EDM.com

Remember when dancing meant moving your feet instead of your thumbs? In today's war between FOMO and flow state, excessive smartphone usage is entrenched as one of the most contentious flashpoints in the global electronic dance music scene. According to research from The HEINEKEN Company, 60% of Gen Z and Millennial smartphone users across the UK, US and the Netherlands reported they believe they'd enjoy concerts more if they could disconnect from their devices. A more grim figure is the 55% of respondents who admitted that they prioritize capturing footage of a performance over being present in the moment, even though 13% said they rarely watch back the videos they record anyway. Read more in our report below.

We at?EDM.com?express our sincere condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of Cindy Charles. Charles, Twitch's boundary-breaking Head of Music, tragically passed away this week after a traffic accident in Amsterdam. A visionary agent of change in the intersection of music and technology, she has redefined how artists and creators engage with audiences on Twitch. She remains revered for leading Twitch's label relations and music licensing operations, fostering an ecosystem that allows artists to thrive on the platform. Championing the global electronic music community, Charles played an instrumental role in developing Twitch's pioneering?DJ category, a breakthrough that established the company as the first major service to provide a long-term home for DJs to legally livestream. She was also a fierce advocate for women in the music industry.?The late exec co-founded?the San Francisco chapter of She Is The Music as well as Women in Digital, a community of over 1,500 members with a mission "to help women define a limitless future for all by shining a light on careers in digital and technology." RIP, Cindy. ??

It's amazing what music tech can do to unlock creativity! AlphaTheta Corporation's Ryan Roth, a DJ and house music producer out of LA, released a new song called "Tabasco" and used actual peppers to bring it to life. He clasped them with alligator clips and routed them to his Ableton Live music production software via a Playtron unit. The innovative gadget allows musicians to transform inanimate everyday objects—like peppers, apparently—into a keyboard or synthesizer. Check out the video and read more below. #musictech #musicindustry