The ceremony will honor the nominees and winners of this year’s leaders in music technology, with special guest performances slated for the night.

We hope you will join us on May 14th — you can purchase your tickets at Eventbrite!

The post Tickets Now Available for the 5th Annual FlashFWD Awards! appeared first on SoundCtrl.

Stay up to date over the coming weeks on Twitter and Facebook for updates about the event and profiles of the nominees, we’re incredibly excited!

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Flash forward a year when I attended a Hype Machine event that was hosted in conjunction with Sonos and was given two speakers and a bridge, which connects the speakers to a WiFi signal.  Setting it up, I realized that it’s not a plug-in-and-play type of speaker. You have to download the mobile or desktop app, connect the bridge to the router, plug in the speakers, and follow the app’s instructions for a simple installation.

 

The more effort you put in from the start, the smarter and easier the system can be, whether you place the speakers in separate rooms to play different music simultaneously, find your favorite radio stations to broadcast, or sync your various music accounts including Spotify, Hype Machine, or Pandora.

 

With my Sonos set up, I can easily shift between passive (radio or randomized music) or active (specific artist, album or playlist I’ve created) listening, which is very powerful. Plus there’s the bonus of being able to do this from my ease of my phone or computer.

The design aesthetic of the speakers is modern yet vintage, like something that could fit in THX 1138 or a fancy, expensive new gadget Don Draper might buy on Mad Men–it fits their brand and personality well.

All-in-all, Sonos is for the music junkies, people who can’t live without music or those who know the power music has in bringing people together.  Sonos is for those who engage in living room conversations with friends, queuing up a track by an obscure producer on Sonos via the Hype Machine application.

 

Nothing could replace Sonos’ immediacy and ease of use. If you have $200 to spare on a speaker and a bridge, you’ll find yourself ditching the ones you thought were good during freshman year of college.

David is a music and food obsessive.  He works Live Nation by day, but produces Backyard Brunch Sessions for fun and is a board member here at SoundCtrl.

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Earlier this year, we covered some of the updates to the FlashFWD award winning music discovery app SoundTracking. Today, after a year of  impressive milestones and development, SoundTracking announced a new version of the app with brand new features, including a fresh user interface and a new “discover” section.

Soundtracking’s new UI is simplified and updated for iOS7 optimization, including updated navigation and new user tab bar, higher quality timeline photos, Brighter accent color themes, new fonts, and new icon action buttons. Top friends are also auto-suggested in search and tagging flows to improve efficiency.

Rather than relying upon just a scrolling stream of music moments, SoundTracking has introduced the humanized and friendly “Discover” section.  The feature includes a variety of new discovery options for users who enjoy finding music from different angles.

• “Song Of The Day” – Each day, the editorial staff picks a new track from an emerging or popular artist that we think has an exciting sound, regardless of genre.

• Search – Find music and other fans simply by typing hashtags such as #nowplaying or #tbt.  This allows people to discover music by evolving topics created by music fans, not just by standard genre categories.

• Trending – Changing by the minute, this feature shows what music moments are popular around the world among the SoundTracking community of music lovers.

• Nearby – Based upon our current location, this section shows you what’s popular in your local area and city.  Learn about new music buzzing in your neighborhood and follow some fellow music lovers.

Since SoundTracking launched in 2011, over 40 million music moments have been shared in the SoundTracking community, with over 530 million views. Over 60% of users have tagged their music moment locations over 1 million times, using the location services powered by Foursquare API and Google Maps API.

You can download the new SoundTracking 4.0 on the iTunes app store.

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Microsoft and Indaba Music have teamed up for the Surface Remix Project, promoting both Microsoft’s newly released Surface 2 and Surface Pro and Indaba’s successful contest platform. Surface is Microsoft’s customizable tablet device, which allows users to “click” in different covers that function as type keyboards or touch pads. For the Surface Remix Project, Microsoft has introduced a new remixing application of the same name, as well as the Music Kit, which includes a cover specially made for music production.

The Surface Remix Project comes loaded with a song library powered by Indaba and XBox Music, including pop hits, classic songs, and music from the Indaba community. The Music Kit allows producers to remix on the go, with a backlit touch pad, mixer controls including a transport panel, and an 8×8 pad that will likely support triggering and drum sequencing.

The Remix Project also eases up the production process by automatically syncing BPMs and matching keys between songs with different tempos and keys. The application offers suggestions for sounds and samples that pair well together, making this an attractive deal for the entry-level market.

Microsoft isn’t taking a swing at pro-audio, but by giving away free Surface tablets and Music Kits to producers that submit worthy tunes, they’ll get their grab-and-go hard and software in the hands of eager young producers.

You can enter the contest via Microsoft’s website for a chance to win a free Surface tablet.

The post Indaba and Microsoft Announce Surface Remix Project Contest appeared first on SoundCtrl.

We all know what happens when light hits a crystal. The light is refracted and dances about, creating a visually pleasing physical reaction. Now what happens if you introduce colored LEDs, a wealth of crystal-simulated mirrors and electronic dance music courtesy of female producer-and-vocals duo Krewella? 2013 FlashFWD honoree for Best in Live and leading visual arts studio, V Squared Labs presents: the Volcano.

VJ and founder of V Squared Labs, Vello Virkhaus and lead designer Amanda Hamilton teamed up with fabricator and technical engineer Stefano Novelli to create this architectural masterpiece using reflection mapping to create the synthesized crystalline structure. At 30 feet by 18 feet, the Volcano superstructure is destined to travel to more than 50 venues across North America, acting as a visionary centerpiece for each explosive show.

Making of The Krewella Volcano from V Squared Labs Inc. on Vimeo.

This “Sketch to Stage” video features different chapters of what went on behind the scenes to make the superstructure a reality. “Design” features some of the original sketches and schematics of the Volcano in its early stages. “Fabrication” shows the incredible amount of effort that went into creating the structure itself, from constructing the framework and skeleton to manufacturing the crystals and light panels. “Building” demonstrates the assembly of each piece of crystal structure and the software that brings the Volcano to life. In “Rehearsal,” Krewella comes in to get a feel for the structure and rehearse their routine coordinated with the Volcano itself. The final chapter shows the duo performing live in Austin, TX, using their new and improved light show.

We had the pleasure of interviewing V Squared Labs’ Amanda Hamilton, the lead designer for the Volcano project, to learn more about what went on behind the scenes and what fans can expect from this state-of-the-art piece of lighting, made especially for Krewella.

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SoundCtrl: How was the idea for the Volcano inspired? Was there a specific moment or event that triggered it?

Amanda Hamilton: The inspiration came from Krewella’s Play Hard cover art, which depicts a crystalline explosion. Creating a volcano of exploding crystals became the premise of the design, so from there I studied the mechanics of crystal growth and their formation in nature. The mirrors as a material choice were to enhance the crystalline quality, and their explosive formation focuses your eye on the performers in the center. The crisp definition between the lighting effects outlines the separation of the crystal outgrowth from rocky cluster, and the LED screen acts as an overall environment and light source for the form.

SC: What was the process like transforming the Volcano from ideas to pen and paper and then to a physical centerpiece?

AH: So amazing. As an artist, having a client come to you with the idea of a “crystal volcano” is pretty exciting in itself. After discussing the circulation of the performers and necessary aspects of functionality, it was all form-making and light effects from there. Taking basic material ideas into physical experiments was the most fun, and getting to execute it at an even larger scale was a dream come true.

SC: What do you think is the most innovative and/or impressive aspect of the Volcano’s design?

AH: I think the complexity we achieved through very simple principles. Once we had a mock-up crystal made, we were able to grasp the light potential. There were minimal facets, and we tested it with just a few lights. After seeing the amazing effects on a small scale, we knew that a larger scale was going to produce even more intricate results.

SC: How did you make this massive structure portable for use on the Krewella tour?

AH: I worked with our fabricator, Stefano Novelli, on this aspect of the project. I knew the different configurations that the client desired, so I broke the crystals up into pieces that were small enough to transport while still making sure that the seams were corresponding with the configurations. Stefano made sure every joint and connection was feasible for a tour and simple and quick to assemble.

SC: How exactly will Krewella be interacting with the Volcano, or how will the Volcano interact with the music?

AH: The crystals hide various sets of stairs and platforms that they are able to move around and perform on. This allows them to look like they exist within pieces of the volcano itself. The exploding form is based around a central point which is also where their DJ booth sits. This is meant to draw the viewer’s eye directly to them. The different lighting effects inside and outside the volcano are all programmed with specific looks and colors based on Krewella’s set. Our VJ, LD and the music itself are responsible for the speed and rhythm of these effects.

SC: What reaction do you hope to get from fans who see and experience the Volcano live?

AH: I hope that it takes the music and performance to the next level. The entire structure is meant to enhance the music and aid the performers in creating the experience they’ve always dreamed of. Their fan base is so strong already, so in a way this gives back to the fans who have stuck out Krewella’s performances with no visuals whatsoever.

SC: Do you envision any updates or changes you might make to the Volcano either throughout the tour or after?

AH: We would love to expand upon the Volcano for future tours, maybe adding more pieces and platforms throughout.

SC: How do you plan to use the Volcano once the tour is finished?

AH: It is Krewella’s to keep! We only wish we could keep it here at the lab.

“My team at V Squared Labs and I are always pushing the envelope with existing technology to generate new forms of experiential visual art. The Volcano is our next experimental design integrating lighting, reflection mapping and sculptural form. We are very excited to bring the audience along on this amazing musical and visual journey.” – Vello Virkhaus, Founder of V Squared Labs

The post [Interview] With Their Stunning Crystallized Volcano, Krewella Hopes to Blow Fans’ Minds appeared first on SoundCtrl.

Last week, music streaming service and 2013 FlashFWD winner of Best in Discovery, Songza, announced a successful round of equity financing to the tune of $4.7 million.  Among the many investors are two additional FlashFWD honorees – Troy Carter and Scooter Braun – both of whom were recipients of the FlashFWD SoundWAV Award.

Songza is gaining significant traction since the 2012 launch of its Music Concierge feature that emphasizes situational listening.  The company is quickly shaping up to be a leading lifestyle-enhancement music streaming service, where music and playlists facilitate moods and situations.  Songza hopes to similarly bring personal and curated brands to the listening audience through non-disruptive native advertising.

We had the opportunity to talk with Songza co-founder and CCO Eric Davich about the recent financing, native advertising, and the musical curation of our everyday lives.

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SoundCtrl: Native advertising is meant to incorporate brands into the musical experience of a user’s daily routine.  Can you describe how this advertising will continue to enhance the lifestyle of the listening audience?

Eric Davich: Everything we do on Songza is aimed at making what you’re doing right now better. With Sponsored Moments, our new native advertising solution, we are providing brands with the capability to tap into the personal, trusted connection we have with our users in order to provide contextually relevant experiences at the right place and the right time. So far we’ve worked with brands like Taco Bell and Samsung to provide the Songza audience with great experiences for “Getting Hyped” and “Going Back to College,” and as we continue to integrate more partners you can expect to see brands providing valuable experiences for every moment from everyday situations like “Drinking Gourmet Coffee,” and “Working Out,” to quirky, aspirational scenarios like “Saving the World” and “Quitting Your Job.” In all these cases, we work closely with brands to tell their story with the personality and human touch that Songza users have come to expect from our team of expert curators.

SC: This round of financing include investments by Lady Gaga manager Troy Carter and Justin Beieber manager Scooter Braun.  Will these industry experts help to move Songza forward in any way beyond just the financials?

ED: Our investors and advisors have been extremely valuable mentors and partners. Their passion for our product and our team has been an invaluable resource in growing and scaling every aspect of our business and will continue to be especially important in evolving the ways that we continue to innovate, grow, and monetize our platform. We’ve already had the pleasure of working directly with Atom Factory, Scooter Braun, William Morris Endeavor, and their clients in order to provide great experiences for both their fans as well as the Songza community as a whole.

SC: How will this round of funding directly affect the implementation of native advertising?

ED: We’re a small team (currently 28) with limited resources, so it’s that we continue to add more all-stars to our roster as we grow. This new round of funding will help us add to grow our already amazing team with key engineering, sales, editorial and marketing hires so that we can continue to innovate and improve the user

experience while dedicating a great deal of attention to our clients and business partners.

SC: Songza successfully curates music, and curating advertisements seems to be a logical extension of that.  Does Songza take an active roll in seeking out advertisers to best fit the many moods and experiences of its playlists? 

ED: Absolutely. In the digital age, consumers have become increasingly savvy and immune towards traditional advertisements. In order for brands to actually reach consumers in a meaningful way, they need to contextualize their message in a way that relates to the consumer’s context – not just who they are and where they’re from, but also what they’re actually doing at that very moment. An athletic apparel brand, for instance, has a lot of valuable products to provide to

consumers when they’re “Working Out,” but a consumer will be less receptive to purchasing sportswear at a moment when it’s not relevant like “Bedtime” or “A Fun Cocktail Party.”

SC: Do you hope native advertising will cause users to be more forgiving of ads during Songza’s free music listening experience?

ED: We don’t think that users hate ads, rather they hate ads that are irrelevant to them as individuals. The beauty of Songza’s native advertising solution is that it provides new forms of branded experiences, but also allows brands to better target their traditional ad units in a much more powerful and relevant way at a place and time in which a consumer will be most receptive to the brand’s message. Collaborating with brands on this type of content that’s both native to the platform as well as the user experience helps us better improve every possible moment of our users’ lives.

SC: You’ve announced brands such as Samsung, Nissan, Taco Bell, and Victoria’s Secret PINK as early adapters of the native advertising platform.  Is there now a proven record of greater advertising success over traditional, and potentially more intrusive, advertising?

ED: We’ve had great success so far. With the first native campaigns we’ve done, we’re measuring user engagement with brands not only in terms of clicks and impressions, but also in terms of days spent with brands and users that save branded playlists as one of their favorites. In all the examples you mentioned, these brands have also seen an increase in users that are explicitly broadcasting their brand story and message through social networks as well as frictionless sharing via our deep integration with Facebook’s timeline.

SC: In addition to native advertising, Songza also offers brands options like Pre-Roll Video and Type-In ads.  Do you expect to see a shift in advertising preference from those traditional models to the more integrated native advertising?

ED: The pre-roll video and branded captchas that we’ve recently integrated are great, high impact units that allow us to monetize in a way that doesn’t have to interrupt the user experience in the middle of their listening session. It also makes the relationship between advertisers and consumers very clear in that completing a captcha or watching a video ‘unlocks’ commercial free listening.

Furthermore, we’ve been able to leverage these types of ads to complement our native campaigns to present a high impact ad when a user has opted in to a branded experience. With Taco Bell, for instance, if you opt in to their experience for “Getting Hyped” and click through to listen to their “Hyped All Day” playlist, you’ll see a short video pre-roll that showcases their new Fiery Doritos Locos Taco before you begin listening. This enables brands to provide first a useful tool with the experience in the Concierge followed by a point of purchase. In other words, we think brands will be more successful if they flirt with you before asking for your number.

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A 2012 FlashFWD honoree for “Best in Artist Support,” BandPage has evolved over the years to provide artists with a central profile to control all their artist information and pages across the web. For long, the more than 500,000 artists currently on BandPage have been able to use their BandPage profile as a means to keep their branding consistent and their information up to date across a wide variety of platforms including SoundCloud, Pandora, WordPress, Twitter, Facebook and more.

As of today, for the first time ever, these artists will also gain access to Xbox Music, Microsoft’s premier entertainment service for the TV, phone, PC and tablet and VEVO, the world’s leading all-premium music video and entertainment platform.

In a move that is indicative of BandPage’s mission to be the most effective platform to engage fans and increase artist revenue, the company has partnered with VEVO and Xbox Music to enable musicians to deliver and manage their information directly for the first time on those services including ticketing information, tour dates, merchandise, bios, photos, videos and more.

Hopefully the first step of many, these partnerships indicate a shift in favor of artist empowerment and demonstrates the value of presenting engaging content:

“BandPage offers a great way for musicians and bands to connect directly with their community,” said Jerry Johnson, GM of Xbox Music. “Our customers love the visual experience that comes with Xbox Music on their televisions, phones, and PCs. Leveraging BandPage, an artist can now connect with their fans on Xbox Music using their own words and imagery. It’s a simple but powerful thing.”

And it’s not just about fan engagement. Keeping information up to date means an increase in artist revenues as well.

“Musicians lose revenue when there is a wrong ticket link to their show or when it’s not even listed. We can’t engage our fans if there’s an outdated bio or photos,” said Rusko, DJ and musician. “Now I have the ability to change or add that information and that makes a significant impact to our bottom line.”

For a partner like VEVO, it’s about keeping fans on their site as long as possible by giving them relevant content up front… the last thing a major platform wants is for a viewer to leave the site in search of more information. As President and CEO of VEVO, Rio Caraeff, stated:

“VEVO viewers like to engage with their favorite artists beyond watching their music videos. Through BandPage, we can offer our viewers the most up-to-date artist information across the VEVO platform. This is a win for the artists as well allowing them to share their story with their fans while more effectively promoting and selling tickets to their live shows and merchandise.”

These deals show BandPage’s true vision: that targeted marketing and engagement doesn’t exist solely through social media, you have to find the fans where they reside naturally. As CEO & Founder of BandPage, J Sider, acknowledges, “Over the last couple of years, these music and entertainment platforms have grown to hundreds of millions of fans and will create a new era of targeted marketing and engagement for the music industry.”

We’ll have to wait and see if other BandPage totems make the cross over – such as their new commerce platform “Experiences.” But as the only route to an updated, accurate identity on VEVO and Xbox Music, BandPage can definitely expect to see new interest from artists and fans alike.

The post VEVO & XBOX Music Partner with BandPage to Empower Musicians and Drive Fan Engagement appeared first on SoundCtrl.

The music subscription giant Spotify has always put its focus on playlists, allowing users to create their own, collaborate with friends, and subscribe to others. There are likely billions of playlists on the platform, created by every day users and also by trusted voices (Pitchfork, for example) for every reason under the sun… playlists are rarely random.

But until recently, Spotify offered no curation for this wealth of data. Sure, some apps on the Spotify API aim to help you out (Playlists.net, Tunigo), but Spotify itself offered very little in the way of playlist recommendation.

Browse aims to change that. According to the Spotify blog, Browse will help users find playlists for every mood, moment and trend. A team of 35 musicologists, editors and writers sort through the data to identify the playlists that are gaining traction or that they feel resonate for specific purposes… creating some compilations themselves along the way.

“Spotify Browse adds the human touch to our recommendations, creating a three-dimensional approach to music discovery. Between your friends, our personalized recommendations and real music experts, it’s the perfect formula to ensure you’ll always have the right music for every moment.”

Other music services have struggled to include a similar strategy… iHeartRadio’s “Perfect For” recommends stations based on activity, Apple’s iTunes Radio will feature stations organized by mood, and Jimmy Iovine’s Daisy (rumored for release in the coming months) claims to power its entire service through a mix of human and algorithm based playlist creation.

But when it comes to human based music curation and recommendation, there is one music platform that currently has the upper hand. 2013 FlashFWD “Best in Discovery” honoree Songza created its “Music Concierge” service to be radically different from the competition when it launched in 2012. To those unfamiliar, the service is powered by a group of music experts, creating playlists that are editorially vetted, manually organized into activities/genres/moods, and consistently updated based on user data.

Co-Founder Eric Davich is confident… Despite other music giants like Spotify and Daisy catching on to human-curation and the current diversity of available browsing mechanisms, he is certain that “no one can beat our curation.”

“Our goal with the Music Concierge is to make whatever you’re doing right now, better. We don’t just curate music, we curate soundtracks to peoples’ lives and deliver them in a simple and easy way that doesn’t require digging or mental math. Moreover, our playlists are curated by music experts (music critics, journalists, ethnomusicologists, producers, DJs etc.) and are editorially vetted, updated, and refreshed regularly based on performance.

Additionally, since Songza’s product is lifestyle enhancement (not just music), our platform is a great way for celebrities and brands, who are established expert lifestyle curators in their own right, to contribute their own soundtracks for their fans and the Songza community. Who better to curate a soundtrack for “Putting on Your Party Dress” than a respected fashion designer? Who better than to set the mood for your dinner party than a well respected celebrity chef? Who better to motivate you during your workout than an Olympic athlete?”

Of course, Spotify has an advantage in its favor. Their ability to filter the billions of playlists already being created by their millions of users remains a key selling point, though it’s tough to say whether that will necessarily make the recommendation service stronger. As Davich points out, it’s becoming a crowded space as more and more companies attempt to create “curation-based discovery experiences.”

It’s tough to say whether these services will end up doing a great job at what they set out to do, but what’s for sure is that they’ll need to be radically differentiated in order to stand out. We at Songza are confident that we have a competitive advantage when it comes to curation in that we have the largest library of expertly-curated playlists on the face of the earth and we’ve had a huge head start in mapping those playlists to peoples’ lives and collecting data about our users’ daily activities and musical preferences. This has enabled us to evolve our product to a point where we can surprise and delight each individual Songza user with a personalized and fresh discovery experience no matter the context.”

We’ll see if Browse lives up to it’s promises, but the addition clearly indicates that major music services like Spotify are learning (maybe a bit late in the game) that expert, human recommendation is not only powerful, it’s now necessary.

cover photo via techradar.com

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Tumblr is a platform used by many to piece together bits and pieces of internet life, collecting them into a continuously shifting digital scrap book. A 2013 FlashFWD honoree, Tumblr is a haven for musicians and music lovers a like for just this reason… It brings together the artist and the fan as equals, sharing and re-sharing information as a part of an endless, shared wealth of content.

Enter California-based band Califone.

The digital world has given artists a plethora of products and platforms which can add interactivity and engagement into their music videos… we even dedicated last week’s newsletter to a few recent examples, such as Kanye West’s BLKKK SKKKN HEAD and Bruno Mar’s Treasure Dance.

But what I love about Califone’s recent video for Stitches, off their upcoming album by the same title, is how sweetly it folds itself into the platform by which it’s presented. Set into it’s own Tumblr, “Stitches is an ever-changing ‘music video’ that creates itself on the fly using imagery and animated GIFs drawn from a curated set of blogs within the Tumblr ecosystem.”

It is an exemplary model for what Tumblr does best… gathering strangers around shared topics of interest which are grouped and presented in interesting and ever-changing ways. The pieces slowly drift by, each melting into each other until you hover your mouse over one to get a clearer look. All the pictures and videos featured in the music video are clickable, with the option to add a note to the back of any piece… sending it like a blogable postcard back out to Califone’s page.

The effect is both mesmerizing and slightly eerie… as the video foreshadows with it’s loading message:

“Turn up the volume while we gather the ghosts”

The video was created with filmmaker Braden King and programmer Jeff Garneau. Watch and rewatch it HERE

The post Califone “Stitches” Together Music Video From Tumblr Images and GIFs appeared first on SoundCtrl.

Tomorrow evening, a new off Broadway show will light up the theatre district with the official opening of iLuminate: Artist of Light. I had the chance to get a small preview at SoundCtrl’s 4th Annual FlashFWD Awards last May when we invited 3 of the 11 person cast to close out the ceremony… taking a dark stage and through the power of special suits, transforming each dancer into pieces of light that could move and morph in inhuman ways.

The show was just as awe inspiring.  Music, art, dance and tech all collide onstage to tell a short story that is simple but charming… and while the narrative may be suited for children, the technology used to tell it is nothing if not complex. We had a chance to sit down with show’s director & creator, Miral Kotb, a dancer turned software engineer who not only invented this technology, but has led this group since before their discovery on America’s Got Talent and continues to evolve the methods by which technology can enhance art.

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SoundCtrl: This has been a long journey for you… Would you share with us your story as a dancer turned software engineer?

Miral Kotb: Dance and technology have been a part of my life since I was young–I started dancing as soon as I could walk, and I designed my first computer program when I was 9.  Growing up, I performed Folkloric Dance, studied Jazz and was on the Drill Team, in high school.  In college, I studied both dance and computer science and after graduating, I went to work for Bloomberg as a software engineer.  Shortly thereafter, I was diagnosed with retroperitoneal sarcoma, a rare malignancy usually accompanied by a bleak prognosis.  I continued to work there through my recovery, and after months of physical therapy, found I could dance again though not at the same level I once had.  So, I danced and choreographed and continued to work as a software designer.  Now, with this invention, I have created a way to combine my two passions.  

SC: SoundCtrl is all about the convergence of music and tech, which sometimes seems contradictory. I think that most would consider dance and tech to be inherently at odds with each other as well – one being the expression of the natural, the other, the manifestation of the artificial. What inspired you to meld these opposites?

MK: With a father who danced professionally in Egypt and a mother who is brilliant at crunching numbers, it is not surprising [to me] that I am a dancer and a software engineer, though it has been pointed that this is a very unusual permutation.  One of my mentors was a dancer who was fascinated with technology and it was him that encouraged me to combine these two things.  Before that time, I worked with technology during the day and then attended dance rehearsals in the evening.  He helped me to think about how dance and technology could be combined.  Computer Science is a very creative activity in solving problems and designing software in new and efficient ways.  The arts and technology are not very different from each other–computer scientists are not nerds; they are artists in their own way.  For me, tech was something I was always curious about intellectually but the dance was from my heart and more of an emotional outlet.

SC: Let’s talk tech… what’s going on with those suits exactly? I’ve taken a look with a very untrained eye and to me, they just look like really awesome superhero costumes. How do the suits’ lights trigger at precisely the right moment?

MK: The lights are controlled wirelessly to match the music and choreography to create different illusions throughout the show.  Every light on the suits is programmed specifically for that dancer, in order to emphasize certain body parts and moves over others.  By controlling the lights ahead of time, certain characters are able to appear and disappear within milliseconds.  The light suits add a new and innovative edge to the performance and leave audiences in awe.  

SC: The team got its first spotlight on the 2011 season of America’s Got Talent. How has the technology grown up since the early days?

MK: We invent everyday – internally – to make our product better, our costumes stronger, our set pieces, dances and illusions better.  My team and I are constantly tweaking the technology.  We have created a new way of more accurately controlling the lights that moves us towards a video screen-type of technology.  We’ve also enhanced the light suits to be more durable and to weigh less, with new designs.  One of my goals is to merge technology even further into audience interactive elements.  Currently the audience just watches a performance; ultimately, I’d like them to participate through technology, but we’re not quite there yet. 

SC: At one point, before AGT, you quit your job and invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into this troupe… making you part dancer, part software engineer, part entrepreneur. There aren’t many out there who can claim those achievements and unfortunately, far fewer of those who can are women. What advice do you have for other young inventors and entrepreneurs?

MK: When I first began, I underestimated how much work would be involved outside of the artistic and engineering aspects of iLuminate.  Running a business is not easy and it is so important to have the right people in place to keep it moving so that I can continue to do what I do best and push the technology and creativity further.  Force yourself to delegate, if it is not your nature, and find out your strengths and weaknesses early on so you can hire people to fill in the voids. 

SC: SoundCtrl was lucky enough to get a short preview of Artist of Light when a few members of the team closed the 2013 FlashFWD Awards with a special performance. It honestly blew everyone away and I’m curious, what can we expect to see at the show?

MK: Artist of Light is about an artist who, with his magical paintbrush, can bring to life creatures from his imagination.  The story is told through a mash-up of illusions, technology, dance, foot-stomping music and of course our signature light suits.  

The post iLuminate: Artist of Light is an Entrancing Collision of Music, Dance & Tech appeared first on SoundCtrl.

Today marks the long anticipated release of Björk’s Biophilia App Album for Android. A 2012 FlashFWD winner for Best in Mobile and Tablet, the Biophilia App Album is actually a collection of 10 apps which each correlate to a song on Bjork’s multimedia album of the same name. The apps are also the foundation for the Biophilia Educational Program, a series of interactive workshops to bring science and music instruction to students around the world.

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The lab behind these and many other incredible interactive apps is called Snibbe Studio, led by Scott Snibbe. We had a chance to catch up with Snibbe this week to discuss the Android release (made possible with help from San Francisco-based startup Apportable), and dive further into how “interactivity” melds with media, how apps can elevate this goal, and what to expect from Snibbe Studio later this year.

To purchase the Biophilia App Album for Android, visit the Google Play store.

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SoundCtrl: At Snibbe Studio, you “believe interactivity is capable of no less than bringing our dreams to life.” While some argue that the influence of technology has made art (esp music) more artificial and isolating, why do you advocate that tech can be immersive and even organic?

Scott Snibbe: There’s nothing intrinsic to any medium, or anything at all, for that matter, that’s inherently isolating or connecting. It’s how you use them. People had similar concerns about electronic instruments when they first emerged. We believe technology can be used to enhance people’s ability to create, communicate, and connect with each other. Particularly as the world moves into a maker and remix culture, music and video are the next steps. First it was Tweets, then photos, and next comes …? That’s what we’re working on right now.

SC: As a part of a rising cast of influencers I would describe as creative technologists, you created your first app back in the 1990′s nearly 20 years before smartphones appeared on the market… why apps? What do they offer that music or video alone cannot?

SS: Apps offer interactivity. Humans are interactive. When another person doesn’t respond at all to us, or talks incessantly without listening, it’s rather annoying. The next evolution in media is towards interactivity, where media (music, visuals, images) become interactive and social, the way humans themselves are, and expect others to be.

SC: Playing devil’s advocate for a second… should music really be interactive? Don’t artists record their music specifically so that it can be experienced in the way they intended, over and over again?

SS: For 29,500 years or so, music was interactive and participatory. So much so that when we listen to music, three parts of our brain all light up at the same time: the parts for dancing, making music, and hearing it. But the first two have gradually been removed over the last 500 years, and the last 100 was a novel period with completely recorded music, “one way media.” I believe people will look back at this period as a historical blip. Music was meant to be interactive and participatory. And artists enjoy giving their listeners not just a pre-recorded perfect track, but, perhaps, the feeling of what it’s like to be a musical artist, to immerse them in the creative and social experience they go through when creating performing their own music.

SC: Last year, you joined us as the honoree for Best in Mobile & Tablet at FlashFWD for the creation of Björk’s Biophilia app – to me, this project remains the pinnacle of multi-media and multi-sensory invention. Can you remind our readers about how that came together and elaborate on the Android version released today?

SS: Björk’s Biophilia was the world’s first “App Album” a completely interactive audiovisual-tactile experience where every song has a different visual and audio interactive existence. Some songs are like games, others like interactive music videos, and others like visual instruments. The concept sprung from Björk’s mind, as a project to combine music, nature, and technology. She’s always believed that technology (mostly electronic music) could be a way to bring people closer to nature, and to each other, and her songs bear that out. Every song has a natural element: viruses, dark matter, the cycles of the moon, and so on. And every song has a musicological element: generative music, scales, arpeggios, etc. Technology marries these two elements in each song into an interactive whole.

This week the Android version is released, which fans have been asking for since the project launched. We were able to create the Android version in a unique way, by working with a company called Apportable. They have a system where they have completely re-implemented all the iOS frameworks, so that the same app actually compiles and runs on Android. We were incredibly grateful to that team, and relieved to give up on much more elaborate plans we had for porting the app to Android. We hope people enjoy the Android version, and, in particular, that it enables Björk’s educational programs using Biophilia to be used by more people around the world.

SC: Since Biophilia, you’ve created similar immersive album experiences for Passion Pit’s Gossamer and most recently, for a collection of Philip Glass remixes called REWORK_. In a practical sense, do you think this new type of album can help the industry recover from the collapse of recorded music sales?

SS: I don’t think the app album helps the music industry recover. The phenomenon that’s going on in the music industry is much bigger: people are moving away from purchasing individual pieces of content (songs and videos) towards subscription services, or ad-supported services. Even a paid app is still fitting into this older model, which I believe will be around for some time, but will gradually diminish in favor of subscriptions and ad-support.

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SC: Snibbe Studio recently closed an angel investment from Matthew Papakipos, Engineering Director at Facebook. Can you tell us a bit about the immediate and longterm projects the team is working on?

SS: The project we’re working on is still “stealth,” however, what I can say is that it’s a way to mash up the kind of things we’ve done with visual music to date, and turn these into a giant worldwide community where everyone can participate all day and night. Stay tuned, as this app will come out sometime towards the end of the year!

SC: You’ve had your fair share of amazing projects and artistic partners. Who are some exciting innovators that inspire you and recent products that you admire?

SS: To begin with some of the newer people on the scene, I’ll start with two of my favorite creators, the duo Theo Watson and Emily Gobeille (Design I/O). I saw a preview of a John Lennon app they are going to release this Fall, and it’s just beautiful. I also love Robert Hodgin‘s work, Memo Akten’s, and Quayola. The artists that inspired me the most when I was young (and still do) are James Turrell, Len Lye, Joseph Cornell, Oskar Fischinger, David Byrne, and Laurie Anderson.

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Memo Akten’s “Laser Forest” (2013)

The post Q&A with Scott Snibbe (Snibbe Studio) + Release of Biophilia App Album for Android appeared first on SoundCtrl.

SoundTracking, our 2011 FlashFWD recipient for Best in Mobile & Tablet, announced some major updates today for Android and iOS.

The popular and free music sharing/discovery app is already a go to for those who want to easily share what tracks they’re listening to, in the moment, across multiple social channels. And while some of the updates noted in today’s announcement seem to be a bit late to the game…

…Like the addition of hashtags (so hip)…

Others though show a genuine elevation of the platform’s capabilities. I particularly like the new tools for song requests and music dedications, which add a much more personal element to the service. As their blog states:

Want to ask a friend what their favorite jam is right now? Now you can send song requests privately on SoundTracking and they’ll get a personal notification from you.  Ever wanted to send a follower a song or dedicate a music moment?  Just send a song dedication and that follower will receive a note that you’ve dedicated music to them.  While we’re all having fun broadcasting our music taste and life moments to our SoundTracking followers, this new set of messaging features is a fun way to directly and privately communicate with friends through songs.

Coming from someone who is regularly called out for accidentally advertising my musical guilty pleasures (I may have recommended Carly Rae one too many times through Spotify, sue me), this kind of private, personal touch is a nice addition.

Other new features include:

- SoundTracking in both iOS and Android are now translated in Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese and Korean. All you need to do is install the new update and you should see the translated app automatically if your device is set to those languages already.

- In the Android version, you can post music moments using songs that we might not have in our song database, when using Now Playing or MusicID. We may not have every song known to man in our database, but we wanted to let you add to your music timeline anyway.

- Getting popular and wanting to manage your presence on SoundTracking? You can now delete your own posts and comments, comments by others on your posts, and block users you might not want to interact with.

- Want to embed your favorite music moments into your blog or website? You can now go to your web profile at SoundTracking.com and grab an embed code for any of your posts and just copy & paste into your website.

You can download SoundTracking for free HERE

The post SoundTracking Updates: Adds Hashtags, Song Dedications, Automatic Music ID, etc appeared first on SoundCtrl.

There I was, sitting in the dark, in the way back, watching all of these innovative and game-changing music tech companies receive accolades and celebrate each other’s milestones. My company’s headquarters was only a few blocks away from the Gramercy Theatre where the FlashFWD Awards were being held, but it seemed like it could have been a continent away (or let’s say, New Jersey).

My name is David Ponte and I am the Co-Founder of Audiomack, a music distribution website specifically tailored to help artists showcase and distribute their music. The site was conceptualized by myself and the Co-Founder/CEO, Dave Macli. Both of us are hip-hop fans and digital advertising folks.

Most of the music tech companies being celebrated at FlashFWD received millions of dollars in funding, had large teams of talented engineers focusing multiple hours a day on perfecting the product offering, and proven venture-capitalists guiding the vision of the company. All of these qualities are considered ‘sexy’ by the majority.

Audiomack has absolutely none of that. In fact, when we were approached by investors who were ready to arm the company with hundreds of thousands of dollars and priceless connections, we turned them down. Not because we don’t want funding, (we do!) but because we have an “old fashioned” view on what a business should be; one that doesn’t align with what most VCs have in mind.

We grew Audiomack with the intent to create a great product that people would enjoy AND to do so in a way that allows our founders to profit from it. Too often startups lose focus on this goal.  They end up taking investment from VC’s who are only interested in finding the next Instagram.  This puts them in a position where there are only two outcomes: either sustain hockey stick growth and get acquired, or crash and burn when the money runs out.

So how does Audiomack plan on making more than we spend? We’re already there. In May we earned more than 3 times what we spent. Super sexy!

Since the core expertise of our founders is in advertising, we take advantage of the convergence of brands and media. Brands are looking for engaged audiences and we believe people are most engaged by the artists they listen to. Armed with the knowledge that revenue from albums and songs isn’t what it used to be, we want to bridge the gap between brand advertisers and the musicians who fans follow.

For example, Nas, one of the greatest MCs of all time, released a song on our site recently and it was in response to J Cole’s, ‘Let Nas Down’ song off his Born Sinner album. Over 100,000 people played this song within a few hours. You can read more about the back-story here.

There are many brands that would have chomped at the bit to be involved in what was a momentous moment in music in 2013. Although this was a unique circumstance, artists release songs and albums on Audiomack every minute. The audience is already there, engaged.

If the music is free, or sponsored by a brand, then the artist can be paid by the sponsor to release the music with the brands message attached. The artist is happy they got paid to make music. The fans are happy because they received the music for free, and the brands are happy they reached an engaged, targeted audience unobtrusively. Not to mention, the Audiomack team is happy because we know we have built a sustainable, scalable, and profitable business.

Call us old fashioned, but we like it that way.

The post Sustainable, Scaleable & Profitable Business: Guest Post from David Ponte, Co-Founder of Audiomack appeared first on SoundCtrl.

Music streaming service and 2013 FlashFWD winner of Best in Discovery, Songza, announced a big change to users this past weekend. Once completely free and ad-less, Songza-lovers will note that over the past few months more and more ads have been showing up on both the mobile and the browser platforms.

I haven’t heard any in stream ads yet… but having to type in a brand sponsored message in order to access a playlist on my phone is a recent development that probably had some loyal users annoyed. If you were one of those people, Songza is now offering you the chance to get rid of those ads by joining “Club Songza.”

The move is indicative of model we’ve seen work for many streaming services such as Pandora and Spotify. Club Songza is advertised as only $0.99 per week – “Cheaper than a soda!”

In addition to ad-free streaming, Club Songza members will have double the skips normally permitted and have access to premium content from Songza curators.

With 4.8 million users, this makes Songza a fierce competitor in the digital music game. In addition,it seems as though Songza is expanding its brand partnerships. Last week Songza and HSN partnered to provide background music for the site’s mostly older female shoppers. As reported by Billboard, the partnership includes HSN.com (12 million unique visitors monthly), Ballard Designs, Frontgate and Garnet Hill. I wouldn’t be surprised if more deals like this were in the works.

The post Songza goes “Freemium” with Club Songza appeared first on SoundCtrl.

NEW YORK — Spotify plans to add about 130 jobs, largely engineers, to its workforce here by the end of 2014 and move to a larger headquarters in September, the streaming-music company and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a press conference Wednesday.

Ken Parks, Spotify’s head of content, said he sat alone in the company’s New York office after he took the keys three years ago. With just 20 workers in New York when the office opened, the company now plans to have 200 workers in the city. Spotify will have a total U.S. workforce of about 250.

… Spotify has been growing rapidly. In March, Spotify said it signed another 1 million subscribers since December, bringing the total to 6 million. That makes it the second-largest digital music service behind Pandora, which is the Web’s fast growing one.

With an Internet radio service in 28 countries, it’s quickly adding territories as well as subscribers.

For the full story, visit news.cnet.com

Also, check out Spotify’s Music Ed Hack taking place tomorrow in NYC in partnership with the NYC Department of Education’s iZone.

The post CNET: Spotify to more than double its NY workforce appeared first on SoundCtrl.

Myspace is back…and with a vengeance. Having officially launched last Wednesday, propelled by massive celebrity endorsements and a $20 million ad campaign across broadcast, cable, radio, and digital properties, Myspace looks to rebuild its dominance in social media, but this time, with its focus in music sphere.

You can watch the ad campaign here:

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Potential Advantages

Not only does the new Myspace appeal to musicians, but it also seeks to dominate the creative sphere, connecting songwriters, journalists, photographers, videographers, and artists of all sorts in an interconnected social stratosphere that cleverly links existing multimedia and social media platforms. Perhaps the biggest advantage to the Myspace platform is the updated and simplified iOS app that allows easy access to write posts and “create”, even featuring a GIF maker.

Importantly, it looks as though mobile will fuel their social platform and drive the user experience and growth of the website. In order to succeed as a music service, they must first satisfy this social network need, which, at first glance, they definitely have. Importantly, while Facebook and Twitter dominate the social network sphere, the pecking order for digital music services is not set in stone, allowing a huge opportunity for Myspace.

Challenges

While Myspace will likely generate a significant user-base through its ad campaign, the fact remains that Myspace is competing in a very crowded field, and may be too late to the game to lead the domain. Particularly, with MyRadio, Myspace will find itself in a highly competitive Internet-radio marketplace, where waves of new entrants (such as Apple) seek to uproot successful companies such as Pandora.

What’s more, as Myspace chief creative officer Keith Tilford acknowledged, the company does have an “existing brand issue.” They are hoping the massive ad campaign will help with this.

User Experience

In order to move from the intangible to the tangible, I signed up for Myspace to see what it was all about.

After spending some time on the site, labeling myself as a “Musician,” “DJ/Producer,” “Writer,” and “Promoter” (you get to choose four), on first look, I like it. The site flows nicely, is intuitive, and allows you to easily access any creative individual you would need. It’s as easy as filling in a few search criteria. For example, if I was an electronic music producer and wanted to find a photographer for a photo-shoot, or a graphic designer to assist with album art, or a promoter to help with an upcoming show, I can easily search through the Myspace database to find what I need. Perhaps the most useful part is that you can refine the search to a specific zip code.

While only time will tell, it does appear that Myspace has a lot to offer musicians and all creative individuals alike. It surpasses the musician-to-musician connection dynamic, and sees the bigger picture, allowing any entrepreneurial artist expansive opportunities to connect with each other. However, while it does possess these benefits, it is more designed as a social stratosphere than a music promotion platform. For example it is hard to believe its service would replace that of Soundcloud and Youtube as listening platforms. Though, it will surely augment them.

Like all music social media platforms, the more artists join, the more potential to create and thus an exponential growth in activity. And if you are like every other starving artist out there, using another social media platform can only help to expand your network.

My advice: Sign up. It’s free. There’s no reason not to.

For more information visit:

Myspace.com

AdWeek

Billboard.biz

The post Myspace is Back and Looking to Dominate the Creative Sphere appeared first on SoundCtrl.

The Fourth Annual FlashFWD Awards
Wednesday, May 22nd 2013

HONOREES

Best in Discovery – Songza
Best in Live – V Squared Labs
Best in Mobile & Tablet – Instagram
Best in Artist Support – Tumblr
Best in Gaming – SoundPlay by Pitchfork & Intel
SoundWAV Honoree – Questlove

PERFORMERS

Robert Delong
Joey Bada$$
iLuminate
Charles Yang

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

Internet Week NY
Trident
Pepsi Digital Labs
ZUUS Media
GIG-IT
ooVoo
Citi Private Pass
Eventbrite
Stache Media

The post The Fourth Annual FlashFWD Recap Video appeared first on SoundCtrl.

Since its inception in 2010, FlashFWD has evolved each year with the steady growth of music tech – a movement that has always forced change within the music industry and continues to shape its future. Just walking downstairs you could feel the energy and excitement from attendees before the ceremony as they explored our interactive hall featuring a 3D printing doodle bar, an exhibition by Foldable.me and music videos programmed by emerging radio service ZUUS Media.

The ceremony gathered the best and brightest in this movement to celebrate six incredible honorees and all of the FlashFWD nominees, who have each proven to challenge and evolve the ways we cultivate and consume music.

The night opened with a performance from emerging artist, Robert Delong, a self proclaimed “tech guy” whose performance of hit single “Global Concepts” had him hopping between a drum set and a Wiimote controller.

The GRAMMYS social guru, Lindsay Gabler, presented Best in Discovery to the Songza team who said, “We’re really honored to be honored for being a great discovery app. What we aim to do is help you discover what’s perfect for you right now.”

FlashFWD partner Trident presented Best in Mobile and Tablet to Instagram. With over 100 million monthly users, 40 million photos uploaded per day and 8,500 likes per second, Instagram is a tool that artists of all levels have embraced to better connect with their fans.

Comedy duo and FlashFWD hosts, ItsTheReal, then took to the stage with the help of violinist Charles Yang for a memoriam that had us all laughing as we remembered those tech companies we “lost” this year – including Spinner, the OLD Myspace, etc.

Best in Live went to V Squared Labs, the experiential visual art production studio behind the legendary Amon Tobin ISAM tour, the Skrillex Mothership tour, and Infected Mushroom. Eventbrite and Robert Delong welcomed CEO and Creative Director Vello Virkhaus to the stage, “I’ve been doing performance visuals since 1993 so it’s been great to grow with the electronic dance music community and work with amazing artists.”

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GIG-IT, a new 3D concert gaming experience for Facebook, then took to the stage to introduce our brand new category Best in Gaming and our 2013 honoree, SoundPlay by Pitchfork & Intel. Chris Kaskie, President of Pitchfork Media was unable to attend but accepted via video, “When we set out to make SoundPlay we thought it would be not just appropriate, but exciting, to pair up an independent gaming community with the independent music community that we’ve covered for such a long time.”

An incredible performance by NYC’s own emcee Joey Bada$$ led into a FlashBKWD from the 2012 Best in Artist Support honoree, BandPage, who passed the torch to Nate Auerbach of Tumblr – “As a platform that is most well known for being imaged-based, it’s great to be recognized in the music space for what we’ve been doing with artists.”

We’d then come to the pinnacle of the evening, the presentation of the SoundWAV Award to our 2013 honoree Questlove. Last year, Steve Stoute (CEO at Translation) presented this award to Scooter Braun… this year, we were honored to have with us legendary producer Swizz Beatz who in addition to working with the likes of Jay-Z, DMX, Beyonce, Kanye West, and Bono, is also a recent executive board member with electronics company Monster, and has lent his creative contributions to the likes of global brands such as Reebok and Lotus Cars.

Swizz spoke to us about the importance of investing in and nurturing the growth of new technologies that will help push the music industry forward. He then welcome Questlove to stage, handing over the crystal award to the drummer/producer/educator who looked down at it saying “Who knew that talking about Peanut Butter Cap’n Cruch for five hours on Twitter would help me get here…” We also caught up with him backstage where he told Fuse, “It’s nice to be recognized… now that it’s manifested in my hand right now, I have to say that this is a nice honor and I appreciate it.”

SoundCtrl Co-Founder Jesse Kirshbaum closed out the evening remembering the past and thinking towards the future…

“We started SoundCtrl 5 years ago when there was no music tech scene in NYC. Now music companies like Spotify can launch in the US with multi billion dollar valuations and DIY artist like Macklemore have back to back singles on the top of the pop charts…

For the past 10 years the music industry has been at the forefront of a digital revolution and now we are starting to see that next evolution of the business.”

Then, brand new Broadway show iLuminate hit the stage with a performance that brought everyone in the house to their feet. Such a spectacular example of the convergence of music and technology was truly the perfect way to end the evening.

We’d like to thank all our partners who include Internet Week NY, Trident, Pepsi Digital Labs, ZUUS Media, GIG-IT, ooVoo, Eventbrite, Citi Private Pass, Stache Media, and Newcastle. Your continuing support and enthusiasm is what is fueling this movement.

For more coverage on SoundCtrl’s FlashFWD, check out FUSE, VIBE, Billboard.biz and Billboard’s Backbeat

The post The Fourth Annual FlashFWD Comes to a Close appeared first on SoundCtrl.

Check out what happened behind the scenes with Fuse TV, including how performers like Robert Delong and iLuminate get their message and music out there and what honorees such as Tumblr, Songza and Questlove think about the music tech movement and the FlashFWD awards.

Check it out below and go see the full recap here

The post VIDEO: Behind the Scenes at FlashFWD with Fuse appeared first on SoundCtrl.

SoundCtrl has always been interested in the relationship between music and technology. From recording tracks, to releasing albums, to getting thousands of people through the doors for that one epic concert, when music and technology work together it’s a powerful combination. Today’s popular online ticketing service, Eventbrite, works to bring music and technology together in perfect harmony—powering live events like never before.

Unlike other ticketing agencies that are heavily involved in every step of the process, Eventbrite lets event organizers easily create online event pages, sell tickets and registrations, accept payments, and promote their events from a single place. No more crazy fees. No more confusing terms of service. No more middle man. Eventbrite has proven itself to be a horizontal platform that can be utilized for anything from a 60,000-person concert to an intimate show, and provides versatile features that support the different needs of each type of event. A festival is not the same as a symphonic concert, which is not the same as a music business seminar. And how attendees might like to buy their tickets and hold onto them is not the same either. Eventbrite accounts for all of these distinctions in its ticketing and registration services, its built-in social-sharing tools and its user-friendly mobile app.

Having processed over 100 million tickets to date, Eventbrite has become a household name in the events industry, while maintaining its simplicity and accessibility. We recently had the opportunity to talk with Eventbrite’s Vice President of Marketing, Tamara Mendelsohn and covered everything from what’s popular in music industry tech to how Eventbrite benefits its users, and not the other way around.

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Sound Ctrl – Can you tell me a bit about the growth and evolution that Eventbrite has undergone since its inception?

Tamara Mendelsohn - Since our founding in 2006, Eventbrite’s goal has been to democratize ticketing through technology. We empower anyone to organize and create a live experience, and to seamlessly sell tickets for that event. We set out to create a self-service, easy-to-use ticketing platform, fueled by the best technology.

We started in 2006 as a very small team led by husband and wife co-founders Kevin and Julia Hartz. Over the last 6 years we’ve grown to nearly 250 employees, sold over 100 million tickets in 179 countries, and surpassed $1.5 billion in gross ticket sales. In 2012 alone we ticketed 500,000 events—40,000 of which were concerts and music festivals.  It’s been quite the journey to say the least.

We’ve had a number of defining moments along the way. One major moment for us came in 2008 when we discovered how powerful social media was in influencing ticket sales. Events are unique in that they are inherently social and people want to share events that they discover with their friends. We saw this happening, and that it was fueling ticket sales as a result. So, social media became a core part of our strategy from very early on. We were one of the first Facebook Connect partners. We built the tools to integrate social sharing into our platform, and continue to evolve and push the limits on social.

Music has also had its defining moments on Eventbrite. Eventbrite is by design a horizontal platform, with events across all types and categories, from conferences to marathons to concerts. But music is one of the most powerful live experiences, and has become one of our major focal points.

Our music events started out primarily with smaller and more intimate shows, but the industry has increasingly pulled us into bigger and bigger events like music festivals. In 2011 we ticketed a Black Eyed Peas charity concert in Central Park. This was a 60,000-person concert and another major milestone for us. Since then, we’ve worked with a number of large festivals and promoters, including Governors Ball Music Festival in New York and Hangout Music Festival in Alabama this year. We also announced a partnership with Disco Donnie Presents, who produces over 1,000 electronic dance events each year.

But with all this growth and progress, we still feel like this is just the beginning and we have so much more that we want to do and accomplish.

SC – What are some major industry trends that are affecting live music right now?

TM - Mobile.  Multi-channel engagement can no longer be ignored in the live music scene.  More and more, fans expect to get all the info they want, wherever they are, whenever they want, and on their choice of device. They are looking for mobile experiences, both to augment the event through additional content and to easily find information. Today we’re seeing over a quarter of our traffic coming from mobile pages. We’ve had nearly 2.7 million downloads of our mobile app, which allows our attendees to access their paperless tickets and event information easily from their phone.  They can also now see which of their Facebook friends are going to an event.

We’re also innovating with our partners in mobile—at the events themselves. For the first time, at this year’s Governors Ball Music Festival, fans can access their e-ticket, lineup & schedule, and a venue map all in one app. Eventbrite is working with Founders Entertainment and Aloompa to improve the attendee experience by bringing everything they need for the festival into one solid app.

Live Streaming Events. The notion of live music is evolving, and extending beyond the concert venue into our homes and onto our devices. We’re starting to see artists and promoters engage with their fans through live content, like streaming concerts or shows. It’s a way to interact with your fans beyond the physical event, and reach a bigger audience that isn’t constrained by geography or venue.

Some of our own organizers have begun to explore this opportunity. A recent example is Disco Donnie Presents and Mixify on the official Meltdown Digital Pre-Festival. This was an interactive streaming experience with the DJs from the Meltdown Music Festival taking turns spinning live in a virtual room on Mixify.com a few days before the main event. The digital event was really successful and drummed up even more excitement for the main festival. There was a lot of positive feedback from the fans.

SC -  What are some of the user and attendee benefits of creating/attending an event through Eventbrite? Does one need to be well-versed in marketing to properly promote their event?

TM – In the beginning, our event organizers came on board because we were a fully accessible, easy-to-use ticketing platform with low fees. As the technology has evolved and we’ve innovated on social, mobile and big data, the role that we play in their events has also evolved. Today, for the event organizer we are not just a ticketing solution but a promotional platform for them to sell more tickets and reach more fans.

We bring real expertise in social media and event distribution so that our customers don’t necessarily have to be well-versed in marketing or promotion. We are constantly innovating with social media, and have measurable results that show real impact on ticket sales. We’ve optimized our solution for organizers to share their events on Facebook, and for attendees to share events they are discovering.  We know that on average every Facebook share of an Eventbrite event results in $4.15 in additional revenue to the organizer—and this number is even higher for Eventbrite music events. We also send relevant, timely event notifications to fans when two or more of their Facebook friends buy tickets to the same event. This is powerful for music events because it literally turns your fans into your biggest promoters—so you’re not reaching just your existing fans but new fans as well.

We also have our event recommendation e-newsletters, with more than 12 million subscribers. Each newsletter is unique and customized to the person receiving the email. We power these recommendations with a huge amount of rich data: our algorithm processes terabytes of data each day about the events that the fans have been to, their interests, location, and what events their friends like or have attended to suggest these lists of events. This helps attendees discover great events that are relevant to them, and therefore helps organizers sell more tickets.

A lot of the power lies in the data we provide to event organizers. We believe that every customer should have real-time access to all of their data. We give our customers charts and dashboards to be able to monitor their sales and analyze trends anytime, and therefore make smarter business and marketing decisions.

All of this means that the organizer has greater tools to help promote their event. Some of it happens automatically without the organizer needing to drive it—social media amplification and event recommendations, for example. Some of it is about giving the organizer powerful levers like sales data and tracking analytics so that they are empowered to make the best decisions.

For the fan or event attendee, we offer an easy, secure way to find and purchase tickets to all kinds of great events and across all kinds of devices. We keep our ticket fees low. And we help attendees discover relevant new events that they’ll love, and share them with their friends. Our event recommendation newsletters have open rates of 40-50%, some of the highest rates in the industry.  We also pride ourselves on our quality of service. Our customer support team operates 24/7—because events don’t stop happening after 9pm or on weekends.

SC- We’re thrilled to hear about everything Eventbrite has going on and equally as thrilled to have it play such an integral part in all of SoundCtrl’s event hosting experiences. Thanks for chatting with us!

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

The post Eventbrite: A shining platform, taking event access to the next level appeared first on SoundCtrl.

Though you may not have heard of Superfly, you’ve definitely heard of their most famous event, Bonnaroo.  We spoke to Superfly partner Ken Weinstein about the fans, the atmosphere and the attractions that the popular Bonnaroo, Outside Lands and Googamooga festivals are known for.

SoundCtrl – Who do attendees tend to be more excited for in terms of social media and word-of-mouth activity: the next big thing or an old favorite?

Ken Weinstein – It really varies; our fans are extremely social and they love turning each other onto new music.  It’s a really strong community filled with people who trust each other.  But you also see Twitter and Facebook explode when the fans are blown away by seeing legends do their thing.

SC – Vibe-wise, can you describe some of the differences between the atmospheres at Googamooga, Bonnaroo and Outside Lands?

KW – Well, with Googa that’s a whole other experience because it’s a food fest first.  And it’s in NY so automatically the energy is different.  It’s fascinating to watch the people deal with chefs and restaurants as rock stars essentially.  There is the same excitement.  People just want to try everything, so they’ll get food and then eat it while waiting in the next line for more food.  Outside Lands is a music festival with a strong food element.  At Googa, the food is the star. At Outside Lands, the food shares the spotlight with the music.  Golden Gate Park sets the tone and it’s just a tremendous vibe there.  It’s so beautiful there.  People are so excited to hang in the park and see these incredible bands and eat this unbelievable food and have all of Sonoma and Napa come to their front door.  And Bonnaroo is a completely different world.  It’s its own ecosystem.  It’s not a city fest; it’s a camping festival.  It’s a destination that people from all over the world come to.  Fans come to live with us for 4 days on the farm.  That makes it very different from all the fests.  It’s a gateway to the summer.  People feel very comfortable and free there.  They let their hair down and just love being a part of the legendary tradition that is Bonnaroo.  It’s very special.

SC – What are some of the aspects that are improved, changed or evolved for these festivals year to year?  How much do attendees contribute to those enhancements?

KW – Every year we strive to update and improve.  We really spend a lot of time after each event breaking it down and exploring every minute element to see how we can do it better next time. Whether that’s figuring out what attractions to add to make it a more fun experience or how much more infrastructure we can add to make the festival more comfortable, easy and functional.  Our fans know we’re very open to hearing their suggestions and opinions.  We take them quite seriously and weigh them all when figuring out how to improve each year.

The post Better Know a FlashFWD Nominee – Superfly appeared first on SoundCtrl.

Last year we brought you a full day of dynamic speakers ending in an interview with SoundCtrl’s own Jesse Kirshbaum and the legendary industry critic Bob Lefsetz.

To register for a FREE pass to MUSIC TECH DAY visit InternetWeekNY.com and use discount code HQ_MUSICTECHDAY

This year kicks off at 12:00 PM at 125 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011

12:00PM – 12:45PM: Big Data vs Big Engagement 

Success does not just mean driving big numbers, but ensuring big engagement in real time. In 2013, we have seen the rise of real time marketing and its impact on engagement. It’s more than numbers and passive consumption, but detecting if your content is connecting with your audience.

Moderator: Beverly Jackson (Senior Director Marketing and Social, The GRAMMYS)

Panelists:

- Alex White (Co-Founder and CEO, Next Big Sound)

- Brandon Martinez (Co-Founder & CEO, IND music)

- Matt Corey (CEO, Mass Relevance)

- Allison Moore (Associate Director of Advertising, Social Media Marketing, & Consumer Research – ‘stache media, a division of RED and Sony Music Entertainment)

12:50PM – 1:10PM: ooVoo with Warner Music on SXSW Warner Live tech/social 

Warner Music and ooVoo teamed up at sxsw to create VIP concert experiences for half a million fans who could not travel to Austin. For the first time ever, groups of fans could see and hear each other while watching live performances by Macklemore, Paramore, Flaming Lips, Icona Pop and others via ooVoo video chat. Find out how it was done and how they plan to change “music television” forever!

Speakers:

- Larry Lieberman, CMO, ooVoo

- Lori Feldman, SVP Brand Partnerships & Music Licensing Warner Bros

1:00PM – 1:45PM: Best Practices: Going Digital DIY 

Ariel Hyatt leads this discussion with Oberhofer on how to build and cultivate a loyal fanbase, grow personal brands, and sell more music/tickets/merch as an indie or just starting artist. The conversation also includes representatives from some of the leading artist support platforms like PledgeMusic, Indaba, and others to engage artists in a discussion of how they’ve found success using these digital tools and what might still be missing in the space.

Moderator: Ariel Hyatt (President & Founder, Ariel Publicity)

Participants:

- Brad Oberhofer (Artist & Producer, Glassnote Records)

- Jayce Varden (Co-founder & COO, PledgeMusic)

- Nate Lew (VP Partnerships, Indaba)

2:05PM – 2:50PM: Streaming It: The Tipping Point 

Over the past 10 years, the average person’s record collection has shifted from his bedroom wall, to his computer hard drive, to now, possibly, just a feed on his social channels. The industry has witnessed a great shift from traditional purchase models to a growing number of digital streaming platforms that compete based on varying factors such as access, personalization, and social capabilities. This session seeks to understand why access suddenly became preferable to ownership and predict how this model will evolve in an ever-changing landscape of competition and demand. How will we be discovering and sharing music and video in the next few years?

Moderator: Andrew Hampp (Senior Branding Correspondent, Billboard)

Panelists:

- Matt Ostrower (Senior Director of Artist Partnerships & Programming, Pandora)

- Steve Goldstein (CEO and Founder, ZUUS)

- Daniel Hayek (Director Education + Community, Vimeo)

2:55PM – 3:15PM: Game Changer: Revenues in the Virtual World

GIG-IT is the first and only virtual 3-D concert game for Facebook that brings together social gaming, music, fashion and fun. Players will have a unique platform to interact with their favorite musicians, engage with brands in new ways, and showcase their inner artist by sharing their concert creation with the social world. Founder and CEO John Acunto takes the stage to discuss this brand new platform in music and gaming and talk about his experience in investing and developing new music technology over the past 20 years.

Speakers: John Acunto (Founder & CEO, 212 Decibels & GIG-IT)

The post Announcing SoundCtrl’s Music Tech Day at IWNY appeared first on SoundCtrl.