Next Big Sound (a/o May 24th):
Lots of discussion about the overwhelming overload that is SXSW, but is this really a problem? Well, it's a great problem for SXSW organizers, and casual attendees are probably just drenching themselves in it. But we're finding ourselves missing lots of artists, parties, and panels that are getting buried under the stack. All of which is stirring innovators around organizing the chaos. That includes Monstro, a Twitter-based music network that is tracking the most-tweeted groups on SXSWcharts.com. And, massiveCIA, which is tapping foursquare, SCHED, and other platforms to track the biggest-trending parties and events. Both worth a look.
Which brings us to Spotify, whose content director Ken Parks rattled through some familiar talking-points during a Tuesday morning discussion in Austin. That included a downplay of the "rare" number of holdout artists, another sharp challenge against windowing, and Spotify's noble conversion of pirates into paying customers. Also, there was this: Facebook-integrated Spotify users are three times more likely to start a premium account. Separately, Spotify reported rightsholder payouts of $250 million since inception, though who knows how much is going back to artists...
Other parties for a Tuesday night: Santigold and Flux Pavilion were among the performers at the Warner Sound party on Tuesday night, and Warner is throwing shindigs through Thursday night. Also, Stubb's was the joint for a well-attended Interactive Closing Party, EFF hosted its own 'Mashup Party,' and a huge thanks to everyone that popped by the Digital Music News and Quantum Collective shindig at the Chuggin' Monkey.
Like Pandora? Then you may give a thumbs up to Tape.tv, which is like Pandora but for music video channels.
Like SF MusicTech Summit? Then you might want to attend the next one, which is now slated for October 9th, according to coordinator Brian Zisk.
Did you know that Andrew W.K. deejayed one of the last Limewire parties in New York? That's random trivia, but W.K. is now slated to star in "Let's Big Happy," a collaboration between Fox Digital Entertainment and MySpace that starts March 28th. The web series, which will help to showcase lesser-known bands, was announced at SXSW.
© 2013 All Rights Reserved
Follow Us