hypebot

The Evolution of Electronic Dance Music [Review]

"Keyboard Presents the Evolution of Electronic Dance Music," edited by Peter Kirn, is a truly awesome book. While it's certainly of interest to djs, electronic musicians and dance music fans, it's also a book worth checking out if you're into music and programming, avant garde music and outside the box thinking.

Kyle Bylin Exits Billboard, Joins BigChampagne + Live Nation Team

Just weeks after Live Nation acquired influential media measurement firm BigChampagne, the live concert promoter has announced another major talent grab: Kyle Bylin.

Hypebot readers know Bylin from this blog, where he served as Editor and a leading music industry and technology analyst that elevated this publication from a news site to a place of in-depth analysis and editorial. He went on to become the Social/Streaming Chart Manager and regular columnist at Billboard Magazine, and has now left to join Live Nation and BigChampagne.

Previously Unpublished Steve Jobs Interview From 2003 iTunes Launch

Laura Locke interviewed Steve Jobs for TIME magazine on April 28th, 2003, prior to a launch event in San Francisco for a new digital music service. The product being launched turned out to be the iTunes Music Store, characterized as the "first acceptable alternative to 'free' unauthorized file-sharing services", and Locke found herself in the enviable position of recording some of Jobs' first comments. The interview has not seen light of day for an unspecified reason until Technologizer published it in its entirety this week.

Enter the Haggis Raises $40,000+ On Their Website

Toronto’s Celtic rock band Enter The Haggis has found itself at the center of a grassroots success story ever teetering on the brink of mainstream success. From playing Celtic festivals to headlining them, and from the festival circuit to selling out multiple nights in rock venues, ETH has blazed a path with heavy and almost constant touring. The band has made waves in the genre, landing high Billboard and iTunes World Music chart positions as well as major television appearances on shows like Live With Regis And Kelly, A&E Breakfast With the Arts and PBS’ popular program Out of Ireland.

Indie Artists Moonlight Social on Kickstarter, DIY, & The New Music Industry

Up-and-coming Texas band Moonlight Social, has achieved a lot for a group that formed 10 months ago and has only released a single EP. They performed at SXSW selected by 9-time Grammy winner, Ray Benson and won a Grammy-sponsored showcase. The band also won the 2011 Austin Chronicle Sound Wars, beating 100 local bands.

Ian Rogers Interviews MOG CEO David Hyman [VIDEO]

(UPDATED) On a new episode of This Week In Music, filmed last week from New Noise Santa Barbara, Ian Rogers interviews MOG founder David Hyman on future plans for the company, the business of streaming, how its changed since the Facebook integration,  and his early job at MTV whcih he calls one of "the worst experiences" of his life.  WATCH:

TuneCore CEO Jeff Price On New Songwriter Services [INTERVIEW]

Last week digital music distributor TuneCore launched the Songwriter Publishing Administration Service to help songrwiters collect payments from global performing rights organizations (PROs) as well as directly from digital music providers. It's a major intiative for the company and CEO Jeff Price who has made often described TuneCore's mission as delivering "more money, more quickly, with transparency" to artists. To learn more, we interviewed Price via email.

MC Lars On DIY Success & Making A Living In Music [VIDEO]

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

Since 2006, hip-hop artist MC Lars has been a poster boy for indie music success and the DIY work ethic. After a short-lived relationship with Terry McBride and the Canadian record label/management company Nettwerk five years ago, Lars formed his own label, Horris Records. Since then, he has taken his self-described "post-punk laptop rap" and delivered it to a target audience he calls the "iGeneration" -- kids born between 1982 and 2000.

Danny Bennett On Managing Tony Bennett & The #1 Album Duets II [Part 2]

With the recent release of Duets II, Tony Bennett is not only making headlines but has also achieved his first no. 1 album on the Billboard 200. He has done so by staying true to himself and charting a path created with his son and manager Danny Bennett. Yesterday I wrote about Danny Bennett's approach to helping his father rebuild his career through the 90s at a time when the music industry was undergoing radical change. Today I skip to the release of Duets II to take a look at how the Bennetts have continued to relate to the times while maintaining a timeless musical outlook.

Danny Bennett On Managing Tony Bennett, Alternative Marketing & Digital Music [Part 1]

Danny Bennett has been instrumental in the career of his father, Tony Bennett, yet he's received relatively limited public attention over the years. I recently spoke with Danny about his career, his marketing approach for Mr. Bennett and his longtime desire to push the music industry towards digital music and the web. Though this is a two-part interview, I could easily see doing an extended series on Danny's perspectives and experiences.

10 Things DJ Shadow Hates About The Music Industry

Today marks producer and turntablist DJ Shadow's 20th year in the music business, and the release of his latest album The Less You Know, The Better. In a recent self-written post to Black Book, Shadow explains 10 things he hates about the music industry, touching upon the topics of oversaturation (quantity over quality), the demise of the record store and MTV.

Interview: Darius Van Arman Of : Jagjaguwar, Dead Oceans & Secretly Canadian [VIDEO]

(UPDATE 2) On This Week In Music, Ian Rogers interviews Darius Van Arman, co-owner of Jagjaguwar, Dead Oceans and Secretly Canadian, three indie labels that have enjoyed incredible organic success with artists like Bon Iver and Antony.  The two discuss how artists and labels can thrive in the current marketplace. It's an inspiring interchange between two men who clearly love music and are building businesses that serve it. 

REM's Michael Stipe Talks Art, Photography & Tumblr For The Creators Project

The Creators Project talked with Michael Stipe in his NY studio about his art, his photography and his web projects, including Futurepicenter, and his Tumblr blog, Confessions of a Michael Stipe.

Hypebot Interviews Kevin Lee: CEO of SOL Republic

Former Monster VP of Marketing and Product Development, Kevin Lee, is the visionary mind behind SOL Republic, a new audio company that seeks to bring high-quality sound to the masses by innovating in sound, style, and durability while keeping their product affordable to consumers.

Hypebot's Hisham Dahud caught up with Lee in San Francisco, where the CEO shared some insight on his decision to start his own company, and the mission behind his new brand:

Interview: RootMusic CEO J Sider On Music Business Success Strategies

Last week in San Francisco, Musi2k held a Q&A session with RootMusic's CEO and Founder, J Sider. During the conversation, Sider brought up interesting anecdotal information about how he started RootMusic, the trials and tribulations he went through to get the company where it is today, and what musicians and entrepreneurs should keep in mind as they move forward into tomorrow’s music space. Here were the highlights:

Interview: CEO Ian Rogers On Topspin Relaunch

Just in time for the start of SXSW Music, Topspin today dropped its invitation only poilicy and opened its direct to fan platform to all musicians. (details here). Just prior to pushing the button on the new Topspin, CEO Ian Rogers answered questions including which artists might benefit from their expanded service and what he's planning next.

"If a Studio Doesn’t Fly a Flag, They’re Dead."

This post is by Hypebot intern Hisham Dahud. His Twitter: @HishamDahud.

It goes without saying that today’s music space is hypercompetitive - mainly as a result from the near zero barriers to entry. Virtually anyone can record an album, distribute, tour, and sell product directly to fans. 

“I don’t think there’s anything negative about that,” says John Vanderslice, founder of Tiny Telephone, a professional recording studio in San Francisco.

How Hyperlocal Blogs Impact Music [INTERVIEW]

Recently I spoke to Jason, who is the Founder and Editor of The Pop Cop, a Glasgow based music blog, which focuses on the Scottish music scene, with daily updated news, reviews, features, and interviews.

He also founded and runs the Music Alliance Pact, which sees around 35 music blogs from around the world (one per country) join forces on the 15th of every month to share their favorite songs with our collective readership - The Guardian Music Blog are England representatives. In this interview, Jason and I talk about how hyperlocal blogs impact music and the modern record industry.

An Interview with New Music Seminar Founder Tom Silverman on Digital Music & The Long Tail

This post is by Ryan Van Etten (@ryanve), Editor/Producer of VirtualMusic.tv.

Tom Silverman has made his entire career in the music industry. Circa the early 80s he founded Dance Music Report, the New Music Seminar (NMS) and Tommy Boy Records, now Tommy Boy Entertainment, whose roster includes hip hop staples De La Soul, Naughty by Nature, House of Pain, and more. WE+PR, the public relations team who works with NMS, set up a phone interview for me with Silverman, who had tons to say about the music industry. Stream the full interview—all 55min—by pressing the play button to the below—or on Bandcamp.

Is mySpoonful Different from Rcrdlbl? [INTERVIEW]

Few weeks ago, I discovered mySpoonful, which is a music discovery site and newsletter. Initially, the service made me skeptical. Why send busy people more e-mail?

In my mind, there had to be a better way. Readers also pointed out that sites like Rcrdlbl and Track in the Box do similar functions. In search of answers, I spoke to Dan Cohen, who is the CEO and co-founder of mySpoonful. In this interview, he makes his case about why mySpoonful is different and why it matters.