SINGAPORE; 17 JANUARY 2024 - BandLab, the world’s largest social music creation platform, is thrilled to announce the launch of BandLab Licensing, a new program available for its expansive global community of over 60 million music creators.

A first-of-its-kind offering for a music creation platform, BandLab Licensing empowers its vast and musically diverse user base worldwide, granting creators unparalleled avenues to monetize their music while maintaining complete artistic autonomy. At its core, BandLab Licensing is a turnkey solution for one-stop licensing, offering synchronization for mediums such as film, TV, games, and advertising. Additionally, it extends streaming licenses to platforms seeking fresh and distinctive rights-cleared content. With BandLab Licensing, musicians can unlock the potential to have their music featured in their preferred platforms and beloved shows, not only elevating their exposure, but also bolstering their earnings and fan base. 

BandLab Licensing builds upon the success of ReverbNation’s Sync Licensing program, which has facilitated thousands of licensing placements for its artists and attracted top-tier brands like Toyota, GEICO, Starbucks, SiriusXM, and CBS. It has also secured onscreen placements on the award-winning show Reservation Dogs, Disney+’s The Clauses, CW's The Flash, WWE Raw, and others.

"The launch of BandLab Licensing marks a significant milestone in the expansion of offerings available to BandLab users,” said Meng Ru Kuok, CEO & Co-founder of BandLab Technologies. “It not only opens up new revenue streams for our creators and a new at-scale partner for the music supervisor and licensee community, but also strengthens our purpose to democratize and grow the value of music creation worldwide. With BandLab Licensing, our users' music becomes the soundtrack to the world's creative, consumption, and connection experiences.”

To participate or for more information on BandLab Licensing, visit licensing.bandlab.com.

ABOUT BANDLAB
BandLab’s vision is simple: A future where there are no boundaries to making and sharing music. Founded in 2015, BandLab is the next-generation social music creation platform on a mission to break down the technical, geographic, and creative barriers for musicians and fans. Free-to-use, the mobile-first cross-platform DAW and social network, unites the entire creator journey into one place, boasting a suite of features and tools for creators to make music, share their music with fans, earn a living, and even top the charts.

To find out why over 60 million creators love and use BandLab, visit bandlab.com or sign up for free on the App Store or Google Play. BandLab is the flagship product of BandLab Technologies, which also includes professional-level digital audio workstation, Cakewalk, beat marketplace, Airbit, and artist services platform, ReverbNation.

SINGAPORE, 10 November 2023 – BandLab (https://www.bandlab.com/), the world’s largest social music creation platform, is pleased to announce an expansion of its existing partnership with FUGA to add worldwide digital music distribution to BandLab’s growing list of innovative music creation and promotion tools for music creators and artists. BandLab Distribution is exclusively available through BandLab’s paid Membership plan. FUGA was acquired by Downtown Music Holdings in 2020 and has since become a core pillar of its global business and professional services division, Downtown Music.

With the addition of digital music distribution via BandLab Distribution, BandLab takes its place as the first mobile music creation app to empower artists effortlessly from inspiration through recording, mixing, mastering, and ultimately, the release of their music on major platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, TikTok and more. 

With a global community of over 60M artists, BandLab has firmly established itself as the ultimate social music creation platform for both emerging and established music creators. Available now on Web via bandlab.com/distribution and rolling out progressively across Android and iPhone devices worldwide, artists can now effortlessly transform their musical ideas into a revenue stream via BandLab Distribution, all from their mobile devices.

"The success of BandLab users powering the charts continues to amaze us, and finally launching digital music distribution fully to our BandLab community represents a significant step towards fulfilling our mission to streamline the artistic path and empower creators at every stage of their journey," remarked Meng Kuok, CEO and Co-founder of BandLab Technologies. "We firmly believe that artists, regardless of where they are in the world, should have access to tools that enable them to maximize the potential of their creativity, and this feature is tailored to do precisely that."

Meng further emphasized, "We’re also excited to reinforce our long-term relationship with FUGA beyond our existing setup that has already helped us empower billions of streaming plays for our ReverbNation artists around the world. As we seek to further build world-class artist services and opportunities across our group, we’re proud and confident of FUGA’s ability to continue to power our global distribution services as we start to launch it into the hands of our incredible BandLab community."

“Downtown takes great pride in partnering with forward-thinking, innovative companies who put the creator and rightsholder at the centre of its core mission,” said Andrew Bergman, CEO of Downtown Music Holdings. “We're excited to reinforce our relationship with BandLab Technologies and support another of its platforms with FUGA's best-in-class distribution technology.”

“BandLab has made pioneering steps in the music industry to provide independent creators with the tools they need to make, share and promote their music with fans across the world,” added Christiaan Kröner, President of FUGA. “FUGA is proud to continue its longstanding partnership with BandLab Technologies and provide its own proprietary technology and service offering as the backdrop to BandLab’s distribution infrastructure. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the BandLab team in a shared commitment and mission to empower global creators.”

With BandLab’s new premium digital music distribution feature, paid members can release their music to major platforms, all while keeping 100% of their royalties. BandLab Distribution is exclusively available via Membership and includes other powerful marketing and artist services tools, as well as access to exclusive career opportunities for just $14.95 a month.

 
ABOUT BANDLAB TECHNOLOGIES

BandLab Technologies is a collective of global music technology companies on a mission to break down the technical, geographic, and creative barriers for musicians and fans. Empowering creators at all stages of their creative process, the group’s wide range of offerings include flagship mobile-first social music creation platform BandLab, award-winning, legendary desktop DAW Cakewalk, powerful artist services platform ReverbNation and recently acquired global beat and music marketplace Airbit. BandLab Technologies is headquartered in Singapore and is a division of Caldecott Music Group. For more information on BandLab Technologies, visit http://www.bandlabtechnologies.com.

SANTA MONICA and SINGAPORE, 18 October 2023 – Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, and BandLab Technologies, the parent company of the world's largest social music creation platform, BandLab, today announced plans for an expansive, industry-first strategic relationship concentrated on artificial intelligence (AI).

Centered on empowering the next generation of artists, including within BandLab’s global community, the alliance will advance the companies’ shared commitment to ethical use of AI and the protection of artist and songwriter rights. Together, the companies will also pioneer market-led solutions with pro-creator standards to ensure new technologies serve the creator community effectively and ethically.

BandLab is the world’s first music creation platform to pledge support for the Human Artistry Campaign (HAC), a global coalition devoted to ensuring AI technologies are developed and utilized in ways that champion human creativity and culture.

As the digital landscape of music continues to evolve, this collaboration is designed to be a beacon of innovation and ethical practice in the industry and heralds a new era where artists are supported and celebrated at every stage of their creative journey. 

In making the announcement, Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group said, “We welcome BandLab’s commitment to an ethical approach to AI through their accessible technology, tools and platform. We are excited to add BandLab Technologies to a growing list of UMG partners whose responsible and innovative AI will benefit the creative community.”

Michael Nash, EVP and Chief Digital Officer, UMG added, “Meng Kuok and his team at BandLab Technologies, as well as the Caldecott Music Group network, have achieved impressive scale at the dynamic intersection of social music and creator technology innovation. At UMG, we constantly seek to empower and support both established and emerging artists. Given BandLab’s passion for music and their dedication to nurturing early-stage artistry at the nexus of ecosystem transformation, they are an excellent partner that is compelling for us on multiple fronts. 

“This is more important than ever right now as AI assumes an increasingly prominent place in the evolution of music creation tools. We look forward to establishing new creative, marketing, and commercial opportunities for our artists and actively engaging with BandLab’s creator community through a highly synergistic structure, collectively protecting today’s and tomorrow’s future superstars through responsible approaches to utilization of AI in the creative process.”

Meng Ru Kuok, CEO & Founder, Caldecott Music Group and CEO of BandLab Technologies said, “BandLab Technologies and our wider Caldecott Music Group network is steadfast in its respect for artists' rights and the infinite potential of AI in music creation and we believe our millions of users around the world share in this commitment and excitement.

“Though new technologies offer unbelievable possibilities to break down more barriers for creators, it’s essential that artists’ and songwriters’ rights be fully respected and protected to give these future generations a chance of success. As demonstrated by BandLab embracing the Human Artistry Campaign principles and this collaboration with UMG, we are committed to getting it right. Through our joint efforts, we anticipate a future of music that is innovative, rewarding, and endlessly inspiring."

About Universal Music Group
At Universal Music Group, we exist to shape culture through the power of artistry. UMG is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content. Featuring the most comprehensive catalogue of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. For more information on Universal Music Group visit www.universalmusic.com.

About BandLab Technologies     

BandLab Technologies is a collective of global music technology companies on a mission to break down the technical, geographic, and creative barriers for musicians and fans. Empowering creators at all stages of their creative process, the group’s wide range of offerings include flagship mobile-first social music creation platform BandLab, award-winning, legendary desktop DAW Cakewalk, powerful artist services platform ReverbNation and recently acquired global beat and music marketplace Airbit. BandLab Technologies is headquartered in Singapore and is a division of Caldecott Music Group. For more information on BandLab Technologies, visit bandlabtechnologies.com.

SINGAPORE; 13 OCTOBER 2023 — BandLab Technologies, developer of BandLab, the world’s largest social music creation platform, deepens its commitment to the advancement of AI technologies in music creation and ethical artificial intelligence use by welcoming Drew Silverstein as Senior Advisor, AI, Innovation, and Strategy. This move follows BandLab’s announcement of support for the Human Artistry CampAIgn, further emphasizing the group’s dedication to leading the way in responsible AI practices and investing in technologies that empower musicians worldwide. 

Drew Silverstein, an early pioneer in human-first AI music practices, brings his experience as the Co-founder and former CEO of Amper Music and former VP of Music at Shutterstock. Before Amper Music, Drew was recognized as an award-winning composer, producer, and songwriter for film, television, and video games in Los Angeles at Sonic Fuel Studios. His unique combination of creative artistry and technological expertise positions him as an invaluable addition in guiding BandLab Technologies’ AI and music innovation strategy. He will report directly to Group COO Ivan Chen.

"I am thrilled to join the team and collaborate on their mission to advance human-first AI practices in music,” says Silverstein about joining BandLab Technologies. “BandLab's commitment to empowering creators and removing technological barriers aligns perfectly with my values and vision for the responsible integration of AI in music and I look forward to continuing this exciting journey with them." 

“We are delighted to welcome Drew to the team,” says Meng Ru Kuok, CEO & Co-founder of BandLab Technologies. “His friendship and advice over the years has already contributed significantly to our global AI music leadership today and this is the perfect time for him to officially join the band. This is a very exciting and critical moment as it relates to empowering users with new technology, and this appointment comes at an essential time for our initiatives to empower and protect creators.”
 

ABOUT BANDLAB TECHNOLOGIES
BandLab Technologies is a collective of global music technology companies that envisions a future where there are no boundaries to making and sharing music. It exists to empower all creators - from providing a social music creation platform with BandLab, to building intuitive desktop music tools with Cakewalk, to helping artists grow lasting careers with ReverbNation, to enabling musicians to monetize their musical creations with Airbit.

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE; 4 OCTOBER 2023 — Today, BandLab Technologies, a global innovator in music creation tools and platforms, welcomes Kevin Breuner as the Head of Artist Development and Education, and Jessica Strassman as the Head of Industry Relations & Artist Services (Americas). Reporting directly to BandLab Technologies’ CEO & Co-founder Meng Ru Kuok, they will work across the group’s leadership teams and serve to deepen the bond between the group and creators.

Recognized as a pivotal force in the digital music space, BandLab Technologies offers an end-to-end ecosystem that champions creators, artists, and producers at every stage of their musical journey. This includes the world’s leading social music creation platform BandLab, legendary professional-level digital audio workstation Cakewalk, artist services platform ReverbNation, and global beat marketplace Airbit.

In his new role, Kevin Breuner will develop and oversee strategies to support artist development with a focus on helping the next generation of artists navigate the complexities of the industry, whether they're hobbyists, successful indie musicians, or artists seeking a major label signing.

Prior to BandLab Technologies, Kevin spent 17 years at CD Baby, serving as SVP of Artist Engagement and Education where he created and developed the company’s content marketing strategy through the DIY Musician brand. "BandLab has quickly become the leader in the new emerging creator economy with amazing tech-driven tools that make a music career accessible to everyone,” says Breuner. “I'm excited to help the next generation of artists — as well as established artists — from around the world grow in their passion for creating and sharing music."

Jessica Strassman will drive leadership efforts in industry engagement, and support the global ecosystem of established artists and labels looking to authentically connect with the BandLab community.

Jessica joins from TikTok, where she managed label partnerships between the platform and Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group's record labels. Prior to TikTok, she played a pivotal role in artist services on the music team at Twitch. Before joining Twitch she spent seven years in A&R at Columbia Records. “BandLab has lowered the barrier to entry for music creation and expression through accessible tools and a robust social community,” says Strassman. “I'm excited to share BandLab’s mission with the music industry and creative communities.”

These significant hires come on the heels of BandLab Technologies’ recent initiatives focused on deeper brand engagement within its ecosystem. This includes a suite of new integrations between BandLab and Airbit, as well as the rebranding of ReverbNation, Cakewalk, and BandLab Technologies, all of which underscore the company’s commitment to enhancing its suite of tools and extending its support to diverse communities of musicians and fans.

"At BandLab, our vision has always been centered on empowering the global community of creators,” says Kuok. “Kevin and Jessica’s collective industry expertise brings tremendous real-world insights that will directly shape our future strategies and offerings, ensuring we stay ahead in serving both artists and the wider music community. Whether you’re an independent or major label artist, these are key appointments as a music-focused organization and a reiteration of our commitment to empowering creators across the entire music ecosystem."

ABOUT BANDLAB TECHNOLOGIES

BandLab Technologies is a collective of global music technology companies that envisions a future where there are no boundaries to making and sharing music. It exists to empower all creators - from providing a social music creation platform with BandLab, to building intuitive desktop music tools with Cakewalk, to helping artists grow lasting careers with ReverbNation, to enabling musicians to monetize their musical creations with Airbit.

SINGAPORE; MONDAY, 2 OCTOBER 2023 — BandLab, the world’s largest social music creation platform, is proud to announce exciting new integrations with Airbit, a leading global beat marketplace, that enables Airbit users to seamlessly share their beats to BandLab’s worldwide audience of creators. With a unified commitment to amplifying the reach and potential of music creators, this collaboration not only enhances the connection between beat creation, sharing, and promotion but also bridges the gap between sellers and buyers.

Rolling out today, users can embed their beats directly in BandLab posts from Airbit. This integration lets Airbit creators amplify their beats to a broader audience and also benefit from using BandLab Boost to promote their posts to trending feeds. With Airbit embeds on BandLab, producers can effortlessly share their beats with a broader audience, tapping into BandLab’s vast community of over 60 million creators.

Beyond native embeds on BandLab, producers on Airbit will also have the ability to natively “Share to BandLab” any beat on Airbit’s catalog of over 1 million beats available to license or purchase. Once clicked, BandLab will open with the beat already embedded in a new post, making the process even more seamless for producers looking to promote their creations. Native embeds will only be available on web upon initial release, with mobile compatibility to come in future releases.

This integration builds upon Airbit’s recent announcements of eliminating platform Marketplace commissions, enhancing its free Basic plan, and the ability for users to register with and log into Airbit using their BandLab account, similar to how one would sign in with other third-party platforms.

BandLab Technologies acquired Airbit earlier this year, a union that was followed by a successful $25M Series B1 funding round that elevated the company's valuation to $425M post-money.

"Our goal has always been to empower creators by providing tools to amplify their voice and vision,” says Meng Ru Kuok, CEO & Co-founder of BandLab Technologies. “This is just another step in bringing Airbit's expansive beat marketplace to BandLab's passionate community and a testament to our dedication to creating a seamless and rich ecosystem for creators worldwide."

Wasim Khamlichi, CEO & Founder at Airbit, added, “This is a monumental step for both Airbit and BandLab. Our objective remains clear as we continue to integrate — providing creators a platform where their work gets the spotlight it deserves.”

To learn more and explore these new integrations between BandLab and Airbit, visit bandlab.com and airbit.com.

ABOUT BANDLAB

BandLab’s vision is simple: A future where there are no boundaries to making and sharing music. Founded in 2015, BandLab is the next-generation social music creation platform on a mission to break down the technical, geographic, and creative barriers for musicians and fans. Free-to-use, the mobile-first cross-platform DAW and social network, unites the entire creator journey into one place, boasting a suite of features and tools for creators to make music, share their music with fans, earn a living, and even top the charts.

To find out why over 60 million creators love and use BandLab, visit bandlab.com or sign up for free on the App Store or Google Play. BandLab is the flagship product of BandLab Technologies, which also includes professional-level digital audio workstation, Cakewalk, beat marketplace, Airbit, and artist services platform, ReverbNation.

ABOUT AIRBIT

Airbit is a seamless and trusted global music marketplace providing creators and producers with everything they need to advance their artistic freedom and success. To date, Airbit has paid out over $50 million to its network of producers around the world, and joined the BandLab Technologies family of brands in Feb 2023. To learn more, visit airbit.com.

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE; 20 SEPTEMBER 2023 — Airbit (airbit.com), a leading global beat marketplace, is announcing transformative changes to simplify online beat selling for music producers and creators: the elimination of platform Marketplace commissions and enriched features in the free Basic plan, both designed to supercharge Airbit’s leading set of selling tools and ensure more profits are directly channeled to artists. Separately, Airbit is also excited to announce integrations with BandLab, the world’s largest social music creation platform, allowing producers to reach an even wider audience of creators.

To date, creators around the world have earned over $50M+ on Airbit, with over 2M+ beats sold. With a catalog of more than a million beats from notable and emerging producers from around the world, Airbit has always been committed to empowering creators by providing them with everything they need to advance their artistic freedom and success in today’s competitive music industry. This mission was further strengthened through its acquisition by BandLab Technologies earlier this year.

Reinforcing its creator-first approach, Airbit has now eliminated all seller commission fees from up to 40% to 0% across its Marketplace (less payment provider transaction fees). This, in addition to already having 0% buyer service fees across the platform, ensures that producers retain even more of their hard-earned sales on the Airbit Marketplace. 

Airbit also recently expanded payment options in its Marketplace, including credit cards via Stripe. Combined with additional recent improvements to streamlined payouts, these updates are designed to elevate sales opportunities for sellers and deliver convenience and affordability for buyers.

The company's free Basic tier now offers three additional benefits: the ability to upload up to 20 beats to a Marketplace profile (doubling the previous limit of 10), the ability to automatically post beat videos to socials, and the ability to unlock free downloads through social engagement. With these updates, Airbit boasts the richest free package of any beat marketplace platform, underscoring its support to providing an unparalleled experience at every tier.

Additionally, Airbit is introducing integrations for BandLab’s audience of over 60+ million users around the world. Creators can now register with and log into Airbit using their BandLab account, similar to how one would sign in with other third-party platforms. Not only does this make the sign-up process more seamless for buyers, it opens the door for further integrations to come with BandLab’s global network of creators.

"We are excited to introduce these changes that set the stage for an even better Airbit experience," says Wasim Khamlichi, CEO & Founder at Airbit. "By removing marketplace commissions, we are providing tools for producers and creators to focus on what truly matters – reaching their audience and delivering exceptional music.”

"In today's dynamic digital landscape, we firmly believe that creators and rights holders should be able to diversify their presence across multiple platforms to truly harness their revenue potential,” says BandLab Technologies CEO & Co-founder, Meng Ru Kuok. “This is just the beginning – we're excited to roll out additional features in the upcoming months to ensure our community of creators is poised for unprecedented growth and success." 

For more information about Airbit’s updated pricing and features, please visit airbit.com.

ABOUT AIRBIT

Airbit is a seamless and trusted global music marketplace providing creators and producers with everything they need to advance their artistic freedom and success. To date, Airbit has paid out over $50 million to its network of producers around the world, and joined the BandLab Technologies family of brands in Feb 2023. To learn more, visit airbit.com.

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE; 30 AUGUST, 2023 - BandLab Technologies, an integrated collective of global music technology companies, is thrilled to unveil a comprehensive rebrand that not only rejuvenates its visual identity but also marks a significant milestone in its evolution. This rebrand comes with a fresh modern look and introduces a pivotal addition: BandLab Technologies' inaugural corporate website, serving as a central hub for its diverse music technology offerings.

At the core of BandLab Technologies' mission is the belief in a world without limits when it comes to creating and sharing music. With a portfolio that spans a spectrum of music technology brands, from flagship social music creation platform BandLab, to the powerful desktop music tools of Cakewalk, to the robust artist services of ReverbNation, to global digital beat marketplace Airbit, the company continues to be a driving force in shaping the future of music.

The reimagined branding is rooted in the flagship product BandLab, and reflects BandLab Technologies' commitment to innovation, inclusivity, and the boundless potential of music. The updated visual elements — including the use of the same font and red as BandLab — represents this connection and also signifies the diverse range of tools and opportunities that BandLab Technologies provides to creators worldwide.

Importantly, alongside this modern transformation, BandLab Technologies proudly unveils its first-ever corporate website. This centralized destination will serve as a gateway to explore the entire spectrum of the company's offerings, allowing users to navigate through its various platforms and services, explore career avenues, and stay informed with the latest company news.

"At BandLab Technologies we are on a mission to empower everyone to create music through transformative tools,” BandLab Technologies CEO & Co-founder, Meng Ru Kuok, says. “This refreshed identity shows our commitment to helping creators worldwide with a new look that represents the lively and boundless essence of music and technology itself. Every day, we’re growing and making an impact to unlock creators' potential with our technology across the globe."

BandLab Technologies has consistently pushed the boundaries of what's possible in music technology. The unveiling of this transformative rebrand, coupled with recent developments — such as the reinvigoration of Cakewalk, enhancements to ReverbNation, and a successful $25M Series B1 funding round that raised the company valuation to $425M post-money — exemplifies the company's dedication to shaping the future of music creation, collaboration, and consumption.

Discover the new face of BandLab Technologies and explore its innovative music technology ecosystem by visiting the all-new corporate website at www.bandlabtechnologies.com.

About BandLab Technologies

BandLab Technologies is a collective of global music technology companies that envisions a future where there are no boundaries to making and sharing music. It exists to empower all creators - from providing a social music creation platform with BandLab, to building intuitive desktop music tools with Cakewalk, to helping artists grow lasting careers with ReverbNation, to enabling musicians to monetize their musical creations with Airbit.

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE; 26 JUL 2023 - Today, BandLab Technologies unveils an exciting new brand vision for ReverbNation, the renowned artist services platform that empowers independent musicians worldwide. The new branding introduces a refreshed visual identity, along with plans to invest into new features and expand ReverbNation’s suite of artist services. These plans double down on ReverbNation’s unwavering commitment to being the ultimate destination for artists to launch their careers, forge meaningful connections, and amplify their music.

The new visual identity captures the essence of ReverbNation's lively and driven spirit, reflecting the boundless energy of the artists it serves. It spans across all digital touchpoints, including a new logo and refreshed website which will continue to serve musicians through ReverbNation’s powerful features, such as fan engagement tools and analytics.

"Driven by an unwavering passion to empower artists, ReverbNation has consistently offered a wealth of tools and opportunities, enabling musicians that choose to stay independent to distribute their music, amplify their voices and grow their fanbase,” says BandLab Technologies CEO & Co-founder Meng Ru Kuok. “As we empower more creators at unprecedented levels around the world, we see it our responsibility to continue to invest in the flourishing independent artist ecosystem and its future as well. This new look is in keeping with that dedication. Additionally, ReverbNation will build further on our current feature set, create additional roles to enrich our artist services offerings as well as further opportunities and develop better funnels for our artists to connect with professional management, labels, and teams to support their musical careers. "

BandLab Technologies, a leading innovator in music software, also recently debuted an exciting new brand vision for their renowned music production software, Cakewalk. Alongside this milestone, the company has successfully raised $25 million in a Series B1 funding round, resulting in a post-money valuation of $425 million. This substantial investment will further enhance BandLab Technologies' unwavering dedication to accessible music-making and pioneering innovation in the industry.

For more information about ReverbNation and to experience the exciting new brand makeover, visit reverbnation.com.

About ReverbNation

ReverbNation is a leading platform dedicated to empowering independent artists worldwide. With a steadfast commitment to equipping musicians with the tools and opportunities they need to build meaningful connections and amplify their music, ReverbNation stands as the ultimate destination for artists to launch their careers. The platform offers a wide range of innovative features, from comprehensive artist profiles and personalized promotional campaigns to exclusive networking opportunities and targeted fan engagement tools. Through its cutting-edge technology and artist-centric approach, ReverbNation continues to revolutionize the music industry and empower musicians to soar to new heights.

About BandLab Technologies

BandLab Technologies is a collective of global music technology companies that envisions a future where there are no boundaries to making and sharing music. It exists to empower all creators - from providing a social music creation platform with BandLab, to building intuitive music tools with Cakewalk, to helping artists grow lasting careers with ReverbNation, to enabling musicians to monetize their content with Airbit.

SINGAPORE; June 6th, 2023 - Today, BandLab Technologies announces a corporate rebranding of Cakewalk with plans to make its renowned music production software even more accessible to global creators. Under the new structure, Cakewalk by BandLab will transition into Cakewalk, with two distinct products underneath: Cakewalk Sonar and Cakewalk Next. In addition to the new name, the company has launched an updated website at cakewalk.com and a new logo.

Built on a rich history spanning over 30 years, the Cakewalk legacy stands strong and committed to serving its dedicated community, while evolving to meet the changing needs of new creators. By ushering in this new era of Cakewalk in parallel with BandLab’s widespread adoption, BandLab Technologies cements its position as a leading provider of world-class music creation tools for artists at any level, using any device from mobile to desktop, at all stages of their creative process.

The Cakewalk Sonar rebrand reintroduces the iconic SONAR name for Cakewalk's original DAW. With a significant UI refresh and a platform committed to ongoing feature development, Cakewalk Sonar will continue to focus on performance while delivering a best-in-class production experience on Windows desktop devices. Importantly, Cakewalk Sonar will ensure compatibility with legacy projects created in previous iterations of SONAR and Cakewalk by BandLab, facilitating a seamless transition for both current and past users of Cakewalk by BandLab.

“We want to empower all creators by giving them a range of workflow options across our product offerings, and that includes a robust desktop ecosystem. We see it as one interlocking chain that supports creators throughout their creative process,” says BandLab Technologies CEO & Co-founder Meng Ru Kuok. “With BandLab, we’ve taken mobile creation possibilities to the next level, but we still think there’s still more to deliver, especially as our users mature and interact with more creators and partners in their journey. Cakewalk now stands alone as an independent brand, with plenty more exciting news to come over these next few months.”

BandLab Technologies recently announced a $25M Series B1 raise, resulting in a post-money valuation of $425M. This substantial investment is strategically directed towards key areas that further enhance the company’s commitment to accessible music-making and innovation. Through the continued development of groundbreaking music creation tools, coupled with the support of emerging creators, BandLab Technologies is reshaping the landscape of music production and revolutionizing the way musicians create, collaborate, and share their art. 

Pricing for both Cakewalk Sonar and Cakewalk Next will be provided as the products get closer to launch. Get release notifications by following Cakewalk on social media or by joining Cakewalk’s email list.

About Cakewalk

Cakewalk is the leading developer of powerful and thoughtfully designed products for the modern musician. These products include award-winning digital audio workstations and innovative virtual instruments.

Millions of musicians worldwide—including Grammy® and Emmy®-winning producers, composers, sound designers, and engineers—use Cakewalk products daily to produce audio for the professional music, film, broadcast, and video game industries.

Social Music Creation Platform BandLab Amplifies Growth With New Round Valuing Company at $425M

This additional round of investment accelerates the company’s commitment to global accessibility of music creation, artist empowerment, and development.

Singapore, May 23rd, 2023: BandLab Technologies, the Singapore-based parent company of flagship social music creation platform BandLab has announced the addition of USD $25M in a new round of Series B1 financing that raises the valuation of the company to USD $425M post-money.

Led by existing investor Cercano Management (formerly Vulcan Capital) with super-pro rata participation from Prosus Ventures, this additional tranche of capital is a significant milestone for BandLab Technologies. This builds on its previously announced Series B round in 2022 and accelerates the company’s vision to empower more creators worldwide with accessible music creation tools from mobile to desktop.

This new funding will see BandLab Technologies further grow its workforce and double down on emerging creator campaigns. This ongoing commitment to expanding the team and intensifying marketing efforts aims to advance the development of cutting-edge music creation tools while extending the company's reach and support to untapped communities of musicians and fans. BandLab will also channel additional resources towards supporting services such as leading music education platform BandLab for Education and other similar initiatives.

At the heart of BandLab Technologies' offerings is BandLab, a groundbreaking platform that empowers aspiring music creators around the world to create, collaborate, and share their music online with an emphasis on emerging artist discovery, community, and fandom. With a wide-reaching community ranging from first-time creators to viral TikTok stars to GRAMMY-winning producers, BandLab’s award-winning comprehensive ecosystem is an end-to-end creator-centric destination.

Ranked as Fast Company’s most innovative music company in 2023, BandLab’s deep array of features includes cross-platform digital audio workstation Studio, leading royalty-free sample and loops service Sounds, AI music generator tool SongStarter and more, all designed for creators to easily spark new musical ideas. The company’s vibrant ecosystem also includes leading professional-level digital audio workstation Cakewalk, artist services platform ReverbNation, and recently acquired beat marketplace Airbit. 

Since its Series B round in 2022, the company has seen remarkable milestones from its community of over 60M registered users, with groundbreaking artists such as d4vd, ThxSoMch, and Luh Tyler trending on global charts and experiencing major label success. Additionally, the introduction of direct fan subscriptions, discovery, and promotional analytics tool Boost, as well as the launch of Opportunities via Reverbnation continue to elevate the range of services available to artists at the start of their creator journey. BandLab’s commitment to bridging the gap between independent artists and labels has seen numerous hero stories and collaborations emerge, serving as an inspiration to the rapidly growing world of aspiring creators worldwide. 

"We are at a captivating juncture where technology and art intersect, bringing down the conventional barriers to creativity," says Meng Ru Kuok, BandLab CEO & Co-Founder. "In this transformative era of mass music creation, our dedication to artists, aspiring musicians, and creators worldwide has never been stronger. Not only are we democratizing music creation on a global scale, we are fostering a community where everyone can express themselves through music, irrespective of their resources or technical prowess. With this investment, we step forward into a future where every smartphone owner has the potential to be a unique music artist who is protected, empowered, and heard."

Managing Director & Head of Southeast Asia at Vulcan Capital, Tommy Teo, says, "Since our original investment, BandLab has been steadfast in demonstrating its exceptional potential in making music creation accessible and enjoyable to a global audience. BandLab's dedication to nurturing creativity and fostering collaboration among its growing community of highly-engaged users is truly unique. We believe in their vision and the power of the BandLab platform to unlock the next generation of artists and fans and to bridge the creation gap between established markets and emerging, underserved areas. As we continue our support for the company, we expect that BandLab will play a vital role in driving a vibrant future for music creators worldwide."

About BandLab

BandLab’s vision is simple: A future where there are no boundaries to making and sharing music. Founded in 2015, BandLab is the next-generation social music creation platform on a mission to break down the technical, geographic, and creative barriers for musicians and fans. Free-to-use, the mobile-first cross-platform DAW and social network, unites the entire creator journey into one place, boasting a suite of features and tools for creators to make music, share their music with fans, earn a living, and even top the charts.

To find out why over 60 million creators love and use BandLab, visit bandlab.com or sign up for free on the App Store or Google Play. BandLab is the flagship product of BandLab Technologies, which also includes professional-level digital audio workstation, Cakewalk, beat marketplace, Airbit, and artist services platform, ReverbNation.

About Prosus

Prosus is a global consumer internet company and one of the largest technology investors in the world. Operating and investing globally in markets with long-term growth potential, Prosus builds leading consumer internet companies that empower people and enrich communities. Prosus is a global consumer internet group and one of the largest technology investors in the world. Operating and investing globally in markets with long-term growth potential, Prosus builds leading consumer internet companies that empower people and enrich communities. The group is focused on building meaningful businesses in the online classifieds, food delivery, payments and fintech, and education technology sectors. Through the Prosus Ventures team, the group invests in new technology growth opportunities within logistics, fintech, health, blockchain, social and e-commerce platforms, agriculture, and more. The team actively backs exceptional entrepreneurs who are using technology to improve people’s everyday lives. Each month, more than 2 billion customers across the globe use the products and services of companies that Prosus has invested in, acquired, or built. To find out more, please visit www.prosus.com.

About Cercano Management

Cercano Management (formerly known as Vulcan Capital, the investment arm of the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen) is a global asset manager that provides investment advisory and family office services to ultra-high net worth individuals and their families as well as their foundations, charitable organizations, and other related entities. Headquartered in Bellevue, WA, Cercano manages assets across a range of venture capital, private equity, private credit, and public equity strategies. Cercano’s Asia headquarters in Singapore focuses on early-stage private investments and has invested in over 20 companies in the region since its inception in July 2019.

BandLab continues to expand its creator toolset and alternative revenue sources for millions of creators.

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE; 1 February 2023 – BandLab Technologies, the parent company of social music creation platform, BandLab, digital audio workstation, Cakewalk, and artist services platform, ReverbNation, announced the acquisition of beat marketplace Airbit, effective today.

This acquisition expands upon BandLab’s full-service creator toolset - which includes the free, mobile-first cross-platform DAW and the AI musical idea generator SongStarter - providing artists with seamless access to all major elements of music creation, promotion, and distribution.

To date, artists have earned over $50M+ on Airbit, with over 2M+ beats sold. The platform boasts a catalog of more than a million beats from notable producers around the world, as well as emerging beatmakers, providing services for musicians to build sustainable communities and careers. The acquisition expands the audience for current Airbit producers to millions of new customers around the world.

Airbit users will continue to enjoy uninterrupted services and can expect a seamless integration of Airbit’s features into BandLab’s creator platform in the near future. As part of the deal, all current employees will be retained, and the CEO of Airbit, Wasim Khamlichi, will step down after a transition period.

“We are thrilled to bring Airbit’s community to BandLab. We are continually looking for opportunities to support BandLab artists in their creative process, and this has been one of our communities’ most requested features,” says Meng Ru Kuok, CEO & Founder of BandLab Technologies. “Thanks to companies like Airbit, self-serve beat marketplaces have become an exciting route for creators to find and purchase high-quality beats to kickstart their creative process. We’re excited to improve the user experience for our creators and introduce new ways for them to earn a living.”

CEO of Airbit, Wasim Khamlichi, says, “Airbit shares BandLab’s ethos of allowing music makers every opportunity to find success. Airbit was started with the intent to empower creators as artists and entrepreneurs through new technologies and forward-thinking music monetization tools. Since Airbit was founded in 2009, it has grown to become a powerful platform for hundreds and thousands of creators. BandLab is best positioned to take it to the next level.”

More information will be shared about the product roadmap and future features in due course.

Dani Deahl has been at the forefront of music innovation for the past seven years, and is now stepping into a new role with BandLab Technologies as Head of Communications & Creator Insights.

As a journalist and editor, music producer, and advocate for musicians and creators, Deahl combines her extensive communications background with insight into data and industry trends. Deahl will serve as a prominent cultural liaison, highlighting the division’s impact on the future of the music industry and surveying industry changes to drive conversations and build connections.

“I couldn’t be more honored to join the talented team at BandLab Technologies,” says Deahl. “It’s such an exciting time for BandLab and the music industry at large – artists are rewriting rules and defining culture on a global scale. My goal has always been to help give a platform to creators, and I can’t wait to jump right in to champion BandLab’s mission to empower music creation around the world.”

As a leader in music and culture, Deahl most recently served as Editorial Director at Output where she led content strategy development through insightful industry storytelling with artists like Lucky Daye, Richie Souf, and Krewella.

Prior to her time at Output, Deahl led The Verge’s coverage of consumer music tech, authoring influential features on topics like music creation trends, AI, emerging genres, and creator platforms. At The Verge, she also handled artist relations and produced and hosted The Verge’s video series, “The Future of Music," featuring acts like Charli XCX, Steve Aoki, and Eric Prydz.

She has also worked in editorial roles at NYLON, DJ Mag, and other publications, spanning over the past ten years. 

As a public figure in the music tech community, Deahl has provided thought leadership at conferences around the world, including TEDx, AMP Music Summit, Midem, Mondo NYC, SXSW, Music Tectonics, Billboard Live Music Summit, and more. She currently serves as President of the Board for the Recording Academy’s Chicago Chapter.

“We are thrilled to have Dani join us and bring her passion and enthusiasm for the music industry to BandLab. Dani is an amazing tech storyteller with years of experience and admiration by members of the music tech community,” says Meng Ru Kuok, CEO and Founder at BandLab Technologies. “Her ability to extract the big picture and convey key messages will make her an asset to BandLab and our community.

Social music creation platform BandLab has partnered with NME to launch BandLab and NME present: Get Featured, a huge new music initiative for rising artists across the globe

This exclusive opportunity will give emerging and independent singer-songwriters, rappers, producers and bands alike a platform to get heard by NME’s global audience of music fans, and expand both their networks and online presence.

NME’s Radar section was born out of the spirit of discovery, and in collaboration with BandLab, this feature will continue a shared mission to empower new, underground artists ready to make a name for themselves by pushing them into the mainstream.

Artists of all genres are being encouraged to upload their own original music via BandLab Opportunities from today (November 8), and the submission period will run until December 31. NME Radar’s editorial team will review all entries, before four winners will be chosen.

The winners will receive a unique package of opportunities from NME to continue their development as an artist. This will include a BandLab-supported publication feature and accompanying photoshoot, placement on NME’s New Bangers Spotify Playlist for four weeks, inclusion in the NME newsletter, and extensive support across NME’s social media channels.

This is an ongoing opportunity that will see NME spotlight a total of four creators throughout 2023, and will also encourage artists to also submit their music directly for festival bookings, film and TV sync opportunities, and brand deals.

Since it was established in 2015, BandLab has supported and uplifted emerging musicians through its free-to-use DAW software and social network. They have continued to offer a whole host of features and tools for over 50 million creators to stay the course of their artistic path, connect with fans, and grow their audience.

With BandLab Opportunities, artists may get a chance to play at festivals, get their music heard by A&R at indie and major labels, get featured on some of the world’s best music publications, and much more.. To get started, artists simply pick an opportunity that they are interested in and submit their music or EPK on BandLab’s Opportunity page.

BandLab creators have the potential to reach millions of users within the BandLab network through a new feature, Boost. With Boost, users can now take their profiles and posts and turn them into featured ads in prominent spots on BandLab, to get in front of more artists and fans on a daily basis.

Boost is another avenue of discovery and promotion through the BandLab platform, similar to campaigns an artist may buy on a social platform like Instagram or Facebook. As the world’s leading social music creation platform, BandLab encourages networking and sharing within their rapidly expanding community of music creators and music lovers, all excited and open to discovering new music and artists.

Boost is available in two forms - Boost Post, a la carte for boosting posts, and Boost Membership, for always-on profile boosting. With Boost Membership now comes access to BandLab Opportunities via ReverbNation, an opportunity for creators to submit their music directly to key industry heavyweights, including editorial opportunities with Billboard and The FADER, partnerships with MONO, live music events such as SummerFest, and more.

Boost Post allows a creator to boost a single post to gain more likes, plays, and interactions, without a membership. The creator can pick their budget and length in days their boost will be active, and proceed with a one-time payment to get their campaign live.

Creators will also receive analytics tools throughout their campaign with Boost Insights, where they can analyze performance by monitoring engagement and impression metrics. Boost Membership costs $14.99 USD a month, available to all worldwide users. Creators can also subscribe annually at a discounted rate, $149.99 USD. Boost Post campaigns start at $1 a day.

“We’ve seen some exciting developments in the BandLab community. From independent artist Duncan Daniels’ feature in The FADER as part of BandLab Opportunities, to BandLab user d4vd’s single hitting the charts on Billboard’s Hot 100 and recent signing to Darkroom/Interscope Records,” says BandLab Co-Founder and CEO Meng Ru Kuok. “We’re devoted to continuous artist growth and development through BandLab, however the artist imagines their journey.”

Boost is currently rolling out worldwide for both mobile and web platforms.

All artists have the opportunity to apply for an exciting editorial feature to appear in Billboard, written by one of Billboard’s own music journalists. Interested artists can find this, and many other opportunities, on BandLab Opportunities via ReverbNation.

Social music creation platform BandLab introduced BandLab Opportunities via ReverbNation last month, and is now collaborating with global music media brand Billboard on a unique feature story opportunity. Billboard will select one talented artist to be interviewed by one of their trusted music industry journalists. The feature will then be promoted through Billboard’s Facebook and Twitter channels.

Artists can apply for the ‘Bringing BandLab to Billboard’ opportunity until September 30th, through BandLab’s platform. Any artist or creator can apply for this feature; they do not need to be a current or longtime user of the BandLab platform to be considered.

Bridging connections for talented emerging and underrepresented artists, BandLab has partnered with industry powerhouses to help artists get their foot in the door, including venue and festival bookings, film and TV syncs, brand programs, and exposure to record labels.

“Billboard and BandLab both value discovering and celebrating new talent,” said Dana Droppo, Chief Brand Officer, Billboard.  “BandLab’s Opportunities platform gives musicians direct access to resources and breakthroughs to help them reach a wider audience of music fans. Through this platform we feel we are giving more artists the chance to be discovered.”

Billboard has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, including Olivia Rodrigo, Beyoncé, Doja Cat, Rascal Flatts, Sam Smith, DaBaby, and many more. They also regularly feature indie voices, with both the Emerging Artist Spotlight and Must-Hear Indie Artist of the Month series. With unrivaled reporting on music news, issues, and trends, and production of the highly-respected industry charts, Billboard is the leading voice of authority for the music industry.

“We are just thrilled about this collaboration with Billboard, and their excitement about amplifying emerging and underrepresented artists with their brand,” says BandLab CEO & Co-Founder Meng Ru Kuok. “Artists receive something truly powerful through these connections, the chance to be seen in a prominent music publication. They can look back on this feature for decades to come.”

The ‘Bringing BandLab To Billboard’ portal is now open for submissions, which will close September 30, 2022. The first artist feature will be published by October 15, 2022. 

View all BandLab Opportunities at www.bandlab.com/opportunities

SINGAPORE (July 25, 2022)  – Artists will connect with various industry powerhouses through BandLab Opportunities via ReverbNation, expanding their music industry connections by applying for unique opportunities to get their foot in the door.

Forward-thinking social music creation platform BandLab is partnering with The FADER to give a fresh platform to emerging artists. Starting this summer and running through the end of 2023, The FADER will select one artist each quarter from BandLab Opportunities via ReverbNation service for editorial coverage. Each artist will be interviewed by one of The FADER’s award-winning editorial staff and captured by a leading photographer in a custom shoot. 

The feature will be posted on TheFADER.com’s homepage for 24 hours and will be pushed far and wide on The FADER’s social media, as well as appearing in The FADER’s daily newsletter. 

US-born Nigerian afropop and afrobeat musician Duncan Daniels has been chosen by BandLab Opportunities via ReverbNation and The FADER to receive editorial coverage. The feature will be published today, July 29, 2022.

“The FADER has been built on helping to expose the best of emerging music and tell the stories of who is next in music. No platform offers the tools, community and opportunity for young artists the way BandLab does. We are excited to partner with BandLab and help to amplify and bring more attention to the great music being made through their platform,“ says co-CEO of The FADER Jon Cohen.

This partnership with The FADER is the first iteration of new BandLab Opportunities via ReverbNation. In addition to the chance for editorial coverage, BandLab artists can submit their music directly to other industry decision makers for consideration including venue and festival bookings, film and TV syncs, brand programs, and exposure to record labels.

“We are pleased to partner with industry-respected music platform The FADER to bring editorial coverage to artists selected through BandLab Opportunities via ReverbNation. Some of the leading names in music have been featured in their magazine, and we’re excited to see what this opportunity offers BandLab artists in their journey,” says CEO & Co-Founder of BandLab Meng Ru Kuok.

About The FADER

Launched in 1999 and founded by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen, The FADER is an award-winning, ahead-of-the-curve music, style, and culture global media company and the unofficial guide to what’s next in music. The FADER is credited with giving early exposure to top artists including Kanye West, Bon Iver, Kendrick Lamar, Outkast, The Strokes, Drake and The White Stripes. The FADER brand has expanded in innovative ways, providing a cross-platform reach across print, digital, mobile, and social media, including award-winning film and video via FADER Films, podcasts such as The FADER Uncovered with Mark Ronson, and sought-after experiential events. The FADER's celebrated flagship live and digital music event, FADER FORT, presents some of today’s most inventive programming and emerging artists to fans.

Singapore-based social music creation platform BandLab has seen fast-moving growth over the past few years, supercharged by the excitement from musicians and creators, investors, and the development team at BandLab – and with good reason.

Since the announcement of 30M BandLab users in March 2021, BandLab has continued its upward trajectory, today announcing a milestone of 50M users on the platform, creating, collaborating, sharing, and listening to music from other creators.

As BandLab celebrates their growth, they also want to acknowledge and help grow creators as they take the next step in sharing their music and acquiring necessary resources to further themselves and their music as a business in the form of a new initiative, Creator Grant. This grant will total $60K USD, and will be awarded to select individuals on BandLab, who have shown great growth and resourcefulness in their efforts to reach new musical heights. 

“Our goal with Creator Grant is to support and further creator development by giving funds for them to invest in their own creative process,” says BandLab CEO & Co-founder, Meng Ru Kuok. “We see this potentially funding production equipment or a new instrument, social ads or a marketing campaign. There’s absolutely no obligation from BandLab as to content ownership, we are just truly here to support the creator in their journey.”

BandLab’s Creator Grant will kick off its inaugural year with 5 creators. Recipients include 14-year-old viral TikTok rapper Cl4pers, one of the most forked creators on the BandLab platform, producer MJbeats, Tracklanta winners Ilene and TWIN, and the YouTube content creator behind BandLab rapper reactions KngWilo. 

BandLab services artists through every stage of their creative journey with tools designed specifically to aid pain points: from song inspiration guided by AI-powered SongStarter to end-to-end capture and mixing through BandLab’s own DAW, Mix Editor. As an end-to-end resource for the DIY musician, creators come to BandLab for high quality music tools, but also to connect and collaborate with others from all around the world.

“We set out to democratize music creation and give people with interest in creating music the opportunity to do so and to thrive while doing it,” says Kuok. “We feel we’re still just getting started, but are extremely proud of having brought 50M people together to enjoy the music making process."

From BandLab’s recent acquisition of artist-growth tool ReverbNation come two well-loved and well-established resources for creators designed to aid in expanding their audiences and making money, with Zire, and making better music by tapping into their fanbase for constructive feedback ahead of a release, with Crowd Review. Zire and Crowd Review come onto BandLab as essential artist services, continuing efforts to make music creation accessible to all, now integrated into the BandLab platform and available for creator use.

Zire puts music promotion on autopilot, so creators need not worry about complex ad buys and visual creation maintaining a cohesiveness with their brand. With automated ad design, minimal effort is needed from the creator. It’s as simple as uploading high-resolution album artwork and selecting a 30-second song preview. 

For those creators thinking about releasing a new song, Crowd Review allows them to test how their song will perform after release, with this centralized and hyper-targeted method for collecting useful feedback. By hitting the “Get Reviews” button, a song is then shared with a select group of targeted listeners, giving listeners a forum to provide constructive feedback directly back to the creator.

Both Zire and Crowd Review also bring new levels of insight to creators, sharing intricate details about who is listening to their music – everything from audience demographics to user impressions, production quality, analysis of song structure, and likelihood of fans to purchase music.

“We see a world with no barriers to making and sharing music,” says BandLab co-founder and CEO Meng Ru Kuok. “The addition of Zire and Crowd Review to the BandLab platform encompasses this, creating a space for support and collaboration through every step of the maturing artist’s journey. By continuing to expand the artist services offered here at BandLab, we are building a more complete musical ecosystem.”

To find out why 40 million creators love and use BandLab, visit bandlab.com or sign up for free on the App Store or Google Play.

About BandLab

BandLab’s vision is simple: A future where there are no boundaries to making and sharing music.

Founded in 2015, BandLab is the next-generation social music creation platform on a mission to break down the technical, geographic, and creative barriers for musicians and fans. Free-to-use, the mobile-first cross-platform DAW and social network, unites the entire creator journey into one place, boasting a suite of features and tools for creators to make and share their music with fans.

To find out why over 40 million creators love and use BandLab, visit bandlab.com or sign up for free on the App Store or Google Play. BandLab is the flagship product of BandLab Technologies, which also includes professional-level digital audio workstation, Cakewalk.

Singapore, April 26, 2022: BandLab, the Singapore-based social music platform bringing pro-quality creator tools to music makers worldwide, today announced the close of its Series B round totaling US$65m with a post-money valuation of US$315mm. The company welcomed Prosus Ventures, the venture investing arm of Netherlands-listed Prosus, which is majority-owned by Naspers (the largest shareholder of Tencent), to its list of investors. 

The investment round was led by Vulcan Capital, the multi-billion-dollar investment arm of Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul G. Allen, with participation from Caldecott Music Group and K3 Ventures, a venture capital firm that was an early backer of super app Grab and tech giant Bytedance. The funds will allow BandLab to expand its team and continue to refine and grow its offerings to music creators and aspiring artists worldwide.

BandLab’s next-generation platform supports creators of all kinds of sophistication levels, from first-time creators to viral TikTok stars and GRAMMY-winning producers, much as workplace productivity tools support businesses large and small. Its cross-platform creative ecosystem offers users everything from their award-winning Mix Editor to a comprehensive royalty-free Sounds library, as well as Mastering, newly announced AI-powered SongStarter and more. Beyond creation tools, artist services like Distribution and direct fan subscriptions empower the fast-growing creator economy. The upcoming integration of recently acquired leading independent artist services platform ReverbNation into BandLab will further expand the suite of services available to independent artists around the world.

“Prosus Ventures has a record of highly successful investments in some of the world’s most groundbreaking companies, and we’re thrilled they see the merits of our vision,” says Meng Ru Kuok, co-founder and CEO of BandLab. “We’re proud to be a leading company in the music creation category and couldn’t be happier to have them join us in empowering the future of music.”

“BandLab has built a next-generation platform that is democratizing music creation for creators globally,” said Sachin Bhanot, Head of Southeast Asia Investments for Prosus Ventures. “The company has experienced impressive growth while generating solid user engagement. We are thrilled to support the company’s dedication to using innovative technologies, like AI, to put the power in the hands of creators.”

About BandLab

BandLab’s vision is simple: A future where there are no boundaries to making and sharing music.

Founded in 2015, BandLab is the next-generation social music creation platform on a mission to break down the technical, geographic, and creative barriers for musicians and fans. Free-to-use, the mobile-first cross-platform DAW and social network, unites the entire creator journey into one place, boasting a suite of features and tools for creators to make and share their music with fans.

To find out why over 40 million creators love and use BandLab, visit bandlab.com or sign up for free on the App Store or Google Play. BandLab is the flagship product of BandLab Technologies, which also includes professional-level digital audio workstation, Cakewalk.

About Prosus:

Prosus is a global consumer internet group and one of the largest technology investors in the world. Operating and investing globally in markets with long-term growth potential, Prosus builds leading consumer internet companies that empower people and enrich communities. The group is focused on building meaningful businesses in the online classifieds, food delivery, payments and fintech, and education technology sectors. Through the Prosus Ventures team, the group invests in new technology growth opportunities within logistics, fintech, health, blockchain, social and ecommerce platforms, agriculture and more. The team actively backs exceptional entrepreneurs who are using technology to improve people’s everyday lives. 

Each month, more than 2 billion customers across the globe use the products and services of companies that Prosus has invested in, acquired or built. To find out more, please visit www.prosus.com.

Writing the very first note of a song can be surprisingly difficult. New creators may not know where to start. Inspiration can be tough to come by, even for seasoned creators. Other times, pinning down one of a million ideas can be overwhelming. For creatives who are eager to get started but need help getting past the blank screen, the team at BandLab is introducing SongStarter, a musical idea generator powered by artificial intelligence within the BandLab platform.

Built in collaboration with Google on TensorFlow, SongStarter generates unique beats, melodies, and chord progressions based on user input. The patterns it creates are for users to keep, royalty-free, and can be used as a starting point for rapping, songwriting, melody sketching, or just jamming out with friends. SongStarter is now available through desktop browsers and the BandLab mobile app.

To get started, BandLab users simply click on the dice icon through the SongStarter interface. For more customized results, users have the option to enter up to 50 characters’ worth of lyrics and emojis. However, no initial input is required. Within a matter of seconds, SongStarter will generate three new musical ideas, each completely different from the last.

Once the ideas are presented, users can test out different moods for each one by clicking a button with day, dusk, and night icons. This feature provides takes on various instrumentals, keys, and beats-per-minute for the same musical composition, allowing users to select the style that suits them best. Finally, users can open up the chosen idea in the Mix Editor of the BandLab platform and tweak it further, or repeat the same phrasing. Alternatively, they can keep rolling the SongStarter dice until they land on the results they want.

SongStarter marks the start of BandLab’s foray into AI-powered tools to help creators progress in their music-making journeys. Additionally, in alignment with BandLab’s mission of breaking barriers to music creation, SongStarter is free and easy to use. Once users have the foundation of a song, they can continue to personalize their work and share with the ever-growing BandLab community, which now features over 40 million users – ranging from first-time creators to GRAMMY-winning producers.

“We are thrilled to launch SongStarter. It is like having inspiration on-demand,” notes BandLab CEO & Co-Founder Meng Ru Kuok. “Our team designed just the solution for those personal ‘eureka’ moments. SongStarter is fun to experiment with and serves as a resource that creators can keep coming back to again and again. The musical possibilities are endless.”

About BandLab

As the flagship digital product of BandLab Technologies, BandLab is a leading social music creation platform with a global reach of over 40 million users. Through its best-in-class digital audio workstation (DAW) and audio hardware division, BandLab empowers creators to make music and share their creative process with musicians and fans on an unprecedented level. The BandLab product family also includes BandLab for Education, an award-winning music creation platform with classroom management tools, and Cakewalk by BandLab, a professional-level digital recording studio for career musicians and producers. BandLab Technologies is a subsidiary of Caldecott Music Group.

BandLab, the Singapore-based social music platform bringing pro-quality creator tools to music makers worldwide, is announcing its first funding round to involve outside investors. Led by Vulcan Capital with notable participation from K3 Ventures as well as existing investor Caldecott Music Group, the US$53m round will allow BandLab to expand its team and continue to refine and grow its offerings to music creators and aspiring artists worldwide.

The US$53m round results in a post-money valuation of US$303mm and involves several new investors who have played key roles in shaping the social, tech, and music creation landscape. Lead investor Vulcan Capital is the multi-billion-dollar investment arm of Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul G. Allen. New investor K3 Ventures is a venture capital firm that brings strategic value through its partnerships in the SEA ecosystem, and was an early backer of super app Grab as well as tech giant Bytedance.

BandLab’s next-generation platform supports creators of all kinds of sophistication levels, from first-time creators to GRAMMY-winning producers, much as workplace productivity tools support businesses large and small. Its cross-platform creative ecosystem offers users everything from their award-winning Mix Editor to a comprehensive royalty-free Sounds library, as well as Mastering, newly announced AI-powered SongStarter and more. Beyond creation tools, artist services like Distribution and direct fan subscriptions empower the fast-growing creator economy, and the upcoming integration of recently acquired leading independent artist services platform ReverbNation into BandLab will further expand the suite of services available to independent artists.

“Our vision is a future where there are no barriers to making and sharing music, in particular among independent musicians and creators, and among mobile-first users, the billions with smartphones and original musical ideas,” says BandLab CEO & Co-Founder Meng Ru Kuok. “We’re not only doubling down on our market leading creator tools, but also prioritizing compensation for artists and protection for rights holders. If creators aren’t being paid fairly, it’s a major barrier to their development and growth as artists.” 

Managing Director and Head of South-east Asia at Vulcan Capital, Tommy Teo says, “With a passionate community of millions worldwide, BandLab has an incredible track record of providing innovative and meaningful tools for music creators and artists globally, not only to primary markets like the US, but extending far beyond into developing and underserved markets as well. With accessibility, creativity, and collaboration at their core, we strongly believe in their vision for the future of music creation, and are excited to embark on this journey as a partner.” 

About BandLab
BandLab’s vision is simple: A future where there are no boundaries to making and sharing music.

Launched in 2015, BandLab is the next-generation social music creation platform on a mission to break down the technical, geographic, and creative barriers for musicians and fans. Free-to-use, the mobile-first cross-platform digital audio workstation and social network, unites the entire creator journey into one place, boasting a suite of features and tools for creators to make and share their music with fans.

To find out why over 40 million creators love and use BandLab, visit bandlab.com or sign up for free on the App Store or Google Play.

BandLab is the flagship product of BandLab Technologies, which also includes professional-level digital audio workstation, Cakewalk.

With a history of growing a broad range of music-focused businesses, BandLab Technologies announces an organisational transformation with the introduction of new company brand, Caldecott Music Group (CMG). CMG will oversee the long-term planning, investment, and development of three newly-formed divisions: BandLab Technologies, Vista Musical Instruments, and NME Networks.

Digital division BandLab Technologies will double down on designing and developing innovative tools and services for the next generation of music creators, with a vision for a future where there are no boundaries to making and sharing music. The group unites digital audio workstation Cakewalk, and flagship social music creation platform BandLab, which hosts a user base of 40 million creators globally and the recently announced acquisition of artist services platform ReverbNation. 

Manufacturing and retail division Vista Musical Instruments groups musical instrument brands MONO, Harmony, Heritage Guitars, Teisco, and omni-channel, multi-brand retailer, Swee Lee. With a purpose to inspire and enable musical expression, the formation of Vista Musical Instruments will combine decades of global supply chain knowledge and experience in the music industry, from product design and marketing to e-commerce and distribution.

Media division NME Networks, announced earlier in the month, unites the group’s journalism titles to inform musically-curious audiences, from those researching their first guitar via Guitar.com and discovering new artists and pop culture news through NME, to those staying updated on creator tools and technologies with MusicTech and unpacking decades of rock history in Uncut. NME Networks also facilitates consumer events such as Guitar.com Live and the NME Awards shows, the latter of which will return to London on March 2, 2022 to celebrate music and entertainment from around the globe.

The formation of Caldecott Music Group and organisation of three distinct divisions enables the organisation to more effectively support growth and increase value for their people, partners, brands, and stakeholders. The group fosters competitive sector-specific strategies, systems, and policies whilst still connecting the dots between the divisions for artists and partners. 

“From our unique vantage point here in Singapore, our brands have seen massive growth globally in terms of community, traffic, and sales across the board. I truly could not be prouder of our team,” says Meng Ru Kuok, Group CEO & Founder of Caldecott Music Group. “Now is the time to build on the foundation we have formed for over nearly a decade.” Appointments within the newly-formed Caldecott Music Group include: Ivan Chen as Group Chief Operating Officer, Grace Chong as Group Chief Financial Officer, Krystle Hall as Group Chief Brand Officer, and Laurent Le Graverend as Group Chief Technology Officer.

“I cannot wait to watch as our people and brands flourish within this new structure, supporting and fueling creativity to uphold our singular vision of connecting the world of music and providing more opportunities for creators, fans, and the music industry at large,” Kuok notes. “The best part is that we're still just getting started.”

The group operates throughout the USA, UK, and APAC and is hiring aggressively across the organisation to bolster resources in response to the transformation. 
 

About Caldecott Music Group (CMG)

Headquartered in Singapore, Caldecott Music Group is a global music industry investor and innovator spanning multiple sectors, including digital (BandLab Technologies), media (NME Networks), and manufacturing and retail (Vista Musical Instruments). By integrating the physical, digital, and social supply chain around music, CMG brings together brands and people who are passionate about music, allowing them to deliver authentic content, products, and experiences for all music lovers. CMG portfolio brands include BandLab, Cakewalk, Harmony, Heritage Guitars, MONO, Teisco, Swee Lee, NME, Uncut, Guitar.com and MusicTech.

SINGAPORE, 5 November 2021; BandLab today announced the acquisition of ReverbNation from its parent company, eMinor, Inc. The deal is effective immediately.

The acquisition will help accelerate BandLab’s artist services, building on recently announced features like artist-to-fan subscriptions and BandLab Distribution. ReverbNation artists will continue to enjoy uninterrupted services and can expect a seamless integration of ReverbNation’s features into BandLab’s creator capabilities in the near future. 

Post acquisition, eMinor will focus on its other software businesses, including its rapidly growing youth sports platform PlayMetrics. 

CEO of BandLab Technologies, Meng Kuok said, “We are very excited to welcome ReverbNation’s community to BandLab.  We have a clear vision of the role BandLab plays in supporting creators worldwide, today, and into the future. Artist services are a key part of that plan, as evidenced by our recently announced subscriptions and distribution offerings. This acquisition allows us to accelerate BandLab’s product roadmap and further enable us to break down technical, geographic, and creative barriers facing musicians and fans.

We’ve known ReverbNation for a long time and had great respect for its ability to build a terrific artist services business. There are more exciting announcements to come, but what ReverbNation brings to BandLab seamlessly fits with our vision - a future where there are no boundaries to making and sharing music.”

CEO of eMinor, Inc., Mike Doernberg says, “When BandLab approached us with their thesis for integrating ReverbNation and BandLab, it made complete sense, especially for our artists. BandLab is a natural fit. ReverbNation has long been the standard for artist promotion and growth tools. Since its evolution from a startup in 2006 to a mature, profitable business today, it has continually innovated. 

We have known and admired the management team at BandLab for some time and are excited about this extraordinary offering that will serve music makers in new and powerful ways.”

No other details of the deal have been released. More information will be shared about product roadmap and future features in due course.

----

About BandLab

BandLab’s vision is simple: A future where there are no boundaries to making and sharing music. 

Founded in 2015, BandLab is the next-generation social music creation platform on a mission to break down the technical, geographic, and creative barriers for musicians and fans. Free-to-use, the mobile-first cross-platform DAW and social network, unites the entire creator journey into one place, boasting a suite of features and tools for creators to make and share their music with fans. 

To find out why 40 million creators love and use BandLab, visit bandlab.com or sign up for free on the App Store or Google Play.

The full-stack social music creation platform adds new monetization features to help artists build a sustainable life in music, backed by leading B2B services

BandLab put the power of a full-on recording studio onto phones worldwide, and now it’s bringing creators’ work to music fans everywhere, giving artists the means to earn more from their music and fan engagement. The social music creation platform is rolling out a set of services for key creators, eventually extending them to its 40 million users: BandLab Subscriptions, which will allow fans to gain access to exclusive tracks, videos, and posts from their favorite music makers, and BandLab Distribution, which will allow creators to distribute their tracks to leading music services worldwide. 

“We want to help artists monetize more. We're creating a regular income stream, recurring revenue that can help them build a living based on their music,” explains Meng Ru Kuok, BandLab CEO. “We already offered creators a Tip Jar feature, to let fans reward creators they loved, and Albums, which let artists sell tracks directly to their fans, but these are one-time opportunities. Now we're building out a sustainable way to guarantee regular revenue streams and thus support a stronger creator economy.”

Subscriptions will allow artists to offer exclusive material, such as posts, videos, and audio tracks, to fans in return for a monthly fee. Once they select their subscription price from an available range, artists can decide what to offer their fanbase and they’ll receive regular monthly payouts from BandLab, which allows artists to keep 100% of the subscription fee. This feature is currently entering early access, with a list of BandLab artists offering Subscriptions to kick off the launch. Interested BandLab users can sign up, with plans to expand in the coming months.

With BandLab Distribution, artists will now also be able to use BandLab to distribute the music they make on and off-platform directly to every major music platform like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, TikTok, Tidal, Deezer, Pandora, and more, thanks to a partnership with leading music service provider Revelator. After an initial early access period, the service will open up to the BandLab community, bringing accessible, affordable distribution plans to independent artists worldwide via both desktop and mobile. Though music pros use the platform, BandLab is also home to millions of the world’s underserved mobile-first music makers, creators whose work will likely be reaching global services for the first time. 

“Many of the services we provide are offered a la carte by different platforms, with cost-prohibitive fees or big revenue shares. Our vision is to unite the entire creator journey in one place, from making a track to finding the people it resonates with, and finally to taking it out into the world, which will allow many creators to begin to earn a living for the first time,” says Kuok. “We want creators to have one place they can go to make music, with professional-quality tools and services, but at a price point and with terms that reflect our truly international user base.” 

About BandLab

Founded in 2016, music production platform BandLab is the flagship digital product of BandLab Technologies. Free to join, BandLab’s cloud-based software is extremely accessible and collaboration-friendly. Users can self-release tracks and retain complete control of their music rights, giving artists full autonomy and allowing them to keep 100% of the earnings from monetizing their music. The platform now has nearly 40 million registered users worldwide. The BandLab Technologies portfolio of music experience brands also includes Cakewalk by BandLab, a professional-level digital recording studio for career musicians and producers.

About Revelator

Revelator is the leading blockchain-based digital asset management and distribution platform for creative IP, empowering anyone to participate in a secure and robust marketplace. Revelator provides a unified data platform for asset management, supply chain, business intelligence, financial reporting and royalty payments. Revelator’s Web3 infrastructure transforms creative IP into digital assets and offers modern protocols for fractional ownership, smart contracts and real-time on-chain settlement of music royalties to individual rights holder’s digital wallets.

Following their largest feature expansion to date, social music creation app BandLab is releasing a new sound pack by Platinum producer Lex Luger, who has produced tracks for Jay Z, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, and more. The new hip hop mix features Constructor kits, 808, keys, pads, and percussion through the BandLab Sounds library.

“I’m basically taking sounds that I have used in the past. I tweak and stack them, record sounds like water dripping and other stuff outside, then put it into the drum and use crazy plugins to make them sound insane, but still have that trap sound,” Luger explains. “This style is still thriving like it was in 2011, 2010, or even earlier. It's really dope. I love it. That's what inspired me to make this kit.”

When Luger started out with music production, he did not use an elaborate studio. Rather, he practiced sampling with a PlayStation game. “You’d take the game out of the disk drive, put a music CD in there, sample whatever six seconds you wanted, take that out, put the game back, and get busy,” Luger reflects. “I would sample drums. I really loved Pharrell and Snoop Dogg.” Luger found the ways in which lyrics could be combined with artful sounds to be especially compelling.

The new sound pack from Lex Luger is completely free to use through the BandLab app. Along with other sound pack offerings, it is distribution-ready and royalty-free for personal or commercial use. BandLab 10.0 allows creators to pick from over 15,000 sounds in the BandLab Sounds library, which features packs, loops, and samples curated by genre and style.

For the BandLab team, the app’s purpose is not only to provide access to high-quality music creation tools; it is also to help users level up their professional production skills, collaborate with other talented artists, grow their fanbases, and generate income. The vision is shared by contributing creatives, from top producers such as Lex Luger to GRAMMY-winning engineers who guided BandLab 10.0’s automated Mastering feature.

“Our mission to break down technical, geographic, and creative barriers in the worldwide music community resonates with many professionals,” says BandLab CEO Meng Ru Kuok. “Just as Lex Luger’s musical roots show, you don’t need to spend thousands on equipment. With the right tools, inspiration, and a supportive community, artists everywhere can flourish.”

About BandLab

Founded in 2016, music production platform BandLab is the flagship digital product of BandLab Technologies. Free to join, BandLab’s cloud-based software is extremely accessible and collaboration-friendly. Users can self-release tracks and retain complete control of their music rights, giving artists full autonomy and allowing them to keep 100% of the earnings from monetizing their music. The platform now has nearly 40 million registered users worldwide. The BandLab Technologies portfolio of music experience brands also includes Cakewalk by BandLab, a professional-level digital recording studio for career musicians and producers.

BandLab has taken a leap forward in its ongoing mission to create a well-equipped studio that anyone can use on any device, anywhere in the world. Its latest update (BandLab 10.0) adds a full-blown sampler to its Mix Editor; serious upgrades to its Mastering function that puts the finishing touch on files at lightning speed; and includes streamlined uploads to key platforms like TikTok, dark mode, and new social features.

“This is a major milestone release. We envision BandLab evolving beyond helping creators make music, to helping them earn a living and grow their audience,” says BandLab CEO Meng Ru Kuok. “We are the best cross-platform, accessible place to make music, and we want to keep pushing the boundaries of music creation to the next level. The new sampler and other functions, the new look and social features, are designed to take their creativity to another place. It's part of what we see as a continuing investment in the broader music creation ecosystem.”

BandLab’s new Sampler allows creators to make their own samples from sounds around them, import up to a minute of audio or video from their files, or pick from over 15,000 sounds in BandLab Sounds’ royalty-free sample library that’s curated by genre and style. Making beats from your own samples requires just a few taps, and customizing parameters like attack and release takes mere seconds on the go.

Guided by GRAMMY- and other award-winning mastering engineers, BandLab’s free automated Mastering has been updated to render tracks 10x as fast as the closest competitor, allowing anyone who’s excited about a track’s final version to add instant polish. It takes a large step toward democratizing professional-grade audio, even for users making music on smartphones and tablets. “With millions of tracks being mastered per year, Mastering is a serious product feature for us, not an afterthought,” says Kuok. “We wanted to push it to the same standard of excellence as the rest of our tools.”

In addition to expanding its tools, BandLab’s upgrades will also unlock new social and visual features for users, including direct upload of sounds to TikTok, a long-awaited update for BandLab’s 37 million+ users worldwide. Some of the tweaks are small, but requested by the BandLab community, like dark mode and a redesign of profile pages. “Our aim reaches beyond making cool tools. We’re more ambitious than that. We want to empower a community by giving artists everything they need to present their creative process to their fans and fellow creators,” Kuok notes. “Without social features, emerging creators from overlooked markets won’t flourish. Our ultimate goal is to help them thrive.”

About BandLab

Founded in 2016, BandLab is part of music technology group BandLab Technologies, and is the flagship digital product in the organisation’s portfolio of music experience brands.

BandLab’s best-in-class mobile music creation tools and audio hardware empower creators everywhere to make music and share their creative process at an unprecedented level. Free to join, BandLab’s approachable software is based in the cloud, making it the most accessible, collaboration-friendly music production platform anywhere. Users can self-release tracks and retain complete control of their music rights, giving artists full autonomy and allowing them to keep 100% of their earnings from monetizing their music. It reported its first million users in April 2017 and now has over 37 million registered users world wide.

The BandLab product family also includes BandLab for Education, an award-winning music creation platform with classroom management tools used by schools in over 40 countries worldwide, and Cakewalk by BandLab, a professional-level digital recording studio for career musicians and producers.

BandLab’s AudioStretch app has hit the top of the Apple App Store charts for paid music apps in the US and UK. Though the app had been in stores for several years, it saw a massive spike in downloads recently, more than 20-30 times what the app experienced previously. As of early June, downloads were up 420% month over month. 

Why? One word: TikTok.

AudioStretch slows down audio without changing the pitch. It was designed to make it easier for musicians to master that lightning-fast solo or find the right register for their voices. Users can listen note by note, or loop sections they need to hear over and over. It’s been championed by musicians like Jordan Rudess of progressive metal band Dream Theater, who was voted “Best Keyboardist in the World” for his intricate work.

Yet AudioStretch also lets you manipulate audio and video files, changing the speed and making some seriously quirky manipulations. TikTok creators discovered this feature and ran with it, racking up more than 7.3 million views for their videos. (See a sample of these videos here.)

“We brought AudioStretch into the BandLab family several years ago because its time stretching and pitch-scaling technology was so good,” explains BandLab CEO Meng Ru Kuok. “Great musicians used and highlighted it, but we never imagined a whole new creator community would embrace it.”

Part of BandLab’s expanding creator tools, AudioStretch has been fully integrated into BandLab’s Mix Editor, giving BandLab users access to its features. Its recent renewed success shows how creator tools can morph in the hands of new users with different goals and ideas. “Our mission is to make music and audio creation tools available to as many people as possible who have something they want to create,” Kuok notes. “It’s always a thrill when you see a tool unlock new forms of artistic expression or entertainment, as we’ve recently seen with AudioStretch.”

About BandLab

Founded in 2016, BandLab is part of music technology group BandLab Technologies, and is the flagship digital product in the organisation’s portfolio of music experience brands. 

BandLab’s best-in-class mobile music creation tools and audio hardware empower creators everywhere to make music and share their creative process at an unprecedented level. Free to join, BandLab’s approachable software is based in the cloud, making it the most accessible, collaboration-friendly music production platform anywhere. Users can self-release tracks and retain complete control of their music rights, giving artists full autonomy and allowing them to keep 100% of their earnings from monetizing their music. It reported its first million users in April 2017 and now has over 30 million registered users world wide.

The BandLab product family also includes BandLab for Education, an award-winning music creation platform with classroom management tools used by schools in over 40 countries worldwide, and Cakewalk by BandLab, a professional-level digital recording studio for career musicians and producers.

BandLab, the mobile-first music creation and sharing platform, has caught up to GarageBand in mobile downloads, according to data from SensorTower. The app, available for Android and iOS, was installed more than 1.2 million times in March 2021 according to SensorTower, while GarageBand saw 1M installs.

“GarageBand set the standard for independent at-home recording, showing what home studios could produce,” notes BandLab CEO Meng Ru Kuok. “We have strived to take this process one step farther, breaking down barriers for even more potential music makers. BandLab has made the creation process even simpler and more streamlined, in ways that reflect how music is being made today. Our goal has always been to help creators with their journey, whether they are recording their first track or their thousandth, and then help them grow as musicians.”

Being neck and neck with the established player marks a natural evolution in music production tools, from feature-heavy DAWs based on analog studio consoles to more dynamic mobile-first playgrounds that unlock musical potential for a wider range of users.  “We have an easy-to-use product that encompasses recording, mixing, mastering, and sharing tracks,” Kuok explains. “GarageBand is massive, incorporating numerous tools aimed at a variety of different types of users. But complex and technical doesn’t always mean better for all creators. Our focus is on user experience and creativity at its most elemental.”

That BandLab has lapped a long-standing leader in new downloads speaks to the app’s appeal, In some of the world’s largest markets (US, UK), as well as in markets where access to expensive hardware or phones may present challenges. Many iOS devices come with GarageBand pre-installed, so these numbers do not reflect total devices with GarageBand installed. However, a significant differentiator is that BandLab is available for Android devices, opening up mobile music creation and editing to billions of users who cannot access GarageBand on Android. In the US, BandLab’s biggest market, BandLab has outpaced GarageBand, even on its home turf, the App Store. And where Android dominates, such as the UK, India, and Philippines, so does BandLab.

BandLab differs from GarageBand and other DAWs on multiple fronts. It was built from the ground up with a new type of user in mind. BandLab works across devices, using real-time updates and version control like Google Docs instead of static files. Users can edit on one device, then switch to another. They can fork multiple versions, leaning into today’s predisposition for remixes, versions, and custom soundtracks. Users can also collaborate (and do it in real time on the web app version). All on the device already in your pocket or in a web browser on your desktop.

Additional features where BandLab outperforms traditional audio editing software include a tens of thousands of musician-created royalty-free beats, samples, and loops called BandLab Sounds; a newsfeed social experience for sharing tracks, finding new collaborators, and building your reputation and following; and easy-to-use vocal presets, special audio effects, and noise reduction.

“BandLab is growing swiftly. We’re reaching the next generation of musicians, the creators who may be experimenting today to create that next big hit tomorrow, and who create more than ten million new tracks a month on Bandlab,” says Kuok. “We’ve given them the high-quality but accessible tools and a community to practice and play around using whatever device they have already.”

About BandLab

Founded in 2016, BandLab is part of music technology group BandLab Technologies, and is the flagship digital product in the organisation’s portfolio of music experience brands.

BandLab’s best-in-class mobile music creation tools and audio hardware empower creators everywhere to make music and share their creative process at an unprecedented level. Free to join, BandLab’s approachable software is based in the cloud, making it the most accessible, collaboration-friendly music production platform anywhere. Users can self-release tracks and retain complete control of their music rights, giving artists full autonomy and allowing them to keep 100% of their earnings from monetizing their music. It reported its first million users in April 2017 and now has over 30 million registered users world wide.

The BandLab product family also includes BandLab for Education, an award-winning music creation platform with classroom management tools used by schools in over 40 countries worldwide, and Cakewalk by BandLab, a professional-level digital recording studio for career musicians and producers.

BandLab is the music creation platform you’d build if you were basing your fantasies not on the analog, brick-and-mortar studio, but on the quirky, post-UGC, post-Google Docs universe where everyone makes music from everywhere. With a vision to democratize music production and break down long-standing barriers, BandLab has the right intuitive feature set, guided by an awareness that making music is about more than tools; it’s about social co-creation and engagement.

The company has dreamed big enough to pull all the scattered pieces of music creation, collaboration, and sharing together, yet remains laser-focused on user experience and constant improvement, maintaining both a stellar app store rating and a near-weekly update schedule. The first truly cross-platform and device-agnostic music making space, BandLab is bringing music creation to the world’s often overlooked potential music makers, with tens of millions of users starting millions of projects a month. And it does so for free.

One of BandLab’s most distinctive features, a versioning system for music projects reminiscent of Google Docs meets GitHub, allows for active remote collaboration on tracks, a true game changer for users. In addition to this versioning, cross-platform DAW, other built-in services like BandLab Sounds offer unlimited access to a curated collection of thousands of royalty-free loops and samples created by professional musicians from around the world. The app also has built-in effects and filters that allow creators to design their own sounds. After creating a track, users can do a final mix, share it, get feedback, and continue playing with their song—or even open up their tracks to let other users get creative with them. Thanks to these features, BandLab has been embraced by fans-turned-creators and young emerging artists, as well as more seasoned musicians and producers.

This younger demographic sees music creation differently. The music industry has had separate lanes for creation and consumption, but BandLab blends the two, in the mold of UGC platforms like TikTok and Instagram. “Though the market is already there, there have been longstanding tech challenges for music creation to the masses on mobile,” says BandLab CEO Meng Ru Kuok. “To really create a seamless experience requires deep investment in music creation tech, which is why we went as far as to build our own proprietary audio engine in order to truly allow collaboration.”

Music creation has always had a deeply social side, but fluid yet flexible online collaboration and co-creation have become essential for younger music makers. In the digital-first world, creators need more than tools; they also need community. Kuok sees the potential to build social elements into the very first moments of music production as a necessity. As a young man in college, part of the very first wave of Facebook users, he saw firsthand the ability for social media to replace physical communities and formats with digital ones. The possibilities hinted at a new, highly creative future for music, where the categories of fan and musician merged.

“Music is inherently collaborative. MySpace died because of Facebook, but nothing rose to serve that music niche. Social networks inevitably became big, but they are generalized,” explains Kuok. “There’s a lot of focus on features and the inevitable cloning process of these features, but when feature parity has been achieved, what really differentiates platforms is its community of users and what they’re on the platform for. The whole journey we’ve had at BandLab has been about making a great creation product, but with a social heart to embrace that community.”

Music’s unique nature requires a dedicated approach, the BandLab team insists. It’s not an add on or a background feature; it’s the core of what’s drawing a massive community together. “Music is different, different from audio, different from short-form video. It has its own value, which is why we’re focused on music and all the things associated with it,” Kuok explains. “There’s a huge total addressable market of musicians and aspiring music makers that other apps and software haven’t bothered to reach and encourage. By giving them more tools and helping them make connections, you can bring real social impact and improve their lives.”

To engage the world’s underserved music makers, BandLab has kept its main features free, but features like BandLab Albums (launched late last year) have introduced monetization into the platform. “Independent musicians and creators are our core focus and our roadmap includes more monetization opportunities for artists to support their creative process,” says Kuok. “Though social impact is a core part of our mission--which is why we’ve been free for so long--we believe we have a key role to play in helping our users create sustainable business models for themselves. As BandLab ourselves, we’ve built our own business model and future monetization routes through ways that don’t create inequity for artists and that boost success for all.”

About BandLab

Founded in 2016, BandLab is part of music technology group BandLab Technologies, and is the flagship digital product in the organization’s portfolio of music experience brands.

BandLab’s best-in-class mobile music creation tools and audio hardware empower creators everywhere to make music and share their creative process at an unprecedented level. Free to join, BandLab’s approachable software is based in the cloud, making it the most accessible, collaboration-friendly music production platform anywhere. Users can self-release tracks and retain complete control of their music rights, giving artists full autonomy and allowing them to keep 100% of their earnings from monetizing their music. It reported its first million users in April 2017.

The BandLab product family also includes BandLab for Education, an award-winning music creation platform with classroom management tools used by schools in over 40 countries worldwide, and Cakewalk by BandLab, a professional-level digital recording studio for career musicians and producers.