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Raditaz: Location-Specific User-Created Radio Stations

2012-02-10T09:19:13-05:00

This week I spoke with Tom Brophy, Founder and CEO of Raditaz, a mobile and web-based radio service with a particularly interesting location-based aspect. Raditaz offers the option of creating your own station and listening to stations created by others along with some preprogrammed options.

Given that streaming music and the radio metaphor have been explored quite a bit, I found the location elements of special interest. Though, in all honesty, I have not been particularly drawn to location-based check-in systems and the like.

Raditaz emerged from a prior experiment with a playlist-based service. Finding that interest was not strong enough to continue that service, Tom Brophy and associates decided to pivot towards streaming music. After a period of development they made the service public late last year and officially announced it last month.

Raditaz is DMCA-compliant which means that radio stations created by users are not interactive and are somewhat limited. Currently the primary mode of station creation involves entering the name of a single artist. Raditaz then provides a stream of music featuring songs that are identified by a third party service as likely to be of interest to fans of the specified artist. In a few weeks, the creation process will be refined to allow for a choice of multiple artists, including artists from different genres of music, as part of ongoing development.

Additional listening options include programmed stations based on such formats as genres, decades and top hits by year. Given that the decades go back to the 20s, the options feel a bit richer than the generic labels imply. One can listen to stations on the web or via mobile devices.

EXPLORE Location-Specific User-Created Stations
[5 Point Icons Indicate Multiple Stations]

Stations created via mobile devices include location-specific information based on GPS technology. Though one can remain anonymous, the most interesting discovery element of the site is an option called "EXPLORE" that allows one to find stations via a Google-powered map. Listeners can change the location of stations if they wish to associate them with a different place.

Other discovery options include trending stations and a tagging system that offers some suggestions but is also open to whatever tag you wish to enter. Even a quick glance at the tags reveals that station creators are often tagging based on a specific location such as "moes_place" or "hay_home." So, even given the limits on music choice when creating stations, listeners are finding ways to personalize them via locations and tags.

The service is free and mobile access is currently provided via free apps for both iOS and Android powered devices. Currently there are no ads though long-term monetization is expected to occur via such ad possibilities as display ads, audio and video ads. However, Brophy feels that 2 minutes per hour of ads inserted in the audio stream will be adequate to properly monetize Raditaz and that sounds pretty good to me.

Brophy revealed that they are not planning on focusing on location-based stations alone but that listeners have been especially drawn to that option. Given that relating music content to location has a lot of possibilities, for example creating stations featuring music that was popular when you lived in a particular location, that aspect of Raditaz seems to be its most powerful differentiating feature.

Plus, given that shared listening is also growing in popularity, the personalized aspects of the stations might lend themselves to featuring that potential.

Note: I've been listening to music from the 1920s featuring Roaring '20s Jazz as I write this post and it's a refreshing change from my usual web diet of 21st Century singles.

Hypebot Features Writer Clyde Smith maintains his freelance writing hub at Flux Research and music industry resources at Music Biz Blogs. To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.

Randy Phillips Re-Signs As Pres. & CEO Of AEG Live

2012-02-10T07:34:17-05:00

Veteran music and entertainment industry executive Brandon "Randy" Phillips has signed a new five year contract to remain the President & CEO of AEG Live, the world's second largest concert promotion company after Live Nation. Phillips has held this post with since joining the company in February, 2002.

Under Mr. Phillips leadership, AEG Live has grown to be the second largest live entertainment, concert and promotional organization globally while expanding to include fifteen regional and international offices as well as stand-alone divisions devoted to touring, festivals, exhibitions, broadcast, merchandise and special events. Additionally, AEG Live owns, operates or exclusively books thirty-five state-of-the-art venues.

"Under Randy Phillips and his entire management team, the last three years at AEG Live have been the best three years in our history; including 2011 – our best year ever," said Timothy J. Leiweke, President and CEO, AEG. "We are proud that the management team’s entrepreneurial spirit, shared goals, incredible experience and knowledge of our industry, along with our employees, so many of whom have been here from day one, have been the backbone of this company these past ten years. It is also ironic that for years, people questioned whether or not we were committed to this business. Now we are the most consistent and respected in the industry. I am happy to have Randy back and look forward to the next ten years," Leiweke added.

In recent years, Phillips worked to develop a concept he calls the 'docuconcert' and was credited as a producer of "This is It," the 2009 behind the scenes documentary on the creation of Michael Jackson’s concert of the same name being produced by AEG at the time of Jackson's death. Phillips also served as the Executive Producer in Justin Bieber's big screen tour doc "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," as well as the "We are the World 25 for Haiti."

Mr. Phillips also was instrumental in developing high profile residencies for artists such as Celine Dion at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Other major artists with AEG/Vegas residencies included Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through the Hits at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casinos, Barry Manilow at Paris; Cher, ‘Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On’ and the upcoming show staring Shania Twain, all at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace; and Prince who sold out an unprecedented 21 dates at The O2 in London in 2007.

Phillips began his career as an Executive Producer for The Rock Palace on NBC Network Television. Since then, he has served as a partner in the management/production company Stiefel-Phillips Entertainment where he managed the careers of artists in both music and film including Rod Stewart, Prince, Guns and Roses and Toni Braxton. Mr Phillips aslo served as President and CEO of Gasoline Alley Music, a joint venture record and publishing company with MCA Records where he was instrumental in the success of hit groups Shai and Sublime, each receiving multi-platinum honors.

"Words cannot describe both the challenge and fulfillment I have experienced in my career while helming AEG Live," said Phillips. "Tim Leiweke is a force of nature whose vision has changed our business in a very positive way and I am very proud of my contribution to that vision. From the day I started, AEG Live has consistently invested in its artists and its executives and will continue to follow the same business plan over the next 5 years. During my tenure, I have watched the BIG idea (not always mine!) become the Great accomplishment." - via CelebrityAccess

President Obama Tweets His Spotify Playlist

2012-02-09T12:14:59-05:00

On Thursday morning President Barack Obama shared his Spotify playlist on Twitter. It covers all the music and political bases from Ray LaMontagne to No Doubt and Electric Light Orchestra to Zach Brown.

Listen to President Barack Obama's Spotify playlist here: http://open.spotify.com/user/barackobama/playlist/6J9kgSvipjimfDLYTsCOAv

11 Top Ways To Create Compelling Music Video Content

2012-02-09T11:56:00-05:00

This guest post is by Bob Baker and Kendra Wright of www.TheBuzzFactor.com

Every artist should be using online video as part of their promotional toolkit. That means you must set up a YouTube account (also known as a “channel”) if you haven’t done so already. And once in place, your channel must feature new videos on a regular basis.

Why? Because video allows you to connect with fans and potential fans in ways that other forms of media can't touch. People experience things through text differently than they do through audio. Video, which combines both audio and visual stimulation, impacts many people on an even deeper level – which explains why it’s such a popular medium online.

Many artists get excited about video, post one clip, and then move on to the next idea that sparks their interest. Or they have the misguided notion that traditional music videos are the only thing they should post on YouTube. Not true. There are many ways to use video to attract attention and communicate with fans. And, to make the most of your YouTube channel, you should post new and varied content to it every month.

To get your wheels turning, here are 10 ways you can start cranking out fresh videos to engage and increase your fan base.

1) Promote your live events. Do a quick video about an upcoming show to complement the fliers you post online and off. Share the basic details about the event, along with anything special fans can look forward to that will get them excited about the show. This is something you can convey through video that you simply can’t do with a poster or flier.

2) Give fans a peek behind the curtain. Take your fans on a trip behind the scenes. Let them in on the recording process, show them any fun preshow rituals the band has, or record unusual things you come across while on the road. Give them a glimpse of your musical lifestyle.

3) Announce breaking news. A simple text-based Facebook announcement is so old school, how do you expect to stand out in the newsfeed? Catch up with the times and release breaking news in the form of short videos! Have you picked a release date for the new album? Want to introduce your new guitar player? Crank up your Flip video camera or smartphone and give fans a treat.

4) Show off new merch. Sure, you can post a photo with the new T-shirt design. But maybe you could take that a step further and actual wear one and model it in a video! Have any cool stories about your new designs? Wanna do a silly commercial on why fans should buy your merch? Plain ole images are so predictable. Give fans a cool heads-up on the new products you have coming out via video!

5) Let your fans interview you. Encourage fans to send in questions and answer them on camera. It’s a quick and easy way to make your fans feel special (be sure to state their name as the source of the question), which will inspire them to share the video with their friends. Chances are, if one fan is curious about something, there’s another out there who wants to know too.

6) Talk about who you are when you’re not onstage. Fans want to feel like they know you. Being a musician is just one small part of who you are. Do you have special causes you rally behind? What other artists are you listening to? Who influences your songwriting? Have any great, positive insight on life that you want to pass along to fans?

These types of videos specifically appeal to the niche of super fans who are interested in learning anything you’d like to share. But they are also a great way to show another side of yourself.

7) Make a video for every song. In a recent interview I did with indie music phenom MC Lars, he recommended that every musician make a video for each song they want to promote. Watch that video (in which Lars shares some great tips on how to make a living as a DIY artist) here.

8) Give video music lessons. Do instructional videos of how to play your most popular songs. Have any tricky tuning or chord progressions? Or, do you see your songs played incorrectly on a lot in covers? Give your musician fans cool insight into how to play your tunes straight from the fingers that created them them.

9) Document a goal. Are you trying to raise money through a Kickstarter campaign to pay for a project? Are you already in the process of recording a new album or EP? Have you challenged yourself to write one new song a day for 30 days in a row? Great! Use video to update your fans on where you are with the goal.

Remind people of the details and let them know how they can help. This is a great way to keep creating awareness on projects that stretch over a long period of time. If you only talk about your project or goal once, it may lose buzz and momentum before completion. Keep it on their minds via video updates.

10) Explain the inspiration behind your lyrics. The beauty of music is that we all get to interpret it through our own filters. What a set of lyrics means to you can be completely different to someone else. But it can be really interesting to hear what inspired certain songs to be written, or to find out how the story ended in real life. Share these insights about your songs with your fans.

And here's an extra bonus tip for good measure ...

11) Share cool moments with your fans. Did someone propose onstage at one of your shows? Did you capture any video of epic costumes at a Halloween show? Did a fan send you some amazing art? Find unique ways to highlight these moments, say thanks to your fans, and let others know just how great your fans really are!

Did we leave anything out? In what other ways can musicians use video to attract attention and connect with fans? We welcome your comments.

Bob Baker is the author of “Guerrilla Music Marketing Online,” Berkleemusic’s “Music Marketing 101” course, and many other books and promotion resources for DIY artists, managers and music biz pros. You’ll find Bob’s free ezine, blog, podcast, video clips, and articles at www.TheBuzzFactor.com and www.MusicPromotionBlog.com.

Warner Music Losses Grow 44%, Revenue Flat Despite Digital Gains

2012-02-09T11:42:38-05:00

(UDATED) Warner Music Group this morning reported that losses were up 44% to $26 million in their first fiscal quarter ending December 31, 2011. Revenue in Q1 was flat, inching up from $778 million a year ago to $779 million. Digital revenue did go up 17% to $219 million and Michael Buble' sold 6 million units at Christmas, but that was not enough to cover a 44% operating income increase to $39 million.

The company attributed the $26 million net loss to "the impact of an increase in interest expense, to $57 million from $47 million, related to the July 2011 refinancing of certain existing indebtedness in connection with the acquisition of the company by Access Industries."

During the conference call this morning, WMG executives admitted that the music group has a weak release schedule planned for the next 3-6 months, but promised to make up for it with more cost cuts and a surge before the end of the fiscal year.

TasteMakerX Raises $1.8 Million For "Fantasy Sports For Music Lovers" App

2012-02-09T11:22:53-05:00

TasteMakerX has raised $1.8 Million from an A list group of investors for a mobile app mobile app that enables fans to discover artists, trends and inspiration; compete against other tastemakers; and share experiences through geo-tagging, commentary and photo sharing." The app is expected to launch at SXSW.

Investors in this round include Guggenheim Partners (Billboard, C3, Variety Magazine), Baseline Ventures (Task Rabbit, Instagram), True Ventures (Schematic Labs, Automattic), AOL Ventures (bit.ly, Solve Media) and Tekton Ventures (Seamless Receipts, DoodleDeals). Additionally, the company has attracted Internet and music industry advisors John Battelle, Marc Geiger (WME), Ian Rogers (Topspin), Paul Bricault and Ted Rheingold and angel investors Andrew Anker, Mich Mathews, Michael Kassan and Mike McGinley.

On the TasteMaker X music app: "What music fan doesn't want to be the first to discover the next big band and get credit for it?" says Marc Ruxin, co-founder and CEO. "Like fantasy sports for music lovers, players will be able to browse portfolios of like-minded music aficionados to discover new music and see real-time news about the artists they love."

Outsider Marketing & The Case Of Willis Earl Beal

2012-02-09T10:31:00-05:00

Willis Earl Beal didn't set out to be an Internet celebrity. But he's in the process of becoming one, though the next few months label XL Recordings seem focused on making him an offline star as well. As someone who might be pigeonholed an outsider artist, I'm impressed by the insightful treatment of the music publications that are currently featuring this powerful young singer online.

Willis Earl Beal was initially discovered via fliers he posted in Chicago and Albuquerque and songs sung over the phone leading to media coverage and small projects. These then led to an upcoming release from XL Recordings' new Hot Charity imprint and a music video directed by Michel Gondry.

His trajectory to date illustrates that there are many marketing routes to insider status in the music industry.

Same Old Tears by Willis Earl Beal (Test Shoot by J. Harley)

Given the fact that Beal's art was initially featured on the cover of Found's Issue #7 followed by a box set from Found that included a 17 song album "Acousmatic Sorcery," one can see how Beal would seem to fit the label of outsider artist. You can currently order both projects via Found's web shop and click on the thumbnail above to see the cover.

But as more coverage has emerged, which I traced more or less chronologically over an evening online, a picture of a unique young visual artist and musician who's seen difficult times begins to emerge.

As quoted in an article by Evan Minsker for Pitchfork regarding the outsider artist tag:

"I'm glad I'm an outsider artist..I can do whatever I want to and people don't know what to expect."

Yet, as he moves towards the inside of the industry, he says:

"Now, I feel like I'm in a rut because I am not living on what I consider to be the fringes."

His route from the fringes to his current status as an emerging artist recently chosen as one of SPIN's 5 Best New Artists for February '12 (where I found him) is quite unique though his future may indeed become a rut of shows, media events and business deals. Then again, as a friend recently wrote me on Facebook about his current life:

"I'm loving my rut - it's fur-lined and soft and wonderful. It gives me free candy."

The flyer featured on the cover of Found Magazine in December 2009 is one that was posted by Beal in Albuquerque and passed to editor Davy Rothbart by a friend at a show. Rothbart started reading it aloud when he suddenly "heard a voice sitting a few rows back say, 'Hey, that's me. I'm Willis Earl Beal.'" This chance meeting led to the Found cover and box set which led to the attention of other artists and musicians and some recordings with "jmhouse" of Albuquerque.

Beal posted similar fliers in Chicago. They include his phone number which, when called, often resulted in Beal answering and singing a song over the phone. He still does this and his current phone is listed on his new website.

In Chicago, his flier posting led to the Chicago Reader article by Leor Galil that seems to have been the turning point for a local artist who then caught the attention of a variety of folks including J. Harley who shot the above test video.

It also led to the attention of Jamie-James Medina who signed him to XL Recordings' new imprint Hot Charity.

Now, with a team behind him, he's got his own website, a 7" on the way Feb. 21, a version of "Acousmatic Sorcery" on vinyl due in April and a tour happening in the spring. He's been featured on the websites of Okayplayer, Pitchfork and NME. Plus, he's got a music video on the way from Michel Gondry that was teased over the weekend.

It's an interesting progression that seems pretty clearly unplanned up until his meeting with Jamie-James Medina. The Found materials and other early projects, including "The Security Logs of Willis Earl Beal," established documentation and a back story but didn't break him in the industry.

Normally no one piece of media attention makes or breaks anyone but the Chicago Reader piece seems to have done the trick of getting his foot in the door and it may well have happened without the earlier attention. Leor Galil's article came about because of Beal's outsider flier art posted on the streets and his willingness to sing songs over the phone. But he wouldn't have a deal if he hadn't been pursuing his art all along and shown a unique talent when the time came to put up or shut up.

The reality is that Beal may never have imagined that posting those fliers and singing over the phone would get him this kind of attention but others have taken related routes more consciously. The best example I can think of is in the visual arts. Jean-Michel Basquit's early graffiti was often posted near art galleries with sayings and images designed to catch the attention of folks in the art world. In both cases, these artists got attention via street art in major cities, Chicago and New York respectively.

As we saw with the release of "The World's First Perfect Zine", doing relatively minor projects in big cities can still lead to outsized media attention. In the case of Willis Earl Beal, it's a reminder that marketing offline in the right settings can be as powerful as the impressive work done by many DIY artists on the web.

How To Get More Involved With Hypebot & MusicThinkTank

2012-02-09T10:13:01-05:00

Hypebot works best as a two way conversation, and we try to make getting involved easy. We recently added a Google+ button and you can join us on Twitter (@hypebot) where 21,000+ follow. We tweet posts, breaking news and more. Or follow Hypbebot via:

RSS - Still my favorite way of following news and other blogs.
EMAIL - Sign up in the up right corner for a daily summary of posts.
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Most of all, COMMENT and get involved in the conversation.

There are also always great conversations on Music Think Tank:

Our sister blog Music Think Tank is a growing community of smart people discussing the future of the music industry.

You can follow what's going on at MusicThinkTank via:

Twitter at (@musicthinktank). 3,280 people are following us there.
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And your COMMENTS are what make MTT really interesting.

iLike Co-Founder On It's Demise: Murdoch "Squandered" Their 60 Million Users

2012-02-09T09:41:13-05:00

As we reported, music social network iLike was shut down on Tuesday with the url re-directed to MySpace. Just two and a half years earlier, iLike had 60 million registered users, was the # music app on Facebook and had just been bought by MySpace and Parent NewsCorp. Now Hadi Partovi, who co-founded and ran iLike with his twin brother, Ali Partovi is peaking out.

"It’s sad to see a social music site that once boasted 60 million users (more than Spotify, or Pinterest), reduced to nothing," Partovi told Geek Wire. Rupert Murdoch squandered a lot of tech assets under his management, the fall of iLike is just scratching the surface. Given how much money Rupert makes off spreading the evil cancer of Fox 'News,' I think he deserves the bad rap he gets for this mismanagement."

"But much of iLike’s demise is also due to radical changes in the Facebook platform. If you look at the top Facebook apps of 2007 – iLike, Flixster, Slide, RockYou, SGN, Zynga, only one of them evolved enough to survive these changes, the rest died like guinea pigs."

More: Remember iLike? The Social Music Network Officially Died Tuesday

Drip.fm Creates Subscription Revenue Stream for Indie Labels

2012-02-09T09:12:04-05:00

I spoke yesterday with the founders of Drip.fm, the platform that's powering Stones Throw Records' new digital subscription service. Sam Valenti IV, who founded Ghostly International, and Miguel Senquiz, Ghostly's head of product development and digital strategy, created Drip.fm as music fans who run their own label. Now they're gradually opening Drip.fm to other labels to feed superfans with an ongoing stream of digital releases.

Sam Valenti IV founded Ghostly International while a student at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor in 1999. College buddy and programmer Miguel Senquiz also came on board and helped build a unique arts company that is not only the home of two labels, Ghostly and Spectral, but has:

"grown from a boutique label known for its experimental-pop and -techno acumen to an internationally recognized platform for the work of the world's best visual artists, designers, technologists, and musicians."

Unfortunately I have to skip a lot of interesting history here but both men combine deep roots in vinyl and dj culture mixed with the digital awareness of early Napster users. That combination gives them an understanding of the web allied with the belief that artists and labels need to get paid. Like the folks at Stones Throw Records, the label that has brought a great deal of attention to their new service Drip.fm, they understand that great art can be allied with good business.

Drip.fm came about as an answer to their frustation with trying to patch together multiple services to serve fans online. They started thinking it through around 5 years ago when they were faced with their customers' desire to be able to give them their credit card info once rather than with each PayPal purchase. The process of figuring out a soution with which they were happy ultimately led to the creation of a platform for digital subscription services that initially delivered every new Ghostly and Spectral release via email.

Subscribers can download releases as WAV or MP3 files or stream the music as long as their subscription stays current. Not only do they get new releases but they also get exclusive tracks as well as discounts on Ghostly Store purchases.

This model was first extended to dirtybird records late last year and then more recently to Stones Throw Records. Though each label is free to make different choices, subscriptions currently run from $10 to $15 bucks and superfans are the target population.

It's a great approach to feeding superfans in a consistent, easy manner. The service is free to labels who set pricing and decide what to offer. Drip.fm makes its money from a revenue share. Labels are paid on a monthly basis and the service is intended to create a consistent revenue stream.

Drip.fm is gradually inviting labels that they feel fit the model which wouldn't work for all labels. It's really the kind of service for indies that have a strong following with an interest in what the label is doing across the board. Stones Throw is an excellent example of a label that has long demonstrated such a relationship with fans and both founders are honored that they came on board.

If you want your label to be notified when they open up more widely, you can submit your email address on the Drip.fm homepage.

For more info see About Drip.fm.

NEWS BRIEF: Google $4 Sale, TuneCore Publishing, Grammy Protests, McCartney Streaming & More

2012-02-09T07:54:00-05:00

(UPDATED) Google Music has put most Grammy albums for sale at $3.99 and tracks for $.59. Most are a lost leaders for Google designed to drive traffic to their fledgling service, but are priced above the $3.49 that Billboard now requires for chart eligibility.

TuneCore's new publishing venture has signed 1,400 songwriters and over 30,000 compositions in the past 10 weeks.
The protests against The Grammys' cutting categories continues with a concert and more. (GrammyWatch)

MORE:

Paul McCartney: 'You can keep free streaming for the birds and bees, now give me money' (Engadget) Of course, iTunes got a free streaming concert from the ex-Beatle...
Kristen Bender has joined Sonos as Senior Manager, Music Product Management. Prior to joining the company, Bender was Sr. Director of Product Development for UMGD.
EU ticketing marketplace Seatwave has launched an API program, already integrated are The Echo Nest’s Rosetta Stone platform. The partnership will be kicked off this weekend at Music Hack Day San Francisco, organized by The Echo Nest, Rdio and tokbox.
Viddy has raised $6 million to be the Instagram of videos.

CD Baby Artists Made $41.7M In 2011, Here's How [INFOGRAPHIC]

2012-02-08T14:27:15-05:00

CD Baby artists released 61,339 new albums (34,379 digtal only) and were paid $41.7 million for both new and catalog titles in 2011. Much like the broader music industry, iTune's accounted for a whopping 77.4% of all digital sales and CD sales continued to slide. INFOGRAPHIC:

click on image to enlarge

An Inside Look At The DJ Shadow, SoundCloud Remix Competition

2012-02-08T13:33:00-05:00

(UPDATED) Guest post by Michael Fiebach (@mfiebach), founder of Fame House & DJ Shadow's Digital Marketing Manager, who coordinated this collaborative remix competition with DJ Shadow and SoundCloud.

Following the success of the DJ Shadow Remix Project in 2009 / 2010, DJ Shadow set out to up the ante with a Remix Contest to help promote his newest album, “The Less You Know, The Better”. The first “DJ Shadow Remix Project” in 2009 / 2010 allowed remixers to take any DJ Shadow track and add their own creative twist to it. There were numerous highlights, among them NiT GRiT’s rendition of “Midnight in a Perfect World” and Awkard’s version of “Halfway Home”.

The Project

The 2011 “Scale it Back” remix contest was the first time DJ Shadow had ever allowed stems from one of his songs to be released to the public. The contest was unleashed to the public in late October, and three months and 400+ submissions later, DJ Shadow unveiled the winners:

DJ Shadow - Scale It Back feat. Little Dragon (Robotaki Remix) by Robotaki Dj Shadow - Scale It Back (Kev Willow Remix) WINNING ENTRY!!! by Kev Willow DJ Shadow feat. Little Dragon - Scale It Back (Jonny Wanha Remix) by Jonny Wanha DJ Shadow - Scale It Back feat Little Dragon (Party Ben Remix) by Party Ben DJ Shadow - Scale it back (Blunt Instrument remix) by bluntinstrument Dj Shadow "Scale it back" (The Archive's Waltz) by The Archive

DJ Shadow: “This contest was nothing short of staggering, both in terms of quantity and quality. I had never listened to 400 versions of ANYTHING before, and was amazed at the variety and creativity; it certainly made the many hours of listening go by quicker.  To each and every person who submitted an entry, allow me to simply say: BRAVO. This was a remix contest for the ages, and you all rose to the challenge admirably. THANK YOU, one and all.”

Michael Fiebach (Fame House Founder & DJ Shadow’s Digital Marketing Manager): “We set out to engage existing fans, and reach new ones with this contest, and to say it was a success would be undermining it. This was an incredibly successful remix contest, and the positive effects are sure to continue on for months, if not years.”

This project did wonders for the online promotion for Shadow’s new album, and it really conveyed the power of SoundCloud. This was different than doing a simple competition with one of the competing online audio sites, where the remix itself is accomplished within the parameters of software. When you open up the possibilities to any and everyone, and allow them to use whatever equipment or software they like, it really increases the level of quality. This is because more serious artists are more likely to take part if they can make the remix how they prefer, and that is one of the primary reasons why Shadow received 400+ submissions, the vast majority of which, are superb and professional pieces of music.

The Reaction

You only need to glance at Shadow’s Facebook to see the social effect a contest like this has on an online presence:

And the residual effect on Shadow’s SoundCloud following:

And his Facebook followers:

And his web traffic:

And with remixers posting to YouTube, their own Soundcloud and other outlets, this led to thousands of plays for various remixers, and additional promotion for the song:

Some of the blog / press coverage:

The Results

DJ Shadow’s interest and traffic significantly increased due to this remix contest. Good content = interest = increase in traffic, email sign ups, and Facebook Likes. Good free content = massive sharing and data portability. Allowing people to download the stems to a new single featuring a very hot artist (Little Dragon) proved to be extremely effective.

You can see all of the tracks and the official announcement here: http://remix.djshadow.com

- Michael Fiebach (@mfiebach), Founder of Fame House, LLC

Disclosure: In addition to writing for Hypebot, Hisham Dahud is also employed by Fame House.

First Apple iTune's Match Payments Arriving, TuneCore Gets $10,000

2012-02-08T12:09:00-05:00

Tunecore has just gotten its first payment for $10,000 from Apple's iTune's Match, and CEO Jeff Price believes that's a hopeful sign. "Seeing an additional $10,000+ appear out of the thin air for TuneCore Artists by people just listening to songs they already own is amazing!" Now, $10,000 for all the acts that TunecCore distributes isn't much money, but it is a start.

I agree with Jeff when he says, "Services like iMatch, Spotify, Simfy, Deezer and others are bringing that innovation - it will take some time to learn which are the ones consumers want."

Has your iTune's Match check arrived, and what do you think of it?

PledgeMusic's Benji Rogers On Going Beyond Fan Funding To Power Album Campaigns

2012-02-08T11:56:00-05:00

PledgeMusic is a unique web service for indie musicians and labels that, in my opinion, faces a bit of an identity crisis. When I recently spoke with founder Benji Rogers, he maintained that they are not a fan funding company, though most musicians perceive them as one. I am sympathetic. Yet given that fan funding is a key tool in PledgeMusic's album campaigns, the problem is not in being mislabeled; but rather that there isn't an easy label that encompasses all that they actually offer.

I'm hoping Hypebot readers can help PledgeMusic find a better tagline for what they do once you have a clear picture of the complete service.

Currently their site banner states, "Your Music Company," with the subtitle, "Hands-on, direct-to-fan music-making." However, a quick glance at their site gives one the impression that they are a fan funding platform with a focus on getting albums recorded and distributed.

Ginger Wildheart's Triple Album Project Pledge Video

If one checks out Ginger Wildheart's Triple Album Project, which Rogers points to as an exceptional success reaching 509% of its target, one sees what appears to be a typical fan funding campaign. One sees reward packages based on how much is pledged and stats such as the number of pledges and the days left in the campaign.

What one doesn't see is the amount Wildheart is attempting to raise. Rogers says that the reason for not showing the goal is that it helps move PledgeMusic away from the "proof of concept" model. A major dynamic of fan funding sites is that people pitch projects based on the idea that a successful level of fundraising is what greenlights forward motion.

In moving away from the proof of concept model to one focused on community building, PledgeMusic has found that fans pledge as much as 20% more when the specific goal is not revealed. In addition, the end point of the campaign is not focused on reaching a financial goal followed by a gap until rewards are distributed but the end of the overall album campaign that ends when fans are rewarded. Along the way, fans are made part of the process with regular updates and contact that builds what could be described as a temporary fan club.

As Rogers clarified, PledgeMusic's suite of tools and services are intended to power a total album campaign, including email list building and data capture tools. They've found that fans will join and provide additional funding right up until the rewards are distributed.

PledgeMusic provides email services and data tools at no additional charge beyond the 15% of funds which are the source of the company's revenue. They also work directly with other companies such as Topspin and FanBridge who provide such services. If a band hasn't started building a list and isn't quite ready to enter the pledging stage, the company provides email list building tools for free while they increase their contact with fans. A paid option to continue use of PledgeMusic's email services is also available or one can export one's data.

Either way, the focus is on building a community that the artist can maintain at the end of the campaign.

During the campaign, fans can also opt-in to automatic Twitter retweets and Facebook posts for an integrated social media aspect. In addition, a percentage of each campaign goes to a good cause, so fans know they're helping those in need beyond the artists they wish to support.

Ginger Wildheart's Triple Album Project fully exploits these elements in the most positive way. He presents a humorous personable pitch video shown above. He offers fans a triple album that will only be available to those who pledge funds. He updates them as he goes about the business of being a musician and recording the albums. Fans then get to vote on which songs should go on a single album that will then be released to the general public. 10% of the campaign will go to Save The Children.

In the process, Wildheart deepens relationships with his current fanbase while reaching new fans and feeding superfans. Though PledgeMusic does not normally release funding totals, Ginger Wildheart agreed to reveal the fact that he's raised over a quarter of a million dollars over the course of his album funding campaign.

When I look at PledgeMusic as a whole, I don't see how they can escape being called a fan funding platform by denying that label. They need a description that clarifies the fact that they provide fan funding as part of an overall album campaign based on building community. So here's my tagline for PledgeMusic:

"Powering Album Funding Campaigns That Build Community"

So, Hypebot readers, how would you describe what PledgeMusic does without reducing the company's description to that of a fan funding platform yet making it clear that fan funding is a core tool used in their album campaigns?

Hypebot Features Writer Clyde Smith maintains his freelance writing hub at Flux Research and music industry resources at Music Biz Blogs. To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.

Audio Tags: Why Lady Gaga Would Create Sounds Only Your Smartphone Can Hear

2012-02-08T11:23:00-05:00

Guest post by Eliot Van Buskirk of Evolver.fm.

Audio tags are looking more and more like the new QR code — not only are they way less ugly than those jagged black-on-white squares, but you don't need to take a picture of anything in order for them to work. (See also: Shazam and the Super Bowl.)

A startup called SonicNotify embeds inaudibly high-pitched audio signals within music or any other audio track. When a compatible app hears that signal, it triggers any available smartphone function to link you to websites, display text, bring up map locations, display a photo, let you vote on which song a performer plays next, and so on.

SonicLiving hosts demonstrations of how it can embed audio tags in live concerts and television shows on its website

SonicNotify was developed with help from Cantora Records + Labs, which made its name by funding (for $400, initially) and releasing the band MGMT's massively-popular records. As part of its newly-minted technology division, Cantora, which is also a record label and publishing company, is offering $25,000 to $100,000 to promising startups, among the first of which is SonicNotify.

Lady Gaga could have used its technology on her Monster Ball tour [Updated: Cantora's Jesse Israel specifically mentioned the Monster Ball tour (see below), but was using the example hypothetically. Evolver.fm regrets the error], and Coachella 2013 and other events are next in line. To interact via SonicNotify, fans can use any SonicNotify-enabled app. If you want to see it in action now, you can do so with the official Sonic Experiences app.

"[SonicNotify] transmits a high-frequency sound wave through speakers — we can't hear the frequency but smartphones can hear it, so we're able to unlock content at live events, TV shows, and through the web," said Jesse Israel, co-founder of Cantora Records + Labs, a record label at NYC Music Tech Meetup. "We've closed deals [the deal is not done; Israel now says the company is "working with"] with Lady Gaga for The Monster Ball Tour [which ran from 2009 to 2011], we're doing Coachella, we're doing stuff for Fashion Week next week powering 32 stages, college sports, partnerships with Twitter and Spotify — so it's kind of a cool example of how we're able to put pieces together and help a technology get off the ground."

Buyers and journalists with the app installed at Fashion Week will be zapped an image of each model, the instant they step onto the catwalk so they can examine the outfits up-close, in real time. Similarly impressive capabilities exist within the music realm. Best of all, the audience doesn't even need to be actively running the app in order for it to pick up on those inaudible signals.

"With Sonic, we can unlock anything that your iPhone or Android can do, as long as the SonicNotify SDK is built into an app that's running in the background on your phone," explained Israel. "For example, some of the stuff we're doing with Gaga is when she is performing, mid-set, everyone in the arena gets a notification which lets them choose which song she plays for her encore."

Location is also a part of this, because each speaker in a venue can transmit a different tone, opening up new possibilities for live concert participation along the lines of what we saw with inConcertApp.

"We can also target sections through radius with frequencies, so we can have Section C's phones turn into purple hearts, while Section F on the other side of the arena has red squares," added Israel.

According to Israel, Cantora's basic idea is that app developers are not unlike bands, in that they might have all the skills in the world, but those skills don't amount to much unless they are properly deployed. The company is currently working with SonicNotify and two other startups, and it plans to fund 8 to 10 in total over the next two years.

Jack White’s Third Man Records: Embracing Both The Past & The Future

2012-02-08T11:01:17-05:00

The record industry is still trying to find its feet in the digital age, and with a plethora of labels popping up, claiming new business models and fresh trajectories, it often feels like the future of music has to be something radically different to succeed. However, the majority of people fear change - that is until the flow of progress effortlessly takes them there, or alternatively, the path laid out seems glaringly familiar.

Third Man’s bond with the past is undeniable.

With its focus on vinyl output, shirking of streaming services, and earthy embracement of analog recording techniques, one could mistake the label as a side hobby for Jack White’s musings. But it is this nod to the past that makes White’s label a blueprint for future independent labels, and a lesson to the majors on how to become efficient in the new era.

CORPORATE MELTDOWN

Anyone familiar with the mass layoffs of the past few years experienced by corporate America - not only in the music world, but also across all businesses - will understand that these layoffs have come with a renewed focus on individual productivity. Prior to the recession the large companies were spiraling out of control, each department was stocked with people hired to tie up the lose ends that the person above them didn’t want to do. Companies created positions for those they felt were essential assets, though they were not quite sure why. Invariably, when it came time to trim the fat, companies realized they could cut 100 people and still function. In fact, not only function, but by pushing those remaining into more challenging and wider breaching roles, the loss of personnel could actually lead to a boost in productivity.

INDEPENDENCE DAY

Based out of a single facility in Nashville, Third Man encompasses a recording studio, photo studio, and performance space, as well as the label offices and its own record store. To cut it in the new music industry, every musician, band, artist, and label has to embrace this efficiency, or they simply will not be able to survive. Furthermore, to really make headway, the need for labels to be helmed by someone with the definite vision and multitalented core as Jack White, becomes more apparent everyday.

The argument could be made that Third Man only exists because of the success of the White Stripes and continued success of White’s other projects, but this is exactly why it is a success.

White has intelligently used these achievements to build something bigger, bolder, and quite frankly more fun than just a successful band. Having released singles for Conan O’Brien and Stephen Colbert, he has aligned himself with those in a position of direct connectivity to the Third Man demographic. Coupled with a series of “Live at Third Man” releases, featuring acts like Cold War Kids, Jerry Lee Lewis and the Drive By Truckers, plus releases from Seasick Steve, Tom Jones, and ICP, White has grown the brand into something that people can trust. It becomes bigger than being just another label, it creates a scene unto itself.

LOOKING BACK, MOVING FORWARD

Each release is not pushed as the next worldwide smash, it is based around a limited vinyl run. White also produces the recordings himself, creating an undeniable Third Man sound. If something blows up there is the structure to support it, but by limiting releases then the goals set are always attainable.

Mass-market saturation is largely a thing of the past, it can happen, but these days it happens due to the unique alignment of many factors. The majors still think the route to success is throwing huge amounts of money at something that they are in control of, but where is the return in their investment going to continue coming from?

The business model currently being exercised by the majors is honestly just hopeful at best.

Jack White and Third Man Record demonstrate that self-sufficiency, creativity, and awareness of your core audience are key to staying afloat in these ever changing times. It may not be seen as the future of the recording industry, but maybe that is because there is just not enough Jack White's quietly doing their thing.

Robin Davey is an Independent Musician, Writer and Award Winning Filmmaker. Follow him on Twitter @mr_robin_davey

Rock Star Marketing: M.I.A. Flips the Bird, Tenacious D Rizes, Flaming Lips Sing with Siri

2012-02-08T09:54:30-05:00

M.I.A.'s recent 5 second assault on the sensibility of America reminds us that no one can market music like a rock star. As overblown as the Super Bowl middle finger coverage has been, it's just one recent example of interesting marketing efforts from notable musicians including Tenacious D, who teased his upcoming album with a SoundCloud-powered splash page, and The Flaming Lips, who featured vocals by Siri in a recently released track.

M.I.A. - The Shot Heard Round the World

Recently America held a very special event, The Super Bowl, featuring Madonna with a bunch of acts that are cooler than she is. And, though Madonna got a positive boost, she was clearly overshadowed by M.I.A. thrusting her middle finger in the air with the potency of a "terrorist fist jab" while rapping the word "shit."

At least, that's what I got from one or two brief clips I saw online and the headlines and initial sentences in such august media outlets as The New Yorker, Advertising Age and NPR.

There's actually not that much to be learned here other than the fact that when a rock star makes an unexpected and potentially upsetting move while live on national tv, like Kanye West dissing Bush during an MTV fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Katrina, it lasts much longer than memories of the show at which it happens or any number of candid YouTube videos.

Tenacious D x SoundCloud - Rize of the Fenix

Tenacious D, the comedic music team of Jack Black and Kyle Gass, recently teased their upcoming album, "Rize of the Fenix", with a clip from the title track at rizeofthefenix.com.

The current splash page features a custom SoundCloud player created by Lee Martin who has done a variety of such projects for SoundCloud in his role in "Experimental Development." Lee shares the process of creating the Tenacious D teaser on SoundCloud's API Blog.

The Flaming Lips f/Siri - Now I Understand

Though not a SoundCloud project, The Flaming Lips recently released a song featuring vocals by the iPhone's talkative digital assistant Siri via SoundCloud. The Lips' Wayne Coyne posted this statement:

"Sound construction piece featuring Lips, Erykah Badu, Siri, and Biz Markie backwards. It's called "Now I Understand"...Life is beautiful. Music gets you high."

The use of Siri, the notes on SoundCloud and the overall trippy vibe of the track suits The Flaming Lips well. In addition to over 100,000 plays, "Now I Understand" has also received press coverage on such sites as PSFK (trends), TUAW (tech/Apple), Stereogum (music) and The Washington Post (mainstream media).

More on The Flaming Lips:
The Flaming Lips Embed Music in Gummy Skulls, Human Skulls & Wayne Coyne's Skull
Grab Your Flaming Lips Fetus Christmas Ornament

Unbundling The Album: A Business Case For Releasing Single Songs

2012-02-08T09:27:04-05:00

Many fans prefer buying singles instead of the whole album. Most agree with this and yet, the music industry has stubbornly stuck with the business model of releasing albums. On Music Think Tank, Frank Woodworth has written an essay to prove that selling single songs can be better than selling albums.

“In a song based system, there is always something new to engage the media. If an album of songs is released, you lose that newness factor when pitching for placement.”

(Read On)

OneSheet Adds iTunes, Expands Management Team

2012-02-08T08:33:08-05:00

OneSheet has added an iTunes sales widget to the options available to users of its musician and entertainment web site creation tool. Founder Brenden Mulligan also announced major additions to the company's management team including veterans of Digg, Columbia Records, RootMusic, MySpace, Warner/Chappell and Groupon.

Onnesheet's key exectuive appoints and their biographies.

David Andreone - Industry Relations

Anderone most recently served as GM of MySpace Records, where he worked in tandem with label partners Interscope and Downtown Records. Prior, David was VP of A&R at Columbia Records and Warner/Chappell Music Publishing. At Warner/Chappell, David’s artist signings include Michelle Branch, Disturbed, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Remy Zero, and Hoobastank.

Ryan Marshall - Technology

Ryan hails from Chicago, bringing with him 14 years of application development and having started two development companies. In Chicago, Ryan worked to help prototype and build thePoint.com shich later became Groupon. He also spent two years at digg helping to build out a new codebase and was Co-Founder of Vandelay Labs.

Jim Mulhearn - Marketing & Business Development

Jim brings 12 years of Marketing experience to Onesheet and will be responsible for Marketing and growing the user base through partnerships. Most recently Jim oversaw Marketing and PR at RootMusic as well as stints at SodaHead.com and Warner Bros Records' TheStreetNetwork.com.