concert

Stunning News: Music Industry Acts Rationally

Peter Kafka in Media on December 14, 2011 at 11:14 am PT

The world’s biggest music label signs one of the biggest stars in the world, for a song. But the Madonna/Univeral deal still makes sense for both sides.

Michael Jackson Facebook Concert Unplugged

Peter Kafka in Media on October 7, 2011 at 9:37 am PT

Planning on spending Saturday in front of your computer, watching the Michael Jackson tribute concert stream on Facebook? Make a new plan.

Ticket Search Expert SeatGeek Gets Front Row Seats on Yahoo

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on August 22, 2011 at 5:30 am PT

SeatGeek, a two-year-old New York-based start-up that aspires to be the Kayak of sports and concert tickets, has signed a multiyear partnership with Yahoo Sports to drive traffic to its site.

Free, Live Streaming Music and Video on Your iPhone — From Apple

Peter Kafka in Media on June 22, 2011 at 4:30 am PT

There are more than 425,000 apps in Apple’s iTunes store, but it’s always worth paying attention to the ones that Apple produces itself. This one will offer free live music for a month.

Don't Rain on Microsoft's Ad Parade (Except It's Raining in Seattle, Natch!)

Kara Swisher in News on March 30, 2011 at 1:10 pm PT

BoomTown scrambled the All Things Digital jet (aka, United Airlines, Seat 7A) late last night to get up to Microsoft’s big event for its online advertising clients today. Called “Imagine 2011: Marketing Leadership Summit” and held at its Redmond, Wa. HQ, the two-day event is designed to wow peeps by trotting out a spate of strategery concepts those who buy advertising on Microsoft’s various digital offerings from its Bing search service to MSN to Xbox to Windows Phone 7.

Exclusive: Microsoft Mulls Legally Poking Facebook Over Ad Talent Raid

Kara Swisher in News on March 2, 2011 at 4:10 pm PT

Microsoft–furious over a recent talent grab of its top advertising exec by Facebook–has been considering a wide range of options, including legal action to block the move, according to sources close to the situation. While it might not come to that, tensions between the two companies, who have partnered closely in the past, are running high over the hiring of Carolyn Everson. She had been head of global ad sales at Microsoft and has been hired to be VP of global sales at Facebook.

Cisco Does Doobies–So What's Next in the Consumer Space?

Kara Swisher in News on September 28, 2010 at 8:15 am PT

Yesterday, BoomTown made a brief stop at what felt like an underground bunker in a hotel in San Francisco to see the Doobie Brothers. Yes, the legendary band of indelible hit songs such as “Black Water” and “China Grove” and misspent youth way, way back in the day. Except the band, which was founded in San Jose, Calif., in 1970, was performing in a Cisco studio down south in Silicon Valley to telepresence-launch its first album in a decade, called “World Gone Crazy.”

Viral Video: Gaga Says Make Love, Not War (Also, Wear Outfits)

Kara Swisher in News on September 9, 2010 at 1:22 am PT

Here’s a very funny video, caught by a concertgoer at a recent stop on the Lady Gaga extravaganza, “The Monster Ball Tour,” in Washington, D.C. In it, she stops her antics cold to end a fight in the audience, using it for maximum entertainment. In other words, turning people acting like monsters into her little monsters.

TicketFly Rounds Up $3 Million to Fight Ticketmaster

Peter Kafka in Media on May 12, 2010 at 8:30 am PT

Average concertgoers go to two shows a year, and there’s a very good chance some of the money they spend on those shows goes to Ticketmaster, which dominates the ticketing business. So here’s a company that wants a piece of that: TicketFly, a New York-based start-up that wants to–gasp!–use the Web to update the archaic business.

Ben Folds and the Mystery of Merton, the Chatroulette Piano Guy

Peter Kafka in Media on March 22, 2010 at 7:00 am PT

Separated at birth? Or not at all? Someone needs to get to the bottom of this, and fast.