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@rockstar_not For the little guy, I agree Vinyl is a costly product. But, lets face it, our CDs are not a large part of the industry revenue only CD baby's bottom line. CD Baby relies on us the little guys. Their cost for vinyl and turn around time are much higher than CD production because they don't make their own vinyl records. They job them out as do other small shops. Best Buy is selling several record players equipped with USB interfaces as well as analog outputs for less than 90 dollars. An investment most high school or college age kids are happy to pay. They are the ones who have always started music industry trends. The example you site of a 100,000 setup is something I have also observed. People will spend ridiculous amounts of money on stereo equipment to play vinyl. I think that is an incentive for the industry to start pushing the media. Not a deterrent. Here is a system that certainly is a fad. Or maybe not? https://www.gramovox.com/products/floati...xXhIaAqIy8P8HAQCrazy thing
Last edited by dga; 06/10/16 06:51 AM.
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@HearToLearn we can revisit this in 10 years and see. Anybody got a DeLorean? That's funny! I had one last week but crashed it next week, so I will have to see... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! How many people do you think missed it??? (still laughing)
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How many people do you think missed it??? I was waiting until next week to see if I got it last week.
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@HearToLearn we can revisit this in 10 years and see. Anybody got a DeLorean? That's funny! I had one last week but crashed it next week, so I will have to see... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! How many people do you think missed it??? (still laughing) Not me. I'm a "Back to the Future" guy so I will laugh next week when he crashes it.
Last edited by MarioD; 06/10/16 12:40 PM.
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I know I won't miss it
dga. I am aware of the USB turntables. I bought an AudioTechnica cheap model for my son this past Christmas and as I digitized about 15 of my albums that I hadn't repurchased on CD I was reminded of all of the foibles of vinyl that I've gladly not experienced the last 25+ years.
I guess I don't understand which industry it is that you feel needs to be saved from streaming audio.
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"...I was reminded of all of the foibles of vinyl that I've gladly not experienced the last 25+ years." I'll never forget (and always regret) buying some stupid album treatment called "Sound Guard", which was guaranteed to prevent scratches, etc. Completely ruined several irreplaceable LP's.  Want vinyl gear? Estate sales/Garage sales. I have a Fisher turntable that was top-of-the-line in 1977. Got it for 10 bucks. Plays like a dream.  Regards, Bob
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Just got back from a shopping trip, Barnes and Noble center isle display. Hundreds of new vinyl records. Old and new releases. Evidently someone thinks people are going to replace those irreplaceable LPs. And a stack of AT Bluetooth turntables, at the end of the display with a sign above "Perfect Father's Day Present" @rockstar_not I'm talking about the Musicians who derive their net worth from the rights to their music. The whole music industry, related manufactured music products,music retailers, media outlets. I posed the question, Will vinyl save the music industry. Most industry experts DO NOT repeat DO NOT think vinyl is an industry savior. Because the music industry has lots of problems. They all think Vinyl is a fad and willnever generate enough money to turn around a troubled industry. Read these 99 problems with the music industry. Streaming services like spotify and youtube pay very little to the artists who create the media that they profit from. http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2016/02/25/the-music-industry-has-99-problems-and-they-are/
Last edited by dga; 06/10/16 04:33 PM.
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Streaming services like spotify and youtube pay very little to the artists who create the media that they profit from. Yes they do, but I also wonder how much "put your favorite artist here" and the respective song writers got from you personally for playing a record you like, be it a 45 or an album, over and over again. Now, when I'm too lazy and use one of the streaming services to play a song, they get more as if I dug out the vinyl or cd and played this instead.
Last edited by GHinCH; 06/10/16 10:41 PM.
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GHinCH As CD sales and Downloads decline year over year, the system that is in place right now, streaming, does not compensate the artist enough to survive. In the past a recording artist could make quite a good living off of a dozen smash hits, with single and LP record sales, and Radio, TV, airplay. Touring was added revenue, not a necessity to survive. Musicians would retire and sit back and relax while the revenue continued to flow in. For today's artists that is no longer possible.
#9
9. Streaming is rapidly becoming the dominant form of music consumption, though it is now widely viewed as a cashless loss-leader for artists and songwriters.
1-10 of the 99 problems sited in the article above from "Digital Music News."
Recording Devaluation Problems.
1. The value of the music recording is plunging, and has been for more than a decade. Across the board, artists are experiencing serious problems monetizing their audio releases.
2. A decade-long decline in recording revenues has dismantled the label system, once the most reliable form of artist financing. That includes both independent and major labels, once the core of the music industry ecosystem.
3. That introduces fan-funding platforms like Kickstarter, Pledgemusic, and Patreon, all of whom have admirably filled some of that lost financing but haven’t come close to matching the overall funding source. Moreover, crowdfunding success stories like Amanda Palmer are sometimes viewed as anomalies, especially given the initial investment in her career by a major label.
4. Streaming continues to explode, but not enough to compensate for broader declines in physical CDs and paid downloads. The overall result is a music industry revenue decline.
5. Even worse, the technological evolution of formats keeps pushing the value of the recording downward. With every subsequent format, monetization deteriorates: streaming pays less than downloads; downloads paid less than CDs.
6. There is little evidence to suggest that this downfall is being made up by touring, merchandising, or other non-recording activities like ‘experiences’ (see below). In fact, many argue that artists are being forced into unsustainably long tours, or touring virtually non-stop just to survive.
7. Other attempts to make up the lost revenue have fallen short. BandPage, a pioneer in trying to monetize artist ‘experiences’ to help make up for lost recording revenues, was unable to scale that alternate revenue source substantially enough. After many years and considerable investment, BandPage was sold at a heavy loss to YouTube.
8. That introduces a number of problems, including artist burnout and an increased risk of accidents while on the road. According to NYU songwriting professor Mike Errico, the artist injury list is soaring, with Dave Grohl, Sam Smith, Miranda Lambert, Steve Aoki, Little Big Town, Meghan Trainor, Nickelback, the Black Keys and Kelly Clarkson all suffering physical, tour-related setbacks.
9. Streaming is rapidly becoming the dominant form of music consumption, though it is now widely viewed as a cashless loss-leader for artists and songwriters.
10. A big part of the problem is that most consumers now attribute very little value to the recording itself, and most consumption (through YouTube, ad-supported piracy, or BitTorrent) happens at little-to-zero cost to the listener.
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GHinCH
9. Streaming is rapidly becoming the dominant form of music consumption, though it is now widely viewed as a cashless loss-leader for artists and songwriters.
Very true. I started selling music on CDBaby back in 2003, released four CD's through them over the years. Initially I sold quite a few physical CDs, but that changed rapidly, by 2005 I was selling mostly MP3 downloads, not many people buying physical CD's. But now with most people having internet on their phones and other devices it is all streams, hardly anyone is buying downloads anymore. When I check my account info I am making between $0.00087734 and $0.00940758 per stream, spotify, amazon, itunes etc. At .0008 per stream I need 1,250 streams just to make $1.00!
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@blue Attitude That's sad. Today you pay CD Baby $9.95 per song up front for digital distribution You may have gotten that distribution free back in 2003. But, at the rate of return you sited if an artist pays $9.95 the first 12,500 streams are break even streams.
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I bought my first vinyl in 1958 when I was twelve years old. An Elvis album for three bucks which was what I earned bagging groceries after school for a week. My mother told me I wasted my money and would never hear from that guy again. I still have the album. From vinyl to tape to CDs to today's technology I've enjoyed the ride. Today Janice and I stream everything - at home, in the Subaru and when bicycling. And we pay for it. Streaming does not equate to stealing. In 2003 we had a CD that sold quite well, charted in several countries and allowed us to donate all of the proceeds to cancer research in honor of our best friend and stellar musician Randy Howard (see our website for info about him). The songs were eventually all ripped off and became available all over the net for free. We know what stealing is. Perhaps when the vinyl thing plays out we'll have an 8-track tape renaissance  Bud
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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I still can't figure out what part of the industry that vinyl sales actually rescues. The premise that high schoolers are going to give up streaming for vinyl has no basis in reality, that is for the vast majority of them. Particularly if they have to pay $90+ dollars for something that has better audio quality on their phone in their pocket. There is a hipster niche, but everyone has a smartphone.
There is a whole different music industry that I would say has blossomed and we don't talk about it, ironically enough. Home recording. Even home recording on ones phone. More people making music these days. I say that's one giant success just not for record companies.
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I've thought about this since I saw the headline, and pardon me for not reading all the posts (early gig today).
People have been making music since at least the Neanderthal days. Professionally? Who knows? At least for many centuries.
For the briefest moment in historical time (about from 1950-2000) it was possible for fewer than 1% of all professional musicians to make a living selling recorded music. For every hit record artist there were hundreds of musicians making a living who never cut a record.
Even in the Pre-Rock era, Sinatra, Miller, Ellington, Crosby, Page (Patti), Clooney, and the others thought of records as promotion for their live shows - and that's where they made their money.
During the 50 year time slice, most one-hit-wonders (or one-CD-wonders) never made a dime on their records.
I know, Motown offered us a deal at 2 cents per record, out of the royalties came inflated recording costs, inflated promotion costs and inflated distribution costs.
Plus they wanted to own our name, be the publishing company for our music (the publisher makes more per record than the artist) and have half the writing credits by adding a name to the copyright who had nothing to do with the song.
Our manager figured we would have to sell a million records before we would break even and not owe Motown money. Motown wouldn't even go for 2.5 cents a record, because they knew that others would do it for 2 or less.
So point number one is with the exception of the lucky few, the recording industry has never been for artists, but for the publishers and record industry. +99% of all professional musicians make a living playing music to a live audience and not from record sales.
OK so as I see it, can vinyl save the recording industry??? I don't think so.
Back in the vinyl/cassette days, radio stations all over the country would advertise, "Tonight at 11L00 PM we will play the new ________ album in its entirety without commercial interruption" and millions of people would sit at 10:58PM with a tape cued up and their finger on the REC button.
So piracy didn't kill the recording industry.
Greed did.
Back in the 45RPM days you could buy a new single for less than a dollar. Basically lunch money. But the record companies sold albums and padded most of them with songs the consumer really didn't care about. LPs made more profit than 45s.
How to make even more money? Make the life cycle of a song even shorter, and go from top40 radio to top10 radio. But that made the music more disposable. A "Chiclets Item" chew it up, spit it out, and dispose of it. It lowered the value of the recording so most people didn't really want to own it anymore.
Then when the CD came out, reducing production costs by about 90% did they pass the savings to the consumer? No, they raised the price. OK we have more disposable music at a higher price. Less incentive to buy.
They hired "The Network" to promote major label recordings, in order to put the indie labels out of business. That worked, but with two results (1) promoting a record costs millions of dollars more than it used to - and "The Network" could make or break a record and (2) without the indie labels, there was less innovation and originality competing for the listener's ears, while the big labels were putting out more of what worked last time.
And at the same time they divided the youth market. From Al Jolson through The Beatles all the young people listened to the same radio station. Pop music was the identity of the generation. Everybody may not have liked Jolson, Crosby, Sinatra, Elvis, Beatles and the others, but they knew when they released a new record and knew the words to their song, because the entire generation listened to the same radio format.
Then came disco, followed by alternative, rap, hiphop, metal, death metal, R&B pop (as different from the old R&B 'race' records), and so on. Everybody heard every new Elvis or Beatles records at the height of their popularity, but how many knew all the words to every Metallica release at the height of their popularity?
So Top40 radio no longer was the identity of an entire generation. No need to own the latest _____ record to be "in with the in crowd", instead the latest phone is what counts.
So IMHO the major record companies killed themselves with greed, they had a good run, but there isn't anything they can do to fix it in the short term - perhaps it can't be fixed at all.
Vinyl isn't going to do it.
On the other hand, it makes no difference to +99% of all professional musicians. We still make our living playing music to a live audience. We'll never get as rich as Paul McCartney, but will will be able to buy our house, go on vacation, and do all the things a small business owner normally does. Without ever making a record.
The biggest obstacle to most musicians is not the failure of the record companies, it's Cable TV. But that's another post entirely.
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Can vinyl save the recording industry? absolutely. As Notes points out less than 1% of musicians drive record sales. Most musicians over the years survived being on records for an extended period of time doing session work with no recognition. They were but an ingredient of the total product.
All the record companies have to do is create a sales pitch for vinyl that is as effective as the sales campaign that motivated masses of people to pay $1.59 for water that can easily accessed anywhere for free. Create a campaign so effective for records so that the world believes about records the same as it does where the whole world buys the idea that 2nd hand smoke can kill without a single documented death solely attributed to 2nd hand smoke.
It's been shown that such improbable things can and do happen. Besides, it doesn't have to be vinyl. The eight track is just as feasible vehicle as vinyl. May even be easier with the higher quality specs the 8 track is capable of producing over vinyl.
Create a need for vinyl to music to match what bottled water became to drink sales. Simple....
Last edited by Charlie Fogle; 06/13/16 03:50 AM.
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Can vinyl save the recording industry? absolutely. As Notes points out less than 1% of musicians drive record sales. Most musicians over the years survived being on records for an extended period of time doing session work with no recognition. They were but an ingredient of the total product.
All the record companies have to do is create a sales pitch for vinyl that is as effective as the sales campaign that motivated masses of people to pay $1.59 for water that can easily accessed anywhere for free. Create a campaign so effective for records so that the world believes about records the same as it does where the whole world buys the idea that 2nd hand smoke can kill without a single documented death solely attributed to 2nd hand smoke.
It's been shown that such improbable things can and do happen. Besides, it doesn't have to be vinyl. The eight track is just as feasible vehicle as vinyl. May even be easier with the higher quality specs the 8 track is capable of producing over vinyl.
Create a need for vinyl to music to match what bottled water became to drink sales. Simple.... Yep, simple. I don't disagree with what seems like a sarcastic response, but the marketing miracle necessary would already be in place, wouldn't it?
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Threw out my small vinyl collection and turntable about eight years ago, which was lying in the corner slowly gathering dust. Have no wish to start all over again and repeat the same mistake. But hey I have a collection of DVD's in the same corner now, and come to think of it, they need a good dust down. Musiclover
Last edited by musiclover; 06/13/16 07:59 AM.
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People have been making music since at least the Neanderthal days. Professionally? Who knows? At least for many centuries. Excellent post! This whole recording industry phenomenon was only a tiny slice of music history yet sometimes we look back on it as The Way! Before that people shared their music through performance and teaching. Lots of examples in folk music where no one tried to own the music, rather, they just created it or modified it and passed it along. Then corporate interests took control and directed everything, deciding who would be stars and how frequently they would release new music, etc. I would say it was quite a corrupt system from the beginning! Then digital arrived and people reverted back to a time where music was shared rather than sold and owned! It should have been super-easy to predict! Didya ever know a smart kid who added a 2nd phone line without paying AT&T...a starving college student who tapped into the cable system to get free TV...a friend of a friend who bought the new album and taped it onto cassettes for all his friends? That is human nature right there and music being digitized signaled the end of the recording industry!
The biggest obstacle to most musicians is not the failure of the record companies, it's Cable TV. But that's another post entirely.
Another brilliant observation! When we were kids we had B&W television with 2 or 3 channels that were barely clear enough to watch. We had one phone and often that was a party line if you lived in the country like I did. We had a radio station that played "our" music for a limited time each day. We had a crappy record player and a small stack of 45s. Of course we had libraries and a few comic books but that was about it! Compare that to what is available today! - smartphones - texting - cable TV with a thousand channels - NetFlix and Hulu with every movie and tv series ever - THE INTERNET with millions of options - unlimited free music from --- broadcast radio --- internet radio --- "legit" online streaming --- stolen downloads --- every aspiring artist in the world (millions) who all want you to buy their music so bad they are willing to give it away (and still no one wants it!) I do not have enough time left in my life to even listen again to most of my classic rock albums!!! Then I have to Facebook and stream and chat and everything else. How in the world am I ever gonna find time to listen to your new music? My answer is NO. Vinyl won't save a thing. This horse is so far out of the barn. The only chance anyone has to make a career in music these days is 1) perform gigs like some on this forum do and 2) sell shovels to other aspiring artists!
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"...sell shovels to other aspiring artists!"
Have you heard about The Starmaker Machine?
Regards,
Bob
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"...sell shovels to other aspiring artists!"
Have you heard about The Starmaker Machine?
Regards,
Bob Wow! Them's some expensive shovels!
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
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With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
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Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
- The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
- Playable RealTracks Set 5
- RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
- iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
- RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
- SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.
Holiday Weekend Hours
As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:
April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours
Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!
— Team PG
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