Tag: Music

Some loudspeakers double as air purifiers. But what about analogue loudspeakers sitting gathering dust? Well, according to a Danish startup, it's time they received a new lease of life. The team's crowdfunded battery-powered box provides access to the digital world with a stereo port for two-wire audio cables. An in-built Bluetooth connection allows the box to be coupled with digital...

Subliminal noise protects music online as it confuses nosy AI systems. Some music can be confusing for humans too. Take this unusual streaming platform, developed by a British startup founder after years of research into animal wellbeing. Specially composed music, selected TV programmes and video blogs soothe animals when they feel stressed by fireworks or sirens, as well as...

When it comes to security, IT networks have a musical side. For composers of music, meanwhile, safeguarding copyright is important - particularly against unwanted use by AI systems. Enter a US-based university team and its new mechanism aimed at protecting musicians’ intellectual property. The tool embeds subliminal noise into original pieces of music. The noise is created individually for...

Not long ago, birdsong stormed the charts in Australia. And now two artists in the greater Washington area have combined with musicians, producers and students to set local prison residents’ lyrics to music. The songs were written by incarcerated people and initially sung by them a cappella. Financial support came from a university team. Their initiative is aimed at...

Music is easy to produce and post online. Once there, however, companies use it to train their AI chatbots for free. Now, a California-based startup wants to level the playing field and give media partners a share in the profits. Its generative AIs will be trained with content provided by participating publishers, authors, music labels and artists. Access, meanwhile,...

Anomalies in network traffic can be detected musically. Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs) can be devastating too, turning entire coastal areas red and tourists away in the process. Enter a university lecturer in Florida and her data on coral diseases and the impact of HABs on coastal economies. Not for her publishing a series of dull tables and reports. Instead,...

Some loudspeakers purify the air while playing back tunes. But it seems that analogue sound can also make for a cleaner planet. Using mainly sugarcane (and starch as a binding agent), a British startup has succeeded in creating a bioplastic for LPs. It can be pressed like traditional, petroleum-based PVC, yet lower production temperatures reduce energy usage by 15%....

Neurodivergent teachers are taking centre stage; as are members of the homeless community. Diversity is an increasingly important theme in the creative sector. For evidence, look no further than this British charitable foundation, launched to promote equality in classical music. The founder, a double-bass player and teacher of African heritage, put together her own orchestra comprising Black and ethnically...