Photo Credit: Beyoncé by Raph PH / CC by 2.0

Yale University is introducing a course dedicated to studying the cultural impact of Beyoncé, to kick off next spring.

A course dedicated to studying Beyoncé’s cultural impact is coming to Yale University, set to kick off next spring. Titled “Beyoncé Makes History: Back Radical Tradition History, Culture, Theory & Politics Through Music,” the course will be offered through the humanities and arts department and focus on her body of work, from her self-titled debut album to her most recent album, Cowboy Carter.

Yale’s course will also delve into Beyoncé’s performance politics and her concert films, as a lens through which students will examine black intellectualism and activism. The course will also explore scholarly works and cultural texts across black feminist theory and philosophy, performance studies, musicology, and more.

Taught by writer and black studies scholar Daphne Brooks, who co-founded Yale’s Black Sound & the Archive Working Group — faculty and students working to “explore the untapped variety of black sound archives” — the course has been in the planning stages for years.

“I’m looking forward to exploring her body of work and considering how, among other things, historical memory, black feminist politics, black liberation politics, and philosophies course through the last decade of her performance repertoire as well as the ways that her unprecedented experimentations with the album form itself, have provided her with the platform to mobilize these themes,” said Brooks in an email to NBC.

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter recently received 11 Grammy nominations, after being thoroughly snubbed at this year’s Country Music Association Awards. In total, this makes her the most Grammy-nominated artist in history, with 99 altogether.

Other universities have offered similar courses about Beyoncé and her cultural impact, including Rutgers University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Cornell University, the University of Texas at San Antonio, California Polytechnic State University, and Arizona State University.

Notably, Beyoncé isn’t the first pop star to be embraced by university courses. Lady Gaga has been the subject of a 2010 University of South Carolina module, and Taylor Swift became the focus of courses at multiple colleges, including the University of Ghent in Belgium, Harvard University, UC Berkeley, and the University of Florida. Meanwhile, New York University offered a course on Lana Del Rey.

Reykjavik, Iceland, where music education startup Moombix is headquartered. Photo Credit: Einar H. Reynis

Music lessons marketplace Moombix has announced the close of its £1.9 million (currently $2.48 million) seed round and unveiled plans to expand into the United Kingdom.

Reykjavik-headquartered Moombix, which bills itself specifically as “an all-in-one solution for online music education,” disclosed the funding and the imminent expansion today.

Established by former longtime Microsoft exec Aleksandar Arsovski and musician Margret Juliana Sigurdardottir (who founded children-focused music education app Mussila as well), Moombix enables verified musicians to set their own prices for 30-minute one-on-one livestream lessons, per the appropriate website.

Also according to Moombix’s site, teachers describe their qualifications (and define their primary “field of interest”) via seemingly in-depth profiles, which prospective students can filter when searching for a professional.

Prices range from £30 to £300 ($39 to $392) per half-hour session, discounts are available for multiple lessons purchased at once, Moombix takes a 20% commission, and the business has options in place for schools to promote themselves, the site indicates.

Shifting from insightful supplementary details and back to the seed raise, Iceland’s Frumtak Ventures led the round, which also drew participation from several angel investors, Moombix relayed.

And as mentioned, the capital is expected to set the stage for the startup’s strategic launch in the U.K., where higher-ups say approximately 200 teachers have already signed up to offer lessons. Against the backdrop of continued buildouts in the music education space – referring mainly to virtual resources – it’ll be worth monitoring the company’s expansion results moving forward.

Regarding these buildouts, however, Moombix is hardly without competition. Closer to the top of 2024, Spotify began testing the video learning waters in the U.K. Though the involved Spotify Courses still aren’t live in the U.S. and extend to areas well beyond the music world, they’re free to access through November 30th, the U.K. landing page shows.

Subsequently, Billie Eilish in June brought 30 tracks to Helsinki-headquartered music education platform Yousician, which, unlike Moombix, offers access to interactive learning software for a monthly subscription fee.

Then, August saw Sony Music Entertainment license Duolingo in connection with the language app’s comparatively new music courses. We’ll have to wait a bit longer for possible up-to-date data about the commercial results behind this music offering; Duolingo has teed up its Q3 earnings for November 6th.

Naxos has filed a lawsuit against Kuke Music over allegedly missing payments. Photo Credit: Manuel Nägeli

Who says the classical music space is free of legal drama? Naxos is suing China-based Kuke for allegedly failing to pay $1.86 million under a 2018 digital distribution agreement.

Naxos Digital Service US, a division of the self-described “world’s leading classical music group” of the same name, submitted the action against Beijing Kuke Music to a Tennessee federal court. Kuke (NYSE: KUKE), for its part, bills itself as “the leading provider of classical music licensing, subscription and smart education services in China.”

Running with the points, under the mentioned 2018 tie-up, Kuke was expected to sell various Naxos services (music library, spoken-word library, and video library among them) to individuals and educational institutions in mainland China, the actual agreement shows.

Initially poised to run into 2026 with possible year-to-year renewals thereafter, the straightforward contract outlines revenue splits on the appropriate services and, in an ill-advised clause for Kuke, calls for an increasing “minimum license fee” for each year.  Said minimum fee hit $1.34 million between July of 2023 and June of 2024’s end, per the document.

Meanwhile, the pandemic undoubtedly disrupted the operations of Kuke, which organizes the Beijing Music Festival and has seen its shares part with over 66% of their value during the past six months. This pricing falloff has evidently resulted in NYSE delisting concerns, per related press releases.

Of course, the deal further allows Naxos to terminate the union should Kuke fail to cough up compensation due under the contract. Multiple allegedly missed payments (a portion involving Naxos’ third-party distributed labels) and some back-and-forth discussions later, that’s exactly what the plaintiff moved to do.

Now, the court should also order Kuke to forward the owed payments (which a catch-up plan of sorts allegedly failed to deliver), totaling the noted $1.86 million, the complaint maintains.

While the case’s core components are clear enough, questions remain given the timing of a seemingly separate acquisition announcement put out by Kuke back in May.

In short, the play was (and possibly is) to see Kuke buy from Naxos One Holding two companies: Angelina Assets and HNH International.

“The transaction is contingent on Kuke finalizing definitive agreements and completing satisfactory due diligence of the Naxos Group,” the release reads in part. “The company emphasized that there is no guarantee the acquisition will proceed as anticipated.”

“The director of Kuke is also the controlling shareholder of Naxos One, indicating an existing relationship between the entities,” the document proceeds.

Without diving too far into the convoluted specifics at hand, Kuke annual reports reference a “decades-old relationship with Naxos,” apparently including a distinct Naxos China unit. Moreover, Kuke CEO and board chair He Yu “holds 75% of the equity interests in Naxos…our largest content provider,” another, older regulatory filing states.

Photo Credit: Andreas

A composition by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was re-discovered in Germany this week—long after it was believed lost. Musicians in Leipzig brought the piece to life, which you can hear below.

The ‘gently-used’ composition was discovered at the library in Leipzig, hidden in the Carl Ferdinand Becker collection in the music library. Researchers believe it was written in the 1760s, when Mozart was an early teen. They describe the manuscript as being in “Dark brown ink on medium-white handmade paper” with individually bound parts.

The 12-minute composition was performed on September 19 in Salzburg—more than 260 years after it was written. The found manuscript is believed to be a copy of the original, made sometime in the 1780s.

Researchers discovered the piece while compiling the latest Köchel catalog of Mozart’s works, which refers to the piece as ‘Ganz kleine Nachtmusik’—or ‘Quite Little Night Music’ in English. It is one of several undiscovered chamber-music compositions written by Mozart referenced in a list of music compiled by the composer’s father.

The piece of music itself is a string trio written before Mozart’s first trip to Italy is is composed of “Seven miniature movements for a string trio lasting about 12 minutes.” Germany musicologist Ulrich Leisinger, speaking for the International Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg, stated that the composition is unique compared to other pieces produced by Mozart at the time. Mozart primarily wrote arias, symphonies, and piano music during this period.

The piece premiered in Germany on September 21 by Vincent Geer (violin), David Geer (violin), and Elisabeth Zimmermann (violoncello) at the Leipzig Opera (video above). The first published edition of this new piece, based on a facsimile of the manuscript parts, was released on online sheet music sites like Score Exchange. This latest discovery is one of a dozen new Mozart pieces discovered in modern times. In 2008, an unknown Mozart score was discovered in  French library.

Photo Credit: Gabriel Gurrola

The MLC introduces a free online ‘micro-course’ to empower the next generation of music industry professionals.

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) has announced two initiatives aimed at engaging and educating college students interested in learning about the MLC and its mission: the launch of its free online micro-course and the expansion of its Student Ambassador Program.

The MLC’s first online micro-course, “The MLC 101: Introduction to The MLC,” is available to all college students seeking to deepen their understanding of the organization’s role in ensuring songwriters, composers, lyricists, and music publishers receive their mechanical royalties from streaming and download services in the US.

The free course offers a certificate of completion as well as a digital badge upon successfully completing the optional final test. This course can be completed in under 2.5 hours.

In addition, the MLC’s enhanced “Student Ambassador Program” provides college students the opportunity to engage with the MLC through a 10-week program of activities that include engaging with local songwriters and sharing information about the MLC on their college campus. Participants will gain valuable insights into the MLC while actively contributing to the MLC’s efforts to reach and educate songwriters.

“We’re thrilled to offer our first online micro-course as a way for students to learn about mechanical licensing and the MLC’s role in a self-paced course structure that includes the opportunity to test their understanding,” says Serona Elton, the MLC’s Head of Educational Partnerships.

“Additionally, our enhanced Student Ambassador Program not only provides professional development and networking opportunities for students, but it also empowers students to play an active role in helping music creators collect the revenue they are entitled to.”

The MLC’s Student Ambassador Program is a volunteer program open to all students currently enrolled in college or university courses, with no cost to participate and no geographic limitations. The MLC will provide participants with a variety of educational resources created specifically for students, access to exclusive virtual and in-person events, opportunities to engage directly with the MLC, and more.

Through this program, students will deepen their understanding of the MLC’s mission and efforts to serve songwriters and receive official recognition for their participation. The MLC’s Student Ambassador designation is valid for one academic period and may be renewed if all program requirements are successfully met.

To apply, students must complete the application process through the MLC’s online platform. Applicants are required to submit proof of current enrollment at an accredited college, university, or institute in the United States, and must successfully pass an online video assessment. Applications for the fall 2024 academic period are being accepted through September 30.

Photo Credit: Dr. Dre by Justin Davis / CC by 2.0

Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine expand their partnership into education with the opening of an ‘innovative’ new high school in Inglewood, California.

The legendary rapper/producer and the powerhouse executive are expanding their partnership into education with the opening of a new high school in Inglewood, California. Iovine, sans Dre, showed up in Inglewood on Monday (August 12) to unveil the Iovine and Young Center Integrated Design, Technology, and Entrepreneurship Magnet, due to open next year.

The school, which is part of the Inglewood Unified School District, will initially be open to just ninth graders, but will expand to include up to twelfth grade within several years.

“The center is designed to reshape the high school experience through an innovative education model that combines a rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum with real-world, team-based learning opportunities,” reads a statement from the school issued to Los Angeles’ Fox 11. “This IYC initiative is set to amplify Inglewood Unified School District’s focus on creating innovative and exciting pathways for high school students.”

“We believe that this will differentiate them in the workforce and colleges,” adds Iovine. “To go out and say you have an education in disciplinary learning, being able to collaborate with different disciplines and innovate is an advantage.”

The school will be located on the campus of a middle school set to close in June of next year, according to the L.A. Times. An additional four schools in the district will shut down by the time Iovine and Dre’s center opens up. But this is far from the duo’s only foray into education — they have another high school in L.A., as well as a learning center in Atlanta.

The Atlanta project, opening at the Frederick Douglass High School this coming school year, will initially be offered to students in the school’s ninth grade STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) Academy. Students enrolled in the program will have the opportunity to “explore diverse disciplines, businesses, and industries to bring solutions to the problems surrounding these areas.”

Over 60 Sony Music tracks are heading to Duolingo under a new licensing deal. Photo Credit: ilgmyzin

Sony Music Entertainment (SME) is officially bringing a portion of its catalog to Duolingo’s music course under a newly inked partnership agreement.

The major label and the language-learning app (NASDAQ: DUOL), which set in motion a music-focused expansion last year, unveiled the licensing pact today. At present, north of 60 SME recordings, including releases from Hozier, Meghan Trainor, and Whitney Houston, are said to be live on Duolingo Music.

(Having been available on iOS devices for some time, the app’s music offering is gradually rolling out on Android, according to Redditors.)

As described by the involved parties, that means users can explore everything from reading music to “differentiating notes by sound, sight, and key” with the mentioned Sony Music tracks.

All told, Duolingo’s music lessons now feature works from a total of more than 40 artists, and the company intends to shed additional light on the latest updates at the annual Duocon event next month.

For a bit of supplemental insight into the audience and revenue at hand, though, Duolingo reported over 34 million daily active users for Q2 2024, when revenue spiked 41% YoY to $178.3 million. Monthly active users exceeded 103 million, per the breakdown, including about eight million paid subscribers.

“Partnering with Duolingo gives us the opportunity to bring our artists’ music to a new platform that promotes learning and cultural exchange,” summed up Sony Music SVP of sync licensing Jessica Shaw. “Music has the power to unite and inspire, and this partnership will help learners engage with music education in a meaningful and enjoyable way.”

Beyond the educational byproducts of the tie-up, the Sony Music-Duolingo union underscores the ongoing embrace of licensing deals with well-established platforms that hadn’t previously embraced music.

Earlier this week, Universal Music and Meta announced a bolstered partnership encompassing, among other things, the integration of UMG’s catalog on WhatsApp for the first time. And in June, on the heels of extensive licensing woes, Twitch formally launched a DJ program with the majors as well as Merlin onboard.

Additionally, Merlin itself reupped with Meta in June and debuted that same month Merlin Connect, billed as a one-stop licensing solution tailored for “promising” emerging tech platforms.

In the bigger picture, the trend of bringing music to popular and heretofore unlicensed services appears to represent the logical next step for rightsholders after kicking off lucrative social media partnerships and then metaverse/gaming unions with the likes of Roblox as well as Fortnite.

Photo by Luke Heiber on Unsplash

As one of the earliest adopters of immersive music mixes, Alex Solano is the mixing engineer behind Dolby Atmos projects for labels like Atlantic Records, Photo Finish, NinjaTune, EMPIRE, Position Music, and many others. Solano’s company, AlexProMix, assists labels and distributors in leveraging revenue generation opportunities provided by Dolby Atmos formats.

The following recaps an interview of Alex Solano — Immersive Audio Specialist — with Music Business Insider. Solano’s AlexProMix is a company DMN is proud to be partnering with.

When Solano entered the Dolby Atmos world in 2021, the tech was expensive and complicated. Now, even though the tech has shifted and immersive audio is accessible to anyone with headphones, Solano points out that there’s still a financial cost and investment to ‘doing Dolby right.’

Speaking about the future of audio mixing, Alex Solano revealed the learning curve that led him to become a certified Dolby Atmos engineer. Solano also highlighted the incredible opportunities in store for striving immersive mixes’ engineers.

Because Solano was one of the early adopters of immersive audio in 2021, he faced challenges finding learning resources for Dolby Atmos. By creating educational videos on YouTube, Solano believes he’s paving an easier path for aspiring Dolby mixing engineers.

According to Solano, to do Atmos ‘right’ and experience it correctly requires a room with specialized equipment. “That’s what differentiates a bedroom producer working on headphones, making beats, and publishing their music from somebody experienced in the field and mixing in an immersive room of 12 speakers.”

It was Dolby Atmos that connected Solano to major labels to be certified. “I’m on the approved Dolby Atmos mixer list, which means that any producer, artist, or engineer who wants to convert their music into Atmos can do so. I’m already certified with Universal Music and Warner Music.”

Solano insists that artists and producers need to be aware of the fast-paced segue into Dolby Atmos. “When you look at the history of recorded technology and the switch from mono to stereo, engineers who could only work in mono became irrelevant.”

With a clientele that includes labels, publishers, and distributors, Solano says he’s experiencing a drive toward spatial audio. “My clients pitch their song to Apple, and Apple says, where’s the spatial audio? They’re like, what spatial audio? Apple says go find an engineer.”

“Based on feedback from professionals, music industry events, and the majors, all music formats supported in Dolby Atmos will soon be the standard for converting new music and back catalog music. Otherwise, music streaming services will not support it.”

“To get editorial playlisting, you must have that Dolby Atmos Master,” says Solano.

But what about AI-converted Dolby Atmos mixes? Solano reveals Apple is only accepting immersive mixes if they have the original stamps from a mixing engineer. “From a creative standpoint, no artist that invested in making their music sound great in stereo wants to run it through an AI algorithm. They want it to be remastered correctly.”

Now that Dolby Atmos technology is available to music mixers, creators, and producers via Apple, Tidal, and Amazon, Solano believes it unlocks a world of opportunities to reimagine music arrangements and mix music in a way that immerses the audience and the listener.

With widespread adaptation of gaming, immersive audio has ended up becoming a normal, everyday-experience for this generation. Solano believes artists can ‘future-proof ‘their music by adopting immersive formats.

Solano believes that once the music industry catches up and adapts to immersive audio, the tech will be ‘very common.’ “The fact that you can experience spatial audio on earbuds makes it accessible to anyone.”

Photo Credit: Yoto

Children’s audio platform Yoto scores a $22 million injection with $11 million coming from Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan.

Yoto, the British startup that makes an audio platform for children, recently scored a nearly $23 million funding round. Of this, $11 million was given by Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan’s Chan Zuckerberg Ventures, which acquired a nearly 10% stake in the company last year. Other existing shareholders include Paul McCartney, one of Yoto’s first investors.

Launched in 2017 by technophiles Ben Drury and Filip Denker, Yoto was created out of “concerns around the effects of excess screen time for young children, with potential negatives around sleep disruption, fine motor control development, and addictiveness of screens making us think twice about putting our kids in front of a screen.”

“Having met [while] working together in the digital music world, we really wanted to give our kids easy access to music and other audio content,” explains Drury and Denker. “So we came up with the idea of a connected, screen-free audio device that kids could be fully in control of using physical smartcards.”

The Yoto Player is an audio device aimed at children between the ages of three and 12, comprising Bluetooth features with an easy-to-use design that doesn’t require connecting to a phone. A slot at the top of the device can read Yoto cards, which enable it to read stories, podcasts, and other content, as well as play music. The device also features a basic pixel display that changes colors and can show the time.

“At Yoto, we have a vibrant culture of innovation. This new investment will not only help further the expansion of our best-in-class team that is at the forefront of driving growth across markets and products, but also provide the resources to develop our trusted ecosystem that brings value to so many families around the globe,” said Drury.

“While we focus on adapting, evolving, and expanding our offerings, our commitment to fostering independence and inspiration for children through listening, learning, and play remains at the heart of all we do and is core to continuing our trajectory of sustainable growth.”

Though Yoto Player doesn’t require a smartphone connection, the accompanying Yoto app can help adults set bedtime and wake-up routines, sleep timers, and other helpful family features.

The device also has its own exclusive content, including two songs from Paul McCartney’s latest album available. The platform’s original content includes licensed or co-created content from partners like Macmillan, Sony, Disney, Roald Dahl Story Company, HarperCollins, Viacom, and Scholastic. Yoto’s ever-expanding library is now over 1,200 cards strong, with modern classics and beloved characters from franchises like Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, and Sesame Street.

Photo Credit: Yousician

Billie Eilish partners with music education platform Yousician, featuring 30 hits — including her latest album, Hit Me Hard and Soft — for users to learn to play on guitar, bass, ukulele, and piano.

Yousician, a music instruction platform, has announced a partnership with Billie Eilish, featuring all 10 songs from her latest album, Hit Me Hard and Soft. The Billie Eilish Collection provides users the tools to learn over 30 of the artist’s songs on guitar, bass, ukulele, and piano, as well as vocals.

The platform provides music learners and fans an easy way to learn and play a range of hit songs, with lyrics, chords, step-by-step tutorials, and real-time individualized feedback. The new partnership marks Yousician’s latest with a major artist since Metallica in 2022, with past partnerships including Jason Mraz, Juanes, Disney and Pixar’s Soul, and Duolingo.

“Billie Eilish is an adventurer, exploring new musical ground with each release and reaching a broad and devoted audience with her work,” said Hadley Spanier, Yousician Global Head of Artist Partnerships & Industry Relations. “We’re thrilled to partner with Billie on our platform, especially because we are also adventurers — finding new and exciting ways for everyone to enjoy making music, and connecting our users with artists who want to share that joy.”

With the addition of her latest album on Yousician, the platform now carries 30 of her songs, including “bad guy,” “ocean eyes,” “Happier Than Ever,” and “Therefore I Am.” Yousician offers a 7-day free trial available on their website.

“Making music with people, even if it’s just jamming and having fun, is so special, magical, and bonding,” says Eilish, whose advice for learning a new instrument is to “just keep trying. Just a little bit every day really will go a long way. The most important thing: have fun with it,” she adds. “Make [the songs] yours.”

Billie Eilish’s third album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, was released globally on May 17 via Darkroom and Interscope Records, marking the biggest album debut of her career. This fall, she embarks on the North American leg of her tour in support of the album, with dates across Europe and Australia in 2025.

Photo Credit: Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland & Afrojack have announced a new PRO DJ module for the Online Tomorrowland Academy, built for DJs and producers to grow their skills.

The new program will offer Afrojack as a personal coach, giving people more than 15 years of award-winning know-how and experience in the music industry. The course features more than 30 hours of unique educational content, with lessons given by Afrojack himself and extensive tutorials in production, mixing, mastering, DJing, marketing, managing, mentality, and more.

A limited pre-sale for the course offers access to the Discord PRO Academy server for personal coaching from Afrojack. “For the first time ever, I’m going to share all of my music production secrets, my management secrets, and everything I’ve never learned from working in the music industry,” says Afrojack.

“After having billions of streams myself and having developed successful artists and DJs and producers into hundreds of millions of streams and worldwide performance, I’m now very happy to open the doors of WALL and the success we’ve had with WALL artist development to all artists and producers around the world through this collaboration with Tomorrowland.”

“It’s been amazing to have extended success throughout my career, working with and winning awards alongside incredible talents. I’m very excited to share everything I’ve learned from working with them and what I’ve learned developing successful artists like R3HAB, Chico Rose, and FAIS. The most important thing I’ve learned is it’s not about who you are, but about what you know. Everything starts with knowledge.”

Afrojack is one of the most experienced artists in the game who has worked with Bebe Rexha, Charli XCX, Madonna, Beyoncé, Chris Brown, David Guetta, Missy Elliott, Hardwell, Martin Garrix, Ne-Yo, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, Sia, Snoop Dogg, Sting, Tiësto, Ty Dolla $ign, and Wiz Khalifa. Early birds who subscribe to the Tomorrowland & Afrojack Present: WALL PRo Academy will receive a 20% discount during the pre-sale period.

Photo Credit: Berry Gordy / TGC Management

Motown founder Berry Gordy donates $5 million to the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music to establish the UCLA Berry Gordy Music Industry Center.

Berry Gordy, the founder of the iconic Motown Records, has pledged a $5 million donation to establish the UCLA Berry Gordy Music Industry Center at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. The new center, launching in the 2024-25 academic year, will position the school’s new music industry degree program as a national leader.

The center will buoy the school’s music industry program, which officially launched in 2023. Initiatives designed to enhance career support, interweaving the music industry program with programs designed to support students as they launch into their music industry careers — especially students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds — will be a key component to the center.

“I’m thrilled to create a center that provides opportunities for students at UCLA to prepare for careers in the music industry,” said Gordy. “Music is powerful, inspiring, universal, crossing over political, cultural, social, and economic barriers. It reaches ALL people and has been the guiding force in my life. These students will be the future innovators, artists, and executives that will lead us through the twenty-first century.”

“This center will position the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music to become the leading music industry program in the world,” said Eileen Strempel, inaugural dean of the school of music. “It will help empower us to recruit and attract the best faculty and students, and to conduct research in cutting-edge fields. Thanks to Mr. Gordy’s gift our program will be the leading force in shaping the twenty-first century music industry.”

The center will support the development of new courses and specialized curriculum in songwriting and production, as well as provide funding for the building of partnerships with primary and secondary schools to foster awareness of music industry careers. Research sponsored by the center will focus on the intersection of technology and streaming algorithms with the concerns of social justice.

The Berry Gordy Music Industry Center in the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music aims to maintain and expand upon Gordy’s teaching and mentoring legacy. In keeping with the School of Music’s philosophy that “music is best served when performance, academic research, and practical experience are combined,” the center will foster an interdisciplinary approach to creating an industry-integrated experience for its students.

Joel T. Jordan, the founder of Synchtank and co-founder of earthprogram has been chosen as a finalist for the ‘Leading Light Award’ at the Music Biz’s Bizzy Awards program.

The following was developed in collaboration with earthprogram, a company DMN is proud to be partnering with.

Speaking to Digital Music News about the nomination that highlights ‘executives working to make the music industry a better place to work,’ Jordan said, “This is an incredible honor to be nominated — let alone be a finalist with these other leaders in the industry who are focusing on real-life solutions to support artists, students, and executives alike.”

For this award specifically, Joel has donated his time and technology directly to University students to help them develop their knowledge of IP management and licensing processes. He is also committed to guiding them through the nuances of the various technologies they must master to succeed in the music business.

The Bizzy Awards is an industry-focused rework of Music Biz’s past awards. It celebrates companies and executives making great strides in advancing commerce within the entertainment sector.

The Leading Light award is presented to executives who demonstrate support for their employees through internal programs focused on enhancing mental health and wellness and maintaining a work-life balance. Jordan is among the top four contenders advancing to the final round of voting.

David Herlihy, Dean of Music at Northeastern University, nominated Joel for the Music Biz Leading Light Award because of his commitment to ‘making sure that creatives get paid, combined with his enthusiastic mentorship of the next generation of music industry professionals.’

Herlihy further applauded Synchtank, calling it a ‘best-of-its-breed digital asset and rights management system,’ adding, “Joel has graciously provided free access to Synchtank for Good Dog Licensing — Northeastern University’s student-run music sync service. Throughout this process, Joel has also selflessly given his time to guide students through integrating Synchtank into the Good Dog Service.”

Originally born out of the earthprogram office, Synchtank is a B2B provider of software tools for music rights holders and rights users (such as platforms, broadcasters, and production companies). The company aims to simplify complex rights, data, and licensing challenges for media companies.

earthprogram’s guiding mantra is to ‘give honest advice to everyone.’ The company provides private distribution, marketing, strategy, business development, and music publishing services to artists, labels, startups, and investors.

Photo Credit: Chartmetric

In an exciting development, Chartmetric has relaunched its Learning Hub, a cutting-edge platform designed to equip artists and aspiring industry professionals with the knowledge and analytical tools necessary for navigating today’s data-driven music landscape.

The following comes from Chartmetric, a company DMN is partnered with.

The relaunch, detailed on Chartmetric’s Learning Hub, marks a significant step forward in the company’s commitment to education and empowerment within the music sector.

“We are pleased to see the Chartmetric Learning Hub embraced by hundreds of students globally, including prestigious institutions like Berklee School of Music, New York University, and the International Music Business School, among many others. It’s a testament to our commitment to empowering the next generation of music industry professionals with the data insights to enhance their careers,” said Andreas Katsambas, President of Chartmetric.

Central to the Learning Hub’s offerings is the official LinkedIn certification available to individuals who successfully pass the Chartmetric exam. This certification is a key pillar of Chartmetric’s mission to equip emerging artists and industry professionals with the knowledge required to effectively use data to expand their audience and enhance their music careers.

The Learning Hub includes a range of resources to enhance users’ understanding and skills in music data analytics. These resources include video tutorials, a comprehensive music data glossary, informative help articles, and a complete study guide to prepare for the certification exam. The certification exam is complimentary, and new Chartmetric users are welcomed with a 30-day trial of the Premium tier to prepare for it.

Understanding the critical role of data in the music industry, Chartmetric has tailored its program to prepare students with the practical skills needed for success.

This includes the ability to find where an artist’s audience is concentrated on both a per-platform and geographic basis, leveraging playlist support metrics to adopt a data-driven approach to release strategies, researching the competition to stay up-to-date on the most cutting-edge practices for virality, and many more insights exclusively available on the Chartmetric platform.

Since its inception in 2022, the Chartmetric certification program has been embraced by over 20 universities worldwide, including the top music business programs, highlighting its relevance and value to future music leaders. With this relaunch, Chartmetric reaffirms its dedication to advancing the careers of those in the music industry through the power of data analytics, ensuring that the next generation of artists and professionals are well-equipped to thrive in an ever-evolving landscape.

For more information, visit the Chartmetric Learning Hub.

Photo Credit: Too Lost

Too Lost has announced it is expanding its offering with an ‘Office Hours’ weekly in-house community meeting group to help creators expand their playing field. The music and technology company already offers SaaS solutions for independent music creators—Office Hours builds upon that with knowledge sessions tailored to budding creators.

The following was created in collaboration with Too Lost, a company DMN is proud to be partnered with.

Hosted and created by Damien Ritter, Too Lost’s Director of Communication, the new ‘Office Hours’ will take place at the Too Lost offices on Mondays at 12 pm PST / 3 pm EST—while being streamed on Too Lost’s Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter presence. The weekly meeting is open to any indie artists, producers, and managers who are interested in learning strategies for growth as an artist in 2024.

A wide array of topics will be covered during these ‘Office Hours’ sessions that includes distribution, marketing, merchandising, publishing, touring, management, and more. Have a question about the industry that you want answered? That’s exactly what these ‘Office Hours’ are intended to help with for budding creatives in the music industry.

Host Damien Ritter has founded and grown a number of companies including The Music Entrepreneur Club and Black & Orange Management. He is also the former Co-Founder of Funk Volume, a Los Angeles-based record label that has been cited as a leader among independent rap labels. Funk Volume has achieved consistent Top 10 placements on Billboard and iTunes charts as well as media coverage in Forbes, Billboard, Spin, LA Weekly and others.

“Building and running an independent music business is extremely difficult,” Ritter told Digital Music News. “‘Office Hours’ gives artists and their teams a trusted and knowledgeable new source for information and a community to turn to for support along their journey.”

‘Office Hours’ weekly meetings have already featured some industry notable figures including Megh Vakharia (CEO of Symphony OS), Yan Snead (Music Programmer, SiriusXM + Pandora), Drew de Leon (Co-Founder of Digilogue), and Kevin Daragheh (Director of A&R at Genius Distro).

Photo Credit: Spotify

Spotify is testing a new video learning feature in the United Kingdom after partnering with educational tech companies including BBC Maestro, PLAYvirtuoso, Skillshare, and Thinkific.

Spotify Premium users in the United Kingdom can now view video courses for purchase alongside their favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks. The content available on Spotify covers a variety of topics in four themes—making music, getting creative, learning business, and healthy living.

“Testing video courses in the U.K. allows us to explore an exciting opportunity to better serve the news who have an active interest in learning,” says Babar Zafar, VP Product Development at Spotify. “Many of our users engage with podcasts and audiobooks on a daily basis for their learning needs, and we believe this highly engaged community will be interested in accessing and purchasing quality content from video course creators.”

“At Spotify, we’re constantly striving to create new offerings for our creators and users, and having built best-in-class personalized music and podcast offerings, we look forward to exploring the potential of video-based learning on Spotify.”

Spotify says it is exploring a potential opportunity to provide educational creators with a new audience to access their video content, with the potential to grow engagement numbers for Spotify. Spotify says around half of its Premium subscribers have engaged in education or self-help themed podcasts.

Spotify Premium users in the U.K. can find this new content in the home and browse tabs. It is only available for purchase on the desktop version, though once purchased it can be accessed on the Spotify mobile app.

Spotify Content Partners for Video Learning

• BBC Maestro | Education content created to inspire people to explore all aspects of their creativity. Features pre-recorded lessons and detailed course notes for learning a wide range of disciplines.
• PLAYvirtuoso | Artist-led courses, mentoring, and structured curriculums for learning to play many musical instruments.
• SkillShare | Online learning community for millions of creatives to deepen their skills across many disciplines.
• Thinkific Labs | Leading platform for creating, marketing, selling courses, digital products, building communities, and learning experiences.

Alex Solano of AlexProMix recaps the incredible evolution in Dolby Atmos and spatial audio mixing, how the current shift and technology upgrades underscore the industry’s commitment to innovation and enhanced listening experiences.

The following was developed in collaboration with AlexProMix, a company DMN is proud to be partnering with.

In 2021 when spatial audio came into the picture, the landscape was packed with technical limitations and challenges.

Music mixing engineer and early adopter of Dolby Atmos, Alex Solano, sat down with DMN to reveal his take on the monumental evolution of Dolby Atmos, the opportunities and challenges the shift now offers professionals, and how his mixing template allows professionals to create immersive mixes and stereo mixes simultaneously, within one session.

Today, the immersive audio landscape looks extremely promising for audio professionals, and opens up a multitude of creative and monetary opportunities. But the transition was a painstaking process, involving significant technical upgrades — including a minimum requirement of a 12-speaker setup and an investment in high-end equipment — alongside mastering the complexities of immersive audio mixing.

To fully appreciate Dolby Atmos music mixing advancements, it’s essential to understand the early obstacles and creative hurdles faced by audio mixers.

During the early days of immersive mixes, collaborative innovations between Avid Pro Tools and Dolby were designed to optimize the music-mixing process. But Dolby Atmos mixing in Pro Tools involved complex setups, with separate applications for Pro Tools and the Dolby Atmos Renderer.

The configuration also limited the use of outboard gear due to the integrated closed-system linking Pro Tools with the Dolby Renderer.

Typically, audio experts also needed a separate computer to operate the Dolby Renderer for speaker routing. This setup was expensive, and required the coordination of multiple systems to function effectively within a music production environment.

“No longer could you create a mix on headphones and check the mix in your car,” explains Solano, adding, “With Atmos, a minimum requirement of a 7.1.4 speaker setup is necessary to ensure your immersive mixes translate to multi-channel playback systems.”

The initial setup also enforced a two-stage creation and approval process, stifling creativity and workflow.

After creating an artist’s stereo mix, mixing engineers would have to seek approval before they exported the pre-mastering processed stems into a new session that was designed for immersive audio. After making a Dolby Atmos mix, the engineers would then be required to seek out artist approval once again.

Apart from this constant back and forth for creation and approval, the process of matching the tonality of the stems to the stereo master was also incredibly complex.

Mixing engineers needed a solution that would allow them to implement multiple sound cards simultaneously. According to Solano, that turning point came with the launch of AUX I/O in Pro Tools.

The feature laid the groundwork for more integrated solutions, and more flexible audio routing — including the Dolby Atmos Renderer to different destinations. Although the solutions improved the workflow, Solano says mixers and engineers still faced stability and latency management challenges with AUX I/O.

“Expanding track widths in Pro Tools to accommodate up to 9.1.6 configurations opened new possibilities for mixing, enabling more seamless integration of stereo and immersive formats,” Solano explains. But despite the initial challenges, Solano says these developments opened up possibilities in mixing technology, and hinted at the development of a unified mixing template — ‘one that could cater to stereo and immersive outputs.’

AUX I/O in ProTools marked a significant turning point in allowing the implementation of multiple sound cards. (Photo: AlexProMix)

However, ‘the game changer in the spatial audio space’ came at the end of 2023, when Pro Tools introduced the integrated Dolby Renderer.

The integration facilitated the simultaneous processing of immersive and stereo mixes, and directly routed stems to the Renderer. Furthermore, the capability to monitor binaural and stereo mixes through dedicated AUX tracks further enhanced the mixing process, ensuring consistency across different listening formats.

“Multi-channel plugins offer tailored processing for immersive formats, and multi-mono plugins apply uniform effects across all channels.”

Solano also points out that the distinction between multi-channel vs multi-mono plugins, and understanding their unique application is vital for achieving the desired tonal balance and dynamic range — in both immersive and stereo mixes. “Multi-channel plugins offer tailored processing for immersive formats, and multi-mono plugins apply uniform effects across all channels.”

Parallel to these advancements, early adopter Solano was investing his expertise in creating a mix template that streamlines the mixing process, while ensuring the quality and emotional impact of music is elevated. “The template brings the artist’s vision to life in an immersive sonic environment, while creating an Atmos and Stereo master that are consistent in the emotional impact of the mix,” he says.

Solano’s immersive music template shares insights and practices that can enrich the mixing workflow, opening the gateways for more creators to explore immersive audio’s incredible possibilities.

A distraught TikTok user. Photo Credit: Michael Heise

Let the muting begin: Amid a high-profile licensing dispute between TikTok, Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) and its mega-label parent UMG, the short-form app is officially axing the audio from videos containing certain protected works.

ByteDance-owned TikTok confirmed to Digital Music News that it had started muting the relevant clips – meaning those featuring songs owned or co-owned by UMPG songwriters and UMG artists, that is. While the audio removal’s precise extent (and the exact acts affected) is unclear at present, the sizable undertaking is already impacting certain uploads that include the music of commercially prominent acts, according to an examination of social-media posts and TikTok videos.

And as it follows through with the mass-muting, TikTok will also have to target all videos with recordings containing UMPG-owned publishing – an extremely large collection of clips to say the least that goes beyond the UMG umbrella.

More immediately, the development is eliciting less-than-thrilled feedback from Gen Z TikTok diehards, who are, in effect, seeing creative efforts of personal significance (and possibly monetary importance) dismantled. Needless to say, the step further means that the involved musicians’ tracks cannot be added to new TikToks.

“My edits were a victim of TikTok’s audio removal and I’m so sad what the hell now,” one ticked-off TikToker vented on Twitter/X.

“Universal Music Group has officially removed @PaulaAbdul’s catalog off TikTok due to not renewing their contract w/ the platform,” confirmed a Paula Abdul fan account, including for good measure a screenshot showing TikTok’s “sound removed due to copyright restrictions” notice.

“Nah they wasted no time,” another individual penned, bringing attention to the situation’s comparatively little-discussed impact on video creators. “My music videos are on MUTE on TikTok… Thankfully my best performing videos did not have a background music and I used my own voice because I would’ve just died 😭”

No resolution to the licensing standoff seems to be in sight, and particularly given TikTok superfans’ early comments (written, in a testament to the platform’s global reach, in a variety of languages), it’ll be worth closely monitoring the episode’s usership byproducts moving forward.

“Man this UMG audio removal from TikTok is so devastating,” one person wrote, appearing to indicate that he or she will upload fewer clips due to the widespread muting. “I don’t even feel like editing any videos for now, like what if they mute it the instant I upload it? I would’ve wasted hours of editing.”

“Right I know the people that run #tiktok are weird banning people for things that are not true if they actually watch the vids etc or live streams but to mute clips for copyright when the music is from THIER OWN SOUNDS COLLECTION???” raged a self-described gaming content creator.

On the other side of the showdown, logic and evidence suggest that Universal Music is encountering far less difficulty – and not solely because it doesn’t have to mute the videos in question or grapple with the complaints of more than a few irked users.

“TikTok accounts for only about 1% of our total revenue,” Universal Music claimed earlier this week of the disagreement’s seemingly manageable fiscal fallout. UMG stock’s per-share worth experienced a small valuation decline during today’s trading but finished just one dollar or so beneath its 52-week high.

Music industry veterans (and identical twins) Jason Jordan and Joel T. Jordan originally founded earthprogram in 1996, relaunching it in 2020 with a guiding mantra to ‘give honest advice to everyone.’ The industry incubator offers expert consulting and business development services to artists, labels, startups, and ‘green’ investors.

For artists, earthprogram’s goal is to expand creative output and capture audience attention by strategically collaborating and marketing across multiple platforms. According to Jason, principal and cofounder of earthprogram, his team’s expertise and extensive network of music industry partnerships place it ‘at the tip of the spear’ with the right relationships.

In that vein, Jason revealed a collaboration with Virgin Music for distribution and IP protection, RoyFi for ‘no bulls—t funding options,’ and That Pitch ‘to supply music to sync and licensing companies.’

Apart from consulting and business development, other primary verticals include publishing and licensing via a joint venture with Empire, as well as sync and music distribution for qualified artists and labels. Just recently, earthprogram joined forces with DMN to further expand their footprint.

Earthprogram was born out of the realization that many artists are blatantly green about how the business actually works, with preconceived ideas causing them to make moves — early in their careers — that irreversibly destroy any chances of future success.

Jason relayed that multiple artists he met at Canadian Music Week were shocked that their tracks didn’t capture any attention on streaming platforms and that ‘no one cared about their music.’

What went wrong? “Playlisting is not a marketing strategy,” says Jason, explaining that musicians that had put their entire album online at once and ‘simply blew their investment when we could have strung that out over a year, and they could have built a story leading to a career on it.’

As for the potential of DIY platforms to kickstart artist careers, Jason agreed that it can be a great idea to do it yourself. However, artists shouldn’t ‘do it alone’ — because expert advice can help them ‘do it better.’

In an industry where a major label deal is considered a ticket to surefire success, Jason clarifies that the odds are not in favor of rising artists who want to build a career on the back of a viral track.

Jason dives into the practice of labels picking up successful or viral musicians with ‘predatory’ label deals. “Labels expect artists to arrive with an audience and team that’s ready to go,” he adds, explaining that on the contrary, earthprogram’s infrastructure and significant label knowledge cultivate an ecosystem where artists, musicians, writers, and producers can connect to the channels and resources they need to ‘produce high-quality content and distribute it commercially.’

“Rising artists have close to zero chance of ever being heard,” says Jason, adding, “Nobody is cheerleading for these artists, or going to a distribution company and saying ‘please put this on a playlist or get this to the right person at Spotify’.”

“That’s what we’re offering: the expertise and channel relationships to make all the difference,” relays Jason. The brothers forged these relationships over 30 years while holding key music industry leadership positions — but it all started in their parents’ basement.

After creating a ‘highly collectible hardcore punk label’ out of said basement — one that snowballed into a real business by the time they turned 18 — the duo experienced incredible success. As a result, Jason was only 20 years old when he became Director of A&R at Sony Music Entertainment’s Columbia Records.

From Columbia Records, Jason went on to serve as VP A&R at Disney’s Hollywood Records, President of Imagem Music Publishing, Senior VP A&R at Universal’s Republic Records — plus notable senior positions at ONErpm, Symphonic, and self-founded Watermark Records.

Creative director and cofounder of earthprogram, Joel T. Jordan — similarly driven from the pair’s basement punk label success — is also the founder and president of Synchtank, a cloud-based licensing and rights management platform launched in 2011 — with clients like NFL, ESPN, Vice Media, WMG, Disney, and more.

According to Mike Glaser, partner and General Manager of earthprogram, it’s essential to ‘bet on yourself’ and build something sustainable that can be embraced by multiple platforms — ‘instead of a shot up on TikTok and a quick 6-month burst of attention before you’re dead.’

Glaser calls earthprogram the ‘expert tour guide for the jungle of the music industry,’ helping artists strategize, create content that matters, and ‘figuring out exactly what is missing in the puzzle to get the results they’re looking for.’

The platform’s successfully incubated artists include Grace Gaustad, who was — not so long ago — barely scratching the surface of viral stardom. Today, Gaustad boasts over 25 million views on a 2018 cover song, released an album and multimedia experience titled BLKBX: What r u hiding?, has starred in a film of the same title, and was featured in 2021’s Stand Up For Heroes benefit alongside Bruce Springsteen and Brandi Carlile.

Then there’s earthprogram’s rising hard rock artist, Josh Lambert. Known for working with the likes of Sleeping With Sirens’ singer Kellin Quinn and North Ave Jax, Lambert has charted multiple times on iTunes in the Top 5, is rated among the top 50 artists on Chartmetric, and successfully toured twice with RIVALS. Lambert’s latest album, Escape from Alcatraz, released in October 2023 and gained critical acclaim for pushing forward the punk genre. Earthprogram continues to work alongside Josh on strategy and global distribution.

Jason emphasizes the importance of ‘having a plan,’ adding, “If there’s no strategy, nothing’s going to happen.”

Anyone considering diving into the music industry can leverage earthprogram’s network and experience to create a plan.

“We also like to say, ‘we have the map,’” Jason relays, adding that even though the consultancy runs the plan, ‘it’s the artists and creators helping create the plan, based on what they want strategically.’ Jason also reveals that earthprogram’s consultancy is ‘either high-touch or low-touch’ — depending on how much they want them involved.

“So we can be in their laps or at arm’s length; they can decide. If they don’t need anything beyond just a quick kick in the ass, we can do that too.”

Jason believes earthprogram’s strongest suit is its relationships with distributors ‘that make all the difference.’ “We have the same facilities as the majors. We know the same marketing people, techniques, and tactics. But we get the results faster.”

It’s common knowledge that rising artists rarely have the financial resources to invest in publishing and marketing — so paying for success consultancy seems like a stretch. On that front, Glaser reveals that earthprogram offers a hybrid of retainer fees or a percentage of earnings. “We have fair deals that are expedited though our funding partners without offering predatory record label deals.”

According to Glaser, artists who qualify for consultancy can advance their earnings without selling their rights, and earthprogram’s retainers are so small that anybody who’s serious about their career can benefit from the offering. “We offer packages that start at only a few hundred dollars all the way up — depending on what they need. We can provide something useful for everybody.”

Photo Credit: Eric Dekker

Talent agency Wasserman Music is teaming up with Howard University for its second year of their Music Business Insights Program.

The Wasserman Music x Howard University Music Business Insights Program was created to provide guidance, support, and inspiration to students seeking careers in all corners of the music industry. The program will encompass class takeovers and curriculum contributions for 30-60 participating students who will engage directly with leaders from across the entertainment business—from top execs at Wasserman Music, Live Nation, Atlantic Records, and award-winning singer-songwriter and producer Cautious Clay.

“We are thrilled to return to Howard University with an incredible new slate of speakers and leaders from across the entertainment industry, and the opportunity to empower another group of outstanding students who have the potential to help shape the future of the music business,” adds Denise Melanson, Senior Director of Social Impact for Wasserman.

This year’s program will cover subjects across the full spectrum of the music business, including artist management, tour booking and promotion, music publishing, live event management, marketing, and more, with guest lectures from influential entertainment executives. This year’s roster of guest lecturers and panelists includes:

• Sam Alpert | SVP/Marketing — Wasserman Music
• Lee Anderson | EVP & Managing Executive, Wasserman Music
• Callender | Vice President, Wasserman Music
• Cautious Clay | Singer, Songwriter, Producer
• Anthony Cotton | Production Manager, Wasted Potential
• Doug Foley | Account Manager, Artist Services, Seated
• Gavin Ryan | Senior Director, Marketing, Big Beat & Atlantic Records
• Jenifer Smith | Head of Urban Tour Marketing, US Concerts, Live Nation

“Our experience with Wasserman Music last year was unparalleled—from the brilliance and creativity of the agents, executives, artists, producers, and agency partners who came to participate each week to this multi-city summer internship that several of our students got to experience at Wasserman,” says Pat Parks, Assistant Professor & Area Coordinator of the Theatre Arts Administration Program at the Chadwick. A Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University.

Photo Credit: Metallica

Metallica announces the winner of their Metallica Marching Band Competition, with $85,000 in musical instruments and equipment going to the school’s music program.

Metallica’s James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo have chosen the winners of the Metallica Marching Band Competition, announcing the results Sunday night on social media. The top spot went to the Auburn University Marching Band in Alabama, which also earned the honor of fan favorite, which was determined via online voting. Auburn will receive a total of $85,000 in musical instruments and equipment for the school’s programs.

The Auburn University Marching Band was one of 450 marching bands from colleges and high schools across the United States who entered the contest, which Metallica announced back in April.

Notaby, two other marching bands from Alabama — the Cleveland High School Golden Force Band and the Pell City High School Marching Band of Gold — were among the top five finalists in the contest’s high school division, while Texas schools also made a strong showing.

Marching bands submitted YouTube videos of their ensembles playing a Metallica song from a curated list of 13, including “Enter Sandman,” “Fade to Black,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and “Master of Puppets.” The finalists were selected by a team of seven judges, all of whom are professional musicians with experience as band directors and educators.

This was the first year of the Metallica Marching Band Contest, which promises to be an annual event, according to representatives for the band.

The full list of finalists is below:

Collegiate Division 1 ($75,000 in prizes)

• Auburn University (fan favorite, additional $10,000 in prizes)
• Fresno State University
• Iowa State University
• University of Iowa
• University of Texas at Austin

Collegiate Division 2 & 3 ($40,000 in prizes)

• Eastern New Mexico University
• Blinn College
• Manchester University
• West Texas A&M University
• Western Illinois University

High School Division, Small, Medium, & Large ($15,000 each in prizes)

Large

• Dobyns-Bennett High School — Kingsport, TN (fan favorite, additional $10,000 in prizes)
• Lambert High School — Suwanee, GA
• Lorena High School — Lorena, TX
• Austin High School — Sugarland, TX
• Pell City High School — Pell City, AL

Medium

• Boerne High School — Boerne, TX (TIE)
• Malverne High School — Malverne, NY (TIE)
• Desert Mountain High School — Scottsdale, AZ
• DeWitt High School — DeWitt, MI
• Kell High School — Kennesaw, GA

Small

• Oakton High School — Vienna, VA
• Cleveland High School — Cleveland, AL
• Edinburg High School — Edinburg, TX
• Oologah High School — Oologah, OK
• Valhalla High School — El Cajon, CA

Muse Group has acquired Hal Leonard. Photo Credit: Muse

Audacity owner Muse Group has acquired sheet music publisher Hal Leonard as part of a deal supported by capital from Francisco Partners.

Cyprus-based Muse and 76-year-old Hal Leonard emailed DMN today about the transaction, with the Kobalt parent Francisco Partners having put out a separate announcement. According to its website, Hal Leonard boasts a “catalog of more than one million available titles,” besides operating (among other things) ArrangeMe, through which professionals can sell their own arrangements.

Meanwhile, Muse platforms will soon feature Hal Leonard’s content and arrangements “in digitized, interactive formats,” per the music technology company, which also said that Ultimate Guitar and MuseScore alone attract north of 300 million visitors annually.

All told, Francisco Partners indicated that the united businesses, which are poised to keep on operating independently, will encompass “a content library of over 5.5 million scores, tabs, books, video courses, backing tracks, and presets.”

Beyond this sizable library, the involved parties made clear their belief that the StaffPad parent Muse will deliver “significant creator software and technical innovation” to Hal Leonard from a digital perspective.

On the other side of the equation, Hal Leonard’s “educational expertise” is expected to set the stage for Muse to bring its “offering to music learners of all skill levels, through both crafted curriculums and pioneering AI-powered tools.”

Elaborating upon the point, Hal Leonard chairman and CEO Larry Morton in a statement relayed that the “partnership will create more music makers worldwide and will lead to even more advances in music education technology.”

“Hal Leonard and Muse have been working closely together in commercial partnerships for over fifteen years and have built trust and mutual respect over that time,” continued the longtime exec Morton. “Combining the strengths of both companies is a truly exciting prospect, full of potential ways to grow the music industry in new directions.”

Although Francisco Partners opted against disclosing the precise financial and ownership details associated with the deal, it did communicate that the post-combination operation will use the “investment to accelerate organic and inorganic growth.”

Muse and Hal Leonard, Francisco Partners proceeded to spell out, are “actively looking to partner with innovators in the sector.”

“We are excited to partner with Muse Group and Hal Leonard to help enable their combination and usher in the joint company’s next stage of growth,” expanded Francisco Partners co-head of Europe Matt Spetzler. “The combined business will offer its customers unparalleled content and technology focused on music learning across digital, print, and educational channels.”

Photo Credit: Sam Cumming

A new partnership between Pepsi and independent music industry giant Empire launches the Pepsi Music Academy to help bolster the development of the Nigerian music industry.

Pepsi Nigeria has partnered with independent label and global music industry giant Empire to launch the Pepsi Music Academy (PMA) to further the development of the Nigerian music industry.

According to Segun Ogunleye, General Manager of Marketing at Seven-Up Bottling Company, at a press conference in Lagos, PMA will cater to the discovery and incubation of talent across all facets of the music industry to further support the music ecosystem.

Ogunleye explained the academy will expose participants to “intense industry education” from a meticulously curated faculty of music business leaders who have contributed significantly to the global growth of Afrobeats and Nigerian music.

Thirty people will be selected to attend a 10-day summit. Three finalists from the academy will receive a wealth of benefits: a new SUV, a two-year living allowance, an opportunity to be a Pepsi influencer, having their music produced by Grammy Award-winning producers Sarz, Masterkraft, Blaisebeatz, and P.Priime, a music video production sponsored by the brand, and a two-year developmental recording deal with Empire.

“Pepsi has been one of the most prominent promoters of Afrobeats, and we are keen to sustain and expand the current success recorded by enabling a structure that would maintain the global dominance of Afrobeats,” said Ogunleye.

“Afrobeats, which is now exported globally, has become more unaffordable for the average Nigerian, and with PMA, we will be raising the next set of industry talents to grow Afrobeats and continue to make fun moments more accessible to our consumers.”

“This is the reason we have partnered with a global music entity, Empire, to birth the Pepsi Music Academy. The Pepsi Music Academy will be a game-changer for the music industry because it will not just be a platform to discover, nurture, and empower music talents — it will also provide a rounded education for young individuals who are interested in other aspects of music, such as A&R, legal, public relations, marketing, (and) sound engineering, among others.”

Empire’s Regional Head of West Africa, Mobolaji Kareem, asserted the partnership with Pepsi serves as a landmark project for the next generation of music industry talent to further expand the global dominance of Afrobeats.

With the rise of audio technologies such as Dolby Atmos on streaming platforms, spatial audio has become unmissable for all artists. Whether we discuss the perspective of well-established musicians or emerging artists, there’s no denying that the music industry is evolving, and leaning more and more toward a potential new standard of audio experience.

Sweetwater has been a long-term partner of Digital Music News, which is proud to share this news.

Apple Music launched the Dolby Atmos format on its platform in 2021, making waves in music streaming by giving significant visibility to new immersive audio formats. The following year, the platform reported that most of their listeners (80%) had switched to the spatial audio format. What does that widespread adaptation mean for music professionals?

Spatial Audio Well On Its Way to Become A New Standard

First things first: spatial audio is special because it matches a human’s natural perception of sound. At any given time, the human mind perceives and registers multiple sources of noise from our environment. There are several sources of sound when we walk down a street, for example. But when we listen to music in a stereo format, we receive only two sources of sound. With spatial audio, sound sources instantly jump to 37.

Thanks to its partnership with Apple Music, Dolby Atmos is now one of the most well-known formats. Developed by Dolby Lab, it allows the listener to be surrounded in immersive 3D sound. However, that is only one of the many gifts spatial audio brings to the table.

It goes without saying that any spatial audio format has to be taken seriously by all music professionals — especially artists and producing teams.

But there are two primary reasons why industry professionals should stay up to date on the spatial audio trend, and fully embrace it.

• • • To fit the requirements of music streaming platforms and maximize chances of getting playlisted, Dolby Atmos mastering is quickly becoming crucial for artists. Over the last couple of years, the audience for spatial audio mixes seems to be growing. Reports also suggest listener engagement for this format is higher than older formats.
    • With spatial audio, artistic vision can attain entirely new dimensions of listener experience. Major labels are in a rush to re-record and remaster back catalogs of some of the most influential artists. However, these actions of remastering tracks are not binary. Re-coloring music and dividing parts of it is highly subjective and specific equipment is required to get the job done right. All in all, spatial audio is taking up more space. It is giving artists more freedom to engage and attain specific aesthetics that fit their creative vision during studio mixing.

Staying Ahead Of The Curve: The Best Practices

So what now? Spatialized audio does make significant new promises for the creative process. However, to ensure that mixes fit an artist’s unique goals and ideas, the right equipment is crucial. Whether we talk about a home recording studio or a more professional space, the right setup is key. Every artist, producer, or music professional has their expertise and specialty. But when we talk about technical recording details in a studio, not everyone is capable of tackling it effectively.

When setting up a studio with the intention and the gear to create music in these new formats, you need to rely on the right people to guide you and set it up.

This collaboration-led excellence is what Sweetwater had in mind. After starting as a recording studio, gearing up to be on the cutting edge of technology, they created a commercial audio offer that could potentially benefit any music professional. From designing to building, the equipment can be expertly handled and utilized. However, the way these tools are leveraged is what will make or break the final track.

It’s all about learning from experience and artistic perception — something Sweetwater launched in their studio with workshops and masterclasses. But what happens once the tracks are finalized as perfectly as possible?

Making Sure That Music Is Rendered The Right Way

If we’re working on creating better music, higher-quality audio, and finding a better way to convey emotion through music, listeners should be able to hear it anywhere. When composing and mixing in a studio, we consider how it would sound at home or in cars. However, venues such as stores, restaurants, or even elevators are often overlooked. This new technology and format demands novel requirements of how we play music in outdoor venues and businesses. If these places aren’t equipped with the right hardware to deliver new formats, how can we render the music the way it was created?

With a focus on solving this problem, Sweetwater launched their Commercial Audio service. This bespoke service designs, builds, and installs the entire sound system in accordance with architectural and budgetary limitations. For obvious reasons, nobody expects contractors or business owners to be well versed in sound systems’ and speakers’ technical aspects and placement in various spaces. Sweetwater will take the initiative to create the right spatial audio atmosphere for any public place.

Spatial audio has introduced a new vision of how music is formulated, created, and broadcasted. As a result of this evolution, the general perception of music is also gradually shifting. Demand for this format continues to grow, leading to inevitable implications for the music industry and the broader retail side.

About Sweetwater

From a recording studio to the first online retailer of commercial audio in the US, Sweetwater has made the journey deeply rooted in professional music. Having gone through the discovery of spatial audio and the testing and setting up of new equipment, Sweetwater has gained extensive experience of spatial audio, and how it will impact the industry. One of the first steps that should be taken is picking up the right hardware for listening to audio. That focus will vastly impact the creative process in a studio — and amplify the final listener experience.

With the capability of setting up sound systems in recording studios, hair salons, and even Olympic stadiums, Sweetwater is here to support upgrades and developments. Recording arts is a job in itself; yours is music!

Photo Credit: Mark Rowes

Music-inspired endurance competition event Music Mudder 2023 raises over $74,000 for Nordoff and Robbins music therapy charity.

Music Mudder 2023, the highly contested music-inspired endurance event organized by talent agency Wasserman Music, successfully raised over £61,000 ($74,456) for music therapy charity, Nordoff and Robbins. Hosted by Capital’s Kemi Rodgers, the event saw over 400 competitors across 52 teams from all corners of the industry tackle 40-plus obstacles at the legendary Camelot Events “Nuts Challenge” course on Friday, September 15.

After crossing the finish line and receiving their Music Mudder medals, teams celebrated in the scorching sun with tunes from DJ ASVP while trying their luck in a prize draw that helped to raise even more money. Post-race pizza was provided, along with drinks supplied by Magic Number and Noble Water.

Live Nation won the top prize for fundraising, having raised over £4,700 in donations on their JustGiving page. Oscar Tuttiett on the AEG Presents B team completed the 7km course in the fastest individual time at 53 minutes 34 seconds, helping the AEG Presents B team to take the top spot as the fastest overall team with an average of 1 hour 3 minutes 20 seconds.

“Music Mudder 2023 was incredible, with hundreds of people facing the mud head-on to help raise vital funds for Nordoff and Robbins. A huge thank you to everyone that took part and donated, and to Wasserman Music for partnering with us once again as we encourage the next generation of industry leaders to engage with our mission,” said Sandy Trappitt, Deputy Director of Fundraising at Nordoff and Robbins. “All money raised from Music Mudder goes directly towards providing music therapy across the UK, helping people to connect and communicate through the power of music.”

“This year’s Music Mudder was the biggest, toughest, and muddiest one yet!” added Lucy Putman, Agent at Wasserman Music. “The atmosphere across the day was buzzing, and it was so great to see such camaraderie as the teams took on slides, tunnels, trenches, scramble nets, mud lakes, and more in the name of music therapy. We’re so happy to have raised over £61,000 for Nordoff and Robbins, and we’re already planning for Music Mudder 2024, so register now to take on this unique challenge — raising money for an amazing cause whilst entering into some friendly, muddy competition with your peers.”

The UK’s largest music therapy charity, Nordoff and Robbins takes a unique approach shaped by over 60 years of practice. By harnessing the power of music, Nordoff and Robbins’ trained music therapists help break through the barriers caused by illness, disability, and social isolation, creating space for people to express themselves and find connection. The charity reaches thousands of people through bases across the UK, and by working in partnership with organizations, including care homes, schools, and hospitals.

Registrations are open now for Music Mudder 2024, taking place on Friday, September 13, 2024.

The Saudi panel at the 2023 All That Matters Conference: (r-l) Paul Pacifico, CEO of Saudi Music Commission, Haya Alhejailan, Musician from Saudi Arabia & Carlo Nohra, COO of Saudi Pro League (photo: Digital Music News)

CEO of the recently-formed Saudi Music Commission, Paul Pacifico, revealed that the organization ‘seeks to unleash the creative and commercial potential of music in Saudi Arabia.’

During a discussion panel at the 2023 All That Matters (ATM) conference in Singapore, Pacifico highlighted his opinions on how the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) aims to become a powerful player in the music industry. The discussion centered around music progress in the Kingdom after Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman officially established the Saudi Music Commission in February of 2020.

Controversy has shrouded similar non-oil expansions by the country. KSA has been criticized for using sports and culture to deflect from more critical events occurring in the Kingdom.

Pacifico admitted that the ongoing controversy and criticism was a serious concern when he was asked to run the commission. He added that he sees the initiative as an opportunity to redefine the Kingdom’s global music presence.

The presence of a Commission focused on expanding Saudi music represents a major shift by the country. Until five years ago, KSA prohibited music. Now, according to Pacifico, public performances are encouraged and promoted. “Things are changing in KSA, which is why the Kingdom wants to build an entire music segment,” Pacifico relayed.

Haya Alhejailan, a female Saudi musician, also shared her first-hand experience witnessing performance arts reform within the Kingdom. Alhejailan explained how, in the past, she could only play her guitar in the privacy and secrecy of her home. Now, she performs on festival stages alongside her band.

To provide avenues for the promotion of musicians in the region and build an ecosystem that helps them grow, the Kingdom has made hefty investments in music.

KSA is one of the key players in the dynamic MENA region, where recorded music revenue grew by 23.8% in 2022. Naturally, the music industry’s fastest-growing region has become a significant focal point for the global music industry. This progression is a beacon of light for artists who have struggled with the challenges and lack of opportunities presented by the KSA’s former policies.

After a desert site outside Riyadh hosted one of the world’s largest raves in November 2022, the city now sees more than $64 billion in entertainment investment. Much of that investment fund will go towards promotion of the live music industry.

Not long ago, musical opportunities were altogether inaccessible for young Saudi musicians. Surfing this wave of new investments, the Kingdom’s youth now foresee a future in establishing their musical careers. They may also be in a position to demand more performance venues and musical resources.

KSA’s surprising new inclination and the Saudi Music Commission’s apparent commitment to it spell possible opportunities for Saudi artists. But this burgeoning industry also represent opportunities for the global music industry.

If KSA continues its leap toward music growth, it requires experienced music professionals and technology — instructors, labels, and music instrument manufacturers — to help it succeed.

On that note, Pacifico revealed that the Kingdom’s plans to train and hire thousands of new music teachers and introduce music to children as early as kindergarten. Pacifico added that KSA’s sincere commitment is what compelled him to become part of the ‘massive change.’

Prince Salman’s aim to create a thriving music industry is part of the ruler’s larger ambition to diversify the Kingdom’s economy beyond oil — which currently accounts for more than half of the country’s revenue.

In 2016, Prince Salman unveiled the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan, which sought to transform the country from a nation heavily relying on oil exports to one nurturing an ecosystem where talent thrives. The Kingdom has since launched efforts to place creativity, youth, and women at the hub of all its initiatives.

In tandem with Vision 2030, KSA also established the General Entertainment Authority to highlight KSA’s goals for its economic future. One of its many objectives was to increase household spending on entertainment activities within the Kingdom. With a focus on that aspect, the ruler launched widespread policy changes, beginning with removing restrictions on public entertainment events. Since then, the country, with a population of 34.8 million, has reported substantial economic and social growth.

The 2023 ATM conference took place from September 11th to September 13th.

Since its inception in 2006, the ATM conference has taken place a week before the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix every year. Industry professionals gather on the island to discuss ‘matters’ of sports, gaming, marketing, Web3 — and among others — music.

This year, ATM conference attendees included CEO of Primary Wave Larry Mestel, cofounder and co-CEO of Beatdapp Andrew Batey, CEO of Chartmetric Sung Cho, and representatives of other major companies like TikTok, Venice Music, Bandwagon, WMG, UMG, SME, Believe, YouTube, Spotify, Meta, Google, Luminate, Netflix, and many others.

Photo Credit: Kenneth C. Zirkel / CC by 4.0

Brandeis University announces plans to discontinue its doctoral programs in composition, music theory, and musicology in a letter to academic staff.

Massachusetts’ Brandeis University has notified its academic staff in a letter of its plans to discontinue its two Ph.D. programs in composition, music theory, and musicology. The university claims it would allocate the savings from the doctoral programs toward its undergraduate music program to make it comparable to “those at elite liberal arts colleges.”

Brandeis has enjoyed a long history as the alma mater of some of America’s most prevalent musical talent, including composers Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland. Several prominent Brandeis alums have written an open letter to the university’s administrative staff to warn of these changes’ impending threat to the school’s heritage.

“As some of you know, our Provost told us in May that the Musicology graduate program at Brandeis would be put on hiatus, with the intention of restoring it when the University’s finances improved,” wrote Assistant Professor Emily Frey Giansiracusa. “The administration told us today that both Musicology and Composition will be put on hiatus following this year — now with the intention of closing them permanently and shifting their scant resources to the sciences.”

The chair of the music department at Brandeis and a former dean of its graduate school, Eric Chasalow, recently told the Boston Globe that he suspected the university would prioritize funding science programs over the arts and humanities.

Frey Giansiracusa continues: “This recommendation was made in spite of the results of an 18-month-long review of all Brandeis Ph.D. programs, which found that Musicology and Composition ranked at or very near the top of all programs by every metric the Ph.D. review team claimed to value. These elements included job placement rate, attrition, matriculation, and many other measures by which we were found to be excellent.”

“Regrettably, the decision to trim a marginal fraction of the budget has sent waves of uncertainty throughout a national network of institutions,” the open letter reads. “This decision conveys the notion that music lacks the value to merit the limited resources it currently receives. The elimination of a high-achieving program not only adversely affects its own faculty, students, and alumni but also casts a shadow over the entire academic landscape of the arts.”

Photo Credit: School of Rock

Become a School of Rock franchise owner and open the ultimate music school in your community.

The following comes from School of Rock, a company DMN is proud to be partnering with.

You may recognize the School of Rock name from the movie, but the real School of Rock is the best franchise for entrepreneurs with a passion for music and a desire to do something meaningful within their community. In under 25 years, School of Rock has become the most revolutionary music education brand in the world. Originally founded from a single location in Philadelphia, the brand is now operating 330+ music instruction schools in 15 countries, with hundreds more on the way. Now, they’re looking for music lovers like YOU to open the next location.  

Award-winning music school

School of Rock understands what it takes to succeed as a franchise, and has won numerous accolades for their concept, growth, and franchisee-centric culture. Not only did School of Rock rank in this year’s highly competitive Entrepreneur Franchise 500 for the 10th year, but they were also ranked #1 “Top Children’s Music Enrichment Brand” in the 43rd Annual Franchise 500 for the second consecutive time. Other recent recognitions include Franchise Business Review’s 2023 Top Recession-Proof Business and Global Franchise’s 2023 Grand Champion and Best Children’s Service and Education Franchise awards. 

Patented AND proven curriculum

Innovation has been key to School of Rock’s success, beginning with its core music-education approach, the School of Rock Method™, which was awarded a U.S. Patent validating it as an exclusive concept and practice. The groundbreaking School of Rock Method builds musical proficiency through its proprietary Method App™, Method Book™ collection, SongFirst® approach, Method Engine™, and performance-based music curriculum. Unlike traditional music education programs, School of Rock pairs one-on-one instruction with group rehearsals and live performances, teaching students how to perform on stage and with other musicians.

Photo Credit: School of Rock

Career with a purpose

School of Rock’s unique approach to instruction and building a supportive, passionate community helps young, aspiring musicians find themselves, hone their talents, and build the confidence they need in their lives. School of Rock is a safe place for kids to learn, develop friendships with other kids who are into music, and carve out a niche for themselves in a world where they might never have felt a sense of belonging before.

“If you love music, and you want to make an impact on people’s lives, you can’t pick a better business.” – Franchise Owner, Cecilia Yi

Visit schoolofrock.com/digitalmusicnews for more information on School of Rock’s unique franchising opportunities.

Photo Credit: Terence Faircloth / CC by 2.0

Lil Durk has announced the Durk Banks Endowment Fund with Howard University and Amazon Music. The fund was created together with Rotation and Neighborhood Heroes as a new initiative to provide two students from Chicago with $50,000 scholarships to attend Howard University.

The Durk Banks Endowment Fund is aimed at providing exceptional students from Chicago with scholarships to Washington D.C.’s world-renowned Historically Black College & University (HBCU) Howard University.

Developed together with Rotation, the hip-hop and R&B brand from Amazon Music and Neighborhood Heroes a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Lil Durk. The fund will provide two students with $50,000 scholarships toward their freshman year enrollment at Howard.

In addition, Neighborhood Heroes and Durk are also donating an additional $250,000 directly to support students from Chicago receiving Howard’s Graduation Retention Access to Continued Excellence (GRACE) Grant, which provides additional funding to students enrolled at the university with the greatest financial need.

“I feel it’s my responsibility to reach back to the kids—especially those that are growing up in my community,” says the rapper about the scholarship program. “These kids have to be our biggest investment as they’re our future leaders. They are destined for greatness and I’m encouraging others to join my team’s efforts to help pave their way.”

“We are incredibly grateful to be the recipients of such generous support from Lil Durk, the Neighborhood Heroes Foundation, and Amazon Music,” adds Cynthia Evers, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Affairs at Howard University. “Not only did they lend their support to the premier event run by and for Howard University students, but they also left a lasting impression by offering a gift that will continue to benefit Howard students for a long time to come. This meaningful partnership will benefit Howard students facing the biggest hurdles to financing their education and we truly appreciate this support for our Bison!”

Photo Credit: BVMI

BVMI revealed that the German music industry generated €2.07 billion in 2022. This is not the first time the German music industry has hit the €2 billion mark — though it’s been a while.

Back in 2002, the industry made €2.21 billion, but two decades down the line, the breakdown of revenue source is completely different. According to a just-published BVMI (Bundesverband Musikindustrie) report, the €2.07 billion includes proceeds from streaming, downloads, and sales of CDs and vinyl LPs. However, 80.3% of this revenue is credited to streaming and downloading, with a mere 19.7% generated through physical music sales (mostly CDs and vinyl LPs).

BVMI is a globally recognized music organization representing over 85% of music consumption in Germany.

Germany is the world’s third-largest music market, and the €2.07 billion earnings represent a 6.1% growth in its recorded music market.

CEO of the BVMI, Dr. Florian Drücke, spoke about the streaming segment growth, saying, “An increase of 6.1% means growth for the fourth year in a row. The fact that the industry has passed the €2-billion mark for the first time in two decades is good news of far more than symbolic value. Looking at streaming, it will be exciting to see how the price hikes from the early providers we’ve seen recently will now play out in the broader market and also how short form videos will be monetized even more.”

The strongest market segment was audio streaming, accounting for a whopping 73.3% of total industry revenue. This represents a 14% increase from 2021.

CD sales were the second-biggest source of revenue, with a market share of 12.9%. Vinyl recorded a 6% share of sales, while downloads contributed a mere 2.2%.

Overall, digital revenue increased by 11.7% in 2022, while the physical business declined by 11.9%.

Although vinyl sales witnessed a 5.1% growth in 2022, this pales in comparison to the 20.1% growth reported in 2021. Drücke says that data has continuously placed vinyl records as a favorite among young people, adding, “From the summer of 2023, the culture pass could have a stimulating effect, both for fans and for the industry.”

Photo Credit: Derek Truninger

NMC/IMC announces the March 3 premiere of the Symposium on Political Violence Against Music Creators and Performers.

The National Music Council of the United States (NMC) and the International Music Council (IMC) are proud to announce the premiere of a landmark symposium addressing the increase in political violence against songwriters, composers, and music performers worldwide. The seminar will take place on March 3 at 9 AM EST, with a webcast available on the Music Council’s website. The event represents a vital component of the global Music Freedom Day observances on March 3.

The program will feature discussions and interviews with many of the world’s leading experts and activists on free speech issues pertaining to the music and music education communities. Panel topics will include Movements to Protect Free Speech in Music, Trends in Politically-based Censorship of the Musical Arts, and The History of Music’s Political Influence and of Governmental Attempts to Harness, Control, and Silence It.

The symposium’s website will also feature an article compiled by NMC chair Charles J. Sanders, “Music, Politics, and History,” which traces the global timeline of music suppression and includes dozens of links to examples and accounts of incidents.

“We believe this to be the first international, music community-sponsored forum ever held outside of Europe to address this crucial topic, and NMC is proud to have joined with its IMC colleagues in bringing it to fruition,” says a joint statement from Sanders and NMC president James Weaver.

“The ability in the US and Canada to speak out on such issues, principally without fear of governmental reprisal, places on us a special responsibility to shine a brighter light on these escalating injustices and attacks,” the statement continues. “Music creators and performers have always been vulnerable targets for coercion and repression. Our community’s responsibilities are to ensure that such anti-democratic activities not remain hidden in the shadows, no matter where in the world they occur — including within our own borders.”

“We have seen in recent months and years the murder, displacement, and economic sanctioning of composers, conductors, musicians, and other members of our international community in various places across the globe,” adds IMC president Alfons Karabuda. 

“Our fellow music creators and artists who find themselves in these disastrous political crossfires are urgently in need of our help. We are exquisitely sensitive to the diplomatic nuances required to avoid exacerbating the dangers they face and will exercise sound judgement in consultation with the victims in each case. History, however, teaches that silence is neither an acceptable nor effective strategy.”

Photo Credit: Thomas Crabtree

The music industry’s much-discussed credits problem has caused musicians to miss out on billions in owed payments. Now, VEVA Sound is partnering with universities to help the next generation of music professionals receive their due recognition and compensation.

VEVA Sound has long worked to improve credits and, in turn, enable members of the music community to put unmatched royalties in the rearview. VEVA Collect, the Nashville-headquartered company’s one-stop collaboration tool, allows creators to share files, infill credits at the outset, manage splits, and much more.

Late 2021 saw VEVA Sound unveil high-profile partnerships with entities including the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC), the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), and Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL). A SoundExchange data-sharing partnership, billed by execs as “an important next step in the interoperability of leading companies in the music industry,” followed in May of this year. Throughout 2022, Collect has assisted a multitude of musicians by capturing credits at the source, optimizing metadata, and securing payments to which their hard work entitles them.

These and other efforts are making it easier than ever for established creators to claim and receive proper royalties. Without expert guidance and access to resources like VEVA Collect, however, creatives who are just entering the industry, including the hitmakers of tomorrow, are destined to make further credit-related mistakes and give up billions more in due pay. Now, DMN is partnering to support a new initiative designed to address this issue.

To prevent credit issues and lackluster metadata from inhibiting the careers of up-and-coming talent, VEVA Collect is coordinating with universities throughout the United States.

“This is an idea we’ve been implementing for a while, and now we’ve reached a critical mass of participating schools,” VEVA Sound president Deborah Fairchild told Digital Music News of the initiative.

Nearly 20 institutions have already signed on to the program, with current stateside participants including Berklee College of Music, The Blackbird Academy, Fisk University, Middle Tennessee State University, the University of Georgia, and the University of Miami, to name some.

Across the pond, early U.K. adopters include the London College of Creative Media (LCCM), Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA), Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM), WaterBear—The College of Music, and The Unheard Academy. The Abbey Road Institute is also on board across all of its global schools, and VEVA intends to expand the campaign into additional countries moving forward.

Students at certain partner universities are simply using VEVA Collect as a free resource. Others are actively incorporating the platform into lessons.

“With some of the schools, we’re giving them free access to our platform, and they’re in turn making that available to their students,” Fairchild told DMN. “In many other schools, however, classes are focused on the VEVA Collect platform and teachers are integrating it into their curricula.

“Middle Tennessee State University is one of them, with a specific course and actual recording projects. Students are having to collect credits and submit credits and upload files. Basically, the whole way you should use the platform, they’re actually teaching it.

“But regardless of if they teach it or not, it is something current. It is something new. It is something valuable that these kids are getting exposed to for free. And I finally got yeses across the board,” Fairchild continued..

Time will reveal the precise impact of the platform’s availability and role at universities, where students are presumably learning the ins and outs of credits in the contemporary music industry – and working to bring about fundamental change.

Already, music education professionals are reporting positive experiences with VEVA Collect and the overarching lessons that it’s helping relay to students.

“At SAE Institute we want to provide tools to prepare the students to enter and flourish in the creative industries,” said SAE Institute Nashville entertainment business program chair Anthony Corder. “We are so excited about the VEVA Collect platform that helps our industry to credit, organize, share data and provide protection for creatives to collect revenue. VEVA Collect is a great resource.”

“At the University of Miami Frost School of Music, we understand the critical importance of capturing accurate creator credits,” stated Serona Elton, the University of Miami’s professor of music industry and associate dean of administration. “VEVA Sound is an industry leader in this sector and we are very appreciative of them working closely with us to educate our students on how to use the VEVA Collect tools and the industry best practices with respect to metadata.”

It’s notoriously difficult to elicit meaningful change in the music industry. But with a trusted credits platform equipping more young musicians with the tools that they need to succeed – and enjoy the results of their successes – potentially game-changing steps are being taken in the right direction.

Photo Credit: Klaus Heymann © HNH International Ltd

Klaus Heymann, founder of the Naxos classical label, discusses digital distribution, supporting new artists, and classical education in a drastically changing music climate.

When Klaus Heymann entered the classical space in the 1980s, his label Naxos delivered affordable access to the works of Dvořák, Smetana, Aaron Copland, and dozens of other composers. But the orchestras playing these greats were relatively unknown to Western audiences. On Naxos’ budget-friendly cassettes and CDs, the secret and magical world of Eastern European orchestras broadened the horizons of many classical music buffs.

In 1996, Naxos was the first to jump into the digital space by launching the music streaming platform HNH.com. Back then, streaming was nothing but a fantasy — a madman’s fantasy. Things moved quickly from that initial entrance, thanks to a forward-leaning disposition. Musically, Naxos rapidly spread into a variety of classical categories.

Today, Klaus proudly calls Naxos a ‘complicated company,’ saying, “We’re complicated because we’re the only ones who do everything. We are a label, a classical label, but we also own ten other labels. We do opera and cooperate with all the major opera houses in Europe, including the Royal Opera House. We are also in digital and physical distribution, with the infrastructure to support it all.”

Naxos celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. They’ve had a busy three-and-a-half decades.

In 2003, Naxos launched the Naxos Music Library Subscription platform and the Naxos Spoken Word Library. The Naxos Music Library Jazz emerged in 2005, and in 2007, Naxos launched its download platform, ClassicsOnline. Subsequently, Naxos launched apps and ebooks under Naxos Multimedia. The  Naxos Video Library surfaced in 2011.

2014 triggered further Naxos investment in high-definition lossless streaming and downloading. In 2015, the company launched the database, Naxosworks.com, followed by the Naxos Music Library World.

Between 2020 and 2022, Naxos kicked into high gear with the launch of Naxos Music Library 3.0, the Naxos MusicBox, and  the Naxos Moods playlist app.

Discussing the state of classical music in the digital world today, Heymann said, “With digital and physical distribution, we know what everybody else is selling, where they are selling it, and how they are selling it. That’s a good position to be in.”

According to the BBC, figures from recording industry association BPI showed that classical music was a fast-growing genre in 2018 and 2019, with streaming accounting for 25% of classical consumption.

These numbers were buoyed by artists like Andrea Bocelli, Katherine Jenkins, and cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, and in 2019, sales and streams of the classical genre increased by 10.2%. Classical music made a good case for growth compared to the 5.7% growth in music consumption across other genres that year. In fact, with physical sales declining across all genres in 2019, sales of classical CDs increased by 6.9%. While the overall streaming market grew 33% in 2019, classical music streams rose 42% — and DMN is thrilled to be partnering with Naxos to expand that level of growth further.

Naxos is also well-known for supporting up-and-coming performers, boosting careers, and getting involved on the performance side.

The Naxos’ affiliated label Grand Piano (2022 marks its 10th anniversary)records long-lost, unrecorded, and valuable pieces and has a sub-label named Grand Piano Overtone. The label features works by pianists played by the pianists themselves. The company’s commitment to its long-term goal of supporting young artists, discovering talent, and helping establish their careers saw artists like Tianwa Yang, Boris Giltburg, and Gabriel Schwabe emerge as major artists.

To further this goal of uplifting new artists, Naxos also sponsors major international competitions such as the Beethoven International Piano Competition (Vienna) and the International Fritz Kreisler Violin Competition (Vienna).

With libraries and masterclass audiovisual recordings, Naxos is also credited with classical music education for professionals and the general population.

Naxos makes its Classical Music, World, Jazz, Spoken Word, and Video Libraries available to universities and public libraries worldwide. Acquiring high-quality masterclass audiovisual recordings to educate young musicians, Naxos believes starting music education at a young age makes all the difference. Another significant reflection of their commitment is the label’s best-selling ‘My First’ children’s book series, which includes My First Classical Music Book, My First Orchestra Book, and My First Piano Book. The label also launched an online music education platform, Naxos MusicBox, designed for kids aged 4-14.

We spoke to Klaus about emerging opportunities for new musicians in a competitive music space, music cataloging, and the future of classical music and video.

DMN: We’ve witnessed an absolute explosion in video formats over the past decade. People love going to concerts, but are they interested in watching a video of a concert?

Klaus Heymann: I think video is here to stay. Most of our new recordings are produced in both audio and video. If you look at the number of streams of an audio-only track on YouTube and a track with video, there’s no comparison. It’s like 10, 15, 20 times the number of streams. So we’re spending a lot of money on video. And we also produce a great deal of video content, including opera, ballet, and theater. We are also creating video versions of our 500 most frequently streamed tracks.

DMN: For classical musicians, do you feel like there are more opportunities now than there were ten years ago, or is it a more challenging space?

Klaus Heymann: I would say yes and no. The level of teaching at music schools is much higher than it was 30 or 40 years ago. There are many more opportunities, but there’s also more competition. The standard of playing, in general, has risen dramatically.

Many young musicians who work hard will never be able to make a living from playing their instrument. If they are lucky, perhaps 10% [would succeed]. So what are they going to do? Are they going to teach? Have they been taught how to teach? Do they know how to make a music video? Do they know how to build a mailing list? [They need to] learn as much as they can about other things they can use to make a living and hopefully do something connected to music. The fact that they can self-promote is a huge advantage. Recording is now very economical.

Producing a recording has become much easier and cheaper — a mixing console today is only the size of my laptop and costs only a fraction of what similar equipment used to cost five or ten years ago. And artists can easily upload their recordings to most DSPs. Getting people to listen to them, however, is a lot more complicated.

DMN: Why is the skill and performance level so much higher now than before?

Klaus Heymann: If you look at the faculties of leading music schools, they are far more international than they used to be. Half the faculties are Italian, German, or Russian. At the same time, there’s more quality educational material available online — masterclasses by real masters on YouTube and primary instrumental teaching on specialized platforms.

DMN: Is there a way to get audiences excited about some composers of the past who are no longer known today?

Klaus Heymann: Naxos today is a label of discovery, whereas before, it covered mostly standard repertoire. But we also produce programs such as ‘Great Composers in Words and Music.’ The lively texts are written by a musicologist in New Zealand, while our audiobook division produces the audio. We plan to continue focusing on discovering new repertoire while paying attention to education.

DMN: With so much important work done by Naxos in recording a wide range of classical music, how much more music do you feel is out there to be recorded in 2022?

Klaus Heymann: Years ago, I was participating in a music conference, and at the end, there was a seminar about ‘Has everything worth recording already been recorded?’

If you study the history of music, you realize that about maybe 2 million hours of music have been composed since — let’s say — the early renaissance to modern times. If you study the record catalogs, about 100,000 hours of unduplicated repertoire have been recorded. Therefore, we have 1.9 million hours of music to record before we have recorded everything.

There is so much music you discover almost every day. I’m just working with a German opera house about recording the operas by Heinrich Marschner — the most important opera composer in Germany between Weber and Wagner. And then I found the composer had written seven very nice piano trios. He wrote fifteen operas, and only two of them have been recorded. If you go into the history of music, you find new repertoire all the time, and a lot of it is really enjoyable.

DMN: Since 2015, you have been building one of the more comprehensive databases of classical music. Is there ever going to be something that includes all compositions ever recorded?

Klaus Heymann: For every new release, we add those data to that database — so it’s constantly up to date. Everybody agrees that our metadata is the most complete. One of the big mega platforms tried to get our data, but they didn’t want to pay for it. I think [I said] about ten or fifteen years ago, in the world of streaming and downloading, whoever has the best metadata will have the biggest business. I’ve been proven right.

DMN: Naxos has been on a spree of acquisitions, growth, and more. So what’s Naxos doing right now?

Heymann: In 2016, Naxos launched a joint venture with long-term strategic business partner Kuke Music [Holding Limited (NYSE: KUKE)] to establish Naxos China. This JV focused mainly on Chinese classical music and musicians, alongside the distribution and licensing business in China. Naxos also has offices in Austria, Norway, and other countries. Over the years, it acquired various European labels and production houses, including Dynamic, Belvedere, ARC Music, Opus Arte, Oehms Classics, and others. It also acquired the Vox Classics catalog.

In 2017, Heymann received a Special Achievement Award from the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA), recognizing his entrepreneurial role in the visionary development of the classical music recording industry. Heymann recently celebrated his 86th birthday.

Naxos has won more than thirty Grammy Awards, numerous Penguin Guide 3-star recommendations, and multiple Gramophone Editor’s Choice Awards, among many other international honors.

Photo Credit: Sweetwater

Sweetwater announces over $800,000 in philanthropic donations to more than 400 organizations in 2022.

Sweetwater, the country’s leading online provider of musical instruments and professional audio equipment, announced philanthropic donations of over $750,000 to more than 200 organizations this year. Additionally, Sweetwater has donated more than $60,000 worth of instruments and audio gear to more than 200 schools, music programs, and other groups to enable students across the country to participate in music programs.

Founded in 1979, Sweetwater partners with local, regional, and national organizations to have a far-reaching impact with a particular focus on music and arts education, exploration, and enrichment. The company is highly respected as the nation’s leading retailer serving musicians, recording studios, broadcast, education, and houses of worship.

“We’re honored to be able to give back to the communities that have contributed to our success, from inspiring a love for music in children to supporting the local Fort Wayne community,” says Sweetwater CEO John Hopkins. “Our goal is to help musicians make their musical dreams come true and to help foster the next generation’s passion for making music.”

Organizations with which Sweetwater has long-standing partnerships include: Music Will (formerly Little Kids Rock), Beats by Girlz, Women’s Audio Mission, We Are All Music, Arts United, Believe in a Dream, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Unity Performing Arts Foundation, Embassy Theatre, FWCS Foundation’s “b Instrumental” program, Make Music Alliance, Power2Inspire, Save the Music Foundation, and TI:ME (Technology in Music Education).

“Sweetwater’s support has transformed the ways in which we interact with our students and allowed us to supplement our instruction with relevant hands-on activities using professional tools,” says TI:ME Executive Director Mike Lawson.

Sweetwater also supports numerous non-profit agencies focusing on youth development and meeting the needs of underserved populations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana, Boys & Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne, Bridge of Grace, Easterseals Arc, Fort Wayne Commission for African American Males, Fort Wayne Rescue Mission, Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement, and more.

Photo Credit: Justin Higuchi / CC by 2.0

New York University is following up its Taylor Swift course offering with a new one for Lana Del Rey.

The NYU course will examine the singer’s impact on the music landscape and her connection to social justice movements. According to Variety, the coursework for “Topics in Recorded Music: Lana Del Rey” will “examine Del Rey’s contributions to 21st Century pop stardom, her relationship to feminism, her musical influences and artists she has influenced, and her connection to social justice movements such as #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, and #TimesUp.”

The course is set to run from October 20 to December 8 and will be taught by journalist and author Kathy Iandoli.

“Over the course of eight critically-acclaimed albums, the six-time Grammy nominated artist has introduced a sad core, melancholic, and baroque version of dream pop that in turn helped shift and reinvent the sound (and mood) of mainstream music beyond the 2010s,” reads the course description.

“Through her arresting visuals and her thematic attention to mental health and tales of toxic, damaged love, Del Rey provided a new platform for artists of all genders to create ‘anti-pop’ works of substance that could live in a mainstream once categorized as bubblegum.”

New York University has offered coursework surrounding music industry icons before. Earlier this year, the university offered a course on Taylor Swift that aimed to explore “the culture and politics of teen girlhood in pop music, fandom, media studies, whiteness and power as it relates to her image and the images of those who have both preceded and succeeded her.”

Lana Del Rey quit social media in 2021, saying she has so many other pursuits and interests that require privacy and transparency for her. She thanked her fans for her support and said she was working on a compilation of older songs and a few newer songs “written by family and friends and mostly old collaborators.”

Photo Credit: Kelly Sikkema

Despite reworking school funding formulas and updating arts education requirements, progress has been slow in an effort for California to meet its own education metrics.

Create CA has announced the release of a new report from SRI Education that provides a snapshot of student access to state-mandated arts education in California’s public schools. Numerous studies have continuously shown that arts education is essential for academic success, preparation for today’s jobs, civic engagement, and student wellbeing. But California isn’t meeting its own requirements in providing the necessary arts instruction to its students.

The State of Arts Education in California evaluates data from the 2019-20 school year. It measures the degree to which students have an opportunity to complete standard-based arts education as required by state law. Some schools have made incremental improvements compared with baseline data from the 2005-06 school year, but “nearly nine in ten schools” continue to fall short of complying with state requirements in music, dance, theater, and visual arts.

“This report shows that some school and district leaders still don’t treat the visual and performing arts as an essential academic subject,” says Tom DeCaigny, executive director of Create CA. “Dedicated time in the curriculum, appropriately trained teachers, and supplies and equipment are all needed for high-quality arts education. California public schools are falling short of their mandate to prepare the next generation of Californians for civic engagements and the workforce of the future.”

Among the key findings in changes to access in arts education between 2006 and 2020, the study finds that only 11% of California schools offered instruction in all four arts disciplines (music, dance, theater, and visual arts) as required by state law. That number remained unchanged between the two study periods. Additionally, the percentage of individual schools offering standards-based instruction in at least one arts discipline increased from 71% to 79%

Elementary schools and those serving higher proportions of children from low-income families are generally less able to provide access to arts instruction. High schools are more than twice as likely to provide access to a course of study in the four arts disciplines than middle or elementary schools.

“Coming back from COVID, we’ve seen that arts classes have played a key role in supporting student mental health and promoting overall academic achievement,” says Jeannine Flores, Los Angeles County Office of Education Arts & STEAM Coordinator and chair of the Create CA board. “Districts are starting to partner with local arts organizations and look for ways to leverage flexible state and federal funding to give students access to the quality education to which they are entitled.”

Educators and policymakers have advocated for expanded access to arts education at a state level, leading to some of the policy changes and increases in access described in the report. The report calls particular attention to the need to expand opportunities to train teachers in all areas of arts instruction — either through developing existing teachers or new pipelines for bringing accredited arts teachers into classrooms.

Photo Credit: The Oscar Hammerstein Museum

Oscar Hammerstein Museum Broadway gala raises $165,000 from “Broadway Sings the Sound of Hammerstein.”

Theatre lovers from far and wide gathered in Buckingham, Pennsylvania, for an exclusive gala on July 11 to support the Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center (OHMTEC). The nonprofit OHMTEC’s goal was to raise enough funds to purchase Oscar Hammerstein II’s Pennsylvania home, the historic Highland Farm, where the Hammerstein family lived for the last 20 years of Oscar’s life. The gala, “Broadway Sings the Sound of Hammerstein,” raised $165,000 and took place at The Inn at Barley Sheaf Farm, the former estate of playwright and director George S. Kaufman.

The prestigious event included cocktails and a three-course meal and featured entertainment from Broadway stars Christy Altomare (Anastasia, Carrie, Mama Mia!), Derek Klena (Anastasia, Jagged Little Pill, Wicked), and Justin Guarini (American Idiot, American Idol, In Transit, Wicked). Ted Chapin, former President and Chief Creative Officer of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization, hosted the event. At the same time, David Manning (Silence: The Musical, Reefer Madness) provided musical accompaniment on a Steinway Spirio grand piano donated for the evening by Jacob’s Music.

More than 200 supporters from across the country attended the event. Prominent guests included Oscar’s grandson Will Hammerstein and Oscar’s granddaughter and member of OHMTEC’s Honorary Advisory Board, Melinda Mathias Walsh.

Also in attendance was Sam von Trapp, member of OHMTEC’s Honorary Advisory Board and grandson of Baroness Maria von Trapp — the same von Trapp family who had inspired Rodgers and Hammerstein’s much-beloved musical, The Sound of Music. Sam von Trapp also provided beer for the event from the family’s von Trapp Brewing in Stowe, Vermont.

More than seventy businesses and individuals came together in support of OHMTEC’s fundraising campaign to buy, restore, and preserve Highland Farm to honor Oscar Hammerstein’s work and legacy. Highland Farm was where Hammerstein forged his partnership with Richard Rodgers and inspired many of the pair’s most famous works, including The Sound of Music, The King and I, Carousel, Oklahoma!, and South Pacific.

“We are extraordinarily grateful for the entire community’s support of this important historic project,” says Greg Roth, president of OHMTEC’s board of directors. “When we see the breadth of support, particularly from the local community, but also throughout the southeastern Pennsylvania/New Jersey region, and with donations coming in from all over, you realize the depth of meaning Oscar Hammerstein’s home has for our country and indeed the world.”

Roth continues: “As successful as this event was, we still have work to do to raise $1 million necessary to purchase the property and further to renovate the house as a museum and build the theatre education center. We invite all who love Oscar Hammerstein’s music and admire his legacy of mentorship and social activism to donate to make this dream a reality.”

Through fundraising efforts, grants, and private donations, including the $165,000 from the gala event, OHMTEC has raised nearly $1 million toward purchasing Highland Farm.

Photo Credit: Jesman Fabio

Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio tech offers an entirely new listening experience for music fans. Here’s what you should know about the format and the impact it can have on your music. 

The following was created in collaboration with AlexProMix, a company DMN is proud to be partnering with.

Dolby Atmos allows music labels and publishers to future-proof their music while providing a new listening experience to fans. In the past, new music tech was locked behind proprietary formats like DVD-A and SACD. It made listening to new music tech a chore, since these formats barely lasted the decade which they were introduced. Dolby Atmos has become ubiquitous among the music industry, not least of all thanks to Apple Music support. Many artists and IP owners are rushing to get their music mixed and remastered in this new format. 

Dolby Atmos music boosts listener engagement and can help refresh or revitalize an older catalog. It’s also satisfying to listen to for audiophiles because you can hear the difference between instrument clarity and separation in the mix. AlexProMix is an early adopter and trusted leader in Dolby Atmos Mixing & Mastering. He’s taken some time out of his busy schedule to explain how Dolby Atmos mixing works and why some people may not ‘hear’ it.

Alex says he’s often faced with questions like ‘How do I listen to Atmos?’ or upon hearing an Atmos mix, comments like ‘this just sounds like stereo music.’ Alex says the culprit is easy to identify when this happens. Presenting mixes in Dolby Atmos doesn’t require special hardware, but you should be aware of the setup required to hear it properly.

3 Ways to Experience Dolby Atmos Music

Dolby Atmos music provides an immersive music listening experience that is supported by online music streaming platforms like Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon. Listeners can experience Dolby Atmos music on their headphones, smart speakers, and surround sound systems. Below are the three ways in which a sound engineer can produce a Dolby Atmos mix.

Dolby Atmos Exercise Files – Download the Dolby Atmos Exercise Files to follow along.

Option 1: Binaural Mix

Sound engineers must use a 7.1.4 configuration according to Dolby to properly produce an Atmos mix and master. The 12-speaker layout consists of seven speakers in the horizontal plane, a subwoofer, and four ceiling speakers. This immersive listening experience can be heard on headphones using binaural audio – a technology that reproduces the real-life experience of hearing sound.

A binaural mix can be reproduced using any set of headphones. A binaural mix downloaded on a computer or mobile device can be heard with any headphones. As an added benefit to the client, Alex provides the binaural mix with a visual representation of the Dolby Renderer.

Note: For best practices, use wired headphones, not Bluetooth headphones or earbuds. Bluetooth headphones stream audio with a compressed resolution – yes, even the AirPods Max when used wirelessly. An analog (wired) connection will always produce the best sound quality. 

Option 2: Surround Sound

Dolby Atmos mixes exported as .mp4 files are multi-channel files that can be played back on TV, AV receivers, or soundbars with surround sound. You can experience the mix created in Atmos on a 5.1 surround sound system with these instructions.

1. Download the file named surround sound to a USB thumb drive.
2. Play the track on a home theater sound system.
3. On the TV remote, press the ‘Source’ button.
4. Then press USB Device or Connected Device. 
5. The music should begin playing and labeled “Dolby Audio.”

This method allows you to preview the Dolby Atmos mix on a 5.1 home theater system, where vocals and effects are panned to the rear speakers. This gives the listener the illusion of being right in the middle of the audio, immersing them in the mix.

Option 3: Spatial Audio

Spatial Audio is Apple’s rendition of binaural audio. Apple decodes the multi-channel Dolby Atmos master and converts it to Spatial Audio to playback on AirPods Pro or AirPods Max devices. To experience a Dolby Atmos mix from AlexProMix in Spatial Audio, here’s a quick rundown to listen on your iPhone.

Step 1: Locate the file and click ‘Share > Export File > Save to Files.’ Save the file to your local storage named On My iPhone. This creates a copy of the file from Dropbox and saves it on your local iOS storage.

Step 2: Open your ‘Files’ folder and locate the file you downloaded from Dropbox. When your file is saved to local storage, it will appear in this folder. This is the version you want to play, not the file from Dropbox.

Step 3: Connect and pair your AirPods Pro or AirPods Max and enable Noise Cancellation and Spatial Audio Fixed. Notice the file format recognized by iOS as ‘Dolby Atmos’ under the volume slider.

This ensures you are playing back the Dolby Atmos file provided by AlexProMix using Apple’s Spatial Audio for a Dolby Atmos experience.

Want to learn more about Dolby Atmos Mixing and Mastering? Have questions only a sound engineer can answer? Alex at AlexProMix keeps up to date with the best sound mixing and mastering practices and discusses them on his blog and YouTube channel. Need a track mixed and mastered in Dolby Atmos? AlexProMix can help with that, too. You can check out Alex’s rates and see more information here.

Photo Credit: Soundtrap

Sony Music Group’s new student scholarship program is now accepting applications through July 25.

Aspiring musicians and ambitious entrepreneurs can apply for the new Sony Music Group Global Scholars program this 2022-23 academic season. Up to 50 students will be eligible to benefit from advanced instruction and support for university assignments, structured events, and webinars connecting students with industry experts.

“We’re thrilled to launch Sony Music Global Scholars,” Sony Music News tweeted. “This new initiative will provide scholarships for students around the world enrolled in music and music business-related fields at colleges and universities.”

The program is a partnership between Sony Music Group and the Institute of International Education (IIE). The initiative provides scholarships for students across the world enrolled in a variety of music and music business-related fields of study. Scholarship recipients may receive other opportunities from SMG to further their professional development, such as unpaid internships or mentorships.

Scholarship amounts will range between $3,000 and $20,000 per school year. The amount will vary depending on students’ degree programs, the location of their college or university, and whether it is a private or state university, among other factors. Payments will be sent directly to the recipients’ university, with students receiving their scholarship payments on an annual basis.

Unsurprisingly, the scholarship is not all-inclusive and does not cover all of a student’s educational expenses. Any balance of funding not covered by the scholarship will need to be covered by the student, including tuition fees, books, living expenses, and transportation.

Students who are planning to enroll full-time in a field related to music at an accredited college or university may be eligible for the Sony Music scholarship. Three- and four-year undergraduate degree programs may also qualify. Students must also maintain the US equivalent GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale, and their academic record should show their “potential to succeed” in their field of study.

IIE notes that “applicants do not need to be accepted into a program at the time of application, but if selected for a scholarship, proof of full-time enrollment will be required before scholarship funds can be sent.”

The program is accepting applications until July 25 at 11:59 pm ET, with scholarship recipients announced in September.

Photo Credit: Merijn Bos / CC by 3.0

Yousician is launching new beginner-friendly learn to play guitar courses alongside the legendary Metallica.

The Metallica x Yousician collaboration offers three courses for new guitarists to learn from some of the most legendary guitarists in the world. Beginners can earn exclusive tips from James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett as they play Metallica songs they love. Yousician says its patented AI technology gives players real-time feedback as they play Metallica classics in a total of ten lessons utilizing the band’s original master tracks.

“The Metallica x Yousician courses get guitar players up close and personal with the master musicians they idolize,” says Hadley Spanier, Head of Artist Partnerships at Yousician. “Players will have the opportunity to learn how to play like Metallica straight from Metallica!”

“The unique course pairs unmatched access to the band with Yousician’s AI technology so that guitarists-in-training not only get to learn from the masters, but also get the feedback they need to improve. Players will feel like they are part of the band, playing alongside their idols as they try to master some of the greatest guitar-driven songs of all time,” Spanier adds.

The Metallica x Yousician courses aim to provide fans with a chance to feel like they are members of their favorite band.

The three courses for guitar focus on riffs, lead, and rhythm, allowing players to learn directly from James and Kirk. Yousician created all-new videos with the band for the course, working to provide learners with tips and tricks in their learning journey. That includes everything from the secrets of downpicking with James to awesome lead licks and discovering how to play those killer guitar riffs featured in so many of their hits.

New players can take what they’ve learned from the Metallica guitar courses and apply it to playing side-by-side with the band in a custom-made AI-infused interactive lesson that features ten Metallica hits. New learners will play the following hits with the band:

• “Enter Sandman”
• “Nothing Else Matters”
• “One”
• “Fade to Black”
• “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)”
• “The Unforgiven”
• “Battery”
• “Mama Said”
• “Master of Puppets”
• “For Whom The Bell Tolls”

Beyond just the learning opportunity for new guitar players, the Yousician courses also feature interviews with Metallica bandmates including James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, and Robert Trujiilo. Yousician has more than 20 million monthly active users and uses proprietary audio recognition technology to help create engaging, interactive learning experiences for teaching new musicians.

Photo Credit: School of Rock

School of Rock has been recognized for the second year in a row as a leader in children’s education at the 2022 Global Franchise Awards. 

The following was created in collaboration with School of Rock, a company DMN is proud to be partnered with.

The organization was named the winner for Best Children’s Service and Educational Franchise two times running. The awards also added the Regional Champions for this year, awarding School of Rock for the Americas region. 

“We are proud to be recognized again for our global leadership in child enrichment,” says Rob Price, CEO of School of Rock. “Being additionally singled out as the Americas regional champion among the thousands of concepts in our home region speaks to the power of purpose driving profit.”

“Our extraordinary franchisees, school teams, and corporate support staff remain focused on bringing the transformational experience of performance-based music education and our compelling business model to markets throughout the globe,” Price adds.

The Global Franchise Awards are now in their fifth year and serve to honor exceptional franchise bands throughout the world.  School of Rock’s global footprint continues to grow across the globe. There are now over 500 School of Rock locations open or in development in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, South Africa, Taiwan, Philippines, and Australia. 

The company’s mission is to enrich the lives of children with performance-based music education. It’s a concept that travels well due to the low logistical, supply chain, technological, language, and operational complexity of the organization. Popular music and child enrichment are universal experiences, and the School of Rock business model allows flexible customization in celebrating local popular music. 

“Few brands resonate equally in markets as different as Minneapolis to Madrid, but the School of Rock model has universal appeal,” adds Rob Price, CEO of School of Rock. 

School of Rock Offers Comprehensive Musical Education

The organization’s concept differs from traditional music programs. It combines private lessons powered by the patented School of Rock Method with weekly ensemble practices. Students learn theory, practice, and life skills through fun preparation for live shows in real venues. Grool learning teaches both technical and soft skills, and this revolutionary approach helps increase learning retention and results. 

School of Rock teaches children as young as four years old to their grandparents who want to learn to release their inner rock star. The core program offers camps, workshops, global touring opportunities, and other special events to those who want to learn to create music – no matter where they live. 

Currently, School of Rock is searching for candidates who are passionate about music and education and want to positively impact their community through the power of Rock’n’Roll. Whether that’s in the US, or in other countries around the world – School of Rock is ready to help you open your own revolutionary music school in your area.  

For more information on School of Rock, please visit the official website or call 866-695-5515. To learn more about School of Rock franchise opportunities, please visit their franchising website. 

Photo Credit: Musik-Tonger (CCO)

The oldest string instruments are from 2,500 years ago — and yes, they’ve captured our imaginations and hearts for that long.

There’s something about a vibrating string that resonates deep within the soul. That’s the magic of string instruments. They’ve been part of history and your musical memories.

It turns out that there are many types of string instruments. Of course, the guitar comes to mind, but there are so many other wonderful instruments to explore.

What are some of the string instruments that you should know? Read on to learn more about the string family of instruments.

The Guitar Family

One of the most interesting things about the guitar family of stringed instruments is that it likely started with a one-stringed instrument. The ektar is an instrument from Pakistan. It’s made of a single string and played for religious purposes.

The instrument made its way to Persia and became the two-stringed dutar. The stringed instrument migrated to India and became the sitar.

Once it went to the Middle East, it evolved into the four-stringed qatar. From the Middle East, the instrument went to Italy and Spain and became the five-stringed guitar that we know of today.

The guitar reached America where it became the rock and roll electric five-string guitar.

Harp

This is the most unique string instrument because of its size and shape. It’s closely related to the piano because it has the same tuning as piano strings. The harp has a pedal that changes the pitch of the sound, which makes strings sound like black keys on a piano.

The harp is nearly six feet tall. You play it by putting your legs to one side of the instrument and leaning it back against your right shoulder.

You pluck the different colored strings with your forefingers and thumbs to produce the sound.

Violin

The violin is the most played instrument in an orchestra. There are often as many as 30 violinists in an orchestra, which is pretty remarkable.

This is the smallest of the string musical instruments but the sound it produces has no comparison.

One of the little-known parts of the violin is the neck. You’ll notice the top of the neck finishes in a beautiful spiral. That’s actually not a coincidence.

The Stradivari family of Italy made the finest violins in the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, these violins are worth millions of dollars.

The Fibonacci sequence, or Golden Ratio, is a pattern of numbers. These numbers form the Fibonacci Spiral. You see this spiral in art, nature, and in music.

The master violin maker used this sequence to make various parts of the violin, including the spiral at the top of the neck.

That spiral got duplicated by other string instrument producers, and it’s the standard on violins, cellos, and other orchestra string instruments.

Ukulele

What instrument comes to mind when you think of Hawaii? No doubt that it’s the ukulele. One of the most fascinating things about the ukulele is that it’s not a true Hawaiian instrument.

The ukulele’s journey is similar to other guitar instruments. It was an invention of migration.

Portuguese immigrants went to Hawaii to work on sugar plantations. One of the instruments from home was the Machete de Braga.

It slowly evolved into the ukulele we know today. These are often made of Hawaiian koa wood, which gives the instrument a rich sound.

Lyre

You’ve seen a lyre before. Not in person, but in ancient imagery. It’s an instrument played in ancient Greece around 1400 BC.

The Greek god Apollo was known to play the lyre and you’ll see that in images of him. The mythology says that he learned to play the lyre from his brother.

Some legends say that Apollo gave a lyre to Orpheus.

The lyre is an instrument shaped like a U. It has four strings that go from top to bottom. The strings get plucked like a harp.

Is the Piano a String Instrument?

There’s a long-standing debate about the piano. It’s an instrument that makes sound by vibrating strings. It’s how those strings vibrate that cause the debate.

When you hit a key on a piano, a hammer comes down and strikes the string. The striking motion makes the piano a percussion instrument.

The fact is that most musicians agree that the piano, harpsichord, and related instruments are both percussion and string instruments.

What about a pipe organ? That produces sound by producing air and blowing it through organ pipes. Since strings aren’t involved, it’s more along the lines of a woodwind instrument.

How to Buy a String Instrument

Now that you know some of the types of string instruments, how do you go about buying one?

Start by trying different string instruments. There are plenty of options and trying the types of string instruments helps you find the one that you love.

Once you have the instrument that lights you up, learn as much as you can about that particular string instrument.

You may start by renting a string instrument at first to make sure you’ll play it often enough to make the investment worthwhile.

You can find that the violin is the string instrument for you. According to this guide from Ted’s List, the Stentor Student 2 is the best choice for beginners.

It’s affordable and easy to tune and best for beginners to manage.

The Types of String Instruments

Out of all of the musical instruments, the string family of instruments are the ones to pick up and play.

The types of string instruments listed in this article have been played throughout history.

You can connect to that history when you make music with these marvelous instruments.

Long Island University Brooklyn’s student union building. Photo Credit: Thomson200

Jay-Z is preparing to roll out a “Roc Nation School,” which will offer students accredited music, sports, and entertainment degrees.

Roc Nation, the 50-year-old rapper and mogul’s entertainment company, recently detailed the college – officially named the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment – in a formal release. The result of a partnership between Roc Nation and Long Island University (LIU), Roc Nation School will start enrolling students at the LIU campus in Jay-Z’s native Brooklyn next fall. It’s unclear how many individuals the school will accommodate, but interested students can begin submitting their applications sometime this autumn.

In addition to offering degrees in “music; music technology, entrepreneurship & production; and sports management,” the institution will invite “guest artists and lecturers” to afford enrollees real-world insight and information. Plus, students are set to participate in “immersive internships,” presumably with some of the biggest companies in music and sports, given Jay-Z’s reach in the former and role with the New York City-headquartered National Football League (NFL).

A quarter of the Roc Nation School’s New York-based first-time freshmen will receive Roc Nation Hope Scholarships, covering their tuition for all four years and granting them “individualized support and mentorship.” Lastly, Roc Nation School will hold year-round music and sports management Saturday school programs for children between the ages of 10 and 18, as well as “summer residential camps for high school students.”

Addressing her company’s partnership with Long Island University in a statement, Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez said, “We’re excited that the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment will provide unique insight, knowledge, and experiences for students and introduce the world to the next generation of unmatched talent.”

This positive announcement was preceded by few decidedly negative stories involving Jay-Z. To be sure, we covered the copyright infringement allegations levied against the “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” singer (and Beyoncé) by Jamaican artist Dr. Lenora Antoinette Stines. Dr. Stines alleges that Jay-Z and his wife sampled a speech she delivered despite lacking the permission to do so.

And when it rains, it pours: we also reported in the same month that Norwegian authorities were officially investigating Jay-Z’s music streaming service, TIDAL, following multiple allegations of the platform’s committing data fraud by inflating its play counts. Given that TIDAL threatened to sue the entire country of Norway about one year ago, however, the full-scale investigation hardly came as a surprise.

The Detroit Institute of Music Education (DIME).

Following a dispute and fruitless negotiation with its partner college, the Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver), the Detroit Institute of Music Education (DIME) has announced that it is permanently shutting down.

Detroit Institute of Music Education officials broke the unfortunate news to students in an email this week. The high-profile music school also addressed the closure on Facebook, and a statement penned by DIME co-founders Sarah Clayman and Kevin Nixon is making rounds presently.

The concise press release indicates that shortly after the domestic onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, MSU Denver higher-ups contacted DIME and, “without prior notice,” announced the immediate end of the partnership between the institutions.

Mincing no words, the document proceeds to state that “MSU Denver voluntarily breached the partnership agreement by not adhering to the 360 day notice period of termination.” Lacking this window, DIME was evidently unable to find another college partner and continue operating.

Finally, the release notes that MSU Denver President Janine Davidson appeared to be a supporter of DIME upon assuming the professional role in 2017, but that she canceled both her scheduled visits.

“A partnership ending without our ‘partner’ having seen first-hand the incredible work and excitement coming from our students,” the text closes.

Davidson has been active on Twitter as of late, but had not, at the time of this writing, commented publicly on the statement made by DIME’s co-founders (or the dissolution of the partnership itself). Other district professionals have cited low enrollment and income challenges as the chief reasons for MSU Denver’s stepping away from DIME.

A number of performers, songwriters, and music entrepreneurs have graduated from DIME since it partnered with MSU Denver in 2015; the accredited college offered several music-specific bachelor’s degrees. It’s unclear which options these individuals have in terms of credit transfers, already-paid tuition refunds, and more.

“DIME’s students have been left with uncertainty in both cities [DIME Denver also shut down] on how they will continue with their modern music degrees,” Clayman and Nixon wrote.

However, Nixon subsequently signaled that DIME could close a deal with a Detroit university to reopen its doors.

Photo of UCLA School of Law

Like in years past, the UCLA School of Law is providing free legal advice to Los Angeles-area music artists through its Music Industry Clinic (MIC).

The school is currently accepting applications through their website until the end of January. After this, they will accept clients on a rolling basis as space permits. The clinic itself runs from January to May of this year.

The clinic provides the opportunity for artists and others in the music industry to receive free legal advice from UCLA law students regarding an array of real-life transactional issues. Experienced music attorneys will supervise all work conducted by the students.

Those interested in receiving advice have the following two options:

1. They can receive a one-time consultation relating to general questions that they may have regarding music industry legal matters. This is helpful for those who do not have a specific legal issue or transactional matter needing help with at the moment, but would instead like to receive general legal advice as it relates to the music industry.

2. They can receive longer-term legal assistance for specific transactional issues that they face. These matters can include band agreements, management agreements, producer agreement, indie recording agreements, sample clearances and co-writer agreements.

It is important to note that MIC has a limited capacity, so they will not be able to accept all qualified applicants. They also can only handle transactional matters and not those involving litigation, such as a copyright infringement lawsuit. MIC will further require all clients to sign an agreement that stipulates all terms and conditions of their representation, and they will also perform a check beforehand for any conflict of interests that may occur. Because of this, they request that clients provide them no confidential information until a contract is signed.

Finally, those who want to participate in future clinics can add their names to MIC’s mailing list by sending a message to mic@law.ucla.edu.

Lirica, an app that utilizes music to help English-speaking users learn Spanish, has raised $1 million from investors, including Sony Music.

Update: Lirica has clarified that its aggregate funding amount is $1 million total.  Previously we’d indicated that the funding level was higher.

Founded in 2017 by a group of London-based developers, Lirica is available as a free download on the Apple Store and the Google Play Store. The app introduces users to Spanish-language songs, related images, and English-language translations.

After receiving song-based lessons, users are asked to enter lyrics’ appropriate translations. The app’s creators—and a multitude of investors—believe that the process makes it easier for language learners to associate their native words with accurate Spanish translations.

Several different activities, all of which center on music, are included with Lirica; users can complete exercises that aim to enhance spelling and grammar, sentence structure, and conversational Spanish.

Lirica executives have indicated that the new funding will be used to optimize the application and develop lessons in languages besides Spanish.  Of course, that’s the scaling moment investors are undoubtedly hoping to accelerate.

Though anyone can download Lirica, the app is unique in that it’s intended for use in the classroom.

While other educational-software developers continue to charge substantial sums for their programs — for obvious reasons — Lirica is hoping to gain marketshare with the ultra-affordable cost of free.

Moreover, should a teacher wish to receive permission to have students download Lirica (as opposed to directing these students to do so on their own), his or her annual subscription will be free; Lirica is currently pushing to increase awareness of the software amongst educators, a top-down approach.

Based on the promotion’s language, it seems that Lirica will charge a subscription fee to classroom-wide users at some point in the future, but once again, both individuals and classrooms can currently use the app for free.

Update: Lirica subsequently clarified that the free offer is available for the first 500 schools that sign up.

Lirica’s third update released on September 16th and added a number of functionality improvements and features. A fourth update is expected to be released in the near future.

1. They won’t spend four years trying to decide what to major in.

Most students float through four-year overpriced universities wondering, ‘what should I major in?’

This is a lot of money we’re talking about.  So ask yourself: which is the better investment?  Something focused, directed and passionate?  Or four years of floating blah?

2. It doesn’t have to be a ticket to poverty.

A lot of musicians don’t want to be business people.  But that’s like a dentist refusing to deal with the accounting because they only want to look at x-rays.

But music majors can focus on being entrepreneurial from the start.  And a music education can also cover a wide range of disciplines and activities.

3. A music major isn’t only about performance.

If performance doesn’t pan out, there are innumerable companies in music technology that need talented, music-focused people.  And broader music education will balance performance discipline with music industry and technology skills, increasing the chance of a fruitful career.

There are instrument manufacturers, lyrics companies, even artificial intelligence companies specializing in music.  Google just invested $70 million in a music-focused company.

There are a lot of directions you can go with a music degree.

4. The extreme discipline of music translates into other areas.

The ‘Renaissance man’ degree doesn’t cut it in the cut-throat United States anymore.  It’s better to focus on something you actually care about instead of becoming a generalist.

But music is actually extremely technical, and heavily tied to mathematics and other technical disciplines.  The skills transfer.

5. Traditional universities are going bankrupt anyway.

Clayton Christensen thinks half the universities in America are going to be bankrupt in 10-15 years.  What they teach may also be severely dated by then as well.

But a growing number of people are questioning the value of a college education — right now.

Employers usually like to see a degree.  Does it matter if it’s in music or Greek Studies?

6. A music major solves the social pressures and alcoholism of undergrad.

College can be a place to build social skills and forge life-long relationships.  It can also be a brutal social environment with endless pressure to confirm, consume massive amounts of alcohol and do things you don’t like.

+ The Two Biggest YouTube Music Videos Were Made by Berklee College of Music Alums

A music degree offers far greater focus and discipline towards solving those anxieties and pressures.

7. There’s plenty of time to learn other skills.

You can’t practice all day on your instrument.  Maybe 6 hours max, depending.  So you have plenty of time to learn other stuff.  Maybe even an entire summer to diversify.

Even better, you can minor in something that offers some additional security if music doesn’t quite work (more on that later).  It protects the downside risk.

+ The Young Person’s Guide to Getting Into the Music Industry

8. There are also online music educations.

Berklee College of Music has an online program that is 62% cheaper than attending as a conventional student.   It’s been going since 2002, and can save everyone a ton of cash.  It’s also a cheaper way to test your ‘market viability’ as a musician.

+ You’re Running Out of Excuses For Not Getting A Music Degree

9. Your kid will never say, ‘you never let me go to music school’.

Let reality crush your kid’s dreams.  Not you.

10. Your kid will never say, ‘I should have pursued music, I’d be happier’.

A music career can be incredibly rewarding and financially viable.  It can also be brutally hard.  But it’s better to let life teach your kids these lessons.

11. You can always minor in something practical and safe.

Minor in computer science.  Study accounting or engineering as a minor.  In the end, you’re kid will probably find an innovative way to combine it all.  Or, simply pursue a music career on the side.

12. They might even get a scholarship.

Full or partial, that’s less financial burden for you.  In that case, the worst you’ve wasted is four years — but it’s the furthest thing from wasted time.

And hey: before you go…

Be sure to check out our latest guide on music schools in America (and beyond).  Accordingly, there are a lot of great universities and music programs you may not have thought of.  Thanks for reading!

Multi-Grammy award winner, Esperanza Spalding, is currently in the midst of a marathon session to concept, write, record and produce 10 songs in 77 hours for her new album.

The post on Spalding’s Facebook Page states:

Entering the studio with nothing prepared. Testing the theory that creations are at their most powerful the moment they’re released.

This feed will run uninterrupted for 77 hours. So if there isn’t much going on while you’re here, chances are it’s nap time. Please check back again later.

Only 7,777 records will ever be released, each signed, each package including a piece of the note paper on which we’re writing lyrics, chords and creation-related notes.

She invited collaborators Lalah Hathaway, Robert Glasper, and Andrew Bird into this LA studio to partake in this creation process for her forthcoming album Exposure. 

Spalding is renowned for her electric live performances. Well-respected in the jazz world, improvisation is the core of creation for most artists. But now we get a glimpse into the actual creation process. Not just for the recording, but the writing, collaborating and conceptualizing.

Every second will be documented – including breaks for sleep. It’s The Truman Show meets Big Brother (TV show) meets a Berklee College of Music master class.

Spalding wrote on her website:

 “I foresee that creating before a live audience will add excitement and extra inspiration energy. Knowing someone is watching and listening to what you’re making seems to conjure up a sort of “can’t fail” energy, the necessity to keep going because it’s live draws up another depth of creative facility that can’t be reached when you know you can try again tomorrow.”

She is releasing the album with Concord Records. They are only printing 7,777 CDs and Vinyl records. Each one includes a piece of Esperanza’s note paper used for music and lyric composing during the recording. Yeah, I just preordered one.

You can too here

Briliant. Simply brilliant. Well done, Esperanza. In the new music business you have to get creative in the creation, marketing, promotion and fan engagement process. And team Spalding definitely rose to the occassion on this one. Major props.

Berklee Backlash

Full disclosure, I just gave the Careerealism Keynote presentation at Berklee College of Music last week.

When I was on campus I was warmly invited into classrooms and my presentation went off without a hitch. I was introduced by the chair and founder of the Music Business department, Don Gorder and the chair of the Professional Music department, Sean P. Hagon. It was a humbling experience for me and I was absolutely honored to be welcomed into such an influential institution.

So, it comes with great disappointment that I must now report the news that Berklee College of Music is eliminating something that is so meaningful to me. And to the music community at large. When Berklee takes a stand like this, the international music community takes notice. And we’re not happy. As a trumpet player, this hits me hard. And it hits me deep.

I like to consider myself an open minded person, Berklee. And I’m always one to encourage the industry to challenge itself to push for progress – never dwell in the past. But this time, you’ve gone too far.

I strongly encourage you to rethink this through. You’re simply breaking my heart.

See Berklee College of Music’s full statement and explanation on this blasphemous decision below from the President of the university, Roger H. Brown.

Brown, Berklee, you’ve been put on notice.

Apple CEO Tim Cook offered plenty of wisdom in a recent commencement in Scotland.  But grads at the University of Glasgow couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of it all.

Tim Cook has one of the hardest jobs in the world.  The successor to Steve Jobs, Cook has been trying to fill impossible shoes for years.  And, all the while enduring constant criticism for draining Apple of its relentless innovation.

Then again, Cook is paid more than $10 million a year for his suffering.  And that doesn’t count Apple stock options.

And suffer you must, young indebted college grads of the world.  That was Cook’s message to graduates at the University of Glasgow, where the Silicon Valley titan received an honorary degree.  “Don’t work for money,” Cook implored.  “It will wear out fast.”

“Find something you’re passionate about. I’m very fortunate to work for such a great company.”

“There’s a big difference between loving to work and loving the work.”

Throughout, Cook urged students to better the world, and help people.  “You have to find the intersection of doing something you’re passionate about and at the same time something that is in the service of other people,” Cook relayed.  “I would argue that, if you don’t find that intersection, you’re not going to be very happy in life.”

“There’s a big difference between loving to work and loving the work.  There’s a big difference between whether you fall in love with some work that is just for profits or revenues versus work that is in the service of others.”

Unfortunately, not everyone in the Apple family is so well ‘serviced’.  On that point, Cook conveniently avoided discussing  repeated accusations of Apple’s exploitation of sweatshop laborers in countries like China.  Several years ago, an undercover investigation found Apple-contracted workers pulling double shifts while enduring horrific factory conditions.  Photos of miserable workers surfaced, with one trying an iPad out for the first time.

Thousands of miles back in Cupertino, Apple’s grandiose plans for a high-tech campus are rolling ahead.  But is Apple guilty of playing profit maximizer while punishing consumers and American workers alike?  That could be a major head for Tim Cook in the coming years, depending on how aggressive Donald Trump grows on Apple’s outsourcing.

“Steve Jobs’ parents were immigrants.”

Already, Cook is battling the new administration.  “Steve Jobs’ parents were immigrants,” Cook blasted.   And that was just the beginning of Cook’s comments on the Muslim ban.  “I don’t believe you have to trade walking away from what is a deeply held American value to get there.”

And when it comes to being alive, there’s no better time.  Especially if you’re net worth is nearly $800 million.   “The truth is, and it might not seem like it all the time, but there has never been a better time to be alive than today,” Cook said amidst a smattering of laughter.

“That is my advice … with no charge.”

He’s been kicked out of the group and shamed, but singer Remigio Pereira is sticking to his guns.

For those just tuning into this controversy, Tenors singer Remigio Pereira is now taking serious heat for working the phrase ‘All Lives Matter’ into a recent rendition of the Canadian National Anthem.  The ‘O Canada’ anthem was being sung at Petco Park in San Diego, host venue for the Major League Baseball All Star Game.

Here’s a clip of that controversial rendition.

The new Canadian Anthem? #AllStarGamepic.twitter.com/ViCfYZ4YAd

— Taylor Jones (@TJ) July 13, 2016

Pereira faced a double backlash immediately after that rendition.  First, the singer was lambasted for altering the ‘O Canada’ anthem, considered sacred by many.  But the singer was doubly blasted for preaching ‘All Lives Matter,’ itself a controversial backlash to the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement that continues to gain steam.

The Tenors themselves immediately distanced themselves from Pereira, pointing to him as a ‘lone wolf’ who went rogue during the performance.  Pereira is now kicked out of the group, and an number of subsequent gigs have been canceled.  At this stage, it’s unclear if the group will continue: the group’s Wikipedia page already refers to them in the past tense, and the band itself has yet to respond to an inquiry from DMN.

The following is the statement issued by the group:

“The Tenors are deeply sorry for the disrespectful and misguided lack of judgment by one member of the group acting as a ‘lone wolf’ today during the singing of the Canadian national anthem at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in San Diego.  

The other members of the group are shocked and embarrassed by the actions of Remigio Pereira, who changed the lyrics of our treasured anthem and used this coveted platform to serve his own political views.

Our sincere apologies and regrets go out to everybody who witnessed the shameful act, to our fellow Canadians, to Major League Baseball, to our friends, families, fans, and all those affected.

The actions of one member of this group were extremely selfish and he will not be performing with the Tenors until further notice.”

But Pereira is sticking to his guns, and refusing to apologize.  Just this morning, the singer issued this statement defending his decision at the All-Star Game.  “I’ve been so moved lately by the tragic loss of life and I hoped for a positive statement that would bring us ALL together,” Pereira tweeted.  “ONE LOVE.”

Subsequently, Pereira expanded upon his rationale in this SoundCloud clip, saying that his message is about killing, not race.

“This was not a political statement. I don’t agree with killing. So if I don’t agree with killing, it means that I don’t agree with black people dying. I weep when I see videos of a man just trying to sell a CD and he gets killed, murdered,” Pereira said, referring to the fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge on July 5. “Just like I weep if I see a cop get killed, because my cousin is a cop and I know that they put their lives on the line every single day for us.”

“No disrespect whatsoever to Black Lives Matter because black lives do matter. They most definitely do. I do not want to see anything happening to any of my black friends, musician friends,” he continued.

“This country was built through diversity, exchanging ideas, exchanging cultures. That’s how we move ahead in society. Not segregating everyone, not creating a hierarchy. There is no hierarchy. Who can be higher than God? No one on this earth. Not one person has the right over God’s creation and that is why everybody’s life matters. I love you all.”

More as this develops.

Are you looking at different music schools to attend, but struggling to choose the right one?

The best school matches your focus, whether that’s musical instrument and performance, music technology, or business-focused areas.  First, we’ll start off by going through the top traditional colleges, universities and schools to study musical instruments and performance.  Then we’ll broaden the focus, while showing you all the various programs throughout.

Juilliard School

(Image by Brian Lauer, Creative Commons, Attribution 2.0 Generic, cc by 2.0)

The Juilliard School is located in the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City.  The school was established in 1905, with a century of storied history.  This has been one of the most widely known and well-established music schools.

An array of well-known musicians started their music education at this establishment, and a degree from Juilliard is a strong stepping stone into the business (including coveted orchestral slots).  So tighten your chops, and go for one of the best.

Tuition:

$39,720

Tuition is paid in two installments.  Approximately 70% of full-time undergraduate students will receive financial aid from the school.  So there’s a fairly good chance you won’t be paying full fare.

Degree Types: 

Bachelor of Arts, Masters, PhD.

Majors:

Brass, Collaborative Piano, Composition, Guitar, Harp, Historical Performance, Jazz studies, Orchestral conducting, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Strings, Voice/Opera and Woodwinds.

Admittance:

6.7%

This rate is approximate 60% lower than that of other music schools, so prepare for some stiff competition.  Accordingly, competition to gain a place is fierce and only the most elite gain entry after a rigorous application and audition phase.

Alumni:

Susan Alexander-Max, Helen Armstrong, Lera Auerbach, Jenny Oaks Baker, Huáscar Barradas, Enrique Batiz, Bob Berg, Greg Anderson, Şahan Arzruni, Nathaniel Ayers, Michael Balzary, Jonathan Batiste, Robert Becker, Hahn-Bin, Harold Blair.

Juilliard alumni have collectively won more than 105 Grammy Awards, 62 Tony Awards, 47 Emmy Awards, 26 Bessie Awards, 24 Academy Awards, 16 Pulitzer Prizes, and 12 National Medals for the Arts.

More information on alumni can be found here.

Other useful facts:

The school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music.  There are no part-time classes all degree programs are full-time.

81.1% of people graduate, a very high percentage.  The majority of those move on to very successful careers.

Students cannot major in two different divisions, for example Music and Drama, although a musician may qualify to major in more than one instrument if an application and audition is approved in each area.

All first-time college students are required to live in the residence hall; first-time college students are always assigned to a double room.

Yale School of Music

(Image by Jdbrandt, Creative Commons, Attribution-Share Alike, 3.0 Unported, cc by-sa 3.0)

Yale School Of Music is located on College Street in New Haven, Connecticut in the United States.  The school of music was established in 1854, with Yale a name associated with academic prestige.

The School of Music is a worldwide leader in educating creative individuals, and is the only school of music to claim a place in the Ivy league.

Tuition:

$30,000

A full tuition scholarship of $30,000 and an additional stipend will be made to all students who are admitted to the Yale School of Music.  Though take note those receiving awards from other agencies are ineligible.

Living expenses (excluding tuition) for 2015–2016 were estimated to be $15,036, though these figures change year-to-year.  But students may not receive more than four years of scholarship and fellowship awards from the Yale School of Music.

Degree Types: 

Bachelor of Arts, Masters, Ph.D.

Majors:

Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba, Percussion, Harp, Guitar, Piano, Organ, Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Opera, Early Music, Composition, Conducting.

Admittance:

8%

This rate is significantly lower than the admittance rate of other music schools.

While it is slightly easier to get in over Juilliard, Yale is still considered very difficult and the application and audition process is just as rigorous.

Alumni:

Suzana Bartal, Christine Gangelhoff, Joanna Wu, Vadim Serebryany, Brain Vu, Jonathon Brandani, Dmitry Yablonsky, amongst several others.

Other useful facts:

Yale School of Music has a highly selective admission process only admitting approximately 200 students.

Style of Music is Classical and Contemporary.

Approximately 63% of students are male and 37% female.

Manhattan School of Music

(Image by DannyDaWriter, Creative Commons, Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, cc by-sa 3.0)

The Manhattan School of Music is located on the Upper West Side of New York City and was founded in 1917.  It houses a diverse student population, with 75% of students coming from outside the New York State.  And, approximately 30% coming from outside the United States altogether.

Tuition:

$44,100

Degree Types: 

Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), Professional studies certificate, Artist diploma.

Majors:

Voice, Instrumental Performance, Jazz, and Composition, Master of Music:Voice, Instrumental Performance, Jazz, Composition, Accompanying, Orchestral Performance, and Contemporary Performance.

Alumni:

The Manhattan School of Music has a large number of notable alumni across Classical, Jazz and Commercial music, as well as Entrepreneurs and Industry Leaders.

The list includes Kate Aldrich, David Amram, Gail Archer, Carolyn Banham, Ned Barth, Evangeline Benedetti, Justin Bischof, Michael Abene, Angelo Badalamenti, Judith Blazer, Ron Carter, Harry Connick Jr., Justin DiCioccio, Fred Bronstein, Jovianney Emmanuel Cruz, Michael Dabroski, and Howard Herring, though that’s just the beginning.

Admittance:

45%

Other useful facts:

The Manhattan School of Music has 22 classrooms, 104 practice rooms and 9 performance spaces.

The school will accept an application for two majors, though the applicant will incur an application fee for both and if a place is secured on both, the prospective student may only choose one in which to enroll.

First and second year undergraduate students are required to live on campus with freshmen sharing double rooms, and sophomores having the option of living in a single room.

Royal College of Music

(Image by Tony Hisgett, Creative Commons, Attribution 2.0 Generic, cc by 2.0)

The Royal College of Music is located in South Kensington, London, UK and was established in 1882.  The college is one of the four conservatories of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and a member of Conservatoires UK.

The Royal College of Music is conveniently located in central London opposite the Royal Albert Hall where some of the world’s leading artists have performed.

Tuition:

Bachelor of Music: Full Time (EU): £9000; Overseas: £15,500

Masters in Music – Full Time (EU): £9980; Overseas: £15,500

Degree Types: 

Bachelor of Music, Masters, PhD

Majors:

Undergraduate: BMus(Hons) degree, BSc in Physics and Musical Performance.

Postgraduate: MPerf or MMus in Performance, MComp or MMus in Composition, MSc in Performance Science.

Alumni:

Notable alumni include: Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Benjamin Britten, Leopold Stokowski, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Roger Norrington, Dame Joan Sutherland, Sir Thomas Allen, Sarah Walker, Alfie Boe, Liz Watts, Sarah Connolly, Sophie Bevan, James Galway, John Lill and Natalie Clein.

Admittance:

No published information as of yet.

Other useful facts:

The Royal College of Music has approximately 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

The RCM has some great performance spaces:

Britten Theatre – one of London’s best-loved opera venues.  It has an orchestra pit for 80 musicians, a Steinway grand piano, four dressing rooms, a seating capacity of 400, and a recently refurbished bar and foyer.

Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall – with two Steinway grand pianos and a capacity of 400.

Recital Hall – more of an intimate performance space.

RCM Museum of Music – an intimate setting for chamber and solo performances, talks and lectures.

Parry Rooms –  includes a grand piano, a harpsichord and an organ, and has views of the Royal Albert Hall.

Royal Academy of Music

(Image by Philafrenzy, Creative Commons, Attribution 2.0 Generic, cc by 2.0)

The Royal Academy of Music is located in Marylebone in London, and was founded in 1822.  The Academy is world-renowned and trains approximately 700 students from 50 different countries across a range of degree programs.

Tuition:

Bachelor of Music – UK/EU – £9000, International – £20,700

Masters (except musical theatre) – UK/EU – £10,795, International – £21,475

Masters (musical theatre) – UK/EU – £14,200, International – £18,300

PhD – UK/EU – £6045, International – £13,260

Advanced diploma (Royal Academy Opera) – UK/EU – £17,000, International – £17,000

Advanced diploma (Performance) – UK/EU – £9,885, International – £19,600

Degree Types: 

Bachelor of Music, Masters, PhD, Advanced diploma, Professional diploma.

Majors:

Vocal, Opera, Orchestral instrument, Timpani and Percussion, Strings, Woodwind, Brass, Piano, Composition, Jazz, Historical Performance, Musical Theatre, Conducting, Choral Conducting, Harp, Guitar, Organ, Accordion.

Alumni:

John Barborelli, Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Dennis Brain, Edward Gardner, Katherine Jenkins, Clifford Curzon, Lesley Garrett, Evelyn Glennie, Elton John, Annie Lenox, Moura Lympany, Michael Nyman, Simon Rattle, Arthur Sullivan, Eva Turner, Henry Wood.

Admittance:

No published information as of yet.

Other useful facts:

Over 90% of recent graduates are actively pursuing a career in the music industry.

The academy of music has over 100 teaching, practice studios, rehearsal and lecture rooms

There is a 100-seat recital hall, a 400-seat concert venue, a theatre and several other large concert rooms.

There are electronic and recording studios.

Oberlin Conservatory

(Image Daderot, Creative Commons, Public Domain)

The Oberlin Conservatory is located on the campus of Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio in the United States and was founded in 1865.

Tuition:

$49,928

Degree Types: 

Bachelor of Music, Performance Diploma, Master of Contemporary Chamber Music, Master of Music in Conducting, Master of Music in Historical Performance, Master of Music in Teaching, Artist Diploma, Artist Diploma in Piano Technology, The Double Degree Program.

Majors:

Performance: piano, organ, voice, strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, early instruments.

Composition: Technology in Music and Related Arts

Jazz Studies, Music History, Double Major in Piano Performance and Vocal Accompanying.

Alumni:

The Oberlin has numerous notable alumni, including Benjamin Bagby, MaVynee Betsch, Chris Brokaw, Brain Chase, Claire Chase, James David Christie, Stanley Cowell, Corey Dargel, Dorothy DeLay, Jeremy Denk, R. Nathaniel Dett, Peter Evans, Sullivan Fortner, Denyce Graves, Al Haig, John Kennedy.

Admittance:

25 -30%

Other useful facts:

Oberlin occupies four interconnected buildings, with one of these buildings housing 150 practice rooms.

There is a 501-seat hall auditorium, a 645-seat hall for recitals and recording sessions, 1,200 seat performance space, a 250-seat performance space, a 120-seat performance space, a 144-seat performance space, a 150-seat facility, as well as a student-run performance and meeting space.

New England Conservatory

(Image by Cryptic C62, Creative Commons, Attribution-Share Alike, 3.0 Unported, cc by-sa 3.0)

The New England Conservatory is based in Boston, Massachusetts in the United States and was established in 1867.

Tuition:

Bachelor of Music, Undergraduate Diploma, Master of Music, Doctor of Musical Arts – Full-time tuition (per year): $44,300

Graduate Diploma – Full-time tuition (per year): $40,510

Dual Degree Programs – Tufts/NEC, portion of full-time tuition billed by NEC (per year): $20,930, Harvard/NEC, portion of full-time tuition billed by NEC (per year): $8,655

Degree Types: 

Bachelor of Music (BM), Master of Music (MM), Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), Undergraduate Diploma (UD), Graduate Diploma (GD), Artist Diploma (AD)

Majors:

Strings: Violin, Viola, Violoncello, Double Bass, Harp, Guitar, Woodwinds: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Saxophone, Brass: Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba, Percussion, Piano, Vocal Performance, Jazz Studies, Contemporary Improvisation, Composition.

Alumni:

Excelsa Quartet, Monica Germino, Darryl Harper, Warren Jones, Sooyun Kim, Kate Lemmon, Allegra Levy, Luciana Souza, Matthew Szymanski, Stephen Upshaw, Jonathan Vinocour, Linda Watson.

Admittance:

29% (2014)

Other useful facts:

The New England Conservatory has approximately 750 graduate and undergraduate College students from 46 states and 39 countries.

There are 400 musician-teachers at the conservatory.

There is a 1013-seat concert hall acclaimed as one of the world’s most acoustically perfect performance spaces, a 260-seat concert hall, a 180-seat recital hall with proscenium stage and balcony, and two other 100-seat recital halls.

Curtis Institute of Music

(Image by Daderot, Creative Commons, Public Domain)

The Curtis Institute of Music is located in Philadelphia in the United States and was founded in 1924.  An abundance of successful musicians have graduated from Curtis and have gone on to have long-standing careers in the music industry. 

The performance-side of music is highly encouraged at Curtis, offering a direct link to life as a professional musician.

Curtis is a highly competitive institute for music with a very low acceptance rate.

Tuition:

Undergraduate – $39,890

Graduate – $51,309.

The Curtis Institute of Music provides merit-based, full-tuition scholarships to all undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of their financial situation.

Degree Types: 

Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Post-baccalaurette program, Professional studies certificate,

Majors:

Brass, Composition, Conducting, Guitar, Harp, Organ, Piano, Strings, String Quartet Program, Timpani and Percussion, Vocal Studies, Woodwinds.

Alumni:

Aaron Apaza, Abraham Feder, Achilles Liarmakapoulos, Adam Iascone, Adedeji Ogunfolo, Adrian Anantawan, Agnes Marchione, Aika Dan, Alexander George, Alice Soria-Cadoret, Allegra Gabriella Smith, Amanda Handley.

Admittance:

4.8% (2014)

Other useful facts:

Curtis limits enrollment to about 175 students.  The school accepts just enough students to maintain a full symphony orchestra and an opera program.

Curtis faculty is extremely selective at auditions with an average acceptance rate around 4 percent. Curtis is among the most selective schools in the United States.

All Curtis students receive merit-based full-tuition scholarships.

There is no minimum or maximum age to audition for Curtis, though the majority of Curtis students are of college age.

All keyboard, conducting and composition students are lent grand pianos for use throughout their studies at Curtis. Curtis currently owns 91 Steinways.

Eastman School of Music

(Image by Daderot, Creative Commons, Public Domain)

Eastman School of Music is located in Rochester, New York in the United States, and was founded in 1921.

The University is comprised of five buildings in downtown Rochester with the main hall featuring a 3,094 seat theatre and a 455 seat theatre.

Tuition:

$49,600 – Undergraduate

$34,100 – Graduate

The School makes application possible for all interested prospective students.  Those applicants who are unable to pay the application fee may request a fee waiver on the basis of financial hardship.

Degree Types: 

Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Master of Arts, Doctor of Music Arts, Doctor of Philosophy.

Majors:

Piano accompanying, Chamber music, Composition, Conducting and Ensembles, Jazz studies, Piano, String, Harp, Guitar, Music theory, Voice, Opera, Winds, Brass, Percussion.

Alumni:

Martin Amlin, Chuck Mangione, Gerry Niewood, Michael Coyle, Katia Escalera, Scott Healey, Eric Ewazen, Donals Hunsberger, Todd Wilson, Michael Walsh, Maria Scheider, Eileen Malone, Robert Morris.

Admittance:

13% (2011)

Other useful facts:

The Eastman School of Music has approximately 900 students: 500 undergraduates and 400 graduates.

International students make up 25% of their total student population.

USC Thornton School of Music

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USC Thornton School of Music is located in Southern California, Los Angeles in the United States and was founded in 1884.

Tuition:

$49,464 – Undergraduate

$26,656 – Masters and Doctoral

$13,328 – Graduate certificate

Degree Types:

Bachelor of Arts, Master of Music, Doctor of Musical Arts, Graduate Certificate in Performance, Artist Diploma.

Majors:

Classical performance and composition: choral and sacred music, classical guitar, composition, keyboard collaborative arts, keyboard studies, organ studies, strings, vocal arts (classical voice/opera), winds, percussion.

Contemporary music: jazz studies, music industry, popular music, studio/jazz guitar, scoring for motion pictures and television.

Scholarly and professional studies: arts leadership, early music performance, music teaching and learning, musicology, outreach, polish music centre.

Admittance:

20%

Alumni:

Christian Grases, Sean Friar, Ted Hearne, Susan Feldman, Charles Koster, John Daversa, Sara Gazarek, Antoinette Perry, Anne Farnsworth, Richard Kraft, Paul Ellison, Alex Miller, Tommy Johnson, Deborah Lurie.

Other useful facts:

Thornton was one of the first universities to offer an undergraduate program in Music Industry, and is still regarded as one of the best.

At the 2007 Grammy Awards, four alumni and four faculty members received awards in addition to one faculty member receiving a special honor.  At the 2009 Grammy Awards, faculty and alumni won six awards.

The school of music gives its students 24 hour access to practice rooms.

Beyond these music schools highlighted above, there are music schools that offer a wider range of music topics beyond instruments, i.e. Music Business, Music Education, Music Technology, Music Therapy etc.

These are outlined below.

Berklee College of Music

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Berklee College of Music is Located in Boston, Massachusetts in the United States and was founded in 1945. The college, most commonly referred to as Berklee is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world.

Berklee offered the world’s first baccalaureate studies in Jazz, Rock, Electric Guitar, Film Scoring, Songwriting, Turntables, and Electronic Production, among several other fields of study.

The college is an innovative and contemporary education facility for a wide variety of people wanting to gain a career in the music industry.

Tuition:

$40,220

Degree Types:

Bachelor of Arts, Masters.

Majors:

Composition, Contemporary writing and production, Electronic production and design, Film scoring, Jazz composition, Music Business and Management, Music Education, Music Production and Engineering, Music Therapy, Performance, Professional Music, Songwriting.

Admittance:

32% undergraduate.

37% graduate.

Alumni:

Juhani Aulteonen, Sheryl Bailey, Will Calhoun, Henry Kanowski, Elliot Easton, Donald Fagen, Joe Guese, Keither Harris, Natalie Maines, Chris Opperman, Andrew Palmer, Park Bom, Raghav Sachar, Brad Whitford, Tye Zamora.

266 alumni Grammy awards.

Other useful facts:

There are approximately 4,565 full-time students.

The average class size is 12.

There are 12 majors and 21 minors to choose from.

The college has 302 practice rooms.

Steinhardt School of Music – New York University

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New York University is located in central New York City in the United States and was established in 1831.  The university has a diverse population of students from all different backgrounds, many of whom are international students from all over the world.

The university offers great prospects, with 95% of graduates gaining employment with six months of graduation or in graduate school post commencement.

Tuition:

$47,750

The tuition is higher than most of the other top music schools, but this is expected for a University in a major city.

Degree Types:

Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Masters, PhD.

Majors:

Brass, Woodwind, String, Percussion, Jazz, Piano, Music Theatre, Classical voice and opera studies, Music composition, Scoring for film and multimedia, Songwriting, Music Business, Music Technology, Music Education, Music Therapy,

Alumni:

Jennifer Goode Cooper, Michael Craig, Natalie Hill, Haviland Stillwell, Douglas Ullman, Elena Shaddow, Katharine Heaton, Kelvin Moon Loh, Nic Rouleau, Kevin Michael Murphy, Ruthie Ann Miles, Kenny Francoeur.

Admittance:

35.5 % (Fall 2014)

Other useful facts:

New York University has the highest number of international students in America.

There are full-time and part-time undergraduate courses available.

77% of student graduate within four years.

Frost School of Music – University of Miami

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The University of Miami is located in Coral Gables, Florida in the United States and was founded in 1926.  The Frost School of Music is the name of the university’s music school and was one of the first schools that the university created.

The Frost School of Music offers a wide range of music subjects to study on both the instrument and performance side as well as the business and technology side.  The school was actually one of the  first in the nation to offer the innovative degree in Music Business and Entertainment Industries, as well as a hands-on music therapy program.

Tuition:

$44,400

Degree Types:

Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Masters of Music, PhD,

Majors:

Music Business/Industry, Music Education, Music Engineering, Composition, Music Therapy, History & Musicology, Instrumental Music.

Alumni:

John Easterlin, Steve Bailey, Elizabeth Caballero, Sandra Lopez, Michael Kovins, Carmen Lundy, Rosa Vento, Curtis Rayam, Dawnn Lewis, Bruce Ferden, Johanna Meier, Joel McNeely, Lewis Cleale, Bruce Hornsby, John Secada, Lari White, Steve Morse (Dixie Dreggs, Deep Purple), Will Lee (Late Show with David Letterman Band), Danny Gottlieb (Pat Metheny Group), Patti Scialfa (Bruce Springsteen).

Admittance:

38%

Other useful facts:

The Frost School of Music has a 600-seat performance venue which holds about 100 concerts a year.

There is 147-seat recital hall.

There is also a 22,500 square-foot music library housing everything from sound recordings, musical scores, musical manuscripts, musical theatre archives and research collections.

Jacobs School of Music — Indiana University

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Jacobs School of Music is located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States and was founded in 1921.  The School of Music is one of the largest consisting of approximately 1600 students, half of which are undergraduates and the other half are graduates.

Tuition:

Master of Music – $36,884

PhD – $26,785

Artist diploma / Performer diploma – $33,169

Degree Types:

Bachelor of Music, Master of Arts, Master of Music, PhD.

Majors:

Alumni:

David Baker, Bruce Bransby, David Efron, Josef Gingold, Margaret Harshaw, Howard Klug, Martha Lipton, Elizabeth Mannion, Susann McDonald, Jeff Nelsen, John Rommel, Leonard Slatkin, Violet Verdy, Slyvia McNair, Kathryn Lucas.

Admittance:

25%

Other useful facts:

Jacobs School of Music is made up of five buildings which include offices, studios, rehearsal and practice rooms .

There are 100 offices/studios, and 170 rehearsal/practice rooms.

There is a European style opera theatre with 1460 seats a room for a 100-piece orchestra.

Peabody Institute — John Hopkins University

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The Peabody Institute is located in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States and was founded in 1857.  Peabody was one of America’s first conservatories of music and has become one of the most prestigious over the years.

Tuition:

Degree program – $42,640

Artist Diploma/ Graduate Performance Diploma – $36,540

Degree Types:

Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Graduate Performance Diploma, Doctor of Musical Arts, Five year Bachelor of Music/Master of Music program, Artist Diploma.

Majors:

Brass: Trumpet, French horn, Trombone, Tuba, Euphonomia.

Strings: Violin, Viola, Cello, Double bass.

Woodwinds: Flute, Picollo, Clarinet, Saxophone, Oboe, Bassoon.

Chamber music, Composition, Computer music, Conducting, Early music, Ensemble arts: vocal accompanying, Guitar, Harp, Humanities, Jazz, Music Education, Music Entrepreneurship, Musicology, Music Theory, Opera, Organ, Pedagogy, Percussion, Piano, Recording Arts & Sciences, Voice

Alumni:

André Watts, James Morris, Richard Cassilly, Dominick Argento.

Admittance:

51%

Other useful facts:

There are four studios, with all boasting top microphone equipment.  Equipment includes brands likes: Neumann, Sennheiser, AKG, Audio Technica, amongst other high-quality brands.

Undergraduate students are required to live in the dorms for their first two years at Peabody, though that helps to breed collaboration.

Peabody students are automatically considered for scholarships as well as need-based financial assistance. Though they are awarded based on the merit, talent, financial need of the student and needs of the school for a balanced ensemble.

Herb Alpert School of Music — California Institute of Arts

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California Institute of Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in the Valencia neighbourhood of Santa Clarita, California in the United States.   The school was founded and created in the early 1960’s by Walt Disney.

Tuition:

$42,260

Degree Types:

Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Doctor of Musical Arts.

Majors:

Performer/Composer program, Composition program, Experimental sound practices, Jazz Studies, Winds, Brass, Percussion, Guitar, Harp, Piano/Keyboard, Collaborative keyboard, Strings, Voice arts, Balinese and Javanese Music and Dance , North Indian Music , World percussion, World music, Music Technology, Music arts.

Alumni:

John Luther Adams, Sharon Cheslow, Julia Holter, Eric Lindley, Salvador Santana, Matthew Setzer, Akira Rabelais, Paul Livingston, Roger Miller, Gail Ann Dorsey, Ravi Coltrane, Francis Awe, Ariel Pink.

Admittance:

27.5% (2015)

Other useful facts:

International students make up approximately 17.6% of the student population at CalArts.

All non-US students must fill out a ‘declaration of finances’ form to verify that they sufficient financial resources to pay all educational and living expenses while attending the California Institute of the Arts.

Financial aid for international students is very limited and highly competitive.

The Los Angeles Recording School

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The Los Angeles Recording School is located in Hollywood, Los Angeles in the United States, and was founded in 1985.  With the location being in Hollywood, the school offers students unparalleled access to the entertainment industry.

Tuition:

$35, 470

Degree Types:

Associate of science degree program.

Majors:

Recording Arts, Music production, Entertainment Business, Transmedia design, Music listening and Identification, Music Theory, Music composition and Programming, Creative writing, Sequencing technologies, Songwriting and development, Psychology of play, Musical arrangement, Advanced Music composition and Programming, Quantitative Principles, Digital recording principles, Mixing concepts and techniques, Music copyright and business, Music Production for Media, Music Business Management, Advanced Production and Industry skills.

Alumni:

Ari Levine.

Admittance:

84%

Other useful facts:

Students are required to purchase a computer and software in addition to tuition.  Technology is configured in accordance with program specifications.  The primary component of the laptop & equipment fee is an Apple MacBook Pro computer.

At the LA Recording School, there is an array of great equipment, studios and labs with the some of the best technology available.

IPR (Institute of Production and Recording)

(Image via IPR website)

IPR College of Creative Arts is located in Minneapolis in the United States, and was founded in 2002 by a group of professionals who gained experience directly in the music industry across a wide range of sectors such as music production, recording, engineering and entertainment business.

Tuition:

$38,220

Degree Types:

Bachelors degree.

Majors:

Applied marketing and management, Audio production and engineering, Live sound and show production, Music and entertainment business, Sound design for visual media.

Alumni:

Nick Leisenheimer, Bryan Mengy.

Admittance:

Not reported yet.

Other useful facts:

The student population is mainly made up of males.  Approximately 15% of the total student body is female, though that can be advantageous or disadvantageous depending on your perspective.

IPR has nine recording studios that serve as classrooms and training areas, and has over 120 computer workstations.

IPR’s instructors include Grammy winners/nominees, Gold and Platinum Record recipients, Clio and Cannes award winners, certified expert-level instructors and other nationally recognized/published experts.

Associate degree programs at IPR are two academic years in length. Students can usually complete their programs in 18 to 24 months of full-time enrolment.

Full Sail University

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Full Sail University is located in Winter Park, Florida in the United States and was founded in 1979 in Dayton, Ohio before it got re-located to Florida in 1980.

Tuition:

Music Production/Recording Arts/ Show Production  – $600/credit

Music business – $467/credit

Degree Types:

Bachelors degree.

Majors:

Audio production, Music production, Recording Arts, Show production, Audio production certificate, Music Business, Entertainment Business.

Alumni:

Gary Rizzo, Sebastien Krys, Phil Tan, Darren Lynn Bousman, JD Harmeya.

Admittance:

Not reported yet.

Other useful facts:

The school is 15 minutes from downtown Orlando, 35 minutes from Disney and Universal Studios, one hour from Cape Canaveral and the Atlantic beaches, and less than two hours from the Gulf of Mexico.

The University has approximately 15,000 students enrolled.

Full Sail doesn’t have any on-campus accommodation but they have an office that helps students to organize living arrangements.

SAE Institute

The SAE Institute is comprised of a number of campuses across Australia, Europe, Asia, the United States, and several other locations in the world.

SAE was founded in 1976 in Sydney, Australia.   The University expanded across Australia until 1980 and then started growing campuses in Europe and beyond.

Tuition:

Music Business (Liverpool/Glasgow campus) — £6,000 per year (£12,000 -2 year degree)

Other Music courses — (London/Oxford/Liverpool) — £9,000 per year (£18,000 2 year degree) UK students/ £12,000 (£24,000 2 year degree) International

Other Music Courses (Glasgow) — £7,000 per year (£14,000 2 year degree), £10,000 (£20,000 2 year degree)

Degree Types:

Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Sciences.

Majors:

Audio Production, Electronic Music Production, Songwriting and Music Production, Live Sound Engineering, Electronic Music Producer, and Music Business.

Alumni:

Mark Paterson, David Donaldson, Nigel Godrich, and Valgeir Cigurdsson.

Admittance:

Not reported yet.

Other useful facts:

The SAE Institute has 54 branches in 26 countries worldwide.  Additionally, all centers have professional recording studies and students have access to them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

SAE doesn’t have on-campus accommodation, but the university helps students find a place to stay.

Drexel University of Philadelphia

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Drexel University traverses three campuses, two of which are in Philadelphia.  The other is in Sacramento.  The university was founded in 1891.

Tuition:

$46,386

Degree Types:

Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Sciences.

Majors:

Music Industry: Business, Recording Arts and Music Production, Engineering, Music.

You can study the following as music minors: Music performance, Music theory and composition.

Alumni:

Howard Benson

Admittance:

75% (2015)

Other useful facts:

There are 300+ clubs and organizations at Drexel University.  So you’ll probably find a few places to jam!

It is possible to double major at Drexel, however during the application process students can only apply for one major.  Then students have the option of consulting with an advisor after enrollment to add another major.

There are 90 options of minors for students to choose from.  So mixing-and-matching is a encouraged.

Accelerated degrees are available so students can graduate in a shorter time period.

All students who apply at Drexel are automatically considered for a scholarship.

Musicians Institute

(Image via Musicians Institute site)

The Musicians Institute is conveniently located in Hollywood, regarded as the entertainment capital of the world.

Tuition:

Associates degree – $47,970

Bachelor of Music – all students – $81,000, with minor – $94,325

Degree Types:

Bachelor of Music, Certificate in Performance, Associate of Arts.

Majors:

Bachelor of Music: Composition – Scoring for visual media

Certificate in Performance: Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals,

Associate of Arts: Performance programs – Bass, Drums, Guitar, Keyboard Technology, Vocals. Entertainment Industry programs – DJ Performance and Production, Audio Engineering, Independent artist program, Guitar craft, Music Business.

Alumni:

Sharon Aguilar, Angela Ammons, Jeff Berlin, Shane Alexander, Greg Edmonson, Eli Kokkinou, Dave Kushner, Juan Alderete, Viktoria Andersson, Jennifer Batten, Jean Marc Belkadi, Brad Bershad, Zhou Bichang, Tanya Chua, Jeff Buckley, and Brooke White.

Admittance:

99% (2010)

Other useful facts:

The Musicians Institute offer scholarships to assist with tuition.  Accordingly, students can apply on the university’s website.

There is no on-site accommodation at Musicians Institute, but the university offers assistance to students who require a place to live.  And there are lots of apartments in the area, though searching early pays off.

McNally Smith

(Image via Mcnally Smith website)

McNally Smith is a contemporary music college.  Situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota, McNally offers new approaches to teaching music by integrating traditional practices in a contemporary context.

Tuition:

$27, 040/ year

Degree Types:

Majors:

Music Production, Music Business, Songwriting, Music Performance, Live sound, Audio Engineering, Composition, Music, Hip Hop Studies, Ensembles, Liberal Arts.

Alumni:

Kyle Frenette, Justin Bonhiver, Zack Carroll, Ari Herstand, Brian Nagan, Jonathon Gering.

Admittance:

62% (2010)

Other useful facts:

McNally Smith College of Music offers scholarships to all incoming and current students pursing a degree at the college. Scholarships range from $500 to full tuition for full-time students.

The college offers private lessons to students.

McNally offers housing.  After admission, students receive an apartment and roommate list.

Students planning to major in Recording Technology or Music Production will need to complete a technology evaluation as part of the application process.

Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music

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Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music is located in New York City in the United States.

The institute specializes in Recording, Production and Music Business, while aiming to give students the necessary skills to work in the evolving music industry.  Clive Davis encourages students to be innovative, so expect experimentation to be rewarded. Accordingly, the large majority of students that apply are aspiring record producers, record label managers, music critics or performing artists.

Tuition:

$49,962 (though that’s without any scholarship consideration).

Degree Types:

Bachelor degree.

Majors:

Music Production, Musicianship and Performance, Music Business, Sound Engineering.

Alumni:

Frankie Celenza, Jennifer Newman Sharpe, Dan Knobler, Julia Wilde, Erik Braund, Erin Tonkon, Eren Cannata, Emily Warren, Geoff, Strasser, Jon Seale, and G.Be.

Admittance:

Not reported as of yet, though we’ll update if we receive details.

Other useful facts:

Each year the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music only admits 60 students, while international students make up 16% of the total student population and Clive Davis.

All admitted students take the ‘Writing the Hit Song’, ‘Music Theory for Producers’, and ‘Audio Ear Training for Producers’ courses, though plenty of other requirements exist.

Take one look at music business headlines, it’s pretty obvious that we desperately need a new generation of innovative leaders. Warner Music Group and Stanford University are trying to find those leaders.

The two groups have launched a program for Stanford undergrad students from a range of disciplines.

They are accepting applications from students who are studying music, computer science, product design, economics, and electrical engineering. Warner has committed to the program for an initial five year period.

Every year a group of juniors will be selected to take Changing World of Popular Music, a course developed by Stanford and WMG. This course will feature guest artists and executives.The students will then work on a paid in-house project at WMG during the summer. Following this, students will work on a capstone project. Students can receive a budget of up to $2,000 for their capstone project.

Cameron Strang, CEO and Chairman of Warner Bros. Records and Warner/Chappell Music, said:

“WMG is proud to be part of such an important, forward-looking program with Stanford, whose students change the world, and we are committed to using our resources and expertise to create the highest levels of engagement and opportunities for the students. Today’s digital natives are defining the new era of music, and these students will lead it.”

Prospective juniors must apply before January 30th.

Earlier this year Stanford and WMG collaborated on Creativity: Music to My Ears, a free open online course. The course was taught by a Stanford engineering professor and featured contributions from WMG executives and artists.

Nina Ulloa covers breaking news, tech, and more. Follow her on Twitter: @nine_u

Image by Luis Jou García, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Dubspot LA offers classes on DJing, music production, sound design, mixing and mastering, and video performance. Once a course is completed, students get a year of access to videos, tutorials, and multimedia resources created specifically  for their course.

The school has some notable instructors, including Alpha Pup Records owner and Low End Theory founder Daddy Kev and Thavius Beck, who also goes by the name Adlib.

Past Dubspot students include Tunde Adebimpe from TV On the Radio and Ski Beatz, who has produced for Jay-Z, Mos Def, and others. A fair amount of students travel from other parts of the country and world to take in-person classes. Students have come from as far as Singapore, Brazil, and India.

There’s a wide range of electronic productions schools that have become increasingly accessible through multiple locations and online classes. Point Blank and Berklee Online are two examples. Keep in mind that all of these schools’ prices are fairly steep, and are comparable to the price of a university course. Dubspot does offer payment plans and military discounts.

Dubspot will be offering some free courses during the conference portion of this year’s Decibel Festival, which I will be covering for DMN. The daytime conference is free to the public and will be a good opportunity for those in the area to become familiar with Dubspot and other electronic music resources.

I spoke to the team at Dubspot LA to get an idea of where Dubspot stands in the increasingly popular world of electronic music production. This will hopefully give prospective students a better idea of what to look for in an electronic music school.

What does Dubspot offer that other schools do not?

Dubspot LA: “Dubspot is more than just a school. It’s a vibrant community of artists who are passionate about music, technology and, most importantly, mentorship.

We hire professional artists to teach for us and we offer a supportive learning environment with an in-depth and highly structured curriculum.  We teach the core fundamentals through advanced concepts and our students leave with an expanded knowledge of applying new creative production techniques to their music.

You will meet students from all over the world and from all different backgrounds at Dubspot. It’s a rich experience to be in class, talking about music, creativity, and technology, and coming together as a group from all different cultures to support each other. It’s really about building a network of passionate people that will take the knowledge learned here and continue to develop their craft and make it their own.”

What type of credentials or experience do your instructors have?

“All of our instructors are working artists with real-world music experience in areas such as music production, sound design, mix/master engineering, DJing, sound for film / video games, music publishing, and of course, education.”

Should prospective students have familiarity with their production tools before enrolling?

“Students come to Dubspot with many different levels of experience. If a student starts with very little to no experience, we recommend starting with our Music Foundations course. Music Foundations is a course that teaches the fundamentals of music theory. It’s built specifically for music producers and electronic musicians. We also offer many intermediate level courses for students who have been producing and/or DJing for a little while but are feeling the need to increase their knowledge base and work with a mentor. Lastly, we also have those who have been doing music professionally for years that want to take individual courses, such as Mixing and Mastering and private lessons to help improve their skills and to fill in any knowledge gaps that they may be experiencing.”

How would a prospective student figure out which classes to enroll in?

“We have admissions counselors who can recommend courses based on the prospective student’s goals and experience. They can call 1.877.DUBSPOT and talk to an admissions counselor or write to us through our website contact page. We also have detailed course offerings on our website. Anyone can visit our locations in LA or NYC. We have open houses from 11am to 1pm every Sunday on both coasts.”

Stay tuned for related coverage from Decibel festival in Seattle.

Nina Ulloa covers breaking news, tech, and more for Digital Music News. In her spare time she heads music blog West Coast Fix. Follow her on Twitter: @nine_u

The slide was presented by Berklee course author and instructor Mike King at SF Musictech Summit on Tuesday.  King told Digital Music News that the degree is certainly affordable, especially against the cost of a full-blown, in-person degree.

Berklee is now accepting applications for the fall, with the cost of a completed, online degree at roughly $58,000.

But can that type of online marketplace transform music lessons, where the teacher-student relationship is critically important?  Is this the same as getting a ride or renting a pad?

Enter TakeLessons, a search engine that finds teachers in your region and believes an internet marketplace can transform music education.  TakeLessons (at takelessons.com) now has more than $12 million in cumulative financing to prove it (with $4.4 million of it coming earlier this year).

The seemingly-obvious concept has been around since 2006, though net-connected marketplaces are finally entering their prime.  According to the company, TakeLessons in now doubling its year-over-year volumes, including a 124 percent increase in April.  Already, the San Diego-based company has hired 7,000 teachers, served 30,000 students, and delivered more than 400,000 lessons.

All of which suggests that the age-old music lesson could be getting overhauled by the online marketplace.  Just like everything else.

Written while listening to Jay-Z, Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life.

Or, in other cases, Google itself is the actual advertiser (snapshot taken by Music Technology Policy, which has more details on this case.)

The industry now has a list.  According the Annenberg report, the first in a planned series, these ad networks are most frequently delivering ads (and cash) to pirate destinations.  The worst offenders are…

1. Openx

2. Google (including Double Click)

3. Exoclick

4. Sumotorrent

5. Propellerads

6. Yahoo (including Right Media)

7. Quantcast

8. Media Shakers

9. Yesads

10. Infolinks

USC Annenberg director Jonathan Taplin issued a strong statement of his own, while promising to directly contact offending brands.  And, list these brands in follow-up studies.  “Large pirate sites distribute illegal content and continue to steal trademarked, copyrighted content and siphon millions of dollars away from the creative community, making it much harder for artists to make a living,” Taplin said.  “We do not believe that government regulation alone is the answer to the piracy problem, but rather that the self-regulation of major sectors like the online advertising industry could make it harder for the Kim Dotcoms of the world to unfairly exploit artists.”

“We look forward to working with advertising agencies and networks in the coming months to address this issue.”

It seems that all roads now cross through Google, even on the research side.  Google’s ‘Transparency Report’ was a major source for this research, though another study co-sponsored by Google also contributed to the finding.  Google itself calling foul, that is, through an unidentified ‘spokesperson’.

“To the extent [the study] suggests that Google ads are a major source of funds for major pirate sites, we believe it is mistaken. Over the past several years, we’ve taken a leadership role in this fight. The complexity of online advertising has led some to conclude, incorrectly, that the mere presence of any Google code on a site means financial support from Google.”

Perhaps the Berklee College of Music, a place where the annual cost of attendance can quickly soar past $62,000, is now answering the question on its own.  Because when you come out the other end, the real world is an increasingly brutal place for musicians.

Ironically, a report from Berklee itself is now reaffirming this reality. According to a rather dreary report on musician jobs released by the school this week, most musicians are struggling with moderate salaries (at best), are underemployed in their chosen craft, and are working multiple gigs to get by.  And, session gigs, recording gigs, and salaried positions are all on the decline. Here’s a quick summary of Berklee’s report on the state of musical employment in 2012.  The findings were based on a sample of 5,371 musicians and composers, conducted by the Future of Music Coalition (and released this year).

(1) Musicians are underemployed:

40 percent said they spend more than 36 hours a week doing music.

42 percent said they derived all of their personal income from music.

(2) A substantial number need to supplement their musical salares with non-musical income:

Average personal gross income of survey respondents was $55,561.

The average estimated music income was $34,455.

(3) A vast majority paid handsomely for a music degree (with a significant percentage likely in debt):

80 percent have a college degree or higher.

(4) Most musicians are working multiple gigs, non-stop to make these moderate salaries:

More than half of respondents are earning money from three roles or more. It gets worse, according to the Berklee stats.  Because over the past five years — undoubtedly a stressed-out period economically in the US, world, and music industry — musicians have watched their earnings power and available work erode.  In fact, most categories are fighting to maintain their previous levels of employment, or struggling under declines.

But wait: didn’t we already know this? At least at a top level?  The answer, of course, is yes: parents are notorious for trying to steer their children away from music, simply because the jobs are erratic and the pay is lousy.  But for those committed to their passions, perhaps the question is whether it makes sense to commit hundreds of thousands of dollars to a musical education that will probably lead to a life of Ramen and long-term debt.  Or, if that’s even a luxury young musicians can realistically entertain anymore. The full report, which includes a range of salaries and music-related job details, can be found here.

Here, Ariely talks about the strange lessons learned during the release of his latest book, The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty.

How to Stop Illegal Downloads…

Three days after publication of my new book, The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty, I was able to find electronic copies on a few websites that specialize in illegal content.  These were high quality versions of the book, including the images of the cover, the references, and — my favorite part — the copyright notice.

I was flattered.  On one of the sites, the book had been very popular, downloaded over 20,000 times in just a short period of time before my publisher shut it down.

I was also amused.  The irony of illegally downloading a book on dishonesty was painfully obvious.

But mainly I was curious, as is my wont.  As someone who has been studying dishonesty for many years, what could I learn from the theft of my own book?

My first insight came with a personal conversion.  Before it was my book being illegally downloaded, I was more on the ‘Information wants to be free’ end of the spectrum.  The sudden, though predictable, shift in my feelings when I found my own work being downloaded for free was a jarring experience.  Maybe Information finds complete freedom too threatening, I thought, and maybe it would rather be a bit more protected.  It was a very clear example of how my own views of morality are biased — as are everybody’s — based on our immediate perspective.

Recently in a lecture on dishonesty in San Francisco I was explaining, as I always do, that dishonesty is largely founded on our ability to rationalize, and a young guy stood up and argued that downloading music was actually the right thing to do.  He said that the companies make lots of money while artists don’t (they make the music for the public, not for profit).  And either way, he wouldn’t buy the music anyway so it wouldn’t make a difference.  “My friend,” I said, “thank you for proving my point about rationalization.”  Then I asked him to imagine if the product in question represented several months or even years of his life.  All that time he was creating, writing, editing, and marketing this thing in order to fund his next project.  And then everyone downloaded it, illegally, for free.  At which point he sat down.

My second thought, after realizing my popularity in the “download for free” category, was about the potential for moral deterioration on a broader scale.  Once people start seeing a particular behavior — such as illegally downloading books, music, and movies — as a very common behavior, there is a chance that this sense of social proof will translate into a new understanding of what is right and wrong. Sometimes such social shifts might be desirable — for instance, being part of an interracial couple used to be considered illegal and immoral, but now we see such couples all around us and it helps shape our understanding of social approval.  However, the behaviors we most often observe and notice are ones that are outside of the legitimate domain (e.g., doping in sports, infidelity by politicians, exaggerated resumes by CEOs) and in these cases the social proof can change things for the worse.

And then I had an insight about confession.  How can we stop such trends toward dishonesty (in this case, broader acceptance of illegal downloading)?  The problem is that if someone has acquired 97% of their music illegally, why would they legally buy the next 1%?  Would they do it in order to be 4% legal?  It turns out that we view ourselves categorically as either good or bad, and moving from being 3% legal to being 4% legal is not a very compelling motivation.  This is where confession and amnesty can come into play.

What we find in our experiments is that once we start thinking of ourselves as polluted, there is not much incentive to behave well, and the trip down the slippery slope is likely.  This is the bad news.  The good news is that in such cases, confession, where we articulate what we have done wrong, is an incredibly effective mechanism for resetting our moral compass.  Importing this religious practice into civic life was effective in the Truth and Reconciliation Act in South Africa, where acknowledging the many abuses and violations of the apartheid government allowed the South Africans to forgive past sins, and start fresh.

I think that this same approach could be effective in preventing people from illegally downloading music and books.  Why don’t we offer young people (because let’s face it, most of them have some illegally downloaded material on their computers) the opportunity to admit and apologize, receive amnesty for the material they already have, and start fresh.

In the meantime, until we adopt this course of action, I am hoping that the New York Times will create a Best Seller list for a new category – the Most Illegally Downloaded Books.”

Here’s the most updated breakdown of costs, provided by Berklee itself.

Berklee sticks out as a nosebleed, though other esteemed music schools are also demanding ransoms.  That includes the Julliard School ($55,056), Oberlin ($57,025), and Eastman School of Music ($57,246).  The College Board recently calculated that the average private college now costs $42,244 on a ‘moderate budget,’ a figure that drops to $21,447 for in-state schools.

Here are 62 different ways I already discover, and rediscover, my music…

1. Talking to friends.

2. Going to the supermarket.

(it’s great for 80s classics.)

3. Just reading stuff.

4. Watching my Facebook feed.

5. Turntable.fm

6. Going to a show, and

(a) catching the opening band (or bands).

(b) talking to other people at the show.

(c) looking at the bill of other upcoming artists.

7. Driving by a venue, and looking at the sign of upcoming shows.

8. Going to a festival.

9. Watching a festival on YouTube.

10. Checking out the flyer for a festival, and trying out a few artists I don’t know.

11. Going to a bar. A band starts playing.

12. Seeing a movie. Checking out the soundtrack or composer when I get home.

13. Watching a DVD. Checking out the soundtrack or composer later.

14. Going to a party or get together, noticing what’s playing.

15. Eavesdropping on a music conversation.

16. Singing karaoke.

17. Walking down a street in congested urban area with music blaring out of cars. New York works great for this.

18. Going out to eat.

19. Hearing a sample in a rap song.  Researching the sample, and discovering an old band.

20. Listening to a song that references another artist (shout out, whatever, ie, Drake referencing Mac Dre, etc.)

21. Turning on a Pandora station.

22. Turning on a Songza station.

23. Opening Spotify, and checking out any number of embedded apps.

24. Opening the Rdio iPad app, checking out new releases and top charting albums.

25. Checking out any number of charts:

(a) BigChampagne’s Ultimate Chart

(b) Billboard’s Hot 100, top 200 albums, etc.

(c) Spotify’s most-listened…

(d) etc.

26. Noticing someone’s t-shirt.

27. Turning on FM radio.

28. Turning off FM radio, and turning on Sirius XM Radio.

29. Attending a sporting event.

30. Opening the iTunes Store, and looking at featured releases.

31. Opening my own iTunes collection, and playing something I don’t even recognize (that I downloaded long ago).

32. Beatport.

33. Checking out any ‘various artists’ albums.

34. Checking out remixes of tracks I like, then checking out the remixing DJs.

35. Wondering who sings that song, then finding out.

36. Shazam.

37. Soundhound.

38. Watching TV. Seeing a commercial that features an artist and a great track.

39. Watching the Super Bowl.

40. Going out, seeing an amazingly good street performer.

41. Travelling, especially to foreign countries.

42. SXSW.

43. Trying YouTube recommended clips.

44. Music blogs.

45. Hype Machine.

46. Thinking something sucks, then changing my mind and listening to it.

47. Finding out the influences of an artist I like.

48. Checking out a new app, like thefuture.fm.

49. An artist dies.

50. Going to a club.

51. Slacker.

52. Listening to KCRW.

53. Reddit.

54. Guest rappers.

55. Beefing rappers.

56. Realizing I’ve heard a song over, and over, and over again, without even realizing it.

57. Checking out my father’s CD collection.

58. Watching an artist documentary, which invariably references stuff I didn’t know, and features interviews with artists I’d forgotten about or didn’t know in the first place.

59. Listening to an ad on Spotify, either for music or a nearby, upcoming show.

60. Hanging out with my niece.

61. Coffeehouses, including Starbucks.

62. Getting shockingly bored of my stale music collection or playlists.

He agreed to have it reprinted, verbatim.

Original Message:
From: David Smolover <_________@_________.com>
To: news@digitalmusicnews.com
Cc:
Date: Wednesday, June 20 2012 12:03 PM
Subject: another digital casualty

Paul,

I have been an enthusiastic follower of Digital Music News for a number of years and truly enjoy your commentary on our industry. Your fight for a musician’s right to open a royalty check rather than an eviction notice is admirable.

Since 1984 my wife and I have operated the National Guitar Workshop, a summer music program for hobbyists and aspiring musicians. It started as my attempt to make a living as a musician without living in my car.

We were lucky.  The idea hit just as the guitar reached its zenith of popularity.  Over the next 25 years, we grew from one campus with 160 students to an international program with campuses across the U.S., Canada and Europe.  At the height of our programs, we hired 500 musicians each summer to teach nearly 6,000 students.  The business was the foundation for two other companies – a music instruction publishing company, Workshop Arts Publications, and an online music instruction site, WorkshopLive.  We have over 25,000 alumni, including Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Dr. Luke, and Grammy-award winning songwriter, Robert Lee Castleman.  All in all, a very good way to spend a quarter of a century.

The natural progression of a business occurred.  Success breeds competition. Others entered the market, but we were all able to survive and even prosper.  Then the recession hit.  Even though it devastated many summer enrichment programs, we were able to survive.  Cut backs, trim budgets, you do what you have to do to keep breathing.

But something very different is happening now and I thought I’d share our cautionary tale.

Today you wrote that “the recording has effectively become worthless”.  Turning music into a commodity has far reaching implications that go well beyond the destruction of the record industry.  One of the results is the overall devaluation of the music experience.

As educators our “product” has always been our love and knowledge of music.  If we could share this passion honestly and fairly, we could provide a valued service and maintain a livelihood.  Unfortunately this premise is based on the idea that people value the service that you offer.  When music became free, it had an unintended and insidious consequence.  Instead of becoming more valuable by providing unlimited access, it became less valuable.  At the risk of sounding as old as I am, when you had to work, or beg, for the money to buy an album, music was connected to the effort you made to acquire it.  By your effort/work/begging, you inherently ascribed a value to it.  It may have been only $7.95, but when you were making $2.50 an hour, it had true value.

We have witnessed a change of behavior in music students, our clientele.  An expectation now exists that all experiences will ultimately be on YouTube and will ultimately be free – be it a concert, a master class or a simple lesson.  It doesn’t matter.  With so much supply, literally hundreds of thousands of YouTube lessons, you can see their point.  I have always made the impassioned argument that being in a room with a great teacher and other passionate students is a life changing experience.  But when passion is less important than convenience, you’re pretty much talking to the wall.  So that which decimated the recording industry is about to cripple one of the remaining opportunities for musicians – instruction.  More talented musicians and dedicated teachers looking for another gig.

I better stop or I’ll start bombarding you with stories about guitar students enrolled in respected JAZZ college programs who don’t know who Charlie Christain or George Benson are. (Oh and they’re both on YouTube.) When everything’s free and the only filter you have is your friend’s playlist, the cream doesn’t necessarily rise to the top.

Thanks for fighting the good fight.

David Smolover,
Founder
National GuitarWorkshop

Are you just blasting your social networks, and spreading yourself thin responding to every last tweet?

Yes, according to many of the labels, artists, and managers we’ve talked to, and it’s just not working.  But, how can this be done more intelligently, with more efficiency and better fan engagement?

This is a serious problem in music marketing today, and one that MySpace Music is now attempting to address.  According to details shared with Digital Music News over the weekend, MySpace Music is now working on a social media intelligence platform called ‘Wildfire,’ a concept currently in the early pilot stages.  At a top level, the Wildfire platform is designed to more intelligently identify the most important nodes of a fan network, and give bands and labels a better strategy for making things ripple.

A big driver of the effort is MySpace Music vice president of Product Roberto Fisher, who shared preliminary details at a meeting held Saturday by the Music & Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA) in Los Angeles.  “Are you aware of the people that are most valuable to you in social media marketing, to help amplify what you do?” Fisher posed.  “Wildfire is designed to help you understand the tree of engagement that happens in the time that someone does something.  So, we can pinpoint in any tree of distribution the people that gave you the most reach when they heard something and re-amplified it.”

So, it’s “where in the trees you should invest,” instead of burning the whole tree with a blowtorch, according to Fisher, which sounds like a refreshingly targeted idea.  But this involves a lot of close observation, on a massive scale.  Accordingly, MySpace is essentially ‘wiring every single action’ that happens in the social networking sphere as it relates to artists, and then assigning scores to the most valuable ‘branches of the tree.’  “You can score it all,” Fisher described.  “I can tell you if user A is more valuable than user B.  And when you did X, these are the things that caused Y to happen.”

More as it develops.  Report by publisher Paul Resnikoff in Los Angeles.

Or, at least the ones that still care.  But during the course of discussions at the Bandwidth Music & Technology Conference in San Francisco, perhaps the most stinging comment came from left field.

Kids often feel stupid paying for music.

Certainly exceptions exist, especially among industry kids.  And this is not the type of thing that comes out of research surveys, which are notorious for drawing false information on touchy subjects like file-trading.  But break through the youth filter, get a dose of honesty, and $1.29 downloads start sounding like insanity.

Back at Bandwidth, the requisite discussions were happening over variable pricing, AmazonMP3 discount campaigns, and other discussions ultimately related to the buying fringe.  But a few alternative voices poked through.  One raised the unpopular corpse of AllofMP3, the highly-successful Russian site that peddled MP3s for 5-cents a pop (and upward for various quality and format configurations).  If this site was such a miss, why was high-level diplomatic pressure exerted to eventually bring it down – among other tactics?  A Russian guy selling knock-off CDs never got a call from the US Trade Representative.

Obvious answers exist for why a 5-cent download is unworkable.  Statutory publishing rates, for example.  But increasingly, more and more evidence is showing that downloads in the range of 69-cents to $1.29 are even less realistic for creating business growth.

Certainly unrealistic for the younger demographic, once the driving pulse of a thriving industry. Kids are lucky to get an iTunes allowance, especially these days.  The rest are swimming in free, and teaching one another the tricks for grabbing gratis content.  It’s reflected in the numbers, and the flattened download trajectory in the US (and eventually, the world if the trend plays out).

This is not just a major label problem.  Sure, emerging, unsigned artists can control their own copyrights, and name their own price (including free) through direct-to-fan channels.  But when on iTunes, artists must do as iTunes does, and that includes paying specific percentages on pre-set prices.  Sure, the noise floor is deafening, but maybe the pricing ecosystem is also hurting smaller artists as well.

Seems like the industry has a choice to make.  Battle for old-world revaluation, or radically revalue its product in the hopes of creating a paid culture.  Maybe getting smaller is just too unappealing to a once-lavish business, and for that matter, the grandiose dreams of many artists.  But there may be little choice left in the matter, at least for those that want to build a new industry.

Paul Resnikoff, Publisher. 

If writing about music is like dancing about architecture, then try interpreting it all through a machine.

Impossible?  The Echo Nest is now attempting to help labels better identify and connect with their fans through web-based semantic analysis, according details shared with Digital Music News on Monday.  The new concept, called ‘Fanalytics,’ initially involves partners Interscope Records (UMG), Independent Label Group (WMG), RCA Music Group (Sony) and the Orchard.

So what is Fanalytics?  According to Echo Nest chief Jim Lucchese, the concept leverages patents related to the interpretation of music-related text.  “This relies more heavily on our web-crawling and language processing technologies,” Lucchese described.

If that sounds painfully difficult, then you have an idea of just what the Nest is trying to accomplish.  But big brains enjoy big challenges, and Fanalytics leverages technology developed over twelve years at MIT, Berkeley and Columbia by the company’s PhD co‐founders, Brian Whitman and Tristan Jehan.  “We are excited to apply our one‐of‐a‐kind music intelligence platform to help artists and labels better understand and build their online fan base,” Lucchese explained.

Outside of this release, others partners are also kicking the tires on the Echo Nest music intelligence platform.  At SanFran MusicTech last month, the company demonstrated a recommendation upgrade for Spotify, one that builds smart playlists on top of the rather straight-ahead Spotify app.  The recommendation-focused update remains forthcoming.

Back to the semantic concept, the real action begins when labels start to effectively structure fan relationships using the technology.  And, not just with one artist, but across larger rosters.  “We understand that simply making your music available on the web is easy,” Lucchese continued.  “The challenge is cutting through the noise to build a meaningful fan base.”

Report by publisher Paul Resnikoff.

September roiled the recording industry, and tightening consumer wallets could spell a vicious fourth quarter.

That is part of a bigger, multi-year slide for major labels, a downward spiral driven by a tanking CD.

But not everyone is getting the doom-and-gloom memo, including EMI Music senior vice president of Digital Strategy Cory Ondrejka.  During a late-day keynote at Digital Music Forum West in Hollywood, Second Life cofounder Ondrejka offered a snappy, smart, and optimistic outlook for the beleaguered label.  Tossing words and phrases likecollaborative filtering , community formation, entrepreneurship, and crowdsourcing, the incoming brain focused on niche audiences, microtargeting, and rapid responses to consumer needs.  “Underestimate niche at your peril,” Ondrejka urged.

But the coveted niche exists within a very, very large potential audience. “We basically have access to half of the earth,” Ondrejka said, pointing to collective internet and mobile penetration rates that easily surpass three billion (1.2 billion internet users, 3.2 billion mobile users).  “We have billions of fans, and zero marginal costs.”

If Ondrejka at times seemed like a digital dreamer, he also realistically pointed to a business model and cost structure that has been focused on big hits, big artists, and super-sized marketing campaigns.  But Ondrejka also placed emphasis on Long Tail theories throughout, and was clearly motivated to energize more focused audiences.  “Those artists way out on the curve are valuable, and this can be scary in a hit-driven world,” Ondrejka said.  “The top of the curve is dropping faster than the market as a whole.  That is the curve flattening out, this is the Long Tail that Chris Anderson talks about.  The niche actually monetizes better, and if you doubt that, you should probably go check out eBay, or Google, or Second Life for that matter.”

Of course, label revenues are clearly declining, though Ondrejka pointed to massive increases in music consumption, across both free and paid channels.  “This is actually a really great time, in some ways this is the best time ever to be in music,” Ondrejka said.

Ondrejka was recruited by Douglas Merrill, an ex-Googler and EMI newbie who shares a similar digital brilliance and optimism.  The combination is certainly refreshing, though largely incongruent with technophobic strategies like file-sharing lawsuits and arduous licensing approaches.  Those touchy topics were left untouched, though the broader question is whether Merrill and Ondrejka can quickly solve an urgent monetization riddle.

Report by publisher Paul Resnikoff in Los Angeles.

The RIAA is tossing more anti-piracy notices at colleges nationwide, at least according to several reports from university administrators.

The Chronicle of Higher Education found increased volumes at schools across the United States, a sudden jump.  “We have not seen a nationwide spike like this,” said Kevin L. McLaughlin, director of information security at the University of Cincinnati.

That was echoed by a similar report in Ars Technica.  “Normally, we only get about a dozen per year; now we are getting about four to six notices a week,” St. Cloud State IT security coordinator Darrin Printy told Ars on Thursday.

All of that means more paperwork and resource demands for schools.  “Because most colleges investigate every incident and take action against the online pirates, the surge is putting a sudden strain on their resources as the semester winds down,” the Chronicle explained.  Ars Technica counted a total of 5,404 settlement letter recipients, of which 2,300 opted to quickly settle in a pre-court process.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is facing resistance from universities in its stepped-up college enforcement campaign. The latest complications involve the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, which was unable to identify a large number of targeted students due to technical issues.

The Nebraska network dynamically assigns IP addresses to students, and frequently switches the numerical identifiers. Furthermore, the university disposes records after one month, making it difficult to adequately match addresses with actual student identities. Out of a total crop of 23 targeted students, IT administrators at Nebraska were only able to identify 9, a result that frustrated the trade group.

“One would think universities would understand the need to retain these records,” said RIAA representative Jenni Engebretsen in recent comments to the Omaha World-Herald. The dynamic IP assignment snag is just one component in a contentious relationship.

According to Nebraska officials, each RIAA request for student identification requires administrative costs to process, and the school has actually requested reimbursements for its efforts. That was flatly refused, though the development indicates a highly uncooperative stance.

“It is neither practical nor appropriate for us to entertain a reimbursement request,” Engebretson said. The standoff follows a refusal by administrators at the University of Wisconsin to forward RIAA pre-litigation letters to students, a development that first bubbled this week.

Whether an early-stage snowball is forming remains to be seen, though schools appear mostly uninterested in joining the policing efforts. Meanwhile, the RIAA recently sent an additional 405 pre-litigation settlement letters to students and 23 universities, part of a serious enforcement push this year.

The RIAA has been known to send letters to universities asking them to identify students who are illegally downloading copyrighted music. The letters usually ask the universities to forward the letters to the individual students. In some cases, the RIAA has also asked universities to block certain websites that are used for illegal downloads.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is not the only university that has had difficulties complying with the RIAA’s requests. The University of Wisconsin-Madison recently refused to forward RIAA pre-litigation letters to students, citing privacy concerns.

The RIAA has been criticized for its heavy-handed tactics in its campaign against illegal downloading. Many people believe that the RIAA is overly aggressive in its pursuit of copyright infringers, and that it is targeting the wrong people.

Many students who receive pre-litigation letters from the RIAA are not aware that they have been downloading copyrighted material illegally. They may have downloaded music or movies from peer-to-peer networks without realizing that they were breaking the law.

Universities are caught in the middle of this conflict. On one hand, they want to support the rights of copyright holders and discourage illegal downloading. On the other hand, they want to protect the privacy of their students and avoid being seen as heavy-handed enforcers.

It remains to be seen how this conflict will play out. The RIAA may continue to send pre-litigation letters to universities, but it is clear that many universities are not willing to comply with the RIAA’s requests. The issue of illegal downloading is a complex one, and it is unlikely that a simple solution will be found anytime soon.