Archive for January, 2011

Snoop Dogg Shares Some Super Bowl Party Tips

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Snoop Dogg hooked up with Pepsi MAX to show you how to make some real football food like you’ve never tasted before.  From Snoopified dips to the best bowl of chips, you know no one does it like Snoop.

Check out his “Cooking with  Snoop Dogg: Super Bowl Edition” below and get some pointers on how to have a bangin’ Super Bowl party.

Also, in case you missed it, head over to the official NFL website to see Snoop’s Pepsi MAX NFL Audible video preview of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers leading up to the big game this weekend.

Cashmere Tech Wrap-Up

Friday, January 28th, 2011

After Hacks, Facebook Unlocks New Security Mechanisms

Facebook is adding new security features, which come after a pair of high-profile cracks in the site’s defenses  surfaced this week.

One new mechanism is called “social authentication.” To combat spam and prevent strangers from weaseling into your account, the system will sometimes show the user a friend’s headshot and ask to match a name to that face.

This multiple-choice photo quiz is a new take on a common Web system called Captcha.

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VIDEO VISIONS: NEW TOOLS AND SERVICES REFLECT CONTINUING CONSUMER THIRST FOR ONLINE VIDEO

It should go without saying that online video remains a booming media category, but a recent comScore study offers further evidence nonetheless. Nearly 172 million US Internet users watched online video content in December 2010 for an average of 14.6 hours per viewer. That translates to 5.9 billion video ads viewed by Americans last month alone. With numbers like these, expect to see a flood of new video content this year, as well as new tools and services created with the video trend in mind.

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HEYTELL: THE SOCIAL WALKIE-TALKIE APP WITH 3 MILLION USERS

There’s hope for the walkie-talkie making a comeback. At least in app form. In fact, maybe it already has very quietly. An app called HeyTell already has 3 million users.

HeyTell is an app for the iPhone and Android phones that allows you to instantly send short voice messages to other users. Or, as they put it: “push-to-talk, starting at $0.”

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Click to view company website

AMAZON BUYS EUROPEAN MOVIE RENTAL SERVICE LOVEFILM

Amazon.com Inc. is buying Lovefilm, a European movie rental service akin to Netflix Inc. The deal announced Thursday heralds Amazon’s entrance into a market where Netflix doesn’t yet do business, and it left analysts wondering whether Amazon might mount a bigger challenge to Netflix in North America, too. Terms of the purchase were not disclosed.

Lovefilm operates in the U.K., Germany, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Much like Netflix, it is a subscription-based service through which people can rent movies by mail or watch them on TV or any other device with a high-speed Internet connection. The company also offers TV shows and games.

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THE CLOCK IS SET FOR A FACEBOOK IPO BY APRIL 2012

Today, Facebook announced that it raised a total of $1.5 billion in its latest round, giving the company a valuation of $50 billion. But it also disclosed something else: when it will likely go public.

Buried at the bottom of its press release, it sets a date for when it expects to start filing public financial reports. Even before the investment from Goldman Sachs, Facebook had expected to pass 500 shareholders at some point in 2011, and therefore expects to start filing public financial reports no later than April 30, 2012.

While Facebook could decide to report financial publicly without actually going public, once it goes through the trouble of financial reporting and the increased scrutiny that it brings, there will be little remaining reasons to remain private. So the clock is now ticking. Expect a Facebook IPO by April 2012.

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Republicans Moving in on Democrats’ Social Media World

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

While the Democratic party and Barack Obama’s team had been ahead of the curve with utilizing  social media tools during the 2008 campaign, it appears that in 2011, in the world of social media,  Republicans are catching up.

This is the conclusion according to a report released by the Pew Research Center. According to Lee Rainie, the director of Pew’s Internet and American Life Project, “the Democratic advantage, in some sense, is being washed away by the mainstreaming of the populations who are using these tools.”

Social media tools including Twitter and Facebook are relatively new to the general population during the 2008 campaign is now utilized by everyone. In addition, the older population that are more likely to align themselves with more conservative candidates are the fastest demographic using social media.

Take a look at these interesting articles from CSMonitor.com and NPR.org on how the republicans are catching up to Obama and the Dems at the social media.

Cashmere, VIBE Host The VIBE House at 2011 SXSW

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

VIBE Magazine and Cashmere Agency are proud to present “THE VIBE HOUSE” at the 2011 SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas.  THE VIBE HOUSE features The VIBE House Party and VIBE Live, two of the most anticipated events of the weekend.The party starts on March 16th at Venue 222 (222 East 6th Street, Austin, TX 78701) and will run thru March 19th.

VIBE Live is four nights of performances from some of the hottest artists in the music game today.
The VIBE House party on March 19th will be an all-day event featuring a private gifting lounge and live performances throughout the day.   There will also be live streamed performances and exclusive viral content so be sure to check out VIBE.com/SXSW for more details and updates.

For more information and details, check out today’s story on VIBE.com here.

State of the Union 2011: Roadmap to Progress

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

Tonight, the League of Young Voters Education Fund (LYVEF) and AllHipHop.com will host exclusive conversations with leading voices from music and politics in regards to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address in their event entitled, “State of the Union 2011: Roadmap to Progress”. Through the power of hip-hop, LYVEF and AllHipHop.com will speak with political figures from the nation’s biggest youth organizations, including Rock The Vote, as well as media experts to address the needs and interests of the nation’s young voters.

This event will be the kick-off to the “Roadmap to Progress” partnership and initiative between AllHipHop.com and LYVEF.   Throughout the State of the Union address, LYVEF’s urban portal, 99Problems.org and AllHipHop.com, will be the leading hub in answering all your political questions as it pertains to Obama’s address.  Here, you will find top stories from the nation’s capital, as well as interviews with top media experts and influential political figures through a youth perspective.  In addition, AllHipHop.com and LYVEF will provide simplified explanations of how each subject matter discussed in the address directly impacts our young voter’s lives, including healthcare, war in the Middle East, gun control, economic policies and more.

Tune in to the live viewing party and panel discussion tonight, 8pm EST at YoungVoterLive.com. Join the conversation using the hashtag #BarackTalk from your Facebook, Twitter or Ustream account. We will be taking questions live from those platforms and posing to the panelists. And if you’re in the DC area, come party with a purpose at 18th Street Lounge amongst leaders at LYVEF, AllHipHop.com, Vibe, Def Jam, Rock The Vote, Cashmere Agency, NAACP and National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) just to name a few. RSVP here.

For further information, read the press release here. Also, catch LYVEF and AllHipHop.com on their promo run on MSNBC.

Skullcandy Sundance Sessions

Monday, January 24th, 2011

Our good friends at Skullcandy put on a three Skullcandy Sundance Sessions during Sundance to check out the nightlife scene at Harry O’s nightclub.

The first night was kicked off by the big homie Snoop Dogg accompanied by Lil Jon and “Big Head Lil Jon”. Guests in attendance included Shaun White, Danny Masterson, Ben Foster and more.

The second night featured a performance from Ghostland Observatory as they brought out a lively set with not only music but an intense light show as well. DJ Mia Moretti opened up for them spinning house music while Caitlin Moe played the violin. James Franco supposedly rapped in drag and Danny McBride aka Kenny Powers was on hand as well.

The final day served as an afterparty for the premier of one of the most anticipated documentaries of the year: Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest. The line for this went around the block more than 2 hours before things kicked off. Once things got started, The Roots took the stage and folks like Michael Rapaport (the film’s director) and Forrest Whitaker mingled with guests. Thanks again to Skullcandy for giving us a peek inside their crazy three days in Park City.

Check out the exclusive recap videos below from Skullcandy Sundance Sessions and for more pictures and details from this past weekends event, head over to Skullcandy’s blog.

Cashmere Tech Wrap-Up

Friday, January 21st, 2011

SNOOPIN’ ON INSTAGRAM: THE EARLY ADOPTING-CELEB JOINS THE PHOTO-SHARING SERVICE

Hip-Hop artist Snoop Dogg has begun using Instagram. Earlier this week, he tweeted out his first picture to his nearly 2.5 million followers. It’s Snoop in a suit “bossin it up”. And yes, he used a filter.

Snoop’s arrival on Instagram follows the service quickly getting one million users to sign up in less than three months. And it follows a wave of brands coming on board to try it out. Again, step one and two.

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SKYPE DOES BETTER WITH GROUP CALLS THAN MOBILE

Making audio and video calls between computers over Skype is now so common that the company’s name has become a verb. People ask others to “Skype me” or say they are “Skyping.”

But the Luxembourg-based service had been a bit slow in getting into a couple of areas that other companies have jumped into: mobile video calling, and computer-based video calls involving multiple people. Now, Skype has entered both arenas, and I’ve been testing the features. A couple of weeks ago, Skype introduced free mobile video calling to its iPhone app and has plans to extend the same functionality to certain Android-based phones running on Verizon’s new high-speed 4G network later this year. And, last week, at the Consumer Electronics Show, it launched a paid service it had been testing that allows for group video calling on computers.

Verdict: Like some competing services, Skype’s mobile video calling varies greatly in quality and therefore isn’t especially reliable. Its computer-based group video calling, however, worked well in my limited tests and is nicely designed.

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HOW TO ENGAGE FANS ON TWITTER LIKE SNOOP DOGG

As a Hypebot reader, you’re undoubtedly informed on the importance of artist-fan relationships and how Twitter has broken down the walls between the artist and the fan by keeping each one at arm’s length from another. Yet still, many artists I know refuse to enter the “Twittersphere” as they are still not fully convinced that they need it to communicate with their fan base.

While an artist may not necessarily need to Tweet, it certainly opens up an entirely new landscape for fan interaction and engagement.

One music artist who is a master of digital fan engagement through Twitter is Snoop Dogg. As of this writing, Snoop has 2.4 million followers! This gives him an incredible sphere of influence. So how does Snoop keep his fans engaged?

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VEVO & UNIVERSAL PUBLISHING TEAM FOR “INSIDE THE HITS SONGS”

Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), the world’s leading global music publisher, has teamed up with VEVO, the leading premium music video and entertainment service, to launch an original series, INSIDE THE HIT SONGS, which highlights the craft of songwriting.

The brainchild of UMPG and VEVO, INSIDE THE HIT SONGS will give music fans a unique behind-the-scenes look at what is involved in the art of songwriting and the process of making a hit song from conception to recording. The first episode will feature an exclusive interview with The All-American Rejects, chronicling the creation of their hit single, “Gives You Hell,” which was one of the most played songs of 2009, according to ASCAP.

VEVO and UMPG have slated noteworthy interviews for the series, including an inspiring interview with the legendary hit-maker Glen Ballard, sharing his experience of working with Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones on “Man In The Mirror.” Additionally, Keri Hilson reveals the process behind writing her hit single, “Knock You Down,” a collaboration with Kanye West and fellow UMPG songwriter Ne-Yo.

Click to read full press release

INSIDE THE SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN FOR THE 2011 GRAMMY AWARDS

The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards are just around the proverbial corner, and to herald their arrival, the Recording Academy is busting out with an innovative social media campaign involving geolocation, mobile, web, social media and even augmented reality.

This year’s campaign, dubbed Music Is Life Is Music — a joint effort between the Academy and the creative team at TBWA\Chiat\Day — centers around the idea that everyone has a musical journey with memories tied to certain songs and locations.

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Soocial Media Participation Increased 20% in 2010

Thursday, January 20th, 2011

An ongoing web study called Global Web Index surveying 51,000 consumers throughout the world between July 2009 and September 2010 suggests that participation in the social web is shifting from a place where one creates personal content to where people can share professional content in real time.

According to the Global Web Index, static online conversations decreased, blog writing decreased by 4%, and participation in forums decreased by 11%. However, real-time social networks and microblogs participation increased by 20%.

To read more about this, head over to Mashable.com for their full story.

Snoop Dogg Kicks Off “Get Wet” Tour

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

The Boss Dogg is going hard promoting his upcoming 11th studio album, Doggumentary. Snoop  Dogg continued #PuffPuffPassTuesdays by bringing his crew up to the Twitter offices and officially kicked off the nationwide  22-city “Get Wet” tour.

Named for his hot single he created for Prince William’s bachelor party, the “Get Wet” tour got started yesterday in San Francisco and will end in Morgantown, WV on February 25th.  Before the show however, Tha Boss Dogg gave the staff at the Twitter offices an exclusive preview of his upcoming album, Doggumentary, dropping March 29th.

In a matter of minutes, Snoop hotboxed their office, turned their cubicles into a stage and ran through a couple tracks for them!   Check out the video below to see how Tha Boss got down with Twitter for #PuffPuffPassTuesdays.

After Snoop gave the Twitter office a show of their lifetime, he gave San Francisco a REAL show live at the legendary Fillmore.  He brought out his nephews from Ustream.tv to broadcast the show live for all his fans on the internet to see.  Look out for the performance on Snoop’s Ustream channel.

For more tour dates, check out the full schedule below. Snoop Dogg’s Doggumentary hits stores March 29th.

Snoop Dogg’s “Get Wet” Tour Dates
Jan. 19 – Montbleu Resort – Stateline, NV
Jan. 21 – Knitting Factory – Boise, ID
Jan. 23 –Civic Center – Great Fall, MT
Jan. 25 – Cabooze on the West Bank – Minneapolis, MN
Jan. 26 – Club Fever – South Bend, IN
Jan. 27 – Rapids Theatre – Niagra Falls, NY
Jan. 28 – Tsongas Arena – Lowell, MA
Jan. 29 – Pickle Barrel Nightclub – Killington, VT
Jan. 31 – The Canopy Club – Urbana, IL
Feb. 1 – Orpheum Theatre – Madison, WI
Feb. 2 – Blue Note – Columbia, MO
Feb. 3 – The Cotillion – Wichita, KS
Feb. 7 – Minglewood Hall – Memphis, TN
Feb. 8 – Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, OK
Feb. 10 – Club 101 – El Paso, TX
Feb. 11 – Rialto Theater – Tuscon, AZ
Feb. 12 – Fox Theater – Pomona, CA
Feb. 13 – Majestic Ventura Theatre – Ventura, CA
Feb. 14 – UC Davis Freeborn Hall – Davis, CA
Feb. 15 – Senator Theatre – Chico, CA
Feb. 25 – WVU Coliseum – Morgantown, WV

Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa Drop “That Good”

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa, aka the “new” Cheech & Chong, just released their new video  for their recent collabo “That Good”, from their upcoming High School soundtrack that’s dropping in June.

Check out the new video for “That Good”. Make sure your up on everything in Snoop’s world and check out his Facebook, Twitter, and official website.