SXSW - Plus or Minus

I think that SXSW was once a very nice festival to promote new bands and artists to get them in the public eye and media. But now that SXSW has become so massive its hard to get noticed now with all these thousands of acts that are there. Not to mention that the festival seems to be shifting more toward the growing tech world. But for a brand new artist/band, any exposure, especially something as big as SXSW couldn't hurt that bad. And if for some reason you don't have to pay to play there, I think you could only really benefit to gain some new fans here and there.

Pandora CEO Steps Down

Pandora announced Thursday CEO Joe Kennedy will be stepping down after 10 years in charge of the company. Kennedy will stay on until a successor is found.

"As part of our Board discussions of the road that lies ahead, I reached the conclusion and advised the Board that the time is right to begin a process to identify my successor," Kennedy said in a statement. "There is a tremendous market opportunity ahead and I look forward to continuing to work with all the great people at Pandora to keep driving the business forward."

Kennedy joined Pandora in 2004 — four years after the company was founded by Tim Westergren — after having worked at E-Loan and Saturn. Under his leadership, Pandora's user base has grown to more than 67 million monthly active listeners and there are now more than 700 employees on staff. In recent quarters, Pandora's business has been plagued by high royalty costs and low ad revenue for the growing number of mobile listeners. The online radio service has also been threatened by competitors such as Spotify as well as rumors that Apple might enter the music streaming space.

Kennedy's announcement came after Pandora reported better-than-expected fourth quarter earnings on Thursday, but mounting losses. Pandora reported a non-GAAP loss of $0.04 per share, up from $0.03 a share during the same quarter a year earlier.

Pandora's stock shot up nearly 20% in after-hours trading following the news.

Blogs - The New Journalism

When is the last time you've read a newspaper or have got info or news from a magazine? Or even checked stats for sports on any printed media? Chances are that's slim to none considering our ever changing landscape of media and the net. Speaking of the net, blogs have been one the newest and biggest ways that people our starting to get info, music, news, entertainment, and conversations between each other online. A plus/minus about blogs is that instead of being edited and proofed a bunch of times, it has the freedom to be more organic and conversation with its speech rather than formal like alot of other printed media.

Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork is a Chicago based Internet blog that's gained huge publicity since its start in 1995. It covers music criticisms, music news, and artist interviews. Pitchfork covers mostly independent music that spans from rock to hip-hop to electronic. Since its start it's grown to become one of the more influential places to discover new independent band/artists. They've even grown to the point where this site could "make or break" careers of a good or bad review. To me, thats a plus and minus. Just cause Pitchfork doesn't like something doesnt mean that other people wont either. So it's really up the listeners to make a finally decision on what they like and want to support. But ultimately, its pretty amazing to see a website like this is starting to become as popular as say a Rolling Stone magazine in the music department (at least from its early days). That's the world we're moving more towards...digital media.

Pitchfork Media

Kids These Days

So, I'm a big Hip-Hop guy...no real surprise, but when I was looking for something new and fresh on the scene I ran into these guys..Kids These Days! From Chicago and yes they really ARE kids, to me anyway lol. They're a group of 6 to 8 members around the age of 18 from what I know so far. A male and female vocalist, a small band (think The Roots size) and of course the emcee. Here's one of there tracks/video

Enjoy,

JT News

Justin Timberlake got everyone a special Valentine's day gift: The sultry new black-and-white clip for his comeback single "Suit & Tie," featuring Jay-Z, which is set to appear on his long-awaited new record The 20/20 Experience. Things start at a simmer as JT relaxes with a massage and a bowl of cereal (or possibly ice cream) while Jay-Z sips scotch and watches basketball. But things heat up when Timberlake takes the stage to deliver a string of impossibly silky dance moves as the clip alternates between shots of the performance and in the studio. Bonus points for Hov keeping up his rap-game Frank Sinatra look, lumbering to the mic, drink still in hand, to supply his verse with smoky cool from a cushy bar stool.

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/justin-timberlake-heats-up-in-suit-tie-20130214#ixzz2KwRuZK1z 

Prince News

Prince to headline Montreux jazz with three pricey concerts

GENEVA (Reuters) - Prince returns to the Montreux Jazz Festival in July to give three concerts at the 47th edition, the first after the death of founder Claude Nobs, organizers said on Thursday.

The American singer and musician is booked to give three shows on July 13, 14 and 15, the Swiss festival said in a statement.

"Groovy, funky and the undisputed master of improvisation, Prince's performances are all unique and unpredictable," it said of the 54-year-old viewed as a pioneer of online music distribution and maverick in the business.

Prince first appeared on the famed Montreux stage in 2007, then showed up at 3 a.m. to jam with his band at a late-night jazz cafe along Lake Geneva. He gave two back-to-back shows on the same night in 2009, drawing fans from across Europe for a rare appearance on the continent.

Tickets go on sale on Friday morning, at a whopping 175 Swiss francs ($190)(standing) and 395 francs for a seat.

"We consider him one of the headline acts," festival spokeswoman Emilie Loertscher told Reuters.

The rest of the line-up will be announced on April 18.

Nobs, who founded the Montreux Jazz Festival nearly 50 years ago, died in January at age 76 after several weeks in a coma following a skiing accident.

The Swiss impresario immortalized by rock group Deep Purple as "Funky Claude" in the song "Smoke on the Water", lured the biggest stars of the music world including Miles Davis, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin to the annual event.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay, editing by Paul Casciato)

http://news.yahoo.com/prince-headline-montreux-jazz-three-pricey-concerts-175745711.html

Kickstarter - Fund & Follow Creativity

So for those who don't know yet, Kickstarter is a funding platform online for creative projects.  This means anything from music all the way to film or artwork. But let me get down to biz about what I think about it as well as when it works the best for people trying to get projects funded. To me, Kickstarter is best used when a project is putting out an actual product that people have high demand for. Also having a cool/dynamic video that explains your goals helps "backers" (people that fund the projects..YOU) get more involved and drawn in. Also I think independent companies that have some true legitimacy and just need help funding can truly benefit from this service. All in all, I enjoy Kickstarter for what it is and the possibilities that it can bring to people trying to show their talents/ideas to the world. Here's one of my favs on the site!

                      OUYA - Universal Gaming System