Audio Assault Deimos Amp Sim is FREE Until June 5
Audio Assault has made the Deimos boutique high-gain amp module free until June 5. Deimos is a module for Audio Assault’s free Amp Locker sim solution.  Amp Locker is a 64-bit only Windows, macOS, and Linux release for VST, VST3, AAX, and AU. Audio Assault describes Deimos as “an original high-gain amplifier featuring two channels [...]
View post: Audio Assault Deimos Amp Sim is FREE Until June 5

Sony Music CEO wants free streaming users to start paying – would it ever work, though?Rob Stringer, CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, is calling for an end to free music streaming.
During his presentation at Sony Group’s 2024 Business Segment Meeting on Thursday (30 May), the exec said that companies should start charging users “a modest fee” for using their free, ad-supported services.

READ MORE: Sharooz says Cubase has a sound quality that’s “superior” to most other DAWs out there

“The value of the paid music product remains incredible,” he said. “However, it also highlights that the price gap between free and paid has gotten wider in mature markets. We hope that our partners close that gap by asking consumers using ad-supported services to additionally pay a modest fee.”
While free subscribers make up the bulk of music listeners on streaming platforms, the ad revenue generated from those users often pales in comparison to that of paid subscribers. In the case of Spotify, even though free listeners made up more than half (62%) of its user base, ads only made up 10.7% of the company’s first-quarter revenue compared to 89.3% from subscriptions [via Billboard].
According to Stringer, ditching the ‘freemium’ model “would help develop this segment of the streaming business to be more than just a marketing funnel for paid subscription and still be a tremendous value for users.”
“We have a shared interest in better monetisation of free tiers. At Sony Music, we think everyone is willing to pay something for access to virtually the entire universe of music,” he said.
Stringer’s comments arrive in the wake of recent price hikes at major DSPs including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and Deezer. Last summer, Spotify announced heightened Premium subscription fees in the US and other major markets, with another planned increase reportedly coming this year.
The potential revenue boost from charging users for ad-supported music is obvious. With growing concerns about artists’ streaming payout in the digital era, the extra cash could make a big difference in terms of fair pay for smaller musicians – assuming profits actually enter the pockets of artists and not those of their labels or streaming giants, that is. On the flipside, there’s also the concern that the move will drive users towards illegal downloading and piracy as they seek free alternatives to access music.
And while getting users to start paying for ad-supported music that used to be free might prove unpopular, the concept of paying for ad-supported content is hardly new to consumers in the streaming era.
Services like Hulu and Netflix offer basic subscription plans with advertisements alongside higher-priced tiers that are entirely ad-free. Adopting a similar model in the music industry could enhance revenue without alienating users who prefer not to commit to fully premium subscriptions. Spotify’s main competitor Apple Music, for one, does not offer an ad-supported tier.
That said, charging for ad-supported listening will remain an uphill task so long as free, on-demand music platforms like YouTube Music and YouTube exist. For the shift away from freemium to succeed, industry-wide reform is needed so users have little free alternatives to turn to. Perhaps more importantly though, those who are accustomed to the notion of accessing music without payment need to be convinced otherwise.
The post Sony Music CEO wants free streaming users to start paying – would it ever work, though? appeared first on MusicTech.

HYBE can’t remove NewJeans label CEO Min Hee-jin… for nowThe latest developments in the power struggle between Ador's CEO and HYBE
Source

How much would gigs pay if adjusted for inflation?Discover how inflation impacts musician earnings and expenses and what today's gigs would pay if they adjusted alongside the rest of the economy....
The post How much would gigs pay if adjusted for inflation? appeared first on Hypebot.

Spotify Clips for Artists is not ready for the mainstage…Spotify is slowly rolling out Clips, a 30-second vertical video feature for artists that will remind you very much of TikTok, Reels, and Shorts.....
The post Spotify Clips for Artists is not ready for the mainstage… appeared first on Hypebot.

Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake: Analyzing the streaming success of their diss tracksDrake and Kendrick Lamar’s explosive jabs at each other through diss tracks have made headlines, and now that the dust has settled, what do the numbers say about who won?. Continue reading
The post Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake: Analyzing the streaming success of their diss tracks appeared first on Hypebot.

myVolts to launch The Alchemist power hubs myVolts' new power hubs aim to provide a flexible, high-quality solution for powering a wide range of audio equipment. 

NoiseWorks Audio Releases GainAimPro Vocal Editing Plugin (40% OFF)
NoiseWorks Audio releases GainAimPro, an AI and ARA-powered vocal editing plugin for macOS and Windows. GainAimPro is an all-in-one editing solution for dialogue and vocals. The plugin has five core features, which are: Gain riding Lufs-leveling De-essing Breath detection Smart Gate The features above are nothing new, but NoiseWorks Audio believes this plugin does it [...]
View post: NoiseWorks Audio Releases GainAimPro Vocal Editing Plugin (40% OFF)

Universal Audio’s Spirit of ’76 sale at Plugin Boutique sees software going for up to 85% offUniversal Audio produces some of the best vintage gear and instrument models on the market. Thankfully, if you’re on the hunt for another vintage plugin to add to your arsenal, the company is currently offering a bunch of its products for a fraction of the price.
Over at Plugin Boutique, Universal Audio’s Spirit of ‘76 sale is serving up some bargains. The sale is offering plethora of virtual instrument and effects plugins, mostly for just $49 each.

READ MORE: “Analogue heaven in a plugin”: Universal Audio introduces the LA-6176 Signature Channel Strip, combining three of its top plugins into one

The $49 price tag means that some heavy hitting software is going for up to 85% off in the sale.
Of the instrumental offerings, there’s an equal share of organic instrumentation and analog synthetics on offer. Universal Audio’s Electra 88 Vintage Keyboard Studio, Ravel Grand Piano and Waterfall B3 Organ are all included in the promotion. On the more synthetic side, there’s the Moog Minimoog, Opal Morphing Synth and PolyMAX Synth.
In terms of effects, there’s a far broader selection on offer. Customers can choose from a selection of compressors, such as the Capitol Mastering Compressor or 175B & 176 Tube Compressor Collection.
There’s also a great range of reverb plugin deals, including the Pure Plate Reverb, Hitsville Reverb Chambers and Lexicon 224 Digital Reverb. Anyone on the hunt for an equaliser will also be pleased to know that the Helios Type 69 EQ and PreAmp, Hitsville EQ Collection, Manley Massive Passive and more are also available in the deal.
Customers can purchase the plugins individually, or make the most of the Custom 76 Bundle. The bundle will allow customers to purchase any two plugins for a combined price of $76.
The Spirit of ‘76 deal will end on 30th June. Customers who make a paid purchase before 31st May will also receive a free copy of AI-powered mastering suite Ozone 11 Elements.
The post Universal Audio’s Spirit of ’76 sale at Plugin Boutique sees software going for up to 85% off appeared first on MusicTech.

Sharooz says Cubase has a sound quality that’s “superior” to most other DAWs out thereDigital Audio Workstations (DAWs) are the lifeblood of modern music production. Every producer has their go-to DAW, swearing by its unique features, intuitive workflow, and the magical spark it brings to their creativity.
For electronic artist, producer and DJ Sharooz Raoofi, that title goes to Cubase due to its “superior” sound quality compared to other options on the market.

READ MORE: John Summit says Avicii comparisons are “extremely disrespectful”: “If there’s any way to honour his legacy, it’s by not making those same mistakes”

Sharooz speaks on the latest episode of MusicTech’s My Forever Studio, a podcast where musicians dream up their fantasy studio space and gear, picking a limited number of items.
Describing his choice of DAW as an “easy one”, Sharooz states: “It’s got to be Cubase… Sound quality is superior to most of what’s out there. I love their plugins. Everything that Steinberg makes — its EQs and Reverbs — I just love the flow, the layout.”
“Cubase 13 the way it performs now is like fuck,” the producer says of the DAW. “It’s a tape machine for me.”
He adds that he’s been using the software since the 90s, having started with a cracked version of it (“Sorry Steinberg”) given by his lecturer.
“Anyway it’s got to be Cubase because it does everything,” says Sharooz. “And we’re getting to a point now where — I’m sure there’s a technical term for it — but they all kind of do the same thing, they’ve just found different ways to do it. I mean Ableton [Live] is equally as impressive with 12.”
“I think Logic Pro and Cubase are neck and neck at this point. They’ve both just borrowed so much from each other. Maybe the differentiator at this point is a sound library. I know the Logic sampler with its Auto sampling is hugely helpful. It’d be nice to have that in.”
Check out the full podcast below.

Catch all the episodes of My Forever Studio so far on MusicTech.
The post Sharooz says Cubase has a sound quality that’s “superior” to most other DAWs out there appeared first on MusicTech.

MIDI Innovation Awards 2024 - Submission Deadline There's only a few weeks left to submit entires into this year's MIDI Innovation Awards. 

Former banker sentenced to 41 months for crypto fraudRashawn Russell, a former Deutsche Bank executive, also intended to commit fraud with stolen bank cards.

SpaceX sent Starship to orbit — the next launch will try to bring it backSpaceX’s massive Starship rocket could take to the skies for the fourth time on June 5, with the primary objective of evaluating the second stage’s reusable heat shield as the vehicle tries to safely reenter the atmosphere for the first time. CEO Elon Musk“ said on his social media platform X that “There are many […]
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Guitar Center to Celebrate 50 Years of Taylor GuitarsGuitar Center to host event celebrating 50 Years of Taylor Guitars at La Mesa, CA store on Saturday, June 1

“An Afternoon with Andy Powers” will include discussion, demos, and Q&A highlighting classics and recent product launches with Andy Powers, Taylor CEO, President, and Chief Guitar Designer, as well as a short acoustic set by singer-songwriter and musician Hailey Knox

WHO: Guitar Center is teaming with Taylor Guitars for an exclusive event at the La Mesa, CA Guitar Center location. The event will feature discussion with Andy Powers, Taylor CEO, President, and Chief Guitar Designer, and a performance by singer-songwriter and musician Hailey Knox.

WHAT: Taylor and Guitar Center are partnering for an exclusive event at the La Mesa Guitar Center location on Saturday, June 1, 2024, to celebrate 50 Years of Taylor Guitars, telling the story of this legendary guitar manufacturer via its new 50th Anniversary Collection. The event will include discussion, demos, and Q&A highlighting classics and recent product launches with Andy Powers, as well as a short acoustic set by Hailey Knox. Since joining Taylor in 2011, Andy Powers has been responsible for many of the company's designs, including its V-Class bracing architecture, the American Dream acoustic line, and body styles including the Grand Pacific, Grand Theater and more.

Space is limited; RSVP here.

WHEN: Saturday, June 1, 2024, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. PDT

WHERE: Guitar Center La Mesa8825 Murray DriveLa Mesa, CA 91942-3327The post Guitar Center to Celebrate 50 Years of Taylor Guitars first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Fixing A Camera’s WiFi Connectivity With GhidraIf your old camera’s WiFi picture upload feature breaks, what do you do? Begrudgingly get a new one? Well, if you’re like [Ge0rg], you break out Ghidra and find the culprit. He’s been hacking on Samsung’s connected cameras for a fair bit now, and we’ve covered his adventures hacking on Samsung’s Linux-powered camera series throughout the last decade, from getting root on them for fun, to deep dives into the series. Now, it was time to try and fix a problem with one particular camera, Samsung WB850F, which had its picture upload feature break at some point.
[Ge0rg] grabbed a firmware update .zip, and got greeted by a bunch of compile-time debug data as a bonus, making the reverse-engineering journey all that more tempting. After figuring out the update file partition mapping, loading the code into Ghidra, and feeding the debug data into it to get functions to properly parse, he got to the offending segment, and eventually figured out the bug. Turned out, a particularly blunt line of code checking the HTTP server response was confused by s in https, and a simple spoof server running on a device of your choice with a replacement hosts file is enough to have the feature work again, well, paired with a service that spoofs the long-shutdown Samsung’s picture upload server.
Turned out, a bunch more cameras from Samsung had the same check misfire for them, which made this reverse-engineering journey all that more fruitful. Once again, Ghidra skills save the day.