MusicThinkTank, Hypebot Join The Bandsintown Family

I’m proud to share that MusicThinkTank and our sister blog Hypebot.com have been acquired by Bandsintown. Both sites will still operate as independent publications, which Owen Davie I will continue to edit.

What excites me most about this partnership is that its purpose is to further our mutual mission of helping artists at all levels grow and sustain a meaningful career in music. “We believe Indie and emerging artists are a transformative and vibrant component of the music industry” Fabrice Sergent, Managing Partner of Bandsintown said in our launch announcement. “We share the same passion for independent and DIY artists. By welcoming Bruce and Hypebot into the Bandsintown family, we enhance the breadth of our support to the artists and further contribute to artists’ career growth and success.”

I began publishing Hypebot in 2004 in the midst of the music industry meltdown. MusicThinkTank joined the family several years later. From Myspace to mp3s, we’ve seen promising technologies come and go. But with streaming in its ascendancy and the tools that drive music discovery, marketing and monetization maturing, we are fast approaching a time where the vision of Spotify CEO Daniel Ek and others “to enable one million artists to live off their work” can be realized.  

Bandsintown is at the forefront of this inflection point.

Revenue related to live performance is the biggest single source of income for most artists; and with 500,000 registered artists and 50 million registered live music fans, Bandsintown is uniquely positioned to help artists build a fanbase and a live touring career. I’ll be working alongside this music loving team to leverage that knowledge and community to improve and build tools that can be as important to artists, promoters and labels, as Bandsintown’s core concert listings have become.

To early cohort Kyle Bylin and long term believers like Chris Vinson and Dave Cool of Bandzoogle, Mike King at the Berklee College Of Music, Marc Gentilella at CelebrityAccess, current teammate Owen Davie and so many others, as well as, our smart and loyal readers, your support in this journey means a great deal to me.

Now, I add Fabrice Sergent, Mickael Ohana, Julien Mitelberg and Jon Ostrow of Bandsintown to my short list of thank-yous.

I’m excited and grateful to continue Hypebot and MusicThinkTank’s mission as trusted sources helping artists and professionals navigate the ever-changing music industry with a newly expanded footprint and partners who care about helping artists as much as I do.

I will continue as President of Skyline Artists Agency and later this year, look forward to launching the Grassroots Touring course I’ve authored for BerkleeOnline. Both roles keep me grounded in the challenges that musicians face daily and inform the work I do for Hypebot, Music ThinkTank and now proudly at Bandsintown.

Thank-you all for your support.

Bruce Houghton

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The Full Press Release

BANDSINTOWN ACQUIRES TRUSTED INDIE AND DIY ARTIST RESOURCES HYPEBOT.COM AND MUSICTHINKTANK.COM, FURTHERING ITS MISSION TO EMPOWER ARTISTS

FOUNDER BRUCE HOUGHTON TO SERVE AS ADVISER TO BANDSINTOWN WHILE CONTINUING AS HYPEBOT EDITOR

Bandsintown, the most trusted source for concert discovery, today announced the acquisition of Hypebot.com and MusicThinkTank.com, leading artists centric and technology news outlets founded in 2004 by music industry veteran Bruce Houghton. The acquisition expands upon Bandsintown’s mission to help musicians grow their careers by offering free tools to over 500,000 registered artists while simultaneously providing a platform for fans and artists to connect.

Having worked closely with independent and emerging artists for many years, the expansion of Bandsintown’s artist platform comes at a time when labels, digital distribution platforms, music streaming services, brands, and live music promoters are all eager to identify and align with the next rising artist.

Launched in 2004, Hypebot chronicles with an artists centric point of view, the rising new music industry and its intersections with technology. With daily editions, Hypebot covers the music business news that matters and serves as a guide to the technologies changing how music is created, marketed and monetized. Hypebot’s MusicThinkTank is an open forum for musicians and music business professionals, dubbed “where the music industry goes to think”.

Hypebot and MusicThinkTank will continue to be run by Houghton, who will also step into a adviser role for Bandsintown with a specific focus on artist partnerships. The site will continue to operate as an independent voice and source of news and information, publishing daily and free to all. Houghton will also maintain his role in the live touring business in his continuing role as President of booking agency Skyline Artists Agency which books 2000+ live dates annually.

A recent study by MIDiA Research titled ‘Recorded Music Market 2018: Stream Engine’ noted that “artists without record labels are changing the shape of the market, growing nearly four times as fast as the total market”.* With 93% of registered artists on Bandsintown having less than 100,000 followers, Bandsintown and Hypebot will cater to this specific dynamic artist segment with custom content, breaking industry news, exclusive interviews, guest columns, newsletters, tutorials, and more.

“Hypebot was created as a guide to understanding the new music industry - not just labels and tech companies; but more importantly, the artists and music that give it life,” said Hypebot founder and editor Bruce Houghton. “Working with a successful artist-centric team like Bandsintown will give Hypebot the resources to expand on our mutual mission of empowering artists. I look forward to contributing to

Bandsintown’s ongoing effort to help more artists and managers build a successful and sustainable career in music, with live music at its center.”

“We believe Indie and emerging artists are a transformative and a vibrant component of the music industry” said Fabrice Sergent, Managing Partner of Bandsintown. “We share the same passion for independent and DIY artists. By welcoming Bruce and Hypebot into the Bandsintown family, we enhance the breadth of our support to the artists and further contribute to artists’ career growth and success.”

Hypebot is also the latest property to join the Bandsintown Amplified advertising platform, which provides over 200 lean-in music properties with unique ad solutions to reach concert goers, super fans, artists and the industry alike. Hypebot will provide Bandsintown’s endemic advertisers the ability to extend their reach to the DIY artist community and music industry via native advertising that keeps the focus on content and user experience.

Bruce Houghton is Publisher and Editor of Hypebot.com and MusicThinkTank.com, covering the new music industry and how technology is changing the way that music is made, promoted and monetized. He is also the founder and president of Skyline Artists, a nation booking agency representing a diverse roster including Zoe Keating, Poco, Roger McGuinn and Darlingside, Freddie McGregor, The Motels and many others. A sought-after music industry expert and speaker, Houghton has served on the Advisory Boards of SXSW Accelerator, MidemNet and The New Music Seminar. He has appeared or had his writings featured on NPR, CNN, The Financial Times, Billboard, Forbes, Pollstar and more. He is also the founder and president of Skyline Artists, a national booking agency, which he will continue to run, representing a diverse roster including Zoe Keating, Poco, Roger McGuinn and Darlingside, Freddie McGregor, The Motels and many others.

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* Source: MIDiA Research: https://musicindustryblog.wordpress.com/2019/03/13/2018-global-label-market-share-stream-engine%EF%BB%BF/

About Bandsintown Bandsintown believes that live music brings people together through unique communal experiences and creates happiness and understanding in the world.

Bandsintown celebrates artists and helps them grow their careers. As the most trusted source of concert discovery, Bandsintown is where artists and fans connect.

With a reach of 130M Monthly Active fans globally, 50M registered concert goers and 500k touring artists registered to the platform, Bandsintown offers digital marketing solutions to engage with the most passionate music fans. Bandsintown managing partner Fabrice Sergent was recently named one of The Most Creative People in Business 2018 by Fast Company.

“Changing the concert business, one show at a time.” Billboard