Lunacy Launches NOVA, a Browser-Based Platform for Building and Sharing Audio Plugins

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Lunacy, the company behind the 3D plugins CUBE and BEAM, has launched NOVA, a browser-based platform for discovering, customizing and sharing audio plugins and virtual instruments. The platform is free to access, and launches with a marketplace of ten instruments that the company says work in any DAW, ranging from free sampled instruments like Zephyr Strings and Woodland Piano to paid synths such as Anima and Swarm, priced between $19 and $49 at intro rates.

According to the company, NOVA’s longer-term goal is to lower the barrier to plugin creation itself. Later this year, Lunacy plans to add tools that let users build and modify their own instruments and effects in the browser without coding experience, then share them via a link for others to play, remix or incorporate into their own projects.

Lunacy co-founder and CEO Casey Kolb said the company wants users to be able to turn any sonic idea into a shareable music tool once the builder features roll out.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Emily Frances, rockpaperscissors.biz.

Gibson Launches Limited DES Guitar Series, Releases Benefit Single Tied to Save the Music Foundation

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Gibson has introduced the DES Series, a limited-run collection of six guitars sold exclusively through Gibson.com and Gibson Garage locations. The lineup applies a new Ghost Burst finish and updated hardware, including Super Split Block inlays, black nickel components and Gibson ELEV8 humbuckers, across six body shapes: Les Paul, SG, ES, Explorer, Flying V and Victory. The series was developed by Gibson artist ambassador and board member Cesar Gueikian with master luthier Jim DeCola, and the company says a portion of each sale will benefit the Gibson Gives Foundation.

The launch coincides with a new single, “Sanctuary,” released by the Gibson Band. Gueikian wrote the track, which features orchestration and keyboards from Dream Theater’s Jordan Rudess, lead guitar from Mateus Asato and guest vocals from Jagger Davies. It was produced by Gueikian and Emery Dobyns. Proceeds from the song are earmarked for the Save the Music Foundation, part of a partnership with Gibson Gives.

To raise additional funds for Save the Music, Gibson Gives is auctioning a one-of-a-kind guitar via RallyUp featuring artwork based on the soundwave pattern of “Sanctuary,” created in collaboration with visual artist Tim Wakefield of the Soundwaves Art Foundation.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Libby Coffey, primeprgroup.com.

Jet Jurgensmeyer Set to Release New Single “Sane to My Crazy”

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Country artist Jet Jurgensmeyer will release his new single “Sane to My Crazy” on September 25. The song, co-written with David Seger and Ericca Latza, was inspired by a story Seger shared about his wife, according to the announcement. It was recorded at Farmland Studio and produced by Jurgensmeyer and Dan Frizsell.

The track follows Jurgensmeyer’s duet “Drink Alone” with The Voice alum Kayleigh Clark, which the announcement says is nearing 700,000 streams, and his radio single “Nothing On You.” Earlier this year he released “RED,” which the announcement says has surpassed one million streams worldwide.

Jurgensmeyer, who also has acting credits including a recurring role on Fox’s Last Man Standing and voice work on Disney’s TOTS, released his sophomore album THE RIDE: phase 2 in 2024.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Christy Walker-Watkins, 3on.e2ma.net.

Dave Wilbert Releases Traditional-Country EP ‘The Good News’

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Traditional country artist Dave Wilbert released his six-song EP, “The Good News,” on September 18 via Willbilly Records and Symphonic. The project draws on themes of love, faith, farm life and second chances, continuing the 1990s-style country sound Wilbert has built his reputation on.

The EP includes Wilbert’s recent singles “All Summer Long,” co-written with Troy Clampitt, and “The Corn,” a farming-themed song co-written with Kevin Barton whose lyric video premiered on RFD-TV. According to the announcement, “All Summer Long” was featured on Amazon Music’s “Break Through Country” and Apple Music’s “New In Country” playlists, and the EP was named one of Saving Country Music’s most anticipated albums of 2026.

Recorded at The Freeway Studio, the EP was co-produced by Wilbert along with Nashville producers Lonnie Wilson and Julian King, as well as the late Eddie Blount, Wilbert’s former manager and friend who died in 2025. Wilbert said he is dedicating the release to Blount. The track list also includes songs written by Patrick Jason Matthews, Roxie Dean, Kerry Kurt Phillips, Ron Williams, Ryan Bizarri, Dee Briggs, Jeff Stevens, Jerry Kilgore and Steve Bogard, along with an acoustic version of “If You Ever Feel Like Loving Me Again,” originally from Wilbert’s debut album.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Jason W. Ashcraft / JWA Media, jwamedia.com.

Epiphone Reissues Joan Jett Olympic Special Signature Guitar

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Epiphone has released the Joan Jett Olympic Special, a signature guitar developed with the rock musician, available worldwide through authorized dealers, Gibson Garage locations and Epiphone.com. The model is a reissue of Jett’s original Epiphone Olympic, now offered in a Vintage Sunburst finish the company says was inspired by her original Gibson Melody Maker.

The guitar features a lightweight mahogany body and neck, a rosewood fretboard with pearloid dot inlays, die-cast tuners and a Graph Tech nut. Its electronics are limited to a single PowerHammer ProBucker pickup, one volume knob and an on/off toggle switch functioning as a kill switch, a stripped-down control layout the brand ties to Jett’s minimalist approach. A reproduction of Jett’s signature appears on the headstock, and the instrument ships with a gig bag and artist sticker set.

The release adds to Epiphone’s signature-artist lineup as the brand continues marketing itself around touring and emerging musicians alike.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Libby Coffey, primeprgroup.com.

Toronto Producer Ladji Mouflet Releases “Hatuey,” First Single From Upcoming Album “The Pilgrimage”

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Toronto-based producer and DJ Ladji Mouflet has released “Hatuey,” a new single named after the 16th-century Taino chief who led resistance against Spanish colonizers. According to the announcement, Mouflet has Taino heritage through his mother’s lineage, and the track’s cover art incorporates Taino imagery along with tribal tattoos worn by Mouflet and his brother.

The song is built around Afro percussion and electronic production that the announcement describes as characteristic of Mouflet’s style, drawing on influences from Latin America, West Africa, the Caribbean and New York. Mouflet was raised between Harlem, the South Bronx and the Lower East Side; his mother is from the Dominican Republic and danced salsa alongside Tito Puente and Celia Cruz, while his father, of Senegalese and Martinican descent, founded a dance and music school where the family lived.

“Hatuey” is the first single from Mouflet’s upcoming album “The Pilgrimage,” which the announcement describes as an exploration of his family heritage. Mouflet’s earlier singles “Baiana 2022” and “French Bossa Nova” have surpassed 35 million and 44 million streams respectively, according to the announcement, which also states he draws 1.5 to 2.2 million monthly Spotify listeners and releases music independently through his own label, Alkebulan Records.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Eric Alper, thatericalper.com.

Johnny Marr Guitar Auction Nets £3.6 Million at Christie’s

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A Christie’s auction of guitars and memorabilia from Johnny Marr’s personal collection totalled £3,649,280, more than three times the pre-sale estimate, according to the auction house. The 111-lot sale, titled Marr’s Guitars: The Johnny Marr Collection, drew registered bidders from 34 countries, with Christie’s saying 81% were new to the auction house, and ran more than five hours.

The top lot was Marr’s 1982 Rickenbacker 330 Jetglo, associated with his work in The Smiths, which sold for £358,400 against an estimate of £60,000-£80,000. A 1960 Gibson ES-355 that Sire Records founder Seymour Stein bought for Marr in 1984 fetched £204,800, matching the price paid for a 1984 Cherry Gibson Les Paul Standard. A Fender Johnny Marr Signature Jaguar used on the ‘No Time to Die’ soundtrack sold for £46,080.

Hammer proceeds from 31 of the lots, covering ten guitars, 1980s concert posters and award trophies, will be split between the UK charities Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and the National Autistic Society. Marr’s new album, ‘The Age of Everything,’ is due October 2 via BMG, ahead of tour dates in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Chile in late November.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Hannah Schweiger, christies.com.

Nick Cannon’s ‘Wild ‘N Out Live’ Sets 20-City Arena Tour

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Nick Cannon will tour “Wild ‘N Out Live: The Next Generation” across 20 North American arenas this fall, promoted by Live Nation. The tour kicks off November 10 at Oakland Arena and wraps December 17 at United Center in Chicago, with stops including Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Atlanta, Toronto and Detroit.

The live show is billed as bringing the sketch comedy franchise’s blend of improv comedy, hip-hop, freestyle battles and celebrity guests to the stage. The MTV franchise, now in its 22nd television season, has previously featured comedians including Kevin Hart, Pete Davidson, Katt Williams and DC Young Fly, according to the announcement.

Tickets go on general sale September 24 via Live Nation, following an artist presale beginning September 22.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Intuit Dome PR, intuitdome.com.

Toronto’s Chloe Sofia Releases ‘Girl on the Internet,’ a Pop-Rock Response to Online Harassment

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Toronto singer-songwriter Chloe Sofia has released “Girl on the Internet,” a pop-rock single addressing online harassment and the judgment women face over how they dress and present themselves online. According to the announcement, the song was inspired by two incidents Chloe experienced within days of each other: receiving an unsolicited explicit photo from a stranger online, and a family friend calling her mother with concerns about how she was dressing and posting.

Chloe co-wrote the track with producer Kayla Diamond, who also handled production, in under a week, with the label saying the lyrics remained unchanged from their first draft. Sessions took place between Diamond’s studio and Chloe’s home setup.

The release follows a year of momentum for Chloe, whose debut single “Pulse” was a runner-up in the Unsigned Only song competition, leading to a partial scholarship to the invite-only Prodigy Camp, whose alumni include Chappell Roan. She has also received Massey Hall’s Young Musician’s Commission, been featured on Spotify’s “Pop All Day” editorial playlist, and was nominated for Emerging Talent of the Year at the Mississauga Music Awards, according to the announcement. Her production team includes JUNO-nominated producer Kayla Diamond and LA-based producer Stephen Conley.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Eric Alper, thatericalper.com.

Ella Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas’ Holds ARIA Summit for 14th Week

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Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” remains atop the ARIA singles chart for a 14th consecutive week, extending its run at No. 1 in Australia.

Elsewhere on the ARIA charts, Olivia Rodrigo returns to the top of the albums tally with “You’re Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love,” reclaiming the No. 1 spot after a four-week absence.

Read the full story at Billboard.