B.o.B is set to release "Magic (feat. Rivers Cuomo of Weezer)" on October 25 through Atlantic Records, the track is taken from his critically acclaimed Top 20 debut album B.o.B presents: The Adventures Of Bobby Ray, which was released here in May. He has also been confirmed to support Paramore on their upcoming UK arena tour which kicks off in Nottingham at the Trent FM Arena on November 8 and includes two dates at London's O2 Arena on November 13 / 15.
"Magic" follows two massive UK number one singles - "Nothin' On You (Feat. Bruno Mars)" and current single "Airplanes (feat Hayley Williams of Paramore)". "Airplanes" hit the number one spot three weeks upfront of its official release and is still riding high in the top ten, combined the two tracks have so far sold in excess of 700,000 copies in the UK alone whilst worldwide sales are approaching 5 million with no sign of slowing. In the US B.o.B presents: The Adventures Of Bobby Ray debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.B.o.B's dates with Paramore in November will be the Atlanta rappers first return to the UK since he hit London at the end of May for a triumphant sold out show at Kings College. The Guardian declared - "B.o.B will be H.U.G.E." (4 stars), whilst The Times said "In Britain we prefer our rap home-grown, but B.o.B is an exception...he bought a breath of fresh air back to rap." (4 stars). Having just wrapped up a sold out US tour supporting Atlantic labelmate Lupe Fiasco B.o.B has just kicked off a headline tour of his own across the US.
"B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray", sees the resourceful rapper producing the majority of the album by himself, while also playing multiple musical instruments, including piano, trumpet and French horn. In addition, B.o.B is joined by a star-studded line-up of surprising special guests, including Hayley Williams of Paramore, T.I., Eminem, Janelle Monáe, Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, Playboy Tre, and Lupe Fiasco. Endlessly inventive tracks such as "5th Dimension" and "Magic" offer a fascinating journey into a gifted new talent's far-reaching imagination.
Tickets are on sale from the official website
November dates supporting Paramore -
Mon 8 NOTTINGHAM Trent FM Arena NEW DATE
Wed 10 LIVERPOOL Echo Arena
Thu 11 SHEFFIELD Arena
Sat 13 LONDON O2 Arena SOLD OUT
Mon 15 LONDON O2 Arena
Tue 16 BIRMINGHAM LG Arena
Thu 18 NEWCASTLE Metro Radio Arena
Fri 19 MANCHESTER MEN Arena NEW DATEMORE INFORMATION:
Friday, August 20, 2010
B.o.B Confirmed To Support Paramore On 2010 Uk November Tour
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The New Demo Tape
The New Demo Tape
by Mike Pineau (@mikejpineau).
From the minute a shaggy-haired kid plugs his slightly used guitar into his slightly used amp, frailly strumming his first chord, he dreams of making it big - selling out stadiums, buying mansions, decorating said mansions with endless platinum records. Like most kids, he dreams of being discovered by an A&R scout through his band’s demo tape. In the case of A&R scouts, the same applies in a sense. The twenty something dreams of getting the demo of the next big thing, making his bosses happy and getting that big chair and that big office.
"In the digital age, the... demo tape is not dead."
In the digital age, the traditional demo tape is not dead. Calling anything non-human dead is foolish. Just ask vinyl collectors. However, the traditional demo is no longer the best way for a band to get exposure. Sure, there have been artists signed on the strength of their demos this year. The industry is too massive to exclude such a thing from happening. Although all four majors refuse to accept demos for a variety of reasons (mostly attorney-driven), many indies still do, relying on armies of interns to listen to the first thirty seconds. The truth is that the sheer amount of music being made in what I call the “Garageband Era” - an era of mass, high-quality bedroom recording on a shoestring budget - makes the traditional demo submission route grossly ineffective. Artists should still have a demo available, but submitting it to labels without a prior relationship there, even if the songs are amazing and life changing, is generally a waste of resources and postage.
The best use for these “old school” demos can be found in fan-to-fan promotion. Handing out demo CDs after shows, hiding flash drives in random places and placing download cards on cork boards can slowly gather a crowd, boost name recognition and establish a “brand” of fans that acquire the music and take a personal stake in promoting an artist. These are the same fans that wear artist shirts, talk about music with their friends and record cover songs. Having an established fan base would definitely make an artist more palatable to a label which has its pick of artists that it could sign. Demos are still useful for cultivating this relationship.
In terms of making an artist visible to a label, for the past ten or so years, the answer has been MySpace; it has become a cliché. Many artists create pages on the site before they even write a single song. Many people still consider MySpace to be a music destination, but today this mostly applies for artists looking to maintain a fan base, not establish or grow one. MySpace as a tool to connect artists with A&R scouts has become largely ineffective for several reasons. First, because of the “Garageband Era” of music, the sheer number of artists on MySpace make the site ineffective for music discovery. Also, there are many artist profiles without a single song in the music player, yet they may have thousands of friends and pages of pictures. In addition, many artists choose to promote by spamming the comments of more popular artists hoping for a click through. Some include a flash player in their comments to override the artist’s own player. The number of active users on MySpace is also declining compared to other social networking sites and MySpace has been slow to make changes in response to the decline, especially in regards to artist profiles. Colbie Caillat and Owl City may have found fame through plays and friends, but the time of MySpace for artist discovery has largely passed.
"Twitter is not the future of digital A&R - yet."
The emergence of Twitter in the last couple years has led to speculation about the possibilities of artist discovery through the service. Without native audio, video and photo sharing capabilities, Twitter is not the future of digital A&R - yet. It most certainly could be, but as is the service has the most use in growing and maintaining artist-to-fan and fan-to-fan relations. Fans could use Twitter to spread the word about the great artist they just heard. Trending topics could be spurred by a lyrical meme. The service is still in its infancy as an artist discovery engine though. It runs the risk of becoming a marginal player in artist discovery unless the service adds more features for artists to connect with fans and, ultimately, labels.
With MySpace largely being left behind and Twitter still part of an undecided future, digital A&R should look towards video. In a sense, they are already there, but it has yet to be fully embraced. YouTube, the popular video sharing site owned by Google, is the best artist discovery medium available for the Garageband Era. A&R departments need to pay closer attention to YouTube. It should not be a mere part of an A&R or marketing strategy, but a central component. Of course, this does not just apply for discovering artists, but also for promoting their debuts and extending their careers.
Justin Bieber has probably been the best example of YouTube being used for artist discovery, albeit unintentionally. Justin’s mother posted videos of her thirteen year old’s singing on YouTube. Island Def Jam scout Scooter Braun was doing research on another artist when he accidentally clicked on one of Justin’s videos. He tracked the young Canadian down and got him an audition with Usher and later with L.A. Reid. He later was signed to Island. Bieber has continued to embrace the service that enabled his discovery. His video for ‘Baby’ is the most viewed music video on YouTube of all time and many of his early videos - including the one seen by Scooter Braun - have enormous amounts of views, which further serve to promote his career.
The way Bieber was discovered is the way many users discover videos on YouTube - by accident. On YouTube, users go searching for one thing but may end up seeing another, related video - even if the relation is only that other users also accidentally clicked on the same thing. Of course, not all videos on YouTube are clicked on by accident. For some, it’s curiosity.
"In the case of Susan Boyle, curiosity drove popularity."
In the case of Susan Boyle, curiosity drove popularity. A video of spinster Boyle performing on Britain’s Got Talent in the UK slowly gathered views and others clicked because of the growing views. YouTube allowed Boyle to establish a fan base in the United States, an entire ocean away from where Britain’s Got Talent aired. She went on to sell four million albums in the US, an astonishing number in the Garageband Era. Boyle’s fan base is much different from the tween fan base that Bieber has gathered, which shows that YouTube connects with younger and older audiences alike. A&R in the digital age should look towards YouTube to find these artists and connect them with audiences regardless of what demographic is desired.
The power of YouTube also reinforces the best way that artists and A&R scouts can connect to each other - live performances. Not just okay live performances either, but highly tuneful and well rehearsed performances that show that artists are ready for the big time. Search for Tyler Ward, Julia Nunes, Emily Elbert or James Dupre. YouTube allows A&R departments to see videos of these performances from their offices and to see the potential in an artist. A demo CD, a MySpace URL or a tweet offers little in comparison. YouTube is essentially the new demo tape. A&R departments should realize the power of YouTube for artist discovery and promotion, instead of just using it as a place to host music videos. It is the Garageband Era’s central artist discovery medium and, along with live performances, the best way for labels to discover and assess an artist’s viability.
Mike Pineau (@mikejpineau) is from Boston, MA. He is twenty-two and has a strong interest in A&R and music technology. Here at Hypebot, he will be discussing A&R-related topics and also the role that technology will play in A&R departments of the future. It is his hope that his internship with Hypebot will help him start a career in A&R at a record label or publishing company.
via hypebot.com
Friday, July 30, 2010
Why You MUST Create Your Brand If You Want To Build A Successful Digital Career
It still makes me want to cry at night to see so many people trying to establish their online career, while missing out on the essential:
You are a brand, whether you like or not.
The question you should ask yourself:
Am I creating a bland brand that’s forgettable, or am I creating a kick-ass killer epic personal brand that shines brighter than a thousand suns ?
This is a bit of the top, but if you treat your online presence like a brand, you have maaany advantages :
- You have a crystal-clear vision
Most people are confused. They really are. When they start their building their online presence, they have no clue what their core message is. What do they stand for ? What’s they unique story ? If they don’t know, then the readers and clients don’t know, and that means hasta la vista digital career.
Every good brand has a mission or a story that’s worth talking about.
They know what they stand for, which makes it easy to create raving fans and kick-ass business opportunities.
- You own a grrreat digital presence
Well-created brands have a stronger presence. It’s not my opinion, it’s fact. Those peeps and companies get talked about…everywhere. Fans are spreading their message via tweets, Facebook-shares and articles.
You know how you call that ?
Free mass marketing.
Su-weet.
- You stand out from the crowd
There’s a word that every average entrepreneur fears: competition.
If you are like everyone else, you have to compete against everyone else.
And if you happen to be in a popular niche, you can imagine the nightmare you have to go through. You against the rest of the world. Well, good luck with that.
But if you are an incredible brand, you have way better chances.
You are easy recognizable. People remember you. There may be thousand others in your niche, but that doesn’t matter.They fade away by the shiny rays that emit from your unique brand.
- You can charge…wayyy more
I can see the dollar signs shining in your eyes already, but it’s true: cool brands can charge more. Way more.
How many internet marketers are out there that teach you how to sell more stuff online ? Thousands. How many launch coaches are out there ? Mmm, I can give you one: Dave Navarro .
This guy is kicking digital ass on every level.
Why ? Because he built himself a killer brand, and found ways to make himself stand out in an over-crowded niche.
He has a short sharable story. His design is unique. He’s networking with influencers. He’s producing killer content flavored with a take-no-prisoner style. He’s helping people get what they want.
In short – he’s a kick-ass digital brand, which allows him to charge 250$ for a consulting hour. Nice one.
- You enjoy stellar options in dark times
Your money is super-tight, but you need either a kick-ass ebook or consulting ? Whom will you bless with your green gold – the cookie-cutter what’s-his/her-name-again or the maverick of his niche ?
The answer is clear like the smile of the Buddha. You go for the best branded person – the one people know and trust.
- You have access to magical opportunities
My brand is getting more popular – I get featured on lists , make interviews and enjoy creative project offers in my inbox. That’s white magic, right there !
Now, I’m not saying that to brag (maybe a little), but to show you the epicness that happens when you spread your digital influence.
I’m still at the beginning of my journey, but I get so many opportunities every week my brain barely keeps up with it. The same can happen to YOU !
A cool brand commands more influence, and that results in people wanting to work with you. The possibilities are endless – you can get more clients, build joint ventures and/or receive job opportunities etc.
Space’s the limits here.
conclusion…heck yeah !
Seriously, I could give you a trillion more reasons why it’s essential to build your brand, but those are the major ones. Crafting your online brand is ass-kicking on every dimension.
If you haven’t start branding yourself digitally, you need to do 2 things right now:
1) Slap yourself in the face
2) Start one thing today that will spread your influence, like reading this blog ;)
What do you do for your personal brand online ? How do you spread your influence every single day ?
Thursday, July 29, 2010
B.o.B - Adidas Commercial
Getting Your Music Into Pandora by
Michael Zapruder is an award-winning musician who serves as Music Curator for Pandora , the Oakland-based internet radio service based on the Music Genome Project. As curator, he directs all aspects of music collection, curation, and cataloging for Pandora's stations. Zapruder has been with Pandora nearly since the inception of the Music Genome Project and was appointed as Pandora's music curator in 2004.
There are any number of ways to get your music on Pandora. We're always looking for new music to play for our listeners, so we watch all kinds of blogs, radio stations, show listings, charts and things like that. And while we don't automatically add everything we see in those places, when an artist reaches a certain level of visibility we like to try our best to make that music available on Pandora.
So that’s the first thing you need to know. If you are connecting with an audience or community in a strong way; if you're playing good rooms and getting attention, you will have a fine chance of getting into our collection.
We know we can't find everything, though, so for the many deserving bands that we miss for one reason or another (and for bands that are just starting out), we offer a web-based music submission process that is free and open to everyone.
Here's how it works:
1. Register for Pandora (the submission process is connected to listener accounts, so you can use your existing account if you have one).
2. Go to http://submitmusic.pandora.com and follow the directions for submitting.
3. If your CD meets the requirements for submission (you have to have a valid UPC code and the record has to be for sale in the Amazon CD store), you'll be prompted to upload two songs along with any biographical or press information and any links you'd like us to know about.
4. When we get to your submission, we listen and make a decision about whether your submission is right for us. (This takes time, so be patient.)
5. If you're accepted, we send you an email with a customized mailing label that you'll use to send us your record. If we pass on your record we let you know on your submission page and we encourage you to keep us posted on your future work.
Lots of people ask us about the Amazon requirements, so here's the skinny:
We use UPC codes as identifiers to display the right artist information and album art when something plays on Pandora. We want to be able to show as much information about the artists we play as we can, and UPC codes make that possible.
Requiring albums to be available in the Amazon CD store guarantees that we will have usable metadata for every album we accept, which in turn frees us up to spend our time listening to your submissions instead of entering song titles and such. It also means that interested listeners will be able to find and buy your music by clicking the Amazon link in the Pandora tuner.
You can get your music into the Amazon CD store for free using a service called CreateSpace. They press on-demand CDs for Amazon purchases. For people who have CDs for sale already, there is a vendor program that Amazon offers that charges an annual fee as well (and in case you're wondering, we don't have any financial stake in the above services).
So, what are we listening for when we get to your submission?
Well, for unknown bands the fundamental question we have to answer is: will fans of this kind of music be excited to discover this on Pandora stations?
We also consider how the submission might add to our existing collection. We may have more of a need for Black Metal, a less visible genre, than for something more common like Indie Rock (that's not to say that we close the door on any genres, but the state of our collection sometimes comes into play).
We have a few basic internal guidelines for listening to every submission.
For one thing, our reviewers never have to give a reason for accepting music, but they always have to explain their decision if they are rejecting something. This only seems fair to us.
Also, we try to keep our personal musical preferences out of the decision-making process. The fact that a reviewer may not enjoy Darkwave or East Coast Hip hop or anything else really has no place in the decision about whether our listeners would embrace that music.
We are looking for excellence. Tim, Pandora's founder, often says: "You have to earn your way into Pandora." We try to make good decisions about whether the music lives up to that high standard.
When it's all said and done, though, we know that with music and art we can't ever be 100% sure we're making the right call. We can never completely transcend our own subjectivity. Our way around that is to keep it simple: we try as hard as we can to give your music a fair hearing. We do our best to be conscientious with your work.
If we do get it wrong (and we do sometimes), we'll find out about it; and when we see your music being reviewed or appearing on a chart somewhere, or when you're playing the Fox Theater here in Oakland, we'll make sure to get it into the collection right away!
Best of luck to everyone who is considering submitting their music or has already done so, and thanks from all the reviewers here for your interest in being a part of Pandora.
Friday, July 23, 2010
B.o.B invades New Zealand (Airplanes LIVE)!!!!
www.Twitter.com/TJsDJs
www.Facebook.com/TJ.Chapman
www.myspace.com/TJsDJs Check out my artists:
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B.o.B aka Bobby Ray - www.BoBatl.com
Double D - www.IamDouble.com
B.o.B invades New Zealand (Airplanes LIVE)!!!!
www.Twitter.com/TJsDJs
www.Facebook.com/TJ.Chapman
www.myspace.com/TJsDJs Check out my artists:
-------------------------------------------------------
B.o.B aka Bobby Ray - www.BoBatl.com
Double D - www.IamDouble.com