Iron Maiden Plan Tour Using BitTorrent
The music industry was turned on it's head near the turn of the century when Napster and peer-to-peer file-sharing essentially ended what had been a gilded era of $20 CDs being sold with two radio hits at a massive record store. That all changed as the P2P network and then the rise of torrents increasing pushed music online and into the digital realm. As bands and artists saw their discographies pilfered by online "pirates," new strategies were put in place, grandmas were arrested and Steve Jobs convinced everyone to start selling their songs for a dollar apiece, the album format be damned.
While that sequence of events has led to exponentially more free music than we've ever enjoyed, it has also meant declining revenue for labels and artists who have had to innovate and experiment with new strategies to keep the game going. One of the more interesting ways I've seen this happen is the way heavy metal group Iron Maiden recently turned the tables on the pirates, by analyzing where their music was downloaded on the popular BitTorrent download client to decide where to route their next tour.
The logic was simple: if they're willing to steal the music, they probably like it a lot. MusicMetric, a UK company that specializes in analytics for the music industry by capturing everything from social media discussion to traffic on the BitTorrent network, crunching the figures to determine an act's popularity in certain locales. "Having an accurate real time snapshot of key data streams is all about helping inform people's decision making. If you know what drives engagement you can maximize the value of your fan base. Artists could say ‘we're getting pirated here, let's do something about it’, or ‘we're popular here, let's play a show’," said Gregory Mead, CEO and co-founder of the London-based firm in a press release.
While it first was reported by Complex and Rolling Stone that Iron Maiden actively used this information to route their latest tour, the band has since denied anything of the sort. While their dates seem to have coincided with MusicMetric data suggesting large fan bases in South and Central America, where they have since played several successful shows, the band is not ready or willing to be the poster child for mining piracy data into usable information.
About a month ago I posted a story about comedian Russel Brand releasing his latest stand up via popular torrent search engine The Pirate Bay, utilizing the site's popularity to push his product for free, which he also interestingly sold as well. The UK seems to have the first fascination in manipulating piracy networks for their own gain, which may be a sign of the digital age ravaging the old guard in a country where 70% of independent record stores have closed. It seems to be getting to the point of adapt or die, who would have thought it'd be Iron Maiden's lead to follow?
[Trailer] Kung Fury
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There's been a noted love for all things '80s recently. From a small scale (ShowYouSuck's Dude Bro is a love letter to the synth-heavy decade) to a larger scale (Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, Miami Connection's re-release, etc.), our growing obsession with the '80s vibe has pervaded pop culture sensibilities. Art is cyclical, and oftentimes only appreciated after the fact with nostalgia also playing a huge role in our "newfound" obsessions. I'm not the biggest fan of the '80s, but I can't deny how cool some of the art was.
Kung Fury is an independent, low-budget '80s-inspired action film directed by Swedish director David Sandberg that brings together everything stereotypically '80s from the Miami setting, the renegade cop archetype, typical'80s garb and accessories, et al. However, the spin on the film involves the protagonist, the titular Kung Fury, traveling back in time (thanks to a Nintendo Power Glove, no less) to kill Adolf Hitler (who is known for his nickname, Kung Fuhrer). However, he's sent too far back in time, with scenes showing him and a Viking lady riding a dinosaur.
There's no qualms to it: Kung Fury is a through and through B-movie, and it may not be for everybody. However, if you enjoy films that don't take themselves too seriously and allow them to be made entirely out of fun and passion, this is the film for you. With Sandberg's background in commercials and music videos, he has the know-how to create a proper project.
Currently, Kung Fury has a Kickstarter campaign for the film to be released in its 30-minute entirety. The plan is for the 30-minute short to serve as a concept for Sandberg and his production team to pitch it to potential distributors in hopes of expanding on the concept for a feature-length film. I've already put my money where my mouth is, so hopefully others will find something to like in Kung Fury (and really, what's not to love?) and donate some scratch.
[Album Stream] The Alchemist: "The Cutting Room Floor 3"
The Alchemist has long been one of hip-hop's most genuine journeymen, as any look at his encyclopedia-like index of a discography will attest to. The quintessential producer that seems naked if not making a beat, we recently were blessed around the holidays with a new solo offering from the legendary track crafter. The Cutting Room Floor 3 is a eclectic smattering of experimentally interesting and throwback-recognizable beats from The Alchemist, which set the floor for a lineup of features that could compete with most award shows as 50 Cent, Nas, Mobb Deep, Rick Ross, Blu, Kool G Rap, Capone N' Noreaga, and Meek Mill all hop on the project. We have a full stream of The Cutting Room Floor 3 available here below, kick it to iTunes to pick up the full project for your non-streaming pleasure.
Play Your iPhone Games With The Logitech Powershell Controller
Many of us can get lost in our phones with the array of features that are offered these days. Whether you're conducting business and sending emails, checking out your favorite website, sharing what you had for lunch on social networks, or playing games, there is always something to occupy your time. If you're into the latter, Logitech has created a product to help make the gaming experience better with the Logitech Powershell Controller. For about $100, you can transform your iPhone into a game controller equipped with an analog pad, button clusters, and shoulder triggers so you no longer have to poke at your screen. Not only is it a gaming peripheral, it also has a built-in battery that will charge your iPhone while you play. For more information on the Logitech Powershell Controller, head on over to the Logitech website here.
[Via Logitech]
[IG Weekly] theuntitled
Everybody is on their phone. Thousands of people everyday wear out their thumbs scrolling through photos, deciding which ones to post on Instagram. It’s so easy to do whether you’re a photographer or not; just point, shoot, choose a filter and post whatever you created. From funny duck face selfies, to breathtaking landscapes, to gritty city streets. Some use it as visual journal giving glimpses of their lives, while others have taken it to another level by creating works of art. All of us at Ruby Hornet are fans of the social media platform and decided to do a weekly series highlighting people whose Instagrams stand above the rest. Let us know in the comments section if you’d like to be featured, or let us know about some other cool Instagrams. Be sure to follow Ruby Hornet Instagram, too.
This week’s featured Instagram comes from @theuntitled. What I like about this gallery is the composition of all the photos and its subject matter. This Instagrammer captures images that might seem ordinary to some, yet taken in different ways where each picture tells a story. You'll see an array of images, each with its own story and mood, which makes this account definitely worth checking out. Take a look at a few of theuntitled's photos and make sure to hit the follow button for some dope imagery.
[Via @theuntitled]
Pussy Riot Released From Prison
Two members of Russian all-women punk band Pussy Riot were released from prison two months early, after having spent nearly two years behind bars for performing a punk-infused protest in Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow. The act brought hooliganism charges against three of the band's members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich. Shortly after their sentencing Samutsevich was freed. Both Tolokonnikova and Alekhina, released just before Christmas day, issued a statement claiming their release to be a publicity stunt by the Kremlin, prompted by the impending Olympics in Sochi that have drawn stark criticism from world human rights leaders for the imprisonment of the band members, as well as noted repression of gay rights. For now, the pair have pledged to help inmates and continue working toward their progressive movement. Watch more on the story below.
[Via The Guardian]
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[RH First Glance] Taylor Bennett
Alright, let's get it out of the way. Yes, Taylor Bennett's brother is Chance. Yes, that Chance; the rapper. With that out of the way we can get on to more important aspects of Taylor Bennett's life, such as his sold out debut headlining show last Friday at Reggie's Rock House on Chicago's south loop that had fans lined outside in the freezing rain.The 17-year-old high school senior took the stage to his frenetic "Speed Racer" after a solid lineup showcasing the next wave of Chicago hip-hop to flow from the city. As a packed crowd at Reggie's rapped and sang along to songs like "Heartbreaker" and "Dear Daddy" before turning up to "Rolling With The Gods", it became readily evident that Taylor Bennett is not happy being known only as Chance's brother. Friday night, he looked like he was ready to make his own moves going into the new year.
This year, artists in Chicago had reason to be pressed and hopeful at the same time as they collectively watched Chance rise from the guy down the block to one of the biggest stars in the country. Perhaps no one had a closer front row seat to the experience than the younger Bennett. While there's always competition with an older sibling, Taylor has set out to carve out his own lane in hip-hop with a unique blend of pure rhyming talent, personable nature and thoughtful prose. To be sure, things are very different for Taylor than his brother. Through his success, more eyes are on the younger Bennett, who received a write up in XXL recently and has become a regular on blogs across the country. While Chano was able to come up under the radar, Taylor has been squarely on the map of a lot of rap fans for a minute now. With all the attention, nerves and pressure would be easily understandable, especially for a 17-year-old, but Taylor's not sweating. I had a chance to catch him on the phone after his show, as he was working on his next project, Mainstream Music, to chop it up real quick about living in and out of other people's shadows, growing up in Chicago, his mixtape-The Taylor Bennett Show and more. Check out our Q+A below.
Rap Genius Comes Under Fire For SEO Practices
Hip-hop reference tool Rap Genius has come under fire over the past week as reports of their using shady SEO practices to drive traffic to the site has come to light. A host of media outlets reported on the issue, with Google giving a nod to being aware of what the site that recently rolled out "Rap Stats" is up to. Today, Google flexed and punished the New York-based Rap Genius by removing the site from the top of any of its search results pages and a search for the website only returns third-party sites talking about RG.
According to the L.A. Times, "Google took down Rap Genius after it was revealed that the lyrics website, which received $15 million in funding from Andreesson Horowitz last year, was offering bloggers exposure through its social media accounts in exchange for links to its website on their music blogs." Apparently, the site was trading unique views for access to its social media numbers-a fact that was revealed by Tech entrepreneur John Marbach who posted his findings here.
We'll see what effect this has on Rap Genius, which should bounce back quickly with that nice nest egg. More interestingly, it brings up an issue we could be facing moving forward in the Internet age of blogs and websites. Google made a statement, both in what practices are acceptable and how much clout they truly yield in the overall cyber universe. A check of other search engines shows that Google is alone in the ousting, but it is notable nevertheless. We'll keep an eye on this story as it develops, but it looks like RG is going to miss out on a lot of Beliebers looking up Journals lyrics in their new Christmas snuggies. Oh, well.
[via LA Times]