The Red Bull Music Academy takes place once a year, but the amount of content produced and knowledge shared is pretty epic, and they do a good job of documenting and recording as much of the two-week long event as possible, and regularly posting online the produce of the recording sessions, lectures, and late night jams. (more…)
SXSW is a whirlwind ten days of music, film, and interactive buzz, with conferences, live events, street parties, guerrilla marketing campaigns and networking events. We headed down for the music portion of the 2011 festival, and managed to see and support some great artists and businesses, new and old. From the Red Bull DJ App launch party with Felix Da Housecat, to the Topspin and Berklee events, to Martin Atkins’ party:smart and more, Austin created a lasting impression, and ignited a desire to delve deeper into the ever-changing music business at a grass roots level, as well as a spark to already start planning for SXSW 2012.
Wondering what it would be like to cram all of the above into a one and a half minute audio-visual overload? Something like this…
Chicago musicians JaGoFF are a funky bunch. Their music is George Clinton meets Deadmou5, often with a message akin to lyrical wordsmiths such as Public Enemy. They helped spur mass resistance to the Chicago Promoters’ Ordinance, took part in the Warp tour, and are in the process of giving their latest album away. To find out what makes these guys tick, and to see what advice we could gain from their experiences, we sat down with them at the end of last year for a video interview. Enjoy…
In the modern era of job search, there are many ways to improve your chances of finding that dream career. Whether you are a singer or a DJ looking for a big break, an engineer wanting to broadcast your expertise, or even a teacher looking for more students or a full-time position, here are several ideas using video that you can implement to aid your job search.
Uploading videos of yourself may seem pointless or egotistical at first, but for performing and recording artists, online video has become a huge tool in promotion. Whether you use Youtube, Vimeo, Google Video or any other number of websites, you can gain important exposure and raise awareness of your talents. It is also great to have so much interactive content built into your resume – think of it as your greatest hits in showreel.
Recording a video resume for other music careers can also add depth and character, and increase your appeal next to simply a printed list.
If looking to prove your knowledge or share your service in a certain field of music, it is important to not record one long commercial for yourself – adding interesting and topical content will help reach out to new people looking for genuine advice and expertise. For example, if you are looking to move into music equipment sales, share your reviews on any products or software that you or your friends may have.
If you’re not keen on your face on camera, but still want to chase that dream music job researching and developing new software, you can use screen capturing tools and record your knowledge and experience.
You don’t have to be an editing genius or have expensive equipment to dive into video either; if you can’t record the piece in one take, the iMovie software bundle into every Macbook is a great free tool, and you’ll probably find that an inexpensive, out of the box digital camera that you already own can capture video good enough to share online.
Even right here at Music Jobs, we offer a place to upload video content of yourself on your profile, be that a resume, performance, or any kind of variation of the above. For example, I have uploaded video to my DJ resume of a recent gig in Chicago…
I also recently started recording interviews with artists and independent music professionals, to help share advice on various blogs….
There are many ways to use online video to help in your job search. Get creative, and get sharing!
Chicago house music staple 5 Magazine have just celebrated their 5th anniversary, and not only did they hold a fantastic event for Boom Boom Room at Green Dolphin, but they embarked on an epic project of live video and interview footage with 40 of the greatest DJs and Producers in the Chicago electronic music scene.
As a bonus, there is also a short film shot by John Pappas on the subject of 5 Magazine’s Five Year Anniversary, with Czarina Mirani, Rees Urban and a cast of Chicago’s Househeads, including Byrd Bardot, Chitown Ronnie, David Sabat, Christopher Banks and many more.
I think it is a wonderful idea that 5 Magazine put all this together to celebrate, and the idea of sharing information, video and music among the Chicago community is one of the things that makes the Chicago music scene a great place. Presenting some of the great names of the past, present and future, and creating a package for worldwide fans of Chicago-based music to enjoy for free is a humble and noble thing to do, and an extension of the education and exposure that the magazine delivers on a regular basis. Check out the official ‘The Project’ website and pass on to people you know in the worldwide house music community.
It has recently been announced that the wonderful Sia will be stopping by North America and Europe to sprinkle some of her musical magic dust as part of The We Meaning You Tour. Tickets are on sale now, and I am definitely heading along to the Chicago show on April 25th.
Tickets are selling out fast, with only a very limited number of VIP tickets left, so check out the list of US tour dates below and then hurry on over to SiaMusic.net to buy your tickets (EU dates also available via that link).
NORTH AMERICA
10th April
Commadore, Vancouver
12th April
Market, Seattle
13th April
Wonder Ballroom, Portland
14th April
The Regency Ballroom, San Francisco
17th April
Coachella Festival, Los Angeles
19th April
House Of Blues, San Diego
20th April
The Marquee, Phoenix
22nd April
Gothic Theatre, Denver
24th April
Fine Line, Minneapolis
25th April
Vic Theatre, Chicago
26th April
St. Andrews, Detroit
28th April
Phoenix, Toronto
30th April
Club Soda, Montreal
1st May
HOB, Boston
2nd May
TLA, Philadelphia
4th May
9:30 Club, Washington
6th May
Terminal 5, New York
8th May
Rams Head, Annapolis
Check out the video below for Sia’s fantastic version of You’ve Changed, with her own unique quirky character shining though as strong as her epic voice. If you like what you hear you can also get a free download after the jump…
Chicago-based indie rockers OK Go caused a sensation with the video for their 2006 song “Here It Goes Again”. The video featured a choreographed treadmill dance routine, and reached nearly 50 million views on Youtube, and inspired scores of remakes. The band became the perfect example of viral marketing in the new music industry.
So, any follow-up would be a tough task, and would need to be a pretty impressive video. “This Too Shall Pass” premiered yesterday, and has received some great reviews so far. The latest project collaborated with Syyn Labs on a two-story Rube Goldberg machine. The machine, constructed in a warehouse in Echo Park, keeps perfect time with the band’s latest single “This Too Shall Pass,” thrashing TV sets, dropping pianos, launching paper airplanes, blasting paint, and much more in spectacular synchronicity with the song. Check it out here at US Music Jobs.
What do you think of the video? Do you see it being another hit for the band? How relevant are music videos in the internet age? This will definitely inspire a further music video post from me, and I would like to hear your views.
Lee Jarvis.
To celebrate the video release, OK Go will be taking part in a concert fundraiser for LACMA Muse. Friday, March 5, 2010, LACMA West Penthouse, 8 pm–12 am. More info here.
So they’ve re-done the massive hit “We are the world.” However, this new version has been met with much acclaim as well as criticism.
2010
1985
25 years after the original, the new version has attracted millions upon millions of views online, and 121,000 comments and counting. The song premiered during the opening ceremony for the Vancouver Olympics.
Beyonce and Jay-Z were invited to take part in the new version of the song, but declined. Jay-Z told MTV that the original version was too sacred to him. “I think ‘We Are the World’ is like [Michael Jackson's] ‘Thriller’ to me. I don’t ever wanna see it touched.” He added, “Some things are just untouchable. It was a valiant effort, but for me, it’s gonna be untouchable.”
Jay-Z’s point of view is easily understandable, and I’m sure many of the critics of the new version feel something similar. Others have also pointed out that there aren’t enough high-profile or A-list singers involved. And that the original was distinct while blending the voices involved. You knew exactly what artist was singing when.
Lionel Richie responded to the idea that this classic song should never have been messed with by saying: “What’s a classic? To the next generation, it’s just an old song,” he told USA Today. “Why not bring in Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers and let them address the issues? We can pass the baton and empower the next generation to take up arms and have a legacy with this.”
I understand and yet wholly disagree with Lionel on this point. I realize that with time things are often developed and improved upon. However, this song is truly a classic, associated with a particular place in time and history. It transcends generations and is truly a part of America’s music history. Lionel has taken the seemingly capitalist standpoint, and it seems greedy and a bit tawdry for such a poignant song to be highlighted by the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and the auto tuning of Lil Wayne, and other rappers. Not to mention Lil Wayne is now in jail…
All in all, I think they should have left well enough alone, but that’s just my opinion. Check out both versions and let us know which you like better.
