Splice (platform)

Last updated

Splice
Splice logo.svg
Type of business Private
Available in English
Headquarters New York City, New York, U.S.
Area servedWorldwide
Founder(s) Matt Aimonetti
Steve Martocci
IndustryMusic Creation Software
URL splice.com
RegistrationOptional (required for creating and downloading projects)
Launched9 October 2013;10 years ago (2013-10-09)
Current statusActive
Written in Go, Objective-C, C#, JavaScript

Splice is a cloud-based music creation platform founded by Matt Aimonetti and Steve Martocci which includes a sample library, audio plug-ins on a subscription basis, and integration with several digital audio workstations (DAWs). The program is available for MacOS, Windows, iOS and Android.

Contents

History

The site and the MacOS version of Studio Splice was launched in private beta in October 2013. A Windows version was released a few months later and the offer became available to the public in September 2014. [1] [2] Splice Studio allows musicians to remotely collaborate through the cloud. The technology is compatible with several popular digital audio workstations (DAWs) programs including Ableton Live, Logic Pro X, FL Studio, Garageband, and Studio One.

Its subscription-based sample marketplace, Splice Sounds, was launched in 2015. [3] [4]

In 2016, Splice introduced Rent-To-Own, which allowed users to pay a monthly fee to access premium products like synths. The model enabled users to put their rental balance toward the ownership cost and own the product outright or move on to a new program without paying the full market price. The Rent-To-Own program expanded in 2017 to products like Ozone 8 and Neutron 2, prompting The Verge to proclaim: "Splice is making it much easier to buy expensive music production plugins". [5]

In 2019, Splice launched its proprietary AI-driven feature Similar Sounds, [6] giving users machine-learning based similarity search across the entire marketplace of audio samples. In November, the company introduced a mobile version of its app on iOS and Android.

In 2020 Splice launched the inaugural Splice Awards, [7] recognizing artists in multiple categories, including "Splice Producer of the Year", "Splice Breakout Artist of the Year", "Splice New Standard", "Best Use of Splice Sounds" and "Best Sound Design". The Awards [8] also recognized Splice's "Most Downloaded One Shot", "Most Downloaded Loop", and "Most Downloaded Pack & Vocal Pack".

In June 2021, Splice launched Skills and Connected Instruments with their new Creator Plans. [9] In May 2022, Steve Martocci stepped down as CEO and transitioned to the company's executive chairman and chief strategy officer. Kakul Srivastava was named Splice's new CEO. [10]

In March 2023 Splice announced it was closing its Studio collaboration platform. [11]

Funding

In October 2013, Splice raised $2.75 million in a seed funding round led by Union Square Ventures with participation from True Ventures, Lerer Ventures, SV Angel, First Round Capital, Code Advisors, Rob Wiesenthal, David Tisch and Seth Goldstein. Splice raised an additional $4.5 in funding from a Series A round led by True Ventures with participation from Scooter Braun, Tiësto, Steve Angello, AM Only, WME, Plus Eight Equity Fund LP and existing investors including Union Square Ventures in 2014. Splice raised $35 million in a Series B round of funding led by Draper Fisher Jurvetson in 2017. A$57.7 million Series C round followed in 2019, co-led by Union Square Ventures and True Ventures with participation from DFJ Growth, Flybridge, Lerer Hippeau, LionTree, Founders Circle Capital and Matt Pincus. In February 2021, Splice raised a $55 million series D round led by Goldman Sachs, with additional participation from the venture firm Music. The latest round brought the company's total funding to more than $150 million and estimated valuation to nearly $500 million.

Commercial usage

In 2018, Zedd & Grey's single "The Middle" (feat. Maren Morris) featured sounds from Grey's Singular Sounds sample label. The song was nominated for three Grammy Awards and was certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA in 2019. Other notable Top 40 hits to feature Splice samples include Ariana Grande's “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored,” Lil Nas X's “Panini,” Dua Lipa's “Don’t Start Now,” Bad Bunny's “Dakiti” and Shane Codd's "Get Out My Head".[ citation needed ]

In February 2020, the song "Running Over" was released by Justin Bieber. His producers had used a sample from Splice created by UK producer Laxcity. [12] Musician Asher Monroe accused Bieber of stealing the melody from his 2019 song "Synergy". However, the sound came from the same Laxcity sample pack used by Bieber. The Verge stated, "Justin Bieber was accused of stealing a melody, but it’s actually a royalty-free sample you can buy online." [13]

Controversy

In July 2024, Splice issued a DMCA copyright takedown notice against the YouTube channel @TopMusicAttorney, owned by copyright attorney Krystle Delgado, for showing a Splice license agreement on screen during a livestream, which led to a copyright strike against the channel. [14] Musician Benn Jordan called Splice's action "one of the most creator-hostile things I’ve ever seen a company do." [15] Splice later removed the copyright strike. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winamp</span> Media player for Microsoft Windows

Winamp is a media player for Microsoft Windows originally developed by Justin Frankel and Dmitry Boldyrev by their company Nullsoft, which they later sold to AOL in 1999 for $80 million. It was then acquired by Radionomy in 2014, now known as the Llama Group. Since version 2 it has been sold as freemium and supports extensibility with plug-ins and skins, and features music visualization, playlist and a media library, supported by a large online community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FL Studio</span> Digital audio workstation

FL Studio is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by the Belgian company Image-Line. It features a graphical user interface with a pattern-based music sequencer. It is available in four different editions for Microsoft Windows and macOS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epic Games</span> American video game company

Epic Games, Inc. is an American video game and software developer and publisher based in Cary, North Carolina. The company was founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991, originally located in his parents' house in Potomac, Maryland. Following its first commercial video game release, ZZT (1991), the company became Epic MegaGames, Inc. in early 1992 and brought on Mark Rein, who has been its vice president since. After moving the headquarters to Cary in 1999, the studio changed its name to Epic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Prydz</span> Swedish DJ and music producer (born 1976)

Eric Sheridan Prydz, also known by his many aliases including Pryda and Cirez D, is a Swedish DJ and music producer. He rose to fame with his 2004 hit single "Call on Me", and saw continued chart success with "Proper Education" in 2007, "Pjanoo" in 2008, and "Opus" in 2015. In 2016, he released his debut studio album, Opus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Logic Pro</span> Digital audio workstation

Logic Pro is a proprietary digital audio workstation (DAW) and MIDI sequencer software application for the macOS platform developed by Apple Inc. It was originally created in the early 1990s as Notator Logic, or Logic, by German software developer C-Lab which later went by Emagic. Apple acquired Emagic in 2002 and renamed Logic to Logic Pro. It was the second most popular DAW – after Ableton Live – according to a survey conducted in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manny Marroquin</span> American mixing engineer (born 1971)

Manny Marroquin is a Guatemalan-American record mixing engineer.[1] He has worked with artists and acts in the pop, R&B, hip hop and rock genres, including Rihanna, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Rosalía, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber, Post Malone, Bruno Mars, John Mayer, 2Pac, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Sia, Lana Del Rey, SZA, Kendrick Lamar, Lizzo, Glass Animals, and many more. As of 2024, Marroquin has received 18 Grammy/Latin Grammy Awards for his professional audio work.[2] He works out of his very own Larrabee Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sampling (music)</span> Reuse of sound recording in another recording

In sound and music, sampling is the reuse of a portion of a sound recording in another recording. Samples may comprise elements such as rhythm, melody, speech, or sound effects. A sample can be brief and only incorporate a single musical note, or it can consist of longer portions of music, and may be layered, equalized, sped up or slowed down, repitched, looped, or otherwise manipulated. They are usually integrated using electronic music instruments (samplers) or software such as digital audio workstations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Bieber</span> Canadian singer (born 1994)

Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to American singer Usher, both of whom formed the record label RBMG Records to sign Bieber in October of that year. He gained recognition following the release of his debut extended play (EP) My World (2009), which was quickly met with international commercial success and led to his establishment as a teen idol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scooter Braun</span> American businessman (born 1981)

Scott Samuel "Scooter" Braun is an American entrepreneur, record executive, and the CEO of HYBE-America, the North American subsidiary of South Korean entertainment company Hybe Corporation. He is credited with having discovered Canadian singer Justin Bieber in 2008, whose success foresaw the establishment of his record label RBMG Records, a joint venture with R&B singer Usher. Braun has also served in career management for artists including Kanye West, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, J Balvin, Ozuna, Dan+Shay, and the Kid Laroi, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SoundCloud</span> German audio streaming service

SoundCloud is a Swedish-founded German headquartered audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming services in the world and is available in 190 countries and territories. The service has more than 76 million active monthly users and over 200 million audio tracks as of November 2021. SoundCloud offers both free and paid memberships on the platform, available for mobile, desktop and Xbox devices. SoundCloud has evolved from a traditional online streaming platform to an entertainment company.

Tramaine Winfrey, known professionally as Young Fyre, is an American record producer from Des Moines, Iowa. He began his career as an in-house producer T-Pain's label Nappy Boy Entertainment in 2010, and has since worked extensively with rappers Jaden Smith and Trinidad James. He founded AudeoBox in 2019, a plugin and sound pack technology company for professional producers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twitch (service)</span> American live-streaming platform

Twitch is an American video live-streaming service that focuses on video game live streaming, including broadcasts of esports competitions, in addition to offering music broadcasts, creative content, and "in real life" streams. Twitch is operated by Twitch Interactive, a subsidiary of Amazon. It was introduced in June 2011 as a spin-off of the general-interest streaming platform Justin.tv. Content on the site can be viewed either live or via video on demand. The games shown on Twitch's current homepage are listed according to audience preference and include genres such as real-time strategy games (RTS), fighting games, racing games, and first-person shooters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shots Podcast Network</span> Podcast network company

Shots Podcast Network is a podcasting company founded by brothers John Shahidi and Sam Shahidi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Shahidi</span> American businessman

John Shahidi is the President of Full Send, Shots Podcast Network, Happy Dad Hard Seltzer and Bored Jerky. Also, a partner of the popular YouTube group Nelk Boys.

Endel is a paid generative music app that creates personalized sound environments to match user activities. The app provides preset modes for relaxation, focus, sleep, and moving, and reacts to time of the day, weather, heart rate, and location to create unique compositions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaughn Oliver</span> Musical artist

Vaughn Oliver is a multi-platinum music producer, sound designer, DJ, and mix engineer.He was also part of the electronic music production and DJ duo Oliver (DJs) with Producer, DJ and songwriter Oliver Goldstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OBB Media</span> American multimedia production company

OBB Media is an American multimedia production company and vertically integrated content studio founded in 2016 by entrepreneur, director/producer Michael D. Ratner. OBB Media includes five different subsidiaries: OBB Pictures, the film, television, and digital arm; OBB Studios, the company’s facilities and physical production arm; OBB Sound, the podcast division; OBB Branded, the branded content and commercials vertical; and OBB Cares, the social impact division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anyone (Justin Bieber song)</span> 2021 single by Justin Bieber

"Anyone" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was released through Def Jam Recordings as the third single from his sixth studio album, Justice, on January 1, 2021. Bieber wrote the song with producers Jon Bellion, Andrew Watt, and the Monsters & Strangerz production trio, alongside Michael Pollack and Raul Cubina. At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, "Anyone" received a nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance.

<i>Justice</i> (Justin Bieber album) 2021 studio album by Justin Bieber

Justice is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was released on March 19, 2021, by Def Jam Recordings. The album features guest appearances from Khalid, Chance the Rapper, the Kid Laroi, Dominic Fike, Daniel Caesar, Giveon, Beam, Burna Boy, and Benny Blanco. The "Triple Chucks" deluxe edition of the album was released on March 26, 2021, exactly a week after the standard version. It features additional guest appearances from Lil Uzi Vert, Jaden, Quavo, DaBaby, and Tori Kelly. The complete edition was released on October 8, 2021, and includes the tracks on store versions of the album that did not make the regular album. It features additional guest appearances from TroyBoi and Poo Bear. The album includes production from Benny Blanco himself, Virtual Riot, Andrew Watt, Skrillex, Finneas, Jon Bellion, the Monsters & Strangerz, and numerous others. It serves as the follow-up to Bieber's previous album, Changes (2020). Justice is a pop, R&B, and dream pop album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peaches (Justin Bieber song)</span> 2021 single by Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon

"Peaches" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon. It was released through Def Jam Recordings on March 19, 2021, as the fifth single from the former's sixth studio album, Justice, which was released the same day. First-time collaborators, the artists wrote the song with producers Harv and Shndo, alongside Andrew Watt, Louis Bell, Sean Leon, Harv's wife Felisha King-Harvey of Cherish, Vincent Massi, and Keavan Yazdani. There are two remixes of the song: one that features American musicians Ludacris, Usher, & Snoop Dogg, and the other of which features Nigerian musicians Alpha P, Omah Lay, and Masterkraft.

References

  1. ↑ "Scooter Braun, Tiesto, Steve Angello Invest in Splice". Billboard. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  2. ↑ "Music Collaboration Suite Splice Raises $4.5M From True And DJs, Launches Public Beta". TechCrunch. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  3. ↑ "Splice launches 'Splice Sounds:' the answer to sample pack purchasing". Dancing Astronaut. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  4. ↑ "Splice Sounds Review". MusicTech. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  5. ↑ Deahl, Dani (6 October 2017). "Splice is making it much easier to buy expensive music production plugins". The Verge. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  6. ↑ "Instead of stealing instruments, musicians turn to Splice". TechCrunch. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  7. ↑ "Here are the winners of The 2020 Splice Awards". The FADER. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  8. ↑ "Splice Awards 2020". awards.splice.com. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  9. ↑ Anatomy, Synth (8 June 2021). "Splice Intros New Creator Plans With New Astra Multi-Engine Synthesizer & Beatmaker Plugins". SYNTH ANATOMY. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  10. ↑ Garcia, Thania (24 May 2022). "Adobe's Kakul Srivastava Named New CEO of Splice (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  11. ↑ Rogerson, Ben (10 March 2023). "Splice is shutting down its Studio collaboration platform: "Simply put, we haven't been able to provide the quality of experience of which we can be proud"". Music Radar. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  12. ↑ Bieber, Justin [@justinbieber] (16 February 2020). "@laxcitymusic Thanks... you are now a part of it" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2022– via Twitter.
  13. ↑ Deahl, Dani (17 February 2020). "Justin Bieber was accused of stealing a melody, but it's actually a royalty-free sample you can buy online". The Verge. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  14. ↑ Patel, Nilay (13 July 2024). "Splice issuing a nonsense YouTube strike against a copyright attorney is a real choice". The Verge . Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  15. 1 2 Roche, Sam (17 July 2024). "Splice responds to Top Music Attorney copyright strike: "We fundamentally support the rights of creators to express themselves"". MusicTech . Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.