Zack O'Malley Greenburg's Blog, page 73

Resolving 50 Cent’s Headphone Dilemma

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Though Interscope was the label that launched 50 Cent into superstardom with his 2003 opus Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, the Queens-born rapper has been accumulating a list of reasons to leave for quite some time.

He announced that he was taking his G-Unit Records independent in February, explaining that he wanted freedom to release albums on his own timeline and invest in his own ideas. Earlier this week, he elaborated on that sentiment: at In...

Matisyahu And The Marketing Of Faith

Back in 2005, concertgoers at Stubb’s in Austin were treated to an unusual sight: a tall, Hasidic Jewish man–in full regalia from beard to yarmulke–singing and rapping over a reggae beat.

Over the next few years, the rest of the music world got to know Matisyahu, too. His 2006 album,Youth, sold over 500,000 copies and climbed as high as No. 4 onBillboard‘s album chart. Two more studio efforts and four live albums followed; Matisyahu even duetted with Hip-Hop Cash Kings veteran Akon on “One Day...

Five Things Worth Remembering For Next Year’s SXSW

see photosForbes Images

Click for full photo gallery: South By Southwest In Pictures

For the first time in two weeks, the scene in Austin, Texas is approaching something resembling normal.

Tonight, the city’s streets won’t be choked with the journalists, marketers, musicians and revelers who descended upon the city for South By Southwest. The last of them have packed up their MacBook Airs and shuffled back to New York or Los Angeles or San Francisco, like so many so many truffula tree loggers.

Bu...

Where The Bands Stay At SXSW

For many of the estimated 200,000 people who attend South By Southwest each year, finding a place to stay in Austin tends to be a pricey and frustrating experience.

Those who search for lodging online quickly discover that most of the hotels within a mile or two of downtown are already booked; the available rooms often exceed $500.

For most, that means scrounging up a $200-a-night room on Airbnb or staying on the couch (or floor) of a friend, relative or colleague. But for the big musical acts...

Inside The Business Of Oil Can Guitars, With A Special Guest

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For Adam Lee and his brother, the proverbial lightbulb went on one day when they saw a street musician in their native South Africa playing a guitar fashioned from a rusty oil can.

“He came back and decided he was going to try and build his own,” says Lee, whom FORBES interviewed at the South By Southwest Music Gear Expo. “From one it grew to a couple guitars, then he started selling them to friends and people in the community. We really...

Diddy At SXSW: Highlights From His Forbes Panel

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Sean “Diddy” Combs took the stage yesterday for a one-on-one discussion with yours truly at South By Southwest, and he didn’t disappoint.

Over the course of the hour-long interview, we discussed topics from youth empowerment to Revolt TV to what the career of Notorious B.I.G. would have looked like had he survived.

Diddy expounded on what advertisers are doing wrong, what he looks for in job applicants, and even what makes him nervous ons...

How Neil Young’s Pono Music Raised $2 Million in Two Days

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On a breezy weekday morning in the hills just outside Austin, Texas, Neil Young slides onto a couch and smiles.

His relaxed countenance belies the fact that, at this very moment, he’s raising money for Pono–his long-awaited music player and service for high-quality audio files–at a rate of about $700 per minute via Kickstarter. Along with previous support from some outside investors, that will be more than enough to bring Pono to market...

SXSW Crash Leaves 2 Dead, 23 Injured; Authorities To Seek Death Penalty For Suspect

Early this morning, a driver fleeing police plowed into a crowd gathered outside a South By Southwest event in Austin, Texas—leaving two dead and 23 injured.

The allegedly inebriated suspect was spotted by police around 12:30am, driving the wrong way down a one-way street. As the authorities attempted to apprehend him, he sped off, ultimately accelerating through a line of pedestrians, striking a taxi and a moped, and crashing into a parked van.

The suspect attempted to flee, but was chased dow...

Why Chromeo Keeps Coming Back To SXSW

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South By Southwest has been overflowing with some of music’s most talented–and most entrepreneurial acts–as usual.

Here at FORBES, we’ve been doing our best to bring you the best of what’s on tap in Texas, from Snoop Dogg and his Airbnb abode to Diddy’s one-on-one panel discussion with yours truly aboutRevolt TV, the state of the music business, and how Millennials should go about trying to get jobs.

Stay tuned for more on that. In the me...

Inside Snoop Dogg’s Airbnb Abode At SXSW

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At South by Southwest, lodging is always at a premium–and many visitors to the festival (this writer included) turn to Airbnb to find affordable options.

Big acts can afford to shell out a bit more for accommodations, but that didn’t stop Snoop Dogg from teaming up with Airbnb to create a customized space to mirror his taste and style.

He’s not actually staying in the boxcar-sized structure in east Austin, of course, but he took a few min...