Broken Bells - Heartless Empire

Broken Bell's EP, Meyrin Fields, is out now. You can listen to it for free on Spinner right now. Check it out.

Broken Bells - "Heartless Empire"

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Resources:

http://www.spinner.com/2011/03/31/broken-bells-heartless-empire-meyrin-fields/

Have You Heard About MapGigs?

Looking for an easier way to tour across country? Well, look no further; MapGigs is here to help you put together the perfect tour across the United States.

The creators of MapGigs, Paul and Hailey Hermosa, built the site to help musicians make the best of their travels by hitting the hot local venues along their way. Paul, a musician himself, and Hailey, his wife and manager, have toured across country and know the troubles and trials of the process. Having this first hand experience helped them to develop the perfect system for others to take advantage of.

The site is very user friendly and easy to navigate. It allows you to enter starting and ending destinations of your tour, choose the genre of your music, and the dates you want to travel. Once you have entered the information, MapGigs searches through the 4,053 available venues and will map out the perfect route for you. It details out how many venues are available in those areas, which days they are available, and even if there are any open mic nights along the way. Another perk is that it will find the “most efficient direct route, minimizing fuel costs and environmental impact and appealing to those who prefer environmentally friendly, or ‘green’ touring.” They offer different levels of pricing that are affordable and work with any budget. Once you purchase credits you can view the venues’ information and get started on booking each stop along the way.

For more information on the process, the site has a great video in the “How It Works” section that details the whole process. The site is a great tool for any musician or band, so check it out and map out your next tour now. Go to MapGigs.com for more information and happy touring!
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Resources:
http://www.mapgigs.com/

Innerpartysystem - 'American Trash'

I love me some Innerpartysystem, but for some reason I've missed out on the new stuff. I'm digging this song and the video is pretty awesome, as well…pay attention.

Innerypartysystem - "American Trash"

Record Store Day - April 16, 2011

Record Store Day is right around the corner! If you love vinyl, or just love to support your local businesses, go here to find out which record stores in your area will be participating in the festivities. Come celebrate the music!

GO SUPPORT YOUR RECORD STORES ON APRIL 16, 2011!!

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References:

http://recordstoreday.com/Home

PJ Harvey - The Colour Of The Earth

PJ Harvey - "The Colour Of The Earth"

SXSW is an Important Festival…Utilize It!

If you are a part of the entertainment industry, and you have no clue what SXSW is, then you should exit immediately; do not pass “GO,” do not collect $200. But, for those of you who still need explaining, SXSW, or South by Southwest, is a ten-day annual festival held in Austin, TX that celebrates music, film, and technology. It is a great place to discover new things, and also to get your brand out there.

The interactive side of the festival boasts new technology from leaders of the industry and new comers trying to bust into the scene.  They offer “keynote presentations, panel sessions, book readings, meet ups, workshops and core conversations” to help inform those who are interested, and also hold a trade show to showcase new products and businesses.

The music part of the festival is host to thousands of musicians on 80 stages throughout downtown Austin. They, too, hold panel sessions to discuss topics of the music industry, such as touring, releasing an album, and much more. Artists from every genre of music come to SXSW to be heard. It is one of the largest music festivals in the United States.

The Dodos, "Sleep" at 2011 SXSW

The film festival, like any other film festival, debuts new films and offers conferences to discuss the films and learn new techniques. The festival has “invaluable networking opportunities and immersion into the art and business of the rapidly evolving world of independent film.”

This is a very important festival and conference for the entertainment industry, not only can you find great products and ideas, but you can meet great contacts. This will help to get any name or brand out there, no matter what section of the industry it is in. The festival offers an unlimited amount of opportunities to learn and became an expert of the trade.

Being in this competitive and intense industry, keeping up with the changing trends and techniques is a must. Utilizing a resource such as SXSW can build your expertise and confidence on the matter. Absorbing every bit of information that is thrown at you will help keep you ahead of the curve, and SXSW is just the place to soak up a few of those great ideas. Festivals like this are important to our industry and keep it lively.

Join the fun next year for SXSW 26^th anniversary happening March 9 – 18, 2012. There are always new things to learn as long as you’re willing.

For more information, check out SXSW's website --> here.

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Resources:

http://mashable.com/tag/sxsw/

http://sxsw.com/home

http://music.aol.com/sxsw/

The National - Conversation 16

New video for The National's song, Conversation 16. I love the song, like the video. What do you think?

Syyn Labs' President Talks About OK Go's Viral Video

OK Go is notorious for making music videos that go viral, each video raising the bar even higher. When they started developing a plan for the music video of “This Too Shall Pass,” they turned to Syyn Labs. This is a company that specializes in art and technology interaction. They fuse the two together to build a unique experience.

The president of Syyn Labs, Adam Sadowsky, talks to TEDxUSC about the creation and learning process of the new video. The band was very specific in what they wanted in the video, which means Syyn Labs ran into many challenges along the way. OK Go’s idea was to use a Rube Goldberg machine that comprised of 89 chain reactions throughout the entire video, and had to meet all of the band’s demands.

Syyn Labs sure had their work cut out for them.  They spent months planning and creating the machine that ran for the duration of a 3 minute 54 second video. “This Too Shall Pass” definitely went viral, with over 25 million views on YouTube

OK Go has utilized these viral videos to the max and has made them a part of their brand. By consistently making videos that incorporate crazy and wacky schemes, they’ve set themselves a part from other musicians. Check out more of their videos on their website – here.

As I’ve said in a previous post, posting your videos to sites such as YouTube or Vimeo is a great way to get your music noticed. If your video happens to go viral, that is an even greater bonus to getting noticed online. Keep making videos that stand out and make you different from others; it will improve your chances of being discovered and help develop your brand.

Here is the video of Adam Sadowsky’s talk for your viewing pleasure. Or you can visit this link here.

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References:
Syyn Labs. (n.d.). About. Retrieved from http://syynlabs.com/about

TED. (2010, June). Adam Sadowskey Engineers A Viral Video. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/adam_sadowsky_engineers_a_viral_music_video.html

Influencers: How Trends and Creativity Become Contagious

If you are looking to brand yourself (because everyone should) and learn how to set yourself apart from others, you should definitely watch this short documentary called Influencers. It talks about people that influence our culture and society in the past and presently. Great video, check it out below.

INFLUENCERS TRAILER from R+I creative on Vimeo.

More information on their website - Influencers.