Zack O'Malley Greenburg's Blog, page 88

Clive Davis Takes Forbes Inside The Soundtrack of His Life

Clive Davis in Austin, Texas.

Who said music doesn’t pay anymore?

Clive Davis’s memoir,The Soundtrack of My Life, is now in its fourth week on the New York Times‘ bestseller list. The book takes readers from his days as a youth in Brooklyn through his rise as a music executive to the heights of a legendary career.

As chief of Columbia Records and, later, the founder of Arista, Davis was instrumental in the careers of artists like Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston and Diddy (still “Puffy” to Clive).

F...

From Marley to Holly: Inside Hard Rock’s Gone Too Soon Exhibit

Bob Marley and the wailin' Wailers.

Bob Marley’s guitars don’t show up at many parties these days. The legendary artist passed away in 1981 after a two-decade career that helped bring reggae music to mainstream listeners.

But last week on a balmy evening at the Fader Fort in Austin, Texas, I found myself a foot away from the 12-string he used to record the song “Is This Love?”

The guitar is part of an ongoing exhibition by Hard Rock International called “Gone To Soon,” which brings some of the f...

The Best Way To Get To SXSW: The Lonely Biscuits Explain

The Lonely Biscuits and their Woodie Award.

South by Southwest wrapped up this past weekend, and thousands of bands who shelled out their own cash for a trip to Texas to play a handful of free gigs have headed back home. Now they’ll wait and see if their gamble will translate into that mythical big break.

But for the Lonely Biscuits, a band from Belmont University in Nashville that combines funk, rock, pop and rap, the journey to Austin was definitely worth it–both musically and financially.

As...

Why Most Acts Don’t Get Paid At South By Southwest

Jack Black: One many who played SXSW for free.

Jack Black doesn’t have much trouble pulling in hefty paychecks. His band, Tenacious D, grosses about $200,000 per night on the road, according to Pollstar. His film roles, from acting in King Kong to doing voice work on Kung Fu Panda, can fetch far more.

Yet when he comes to the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas—as he’s been doing for many years—he plays for free.

“I’ve never been paid to perform at South by Southwest,” he explaine...

Machine Gun Kelly Unloads At SXSW, Predicts Forbes Debut

Machine Gun Kelly on the eve of his Woodie Award.

Machine Gun Kelly took home the top prize at the MTVu Woodie Awards last night in Austin, Texas, in the midst of South by Southwest. For the rapper also known as MGK, it won’t be the first time he’ll return from the festival with something to show for his efforts.

This marks MGK’s third year at South by Southwest, and though he came to Texas just for the Woodies this time around, he’s certainly got one of the festival’s best origin stories. As l...

Jack Black Gets Tenacious About SXSW, New Series, Jay-Z

Jack Black at SXSW 2013, before his drop-kick.

You never know who you’ll bump into at South by Southwest, and last night FORBES had a chance to sit down with actor-producer-musician Jack Black before his Tenacious D concert in Austin.

As you’ll see in the video below, Black is someone who doesn’t have an “off button”–he actually drop-kicked the camera at the 3:30 mark, one of the many highlights of our conversation.

Black brought along Amanda Lund and Maria Blasucci, the stars of his new Yahoo!...

SXSW 2013: Inside Austin’s Pedicab Economy

SXSW pedicabs at rest. (Photo: mrlaugh)

Shortly after I arrived in Austin, Texas, for this year’s iteration of the South by Southwest, I hailed a pedicab—and took a ride on one of the more compelling business stories of the festival.

A cheerful, mustachioed man on one of the ubiquitous machines—a cross between a bicycle and a rickshaw—offered to pedal me from South Congress to the convention center for $10, and I hopped in. He was wearing a blue t-shirt emblazoned with the Oreo logo, and as he...

Pentatonix Brings A Cappella To The Mainstream — And To The Forbes Newsroom

What do the members of a cappella group Pentatonix have in common with David Archuleta, Delta Rae, Train, Jon Bon Jovi and Warren Buffett? If you guessed worldwide renown as a value investor, you’d be wrong. But if you’d said something about having played a live concert at FORBES’ New York headquarters, you’d have been right on the money.

Pentatonix graced the makeshift stage in the middle of our fourth-floor newsroom late last month, a midday treat from a band that tens of thousands of concer...

SXSW Commercialization: Why It’s Time to Stop Complaining

Is it too late? During SXSW, yes.

Take a stroll along any major thoroughfare in Austin, Texas, during the two-week mega-festival known as South by Southwest, and you’ll realize it’s nearly impossible to turn around without being confronted by some form of advertisement.

A ten-minute pedicab ride through downtown brings more impressions than a walk down a supermarket aisle. There’s the Oreo logo on the back of the driver’s back, the fleet of brand-new Chevys parked near the Hilton, the trucks wr...

SXSW Music Coverage Preview: What Do You Want To Hear?

Letter-men: TI, BOB & ZOG @ SXSW 2012.

Last year’s trip to South By Southwest proved to be quite a fruitful one for FORBES’ music business coverage.

With the help our fantastic video team, I brought you branding tips from Kendrick Lamar and Kevin Liles, offered scoops on the value of Lil Wayne’s and Nicki Minaj’s then-new endorsement deals, provided a sneak peek at U.K. sensation Ed Sheeran and took you to the back of the tour bus for an interview with T.I. and B.o.B.

On the entrepreneurial side...