Bypass: Music Industry News for Independent Artists

Wednesday edition - 3 min read

IK’s 43-for-1 Plugin Deal Feels Illegal (It’s Not)

What’s Up

IK Multimedia’s back with its annual Group Buy, and this time, they’re not even joking. Buy AmpliTube 5 for $30 and you get 42 plugins completely free. It’s live till October 31, so yes, Halloween is your deadline.

So What

You can grab full versions of T-RackS 6 modules, FAME Studio Reverb, MODO Bass, Hammond B-3X, the works (that’s $8000 worth of gear for free). Technically, the entire T-RackS suite counts as one pick, and that one pick gives you 42 plugins.

Now What

It’s thirty bucks. You’ve paid more for worse decisions. Buy AmpliTube 5 at pluginboutique.com, register the serial at ikmultimedia.com, then claim your picks in IK’s Promotions page. The sale ends after Halloween so don’t be that one person asking Reddit if it’s still live on November 1

[Full story at Bedroom Producers Blog]

How To Use Instagram Without Burning Out

The Drop

Instagram’s being honest about what it wants: short Reels, active DMs, and creators who keep the lights on. Yeah, those pretty grids and overdesigned posts don’t cut it anymore. They even capped Live access to accounts with 1,000 followers, which basically means they’re forcing smaller artists to earn visibility the hard way.

The Ripple

This is still the best free marketing tool you’ve got. Reels = reach. DMs = community. Everything else is just noise. Use your analytics to see what gets saved and shared, then build more of that.

The Take

Check the Hypebot guide for the full strat, but the bottom line: start strong, post stuff that feels real (studio clips, snippets, or anything you think your fans would like) then monitor your saves and shares.

[Full story at Hypebot]

Clearnote Is Fixing the Collab Headache

What's Up

For everyone still using Google Docs for contracts - just stop. It’s sketchy. Clearnote just launched in invite-only beta built for artists who need real split sheets, collab agreements, and producer deals without calling a lawyer. It’s not public yet, but it’s coming early next year.

So What

If you’re treating contracts like an afterthought (let’s be honest), well, congrats - you’re the reason Clearnote exists. It tracks your agreements so everyone’s protected if things blow up. All your deals are in one dashboard, ready to pull up when someone suddenly remembers they “helped with that hook.”

Now What

Before your next collab, go to clearnote.ai and make a contract. It takes two minutes to sign up so no excuses. Don’t send a thing until the contract’s signed. You’ll save yourself months of awkward DMs and legal bills no one has time for. Future-you will thank you.

[Full story at Music Ally]