MOBILE DJING WITH APPLE MUSIC EXPANDS ON IPHONE

New integrations across edjing Mix, Serato DJ for iOS, and VirtualDJ bring Apple Music and the industry’s leading DJ software together in experiences built for  iOS, including iPhone Duo, and desktop

Apple Music today announced new integrations with industry-leading DJ software from MWM’s edjing Mix, Serato, and VirtualDJ, bringing Apple Music to VirtualDJ on desktop, edjing Mix on iOS, and the newly launched Serato DJ for iOS. Apple Music subscribers can connect to the music they already love inside each app and use iPhone to prepare playlists, find new tracks and practice their mix wherever and whenever inspiration strikes.

The launch of Serato DJ for iOS along with integrations with Virtual DJ and edjing Mix brings together Apple Music’s catalog of more than 100 million songs and the creative power of market leading DJ software. Both Serato for iOS and edjing Mix are available on iPhone Duo, with edjing optimized for duo screen dimensions.

edjing Mix has introduced mobile DJing to a global audience with more than 250 million downloads. Apple Music subscribers can now browse their library and playlists, explore Apple Music’s catalog, and load supported tracks onto the decks with sample-accurate sync, real-time effects, MIDI controller support, and more. The interface is designed to move with iPhone Duo: closed, it offers a compact mixing experience; opened, the larger inner display brings the decks, mixer, and music library together. The mix keeps playing as users move between positions. Users can open iPhone Duo at any time to return to hands-on mixing.

Serato has been at the cutting edge of audio software innovation for over two decades, enabling DJs, producers and artists to take their creativity and performance to the next level. Serato DJ for iOS includes the same fan-favorite features as the desktop experience, plus the latest features introduced in Serato DJ 5.0 that include Lucid Beatgrids, Open Streaming, Cue Loops, and iOS Transfer, which easily moves tracks, crates and metadata from laptop to iPhone and iPad. From FX and DVS, to performance controls, DJ for iOS gives creatives access to a comprehensive set of tools designed for everything from preparing ideas on the move to practicing sets. The mobile app also supports Serato’s extensive hardware ecosystem with over 120+ devices alongside advanced creative tools, integrated music streaming, frictionless connectivity with DJs’ existing desktop libraries, and more.  Apple Music integration gives subscribers direct streaming access inside the app across iPhone and iPad. 

VirtualDJ, the pioneer of digital DJing and the world's most downloaded DJ software, has spent nearly three decades shaping the industry through groundbreaking innovations and technologies that have redefined how DJs mix. Combining cutting-edge tools with an intuitive workflow, VirtualDJ empowers everyone from beginners to seasoned professionals to create better mixes. With support for more than 480 DJ controllers and a continuous commitment to introducing pioneering features, VirtualDJ remains at the forefront of DJ technology. With Apple Music now integrated directly into VirtualDJ, DJs can access their favorite tracks and playlists straight from their laptop, while the VirtualDJ Remote app for iPhone Duo gives them the freedom to step away from their laptop and stay in control of their mix.

Together, these integrations make iPhone Duo a new way to experience the DJ with Apple Music ecosystem. First-time DJs can begin with familiar music and approachable automated tools, while experienced DJs can use the same device to browse, prepare, experiment, and practice their sets with the workflows they already know. By bringing Apple Music directly into leading DJ apps, the launch makes it easier to move between discovery and practice without stepping away from the music.

Apple Music’s commitment to DJ culture extends across DJ Mixes, home to thousands of premium mixes from influential DJs, and Apple Music Club, the 24-hour global radio station dedicated to dance and electronic music. Apple Music also uses Shazam technology to identify tracks within DJ mixes and help compensate the artists, labels, publishers, and mix creators whose work makes those sets possible. With these new integrations on iPhone Duo, Apple Music is giving more DJs direct access to music, more room to develop their craft, and more ways to connect audiences with the artists and sounds shaping electronic music around the world.

Visit the DJ with Apple Music page HERE.
Visit the Serato curator page HERE.
Visit the VirtualDJ curator page HERE.
Visit the edjing Mix curator page HERE.

EMPIRE EXPANDS NEW YORK LEADERSHIP WITH TWO SVP APPOINTMENTS

Leesa Brunson-Boland joins as SVP, A&R Operations and Bina Fronda joins as SVP, Marketing as the Company Scales its Executive Roster

EMPIRE today announced two senior appointments in its New York office: Leesa Brunson-Boland as Senior Vice President, A&R Operations, and Bina Fronda as Senior Vice President, Marketing. 

The hires reflect EMPIRE's continued growth as the company expands its roster across genres and markets. Both roles add senior leadership to the systems and teams that take EMPIRE’s artists from the studio to a global audience.

EMPIRE has named industry veteran Leesa Brunson-Boland as Senior Vice President of A&R Operations. In her new role, she will oversee A&R Operations within EMPIRE's A&R department, providing strategic leadership and support across A&R teams, improving workflows and strengthening cross-functional collaboration to ensure projects move successfully from recording through release. Brunson previously served as Head of A&R Operations at 300 Entertainment following nearly two decades at Def Jam Recordings, where she worked with groundbreaking artists including Rihanna, Jay-Z, Justin Bieber and Teyana Taylor. 

“I have known Leesa for over 20 years and her commitment to artists and her operational expertise is going to be invaluable to our artists and to our team as we expand the scope of the A&R team’s mandate,” said Tina Davis, President, EMPIRE.

Bina Fronda, SVP, Marketing joins EMPIRE from Ultra Records where she was VP of Marketing, working closely with their artists such as Steve Aoki, SOFI TUKKER and Benny Benassi to maximize revenue and exposure opportunities. Fronda will support EMPIRE's marketing efforts across genres, with a focus on strengthening the company's dance, pop and general market artists. Her appointment comes as EMPIRE continues to broaden its global roster beyond its core genres.

Said Peter Kadin, EVP, Marketing, “Bina's experience scaling artist brands and her understanding of the current market is critical as EMPIRE continues to build out our Dance business and explore other genres and markets.”  

Together, the appointments strengthen two pillars of EMPIRE's model: an A&R operation built to deliver projects on time and at scale and a marketing team equipped to break artists across genres and territories. 

About EMPIRE
EMPIRE exists to empower independent artists and the cultures they come from. Founded in 2010 by Ghazi Shami and headquartered in San Francisco, EMPIRE is a leading independent music company with businesses spanning recorded music, distribution, publishing, merchandise and label services. EMPIRE identifies and develops global artists at the earliest stages of their careers and has played a key role in launching some of the most influential and commercially successful artists of the past decade across hip-hop, R&B, country, Afrobeats and beyond, including Kendrick Lamar and Shaboozey. Committed to artist ownership, entrepreneurship and innovation, EMPIRE combines proprietary technology with deep A&R expertise to give artists the speed, transparency and creative freedom to build lasting careers on their own terms. For more information, visit www.empi.re.

CHARLOTTE DE WITTE ‘AZADI’ EP FEAT. NAVA - FARSI MEETS TECHNO AS SYMBOL OF HOPE AND FREEDOM

ALL PROCEEDS GOING TO WOMEN’S RIGHTS ORGANISATION FEMENA

“These tracks are, in their own way, a small act of resistance. A reminder that people who are silenced, displaced or oppressed still have stories to tell and that those stories deserve to be heard.” de Witte

Charlotte de Witte’s new EP ‘Azadi’ feat. NAVA is where techno meets Farsi, where organic art meets AI, where music meets technology, becoming a focus of resistance, hope and freedom. The three-tracker aims to be just that - the title track ‘Azadi’ (‘freedom’ in Farsi) especially is already igniting her sets. Together with ‘Omid’ (‘hope’) and ‘Tales of the Desert’, the EP drops November 5th on KNTXT. All the proceeds from the EP will go to Femena who support Women Human Rights Defenders & feminist organizations & movements in MENA & Asia.
 
‘A dear friend shared a story from NAVA, a product of artificial intelligence, created by a London-based artist of Iranian origin, Farbod Mehr. I was captivated by the message she was spreading: an expression of hope that sacrifice will lead to a better future. I reached out and the result is three new original tracks. Where a voice is given to those who deserve to be heard.’
 
de Witte is creatively on fire with a blizzard of innovative and audacious projects and achievements; ‘Azadi’ is her latest, with AI singer NAVA, created by UK-based, Iranian-born artist Farbod Mehr. Her face crafted fromclassical Iranian art, her lyrics and music reimagining Iranian folk tradition, NAVA is now an online star, even appearing in hologram form, and her songs have reached millions of listeners.
 
Says Charlotte, “Music transcends borders, languages and beliefs. It can carry stories that might otherwise remain unheard. It can remind us that even in the darkest moments, we are not alone. NAVA represents Iranian women banned from public performance. Unlike others, NAVA cannot get arrested for using her voice. These tracks are, in their own way, a small act of resistance. A reminder that people who are silenced, displaced or oppressed still have stories to tell and that those stories deserve to be heard.”

"There's an old Persian verse at the heart of Azadi: 'Within despair lies so much hope; the darkest night must end in dawn.' NAVA exists to revive Persian heritage, carrying its music, art and words to a new generation. Working with Charlotte gave that heritage a pulse. Azadi is that old hope, reborn for today." - Farbod Mehr
 
‘Azadi’: the heartfelt title track’s techno beat, fast percussion with spacey FX, and dark, assertive, acid-rich theme showcase NAVA’s echoing, soaring, melodic voice in the breakdowns. On ‘Omid’, urgent, jittery bass & beats, futuristic stabs, a high two-note riff like a call to arms, features NAVA’s deep, echoing and layered spoken vocal in Farsi. ‘Tales of the Desert’ is all breakdown, with spikes of intermittent sound - mysterious, melodic synth and slow chords, hissing brushes, slow bursts of acid with high, tuneful vocal notes.

All EP proceeds go to Femena who advance women’s rights and gender equality in Iran and throughout the SWANA region. They support women human rights defenders and feminist movements, advance peace, solidarity, and South-South cooperation, particularly in contexts of repression, conflict and crisis. Learn more at: https://femena.net/.

Farbod Mehr is a London-based artist and founder of AI-native visual content & character production studio V Generate. Trained in architecture at Central Saint Martins, his work (held by Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams and the Aga Khan Museum) spans geometry, Persian heritage and digital art. He is also a co-author, alongside Google Research and Google DeepMind, of a NeurIPS Creative AI paper on evaluating generative AI for culturally situated creativity.
 
The release follows the news that de Witte just been voted No 6th overall in DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs (a jump of 3 places since last year) & World’s #1 Techno DJ for the 7th time.

‘Azadi’ EP is out November 5th on KNTXT. Get it HERE.
 
Tracklist:
A1: Charlotte de Witte feat. NAVA – Azadi
A2: Charlotte de Witte feat. NAVA – Omid
B1: Charlotte de Witte feat. NAVA – Tales of the Desert

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