Awards season is here, Is Spotify still the top dog? Blood Cultures spotlight
Studio Tool You Need 🎹
TrackLimit and Limitless by DMG Audio are dynamic range and loudness management plugins designed for audio processing. They both stand out from other limiters due to their sophisticated algorithms and advanced features designed for precise control and transparency. TrackLimit is a limiter plugin aimed at providing precise control over the peak and RMS levels of individual tracks. It incorporates advanced algorithms for transparent limiting, ensuring that tracks stay within desired levels without introducing unwanted distortion. Limitless, on the other hand, is a more comprehensive mastering limiter, offering a broader set of features for finalizing mixes. It allows for detailed adjustments of gain reduction, transient shaping, and peak limiting, with an emphasis on maintaining clarity and dynamic range. Both plugins are equipped with intuitive interfaces and provide high levels of customization for users seeking to manage loudness and dynamics with accuracy and flexibility.
Production Sauce 🎵
Watch 343’s Max Wild show us how to make better chord progressions using harmonic rhythm. He adds significant variation and syncopation by adjusting the starting and stopping points of his chords. “It's not just about the notes in the chord, but the way you play them.”
Check it out here!
News You Should Hear About ⚠️
Awards season is gearing up with the Grammy's only a few weeks away!
It was revealed today that pop sensations Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan will perform at the 67th Grammy Awards Ceremony alongside other chart-top artists– Shakira, Raye, Doechii, and Billie Eilish. The show will be hosted by former The Daily Show frontman Trevor Noah.
The devastating wildfires in LA have halted several Grammy events, and the Recording Academy has pledged over $3.2 million in emergency aid to music professionals affected by the fires.
To watch the show live, tune into CBS or Paramount+ on Feb. 2nd at 8pm E.T.
An Industry Secret They Don't Want You To Know 🤫
Should You Continue Posting on Spotify in 2025?
Spotify remains the world’s largest music streaming platform, offering significant exposure to artists. However, several issues in 2024 are worth considering before uploading your tracks.
A major concern is the growing presence of AI-generated music. Platforms and algorithms are now able to create "fake artists" like Jet Fuel & Ginger Ales, whose tracks flood curated playlists. This undermines the authenticity of content on the platform and misleads listeners, resulting in a diluted music experience for those seeking genuine creativity. In some cases, even human artists have fallen victim to this, with accusations like those against Michael Smith, who used AI and bots to fraudulently generate songs and steal royalties.
Beyond AI, Spotify’s compensation system remains problematic. Independent musicians continue to struggle with low per-stream payouts, which remain very low despite the platform’s massive user base. The free tier—where users pay nothing for access—means even smaller artists earn less per play. "Pay-for-play" practices also skew the playlist algorithm in favor of larger labels, sidelining smaller creators who struggle to get noticed.
Spotify’s playlists, particularly "Discover Weekly," have also faced criticism for being repetitive and favoring a narrow set of genres and artists. This creates a lack of diversity, limiting genuine discovery for both users and artists.
Additionally, the platform’s ongoing technical glitches and unreliable user interface continue to tarnish the experience for both listeners and artists. Many users feel overwhelmed by generic music, with too much reliance on automated playlists instead of true curation.
Artists We Love 🎤
We're going to change up the vibe this week with NJ/NY band, Blood Cultures. This experimental indie pop band slid onto the scene in 2013, as one member, before becoming a full band later on. Their atmosphere directly harkens back to the chillwave era that flooded the online music blogosphere just a few years prior, a sound that is always exciting for us to hear! Some of our favorite tracks, Moon, Indian Summer, Scenes from a Midnight Movie, are available on Spotify and Apple Music!
What's Happening at 343?
If you haven't checked out our Chop Shop series yet, this is your chance! Next week, you can join the 343 community in-person or online for our monthly remix competition. Learn more and submit your track here!
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