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  • Games need decentralized randomness to be fairDoes your RNG have sufficient randomness? Is it secure against tampering? Is it decentralized? These qualities are critical to building a viable metaverse.

    Does your RNG have sufficient randomness? Is it secure against tampering? Is it decentralized? These qualities are critical to building a viable metaverse.

  • It's All Noise Ultimate Cello Textures - Harmonics Pad We're proud to announce our first Kontakt Player product (Kontakt Free): Ultimate Cello Textures - Harmonics Pad. This is a prequel and sister library to the larger Ultimate Cello Volume... Read More

  • Charlatan3 FREE Virtual Analog Synth Is In Public Beta!
    BlauKraut Engineering has announced the beta version of Charlatan 3.0, a freeware softsynth classic and one of the best released over the years available for Windows and Linux users. It has been redesigned from the ground up to better meet the needs of today’s productions. The original Charlatan is still one of our favorite free [...]
    View post: Charlatan3 FREE Virtual Analog Synth Is In Public Beta!

    BlauKraut Engineering has announced the beta version of Charlatan 3.0, a freeware softsynth classic and one of the best released over the years available for Windows and Linux users. It has been redesigned from the ground up to better meet the needs of today’s productions. The original Charlatan is still one of our favorite freeRead More

  • Native Instruments: “We had to modernise our architecture… We’re now more aligned in new ways to integrate our hardware and softwareNative Instruments occupies a unique position in the music technology world. The Berlin-based brand’s remarkable catalogue of software instruments, Kontakt architecture – upon which countless instruments are built – and its hardware manufacturing prowess command every part of the music-making experience. So when the company introduces major updates to its controllers, such as the new Kontrol S keyboards and Traktor X1 Mk3, you can bet they’re going to be a big deal.
    READ MORE: The Scarlett 4th Gen story: Focusrite’s journey from George Martin’s AIR to bedroom studios everywhere
    “The first problem to solve”, says Christopher LaPietra, lead product manager for Kontrol and veteran of the Maschine Mikro Mk3 and Maschine+ releases, “was that while the Mk1 and 2 versions of Kontrol were good, we didn’t feel like users were getting an immersive experience. They didn’t feel like they were controlling a real instrument.
    Kontrol S88 and Traktor X1 | Credit: Simon Vinall
    “Our competitive advantage is that we have a direct line into all the instruments via Kontakt. So there’s no reason we can’t create a nice immersive experience.” An upgrade to the Kontrol hardware was one of the key ways they achieved this, he continues. “The way that we solve that is with the big display and the evolution of the NKS standard [which enables deep communication between hardware and software]. So then it really does feel, with the navigation paradigms that we’ve introduced with NKS, that the experience of playing an instrument is more authentic”.
    The desire to upgrade and enhance the Kontrol platform was also driven by the increasing complexity of modern software instruments. Chris explains, “The number of Kontakt instruments has grown substantially from 2017 to 2023. There are more expressive products out there and we wanted users to be able to access all those parameters.” This requires some work on the part of third-party developers too, who define what their instruments will look like on the new Kontrol S keyboards.
    In addition to some clever software design, the answer lay in implementing a new creative layer in the Fatar keybeds. The team spent a lot of time designing a polyphonic aftertouch system for all three new keyboards, with the 88 key model being the first widely available hammer action model to feature the tech.
    Native Instruments Kontrol S88 | Credit: Simon Vinall
    At its simplest, polyphonic aftertouch lets you control parameters using the pressure of your touch on every note independently. This enables supreme expression, not just for regular playing, but for composers and sound designers too. As Chris says, “If you’re a composer and you want to go a little bit deeper, you can use polyphonic aftertouch feature to get those additional modulations like cutoff or vibrato into your sound. It’s quite special and it’s very accessible. The tech has existed for a while but it’s been limited to a few very niche synths. We’re bringing it to a much wider audience”.
    Those familiar with the Komplete Kontrol series will recognise features like the Light Guide, touch strip and DAW control section. But many elements have been refined or relocated based on extensive user feedback on better ergonomics.
    There’s more inside too, as Chris reveals. “We now have a small embedded computer running on the device that deals with things like rendering the big colour display and achieving fast refresh rates. It also powers the smart play assistant, scale mode, arpeggiator…
    “We had to modernise our architecture. We knew people were using the MK1 and 2 in MIDI mode but there were barriers; you had to be running instances of the Komplete Kontrol software to make it happen, for example. If you were running ten instances of Kontakt you needed ten instances of Komplete Kontrol and that’s heavy on the CPU. Now, you get direct access to MIDI mode and that’s something we’ll be expanding with software updates in the near future.”
    Traktor X1 | Credit: Simon Vinall
    The team went even further in making the hardware the centrepiece of your studio, with four assignable TRS pedal inputs, MIDI in and out USB-C power to cut down on clutter. Chris also notes that, when developing hardware and software for NI’s studio products, there’s been some alignment with the Maschine team.
    “The interesting part of our strategy is we were starting to see the synergy between the two product lines. Back then, we were two different divisions but the two products shared a lot of architecture. They shared a lot of modules, and they were also released at the same time with a lot of the same hardware components from a tech stack perspective; same displays, and methods of doing things.
    “We’re now more aligned as one big team working on everything all together, with one tech stack in mind from a hardware and a software perspective. It’s becoming more efficient and we’re seeing ways that we can leverage the benefits across the portfolio of products.”
    However, the two product families are unlikely to be unified any time soon – at least not that Chris could reveal. “No, we’re not going to blend the products. We’ll continue to invest and create value for each of the pillars. It’s more of an efficiency thing; we’re working in a focused manner and also with a well-thought-out architecture which means we can move quicker. In the past, it’s been very difficult because there was a siloed approach – it was very hard to converge. I would say we’re not going to blend the products because each has its loyal followings and use cases.”
    It’s not just the company’s keyboard hardware that’s been given a serious upgrade. The Traktor X1 controller has also been redesigned, too. The new X1 Mk3 is a portable Traktor DJ controller with a whole bunch of new features. Designer Michael Koczynski was involved in creating the X1 Mk1 and Mk2 and is now the product lead for Traktor hardware. Again, the upgrade was based on feedback from a wide range of users, as Michael explains.
    Traktor X1 | Credit: Simon Vinall
    “We have a massive user base of X1 users; it’s one of our most successful product lines. So we basically had a lot of people that we could approach. We did interviews with our regular user base and recruited some through surveys and then reached out to them and had one-on-one interviews with them trying to find out how they use the hardware.
    “Then we did the same thing with some of our hardcore users, most of whom are artists. So they also have different requirements, right? Because they’re travelling with this unit a lot. They’re throwing it into their bag more often than a regular user would. And we worked together with the VIP (visually impaired person) experience from the UK so we had some interviews with visually impaired DJs as well, trying to understand what the challenges are for them in a nightclub environment. We wanted to basically bring the best of the Mk1 and the best of the MK2 together.”
    This extensive feedback revealed some key areas in which the company could enhance things for all its DJ users. Michael continues, “We basically married all the kinds of feedback together, so we dropped the touch strip and used that space to introduce an additional row of buttons. We also learned that people don’t really like to use the shift button. I mean, who likes to use the shift button, right? So introducing four extra buttons eliminated the need to use shift for any performance-critical functions. We also increased the button size in general so that you don’t accidentally trigger the wrong button because everything is too cramped together.

    “From the Mk2, we knew that the typical X1 user loves to customise their mapping. They want to replace a function of one button with something else that they desperately need for their custom setup. And the X1 Mk1 had four encoders – two for browsing and two for looping. And on the MK2, we merged the two for browsing into one central piece.
    “And, of course, that broke a lot of people’s custom mappings, so we decided to go back to give everybody the four encoders back so that you have basically full customisation there again.”
    To help visually impaired users, and also users more generally, they added an RGB LED underneath each of the buttons. “So even if you can’t read the play label, you now at least will be able to say, I want to colour my Play button green and I want to colour my Cue button orang.
    “You can easily customise your controller without having to go to what I call Traktor University because there is a very deep way of customising your controllers in Traktor. You can actually do whatever you want – you can program multiple functions onto one button and things like that, but it’s kind of complicated and not very accessible to most users. And this is basically why we also introduced this easy customisation page for the X1, where people can just select which functions they want to have on a button and which colour they want to give that particular button.”
    The design changes extend to a striking transparent shell on the underside of the unit that look smart in a darkened club but also provides visual cues – like flashing red when a track is about to end, or green when a loop is set. Michael explains, “In the beginning, it started as just being eye candy; you get this Philips Hue-style, indirect kind of lighting from the bottom of the unit.
    “But the more we talked with users about it, people instantly asked, ‘Okay, can I have my VU meters on there? Can I have some indicators on there?’ So we decided to give it a little bit of functionality as well. Because [in a DJ set], you can very easily have a seven-minute track that doesn’t change much. It can easily happen where you’re just looping the first 30 seconds of it and you don’t notice it for five minutes.”
    Michael is also proud of the wide range of users that the X1 series attracts and sees the newest model as expanding its appeal even further. “The target user is actually a very big range. Initially, when the X1 was designed, it was designed as an add-on controller for users. Like for people that are using our Scratch TimeCode vinyl, which was a big thing back then – I mean the X1 came out in 2010.
    “But then we very quickly saw that electronic music DJs started using the controller and the mixer as their whole setup, mixing completely internally and then using two of those controllers so they had access to four decks and doing a bunch of remixing. And then we also saw a lot of people just coming into DJing and having an X1 as their very first controller. With this mixer mode, we wanted to make it even more interesting as a very first purchase. Because right now you could basically spend £299 and get the X1 with Traktor Pro 3 in the box as well. In theory, you can just switch it to mixer mode and then start mixing at home already. There’s nothing else that you need except a pair of headphones.”
    What’s striking about both these new controllers is the extent to which NI is creating a more immersive experience for users and performers where they spend less time looking at the computer screen, even though that’s where the majority of the actual processing is going on. More screens on the X1, a much bigger screen on the Kontrol and an attempt to minimize what Michael calls “laptop face”, which you can probably picture. Chris too says that friends who are heavily into modular synths have been won over by the way the new Kontrol keyboards create the feeling of really controlling an instrument without needing lots of shift presses and navigation. And he believes polyphonic aftertouch will be a game changer when people get to use it.
    The innovation doesn’t stop here. Both product leads stress that they watch the forums intently to gauge how users are responding to new paradigms and features, incorporating changes into software updates over time and ultimately in the longer term, using them to inform future products. We ask if either controller had to miss out on a particular feature for the usual reasons of cost or viability that inform any design, but both assure us that at version 3, they represent the peak of integration between software and hardware, with tweaks and additions sure to come over time as they gather even more feedback on how people are using them.
    For now, however, NI’s controller lineup and ecosystem look stronger than ever, whatever kind of music you’re making.
    Learn more at Native Instruments.
    The post Native Instruments: “We had to modernise our architecture… We’re now more aligned in new ways to integrate our hardware and software appeared first on MusicTech.

  • From Universal’s missing catalog on TikTok Music to Graham Nash’s catalog sale… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days
    Source

  • How to get past the clutter and algorithms to build a fanbaseHow does a band build an audience? Where do you find fans, and how do you communicate with them? The answers are not what you might expect. Recently, I joined. Continue reading
    The post How to get past the clutter and algorithms to build a fanbase appeared first on Hypebot.

    How does a band build an audience? Where do you find fans, and how do you communicate with them? The answers are not what you might expect. Recently, I joined. Continue reading

  • Spitfire Audio co-founder Christian Henson returns with new project, The Crow Hill CompanyChristian Henson, the co-founder of Spitfire Audio who stepped back from his active role in the company in 2022 after making allegedly transphobic comments, has returned with a new venture called The Crow Hill Company.

    READ MORE: Annie Mac tells MPs about the music industry’s “tidal wave” of sexual abuse cases

    It’s a platform offering a wide range of services for artists, where musicians can interact, provide feedback and share ideas with one another. There will apparently be useful resources available such as tutorial videos and subscribers will receive free plugins and high-quality professional sound libraries.
    The Bafta- and Ivor Novello-nominated TV, film and games composer, Christian Henson, has, he says, continued scoring feature films and TV series, including Inside No.9, during his time away from Spitfire Audio.
    He revealed this and announced his return in a video posted to YouTube on Thursday 19 October. In it, Henson says, “So, for the past six months, I’ve been on gardening leave. I fucking hate gardening.” If you don’t know, gardening leave is when an employee, who has either resigned or had their employment terminated, is required to stay away from work during the notice period while being paid.

    Why did Christian Henson step down from Spitfire Audio?
    The co-founder decided to take leave from Spitfire Audio due to comments he made online that were interpreted as transphobic. Henson expressed support for JK Rowling and Graham ‘Glinner’ Linehan, both of whom have faced criticism for their views on transgender issues, in a now-deleted tweet.
    This tweet sparked a backlash from Spitfire Audio’s followers and artists like Ólafur Arnalds, who wrote, “Blanket statements like that hurt those in the communities you have helped created and those who most need our support.” As a result, Henson’s tweet, posted for less than 24 hours, led to a significant number of Spitfire Audio users announcing their intent to boycott the company.
    Spitfire Audio’s CEO at the time, Will Evans, later released a statement, writing, “We’ve worked hard to be a beacon for the industry and have a responsibility to do better”. He also announced that Henson would be “taking a break” until the company worked out how to move forward from the situation.
    In social media post reacting to Henson’s return, producer and content creator Jeremy Blake AKA Red Means Recording calls Henson an “unrepentant transphobe”. He writes: “I’m not telling anyone to harass him. I don’t think that would help. I’m spreading this word so that people know what the company is called so they can spend their money elsewhere, and also help people avoid working for this company if they care about trans rights.”

    A heads up for those who care:
    Unrepentant transphobe Christian Henson is debuting his new company today, after being disgracefully kicked from Spitfire Audio, the company he helped found, after aligning with Glinner and Rowling.
    Video premiere: https://t.co/vCs6R9qTyl
    — Jeremy Blake (@jjbbllkk) October 19, 2023

    Read more industry news via MusicTech.
    The post Spitfire Audio co-founder Christian Henson returns with new project, The Crow Hill Company appeared first on MusicTech.

    Christian Henson, the co-founder of Spitfire Audio who stepped back in 2022, has returned with a new venture called The Crow Hill Company.

  • “We saw a clear opportunity to work with all their amazing DSP and improve on everything that was lacking”: Baby Audio acquires Denise AudioLA music software company Baby Audio has acquired Berlin/Amsterdam-based Denise Audio. In a new blog post, the company confirms that both brands will continue to exist independent of one another.
    However, Baby Audio says it is currently working on a “full revamp” of the Denise catalogue. “The Denise Audio plugins have some amazing DSP [digital signal processing] inside them – while needing a little bit of love in other areas,” the post states.

    READ MORE: Baby Audio Transit breathes life into your transitions, courtesy of Andrew Huang

    On the motivation for acquiring Denise Audio, Baby Audio writes: “Honestly, we were not looking to acquire other companies. Baby Audio is an entirely independent company, with no external investors or private equity influence – so any M&A [merger and acquisitions] activity was not in the cards.
    “However, we were presented with the opportunity on some fair terms and quickly realised that the Denise Audio plugins were significantly more powerful on the inside than they’re sometimes perceived to be.
    “We saw a clear opportunity to work with all the amazing DSP and improve on everything that was lacking. This, combined with being able to hire more developers once we had a second outlet for products, made us decide to do it.”
    The company adds that having two brands will help fuel research and development for plugins in the future.
    “Having two outlets for our work will allow us to hire more specialised developers and release more experimental products,” it writes. “We will be able to treat Denise Audio as a playground for bringing out esoteric concepts, as this is aligned with the brand’s profile, while we can continue to increase the ambition level for Baby Audio with a bigger development team. Operating two brands will give us the bandwidth to do things with improved muscle and purpose.”
    In a statement following the sale of Denise Audio, CEO Rob Stegeman writes: “We started Denise Audio in 2018 and it’s been a great journey. But after 5 years in the plugin industry I wanted to pursue other passions (more on that to be announced soon).
    “This meant we began looking for a new owner of Denise Audio who would carry on – and improve upon – our work with a respect for the user base and new ideas for the future. To me, Baby Audio was the perfect buyer as I’ve always admired their attention to detail and product quality. I’m sure they will continue the journey for Denise Audio and take the brand further. I’m very happy with the deal and excited to share what I have coming in the near future.”
    Baby Audio says Denise Audio users will have seen improvements already: the company has rebuilt all Denise plugins for full compatibility with the most recent operating systems, and looks to release “new products based on the existing Denise Audio catalogue and DSP”.
    For more information, head to Baby Audio.
    The post “We saw a clear opportunity to work with all their amazing DSP and improve on everything that was lacking”: Baby Audio acquires Denise Audio appeared first on MusicTech.

    Baby Audio has acquired Denise Audio, but confirms that both brands will continue to exist independent of one another.

  • Universal Music just opened a retail ‘superstore’ for ‘super fans’ in Tokyo – plus The Rolling Stones second flagship storeThe Store features RS No.9 HARAJUKU, the second permanent Rolling Stones retail store outside of London
    Source

  • Bitwig Studio 5.1 update introduces new sound design and voice stacking toolsBitwig has launched Bitwig Studio 5.1, the latest version of its flagship DAW, bringing new sound design features such as filters and waveshapers.

    READ MORE: PreSonus and Bitwig introduce new file format which lets users share sessions across different DAWs

    Bitwig 5 launched in June 2023, introducing five different multi-stage envelope generators (MSEGs), new capabilities for the DAW’s Clip Launcher, a revamp of its browsers, and modulation system upgrades, such as the ability to control track and project-level parameters, and to expand modulators with pop-out windows.
    Now, Bitwig is improving the DAW further, with a keen focus on sound design. This update introduces 10 fresh modules, comprising four filters and six waveshapers, each offering unique sound profiles suitable for diverse applications. These modules can be readily integrated into the DAW’s audio effects containers Filter+ and Sweep or serve as patch modules within The Grid.

    Alongside these 10 modules, this update introduces a new oscillator, with the filters now accessible as modules in Polymer, Bitwig Studio’s semi-modular synthesizer. New enhancements to voice stacking modulators now provide an even richer sound layering experience.
    Bitwig has also brought in workflow improvements aimed at streamlining audio editing and mixing, empowering users to work more efficiently. Additionally, Bitwig Studio 5.1 introduces a new oscillator known as Bite, a file format for seamless project exchange, and native integration with TouchDesigner for video performance.
    MusicTech gave Bitwig 5 a review shortly after it was launched in August 2023. In it, we gave it a strong 10/10. We were impressed by its deep integration with devices and plugins, project-wide Modulators, and remarked that its Wavetable LFO brought a lot of creative potential. The Multi-Segment Envelope Generator modules were a handy addition, we wrote. We did, however, point out that it lacked some basic offline audio processing tools.
    Find out more at Bitwig.
    The post Bitwig Studio 5.1 update introduces new sound design and voice stacking tools appeared first on MusicTech.

    Bitwig has launched Bitwig 5.1, the latest version of its flagship DAW, bringing new sound design features such as filters and waveshapers.

  • How to write a music press releaseIf you are an independent musician and want to promote your latest single, album, music video, tour, or launch party, you will need to learn how to write a music. Continue reading
    The post How to write a music press release appeared first on Hypebot.

    If you are an independent musician and want to promote your latest single, album, music video, tour, or launch party, you will need to learn how to write a music. Continue reading

  • How to maximize Digital Music Royalties: SoundExchange live online Q&AThree SoundExchange execs will be sitting down to share strategies and answer questions about digital royalties in a live online Q&A organized by Symphonic. Save yourself a virtual seat now.. Continue reading
    The post How to maximize Digital Music Royalties: SoundExchange live online Q&A appeared first on Hypebot.

    Three SoundExchange execs will be sitting down to share strategies and answer questions about digital royalties in a live online Q&A organized by Symphonic. Save yourself a virtual seat now.. Continue reading

  • GIK Acoustics introduce SlatFusor Series GIK's new SlatFusor panels have been designed to smooth out inconsistencies in a room’s frequency response and decay time whilst avoiding the over-attenuation of mid- and high-frequency content.

    GIK's new SlatFusor panels have been designed to smooth out inconsistencies in a room’s frequency response and decay time whilst avoiding the over-attenuation of mid- and high-frequency content.

  • The 45 King, producer for Jay-Z, Eminem and Queen Latifah, dies at 62Famed hitmaker The 45 King, who’s produced for Queen Latifah, Eminem, Jay-Z and more, has died at the age of 62.
    The producer – real name Mark Howard James – passed away on Thursday (19 October), three days after his 62nd birthday. His death was announced by fellow hip-hop producer, DJ Premier, with representatives confirming the news to Rolling Stone. No cause of death has been revealed.
    “His sound was unlike any other from his heavy drums and his horns were so distinct on every production,” DJ Premier wrote. “His vinyl releases of breakbeats are beyond any DJ of the ’80s/’90s Era, practically endless.”
    Often hailed as one of the pioneers of New Jersey’s hip-hop scene in the 80s, James received his first big break with the breakbeat track The 900 Number in 1987. The song famously featured a looping baritone sax solo from the Marva Whitney track Unwind Yourself.

    The beat was later sampled in DJ Kool’s Let Me Clear My Throat in 1996, and honoured by Questlove as one of the fifty greatest hip-hop songs in 2012.
    As a producer, James worked closely with Queen Latifah, a fellow member of his music crew known as the Flavor Unit. He played a pivotal role in producing solo projects for the crew’s members (including Chill Rob G, Apache, and Lakim Shabazz) and was a major driving force behind Latifah’s breakthrough record All Hail The Queen in 1989.
    James also had a hand in many rap classics such as Jay-Z’s Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) and Stan by Eminem.
    Tributes from fans and fellow artists around the world have poured in following news of the producer’s passing.
    “Legends are never over,” Eminem wrote on X. “RIP Mark Howard James aka The 45 King… I’m forever grateful!”
    Queen Latifah said in a statement: “He believed in me before anyone else. He touched every life he encountered. I’ve never met someone like him; he wanted everyone around him to win. His spirit was magic and will certainly live forever.”
    Read more tributes below.

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by @djpremier

    Jay-Z releases statement in response to DJ Mark the 45 King’s passing. pic.twitter.com/DJnDZ18Azt
    — XXL Magazine (@XXL) October 19, 2023

    Rest In Peace DJ Mark the 45 King
    Producer of such hits as Jay-Z's "Hard Knock Life" & Eminem's "Stan" — as well as favorites from Rakim, Queen Latifah, Common & many more…
    We can't forget "The 900 Number" and the Ed Lover dance. Thank you for everything. pic.twitter.com/CB6TtR7GBH
    — Andrew Barber (@fakeshoredrive) October 19, 2023

    Legends are never over. #RIP Mark Howard James aka The 45 King … I’m 4ever grateful!!! https://t.co/s4ywAw6r03
    — Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) October 19, 2023

    Rest easy 45 KING. One of the original architects of production / greatest of all time .
    — Alchemist Type Beat (@Alchemist) October 19, 2023

    RIP DJ MARK THE 45 KING
    ONE OF THE GREATEST PRODUCERS/DRUM PROGRAMMERS IVE EVER HEARD pic.twitter.com/uEW0XUuO1j
    — Nicholas Craven (@NicholasCraven_) October 19, 2023

    The post The 45 King, producer for Jay-Z, Eminem and Queen Latifah, dies at 62 appeared first on MusicTech.

    Famed hitmaker The 45 King, who’s produced for Queen Latifah, Eminem, Jay-Z and more, has died at the age of 62.

  • Digilogue Days 2023 Highlights: Day Two of the music tech conferenceDay 2 of the Digilogue Days conference at Industria studios in Brooklyn, New York was more of the same as Day One: entrepreneurs, executives, and artists mixing it up, sharing knowledge, success stories, and contact information. The second day of panels, keynotes, and workshops ran the gamut from advice on collaborators, ways to get paid, and how to find your audience.
    READ MORE: Riot Games’ Brooke Rascoff: “Technology broke down the barrier to entry to music and democratised distribution – AI will do the
    The day opened with a keynote discussion between Cierra Brooks (The Cî Agency) and Manny Wellz (Oulala) on the new creator economy, specifically how Wellz draws insights from the types of content that resonates with his fans to ensure he’s adding value to the experience.
    Get a lawyer
    A panel on building your team as an artist featured Jenna LoMonaco (ONErpm), Justin LaMotte (Black Wax), Rebekah Espinosa (Prescription Ownly), Shardé Simpson (Simpson & Reed PLLC), and Tate Henshaw (Arc Business Management). They discussed the often non-traditional paths they’ve seen to creating a successful artist team, and explained how even though the first person on your team is often a manager, you should seriously consider getting a lawyer.
    Music distribution tips
    In the middle of the day, Serona Elton, the head of educational partnerships at the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) led a deep dive workshop on how the agency – formed after the passage of the Music Modernization Act, which changed the way digital mechanical licensing works – collects and distributes royalties from mechanical licenses on digital distribution platforms. Then two TIDAL product managers, Ashley Williams and Kara Lee, held a demonstration of the platform’s “Artist Home” dashboard, exploring the new “Fan Data” tab and showing how artists can use demographic information to target their marketing efforts.
    Image: Respective Collective
    Building audiences
    Later in the afternoon, Ashley Hall (The Orchard), Faryal Khan-Thompson (CD Baby), Jason Johnson (Culture Impact Agency), and Soy Kim (Spotify) discussed the ongoing globalisation of music, specifically how language is no longer a barrier to building an audience, using the success of artists like Bad Bunny and K-Pop’s global domination to evidence how the lines between domestic and international markets have been blurred.
    A panel on community building and partnerships featured Charleton Lamb (Stem Disintermedia/Tone), Hallie Cross (Save The Music), Paulina Vo (The Digilogue/Highnote), Vanessa Noguera (The Industry in Spanglish/Warner Music Group), and Yudu Gray Jr. (24/7 Artists). Despite acknowledging that “independent artists are looked down upon in the financial world,” the panel discussed the ways in which the communities they built around shared interests helped them overcome limited access to capital, and how leveraging the power of old-school tools like word of mouth and email lists can help manifest your digital community in the meatspace.
    Image: Respective Collective
    The Future of Music & Technology
    The final two panels offered a glimpse into the future and a reflection on the recent past. The Future of Music & Technology panel, featuring Dani Deahl (BandLab), Kathy Baker (YouTube), Megh Vakharia (SymphonyOS/Integral Studio), and Melanie McClain (Blurred Lines), discussed the importance of leveraging all the data you collect about your fanbase, avoiding getting stuck in short-form video, and the challenges of fighting passive listening habits that limit your potential fanbase’s engagement with your music.
    And the final panel of the conference collected four attendees from the previous two days, who shared their experiences on the show floor, in one-on-one sessions, and in the main stage lecture hall. The main takeaway? Gratitude for the opportunity to meet and share ideas with hundreds of like-minded people, all seeking a sustainable path to a career surrounded by the thing they love most: the music.
    The post Digilogue Days 2023 Highlights: Day Two of the music tech conference appeared first on MusicTech.

    Day Two of the Brookyln music technology conference brought more invaluable advice on building a career in music.