The BMG And Concord Merger Means There’s Now A 4th Major Label

It was announced yesterday that the two largest indie labels, BMG and Concord, would merge. This would effectively make it a 4th major label, although smaller than the other three – Universal, Warner Music Group, and Sony. The creation of the new company is significant to the average artist or songwriter in some ways, and […]

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Saving Vintage Guitar Stores With Ben Montague On My Latest Podcast

On this week’s podcast episode, I talk with Ben Montague, founder and CEO of The North American Guitar Global (TNAG) about the business of vintage guitars. Among the things we discuss is TNAG’s acquisition of Carter Vintage and Norman’s Rare Guitars, music retail, guitar collecting, and the business of preserving iconic brands in the guitar […]

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How a Commercial Studio Survives in the AI Era With Tom Weir On My Latest Podcast

Can a commercial recording studio still thrive in the age of AI, home recording, and constant industry change? In this episode of Bobby Owsinski’s Inner Circle, Bobby Owsinski sits down with Tom Weir, Grammy-winning engineer and owner of Studio City Sound. We talk about how his studio stays busy by evolving with the business while […]

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We May Be Reaching Peak Streaming Subscription

Scroll around the internet and you’ll find a lot of grumbling about subscription prices. Nowadays, everything is a subscription – audio streaming, video streaming, gaming, software, plugins, workstations, AI models, and no doubt several other categories I can’t think of right now. Every time a subscription monthly price is raised, a lot of people start […]

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Why AI Can’t Replace A Mastering Engineer With Jonathan Wyner On My Latest Podcast

On this week’s podcast episode, I talk with Jonathan Wyner, mastering engineer at M-Works, Berklee professor, head of artistic technology initiatives for BEATL, and past president of the Audio Engineering Society . . . . . . about what AI can do in mastering, mixing, education, and music creation, and where the human element still […]

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The Music Business As We Knew It Is Over And The UMG Pershing Square Deal Proves It

Probably the biggest story to hit the music news yesterday was Pershing Square Capital Management’s proposal to acquire Universal Music Group (UMG). The proposed $64 billion deal has all the earmarks of a typical hedge fund investment, with lots of talk about valuations, stock prices, buybacks, and investor premiums. There’s not much mention about the […]

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Mixing’s Biggest Problem With Richard Chycki On My Latest Podcast

On this week’s podcast episode, I talk with Richard Chycki, the multi-platinum mixer and engineer behind work with Rush, Dream Theater, Aerosmith, Mick Jagger, Alice Cooper, and Pink. We had a insightful discussion about decision making in recording, immersive audio workflow, and why Atmos still needs clearer standards for mixers who want their work to […]

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Vocal Secrets With Craig Anderton On My Latest Podcast

On this week’s podcast episode, I talk with author, musician, and lecturer Craig Anderton for Part 2 of our conversation, this time about vocal production, mixing strategy, performance dynamics, and the deeper decisions that separate polished recordings from generic ones. From gain envelopes and vocal detail work to inside out mixing, minimal plugin philosophy, and […]

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Some Eye-Opening Insights From The Latest IFPI Global Music Report

Every year the International Federation of the Phonograph Industry (IFPI) puts out a report regarding the state of the music business world-wide. Almost every year there are things that jump out, but sometimes the most important are a little buried and easily overlooked. Here are a couple of data points that I spotted from the […]

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How Music Industry Changes You Might Not Be Aware Of Can Affect You On My Latest Podcast

On this week’s episode, I break down the latest music industry news and production trends, connecting the dots between business shifts, platform power, legacy gear, and loudness myths to give you a better understanding of where the industry is heading. If you want a sharper view of the modern music business without hype, this episode […]

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5 Stats From Spotify You Should Know About

Spotify is the streaming service that we’re all learning to hate, with its CEO investing in military AI, users unhappy with the interface and recommendation engine (not to mention the AI slop), and artists perpetually complaining about the payout per stream. To counter at least a few of these concerns, the streamer has created a […]

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The Unique Human Fingerprint AI Can’t Match With Craig Anderton On My Latest Podcast

On this week’s podcast episode, Is AI really coming for your gig, or are most musicians worried about the wrong things entirely? In this episode of my Inner Circle Podcast, author, musician, and lecturer Craig Anderton breaks down what AI actually means for working artists, producers, and songwriters . . . . . . and […]

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The Radio DJ Will Rise Again, But In A Different Form Thanks To AI

For those of you old enough to remember, back in the early days of FM radio where playlists were non-existent, the free-form nature of the medium then was the heyday of the disc jockey (or “presenter” if you want to get official about it). We relied on their taste in order to learn about new […]

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Guitar Hero Comeback? Meet Stage Tour

If I had to pick a moment when rock music became passé, it was when the Guitar Hero game peaked in 2008. By 2009 the game and the genre had run out of steam and it’s been all downhill from there. Rock really never died like the game, and if anything, the genre is even […]

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Why Commercial Studios Are Still Necessary With Sam Rudy Of Pro Studio Time On My Latest Podcast

On this week’s podcast episode, what role do commercial recording studios really play in today’s home studio world? I sit down with Sam Rudy, founder of Pro Studio Time, to explore whether studios are still necessary for modern music production, or simply a creative luxury. From writing camps and residential studios to AI disruption and […]

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