The interactive portion of SXSW has flown by.
I love #SXSWi but there really isn’t anything like SXSW music. It’s the original reason people came to Austin and although Interactive has stolen some shine, music is still the bedrock of it all. The nights go later, the music is louder, the crowds are rowdier and the vibe is definitely more wild. But that doesn’t change the SXSW attitude of openness. Open to take risks. Open to exchange ideas. Open to discuss failures and successes.
Openness is why collaborations first happen here. Why artists premiere here and why everyone deals with the bullshit the conference and city puts you through to get here. There is a badge of honor to launching your latest innovation at SXSW and a super fertile environment to do so. Shoot, the original beta of CRWN was with Kendrick Lamar at SXSW. And we first premiered FlashFWD here. The conversations are happening around every corner. It’s exhilarating to see everyone out here embracing the new.
But there is a reason Austin is my second favorite city in the US. In Austin people are open and weird, and artists and companies will continue to feed off of that type of energy exchange. I saw it this past weekend and I’m excited to see what happens in the next few days.
Hit me up if you’re in the mix on Twitter or follow along on via Snapchat Jessekay3000.
BEATS
Nielsen’s Music Study Reveals Instagram’s Impact on Artists, Sales and Streaming
by Brian Anthony Hernandez / Billboard
The Plight Of The Modern YouTube Star
by Austin Powell / The Kernel
How sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll are creating the next big tech companies
by Tristan Pollock / TechCrunch
Sony to Pay Michael Jackson’s Estate $750 Million for Stake in Music Catalog
by Ben Sisario / NYTimes
Inside SoundCloud, the move to revenue begins
by Peter Kim / CDM
Flipagram CEO Admits to Massive Copyright Infringement
by Paul Resnikoff / Digital Music News
BYTES
LISTEN
Daniel Lopatin aka Oneohtrix Point Never breaks down how he created artificial voices and how he sees his songs as pieces of science fiction.
Song Exploder: Oneohtrix Point NeverWATCH
You need a laugh. So watch The Muppets do the classic Bone Thugs song Tha Crossroads.
The Muppets + Bone Thugs CrossroadsGET
Tap the record button and hum a few bars, and the app will convert your vocals into musical notation, and play them back as a MIDI-like recording.
Hum OnCHARGED UP
25 songs that tell us where music is going. A one time spectacular from the New York Times Magazine.
Where Music is Going by NYT MagazineShare this Post