Machine Shop http://blog.hypem.com Mon, 14 May 2012 02:22:43 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 SXSW 2012, Part 3: We had fun! http://blog.hypem.com/2012/05/sxsw-2012-part-3-we-had-fun/ http://blog.hypem.com/2012/05/sxsw-2012-part-3-we-had-fun/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 19:12:16 +0000 Zoya http://blog.hypem.com/?p=1231 To sum up Hype Hotel 2012: a kickass party with live music, free Taco Bell tacos, free Tito’s Handmade Vodka, free Miller Lite, and just 35,000 of our closest friends. It’s taken us a whole month to recover, so you know it had to be good.

Were you there? Find yourself in this video:


Playing: Madeon—Icarus

]]> http://blog.hypem.com/2012/05/sxsw-2012-part-3-we-had-fun/feed/ 0 Hype Machine’s Fast Forward showcase http://blog.hypem.com/2012/05/hype-machines-fast-forward-showcase/ http://blog.hypem.com/2012/05/hype-machines-fast-forward-showcase/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 14:51:48 +0000 Zoya http://blog.hypem.com/?p=1239
If you’ve ever clicked on one of the rockets in our sidebar, you already know that Fast Forward is the easiest way to sample a whole lot of new music quickly (if you haven’t, try it now).
We’ve partnered with Stereogum, Gorilla Vs. Bear, I Guess I’m Floating, Consequence of Sound, and Awesome Tapes From Africa to bring Fast Forward to life at Brooklyn Bowl on May 24th. RSVP and come ready for a crash course in the best new music! First 150 guests receive League Night gift bags courtesy of Toyota prius c.

]]> http://blog.hypem.com/2012/05/hype-machines-fast-forward-showcase/feed/ 0 SXSW 2012, Part 2: Hype Hotel, presented by Feed the Beat http://blog.hypem.com/2012/04/sxsw-2012-part-hype-hotel-presented-by-feed-the-beat/ http://blog.hypem.com/2012/04/sxsw-2012-part-hype-hotel-presented-by-feed-the-beat/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:37:46 +0000 Anthony http://blog.hypem.com/?p=1210 I can finally tell you (because I’ve stopped having dreams about it) about the huge 5-day-long party we threw at SXSW 2012. That’s right: not an evening or a day show at a random bar, but tons of excellent music spanning 5 full days, right in the center of Austin, at our own venue. The Hype Hotel is the biggest thing we have ever done at SXSW.

The idea was simple: transfer the online experience of the Hype Machine and music blogs to real life. So we teamed up with 9 of the internet’s finest: Aquarium Drunkard, My Old Kentucky Blog, Gorilla vs Bear, I Guess I’m Floating, Nialler9, No Modest Bear, Yours Truly, Song, by Toad and Cream Team. They curated day and night shows throughout the week, sharing their musical expertise with us.

The bloggers, along with our team, booked 60 artists who played during the week the venue was open. There is no way to condense the long lines, the moshpits, the making out, the dancing, the sweat into one blog post—you just had to be there.  But luckily, we have photos, Livestream recorded most of the performances, and you can still hear all the artists who played the Hotel on our schedule page. More videos from the shows will be appearing on the site and here over the next few weeks.

We teamed up with Taco Bell’s Feed the Beat to make the whole event possible. They helped us foot the bill and provided thousands upon thousands of free Doritos Locos Tacos and bean burritos throughout the event, much to the delight of hungry SXSW attendees. At the end of the week, our guests had finished off 18,000 tacos. Can you imagine all those tacos in a room? Of course, we also kept everyone well-hydrated with Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Miller Lite. And if food and drinks weren’t your thing, you could’ve won the hundreds of SOL REPUBLIC headphones that were given away throughout the shows, snapped some shots in the free Hotel photobooth, or enjoyed a warm Texas breeze in the courtyard.

I can’t thank everyone who worked, attended, played and contributed to this event enough. It was incredible to be able to translate something digital into a thrilling, tangible DYI experience that we could share with 25,000 of you.

Thank you, and see you next year!

TLDR:
9 blogs, 60 bands, 5 days
18,000 tacos, 1800 bottles of vodka, 1200 cases of beer, 3 massage chairs
7,000 guests/day, 2010 photobooth sessions
#fuckyeah

]]> http://blog.hypem.com/2012/04/sxsw-2012-part-hype-hotel-presented-by-feed-the-beat/feed/ 1 SXSW 2012, Part 1: Don’t Mess with the Internet! http://blog.hypem.com/2012/04/sxsw-2012-dont-mess-with-the-internet/ http://blog.hypem.com/2012/04/sxsw-2012-dont-mess-with-the-internet/#comments Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:42:52 +0000 Anthony http://blog.hypem.com/?p=1192 Now that we are a bit more rested after SXSW, I can tell you about what we’ve been up to there.

We were involved in two big things: the Hype Hotel, presented by Feed the Beat during SXSW Music (more on this later), and the “Don’t Mess with the Internet” party during SXSW Interactive.

We joined “Don’t Mess with the Internet” to celebrate the web’s victory over SOPA, the abusive legislation that was going through Congress earlier in the year. Over 15 million people got involved in the debate about control of the unternet, and our message was heard.  Supporting the event along us were Mozilla, Conduit, Google, Reddit, Tumblr, Engine, Future of Music Coalition, Fight for the Future, Change the Ratio, GirlDevelopIt, the Cheezburger Network and New York Tech Meetup.

The party was filled with people celebrating, speakers like danah boyd, Sara Chipps, Andrew McLaughlin of Tumblr, Holmes & Tiffiniy from Fight for the Future, Andrew Raseij from NYTM, and usual open bar SXSW antics—a must at any quality Interactive party. But the biggest thing was that with Alexis Ohanian’s help, a “Don’t Mess with the Internet” billboard will go up in the home district of Representative Lamar Smith, who authored the SOPA legislation.

And what’s a party without music? We invited the excellent Remix Artists Collective (RAC) to perform at the event and make a special mix to celebrate our victory over SOPA. RAC was a natural choice—they are a great example of what is possible with open internet where anyone can share their work online. The mix they created is a thank you to all the 15 million people who stopped SOPA and a strong reminder of why this stuff matters.

With SOPA thrown out, party complete and billboard on the way, we are far from done. It is likely that revised legislation will reappear in Congress, so we must be ready to continue the fight for freedom on the internet. There are a number of organizations where the discussion is continuing: Engine Advocacy, Demand Progress, Fight for the Future, and The Future of Music Coalition, as a place for musicians to be involved. Join us!
]]> http://blog.hypem.com/2012/04/sxsw-2012-dont-mess-with-the-internet/feed/ 0 Lineup for the Hype Hotel at SXSW + RSVP http://blog.hypem.com/2012/02/lineup-for-the-hype-hotel-at-sxsw-rsvp/ http://blog.hypem.com/2012/02/lineup-for-the-hype-hotel-at-sxsw-rsvp/#comments Mon, 27 Feb 2012 20:14:03 +0000 Zoya http://blog.hypem.com/?p=1160

We are throwing our biggest party to date! Hype Hotel, presented by Taco Bell’s Feed The Beat, is five straight days of music, drinks, and Taco Bell tacos, March 13-17 in Austin, TX.

Lineups are curated by the terrific My Old Kentucky Blog, Song By Toad, Aquarium Drunkard, Gorilla vs. Bear, Yours Truly, No Modest Bear, Cream Team, I Guess I’m Floating, and Nialler9. This is the closest we’ve come to recreating the Hype Machine experience in real life, and we hope you enjoy your stay with us.

A huge thanks to our sponsors: Taco Bell, Livestream, Miller, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, SOL REPUBLIC, Jakprints, High End Systems and Orange Amps.

RSVP is now open.

]]> http://blog.hypem.com/2012/02/lineup-for-the-hype-hotel-at-sxsw-rsvp/feed/ 9 Wanted: Volunteers in Austin http://blog.hypem.com/2012/02/wanted-volunteers-in-austin/ http://blog.hypem.com/2012/02/wanted-volunteers-in-austin/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:31:27 +0000 Anthony http://blog.hypem.com/?p=1148 Our multi-day blog party is shaping up well and we need your help.

We are looking for volunteer staff to help with production, registration, barbacking, and helping guests during March 13 – 17.

You get all-access to the event, music, connections to bands, startups and the music industry (if that’s your thing).

You must be 21+, love music, and be available on those days.

Email austin@hypem.com, send us a link to your Facebook and Twitter, and tell us your favorite band of 2012.

]]> http://blog.hypem.com/2012/02/wanted-volunteers-in-austin/feed/ 0 SOPA/PIPA and the future of the open web http://blog.hypem.com/2012/01/sopapipa-and-the-future-of-the-open-web/ http://blog.hypem.com/2012/01/sopapipa-and-the-future-of-the-open-web/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:31:40 +0000 Zoya http://blog.hypem.com/?p=1122 We’re joining our friends at Reddit, Tumblr, Wikipedia, Boing Boing, and Google today in raising awareness of SOPA/PIPA legislation in the US Congress. These bills aim to change the very structure of the internet by allowing corporations and the US government to block access to domain names, and they circumvent the DMCA provisions that have made innovation possible on the web. This includes the Hype Machine, and we stand with the 1000+ tech companies, engineers, and public advocacy groups that have spoken out against the proposed laws.

A vote on PIPA is scheduled for January 24. Read Joi Ito’s great, concise explanation of why SOPA/PIPA must not be allowed to pass, sign the petition, call your representatives, and urge them not to censor the internet.

]]> http://blog.hypem.com/2012/01/sopapipa-and-the-future-of-the-open-web/feed/ 115 Zeitgeist 2011 People’s Choice http://blog.hypem.com/2012/01/zeitgeist-2011-peoples-choice/ http://blog.hypem.com/2012/01/zeitgeist-2011-peoples-choice/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:06:12 +0000 Zoya http://blog.hypem.com/?p=1087
Every Hype Machine Zeitgeist tabulates the best music of the year, as decided by music bloggers. This time, we thought it would be interesting to open the voting up to everybody and find out what albums everyone loved in 2011.

We built an album picker stocked with all albums released in 2011 according to Discogs, which over 3500 people used to create and share their top album plaques. The final rank was calculated by assigning points to every album (#1=15 points, 2=14, 3=13, etc), and tallying up the total score. Together with our annual blogger Top 50, the People’s Choice paints a fuller picture of the rich musical landscape of 2011. Explore both lists; you may discover a great album you’ve missed out on the first time around.

1. Bon Iver – Bon Iver (8057) 26. Little Dragon – Ritual Union (1301)
2. M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (6749) 27. Destroyer – Kaputt (1250)
3. Adele – 21 (4677) 28. Bombay Bicycle Club – A Different Kind Of Fix (1213)
4. Metronomy – The English Riviera (4244) 29. Skrillex – More Monsters And Sprites (1211)
5. Foster The People – Torches (3964) 30. Friendly Fires – Pala (1195)
6. James Blake – James Blake (3821) 31. The Antlers – Burst Apart (1190)
7. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues (3138) 32. The Weeknd – House Of Balloons (1170)
8. Radiohead – The King Of Limbs (2814) 33. Digitalism – I Love You Dude (1134)
9. Justice – Audio, Video, Disco. (2710) 34. Youth Lagoon – The Year Of Hibernation (1119)
10. Washed Out – Within And Without (2651) 35. Drake – Take Care (1080)
11. SBTRKT – SBTRKT (2556) 36. The Rapture – In The Grace Of Your Love (1045)
12. Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch The Throne (2395) 37. Holy Ghost! – Holy Ghost! (1044)
13. Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes (2393) 38. M83 – Midnight City Remix EP (1026)
14. Cults – Cults (2223) 39. Austra – Feel It Break (1018)
15. Beirut – The Rip Tide (2134) 40. Phantogram – Nightlife (1017)
16. The Black Keys – El Camino (2030) 41. Real Estate – Days (981)
17. The Strokes – Angles (2017) 42. St. Vincent – Strange Mercy (979)
18. Cut Copy – Zonoscope (1821) 43. The Naked And Famous – Passive Me, Aggressive You (959)
19. Florence + The Machine – Ceremonials (1614) 44. The Vaccines – What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? (959)
20. Feist – Metals (1608) 45. Childish Gambino – Camp (898)
21. The Weeknd – Thursday (1559) 46. Neon Indian – Era Extraña (890)
22. Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost (1534) 47. Arctic Monkeys – Suck It And See (881)
23. Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto (1454) 48. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake (865)
24. tUnE-yArDs – w h o k i l l (1355) 49. Toro Y Moi – Underneath The Pine (855)
25. Daft Punk – TRON: Legacy Reconfigured (1333) 50. Death Cab For Cutie – Codes And Keys (850)
]]> http://blog.hypem.com/2012/01/zeitgeist-2011-peoples-choice/feed/ 8 Music Blog Zeitgeist 2011 http://blog.hypem.com/2012/01/music-blog-zeitgeist-2011/ http://blog.hypem.com/2012/01/music-blog-zeitgeist-2011/#comments Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:05:51 +0000 Zoya http://blog.hypem.com/?p=1068 The Hype Machine Music Blog Zeitgeist 2011 is ALIVE! We will be revealing 10 of the year’s Top 50 artists and albums every day, with fresh mixes of the Top 50 tracks. Stick around till Monday to find out who made it to the Top 10.

Here’s how this Zeitgeist was created:

Top 50 Artists: We calculated the total number of songs by each band posted in 2011 by blogs listed on the Hype Machine. Nicholas Gurewitch (The Perry Bible Fellowship) illustrated this musical landscape as a big, beautiful poster, and we added interactive map navigation for easy scrolling. Drag around, zoom all the way in, and click artist names to hear tracks by the 50 most-blogged artists of 2011. You can buy the full 18×24″ print here.

Top 50 Albums: We processed more than 400 blogger Top 10 lists and weighed each album according to position for our final list of 50. The maps displayed with each album continue to map the music of 2011.

Some great cartographic resources: Library of Congress Map Division, Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection at UT Austin, MAPCO

Top 50 Songs: We continued to collaborate with some of the year’s top producers on custom Hype Machine mixes featuring the top tracks of 2011. The full list will be published on Monday.

Thank you, bloggers, for another great year of music discovery. Big thanks to Jeff from Heart On A Stick for starting the Zeitgeist tradition; David from Largehearted Boy for collecting the lists; Cameron, Matt, and Katie for entering the album data; and the entire Hype Machine team for accepting that no one sleeps until the Zeitgeist is live. And thank you, for knowing that there’s always more music out there, and wanting to find it.

]]> http://blog.hypem.com/2012/01/music-blog-zeitgeist-2011/feed/ 11 Thanks for being with us this year http://blog.hypem.com/2011/12/thanks-for-being-with-us-this-year/ http://blog.hypem.com/2011/12/thanks-for-being-with-us-this-year/#comments Sat, 31 Dec 2011 02:15:07 +0000 Anthony http://blog.hypem.com/?p=1063 Anthony, founder of the Hype Machine here.

Just wanted to say thanks for being with us this year.

It’s our sixth year of running the site, the biggest yet. The list of things that have happened is long, but among them:

• Reached 1 million registered users (that’s you!)
• Made the site play on iPhone, Android & Windows phones (with the help of our awesome developer community)
• Launched a prototype of Fast Forward, an even faster way to dive into something new
• Almost had SBTRKT DJ a party (but the police shut it down)
• Definitely had a blast at our SXSW show with Mount Kimbie, Jamie Woon & more
• Premiered 45 new albums a week before their release
• Received report of a Hype Machine tattoo
• Got an office (for the first time ever!)

It’s refreshing to be around people (you!) that are obsessed with finding something new daily, fighting that seductive feeling of familiarity and laziness.

It’s also really exciting that we are not alone. If you want to listen to new things, there is now a whole world waiting for you. We have 8tracks, This is My Jam, SoundCloud, every music blog out there, and many more places on the web. It’s an exciting time.

So, thanks for being with us, we like it. Stay tuned for Zeitgeist 2011 on January 2nd!

Happy Holidays,

Anthony & Team Hype Machine.

       

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