Good morning producers 👋🏼

September had a lot in store for the music world — from Spotify's CEO stepping down to live music hitting record numbers. But before we get to that, we'd like to introduce our monthly newsletter, where we'll round up the most interesting news and developments across music and pro audio.

While our team has been busy fine-tuning our next plugin (dime[mb] — we can't wait to share it!), we know our work doesn't stop at the DAW. time off audio is about more than plugins: it's about music, business, and the culture that surrounds them. This newsletter is where we bring it all together.

Spotify CEO steps down – but it's actually not that interesting.

Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek "shocked" the industry yesterday when he announced he's stepping aside as CEO, moving into an executive chairman role. Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström, longtime lieutenants at Spotify, will now serve as co-CEOs. Spotify's press release states, "this change simply matches titles to how we already operate." Ek himself noted, "Over the last few years, I've turned over a large part of the day-to-day management and strategic direction of Spotify to Alex and Gustav—who have shaped the company from our earliest days and are now more than ready to guide our next phase." In other words: the structure has already been in place, it just wasn't public yet.

Still, the timing couldn't be more charged. Spotify just rolled out lossless audio, cracked down on third-party AI-generated tracks, and saw artists like King Gizzard and Massive Attack remove their catalogs in protest of Ek's personal AI defense investments. Ek has funneled hundreds of millions into Helsing, a company building AI for drones and submarines, and for many artists, the optics are bleak: streaming pennies funding militarized AI. The backlash isn't only about politics, it's about trust. If artists feel Spotify is shaping the future of AI without their consent, it puts the entire relationship under strain.

And the AI crackdown raises new questions. Spotify removed a wave of AI-generated "slop" that had been flooding the platform. Their competitor, Deezer, states in their own press release that AI uploads jumped from 10% in January to nearly 1/3rd by September. But Spotify's own experiments with AI artists, like the much-discussed Velvet Sundown, remain untouched. So what qualifies as AI slop in Spotify's eyes? If the line is fuzzy, artists may feel the rules apply selectively, further fueling distrust.

Looking forward, the co-CEO formalization could provide clarity, but only time will tell as we all learn whether current developments were made under the old leadership or the new one.

Apple AirPods Pro 3 – worth the noise?

AirPods aren't just a gadget, they're the best-selling headphone line in history. Analysts estimate Apple has sold well over 500 million units since their debut, dominating a market where most music listening already happens in earbuds. According to Statista, nearly 90% of U.S. respondents use their headphones primarily for listening to music. We tried finding the exact split for music listeners on headphones vs speakers, but had a hard time with this one. Our instinct is that most listeners are listening to music on headphones these days, though Ofcom seems to report that for car commuters, "live radio" still makes up 74% of in-car audio listening, with "music streaming service" coming next at 16%. For engineers and producers, this begs the question, are most listeners listening in headphones/earbuds or in cars?

So where does the AirPods Pro 3 come in? Well, Apple claims major improvements in active noise cancellation, now "twice as effective" as the last generation (surprise, surprise). Live Translation was the headline feature — a real-time interpreter accessible through the buds. But equally important are the subtler changes: redesigned tips for better seal, adaptive EQ, improved spatial audio, and integrated heart-rate sensing. Together, these features shift AirPods from passive receivers to active processors of sound.

So why does this matter for music creators? Because the "reference environment" is changing. The car test still has value, but if you could check your mix on the reference monitors that most of the population uses, wouldn't you?

Apple has effectively set the baseline for how billions of people experience music. For producers, ignoring that would be like mixing in mono during the stereo revolution. Here we are starting the petition stating that "the subway test" is just as important as the "car test". Who's with us?

Live music consumer spending at an all-time high, but only for a select few.

While streaming debates dominate headlines, September also delivered a quieter but equally important story: live music is booming. According to Pollstar's 2025 mid-year and Q3 reports, live music spending has already pushed past pre-pandemic benchmarks, with touring revenues hitting record territory. The top 100 global tours set all-time highs for grosses and ticket sales, while the top 10 acts alone have pulled in more than $2 billion through Q3 — up nearly 13% from last year. For smaller venues and acts, the story is very different.

Clubs under 750 seats averaged just 278 tickets sold per show in 2025, down from 288 in 2024 and 299 in 2023. At the same time, the average ticket price climbed to $34.74, an 11% jump from last year. That price bump lifted grosses slightly, but it came at a cost: fewer fans in the room means less spent on drinks, merch, and other ancillary sales that many small clubs rely on to survive. The result is a shrinking market share for independent venues, even as stadiums and arenas continue to post record highs. Pollstar's Deep Data Cuts.

Fans are willing to pay premium prices for live experiences due to the "experience economy". After years of digital-only engagement, fans are paying not just for concerts, but for belonging. VIP packages, merch bundles, and festival passes are commanding higher prices than ever.

The implications for the industry are massive and vary significantly depending on whether you're at the top or at the bottom. Artists are less dependent on streaming payouts if live revenue keeps climbing, and labels are rethinking deals to include touring rights and live revenue streams, something that was less common a decade ago. Platforms like Spotify and Apple Music may find themselves less central to artist economics if live continues to be the financial anchor. And we see these platforms investing in different areas such as the Super Bowl Halftime Show and video creators. Oh yeah, and AI drones and submarines if you're into that kinda thing.

Honourable mentions

• Daft Punk x Fortnite collab is the closure we all needed
• Fyre Festival acquired by LimeWire
• Ableton 12.3 public beta

Thanks for taking the time, and as always, feel free to reach out via email or Discord for any questions or feedback!