Archive for September, 2011

#Cash4Cars Challenge for Cashmere’s Creative Minds

Friday, September 30th, 2011

Cashmere’s brightest minds will clash as all four teams are eager to win. The judging criteria is simple: “coolness” of the initiative, innovative use of new media tools, and quantitative analysis. As you can see, with very few boundaries, there is plenty of room for the creative minds at Cashmere to showcase their talent and originality.

Stay posted to see how Cash 4 Cars Challenge 2011 turns out!

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY – JAY-Z “HARD KNOCK LIFE, VOL. 2″

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

In my opinion, this is one of the greatest albums ever made.  It had such a great story and flow to it, that putting the album in the CD player meant listening to it from beginning to end.  Not only was it one of my favorites, but it was the first rap album I ever purchased.  Dropping in 1998, Hard Knock Life, Vol. 2 cemented Jay-Z as a powerhouse in the hip-hop game, and even landed him a Grammy for Best Rap Album.  The sampling of Annie on the title track “Hard Knock Life” was something very new to most fans, and the song was all over the charts and music video countdowns.  Jay-Z has also been in the news recently, announcing the plans for the opening of the new NBA arena in Brooklyn, where the Nets will play starting in 2012, a team Jay has a minority ownership in.  His success coming from 9 straight albums topping the Billboard charts has helped him enter business ventures like this, but we will always remember the first one on that list.

Kyle Dineen – @kyledineen

Cashmere Tech Wrap-Up

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

FACEBOOK MAKES BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS AT F8

Last week, Facebook made some major announcements at their annual F8 conference last week, leading up to some of its biggest changes to date.  There were three focal points of the announcement, with the first being the new Timeline.  The new Timeline is soon replacing all personal profiles, aimed at bringing a more comprehensive look at your past through a series of updates, photos, links, and more.  This Timeline can be easily navigated through the years, and also has a nice big cover photo for each person’s profile.  The second update was the new changes to the Open Graph.  The Open Graph will allow third party companies to tie in to the social sharing aspect of Facebook, giving users real-time updates on their entertainment consumption.  This will be especially great for companies like Hulu, Netflix, and Spotify to allow users to instantly share what music they are listening to and what programs they are watching.  With their partnership with Spotify, you can even listen to the songs your friends are listening to, right there on Facebook.  The third big update was the new App system on Facebook.  Users will be able to connect with numerous new apps to share where they are running, what they are cooking, and what they are reading, all making the sharing process more social.

Read full article here

AMAZON UNVEILS SILK, ITS NEW WEB BROWSER FOR TABLETS, ALONG WITH THE KINDLE FIRE

Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos held his own version of a big announcement today, revealing its new line of products, including the brand new Kindle Fire.  The Kindle Fire is Amazon’s answer the iPad, even directly speaking about its features in comparison.  The biggest advantage for the Amazon product is its cloud-based storage, in which everything you view is stored without the need for the user to sync the data.  In order to meet the challenges of mobile web browsing and navigating high-content websites, Amazon has developed its own browsing service called SILK.  SILK will live on the Kindle device, as well ask Amazon’s server, to help make mobile web navigation much easier.  The Kindles will have a much cheaper price range, from the original model selling for $79, to the new Fire selling for $199, much cheaper than the low model iPad ($499).  If this device truly has faster web browsing at a much cheaper price, we could see some real competition for Apple.

Read full article here

FIRST INSTAGRAM ART GALLERY TO BE HOSTED IN LONDON

London’s East Gallery at Brick Lane will host the first ever Instagram only photo gallery, curated by a group of users in the area known as the “Instagrammers of London”.  The group shares tips and tricks for using the app around town in the user’s daily life.  The exhibition will be called “My World Shared“, and will run October 22-23.  The app has become widely popular over the last year, and the gallery aims to use the exhibit to share real world experiences from the users point of view.

Read full article here

WILL LAST.FM BE TAKEN OVER BY FACEBOOK MUSIC

In 2008, Facebook launched its Open Graph, which pulls data from different services and apps that consumers are using to pull in content, including music, movies, books, fitness, food, and much more.  Last week, it launched Facebook Music, which makes your listening habits more social, allowing your friends to see what you are listening to, along with being able to listen to the same music at the same time.  This model in its simplest form was actually built out by Audioscrobbler, later bought out by Last.fm.  This service pulls in all the same data and builds out profiles based on listening habits, but also requires the user to download add-ons and plug-ins.  Facebook now automatically pulls the information from all these services, including iTunes, Spotify, and Turntable.fm.  Due to its user friendliness and ease of use, will Facebook music eventually kill Last.fm?

Read full article here

APPLE CONFIRMS DATE FOR ANNOUNCEMENT, LEAVES CONSUMERS WONDERING ABOUT THE DETAILS

New Apple CEO Tim Cook has confirmed that they will be holding their next tech conference on October 4th, only a few days away.  Many people believe the iPhone 5 will be released, but the rest of topics to be discussed are up in the air.  It has become a given during Apple announcements that something new comes out of nowhere that no one is expecting, so what will it be this year?  Rumors have been circulating of a new, cheaper iPhone 4, a higher definition iPad, the Facebook iPad App, and a flatscreen Apple TV.  It remains to be seen what Cook will add on to this year’s announcement, but we do know it will be something awesome!

Read full article here

Kyle Dineen – @kyledineen

#NewMusicTuesday – D.A. & The Supa Dups & Cori B

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

Our very good friend @DaChesterFrench at Spotify has released a new song, off of his new collaborative project with Jamaican Producer/DJ, @SupaDups. The pair have been working on this particular project for about a year and seems ready to release.

From “Big Hype” with Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boys) to “Play Your Part” with Rick Ross, D.A. adapts well in any genre of music. The soulful Harvard grad will win your ears if you let em. Check ‘em out below!

D.A. & The Supa Dups – Too Cool (feat. Vybz Kartel)

Today was also the big boss dogg’s daughter debut snippets of her video in the background as she performed her single, “Do My Thang” on  #WhatsTrending.

The intimate setting was perfect as Cori B was able to hold her own, making a bunch of new fans in the process. For those that missed it, luckily we have the video in it’s entirety, as it was released today to the public. Enjoy and leave comments!!!

Event Recap: Abstractions in New York

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

Wish we could be at two places in one time. Luckily Yoon Hyup from Littergram.com took a couple of pictures for us at the Opening of Abstractions in New York.

Artists exhibiting: Sam Francis / Hans Hartung / Daze / Bast / Georges Mathieu / Joan Miro / Rostarr / Pierre Soulages / Antonio Saura / Roberto Matta / Gibby Haynes / Lucio Fontana / Ron English / Futura / Saber / Andre Lanskoy / Sixeart / Mr. Jago / Zhenia Nesterova / Victor Vasarely / Arman / and others respectively.

Here are some of our favorites…

Saber

Rostarr

Ron English

Yoon Hyup with Futura

Daze

Keith Haring

#WeekendRecap – Record Making and Record Breaking

Monday, September 26th, 2011

Sunday night, Brandon headed out to Zanzibar in Santa Monica to check out the 3rd Annual Project Live: Beat Showcase.  The event is put on by L.A. based producers Dae One (Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg) and THX (Snoop Dogg, David Banner) and features many of other upcoming producers from the Los Angeles area.  Many of these producers have gotten mainstream placements as well as provided the beats for L.A.’s rising underground scene.  The list included Swiff D (Pac Div, Jadakiss, David Banner, 50 Cent, Dom Kennedy), Curtiss King (Glasses Malone, Mack 10), Willie B (Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock), THC (Kendrick Lamar, Dom Kennedy, OverDoz), Phonix (The Game, 50 Cent), Jansport J (Planet Asia, Strong Arm Steady), TaeBeast (Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock) and more.  The producers played some of their popular beats as well as new creations.  It wasn’t a battle but more of a place for everyone to meet and see some of the people behind their favorite songs.  This year’s event was dedicated to DJ Khalil who did a special set as he played tracks he produced for Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, The Game, Fabolous, Drake, Jim Jones, the Clipse and some special beats many hadn’t heard yet.  There was a huge turnout and it was good to see artists like Dom Kennedy, Thurzday, Jay Rock (pictured w/ Willie B), Terrace Martin and more come out to support their musical peers.

This past Saturday, Cashmere’s Colin, Grace, Aron and Kristen, along with Roderick and Renee, “jumped” for joy at the Orange County Sky High Sports complex where the floors and walls were made of trampolines.  The day was filled with high flying jumps, flips, hardcore parkour, foam pits and trampoline dodgeball, in which they all got their asses handed to by little kids.

James spent the weekend at Paramount Studios with Chordz, Buddah, Chozen, and Iggy Azalea, mixing down Iggy’s “Ignorant Art” to be released tomorrow, 9/27!!

SOCIAL MEDIA WEEK RECAP

Monday, September 26th, 2011

Last week in LA was big for anyone involved in the social media world, as the international Social Media Week just wrapped up.  The Cashmere team attended a number of events at various agency hubs around the city, covering topics from fashion and comedy, to analytics and social causes.  We thought we would share some of the great tips we learned over the past five days, so here you go!

Facebook’s Impact on Entertainment PR and Marketing (Alison Kwee – @alleykat1110)

“Speakers from all around the entertainment business shared their tips on marketing through Facebook.  They shared that they found Business-to-Consumer interaction is better done on Facebook, but Business-to-Business interactions are better done on Twitter.  They also explained how Twitter is more meant for listening and hearing breaking news, while Facebook provides a more intimate relationship and conversation with the consumer.  Overall, this panel had some great insight on the tricks and tips of Facebook.”

Social Media: Taking Fashion to New Heights (Theresa Aufner – @destined_2_win & Misty Anderson – @LuvlyIzMe)

“It was very interesting to hear how fashion bloggers, style experts, and retailers use social media and digital marketing to their advantage. Communicating with their online following on a very personal level through social media really has taken the fashion world to new heights and has allowed style lovers all over the world to connect and share their passion.”

Competitive Social Media Monitoring: What Works on Facebook & How to Get in the Newsfeed (Anthony Kennedy – @antpooh)

“I was a bit shocked to learn that while most posts from brand consisted of links, that those received the fewest engagements. What garnered the most? Photo albums’. Additionally, something we’ve always preached at Cashmere, quality fans were more important to secure over the quantity, as while a page like L’oreal Paris Brazil (yeah, I don’t get that page name either) had the highest percentage of user engagement while only maintaining 358K fans.”

Pick Me! The Ins and Outs of Influencer Outreach (Kristen Tambara – @tambybear)

“Annie, Misty and I attended one of the most fruitful conferences called Pick Me! The Ins and Outs of Influencer Outreach.  Throughout the discussion, a panel of experts discussed the best ways to identify influencers by utilizing certain online media tools and assessing attributes, such as reach, relevance and resonance.  Featuring influencer and social media experts, Neal Schaffer (Founder of Windmills Marketing), Matthew Arevalo (Founder of Master Works), Stacy Soleil (Founder of Soleil Marketing Services), Rex Freiberger (Founder of Highly Relevant) and Josh Ochs (Founder of Media Leaders), the five also discussed topics of how to go about conducting influencer outreach properly with tactics that will properly engage them, have effective communication with them, as well as measuring their impact.

When Integrated Marketing Met Social: Love at First Like (James Koo – @jameskoo)

“Mark Wallrapp, Director of National Accounts at Facebook, came and spoke about the increase in time spent on social media and how that should tailor strategy. Yes, I have his email address. Yes, I will be emailing him for tech support. Some interesting things: Time spent on Portals decreased by 20% in the past year, time spent on Search has plateaued, and time spent on Social has increase by 50%.  He also talked about how we don’t hind behind screennames and avatars anymore, and that our presence online is often a genuine extension of ourselves. Now that we get a lot of our news from friends, Facebook is making social/viral news easier, by allowing people to get a better feel for what content they share has become “social” through their friends.”

Snoop Dogg Rocks Facebook x Spotify Music Event

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Napster founder Sean Parker, were special guests in Snoop Dogg’s trailer last night, before the “A Celebration of Music” event following yesterday’s F8 announcement of Facebook and Spotifiy’s partnership.

Parker hosted the exclusive music event in a San Francisco warehouse, inviting the Killers, the Boss Dogg, Jane’s Addiction and Kaskade to perform for an invite-only audience of a couple hundred tech and music industry insiders. And, of course, Cashmere and Stampede were in the building to represent.

Stampede’s Ted Chung and Nick Adler, along with Cashmere’s Ryan Ford had an opportunity to hang with the Facebook and Spotify masterminds.

After kicking it with Silicon Valley techies backstage, the D-O-Double-G proceeded to rock a loud and hyped crowd like only Uncle Snoop can.

Cashmere Event Recap: Capcom’s Fight Club

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

Capcom had their new fighters, Ultimate Marvel vs Street Fighter 3 and much anticipated Street Fighter vs Tekken, on display last night for their annual Fight Club event in Los Angeles. Being the video gaming geek –and proud of it– that I am, of course I was there to receive the VIP treatment along with another member of the Cashmere Crew, Brandon, for a night of dragon punches, open bar, free food, live music, and scantily clad girls dressed up as our favorite video game vixens.

The vibe in the theater was unique with club goers out for a good time, industry professionals networking and a horde of gamers to get the first hands on playing time with Capcom’s new releases. While I love schooling newbs daily on the gridiron in Madden, and take  glee killing elementary school kids  in Call of Duty, there’s something about getting on those old school arcade sticks to throw hadokens and sonic booms in Street Fighter. And the games themselves, AWESOME. Playing these titles on the PlayStation 3 is a MUST. The animation looks super crisp with the PS3 pumping out graphics on those Blu Ray discs.

Street Fighter vs Tekken is the better of the two for me. The diverse roster and novelty of these two fighting series collaborating adds a new dimension to the franchise. While I found the game speed to move a little slow, I assume that can be adjusted from the options screen. Ultimate Marvel vs Street Fighter 3 is clearly for hardcore gamers. The action is fast and, at times, chaotic. If you can’t combo or execute super moves, don’t bother picking up the stick. FYI, I was reduced to random button mashing to keep up with my FEMALE opponent and still got crushed.

All things considered, a dope night of gaming entertainment!

- Anthony Kennedy, @antpooh

#ThrowbackThursday ’96 Life Changer: Fugees – The Score

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

Nowadays, the word “classic” is used way to loosely and soon for albums, but if The Score by the Fugees is not one, then this term needs a new definition. In my opinion, a “classic” record not only has the ability to give you chills when listening to it over a decade after its release, but it also seems to get even better with time.

I was only nine years old and lived back in Vienna, Austria when The Score by the Fugees dropped in 1996. Not a whole lot of Hip Hop made it over there; but thanks to the success of the album’s first single “Fu-Gee-La” this album did, and it changed my life forever.

The Score’s other highly successful singles “Killing Me Softly”, “Ready Or Not”, and “No Woman No Cry” are all just glimpses of the album’s unendingly gripping sound and well-rounded production by Diamond D, Salaam Remi, Jerry Duplessis (amongst others), as well as the group’s own members. As much as I’d love to recommend “other notable songs” on The Score, I simply can’t unless I write out the whole track list.

If there is a living person on this planet that claims to love Hip Hop but never heard this album, just take my word for it that every single song on The Score is at least as great as its well-known hits. If you don’t believe me, sample the tracks on Amazon and judge for yourself.

- Theresa Aufner, @destined_2_win