hypebot

Apple Will Help You Create & Sell Multimedia Music Projects For The iPad

Guest post by Bob Baker of TheBuzzFactor.

Apple caused a stir some weeks ago when it launched iBooks Author, a new free app that indie authors and book publishers can use to create multimedia ebooks for the iPad. Another great thing about this development is that Apple is giving content creators a way to take the titles they produce with the new app and sell them (or give them away) in the iBooks Store.

What does this have to do with you and your music?

Why Eliot Van Buskirk Is Excited Not To Attend CES This Year

This guest post comes from Eliot Van Buskirk of Evolver.fm.

Normally, early January is the time when the heart of a young (okay, not so young anymore) tech reporter brims with anticipation for Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES for short.

QuNeo's Kickstarter Success Fueled By Pro Fanboys

The QuNeo is a "Multi-touch Open Source MIDI & USB Pad Controller" in its final days of fundraising via a Kickstarter campaign. The controller will be produced by Keith McMillen Instruments and due to a combination of their reputation, desire for the product and Kickstarter's strong combo of fundraising and presales, their request for $15,000 on Kickstarter has resulted in pledges over $100,000. Though gear is definitely a different kind of product than an album or film release, it's worth considering the QuNeo's success as a harnessing of the combined force of fanboy enthusiast and pro fan, often in the same individual fan.

Final Day To Crowdfund Onyx Ashanti's Amazing Beatjazz Cyborg

Onyx Ashanti, an artist and inventor based in Berlin, is in the final days of a crowdfunding campaign for the second phase of development for Beatjazz, his "quest to build the most amazing live music performance system ever." It's quite an interesting project that is hitting the end of its IndieGoGo funding window soon, possibly today. If you feel the time has come for improvisational music cyborgs that dance, this is a project you should probably be supporting.

Ubisoft's Rocksmith Revives Music Gaming With Combo Of Guitar Hero & "How To"

Ubisoft is responsible for such games as the "Just Dance" series and "Michael Jackson The Experience". Last month the company released "Rocksmith", signaling their intention to revive the music game genre that faded under the onslaught of dance games. The game's marketing ties into its combination of rock star fantasy and educational game and represents the final entry in Scott Steinberg's free ebook, "Music Games Rock".

BoomBotix Delivers Unique Ultraportable Mini Speaker

Consumer electronics continues to be a sector of the music business that shows no sign of slowing down. New entries in the headphone market are seen almost yearly, and connectivity products like the iPhone and iPad continue to alter the way we consume and discover music. However, I recently came across one company that is taking aim at the portable speaker segment.

Enter The Dragontape: Hungarian Music Startups Expand the Competitive Terrain

Music startups continue to pop up all over the globe and Central Europe is no exception. Eastist, a blog focused on tech entrepreneurship in Central and Eastern Europe, recently noted four startups based in Hungary including three that are working the popular mixtape/playlist territory. All four, Dragontape, Mixgar, Noispot and 3GM, present their sites in English so not speaking Hungarian is no excuse not to check them out.

Contextual Radio: DeliRadio Streams Music From Bands Playing Local Shows

Live performances continue to be at the cornerstone of an artist’s prowess and prominence in the music business, but the age-old question for many bands (and venues) continues to persist - “How do we get more people to come to our shows?”

Some Remarkable iTunes, iPod & Apple Music Stats

Yesterday's announcements may have disappointed both Apple fanboys and Wall Street, but it did contain a few tidbits for the music industry including cheaper beefed version of Nano and iPod Touch players and more details on the iCloud (Oct 11 launch) and iTunes Match (late this month).  During the presentation, the company also shared some remarkable iTunes and Apple stats that serve as reminders of just how important the company is to music. THE STATS:

Hypebot Interviews Kevin Lee: CEO of SOL Republic

Former Monster VP of Marketing and Product Development, Kevin Lee, is the visionary mind behind SOL Republic, a new audio company that seeks to bring high-quality sound to the masses by innovating in sound, style, and durability while keeping their product affordable to consumers.

Hypebot's Hisham Dahud caught up with Lee in San Francisco, where the CEO shared some insight on his decision to start his own company, and the mission behind his new brand:

SOL Republic Brings High Performance Headphones to the Masses

A new audio company called SOL Republic has launched a new line of headphones that aims to deliver innovation in sound, style, and durability while making their product accessible to virtually all music fans.

Longtime senior executive of Monster Cable, Kevin Lee, is one of three co-founders behind SOL, which is an acronym for “Soundtrack Of Life.” 

Ovation App Provides Real-Time Audience Feedback

Ever wish you knew how your audience felt about your performance? Which moments captivated their attention, and which moments put them to sleep? Now you can.

A new app called Ovation allows audience members to rate your performance in real-time telling you exactly the moments when you’re riveting, or when you’re drab.

4 Likely Causes of Microsoft Zune Death

As if the cult of Apple didn't already have enough reasons to bond, the rumored demise of Microsoft's Zune has united them in a Christmas caroling fashion. Each member has their own theory on why the Zune got killed and they're singing it as loudly as they can. Beneath the seabed of headlines, however, it's clear that the Apple cult shares a few common theories.

Guitar Hero Franchise Dies, Music Industry Loses

Activision has terminated the division that designed Guitar Hero and it's follow-ups. Since 2005, there have been roughly twelve titles in the franchise.

That's six main titles and six expansions.

Warriors of Rock, the most recent title, sold fewer than 100,000 copies during its debut month.

Why Apple May Kill the iPod Classic

The iPod Classic remains a symbol of the digital revolution. Its scroll wheel is iconic. The simple yet elegant design still resonates, but for how long?

There's an interesting rumor making its way around the tech-world. It indicates that the iPod Classic is either getting a needed update or getting killed off.

The Classic hasn't been updated since September of 2009 and has gone missing from retailers. Target and J&R don't have any Classics in stock and Amazon appears to have only "6 left in stock – order soon."

It’s Not Free – Last.fm to Charge for Mobile App

Starting February 15, Last.fm's mobile app will be paid-only. Their web radio service will remain free in the US, UK, and Germany.

Why now? 

HOW TO: Invest Tax Return Into Your Music Career

This post is by Robin Davey of The Hoax and The Bastard Fairies.  Interview.

Those who watched the State of the Union may have caught wind of the President's plan to help small businesses with certain tax breaks. To clarify, it allows businesses to write off the full amount of qualifying equipment or software for the years 2010 and 2011. Normally these capital expenditures would be deducted gradually year by year, but this time you can write it all off in one go.

The Twisting Fate of Radio – It's Just Another App

In car music players are getting smarter and more versatile. At a time when people are searching for smarter ways to use their mobile devices and change songs without taking their hands off the wheel or their eyes off the road, one company has devised an answer. Parrot's Asteroid lets drivers make calls and select songs using voice controls. It also connects to GPS or to the Internet to use web radio apps. 

Democratize Your Office Music Listening Sessions

Everyone knows that good music makes you work better. Bad music, on the other hand, kills your groove. And there's no perfect way to democratize office music listening sessions, because we all like different stuff. The Breakfast company has set out to make your cubicle life better. They've released Pandora and Last.fm branded station-rating terminals.

Now everyone has a convenient way to give thumbs down to the songs they hate and to spread the love to their favorite tunes. While there's still likely to be some disputes. This device is a clever solution, making it so everyone can have his or her say about the song that's currently playing.

See how it works below:

Songbird: Combined Web Browser, Music Player

Songbird, founded in 2006, is a duel web-browser and music library organizer. I've just discovered Songbird, and overall it looks to be a very solid project. Since Songbird is open to developers like Firefox, there are tons of add-ons that allow you to optimize your browser for playback, music management, and social discovery.