Sonic Ladder’s Riffstation allows user to import audio, learn a basic guitar song for any song, master riffs and create custom tracks for jam sessions in any musical genre. He is setting up a new Los Angeles office to expand the company's marketing and digital offerings.Fender goes digital with Sonic Ladder buyoutįender has moved to secure its future in the digital world by buying Dublin-based software developer Sonic Ladder. The company is making a clear effort to build up a digital arm under new chief executive Bob Roback. Some of U2's most popular songs, including Sunday Bloody Sunday and Pride (In the Name of Love), were recorded using Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters. The Edge is a long-time fan of the company's guitars, while U2 bass guitar player Adam Clayton collaborated with the company to build a signature bass guitar in 2011. It has changed hands several times in recent decades and is now owned by investment firm TPG Growth.īono and the Edge joined its board of directors last year.

Its most popular guitars include the Stratocaster and Telecaster. While not the first company to manufacture electric guitars, it was the first to bring the instrument to the masses. Both have lectured at Dublin Institute of Technology.īy selling to Fender, Riffstation joins one of the world's most iconic guitar companies.įormed in 1946, it is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. Riffstation was set up in 2010 by Dan Barry and Mikel Gainza, who were unavailable for comment. It can extract chords even from brand new songs that have not been heard before. Riffstation's software helps guitarists to learn new music by allowing them to isolate the chords in any song and slow them down. It represents another move into the digital arena for the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, which already counts U2's Bono and The Edge on its board of directors.

The iconic US business, whose guitars were played by rock legends Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen and Keith Richards, is thought to be paying around €5m for the Irish start-up. Įlectric guitar manufacturer Fender is buying Irish music software company Riffstation. Fender could go to a PPV model at some point with micro payments, but ad support looks like it's in place now. If they can introduce new players to learn and play (an actual instrument, vs Guitar hero) it might be a simple, and good move for Fender provided Youtube allows feeds in their TOS.

Riffstation for bass guitar