▌ FRONT AND CENTER

Is LUNA Really Free? The Free DAWs Worth Downloading on Mac, Windows and iPad
Universal Audio's LUNA now costs nothing on Mac and Windows. Here is what that gets you, plus the other free DAWs worth your time, including Sampledex on iPad, Mac and Windows.
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GearWhat Equipment Do You Need to Start a Video Podcast at Home?
A home podcast studio built from gear I actually use: a 4K webcam, a pair of tracking PTZ cameras and the headphones every broadcast booth already owns.
FeatureIs Sampledex for iPad a Real Free DAW, and What Can It Do?
Robert Clemons has brought Sampledex from the Mac to the iPad as a free download. Here is what it does, what it can't do, and who it's for.
// from the dispatch

System of a Down's "Johnny" is finally on streaming
The rarest song in the Toxicity era arrived on DSPs on September 6, 2026 — and the anniversary reissue quietly fixes a tracklist error the band has lived with for 25 years.

The DOJ just told a federal judge that training AI on your work is fair use
In re OpenAI, Inc. Copyright Infringement Litigation: the United States filed a 20-page Statement of Interest on September 1, 2026 backing OpenAI on training. Here is what it argues, where it breaks from the Copyright Office, and what it means for musicians and writers.

The Lane You Are Missing
Hidden Revenue Stream for Music Creatives: how AI coding tools let producers build, sign and sell their own plugins.

Free marketing tools, AI planning, and the honest route from prototype to a real app
Small businesses and creatives can plan, market and prototype for nothing. The hard part starts after the MVP: code signing, app review and offline architecture.

The SEO checklist for business leaders: llms.txt, alt text, Search Console, and three things you can do today
A plain-language, step-by-step guide to the SEO work that actually moves the needle — with the exact clicks, the free tools, and the certifications worth taking.

Music producer contract: every clause explained, and the numbers that count as standard
Points, splits, work for hire and the sample clause — a plain-English walk through what actually belongs in a producer agreement before anybody hits record.

Dolly Parton's career, start to finish: the songs, the albums, and the coat she gave everybody
From Locust Ridge radio to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — the records that matter, the copyrights she refused to give away, and what a working artist can actually take from sixty years of it.

The Opry is giving Dolly Parton back to the room that made her: how to watch tonight
Tonight the Grand Ole Opry dedicates its Saturday show to Dolly Parton, with Carly Pearce, Kathy Mattea, Molly Tuttle, Dan Tyminski and more. Here is the start time, the lineup and every free way to watch or listen.

Company review sites for B2B buyers: how to check if a company is legit before you sign
A working method for vetting a vendor, label, distributor or agency: which review platforms actually help, which public records back them up, and how to build a one-page dossier in under an hour.