Read Bob Lefsetz's blog on Sound Quality here and let us know what you think by replying on this page.

Avid recently announced the release of version 10 of Pro Tools software. It's a major upgrade, offering many new features (details here). However, there is some debate about the cost. To upgrade PT HD from 9 to 10 costs £754 (inc VAT), and from 8 to 10 costs £1138 (inc VAT).Many feel that this is way too expensive. Please add your vote above, and any comments below.

To anyone outside the music business, this seems obvious ("of course they should be paid...."), but to many people on the verges of, "the industry", recorded music should be available free to anyone. Don't you agree that people should be paid for their work? If recorded music is free, how will this happen? Chris Cutler presents a clear argument in an article in Wire magazine, which you can read...

A reference to this article:"A consortium including streaming music service we7, ISP BT, Yahoo, the Internet Advertising Bureau and production firm Somethin’ Else have announced a research project called Apollo, backed by £1.8 million of Technology Strategy Board funding. Apollo is all about personalised radio – an extension of what we7 is already doing with its Radio Plus service. Us...

Many record companies, especially the majors, now demand that mixers and producers supply stems (i.e. sub-mixes of the various components of a mix) along with the actual master mix files.They don't necessarily provide the resources (i.e. studio time, extra fees) to achieve this.Moreover, it is becoming common practice for some artists (those who perform live with the aid of pre-recorded music t...

Several producers and mix engineers have been approached by record companies in recent years with requests for mixing "on spec". Essentially, several people are asked to mix a track from an as yet un-mixed album, without any kind of fee or promise of royalty payment, the idea being that the record company will choose one of those prepared to go along with this practice and reward them with t...

"No Better Than This", produced by the legendary T-Bone Burnett, was recorded in a selection of different acoustic environments, using a single RCA 77DX ribbon microphone (although in the videos, it's a RCA 44), onto a portable Ampex 601 mono tape machine. The performances have a great live feel....but the sound? Let's hear what you think. - references: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Better_...

Brian Eno said: On the end of an era "I think records were just a little bubble through time and those who made a living from them for a while were lucky. There is no reason why anyone should have made so much money from selling records except that everything was right for this period of time. I always knew it would run out sooner or later. It couldn't last, and now it's running out. I don't ...

A debate has been brewing over the past few months at a website, linked below, regarding the nature and operation of the MPG.  Here are a few quotes:  "...this is exactly what a guild is for: keeping people like you out..." "I am an active member and the MPG has done huge amounts to help me and others I know" "the UKMPG is too far behind the times on membership requirements"&nb...

Why should music fans buy music when they can stream it for free? - at any of these music streaming sites: http://www.unifiedmanufacturing.com/blog/2010/07/independent-music-10-ways-to-share-music-on-twitter/ - and they're all intergrating with Twitter to make it even easier to freely share music with friends. Since artists, and their producers, seem to receive next to no payment for the stre...

MPG members - the organisation of the MPG Awards 2011 is underway, and we need your help. We would like to involve the membership by asking for suggestions for the Joe Meek Award For Innovation.This award represents production talent which, in the spirit of Joe Meek himself, has displayed true innovation, i.e. work which has introduced new techniques into the world of record production.All...

Discussion of the new Digital Economy Act In relation to the Digital Economy Bill, now the Digital Economy Act, there has been much misinformation and confusion, and the board of the MPG has arranged two separate meetings with OFCOM, and Geoff Taylor, chairman of the BPI, in order to clarify any points raised. The MPG has been actively involved with UK Music during the on-going con...

With Amy Winehouse reportedly back working with Producer Mark Ronson after a fall out. What are the benefits and pitfalls of working with the same producer throughout an artists career?

Have UK politicians got it right with the Digital Economy Bill?The British parliament is currently debating this bill, which, amongst other things, is intended to kurb the tide of illegal music file sharing.Some argue that this is an infringement of peoples' rights to internet access and privacy, which would be compromised by the requirement that the ISP's (who supply internet access to the gen...

How can music producers ensure quality control, or influence the audio quality of the music files made available by on-line aggregators, once masters have been delivered for distribution?

Should the BBC abandon its plan to shut down BBC 6 Music?The BBC has announced plans to shut down BBC 6 Music (and the Asian Network) in a series of cost-cutting measures. Many MPG members strongly disagree with this plan.Read these press articles, and comment below:http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/feb/26/bbc-protests-6music-asian-network-radio-closurehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/...

We have recently started a new feature designed to give our members a chance to voice their opinions about the issues that matter: The Weekly Debate. Send your ideas for a weekly debate to vocal_booth@mpg.org.uk This week's debate kicks off with: Credit Where Credit Is Due. Who played bass on track 7 of the new Beyonce album ? Where was the Snow Patrol album recorded?Who designed the Sleev...