Releasing music is easier than ever before. The hard part? 

Planning, organising, amplifying.

Register free: https://byta.com/digital-launch-academy 

• Registration is now open until: Monday, 13th November
• Successful candidates announced: Tuesday, 14th November

On Thursday 16th November 2023, Byta / byta.com and Marshall are partnering to present Digital Launch Academy. A full-day course consisting of four individual sessions focused on releasing and launching music in the digital age. From pre-release hygiene and metadata to social media management and promotional strategies. These sessions will help to equip tomorrow’s artists and industry leaders with the tools required to instil life, organisation and impact into their release campaigns. Free to register and attend but space is limited!

Digital Launch Academy is open to artists, creators and individuals already or aspiring to work in any discipline or location within the music ecosystem. 

Together, all four sessions will help provide the knowledge required to move a music career forward. Each session will explore a different issue which everyone should consider while planning to launch their music into the world. The day will also conclude with a chance to network with fellow participants and instructors. 

The digital era has made it incredibly easy to record and release music. With proper planning and better organization, you stand a better chance of achieving success.

The Digital Launch Academy is designed to help.

The 4 Sessions:

• Pre-release: be ready to get paid AND played: “pre-release hygiene” & metadata
• Digital best practices: file formats, digital and audio security
• Social Media Management: keeping your online presence consistent to maintain and increase fan engagement
• Post-release: how to navigate Promotion, PR and Streaming Optimisation
• *Plus: a networking, and Q&A session with attendees and instructors*

Team members from Byta and Marshall, holding decades of music industry experience, will deliver best practices and offer tips and tricks as they go. Real-world examples will be used to put everything into perspective, helping you to make better choices going forward. Knowledge is power.

• Limited spaces are available (under 100!). Apply now, for free!
  • Sessions will begin at 10am GMT / UK
  • Thursday 16th November 

• More about Byta & #HowWeListen

More about Marshall and Marshall Education

About Byta

Byta (“Bee-tah”: the Swedish word for exchange) is unrivalled in taking advantage of the unique properties found in audio files. By simplifying the reading and writing of file metadata, conversion of file formats and delivery of fast yet secure streaming, the platform enables everyone to send and receive digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. 

Byta has also launched #HowWeListen, a not-for-profit organisation that complements the company’s ultimate goal: providing artists and their teams with the tools and knowledge needed to move their careers forward.

• More about Byta

About Marshall

Marshall has been celebrated by some of the world’s greatest bands and musicians including: Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Slash, Oasis, Muse, Gorillaz and Bring Me The Horizon. We can be seen on tour with artists like Justin Timberlake, Kendrick Lamar and Lana Del Rey. However, none of this would be possible without founder and revolutionary, Jim Marshall OBE and his son Terry.

• More about Marshall

The post Announcing Byta & Marshall’s Digital Launch Academy appeared first on Byta Blog.

The submitted remixes were then listened to, judged and a winner was chosen by members of the band, the team at PRS Guitars and here at Byta.

… And we have a winner!

A big congratulations to Zaddi Pesino, who has won a *brand new* PRS SE Silver Sky guitar (pictured) and a Freelancer plan on Byta!

We asked Zaddi about his winning remix:

“I’ve been writing songs since I was a starry-eyed lad and although it’s an exciting challenge to see how far you can get on your own, a special kind of magic happens when people work together.

Kudos to Marc, Jamie, and the Byta team for giving me the opportunity to sharpen my production skills and providing a valuable tool for creatives, TRIONIQ for the clean stems and killer performance (the track was recorded live off the floor if you can believe it and if you can’t, it’s on YouTube), and last but not least, PRS Guitars for their generosity and commitment to quality instruments.

When we dare to be wild, romantic, and idealistic, the possibilities for creation are limitless. When we are oriented towards discipline, logic, and pragmatism, things get done. I dedicate myself to the balance.”

• Listen to Zaddi’s winning remix of TRIONIQ’s ‘Elbow Grind’ right here or below!

Music from Zaddi Pesino’s limitless pipeline coming soon:

• Spectre Hearts (rock/indie) 
• Zaddi (singer-songwriter)
• Les Canards (French bossa nova)
• Bad Zad (pop/hip-hop/electronic)

The post Announcing the Winner of the Byta & PRS Guitars Riff Mix Challenge! appeared first on Byta Blog.

Share your best music! When releasing music, above all else, it has to sound good. 

Capturing, Recording, Producing, Sharing.

Register free: https://byta.com/digital-recording-academy 

• Registration is now open until: Wednesday, August 16th
• Successful candidates announced: Friday, August 18th

On Tuesday, August 22nd 2023, Byta / byta.com and Shure are partnering to present the first Digital Recording Academy. A full-day course consisting of four individual 45-minute sessions focused on Recording & Production Best Practices.

Before you can share your music you have to create your music. From audio and digital file best practices to planning and recording your audio in every environment. These four sessions will help you understand how to properly capture and coordinate whatever sounds you need to record.Today most people get their start in their bedroom “studio”. What are the best ways to approach audio recording even at this early stage? What are the tips and tricks that lead to audio wins and being ready to share your work?

Share the best possible audio you can with the world. This workshop will equip today and tomorrow’s creators, artists and industry leaders with the tools required to record & produce their best work. Free to attend but enrollment is limited to 50 participants.

The Digital Recording Academy is open to artists, creators and individuals in any discipline, aspiring to record & produce audio wherever their studio might be. 

Together, all four sessions will help provide the knowledge required to record and produce your best audio, putting you in the position to help move your career forward. Each session will explore a different issue that everyone should consider when planning to record and produce digital audio. The day will also conclude with a chance to network with fellow participants and instructors. 

The digital era has made it incredibly easy to record audio. With proper planning, the right tools and set-up, you stand a better chance of achieving success.

The Digital Recording Academy is designed to help.

The 4 Sessions:

• Home Studio: Tips and Tricks on getting the best recording possible
• Digital best practices: file formats, digital and audio security
• Voice, Music, Instruments: Best practices depending on what your are trying to capture
• Collaboration: File Sharing: Working with other creators and your team

• Plus: a Q&A session with attendees and instructors

Team members from Byta and SHURE, holding decades of music industry experience, will deliver best practices and offer tips and tricks as they go. Real-world examples will be used to put everything into perspective, helping you to make better choices going forward. Knowledge is power.

• Limited spaces are available. Apply now, for free! 
  • Sessions will begin at 9am PT / Noon ET / 5pm UK 
  • Tuesday August 22nd, 2023

About Byta

Byta (“Bee-tah”: the Swedish word for exchange) is unrivalled in taking advantage of the unique properties found in audio files. By simplifying the reading and writing of file metadata, conversion of file formats and delivery of fast yet secure streaming, the platform enables everyone to send and receive digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. 

Byta has also launched #HowWeListen, a not-for-profit organisation that complements the company’s ultimate goal: providing artists and their teams with the tools and knowledge needed to move their careers forward.

• More about Byta

About Shure

With a history of innovation that began in 1925, Shure has turned a passion for making great microphones and audio electronics into an obsession. Shure continues to set the worldwide industry standard for superior, reliable products.

• More about Shure

The post Announcing Byta & Shure’s Digital Recording Academy appeared first on Byta Blog.

Announcing the launch of a three-part series that looks into the importance and challenges of metadata and how it affects artists and their teams. Brought to you by Byta & MusicBrainz.

Three articles, released once a month: May, June & July 2023, beginning Wednesday 17th May. Find them all right here on Byta’s blog. 

Each article will be co-written with our friends at MusicBrainz, a community-maintained open-source encyclopaedia of music information. 

MusicBrainz exists only to collect as much information about music as they can. They do not discriminate or prefer one “type” of music over another and attempt to collect information about as many different types of music as possible: published or unpublished, popular or fringe, western or non-western, human or non-human — they want it all in MusicBrainz.

Byta and the team at MusicBrainz know that metadata is fundamental to digital music. Each article will tackle the importance of metadata when creating, sharing and promoting music and how it relates to publishing, licensing and getting paid.

1. The Basics of Metadata
2. Why Metadata Matters in Today’s World
3. Payments, Copyright and legal matters

Metadata makes it possible to find your music, but it can be easily confusing, wrong or incomplete and data can go stale surprisingly quickly. Keeping metadata up to date is not the whole picture either – there is also bad metadata and there are bad names! As an artist, if you release music without sufficient amounts of metadata attached to the release few people will ever be able to listen to it.

Here’s a brief summary of what’s inside each of the three articles: 

Metadata Matters:

• Part I: The Basics of Metadata

In the modern music world that increasingly plays out online, music metadata becomes increasingly important. What does metadata mean and how does it affect your music and how people are able to discover it?

• Part II: Why Metadata Matters in Today’s World

Identifying and crediting artists, songwriters and contributors using metadata.

How can metadata make connections between the people who were involved in creating the music and the rest of the world?

• Part III: Payments, Copyright and Legal Matters

The role of metadata in music licensing and copyright protection.

How does metadata help artists to get paid correctly and efficiently? What is the impact of metadata on music royalty payments and rights management?

Stay tuned to read all three articles in the next three months right here on Byta’s Blog.

The post Announcing ‘Metadata Matters’ (Byta & MusicBrainz) appeared first on Byta Blog.

Each talk is free and online. The next talk takes place Tuesday 16th May 2023 – 10am ET / 2pm BST / 3pm CET.

• Featuring DJ Dreas and attorney & founder of Women in Music South Africa, Manaileng Maphike.
• Moderated by Byta’s CEO/Founder Marc Brown.

Sign up here for free: https://byta.co/african-music-is-rising 

In advance of the Africa Rising Music Conference & moderated by Byta’s Marc Brown, this is the second event in a series of three monthly talks with creators and key contributors from within the African music ecosystem. These conversations will explore the rise of African music and the potential for future opportunities for music in Africa, including collaborations and the growing potential of exporting it to the world market.

Africa Music Rising Conference is a female-led, executive-focused conference – a game-changer for African music and its connection to the worldwide market.

It will be held in Johannesburg at the Hallmark House Hotel on the 23rd and 24th of May 2023, and will feature a mix of local and international delegates, centering around the urban and electronic music industries and the Afro-Euro connection both of these chart-topping genres provide.

Byta remains committed to and passionate about education regarding the music ecosystem. This led to the launch of our #HowWeListen (howwelisten.org), the platform’s nonprofit arm. Byta consistently delivers high-quality content and events to tomorrow’s artists and industry leaders of all backgrounds, and at every level of the music ecosystem.

More about ARMC here

More about Byta here

Create. Educate. Promote. Discover. 

The post African Music is Rising: Sign up free! (Byta & ARMC) appeared first on Byta Blog.

Marking YMU’s 20th anniversary, Byta will be providing YMU students with a series of workshops and guest lectures across the Summer of 2023. Covering topics focused on key aspects of their music career strategies, entrepreneurship and digital best practices such as file formats and metadata.

“We instantly connected with the amazing team at BYTA because our goals are aligned. We both aim to educate and empower individuals involved in and around music. At The Young Musician’s University, we provide project-based learning. Through our partnership with BYTA, students can become active participants in real-world scenarios as they progress through our Music Industry Curriculum and participate in masterclasses hosted by Byta founder Marc Brown. BYTA brings a wealth of knowledge to the table for our students to learn from, and we can’t wait to see how this partnership impacts the lives of the next generation of young musicians!” – Tembi Gray (Director, YMU)

The Byta platform is specifically built for music. It enables the sending and receiving of digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Byta is unrivalled in taking advantage of audio files’ unique properties – reading and writing file metadata, converting file formats and delivering fast yet secure streaming.

The Young Musician’s University is an online music school for students ages 4-18. YMU is reimagining music education by providing an ecosystem where students can learn, explore, create, share, and connect as a community of young musicians nationwide. YMU offers an array of instrumental classes, electives, virtual field trips, educational resources, competitions, workshops, clinics, seminars, performances, and collaborative opportunities for our students. At The Young Musician’s University, students thrive as they discover their passion and love for music that will last a lifetime!

Byta has always had a passion for education which lead to the launch of #HowWeListen, the platform’s nonprofit arm. Enabling the consistent delivery of high quality content and events to tomorrow’s artists and industry leaders from every background, and all levels of the music ecosystem.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with The Young Musician’s University. Byta’s goals match perfectly with those of YMU’s, providing artists, musicians and creators of all disciplines with the tools and knowledge needed to move their careers forward.  Being a part of any YMU students’ journey, as they move closer to a career in music, is important to everyone at Byta. On a personal note, I’m also looking forward to meeting the YMU students when I present a series of masterclasses this Summer!” – Marc Brown (Founder & CEO, Byta / byta.com) 

“One of our goals at YMU is to help close the gap of youth access to music education. Partnerships are vital as we connect and build meaningful relationships across the country and beyond. Our mission is big, so we can’t do this alone. We are excited about our partnership with BYTA and the wealth of information and educational resources they’ll provide our students. This association will help them grow as young musicians and thrive as young individuals.” – Bevis Gray (Executive Director, YMU)

More about YMU here. More about Byta here.

Create. Educate. Promote. Discover. 

The post Byta partners with The Young Musician’s University (YMU) appeared first on Byta Blog.

GigRealm is an online platform that helps artists connect with 1,000’s of venues and gigs around the UK. GigRealm is 100% free for artists to use and only provides paid gigs.

Byta will provide GigRealm’s artist and musician users with a free extended trial period on any paid plan on the platform. Enabling them to send and receive digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Byta is built for everyone working with music today.

When booking live performances artists need to get their music heard, especially when connecting with new venues and promoters. Byta offers users storage for their audio files and the ability to simply and securely exchange digital music in the file formats that suit their needs. GigRealm users will also benefit from Byta’s listener stats.

“We’re proud to be partnering up with the team at Byta. Having access to a platform that ensures our artists can quickly and securely share high quality audio files is extremely important. Making things streamlined and simple to use are something we are very passionate about here at GigRealm and it’s great to see a company like Byta sharing the same ethos.” – Reuben Narey, Head of Artist Services – GigRealm

“We are excited to be working with GigRealm. Byta’s goals have always been to provide artists and their teams with the tools and knowledge needed to move their careers forward. GigRealm’s mission to ensure artists get paid but don’t pay for live opportunities, fits perfectly with Byta’s artist-first ethos.” Marc Brown, Founder & CEO – Byta / byta.com 

Listen here for a one-on-one conversation between Byta founder Marc Brown, and GigRealm’s Reuben Narey about pre-release, music sharing, creator opportunities and artist discovery.

The post Byta partners with GigRealm appeared first on Byta Blog.

Each talk is free and online. The first talk takes place Thursday 30 March 2023 – 10am ET / 2pm BST / 3pm CET.

• Featuring DJ & Culture curator Fundi DJ and musician/artist Naimah Global
• Moderated by Byta’s CEO/Founder Marc Brown.

Sign up here for free: https://byta.co/africa-music-is-rising 

In advance of the Africa Music Rising Conference & moderated by Byta’s Marc Brown The the first in a series of three monthly talks with creators and key contributors from within the African music ecosystem. These conversations will explore the rise of African music and the potential for future opportunities for music in Africa, including collaborations and the growing potential of exporting it to the world market.

Africa Music Rising Conference is a female-led, executive-focused conference – a game-changer for African music and its connection to the worldwide market.

It will be held in Johannesburg at the Hallmark House Hotel on the 23rd and 24th of May 2023, and will feature a mix of local and international delegates, centering around the urban and electronic music industries and the Afro-Euro connection both of these chart-topping genres provide.

Byta remains committed to and passionate about education regarding the music ecosystem. This led to the launch of our #HowWeListen (howwelisten.org), the platform’s nonprofit arm. Byta consistently delivers high-quality content and events to tomorrow’s artists and industry leaders of all backgrounds, and at every level of the music ecosystem.

More about ARMC here

More about Byta here

Create. Educate. Promote. Discover. 

The post Africa Music is Rising! A 3-part talk series. (Byta & ARMC) appeared first on Byta Blog.

A free 1-day course: preparing to release music in the digital age.

Releasing music is easier than ever before. The hard part? 

Planning, organising, achieving.

Register free: byta.com/digital-launch-academy 

• Registration is now open until: Wednesday, March 1st. Reserve your free spot!

On Thursday, March 2nd 2023, Byta / byta.com and CD Baby are partnering to present the second Digital Launch Academy after a hugely successful first instalment in November 2022. A full-day course consisting of four individual 45-minute sessions focused on releasing and launching music. From pre-release hygiene and planning to release timelines and monetising music. These sessions will help to equip tomorrow’s artists and industry leaders with the tools required to instil life, organisation and impact into their release campaigns. Free to attend but you must reserve your spot!

“I just wanted to say thank you. The whole thing was SO helpful. I was really impressed with all the presenters.” Erik Jacobson, Musician – Mama DIgdown’s Brass Band

Digital Launch Academy is open to artists, creators and individuals already or aspiring to work in any discipline or location within the music ecosystem. 

Together, all four sessions will help provide the knowledge required to move a music career forward. Each session will explore a different issue which everyone should consider while planning to launch their music into the world. The day will also conclude with a chance to network with fellow participants and instructors. 

The digital era has made it incredibly easy to record and release music. With proper planning and better organization, you stand a better chance of achieving success.

“The academy was a proper success indeed! I learnt so much!!! WOW!!!” Cherry Grove (Artist/Producer) – South Africa

“That was awesome, thank you so much! The Digital Academy was great!!” Vaughn Newton, Ballistic Soundwave (Producer) – USA

The Digital Launch Academy is designed to help.

The 4 session topics are to be announced. The day course will cover things such as:

• Pre-release: be ready to get paid AND played: “pre-release hygiene” & metadata
• Digital best practices: file formats, digital and audio security
• Release planning: how to create timelines and schedule marketing
• Monetising music: “If you miss it, you miss it. So don’t miss it!”

• Plus: networking, and Q&A session with attendees and instructors

Team members from Byta and CD Baby, holding decades of music industry experience, will deliver best practices and offer tips and tricks as they go. Real-world examples will be used to put everything into perspective, helping you to make better choices going forward. Knowledge is power.

• Apply now, for free! 
  • Sessions will begin at 9am PT / Noon ET / 5pm UK 
  • Thursday 2nd March 2023

• More about Byta
• More about CD Baby

“Every now and then there is a pivotal moment in the music industry. Something new, forward thinking, fresh! CD Baby and Byta might be onto something!! Keep up the good work!!” Vaughn (Artist / Musician)

The post Byta & CD Baby’s Digital Launch Academy is back! 2nd March 2023 appeared first on Byta Blog.

Byta / byta.com and PRS Guitars have partnered to offer up an incredible opportunity: the Riff Mix Challenge.

Participants are invited to download and remix/rework original music stems recorded specifically for this challenge by TRIONIQ. A trio featuring members Rob Harris (Jamiroquai, Sister Sledge, Beverly Knight), Iwan VanHetten (Brooklyn Funk Essentials, Sister Sledge, Pointer Sisters) and Paul Turner (Jamiroquai, Sister Sledge, Brother Strut). The mission? To create something new, imaginative and original using the stems provided.

Participating in the Riff Mix Challenge could not be simpler. 

• Challenge Opens – Thursday, December 15th 2022 
• Challenge Closes – Tuesday, January 31st 2023

Here’s how to enter:

1. Sign up to Byta for free at https://byta.com 
2. Download the stems recorded and provided by TRIONIQ here.
3. Do your most creative work and impress the judges (featuring an industry panel and members of TRIONIQ)  by remixing/reworking the material. Nothing is too “out there” here!
4. Upload your final version to the Byta platform. Send it to prsriffmix@byta.com using the ‘Direct Share’ method to be judged. 
5. More information here: https://byta.com/riffmixchallenge 

ONE WINNER will be chosen by our panel.

The prize:

• A PRS SE Silver Sky guitar, 
• 1-year free Freelancer plan on Byta

More info here. Sign up, access the stems via the link and start creating/remixing via your favourite DAW!

More about PRS Guitars

From founder Paul Reed Smith:

The road from my workshop in a historic, haunted Annapolis (USA) garret to a state-of-the-art factory was a tough one. My first guitar was built as a challenge to my college music professor for some credits. I got an “A”. 

With a backstage pass in hand, I’d peddle my guitars to the stars. One night in ten I’d make a sale. Carlos Santana, Al Di Meola, Howard Leese, and other well-known players agreed to check one out. 

After getting a small following and orders for more than 50 guitars, we built two prototypes. We continue to push the curve beyond what others would consider perfection. With experts to make sure the technology is unsurpassed, and dedicated craftspeople who guarantee a finished product you can’t put down. We make no compromises. The moral? Believe in your dreams.

The present featured artist list of PRS guitar-using musicians is long and distinguished, take a look here.

More about Byta

Byta (“Bee-tah”: the Swedish word for exchange) is unrivalled in taking advantage of the unique properties found in audio files. By simplifying the reading and writing of file metadata, conversion of file formats and delivery of fast yet secure streaming, the platform enables everyone to send and receive digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Byta also believes that in order to have a successful career in music creators need to gather as much information as possible about the music ecosystem. So Byta launched  #HowWeListen, a not-for-profit organisation that complements the company’s ultimate goal: providing artists and their teams with the tools and knowledge needed to move their careers forward.

About TRIONIQ

Three seasoned artists, songwriters, producers, and touring musicians Iwan VanHetten (Brooklyn Funk Essentials, Sister Sledge, Pointer Sisters) Rob Harris (Jamiroquai, Sister Sledge, Beverly Knight) and Paul Turner (Jamiroquai, Sister Sledge, Brother Strut) have joined forces in an exciting band TRIONIQ. The trio have gathered numerous accolades throughout their individual careers, playing on a string of hits and performing worldwide. Following their first E.P. ‘1’, the band’s new release ‘Deux’ showcases their love of soulful expression and groove-based playing, captured “in the moment”. All songs were recorded live in the studio in one take. As Rob points out: “We don’t want to over-think or over-produce our music, just record it – and if it feels good it IS good!” 

TRIONIQ’s latest album entitled ‘One Deux Tres’ features some of the finest musicians in the music industry as guests such as Ash Soan, Shean Williams, Sola Akingbola and Ryan Aston.

The post Byta & PRS Guitars’ Riff Mix Challenge – Enter Now! (Win a PRS SE Silver Sky + Byta upgrade) appeared first on Byta Blog.