YouTube plans to produce professional shows that will stand out against its all too familiar short videos of cuddly pets, crazy sport stunts and other recreational content that placed the platform in a prominent position on the Internet.
Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews. 
Over the last few days Madonna has drawn some attention on YouTube for being caught on tape at a press conference saying that she absolutely loathes hydrangeas, after being given a bouquet by a fan. Check out the original video and Madonna’s “apology” after the jump.
Auditions for the 10th season of American Idol are under way, and potential contestants don’t even have to wait in line: Through Oct. 6, singers and wannabe singers between 15 and 28 can submit audition videos via MySpace.
Songs from artists including Michael Jackson, Coldplay, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston, and Maroon 5 can be chosen, and audition videos can be shared via other social networks, such as Facebook and twitter
MySpace hosted similar auditions for Don’t Forget the Lyrics!, and MySpace Karaoke general manager Mari Bower discussed other previous related initiatives in a post on the MySpace Blog:
The American Idol auditions on MySpace are an extension of our talent-discovery program as we give our users even more unique opportunities in entertainment, including our recent successful auditions programs. As most of you know, we held the MySpace Glee casting call last spring, which brought a whopping 34,000 audition submissions, more than 105 million gold stars given, and 23 million video views. We also just announced the latest member of the If I Can Dream house, cast directly from MySpace, Jordyn Mallory. Check out her time in the house so far and get more info her and the rest of the talented cast here.
American Idol host Ryan Seacrest on the MySpace auditions:
AMERICAN IDOL ONLINE AUDITIONS
American Idol | MySpace Video
Could the tide finally be turning for the music industry? CNET News is reporting that Warner Music Group, the record label behind Green Day, Madonna, and Linkin Park, saw impressive gains in digital music sales, which include sales from online stores like the iTunes Store and Napster as well as over-the-air mobile services such as Sprint Music.
The label said that digital sales in the quarter ended September 30 grew 27 percent to $167 million, which is up from $131 million during the same time last year.
This comes two weeks after Universal Music reported gains of 33 percent in its digital sales, a result that prompted parent company Vivendi to say in a statement that this “more than offset lower physical sales.”
Following in the footsteps of Madonna, Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead, the Pretenders are the latest iconic rock act to take advantage of innovative online distribution methods to create some buzz for their new record.
Madonna went mobile, NIN and Radiohead went free (sort of), and Chrissie Hynde and company are going serial. Break Up the Concrete is being released one MP3 track at a time, one per week, with each track being offered through a different Web site, all leading up to the CD release on September 23, Billboard.biz reports.
Making it worth fans’ time to go on the music service scavenger hunt, the weekly downloads are free. And since they’re in MP3 format, you can put the whole album together at the end and listen to it on any music-enabled phone.
The first track is available on AOL’s Spinner.com and from the Pretenders’ own Web site. Partner sites for the rest of the album include QuickTime, ClearChannel.com, iLike, imeem and a few others.
Remember the good old days when pop-superstar Madonna would reveal some ridiculous salacious information about her sex life? Well, the latest nugget to come from the Material Girl: she sleeps with a…Blackberry.
OK, so the thing vibrates a bit, but c’mon!
The Internet might be rife with adult content (the kind I would have killed for as a 16-year-old boy), but as an adult, I propose that the Net has made things UNSEXY.
In my world, the less I know, the hotter you are.
There are too many articles, too many pictures, too much paparazzi, and yes, too much technology.
