New TuneCore Study Finds 39% of Independent Artists Are Uninterested in AI

Musicians and creatives alike are adopting artificial intelligence at breakneck speeds—and we’re only at the beginning. 

According to a study by TuneCore, 27% of musicians are using AI tools to create music. Additionally, 57% of respondents indicated they used AI to create artwork. While using the tech for fan engagement came in at a 20% clip, musicians have a strong interest in using it throughout the creative process as well as marketing and fan engagement. 

“Generative AI and AI will open a new age of Creativity and Discovery, and transform in a positive manner every aspect of our partnerships with artists and the way we partner with digital music services,” said Denis Ladegaillerie, founder and CEO of Believe, TuneCore’s parent company. “This is why it is essential that our strategy as a company is aligned with that of our artists: that of a responsible approach to AI and to the exciting opportunities and future use cases that we will develop as a core part of our mission to serve all artists, at each stage of their career, with respect, fairness, expertise and transparency.”

In June of this year, TuneCore partnered with Grimes to launch a pilot program centered around her Elf.tech software, which enables artists to use her deepfaked vocals and distribute the music without fear of copyright infringement. By virtue of te program’s model, Grimes receives 50% of the royalties accrued from the sound recording.

“TuneCore’s main priorities lie in the interests of our artists, so the responses to this survey will help us enable them to utilize AI on our platform with consent, control, transparency, and fair monetary compensation,” added TuneCore CEO Andreea Gleeson.

Grimes.

Tessa Paisan

The impact of AI in music and other creative industries remains controversial. Its ethics and authenticity have been called into question by music producers everywhere, many of whom fear they will eventually be replaced entirely.

In May, the U.S. Copyright Office began hosting virtual sessions wherein artists, developers, researchers and more shared their concerns and hopes for AI moving forward.

Meanwhile, many music tech companies, such as Splice, are using AI to create powerful tools to help musicians enhance their creative process. The company recently launched “Create,” a tool that enables artists to instantly find samples within Splice’s vast library and mesh them into a “stack.” 

You can read TuneCore’s full “AI in Music Report” here.



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Live Nation CEO: Live Music Industry Will Have "Growth Surge on Global Basis" for Years

After an explosive 2022 for live music, 2023 has set the stage for even more growth in the years to come. 

In Live Nation’s Q2 earnings call, President and CEO Michael Rapino told investors that amidst a record year for the company, the live music sector has not only returned, but it’s also becoming bigger than ever before. 

“Live music is bigger than ever, with global demand driving the industry to record levels,” Rapino said. “There’s a more diverse pipeline of artists breaking from all corners of the world, and at the same time tours are going to more markets—particularly in Latin America and Asia. This was our strongest second quarter ever, with 2023 on pace to be a record year, and early indicators for 2024 giving us confidence in continued growth.”

Miami’s III Points, a Live Nation festival.

III Points/ADINAYEV

Live Nation has sold more than 117 million tickets, which is up 20% from 12 months ago, according to IQ Magazine. International markets are fueling this expansion, rising at a 46% clip. Rapino also said consumers are driving global consumption “with no gatekeepers,” citing heavy social media use.

This massive surge will reportedly allow Live Nation to invest more than $12 billion in staging artists’ shows in 2023, a 30% increase from 2022. 

“We have been on this march for a long time,” Rapino added. “And we think there’s still lots of opportunity… in Latin America, Pacific Rim, Eastern Europe. We kind of predicted the artists would continue to go global—more global artists and international markets would want to be just like New York—and Boston would want to be hosting U2 and Beyoncés of the world, so we had an opportunity to build out those markets. So pedal down, we see lots of great growth opportunity for years to come on that front.”



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Finneas announces “one night only in London” debut UK show this month


Finneas is set to play his debut UK show later this month.

The musician will be performing a one-off show at London’s Electric Ballroom on August 30, just a few days after he is expected to join his sister Billie Eilish for her headline shows at Reading and Leeds.

Tickets are set to go on sale on Friday (August 4) at 10am – you can buy yours here and find tickets for Reading and Leeds here.

Finneas spoke to NME about his musical relationship with his sister – as well as his own endeavours – back in 2021, when he released his debut album ‘Optimist’.

“I like working with anyone that you could list that I’ve worked with,” Finneas said. “I haven’t had a terrible experience working with anybody. But I think just the intimacy of a relationship with a sibling is impossible to replicate or duplicate.”

The siblings worked together on ‘ocean eyes’, Eilish’s first major viral hit. “It gave us something from nothing, which is so unbelievable,” Finneas recalled. “So I always have this profound gratitude for that song – obviously, our careers have been built on different moments since then, but that was the thing without which we never had anything.”

In late 2022, the singer revealed that he was recovering from surgery on his collarbone, after “demolishing” it – and suffering a radial head fracture to his right elbow – in an electric bike accident. Fortunately, however, he did not have to miss the final dates of Eilish’s ‘Happier Than Ever’ tour.





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Here's the Collaborators and Tracklist of Shaq's Debut Album, "GORILLA WARFARE"

Does Shaq have on “off” button?

His name has been inescapable these days, and for good reason. The NBA Hall of Famer-turned headlining DJ, fans of whom affectionately call DJ Diesel, has been igniting moshpits at festivals all over the world thanks to his decimating dubstep.

Diesel’s primal bass drops have now led to GORILLA WARFARE, his debut album. It’s a big moment for the scene’s beloved dubstep dad, who has embraced rave culture with a warmth that few have been able to resist.

The album’s pre-save page hit Spotify today, revealing its tracklist and collaborators. Spanning 10 songs, GORILLA WARFARE will feature Soltan, Kompany, Jessica Aduiffred and other prominent bass music producers.

Diesel, who is esteemed for spotlighting young artists, has also teamed up with a handful of promising producers for tracks on the album, like VRG, Chassi and TRXGGX.

GORILLA WARFARE is scheduled to release on August 18th, 2023 via Monstercat. Check out the full tracklist below and pre-save the album here.

DIESEL – GORILLA WARFARE Tracklist

DIESEL & CELO – WARFARE
DIESEL & Hairitage – BANG YOUR HEAD
DIESEL & Jessica Audiffred – NO FEAR
DIESEL & VRG – WATCH UR BACK
DIESEL & Soltan – ROMANY ADVENTURES
DIESEL & Crankdat – HEAT
DIESEL & Kompany – MIDDLE FU
DIESEL & TRXGGX – KXLLA
DIESEL & Rated R – WARZONE
DIESEL & Chassi – HIT EM LIKE

Follow DIESEL:

Facebook: facebook.com/shaq
Twitter: twitter.com/djdiesel
Instagram: instagram.com/djdiesel
Spotify: spoti.fi/3zoP9WO





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Lars Ulrich explains why he had to stop fans stealing cushions at their shows


Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has recounted how he had to stop fans from stealing cushions from venues they were playing and throwing them around during their sets.

Ulrich recently appeared on the podcast Conan O’Brien’s Needs A Friend, in which he reflected on Metallica’s tour history in Los Angeles, the city where he formed the band with James Hetfield, and a place which he says has played host to “some of the best shows of our career” thanks to some particularly “passionate” fans.

However, this sometimes escalated into fans throwing around cushions and leaving the band with a hefty bill to pay.

Speaking of the Long Beach Arena specifically, Ulrich said: “What are there, 16,000 seats in there? We’ve paid for about 15,000 of those 16,000 seats over the years because every time we were playing Long Beach Arena, people would just take the cushion, you know, play frisbee with it inside the arena.

“The next day [the venue staff] would be like, ‘Okay, Metallica, here’s those $300,000 worth of cushions that you have to pay for’.”

Ulrich added that the band had to explicitly warn fans off doing anything similar to avoid them having to foot the bill. “We had to go on KNAC [radio station] multiple times and go ‘Listen, whatever. You know, you’re our fans, and we’re your fans and we’re all in this together. We want you to have a good time and we support that,” he said.

“But understand one thing, if you think you’re rebelling against the building or rebelling against authority or rebelling against the man or whatever the fuck it is, do you think you’re rebellious? The only people you’re really rebelling against is Metallica.”

Lars Ulrich of Metallica. CREDIT: Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Ulrich also discussed a show at the LA Coliseum where Metallica had to stop a performance when fans started throwing folding chairs on stage.

“At that time, things were maybe slightly more unpredictable about the physical elements of the makeup of the shows, and in front of the stage the whole lawn, the football field at the LA Coliseum was [made up of] all folding chairs,” he said.

“I don’t know if any of you would like to guess where 40,000 folding chairs ended up three songs into the set. Yeah. That’s right. All those – whatever there was – 30, 40,000 folding chairs ended up on stage. And so we had to stop the show”.

Ulrich discussed this at a time where various incidents have taken place in recent weeks involving fans throwing things at artists during live shows. Most recently, Cardi B threw her microphone at a fan who lobbed a drink at her on stage.

Meanwhile, one of the most dangerous cases occurred last month, when pop star Bebe Rexha was seen falling to her knees after a mobile phone struck her in the face,  leaving her needing stitches above the eye.

Drake has also been the target of items thrown from the crowd. Earlier this month, he was hit by an object while on stage in Chicago, during the opening night of his ‘All A Blur Tour’ with 21 Savage. The object, which hit him in the arm during the performance, turned out to be a mobile phone although he didn’t comment on the incident during the show.

Later in the tour, he halted one of his gigs to call out a fan after a vape was thrown at him mid-performance.

Additionally, P!nk was left confused after a fan tossed their dead mother’s ashes onto her stage in London, Harry Styles was hit in the eye by a mysterious object thrown at him in Vienna, and Ava Max was slapped in the face by someone who ran onto the stage during a gig in Los Angeles.





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Music, Wellness and Tech Intersect With Moonai, the App That Soothes Period Pain

From helping manage Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s symptoms to easing depression and anxiety, music is known as a natural panacea for pain.

A team of neuroscientists and music producers have collaborated to develop and design Moonai, an app where tech, music and wellness collide to help women suffering from period pain.

The app’s music is said to act as a “digital painkiller,” impacting the menstrual cycle with “ambient-drone soundscapes” that create a lulling and comforting effect while reducing pain.

“It’s supported by the science, and the people who are most skeptical about it before using the app tend to be our biggest ambassadors afterwards,” CEO Laura-June Clarke told Music Ally. “It blows their minds! And then they post [on social media or in app store reviews] about that.

“We’re building this machine of understanding what parameters on the human body in the menstrual cycle is affected by what sound characteristics,” she added.

Earlier this year, Moonai worked with artists Fernanda Aleman and Kazam to showcase the “Moonai Sound Experience” in Stockholm, a “fusion between electronic music, science and wellbeing” that functioned as a proof of concept in the real world.

One thing the app prides itself on is transparency when it comes to people’s data privacy, Clarke said. Although the app doesn’t track periods, in a world where many women fear sharing sensitive information about their cycles online due to mercurial abortion laws, it’s crucial to protect private data.

“It’s about being transparent and not sketchy, and not collecting so many sensitive data points,” Clarke explained. “We explain how we’re collecting them, where they’re stored and how we use them.”

You can find out more about Moonai and download the app here.



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Listen to Stormzy’s new ‘Angel In The Marble’ freestyle


Stormzy has released a new freestyle track, ‘Angel In The Marble’.

The song is Stormzy’s second stand-alone single to be released in recent weeks, following his collaboration with RAYE, ‘The Weekend’.

“Now look at me, chiseled like da Vinci reappeared in ‘93,” he raps. “I found my inner Preston and I went and set him free. Now we the black Beatles, let it be.”

The accompanying video was filmed at Stormzy’s recent 30th birthday celebration, #TheMikeGala, which took place on Friday (July 28) and features a plethora of gala attendees including the likes of Louis Theroux, Dina Asher-Smith, Skepta, Judi Love, Burna Boy, Danny Dyer, Alison Hammond, Ghetts, Wretch 32 and many, many, more.

Check out ‘Angel In The Marble’ below:

“There’s a difference between doing music at 22 and when you’re about to turn 30.” Stormzy recently said in an interview for the cover of Dazed’s summer issue. “It’s the kind of peace and stability and stillness you can only get from maturity. You lose all the nervous shivers and the anxiety; you shake it off because now you’re a grown man coming into your skin.”

Meanwhile, Stormzy pledged last week to fund 36 Black Cambridge students over the next three years as part of the Stormzy Scholarship, which he launched in 2018.

Each student will receive a £20,000 annual scholarship to cover tuition fees and maintenance costs through Stormzy’s #Merky Foundation and the bank HSBC.

“For a further 30 black students to have the opportunity to study at Cambridge University – the same year we celebrate five years of the scholarships’ launch – feels like an incredible landmark moment,” the grime star told BBC News.

Prof Bhaskar Vira, pro-vice-chancellor for education, also said he was “delighted” the collaboration was continuing.

“We know these scholarships are truly transformative in the opportunities they provide and we look forward to welcoming more Stormzy scholars to Cambridge over the next few years,” he added.





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New Artist Spotlight: Boston Artist ADVIKA Adds a Shot of EDM to Her Impressive Jazzy Pop/Jazz Fusion Style [Lyric Video]


At only 20 years of age, the singer, songwriter and award-winning jazz musician known as ADVIKA has already made a significant name for herself with an impressive body of work that belies her age. She began releasing jazz-infused pop folk songs in 2020 as she entered the prestigious Berklee College of Music’s Electronic Production and Design program, but her accolades as a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and Carnatic singer began well before her college-level studies. She won the the YoungArts award in jazz vocals and songwriting and performed at the Newport Jazz Festival in 2018, where she won the Berklee Newport Jazz Festival Scholarship. She’s also a merit scholar at Berklee. Imagine not only being recruited but paid to go to one of the best music schools in the world.

One listen to ADVIKA’s work and it becomes abundantly clear that there were no mistakes at Berklee admissions. The thing that stands out the most has to be her pitch perfect voice, even in her earlier work. Pitch perfect doesn’t even really describe ADVIKA’s vocals: describe there’s pitch perfect, and then there’s absolutely flawless. Not a waver or a waffle in tone, yet full of emotion and poignancy, ADVIKA was destined to go far no matter what level he schooling reached.

It’s possible that ADVIKA is so effortlessly able to reach these tones with such clarity due to her Carnatic training: a form of Southern Indian classical music which is distinct from more northern/Islamic fused music, Carnatic vocals focus on a complex tonal system that must be clear and pitch-focused due to how many distinct notes there are in the scale. As a lover of jazz and its own complex vocal and tonal standards, this may be how ADVIKA chose to pay homage to both east an west as she began to carve out her style. It certainly means she doesn’t sound like anyone else in the pop world.

In terms of her songwriting and composition, ADVIKA’s first releases are jazz and pop folk-based with just a hint of ambient electronic structure and her also nearly perfect viola work, her most recent singles, “Come Back to Earth” and “Put Your Heart Away,” see the gifted artist really flexing her electronic production muscles. With what sounds like a tabla drum loop backing the track in a nod to her South Indian heritage, ADVIKA pulls various instrumentals in with more and more electronic programming as the track goes on, writing the track like a classical composition as is comes together. This whole song is meant to support her goosebump-inducing vocals, which are also multi-layered to create a complex harmony. The effect is chilling and emotive before you even begin to recognize the depth of the lyrics.

The lyrics describe the deep anguish of gradual separation in a relationship that once held a promise, watching them slowly detach themselves from each other. One holds onto the promise and hopes that the other comes back. And when they do decide to come back, it’s too late. There is nothing left anymore. The strongest bonds can be ephemeral if not cared for and nurtured. The song’s energy builds throughout, going from a mournful call to a realization of the end. -ADVIKA

Just released a couple of weeks ago, ADVIKA’s “Put Your Heart Away” also shows her promise as an EDM/pop fusion artist. Setting her jazzy vocals to a disco house tune she also created herself, it seems even with all the praise she’s gained in jazz and classical disciplines thus far doesn’t mean she plans to stay there. With so much raw talent and an already impressive discography, the sky is truly the limit for ADVIKA, and it will be up to her whether she wants to “Come Back to Earth” for us mere mortals.

“Come Back to Earth” and ADVIKA’s other stunning works can be streamed on her Spotify page. It’s a good one to bookmark for future as well, as this is clearly just the beginning for this multi-talented artist.



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Dance Armstrong and Roy LaCroix Rework Smash Mouth's "All Star" for the Modern Dancefloor

Hey now, 90s kids, Smash Mouth’s “All Star” has a new outfit for the modern era.

Dance Armstrong and Roy LaCroix are honoring the turn-of-the-century hit and its enduring pop culture legacy with a tech house rework designed to propel it onto today’s dancefloors. Buoyed by trunk-thumping kicks, the producers’ energizing framework adds a transformative energy to the charming original that would even be pleasing to Shrek’s jaded ear. 

The unconventional choice of the source material marks just another ambitious challenge in the collaborative saga of Dance Armstrong and Roy LaCroix. The duo have a history of taking the road less traveled with success after their remix of Creed’s “Higher” released last year. 

“Being a child of the 90s, I listened to Smash Mouth’s ‘Astro Lounge’ album an uncomfortable amount of times on my Walkman CD player,” LaCroix recalls. “After Dance [Armstrong] and I released our well-received Creed edit, we knew the next logical step was to find another 90s rock anthem to remix and quickly realized that ‘All Star’ didn’t have a proper tech house flip.”

The track has found a home on Hood Politics Records. Take a listen below.

FOLLOW DANCE ARMSTRONG:

Instagram: instagram.com/dancearmstrong
Spotify: sptfy.com/Ozsa~s

FOLLOW ROY LACROIX:

Instagram: instagram.com/roylacroixmusic
Spotify: sptfy.com/Ozsc~s





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Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh says ‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse’ “changed the trajectory” of his career


Devo‘s Mark Mothersbaugh has paid tribute to the late Paul Reubens, saying that creating the music for Pee-wee’s Playhouse and the 2016 movie Pee-wee’s Big Holiday “changed the trajectory of his career”.

Reubens died on July 30 at the age of 70 after privately suffering from cancer.

“He always had a good personality and a good heart,” Mothersbaugh told Yahoo Music. “It’s just shocking and sad that he’s gone.” He admitted that he had no idea that Reubens had been diagnosed with cancer, adding, “We’d even been talking about working on an animated version of Pee-wee’s Playhouse.”

Mothersbaugh and Reubens met at the comedy improv theatre the Groundlings when Mothersbaugh was dating founding member Laraine Newman (who was also part of the original Saturday Night Live cast). There, Mothersbaugh witnessed Reubens creating his Pee-wee Herman character. They first collaborated in 1980, on the obscure film Pray TV, before a scheduling conflict prevented Mothersbaugh from writing the score for Reubens’ breakout film role in the Tim Burton-directed Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.

However, they would eventually work together again when Reubens approached Mothersbaugh about Pee-wee’s Playhouse, which he composed the theme song and episodic music for. “I’d never done a TV show before,” Mothersbaugh remembered. “That took me into the world of film and television and video games. It totally changed the trajectory of my career.”

Actor Paul Reubens In New York on March 25, 2016 CREDIT: Mike Pont/WireImage)

At the time, Mothersbaugh was feeling burnt out from the relentless album and touring cycles Devo had and appreciated being able to do something new. He came to appreciate the quick turnaround that came with working on a weekly episodic show: “I’d write 12 songs’ worth of music on Tuesday, record on Wednesday, put a tape in the express mail on Thursday, they’d mix it into the show on Friday… and on Saturday morning, we’d all watch it on TV. And then the next Monday, I’d get another tape in the mail. I was like, ‘Sign me up for this job!’”

He also revealed Reubens took a hands-off approach to Mothersbaugh’s work. “‘Here’s my only notes. When it’s something sad, make it really, really sad. When it’s something happy, make it really, really happy. When it’s something shocking, make it really, really shocking.” Mothersbaugh explained, “He just wanted everything to be done to extremes.”

Mothersbaugh went on to write the music for the entire run of Rugrats and its three theatrical films, as well as other children’s TV shows like Clifford the Big Red Dog, Beakman’s World, and Santo Bugito. He’s also produced music for video games including Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter, and more recently composed the score for Elizabeth Banks’ viral comedy-horror film Cocaine Bear. 





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