Lenovo YOGA 900 Window s 10 Home 64bit M4 pro Mac mini 1tb HD 24GB mem casio wk7500 presonus audiobox i2 usb interface casio wk-7500 biab & realband 2025 everything pk both with Current builds
An extremely good appraisal of the current situation, I think, with a slight disagreement on my part about Baby Boomer opinion. I do think it's the industry's problem more than old-is-good, new-is-bad.
And this is important:
Quote:
Musical revolutions come from the bottom up, not the top down. .... New music always arises in the least expected place, and when the power brokers aren’t even paying attention. It will happen again. It certainly needs to. The decision makers controlling our music institutions have lost the thread. We’re lucky that the music is too powerful for them to kill.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
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
I play 3 days a week in a resort across from the biggest ocean side park in our city and directly on the public beach. It's outdoors under a big canopy with a restaurant and full bar service.
Since we started our duo, decades ago, our target has always been the 50-year-old plus audience. It's a good, solid, dependable audience here in South Florida. It's retirement heaven.
When playing beachside, all ages come in, teenagers, young adults, families with small children, as well as the retirement age folks.
We do play some 21st century songs, but the majority of our music is from 1955 to the 1990s. We have some older "big band era" music that worked with our market years ago, but we hardly ever play them anymore.
We learn what people request, and when something goes over well, we learn more like it.
I'm no longer surprised to see young adults singing along to songs by The Beatles, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Dion, Springsteen, Lionel Richie, Motown artists, Donna Summer, Lou Rawls, Beach Boys, Four Seasons, Jimmy Buffett, k.d. lang, Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, Kansas, Van Morrison, Santana, Bob Seger and so many others.
They like the newer songs too, but I used to be surprised they sing along and know all the words of the older tunes. Now I just enjoy it.
We mix in other genres, Country, Caribbean, Musica Latina, too. Whatever works, whatever they like, mostly music they know by heart.
We keep track of the requests, and I'm always observing what songs work well and which ones don't. Our aim is to give them what they want, and do a better job at that than our competition. It's working, because I am making a living doing music and nothing but music. I enjoy what I'm doing and don't have to do the ultimate sell-out (for me) -- take a day job.
Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2025, Cubase 14, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use
Thanks for sharing this Atlantic article. As someone not plugged-in to this industry but interested in it, it enlightened me to a few things. IMHO, anybody who is trying to make a living from writing fresh, new music with an eye toward being popular should understand everything written in this article.
This, over the years, has summed up my general opinion regarding new music [although there are a few exceptions]: Quote: "Some people—especially Baby Boomers—tell me that this decline in the popularity of new music is simply the result of lousy new songs. Music used to be better, or so they say. The old songs had better melodies, more interesting harmonies, and demonstrated genuine musicianship, not just software loops, Auto-Tuned vocals, and regurgitated samples."
An entire book could be written on this one quote . . .
And my "evidence" to support this has been too much lack-luster new music on Austin City Limits. And anybody familiar with past iHeartRadio TV specials? Same non-passionate music there too, imho. These 2 datapoints align nicely with the decreasing interest in the Grammy's as explained in the article.
I say what a crying shame. I'd love to experience new high-quality music, but that seems quite rare these days for a host of reasons (litigation being one).
I'm certainly no music pro by any stretch, but of the time I allocate to music, about 40% is spent writing in BiaB, 10% spent listening to music, 10% studying music and the remaining 40% learning to play "the classics" from the 60's, 70's and 80's on my bass.
To "young" muscians trying to make it in today's stacked-against-you music industry I say don't give up.
Be passionate about your art and persevere.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Its not that there is a dearth of good music these days, its that you have to go looking for it.
The major labels are so hidebound by the bottom line that they are afraid to take risks any more like they used to. They only want the sure thing and that is exactly why their product is overwhelmingly stale and boring.
Ironically, the tighter they cling to that bottom line, the more they struggle.
One more example of how bean counters ruin everything.
Byron Dickens
BIAB. CbB. Mixbus 32C 8 HP Envy. Intel core i7. 16GB RAM W10. Focusrite Scarlett 18i 20. Various instruments played with varying degrees of proficiency.
It still works as far as I can tell. Anyone with a version older than 2022 needs it, and people with new versions might also find it useful because it also doubles the resolution (pulses per quarter note) from 120ppm to 240ppm.
Its not that there is a dearth of good music these days, its that you have to go looking for it.
The major labels are so hidebound by the bottom line that they are afraid to take risks any more like they used to. They only want the sure thing and that is exactly why their product is overwhelmingly stale and boring.
Ironically, the tighter they cling to that bottom line, the more they struggle.
One more example of how bean counters ruin everything.
Exactly
Waitress "How did you find your steak sir"?
Me "I just looked next to the potatoes and there it was"!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
It still works as far as I can tell. Anyone with a version older than 2022 needs it, and people with new versions might also find it useful because it also doubles the resolution (pulses per quarter note) from 120ppm to 240ppm.
Notes ♫
Hi Notes,
Well to me anyway if I was a potential buyer of biab and happened to browse to this page on your website, I would come away with the impression that band in a box doesn't support 16 chords per bar. No where does it say that what you refer to only applies to versions older than 2022.
Just thought it a bit strange reading that when I know otherwise.
Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2025, Cubase 14, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use
The problem with the Grammy's, the Oscars, a lot of movies and new music is not just the product itself, it's certain political leanings they represent.
I just checked for the highest earners in music for 2022 and Jay Z, P Diddy and Kanye are listed right behind Springsteen who's number one. Hard to realize as an old guy that the rappers are getting old themselves. They're biggest hits are 20-30 years old now. Otherwise, there is a lot of very good current music out there but many 70 somethings won't bother to look, they just say new music sucks and a lot of it does but expand your mind and look you'll find some pretty good stuff.
I've had conversations with others my age about this. We forget how much totally forgettable crap was on the radio in the 60's and 70's. What's classic and awesome now is the best that was done then but like now, that represented maybe 10% at the most, of what was on the Billboard top 100 in 1969 for example. Here it is:
Just look at this thing. The Ballad of John and Yoko? Not the Beatles best. My Cheri Amour by Stevie Wonder? Not close to his best either.
Here's a few groups that reminded me why I had to change the channel whenever their piece of crap song came on. Dyke and the Blazers, Charles Randolph, Candi Stanton, Dickie Goodman and this is just me skipping through this stupid list. Not exactly household names. We forget just how bad commercial radio was back then.
The point is what we all agree is great music from that era is AFTER it's been filtered for 50 years and what we and the young people hear now is the best of the best that has stood the test of time. But look at any Top 100 list for those years and it's mostly garbage.
BIAB. CbB. Mixbus 32C 8 HP Envy. Intel core i7. 16GB RAM W10. Focusrite Scarlett 18i 20. Various instruments played with varying degrees of proficiency.
The point is what we all agree is great music from that era is AFTER it's been filtered for 50 years and what we and the young people hear now is the best of the best that has stood the test of time. But look at any Top 100 list for those years and it's mostly garbage.
Just like now.
Bob
Excellent point!
Waitress "How did you find your steak sir"?
Me "I just looked next to the potatoes and there it was"!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
I reread the responses to my post of this article a year ago and again the responses to this current post. And FWIW my thoughts remain the same.
I could care less about what is on the charts or which songs are award winning ... or the reasons thereof. We listen and produce Americana music. The genre is a huge sub-genre tent and we have no problem finding new (not new to us but newly produced) music on a regular sometimes daily basis.
Yeah, blues, blues rock, folk rock, alt-country and the jazz we like may be old school, retro or whatever. BUT new music in those genres is readily available to us as are zillions of older songs of that ilk that we have not heard.
I've oft said this but via streaming, i.e., access to an estimated 100 million songs, we can at anytime listen to music we love. Apple Music, Spotify and many others curate playlists for you that absolutely nail what you like -- brand new and old. And a simple verbal command to play more or less like that results in a rapid personal shaping of your playlists. Or a simple command confines them to one genre.
Hardly a day goes by that I don't get a fb notification that a favorite artist has a NEW release. Who cares if it charts or what the demographics are of the listeners? I do not intend to disparage in any way those who listen to CD's or radio. I just wanted to mention that there are 77 year old streamers out there!
Bud aka old streaming curmudgeon
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
Otherwise, there is a lot of very good current music out there but many 70 somethings won't bother to look, they just say new music sucks and a lot of it does but expand your mind and look you'll find some pretty good stuff.
OK, I'll have an open mind here and [hopefully] learn something.
For those that think there is a lot of very good current music out there, please provide specific songs released in the last 18 months that can be put in the following categories. Caution: the bar is very high.
1. Lead guitar that rival Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Mark Knopfler, David Gilmore and Duane Allman
2. Male vocals that rival Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Glen Campbell, Elvis Presley and Paul Rodgers
3. Female vocals that rival Linda Ronstadt, Oliva Newton John, Gladys Knight, Whitney Houston, Sade, Karen Carpenter, Carly Simon, Christine McVie, Annie Haslam and Suzanne Vega
4. Harmonies that rival CSNY, 3 Dog Night, The Beatles, Mammas and Pappas and America
5. Keyboard players that rival Kieth Emerson, Rick Wakeman, Billy Preston, Steve Winwood, Donald Fagen, Greg Rolie, and Jon Carin
6. Drummers that rival Carl Palmer, John Bonham, Kieth Moon, Stewart Copeland, Phil Collins and Steve Gadd
7. Bass players that rival Sting, Sir Paul McCarney, John Entwistle, John Paul Jones and Jaco Pastorious
Great musicians produce great music and I'm sure I've missed many a great musician and your list of all-time greats may be different. But like I say, the bar is high. Remember . . . the last 18 months
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
What's odd there Thump is that there was not one word about songwriting. Well written songs impress me WAY more than well performed songs.
I have heard it said that Kriss Kristofferson is not considered a great singer, but boy can he write songs!
I saw him a few years ago local here in Derry, over 80 and still going strong, great backing band behind him, one of Merle Haggards band members if my memory serves me correctly, mostly these days it doesn't
Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2025, Cubase 14, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use
What's odd there Thump is that there was not one word about songwriting. Well written songs impress me WAY more than well performed songs.
Jim Webb comes immediately to mind, Eddie
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
For everyone who thinks there is no good modern music being produced that compares to the likes of Led Zeplin, for example, check out Greta Van Fleet. She even gets accused of sounding too much like them.
Like blues? Larkin Poe. Lukas Nelson does not sound like his dad Willie but is a great musician. I could go on.
I don't think it is logical to try to compare the best of the musicians of the past to the musicians of today or any other time for that matter. There is only one Whitney Houston, and no one is really like here, before or now.
Richie Blackmore will forever be the guitar player associated with Deep Purple. Steve Morse replaced him and stayed with the band for twenty-eight years. Steve is a super good guitar player and as good as any of the guitar players thumper mentioned. Guitarist Simon McBride will join the band as a permanent member; time will tell how we will take to him. Steve is staying home to take care of his wife, who is battling cancer.
The fact that Old songs now represent 70 percent of the U.S. music market does not necessarily make a particular old song great or preclude some new songs from being good.
There are modern guitar players who are much more skilled than some of the more popular guitar players of the past.
As a kid, I could have gone into a record shop and recognized many, if not most, of the artists on the records for sale. The modern-day "record store," something called the internet, has millions of records for sale, and there is no way for me to be exposed to even a small fraction of that. So, there is no way for me to know how much excellent new music exists.
Record companies don't have to promote " old songs," so it is less expensive to sell them and more profitable. I can assure you that profit is the only motivational force in corporate America.
Just my 3 cents worth.
Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
Order before 11:59pm PDT today (May 15, 2026) to save up to 50% off your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrade and receive a FREE Bonus PAK loaded with great new Add-ons to use with this new version!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
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!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
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.
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)
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!
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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.
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