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The Myspace Sweepstakes Drag on–Another Bid Deadline Today As Sale Deadline Looms

Kara Swisher in Social on May 31, 2011 at 12:54 am PT

The sale of Myspace by its owner News Corp. is still going, going, going, gooooooing on…

TED Again: Iconic Conference Kicks Off 2011 With Gates, a Data Artist and a Wrongologist!

Kara Swisher in News on March 1, 2011 at 6:15 am PT

Today, the formal program at the famous TED conference begins and runs to Friday, with the theme title: “The Rediscovery of Wonder.” And, in fact, you might wonder how good a conference has to be for BoomTown to miss the Apple iPad 2 launch in San Francisco tomorrow? That good.

Pandora Files to Raise $100 Million in IPO

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on February 11, 2011 at 2:49 pm PT

Let the floodgates open. First it was LinkedIn, and now it is the music-streaming service Pandora that has filed for an initial public offering.

Lady Gaga + 126,000 Pasty Geeks + Vegas = BoomTown Nirvana

Kara Swisher in News on January 6, 2011 at 6:24 am PT

The iconic singer and performance artist Lady Gaga will be appearing at the Consumer Electronics Show later today to unveil “creations” she came up with for Polaroid, as its creative director. Gaga said a year ago here that she would be coming up with “prototypes in marrying the fields of fashion/technology/photography innovation.” Oh, goody. Fishnet stockings that can post pictures to Instagram!

Zynga Drops the Beat With Dr. Dre in Mafia Wars

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on December 17, 2010 at 1:52 pm PT

Zynga has formed a partnership with rapper Dr. Dre, who is using the social gaming phenomenon to promote his first album in more than a decade.

The My-Fill-In-the-Space Reset Is Here, as Struggling Social Network Morphs Into Entertainment Hub

Kara Swisher in News on October 26, 2010 at 10:56 pm PT

Empty bracket or no empty bracket: Will it work? That’s pretty much the big question at News Corp. tonight, as its much beleaguered social networking site, Myspace, rolls out a new beta version aimed at shifting its fortunes. And how will it do that? By moving dramatically away from its roots as a social networking site–and far, far away from powerhouse Facebook–and becoming a “social entertainment” hub aimed directly at the Gen Y audience.

I'm With the Band: Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda Talks About Online Fan Collaboration Contest

Kara Swisher in News on July 22, 2010 at 12:04 am PT

It’s nice to hear enthusiasm on the part of Linkin Park band member Mike Shinoda about an innovative-for-the-music-industry effort to give fans a chance to be part of the iconic Grammy-winning rock band. While some artists or content creators cringe at the ongoing flood of user-generated material that has drastically changed the industry, Shinoda is hoping to find some real talent via a new online contest, called “Linkin Park, Featuring You,” that gives anyone an opportunity to collaborate with the band to produce an original song based on some of the tracks from the forthcoming single “The Catalyst.”

Happy 25th Birthday AOL–Love, Snarky BoomTown

Kara Swisher in News on May 25, 2010 at 9:15 am PT

Here’s a video BoomTown did in honor of the 25th anniversary of the founding of AOL. I had to miss the party back East yesterday, as I am prepping for the eighth D: All Things Digital conference–where, in fact, both AOL’s first CEO, Steve Case, and its current one, Tim Armstrong, will be appearing onstage. Instead, I did this video, which is inspired from an email Case sent to me recently calling me “Miss Snarky.”

Party On, Tim! AOL Hooks Up With Chuck Close for 25th Anniversary.

Kara Swisher in News on May 11, 2010 at 4:33 pm PT

What in the world is AOL CEO Tim Armstrong up to now? A “Project on Creativity With American Artist Chuck Close,” according to a party invite for the iconic online service’s 25th anniversary that the company just sent out. I have calls in to the chiseled-cheekbone exec find out what that means. But extra points for putting AOL and creativity in the same sentence without even a trace of irony!

Is Apple Finally Worried About Amazon’s Music Store?

Peter Kafka in Media on March 2, 2010 at 3:14 pm PT

Amazon’s MP3 store hasn’t done much to weaken Apple’s grip on the digital music business. But that doesn’t mean Apple isn’t paying attention. Translation: Good luck buying big new albums at a discount via Amazon’s “Daily Deal.”