hypebot

46% Of U.S. Thinks Facebook Is A Fad [SURVEY]

Don't stop updating your Facebook page yet, but almost half of the 1,000 people polled by the AP and CNBC believe that Facebook is just a passing fad. 51% have a favorable impression of the company, while 23% have an unfavorable opinion. And not that the average American is a financial analyst, but half of those polled also believe the initial stock asking price (which has gone up since the poll) is is too high. THE CHARTS:

String Cheese Incident Scalps $20,000 Of Own Tickets In Battle With Ticketmaster

Continuing their ongoing battle with Ticketmaster, jam rockers String Cheese Incident sent 50 fans to the box office of LA's Greek theater armed with $20,000 in cash from the band. Each was on a mission to buy eight tickets for $49.95 plus any services charges for the group’s show there in July. Then the 400 tickets were sent back to String Cheese's Boulder HQ and put back on sale on the band's web site for the very same $49.95, sans most charges.

Monetizing Music Videos & Live Shows With Evinar & Gyroskope

Both Evinar and Gyroskope are services that musicians can use to monetize streaming video. Evinar focuses on livestreaming via Facebook while Gyroskope features videos for which customers pay to stream as often as they like. Neither service is exclusive to musicians but both seem potentially useful to musicians attempting to diversity their revenue streams.

How To Book A Tour: Unconventional Advice

When booking a tour, there are various challenges that can come up. On Music Think Tank, Simon Tam posts about potential pitfalls in booking. What problems have you faced when booking a tour or shows?

U. S. Approval Of Universal EMI Purchase A Toss-Up, Say Anti-Trust Experts

U.S. approval of Universal's EMI purchase is a toss-up, according to a Reuters survey of anti-trust experts: "Eight antitrust experts interviewed about the issue were divided about the chances for approval, largely because the music landscape has changed so much in recent years that it is not clear that a deal that would concentrate 40% of the recorded music industry in one company would harm competition."

Myxer Hits 1 Millionth Install, Hopes To Bring Turntable.fm Style Social Listening To Masses

Guest post by Eliot Van Buskirk of Evolver.fm.

While techie hipsters (techsters?) complain that Turntable.fm is so over, most people and even music fans only recently began to grasp the concept of downloading MP3s from the internet and transferring them to a portable MP3 player, in the grand scheme of things. When you obsess about technology all day, it can be easy to forget how advanced the concept of listening to the same music with friends or strangers in other locations is — unless you remember (or still experience) FM radio.

Former Orchard CEO Greg Scholl Returns To Music As Exec. Director Jazz At Lincoln Center

(UPDATED) Greg Scholl, the former CEO of digital music powerhouse The Orchard, is returning to the music industry as the Executive Director of Jazz At Lincoln Center. Working alongside Founder and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis, Scholl will take the helm of the not-for-profit arts organization next month.

This Week's iTunes Top Songs, Albums & Apps

Top Songs
1,"Payphone (feat. Wiz Khalifa)",Maroon 5
2,"Somebody That I Used to Know",Gotye
3,"Call Me Maybe",Carly Rae Jepsen
4,"Boyfriend",Justin Bieber
5,"We Are Young",Fun.

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London's Orchestra Of the Age of Enlightenment Puts Fans Center Stage

London's Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment has a history of featuring orchestra members in promo campaigns to emphasize that "not all orchestras are the same." This year they decided to feature members of their audience with "strong looks" to point out that not all audiences are the same either. The resulting digital brochure and related videos are available online with more publicity to follow for this innovative orchestra.

NEWS BRIEF: Facebook Ups IPO, Digital Music News' Court Battle, UMG UP 9%, PirateBay Attack & More

Facebook Revises S-1 Again: Adds 83,818,263 Shares Of Class A Stock, Could Raise $16B (TechCrunch)

• In the case of Grooveshark vs. Digital Music News, the judge failed to quash the subpoena in LA Superior Court yesterday. DMN publisher Paul Resnikoff tell's Hypebot that it's a setback, hints he'll fight on. More as the story develops.
• UMG Q1 revenue up 9.1% as Vivendi profits exceed expectations. (Music Week)

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DISTRO.fm Crowdfunds Nonprofit Digital Music Subscription Service

DISTRO.fm is an emerging nonprofit organization based in Brooklyn that is building a digital music subscription service. They are currently seeking funding via Kickstarter for software development and are also moving from reliance on a fiscal sponsor towards full nonprofit status. DISTRO.fm is taking an open-source approach to software development and a community-based approach to decision making.

INTERVIEW: Distro.fm Founder On Revolutionizing Music With Artist Subscriptions

Guest post by Eliot Van Buskirk of Evolver.fm.

It’s an idea that’s been kicking around for years - maybe people don’t want to subscribe to music in general. Maybe, in cases of extreme fandom, they want to subscribe directly to the artists they love, without all of the layers of record labels, distributors, online music stores, and so on. The fan pays, the fan gets, done deal.

Indie Band I Love Lightning Bugs Debuts Album & Comic Combo @ Motor City Comic Con

Detroit's I Love Lightning Bugs are reissuing their debut album Kensington along with a comic book in which they are the protagonists in an otherworldly adventure. It's the first step in an emerging direction for the band that includes appearances at comic conventions and future releases combining EP's, videos and comics.

BandLoot: Free Web App For Band Money Management

BandLoot is a free web-based service designed to allow bands to handle their money in a transparent manner to which all band members can have access. It was developed by the folks at EarMaster and was inspired by an employee who felt that his band needed something like this. Currently BandLoot is in beta and ready for bands to try out.

Why Music is Less Valuable Than Expertise and Information...?

On Music Think Tank, Jamie Leger posts a question that plagues music and all creative fields: Is music less valuable than expertise and quality information? And is this why music cannot be sold for high prices? People will buy things that they find valuable, but music is pretty subjective. How do you create value in someone else’s life to the extent that they will pay you to continue making music?

Muve Music Adds The Orchard, CD Baby Catalog & Direct Licensing with TuneCore

Cricket Communication's Muve Music has signed agreements with three more independent digital music distributors: CD Baby, TuneCore and The Orchard. The agreement will collectively double Muve's catalog to 10 million tracks. The service has 600,000 mobile music subcribers in the U.S.

Grooveshark vs. Digital Music News In Los Angeles Court Today

Grooveshark owners Escape Media and Digital Music News will be facing off into L.A. court today. The outcome is important, not just to the handful of us who write about the new music industry, but to anyone who has ever commented on a story on any blog or web site. 

Amanda Palmer Has A Huge Hack

Guest post by Jay Frank of FutureHit.DNA.

For the last few days, I’ve seen my social networks light up with people talking about Amanda Palmer’s record breaking Kickstarter campaign. First, she raised $200,000. Then $300,000. Then $400,000. As of this writing (on the morning of Friday, May 4th), she’s about to pass $500,000. Over 8,000 people have supported her to the tune of $57.43 spent per person. When I look into how she did this just from what I see publicly, I realized something amazing:

Amanda Palmer has pulled off the biggest music hack to date!

NEWS BRIEF: New Spotify Stats, WMG Slips, Radio Redesign, Twitvid Buys Cull TV, FB Ups IPO & More

Spotify Hits 20 Million Monthly Users and Could be on Track for 8 Million Paid Users 1 Year From Now (Mark Mulligan)

• Warner Music Group Revenue Slipped 8% in Q1 (Billboard)
• A redesigned Rdio has launched on Rdio.com and the Rdio desktop apps. Updates include drag and drop playlist creation, a personalized Heavy Rotation, and private playlists.

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Dick Wingate Exits TAG Strategic to Join DEV

Venture capitalist DEV (Digital Entertainment Ventures), who recently made an early stage investment in online live platform StageIt, has launched DEV Advisors, offering consulting services to digital media companies.  Music and digital industry veteran Dick Wingate, has left his position as General Manager, East Coast Business Development for digital consultancy TAG Strategic, to join DEV as Principal.