SoundCtrl » brands

Contest Offers Brands & Agencies Chance to Win a Custom Advergame & $50K Media Buy

SoundCtrl — Wed, 29 May 2013 14:02:50 +0000

Market leader of social game and app monetization, SupersonicAds, is inviting US media and creative agencies to submit a branded advergame concept and compete to win full development of the advergame + $50K in media across the SupersonicAds network. Fusing advertising and entertainment, advergames get brands in front of massive worldwide audiences, to positively connect with consumers in social gaming, one of the most engaging and popular activities on social, mobile and web.

Entries can be submitted online at supersonicads.com/contest from May 15 through June 15. The winner will be notified on or by June 18, 2013 and the campaign worth $50,000 in media spend will run across the SupersonicAds network in partnership between the winning brand and SupersonicAds.

By coupling the advergame development cost and a media buy, SupersonicAds seeks to demonstrate the powerful impact of advergaming to U.S. brands. SupersonicAds’ proprietary targeting technology processes web and mobile data using a complex algorithm that considers hundreds of factors available from that data. These factors — including gender, age, device, carrier, browser language and location — are considered in real-time to guarantee campaigns are reaching their target audience.

As an added benefit following the advergame, SupersonicAds can also offer a video play of your latest ad as well as deeper post-engagement interactions such as drive Facebook Likes, shares & App installs, generate new leads & traffic to web sites in line with their campaign objectives.

For more information on eligibility, rules and regulations, check out the full press release HERE

It’s Twitter TV: Trident and Fuse Present Trending 10

SoundCtrl — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:30:58 +0000

By Caroline Heneghan

Have you ever spent several minutes or even hours refreshing your Twitter feed for all the latest news, gossip and hashtags? For some, this time at the computer or watching from your mobile device may have even replaced time spent sitting in front of the TV. But wouldn’t it be even better to not have to sift through all the noise to get to the meat of the best and most important updates to you? Now with Trending 10, a production of Trident, Fuse and of course, Twitter, you can.

As a product of Fuse, the national music television network of the Madison Square Garden Company, you can expect Trending 10 to involve all things music—when it comes to Twitter at least. Instead of sifting through endless Twitter updates trying to find your favorite artists’ latest thoughts, tour updates and the like, Trending 10 will curate these posts to bring only the best and most relevant trending bits to the conversation. In fact, the entire conversation will be exclusively driven by updated Twitter feeds and real-time Twitter conversation spikes—the first multiscreen and multiplatform Twitter TV show of its kind.

The way it works is that Trending 10 shares the top 10 trending music-related stories of the day straight from Twitter. To do this, the exhaustive Twitter posts are filtered through Fuse’s Heat Tracker technology, which determines which artists are currently generating the biggest racket in the Twitterverse. The real-time online social conversation of music lovers drives every aspect of this program, including the broadcast itself, “sneak peek” digital shorts, exclusive sharable content like interviews and articles and live online access to the Heat Tracker at Fuse.tv/T10.

The Heat Tracker on Fuse’s website is currently a mass of multicolored circles with different artists’ photos whose sizes correspond to the depth and breadth of conversation on Twitter. Along the bottom is a graph that demonstrates which hours of the day feature the most Tweets. These features can help you stay on top of all of the music Twitter conversation as well as get a clue as to what the show might cover that week. Trending 10’s own Twitter account keeps you posted on show times as well as sneak peeks into subjects being featured on that week’s show.

All in all, cofounder and gum producer Trident, through Trending 10, aims to facilitate the social media conversation, brought to you by yet another screen—your TV—and engage viewers and followers of the show through all of its social channels. This interaction will help Trident access its customers at their every gum-chewing moment—standing in line at checkout, commuting, etc. Fuse allows Trident to reach their music-loving customers in unique and interactive ways, making the brand more accessible using a fresh platform that contextualizes the social conversation of the day.

The Trending 10 half-hour countdown show airs weeknights at 7:30e/6:30c on Fuse’s linear network and is hosted by Yasmine Richard of Top 20 Countdown. The program also features guest hosts like Dan Brown and Elaine Moran.

What Does a Record Label Mean to You in 2013?

SoundCtrl — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 18:48:44 +0000

By Lindsay Gabler, @lndsygblr

Right outside of my hotel at SXSW in 2012 (and again in 2013) was a six-story-tall stage protruding out of a small parking lot with Doritos branding all over the back. As I turned the corner to get a better look, I don’t think I was ready for what I saw as the front of the stage…a massive vending machine. Yes, Snoop Dogg (and this year, LL Cool J) performed inside a giant Doritos vending machine. I had never been to SXSW before, but took a wild guess and didn’t think that this type of branding is what SXSW purists envisioned for the festival.

[Source: www.brownunited.com]

In this day and age an artist brand is more important than ever to open up doors and create greater opportunities for new revenue streams and brands are happily doling out checks to bring them on board to perform at festivals, be ambassadors and most recently ‘creative directors’. Over the past several years, with the decline of the record business, I have read dozens of articles asking if brands are the new record labels. You can check out some of these articles here from 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2012. I say no. However, it is really very interesting that there is little to no discussion about the record label as a brand.

When I first began at Universal Music Group, social media was just bubbling over with MySpace and about to boil over with Facebook and Twitter. I soon stepped into the role of developing UMG’s social media strategy. One thing that I was told, and had to keep in mind while creating the framework, is that we were not a brand. Our artists are brands, but we are not. Since then, I have heard similar statements about record labels periodically and have had the same reaction every time…why not?

For me personally, the two record labels that became the biggest brands and still resonate today were/are Motown and Def Jam. Motown is its own genre of music and Def Jam is synonymous with Hip Hop. There are many labels who have attempted to maintain their once loved brand and stay relevant with new artists, but have fallen short in today’s ever changing industry. Long ago, in a land far, far away where you could walk into a store that only sold music, you could browse through shelves and shelves of vinyl, tapes, and CDs. If you did not know an artist, you could glance at the record label logo and be more inclined to trust them and buy the record or single because you liked the previous one or two artists they released. Record labels at one point in time were the music curators (alongside our favorite employee at the record stores). Now the fans seem to dictate who the record labels sign.

With the deterioration of the label as a trusted curator and the loss of record stores, streaming services have struggled with the curation and the recommendation piece of the puzzle as well. Most recently Jimmy Iovine spoke about his forthcoming music streaming service, Daisy, and said “There is a sea of music, an ocean of music and absolutely no curation for it.” Between brands creating content around lifestyles through music, streaming services refining their algorithm and radio still playing the same songs…do record labels have a voice? Overall there is no real affinity for any record label over another (aside from the more notable hip hop collectives today). The artist brand has become bigger, faster, and stronger than the record label brand which has put us in the position we find ourselves. The labels relinquished value when putting resources solely into the artist and stopped putting any back into themselves. And by value, I’m talking about focusing on building a lifestyle around the record label and creating an organic brand that resonates with music fans. By having a strong brand, artists gravitate towards the record labels for what they stand for and what they mean to the culture. Now many artists are taking the DIY approach. Ask your friend if they know what record label Adele is signed to.

We are now down to the three majors; Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment. Who influences you the most when it comes to discovering new music?

Debate over Piracy Gets Big with Times Square Billboard

SoundCtrl — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:26:54 +0000

By Ben Sisario via The New York Times

“For the last week a mysterious ad has flashed on the LED billboard above the American Eagle Outfitters store at Broadway and 46th Street, just over the bronze shoulder of George M. Cohan. Variably positing piracy as “criminal,” “progress” and “the future,” it asks the observer to “pick a side” on Twitter, as #artistsforpiracy or #artistsagainstpiracy…

The party behind the billboard and its related Web site, ArtistsVsArtists.com, is Ghost Beach, a two-man Brooklyn band whose profile is low even by indie Brooklyn standards: about 8,800 Facebook likes and zero Pitchfork hits. Ghost Beach was approached by American Eagle, which wanted to license the band’s song “Miracle” for an online ad. As it has done with a few other bands the retailer offered a fee as well as access to the billboard.

The ArtistsVsArtists billboard has been booked for two weeks, ending on Sunday. The group’s use of the billboard is worth $50,000, an American Eagle spokeswoman said.”

What side do you fall on? #artistsforpiracy or #artistsagainstpiracy ?

For the full story visit www.nytimes.com

The Reactable: Breaking Music Tech Boundaries with More Than the Push of a Button

SoundCtrl — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:38:27 +0000

By Mitch Camarda

As electronic dance music continues to flourish, DJs are now seen in the same light that Barry Bonds once was pre – Jose Canseco’s new found guilt complex. Companies like Native Instruments, Serato, Ableton and Apple are the big players in the DAW and Live DJ Software industry. When it comes to experienced and new DJ/producers alike, we at SoundCtrl are always looking to discover what’s next in the development of their respective softwares. Traktor has enabled newbies to skip the learning of beat matching (auto sync feature), which at one point was what DJing was all about. This now makes DJ Joe Schmo from down the block the master of mixing 4 channels even though he’s never puts on a pair of headphones. Ableton has made remixing as easy as chopping up an original production, rearranging it in different ways with minimal original input, then clicking and dragging a few automation effects to provide the inexperienced producer with his or her first remix.

So, what’s next? There will always be new VST’s, software updates and midi hardware (and software) to take the production experience somewhere different. But more simply, I have been searching for the next stepping stone into a new live setup. That is to say, some future music technology that takes DJing from just using CDJs and a Mixer and recreates the Chemical Brother’s mind-boggling setup was 10 years ago. Technology must go foreward to evoke the awesome of going backward.

Enter a new piece of hardware called the Reactable Live! (€9,700). The original concept was conceived by a research team at Pompeu Abra University in Barcelona around 2003. After a couple years of development by four researchers, it was finally unveiled at International Computer Music Conference in 2005. Following this event and the release of demonstration videos shortly after, the Reactable spread like wildfire throughout the musical community. Eventually being dubbed “Hot Instrument Of The Year (2007)” by Rolling Stone and also winning a number of other prestigious awards, the Reactable was ready to move out of development and into the marketplace.

What is it? The Reactable is a platform that enables users to manipulate sonic structure and sound waves while offering a refreshing way of making music. Boasting a hi-tech intuitive software which works through a circular translucent table, the Reactable brings “hands-on” to a whole different level. The concept is based around the ability to use tangible objects called “pucks” to interact with one another while they serve different functions. From synthesizers to loopers to effects, these pucks represent all aspects within the production tool shed and can be used in any way the composer sees fit. Everything is done on the actual table, which is touch screen. The makers of Reactable boast a multi-touch feature as one of the key aspects to the table’s functionality. Multiple fingers can be used at one time at any place on the table without interfering with one another. Essentially this means that the table can handle being told multiple different things at once without an issue.

Although the Reactable has slowly entered into circulation with a small number of artists incorporating it into their acts, it has still not gotten the attention of the more ‘mainstream’ DJ pool. Although that might remain true, it wouldn’t surprise me if in upcoming years the boundary pushing producers like Richie Hawtin or Dubfire never pick up a Traktor controller again. “Conventional” was once learning with two Technics and some vinyls, but eventually graduated into a laptop and X1 controllers being the new starter kit. As technology enables artists to do something that was once considered a speciality occupation, it is these boundary pushing concepts like the Reactable that offer true experimental musicians an avenue of uniqueness to set themselves apart from this over-saturated crew of button pushers.

And for you aspiring DJs out there who’d like to give the Reactable technology a try, if the €9,700 price tag is a little too steep, don’t worry. Reactable has a mobile version for both iOS and Android for just $9.99.

Check out Reactable’s demo video:

SoundCtrl’s Top List: Music Techs for July

SoundCtrl — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 17:00:44 +0000

By Jessica Wunsch

Greetings gadget geeks and tech dance diehards. Another month is gone, which is why we have rounded up our favorite new gear from last month, and are giving you a summary of each item’s benefits and perks. From egg-shaped speakers to color-coded keyboard covers, June has certainly been a month for intriguing new music technology.

1. sE Munro Egg 150 Monitors ($2,584), Andertons.co.uk

The result of many months of hard work by world renowned studio acoustician Andy Munro, the sE Munro Egg offer the best possible cabinet shape to reduce reflected waves from hitting the cabinet, creating a less prominent resonant frequencies. So basically, the same shape our breakfast may come out of is also the ideal shape to avoid that annoying backtrack sound. Who knew?

2. sE Electronics 2200a Mkll ($532) Woodbrass.com

The latest in the sE Electronics’ lineage of sE2200 condenser mics, a mic which as been by far sE’s best-selling model over the past decade, sE2200a steps things up a notch with its hand-crafted, 1” gold sputtered diaphragm, and black rubber paint finish, both stylish and practical, helping to damp chassis resonance. Already winning major awards around the county, including a twice winner of the Music Industry Association award, this mic was even used by multi-platinum artist Ellie Goulding during her recording of “Bright Lights.”

3. Logic Café ControlSkin ($47) Logic-Café.com

The ControlSkin keyboard cover for Logic Pro software is designed to make creating music with the software as intuitive and hands on one would when using dedicated hardware such as the MPC or Maschine. Installation is easy, just by putting the ControlSkin over Macbook, Macbook Pro or Apple Wireless keyboard, and then installing and selecting the included path file for Logic Pro. Afterwards, wa-la!, your computer has become a dedicated control surface and MIDI keyboard.

4. Brainworx bx_saturator ($190) Plugin-Alliance.com

The bx_saturator is an M/S and multi-band saturation tool, which can be used for mastering, mixing and sound-design. Offering a warm and subtle distortion that works wonders on individual signals, it can even be applied to the stereo master channel in the M/S stereo model. This saturator belongs to the new “Brainworx Rock n’ Roll” line of creative plugins, making it a piece of technical excellence for the creative musician and engineer.

California Headphones: Gearing Headphones to Music Genres

SoundCtrl — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 14:37:22 +0000

by Sarah Polonsky

The fine folks over at TechCrunch are making me worried with their latest coverage on California Headphones. Much like Beats By Dre, are targeting a specific demographic with clear marketing and unique styling. But these headphones are more than just looking the part. They’re tuned to better match the musical style of rock and country, with less pounding bass and a heaver investment in mids and highs.

SoundCtrl knows where this is headed. We’re soon going to have NO CHOICE but to purchase specific headphones for every music genre in order to keep up with all the future technology happenings. Try and wrap your headphoned head around that.

California Headphones turned to Kickstarter for its first round of units. As of this writing, the company has raised $35k in pre-orders. If successful, backers will get a set of headphones at a significant discount from the eventual MSRP. Pledge $65 to get a Laredo (which will MSRP at $99.95) or $135 for the Silverado.

Mosey on over to TechCrunch to learn more about the Laredo and the Silverado, hillbillies! Happy Honky Tonk Listening!

See California Headphones’ Kickstarter video after the jump…

Pepsi is Putting the (Soda) Pop in Pop Music with “Live For Now” Campaign

SoundCtrl — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:36:25 +0000

by Kira Grunenberg

For those who party it up during the summer months without drinks of the hard variety, soda/pop/coke, is usually a typical alternative to accompany any concert tailgate, beach hangout, or home barbecue. Going from there, the long time rivals, Pepsi and or Coca-Cola are sure to not be far off from the scene.

The two carbonated drink competitors have gone punch for punch many times over the course of their respective business histories. Whether it’s in the appeal and memorable factor of the “faces” for their advertising, (fictional characters or not), the infectious jingles strung throughout their audible commercialization or simply, which company could pull you in with perfectly executed can opening and drink pouring sound effects, it’s no secret people have their preferred thirst quenchers between the pair.

What about outside of the drink itself though? With Coca-Cola’s decision and announcement to partner with Spotify, PepsiCo has decided to push Pepsi toward the younger market demographic by partner with Twitter. According to a succinct explanation by the Associated Press given here, the main detail of the deal sees Pepsi,

“provid[ing] streaming videos of live music concerts to Pepsi’s followers on the social networking site[, Twitter.] The deal is part of Pepsi’s new global ad campaign that will also feature a TV ad with singer Nicki Minaj.“

Twitter certainly has the potential to be exponentially helpful in reinvigorating consumer awareness and connecting Pepsi with today’s music market trends, particularly considering that the instantaneous and ubiquitous nature of Twitter’s posting and sharing ability often breaks stories to the public. Minaj is the first major music celebrity Pepsi has officially announced as being part of this campaign, collectively titled, “Live for Now,” but seeing as summer (a.k.a. concert season) is quickly approaching on the horizon, more attention grabbing names are sure to be dropped via the micro-blogging site and concerts + free? This is never a bad thing.

I see this move as being a smart one, both aesthetically and financially for PepsiCo/Pepsi. The complete campaign plan, elaborated on more in depth through Reuters, seems like a multi-tiered strategy to bring back the company to the public eye and have it become a positive buzz word once again. Pepsi is no stranger to linking their brand with musical A-listers over the years, with Pepsi’s frequently changed slogan often represented through different artists. (There’s Justin Timberlake, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson and Mary J. Blige to name a few).

So Pepsi is utilizing TV, Twitter and of course, its own websites, in order to increase what Simon Lowden, Chief Marketing Officer of PepsiCo Beverages Co., specifically states (also via Reuters) as, “the relevance and love of the brand.” By newly partnering with music and social media, two entities already deeply ingrained in international society, perhaps Pepsi (at least on paper for now,) has outdone Coca-Cola’s new relationship with the still somewhat teetering Spotify. Of course, this all remains to be seen as both companies’ plans unfold and receive feedback from us, the consumers.

To see “Live For Now” in action, visit Pepsi.com

Kira is an old school music nerd with a love for all things creative; always searching for music’s common ground. She graduated with an M.A. in Performing Arts Administration from New York University. Drop her a tweet @shadowmelody1