The company unveiled new apps for the web and desktop with bigger artwork and easy-to-use social features, and announced that it now has more than 15 million songs - approximately as many as any other subscription music service. Rdio Announces Major Changes At SXSW EventĪUSTIN, TEXAS - Rdio, the music subscription service from Skype and Kazaa co-founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom, announced major changes to its music subscription service designed to “put music and people front and center,” in an effort to evolve past what it calls the “boring” “spreadsheet” approach of some other music services. (Photo Courtney Harding)Īviary’s Alex Taub (left) and Michael Gilpert (Photo: Courtney Harding)
Will Griggs, co-founder of Cantora Records, poses with Alisa Simon-Gould, founder of the fashion app Pose, at the Jay-Z reception. Watching the Throne: Jay Z, being photographed by hundreds at Austin City Limits. While Jay’s appearance at SXSW last year came during Kanye West’s guest-fest, there were no surprise performers here - although Jay did shout out Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park from the stage.įrom left: Facebook’s Ime Archibong with Universal’s Also in the house were Roc Nation’s John Meneilly and Dorothy Hui, PepsiCo’s Richie Cruz, Universal’s Jon Vanhala, Facebook’s Ime Archibong, Madison Square Garden Entertainment’s Shannon Fitzgerald and Katie Forte, Fuse’s Liana Huth and Joe Marchese, Virgin Management’s Christine Choi, Twitter’s Ryan Sarver, Momentum’s Joe Killian, Bowery Presents’ Jason Ross.Īmid the usual SXSW chatter, people were talking about the controversial homeless hotspots and who could possibly be a guest at the show. New York Times editor Jill Abramson was there with her son, Cantora Records co-founder Will Griggs Foursquare’s Dennis Crowley and Tristan Walker and members of the team from hotly tipped photo-editing startup Aviary mingled at pre-show reception before rocking out. The audience for the show – officially titled the Amex Sync Show Presenting Jay-Z, for which we hear the company spent well into seven figures - was largely made up of American Express users who won tickets to see Hova in an intimate (2,700-capacity) venue, but there were also tech, media and of course music-biz celebs in the house. Jay-Z’s concert at Austin City Limits on Monday night was one of the most hotly anticipated events of the entire South by Southwest conference, and even with literally hundreds of other events going on, the scene backstage and elsewhere at the show left little doubt that it was The Place To Be in Austin. Jay Z rocking the mic and the crowd at Austin City Limits on Monday night (Photo: Brandon Fuller) (Photo: Toni Wallace)īackbeat: Jay-Z’s SXSW Concert, With Roc Nation, Pepsi, Twitter, Foursquare, MSG Execs & More Parlotones lead singer Kahn Morbee on stage. The Parlotones hit the stage at Skype’s Eat, Drink, and Be Human Party. “We all get salaries, including the band members, and we reinvest our funds in the band similar to that of a research and development model at a tech firm.” “We run the band like a corporation,” he said. The band’s’ manager, Raphael Domalik, said that technology is a key component to the band’s success. Each fan will get a digital and physical passport that stamps Parlotones events they attend throughout the tour. For instance, they have a mobile app launching in April that will allow fans to travel with them around the world. The Spellbound Group, the Parlotones’ marketing agency, noted that not only is SXSWi one of the more important events for the band and its fans, it is also a great testing ground for innovations the band is doing. The Parlotones with manager Raphael Domalik (center, left) and Alicia Yaffe (center, right) from the Spellbound Group. The South African-bred Parlotones sat down with us at and shared why SXSWi and technology are so important to them. Skype hosted the Eat, Drink, and Be Human event complete with an interactive stage where fans could jam with their favorite artists while they played in real time, with such acts as Tribes, the Parlotones, RJD2, and Neon Trees. SXSW Spotify and The Future of Music Consumption panel (from left): Billboard’s Editorial Director Bill Werde, Spotify’s chief content officer Ken Parks and Disturbed’s David Draiman.īackbeat: The Parlotones Talk Touring Apps Skype’s Eat, Drink and Be Human Party