Indablog

Balloon Ride Fantasy

katie — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:36:24 +0000

Balloon Ride Fantasy is a DIY band from Pittsburgh and long time Indaba supporter. Their music is upbeat and exciting yet filled with warm undertones and rich harmonies. They give the term “pop” a good name. Over the years they have participated in many contests and have had a positive influence in Indaba community and now, it’s our turn to support them.

BRF is taking on the daunting task of independently recording their first full length album and need your help! Head to their Indiegogo post for more information.

Check out their feature in the Indaba Music Story video!

Collaborate With Trent Reznor

katie — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:12:53 +0000

Former Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor now leads the collective How To Destroy Angels. It features Reznor’s wife Mariqueen Maandig, musician Atticus Ross, designer Rob Sheridan, and himself. The music is not a huge departure from Reznor’s signature sound, but it is a more delicate and slower blend of the usual growling synths and low-frequency pulses. Intrigued?

Here’s an opportunity to remix three songs from the collective — “Strings and Attractors”, “How Long?” and “On the Wing”. Get creative and submit to Indaba by May 29th!

How To Destroy Angels will be judging the submissions and one of you will win $500 for the Grand Prize! The popular vote winner will win a year upgrade to Pro Membership on Indaba.

Have fun and be creative!

Want Ableton Live 9?

katie — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:43:09 +0000

We wanted to tell you about an exciting new opportunity that we know you’ll want to enter. Ableton has teamed up with us to host a remix contest for Sweatson Klank’s track “I Shouldn’t Be Here”. The song effortlessly blends elements of Hip-Hop and R&B, and features experimental sounds created exclusively on Ableton Live. There is a lot you could do with this song and we can’t wait to see what you guys will come up with.

Sweatson Klank will be judging the entries, and the grand prize winner will win:

Ableton Live 9 Standard
Ableton merch package
$100 gift card to Ableton.com webstore
Sweatson Klank merch package

The runner-up will win:

Ableton Live 9 Intro
Ableton merch package
Sweatson Klank merch package

And the popular vote winner will be given a 1 year Pro Membership upgrade to Indaba Music.

Take a look at what’s new in Ableton Live 9!

And here’s Gotye using Ableton Live:

Want it?

Here’s your chance.

Good luck.

Hannah Georgas Stops By the Indaba Loft

katie — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:21:35 +0000

Remember Hannah Georgas? The Canadian pop/rock singer-songwriter hosted a remix contest with us earlier this year for her song, “Enemies.” Well, she was in New York City recently and stopped by our Indaba loft to record with us. We loved having her over, and wanted to share with you this beautiful acoustic version of “Enemies”.

Want to hear what the Indaba community did with the song?

Here is the winning remix:

And the popular vote winners:

If you like what you heard, go check out Hannah’s page for her upcoming tour dates!

Have a great weekend, Indaba

Hertz: Get Movin’ With Music!

katie — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 22:21:55 +0000

No car ride is complete without some great music. Hertz, one of the world’s largest rental car companies, understands this marriage between music and cars and has teamed up with Indaba to present to you this exciting new opportunity series to get your music heard by millions of drivers.

The series consists of 3 unique opportunities for original music in these genres: EDM, indie-rock, and country.

The grand prize winner of each opportunity will win:

A killer mobile recording package worth over $2,000, including: A Focusrite Forte, an AKG 414 condensor mic and a Monster XLR Cable
$500 rental cash with Hertz
A critique of your track written by the judge
10,000 spins on Jango
Promotion via Hertz’s online properties and promotional compilations
A feature on the judge’s Facebook page.

That’s a $10,000 value in prizes, not to mention priceless exposure. Enter the opportunity here, get your music heard. You have until May 7th. Good luck!!

2nd Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition

katie — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:38:33 +0000

Introducing the 2nd annual Sarah Vaughan contest, hosted here, on Indaba Music. We’ve teamed up, again, with the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) and JAZZ ROOTS to bring you this unique competition, which honors one of Jazz’s greatest legends.

If you are a female jazz vocalist and you are not already signed to a major record label, you might be eligible to enter to win cash prizes of up to $5,000 as well as the opportunity to perform live at NJPAC (click herefor details). All you have to do is submit a Ballad (slow to medium-slow song), a Medium Tempo Standard or Blues and an Up Tempo Standard – including a scat/improvisational chorus. Bop-ba-doo-bop!

From the qualifying round, 40 contestants will advance to the second round, and 15 to the Final round where contestants will compete head to head, live at NJPAC. Our esteemed panel of judges will select 6 prize winners. The third place, second place, and grand prize winner (aka the Sassy Winner) will win cash prizes of $500, $1,500 and $5,000 respectively, so there’s a lot up for grabs.

We are currently accepting submissions so if you think you have what it takes, upload your tracks here to be a part of this incredible opportunity!

Introducing, PROJECTS: Learn. Record. Produce.

katie — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:30:20 +0000

Head Over To Projects Now To Get Started!

Based on YOUR feedback, we’ve created a new area of Indaba called Projects. Projects allow you to make music away from the stress of contests and focus on the collaborative ideals of Indaba Music. Everyday you’ll be able to practice new skills, get feedback, and collaborate with other musicians. Call Indaba old fashioned, but let’s get together and make some music.

You’ll notice that the feel of Projects is very similar to that of Opportunities. Submitting is the same, so you’ll feel right at home! The key difference is that Projects are not contests – they have no prizes, deadlines, and judges. Instead, they are a great way to find something to do everyday – to create, learn, and collaborate.

Projects are divided into three main categories: Learn, Record, and Produce. They are laid out on the Projects index page in their respective sections.

In the Learn category, you’ll find Projects that help you to learn and practice new skills. The unique twist that Indaba brings to learning online is community. Instead of just staring at a YouTube tutorial and practicing on your own, you’ll be able to upload your work and get valuable, direct feedback from Indaba’s community of musicians. As we build out the Learn section, there will be Projects for all genres and skill levels—something for everyone from novices learning the basics to pros who are polishing new techniques.

In the Record category, you’ll find a bunch of different Projects that are geared towards songwriters, instrumentalists, and performers. Here, you’ll be able to record and submit material that will be worked on later by Indaba’s community of mixers, remixers, and producers.

The Produce category is geared towards Indaba’s community of remixers, mixers, engineers, and producers. Projects in the Produce section will use pre-existing material provided by Indaba or captured from the Record Projects. The Record and Produce projects together will facilitate exciting collaborations between Indaba members, by connecting musicians with different strengths and skills.

Dive into this new playground for musical creation and collaboration by heading to the projects page—we’re excited to hear what you’ve got!

SXSW: 2013 Wrap Up

katie — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 23:13:15 +0000

Working in the music industry has zero perks. ZERO, I say! It’s all work and no play, here at Indaba. Except, well, this tiny “conference” we go to each year in Austin, TX.

It was another successful year at SXSW, a work week that consisted of a private tour of Converse’s Rubber Tracks pop-up studio, meeting with Indaba members, making big plans with partners and hanging out with & seeing some incredible music. Staying up ’til 2 AM every night watching some of our favorite bands tear up the stage while munching on chicken waffle tacos (yes, it’s a thing and it’s amazing) is not a bad way to drum (pun intended?) up some business. SXSW makes it easy to remember why we all put up with late nights at the office… the love of music.

We’ll see you next year, Texas, with ears (and tummies) ready for more!

P.S. Told you so.

Intern for Indaba Music: 2013

katie — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:55:29 +0000

Are you looking to make a huge impact in the new music business in a fast-paced and fun environment? Our interns are an extremely important part of day to day operations here at Indaba Music. We work with major acts like Usher, Matisyahu, Metric & Snoop Dogg among many others, manage a thriving community of amazing musical talent, and put together campaigns with big brands like Bacardi, Converse, the NFL and Red Bull. Interning with us can be an educational and rewarding experience, but don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what one of our past interns had to say:

Milton Koh, former intern (click to expand)

“The one and only point necessary for the explanation of my positive experience is: Indaba is one big familial village of creative energy.

No one hesitates to say hi, have a good chat, invite you to lunch, play ping-pong with you, or even have a beer (only after hours) with you. More importantly, no idea gets looked over, no one’s voice goes unheard, and hierarchy is given leniency in favor of vertical integration during meetings and discussions. This gives each and every individual a personal attachment in Indaba’s interest, and makes every one of us feel excited to be here and contribute to the fabulous magic happening in the office day in, day out. And this self-renewing motivation keeps me going, even tempting me to get work done and be on the lookout for opportunities for work outside of my designated hours.

A good internship experience should not only look good on your resume, as many of us are primarily concerned with, but should also teach you invaluable field knowledge, and deepen your interest coming out of your transient tenure. And I sincerely believe that Indaba has done absolutely that for me, putting me on my right feet to keep running forward in an industry that is often filled with uncertainty.”

You heard it from Milton, one of our killer former interns, that this is a really rewarding place to work. Did I mention that 60% of the company are former interns? We really believe our interns have a ton of potential here!

Interested? Here are some of the positions available and what our current interns have to say about them.

Business Development

Business Development Internship Requirements

Business Development interns work on client & industry market research/reporting, prepare analysis on marketing data, develop marketing campaign case studieds, and assist with contest prize fulfillment. You’ll be learning the ropes from our business development team, making some great connections, and learning how to pitch and work closely with all kinds of clients. This is a great opportunity to understand how this integral part of the music business works.

What some former interns had to say:

“In the business development department, we spend a lot of time researching brands that Indaba can do partnerships with and creating proposals to send to these brands. We have a weekly intern check-in meeting where we showcase our work to the entire department, hear feedback for improvements, and get new assignments. I really feel like my work matters to the company as a whole! You should be ready to solve problems and challenges yourself because opportunities are present for this kind of work all the time.”

-Julianna

“As a business development intern I collect contest data, research brands, and create contest proposals. At Indaba I’ve been challenged to work hard and independently, skills which are invaluable for my future career. Indaba is a great place to work and provides a community of intelligent individuals to work with. ”

-Alley

Full description and requirements here.

Business Analytics

Business Analytics Internship Requirements

The Business Analytics intern will design data reporting and help with our effort to automate the data reporting process. They will prepare analysis on marketing data, us spreadsheets for modeling ana analysis of data, and create client case studies and performance reports. This role is unique in that we hope to have this intern work not only with the business development team, but also with the engineering team to come up with programmatic solutions to analytics problems. Experience with Python, Ruby, NumPY, SciPY, R, Octave, Matlab is a huge plus.

Interning at Indaba was an amazing experience not only because of the immense responsibility the team gives the interns, but also because of the kindness and helpfulness of the Indaba team as a whole. As an Intern, I got to really do meaningful work across a variety of teams within the company. On top of that, I learned invaluable lessons as to how a music startup runs and thrives.

-Dan

Full description and requirements here.

Multimedia/Content

Multimedia/Content Internship Requirements

Our content/multimedia interns work directly with the licensing department to find placements for music created on Indaba Music and listen to and rank submissions. Responsibilities include contributing to the company’s blog, writing up Featured Members, researching Hot Tracks, and assisting in listening activity. Additionally, you will help the Licensing Team sort through the Licensing Catalog.

What our interns had to say:

“As a multimedia and content intern I have seen first hand the many ways a song can be monetized. After my first few listening assignments, which require you to pass judgement on musical submissions, I felt like an active part of the licensing process. I like the idea that somewhere in the world a movie will have the perfect soundtrack because of the work I do. Many of my more recent projects involve the organization of information, which could mean anything from lists of trending hits to playlists geared towards a certain genre. All of these tasks have been educational AND relevant to my skills as a music major. Also, the Indaba team couldn’t be nicer if they tried. ”

-Nick

“Indaba is a great place to get hands-on experience in the music industry. One of the major benefits is that it is a smaller entrepreneurial company that relies on its interns to do meaningful work. From top to bottom everyone in the company is a genuinely nice and helpful person. This internship is perfect for anyone who wants to be part of a growing, cutting edge company and gain practical, hands-on experience.”

-Michael

Full description and requirements here.

Community

Community Internship Requirements
Community Team interns will be in direct contact with the company’s most precious asset – its members. You will help oversee the message boards, assist members with their musical as well technical questions. You will improve your writing, musical and communication skills by composing blog posts, corresponding with members, writing member features, doing music listening and participating in exciting Indaba Music events.

As a community team intern I had the amazing opportunity to listen to a bunch of amazing music and discover new, up-and-coming artists. We held our own music event and organized our own concert at the Indaba headquarters.
– Timo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCtBa7gmcxo

My internship experience as part of the community team was extremely valuable since I was able to investigate the music scene from a different angle than just from behind the drum set.
The incredible folks working at Indaba gave me an insight of how musicians from all over
the world can be supported. At the Indaba family, one is always welcome. Good vibes guaranteed!
-Andreas

Design

Design Internship Requirements

The Design Intern must know their way around Photoshop (especially in optimizing images for use on the Web). The ideal candidate has a few designs to share with us (full portfolio not required), an interest in marketing/advertising, and know something about the music/media/entertainment industries. CSS coding experience and being a musician are both a big plus.

Full description and requirements here.

Interested in any of the above internships? Please get in touch with us at intern@indabamusic.com and let us know why you’re a great fit!

“The Chromatics” Catch The Ears Of Slightly Stoopid Fans

katie — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 22:51:12 +0000

Back in October, psychedelic rock band, Slightly Stoopid, hosted a remix contest with Indaba Music. It featured their hit, “Top of the World”, which reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200. Not too shabby! Indaba group, The Chromatics, ended up winning the contest with their outstanding track, but it wasn’t the cash prize that made this experience so valuable, it was the unexpected exposure.

Recently, Slightly Stoopid posted the winning remix onto their Soundcloud Profile lending the track an impressive tally of 20,667 plays, 652 likes, 86 reposts, and 45 comments… so far. In fact, it has garnered more attention than any other individual Slightly Stoopid track on Souncloud – can you believe it?!

As a band that shares Slightly Stoopid’s reggae influences, The Chromatics now have direct exposure to fans of the genre, which is truly invaluable in growing their own base of followers. Check out their winning remix here: