nine in the morning, about to go back-to-back with Luciano, he wasn’t contemplating milestones or momentum. He’d slept properly. He’d been to the gym. He’d had a coffee and even a beer. Then he walked into one of the most mythologised arenas in electronic music to play alongside someone he calls “one of the greatest to ever do it”.

READ MORE: “Everything will die”: How music gear is harming the environment

“It was insane. I was really nervous, and the first half an hour went quite slowly because I was overthinking each selection, but once I got into it, it was one of those sets where we really gelled,” says Baker via video call.
It’s a moment that captures the contradiction at the centre of the 30-year-old’s current phase. On the surface, everything looks rosy: chart records, headline slots, festival chaos. But in Baker’s Upside Down, he’s busily rebuilding how he works before the machine outruns him. “I always knew this crazy moment would come, but to this scale, I didn’t even think it was possible a few years ago; it’s just the way the scene has grown over the past 12 months.”
A Parklife 2025 appearance should have been the Mancunian’s victorious home-city set, but instead became a flashpoint as overcrowding forced the stage to be shut down. “Too many people came. It was the right thing to do, but it felt so surreal,” acknowledges Baker. The comeback came weeks later at Creamfields, where he faced a different kind of pressure. For the first time, Baker wasn’t just turning up with USBs. He was bringing time-coded visuals, a custom intro, and production demanding absolute precision.
Image: Press
“I spent a lot of time and money on that show, but never thought about things like someone pressing play for the first song when there’s nobody on stage,” recalls Baker. “We were backstage having a few beers, and I’d had this special intro made for an extended version of my track Come Closer. We asked the sound guy to press play, but without going into my USB on the deck, I couldn’t remember what the folder was called with the file in… Bearing in mind you have ‘version 1’, ‘version 8’, ‘version 54’ of every single track you’ve ever made. In the end, my mate Seb had to crouch down to do it for me.”
For Baker, it forced a deeper shift. The visuals were linked directly to his music, which meant he had to play his own tracks. A lot of them. “I wasn’t used to playing so many, and you get nervous for whatever reason. We’d had perhaps six custom visuals made, and I could play them any time during the set, but it meant that unless I played them, we’d wasted money.” The result was a set that’s now passed 1.6 million YouTube streams, and a DJ no longer solely reliant on other people’s records.
For years, Baker resisted certain production shortcuts. Not out of purism, but habit. He had his samples, his methods, his way of working but that changed in a single studio session. “I was under no desire to use tools like Splice, and then I did a session with Prospa, and they just pulled it up,” says Baker. “I was like, ‘What, you guys use Splice?’ Is this where it’s at?”
Suddenly, dragging years-old sample folders between laptops felt like friction. The same applied to AI-assisted tools and on-trend hardware. “I’m now using LANDR for mastering, which I wasn’t before, and I’ve just bought this piece of kit…” Baker swivels his camera and proudly holds a Telepathic Instruments Orchid aloft.
Image: Press
“I barely go to the actual studio anymore because I’m usually travelling, but the sickest bassline I’ve ever written was on a Minimoog Model D Reissue for Dr Feel Right, so over Christmas, I put together a little setup at my parents’ house with the Orchid and a few synths to keep that essence of hardware in my production.”
For someone used to the studio environment, admitting “the conditions had to be perfect”, it’s Baker’s way of remote working to fit around his hectic schedule – create ideas on the fly and bank them until he’s found the right hardware and vocalist to lay the finishing touches.”
As alluded to, Baker is adamant electronic music is in a healthy state right now, adding: “Every Friday, I keep saying to people there’s a new release which would have been tune of the year five years ago.” No pressure, then, on new single, Feel This Way, out January 16 with Silva Bumpa and vocalist Paige Cavell, which sees Baker sidestep from house into a slightly different dance music genre. “I’ve always liked UK garage and Silva Bumpa’s from that world, but I was playing a lot of his songs” says Baker. “If you’re playing someone’s tracks a lot, it makes sense to get in the studio, and I feel with this one, with such experienced vocalists and songwriters, it’s all come together.”
Baker admits his background isn’t in songwriting, and everything he’s released so far has been “unorthodox in terms of arrangement”. Until two years ago, he routinely tested ideas on TikTok, letting feedback loops shape what survived. That’s no longer the case. “You can never really predict how things kick on,” adds Baker. “Over time, I’m trying to tease things less. I want to put stuff out based on how I feel and not get my vision blurred by what could be perceived as good or bad on the internet.”
Image: Press
Behind the scenes, Baker is attempting to solve a different kind of problem: how to scale without burning out. That includes balancing DJ and production duties with running his label, You&Me, his growing Baker’s Dozen imprint, and the small matter of his educational music startup, Syntho.
“The hardest thing to keep on top of is still being the person who has the vision and the final say, but having the time and headspace to dedicate to it,” says Baker. “I wish I could let someone else design the visuals, finish the mixdown, or decide what the set’s going to be, but I know that it’s my eye and my ear that ultimately make me who I am as an artist.
“I’m looking for a creative director who can help formulate my ideas. To continue to grow at the level I’m at now, it requires more time, but we can’t add more hours in the day, so I need more people.”
Central to this is hiring a headline-grabbing new CEO for Syntho, in the shape of former Music Intelligence VP at SoundCloud and founder of Musiio, Hazel Savage. “We got talking on WhatsApp towards the end of 2024. I said, ‘Here are the numbers we did last year,’ and I think she was quite surprised. She straight up said, ‘This business is worth a lot of money,’ given the traction it’s already got, and wanted to know more.”

Baker says Savage is a huge music fan who brings a wealth of experience, people management skills and financial nous to the business – areas Baker admits to neglecting.
For all the obvious drive, he is careful not to over-promise about his 2026 prospects, but try keeping your feet on the ground when bookings include Coachella in the US, headline slots at Reading & Leeds, Creamfields, and one other UK festival to be announced, plus the small matter of an Ibiza residency still to be revealed.
For now, Baker is midway through touring Australia, Thailand and Bali, but with his diary blocked out to work on new material when he returns. “I’m going to dedicate a lot of time in February and March to writing, not trying to set too many expectations, and see how far I can push myself creatively.”
Cocky or confident? Josh Baker is both. When he talks, there’s no false humility that usually accompanies personal accomplishments. No talk of luck, no hedging of bets, no pretence it was a fluke – just a laser-guided belief he belongs. Forget slowing down; he’s learning how not to take a break.
The post Josh Baker on why workflow, AI tools and delegation are as important as the music appeared first on MusicTech.

FabFilter unveil Pro-C 3 Pro-C 3 introduces six all-new compression algorithms, a new Character panel dedicated to analogue-style saturation, improvements to its side-chain EQ facilities, Dolby Atmos support and more.

MNDR on her noise music roots, writing “Vroom Vroom” with Charli XCX, and more
Hear MNDR (Charli XCX, Calvin Harris) discuss the full breadth of her career, from her roots in experimental noise music to becoming one of pop's most in-demand writers.

FILM - TV - THEATER - GAMES: PROPS AND OPPSPROPS

There’s a lot in store for Sierra Madre Playhouse’s 2026 season, Small Stage, Big World, during which the intimate venue will showcase more than 90 diverse programs across theater, dance, music, jazz, and film, plus new and anticipated additions including opera, comedy, and an author series. Highlights include artist residencies with violinist Martin Chalifour and Brightwork Newmusic, groundbreaking premieres such as George Sarah’s live chamber music score for Sergei Eisenstein’s silent film Battleship Potemkin, and partnerships with East West Players and Bob Baker Marionette Theater. Featuring international voices, innovative collaborations and family events, the Playhouse is celebrating art that connects communities across borders and generations. Learn about all the varied offerings and new additions at sierramadreplayhouse.org/calendar, and contact Libby Huebner at libby@adlibpr.com for more information.

The 16th Annual Hollywood Music in Media Awards once again celebrated music in film, television, and video games and the artists and creators behind them. Winners included "Dream As One" from Avatar: Fire and Ash, written by Miley Cyrus, Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt, and Simon Franglen, in addition to "Highest 2 Lowest" from Highest 2 Lowest, written by Aiyana-Lee Anderson and Nicole Daciana Anderson, and "Dear Me" from Diane Warren: Relentless, written by Diane Warren. The event featured special performances by nominees including Miles Caton (Sinners), Aiyana-Lee (Highest 2 Lowest), Aryana Sayeed and Jeff Beal (Rulebreakers), and Diane Warren (Diane Warren: Relentless).View the complete list of winners and nominees at hmmawards.com/2025-hmma-nominations, and contact Rebekah Alperin at ralperin@costacomm.com for more information.

Graceland—the Memphis, TN home and estate of the late Elvis Presley—will host the first advanced U.S. screenings of Baz Luhrmann’s EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concerton January 8, 2026—Elvis’s birthday—offering two free showings at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the TCB Showroom. The 2025 documentary film blends long-lost footage from Elvis’s 1970s Las Vegas residency with rare 16mm and 8mm archival material and newly unearthed recordings of Elvis sharing his own story. It follows Luhrmann’s 2022 biographical film Elvis about the King of Rock and Roll. The screenings are part of the 2026 Elvis Birthday Celebration. Learn more at graceland.com/elvis-news/posts/baz-luhrmanns-epic-elvis-presley-in-concert-graceland-premiere-screenings.

OPPS

The 6th annual International Conference on Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive Games—an event by the Audio Engineering Society focused on audio for extended reality and interactive gaming—has issued a call for proposals open until March 24. They are seeking professionals involved in audio for virtual and augmented reality, immersive audio, and gaming to participate in workshops, tutorials, and masterclasses. The event will be June 30-July 3. More information can be found at aes2.org.

The New Century Dance Project has issued a call for choreographic fellows with a submission deadline of Jan. 12. The fellowship, which is part of the 2026 festival slated for July 24–August 2 in Santa Fe, is open to upper-level collegiate (Junior and above) through established career professionals. Learn more and submit your work at newcenturydanceproject.org/call-for-choreographic-fellows.

February 6 is the deadline for submissions (you must also register by January 31) for the Indie Film Music Contest. The competition, which offers cash prizes, focuses on musical storytelling without regard for sound quality to give beginners a fair chance to compete. More information and submission guidelines can be found at indiefilmmusiccontest.com.The post FILM - TV - THEATER - GAMES: PROPS AND OPPS first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Bitcoin rally collapses at $97K as funding rate stalls, retail traders sit outBitcoin failed to hold $97,000 as its funding rate stalled and retail traders watched from the sidelines. Will TradFi reignite the rally to $100,000?

The AI lab revolving door spins ever fasterAI labs just can't get their employees to stay put. Yesterday’s big AI news was the abrupt and seemingly acrimonious departure of three top executives at Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines lab.