SONICLIVING ANNOUNCES IPHONE IMPLEMENTATION WITH PANDORA

SonicLiving Provides Personalized Concert Listings for
Pandora’s iPhone Application

EMERYVILLE, Calif. – June 3, 2009 – SonicLiving, the Internet’s leading concert discovery service, today announced another integrative agreement with Pandora, the Internet radio service, that will bring SonicLiving’s personalized concert calendars to everyone who uses Pandora’s iPhone application. SonicLiving is the only service of its kind to integrate with Pandora, and will now be exposed to over 500,000 iPhone users per day via the Pandora iPhone application. SonicLiving (sonicliving.com) connects music fans online and in-person through communities created around the live shows their favorite bands play. Users can purchase concert tickets as well as connect and communicate with friends and other members of the SonicLiving community. Amstel Light is sponsoring this feature. The addition of tour dates to the Pandora iPhone application provides listeners with localized tour date information matching artists they’ve identified as favorites on their Pandora radio stations, have given a “Thumbs Up” to or bookmarked, and creatively displays popular shows nearby. In addition to Pandora, SonicLiving works seamlessly with several other platforms and as a standalone service.

“This agreement confirms SonicLiving’s place as the Internet’s leading concert discovery service,” says Gabe Benveniste, president, CEO and founder of SonicLiving, Inc. “Users will find SonicLiving to be a useful feature that complements and enhances their Pandora experience.”

“Pandora is dedicated to providing the best music experience possible, whether recorded or live, which is why we’ve chosen SonicLiving to power our sponsored concert listings,” says Tom Conrad, chief technical officer for Pandora. “SonicLiving has made it much easier for  our listeners to find out where and when their favorite bands are playing  and now  we’re thrilled to be able to offer this to our iPhone listeners as  well.”

SonicLiving’s API, which powers Pandora’s concert calendar, is available for commercial and non-commercial use. To find local concerts matching Pandora stations and bookmarks, users can go to www.pandora.com and follow the concerts link, or www.sonicliving.com for more information. SonicLiving, founded by former Pixar Animation Studios employee Gabe Benveniste in 2006, was started to provide music lovers with a better way of finding out in advance when their favorite artists were touring, a convenient way to purchase tickets to those shows, and a place to meet up with friends attending those shows. SonicLiving has quickly become an indispensable resource for live music nationwide, providing music fans with a unique online destination that offers locally tailored listings, access to tickets and a community comprised of users’ friends and other concertgoers.

About SonicLiving

SonicLiving is the Internet’s leading concert discovery service, connecting music fans online and in-person through communities created around live shows of their favorite bands. Through the SonicLiving Wishlist, which seamlessly integrates with iTunes, Pandora, Facebook, Last.fm, and Lala, fans can track bands, receive automatic concert alerts and purchase tickets to shows when they’re announced.

The SonicLiving API enables music sites and other online services to bring the live music discovery experience to their users. SonicLiving also offers musicians, music labels and promoters the ability to reach fans through special promotions, presales and packages, resulting in increased visibility and ticket sales. SonicLiving derives revenue through ticket sales, on-site advertising and partnerships.

SonicLiving was founded in 2006 by Gabe Benveniste, formerly of Pixar Animation Studios, and is headquartered in Emeryville, California, and on the Internet at www.sonicliving.com

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EMERYVILLE, Calif. – March 31, 2009 – SonicLiving, the Internet’s leading concert discovery service, today announced a licensing agreement with Pandora, the Internet radio service, that will bring SonicLiving’s personalized concert calendars to each of Pandora’s 20 million-plus registered listeners. SonicLiving is the only service of its kind to integrate with Pandora.

SonicLiving (sonicliving.com) connects music fans online and in-person through communities created around the live shows their favorite bands play. Users can purchase concert tickets as well as connect and communicate with friends and other members of the SonicLiving community. The powerful SonicLiving API provides Pandora (pandora.com) listeners with localized alerts about upcoming live performances that match the artists they’ve identified in their favorite Pandora radio stations, have given a “Thumbs Up” to or bookmarked. In addition to Pandora, SonicLiving works seamlessly with several other platforms and as a standalone service.

“This agreement confirms SonicLiving’s place as the Internet’s leading concert discovery service,” says Gabe Benveniste, president, CEO and founder of SonicLiving, Inc. “Users will find SonicLiving to be a useful feature that complements and enhances their Pandora experience.”

“Pandora is dedicated to providing the best music experience possible, whether recorded or live, which is why we’ve chosen SonicLiving to power our concerts mini-site,” says Tom Conrad, chief technical officer for Pandora.  “SonicLiving has made it much easier for our listeners to find out where and when their favorite bands are playing.”

SonicLiving’s API, which powers Pandora’s concert calendar, is available for commercial and non-commercial use. To find local concerts matching Pandora stations and bookmarks, users can go to www.pandora.com and follow the concerts link, or www.sonicliving.com for more information.

SonicLiving, founded by former Pixar Animation Studios employee Gabe Benveniste in 2006, was started to provide music lovers with a better way of finding out in advance when their favorite artists were touring, a convenient way to purchase tickets to those shows, and a place to meet up with friends attending those shows. SonicLiving has quickly become an indispensable resource for live music nationwide, providing music fans with a unique online destination that offers locally tailored listings, access to tickets and a community comprised of users’ friends and other concertgoers.

About SonicLiving

SonicLiving is the Internet’s leading concert discovery service, connecting music fans online and in-person through communities created around live shows of their favorite bands. Through the SonicLiving Wishlist, which seamlessly integrates with iTunes, Pandora, Facebook, Last.fm, and Lala, fans can track bands, receive automatic concert alerts and purchase tickets to shows when they’re announced.

The SonicLiving API enables music sites and other online services to bring the live music discovery experience to their users. SonicLiving also offers musicians, music labels and promoters the ability to reach fans through special promotions, presales and packages, resulting in increased visibility and ticket sales. SonicLiving derives revenue through ticket sales, on-site advertising and partnerships.

SonicLiving was founded in 2006 by Gabe Benveniste, formerly of Pixar Animation Studios, and is headquartered in Emeryville, California, and on the Internet at www.sonicliving.com

If a music service requires your participation, it is considered  to be “Interactive.” The cost of using copyrighted material to develop  an interactive product is different (higher) than developing a non-interactive product.
BUT…There’s no stipulation in any IP law or digital millenium copyright act for the reality of technology such that a user may actually interact with a product versus directly with the music (aka on demand.)  There’s no clause for a case where the music is not interactive (internet radio) but interaction with the product enhances the listening experience.  There’s no clause for the human and product transaction. Only the human-music interaction is covered. Which means the product is, according to the law, operating illegally if paying fees as “non interactive” when it has (even if unfairly) been determined to be interactive.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, there’s no verbage, no legalese, no written word to address any music product with this type of user experience.  Interaction with a product is not on-demand music.  The experience is enhanced by interacting with the product. How can policy measure the value of experience?

IDEA: Interactive though it may be, interaction with a product to enhance the experience of art is a different level of interactivity.

Perhaps the conflicts and legal battles within the music industry (roaring as i type) will seek to adjust according to progress and user experience.

Til then, there’s Rusty Hodge at SxSW 2009: Rewriting the DMCA
see you there.

From the label: What Are Records?

October 27th, 2007
“Todd Fancey’s Terrifying Halloween Interweb Tour” – this Wednesday on me.dium.com
Turns out New Pornographer and solo artist Todd Fancey’s a huge fan of Halloween, so we’re making it a special day. First off, we’re giving away one of our favorite songs from his new album “Schmancey,” the appropriately themed “Witches Night,” all week long right here. It’s the story of a young male haunted by an evil ex-girlfriend, so we’re guessing a few of you out there can more than relate. Then, Todd’s going to host the first ever “Terrifying Halloween Interweb Tour.” More than your typical on-line chat session, thanks to me.dium.com, everyone who participates can simultaneously check out the websites and youtube clips that Todd frequents. In other words, you’re gonna get a guided tour through Todd’s world. Scary? Terrifying? Creepy? Only in the best, most fun way possible.

The “Terrifying Tour” is a unique chance to get to know more about Todd’s work in the studio and on the road with the New Pornographers, and to check out his thoughts on his dazzling new solo record “Schmancey.”

We’ll also travel far outside the indie pop world. You see, Todd’s a not-so-closeted metalhead. So, there’s also gonna be a “Zeppelin Vs. Sabbath” debate, we’ll touch on the Ace Frehley’s scarily funny appearance on the Tom Snyder show with the rest of his Kiss bandmates in ’79, and discuss Angel Witch, Witchfinder General and Venom.

Of course, you’re free to bring your own topics and questions to the party. All treats, no tricks. I think I’m out of cliches. Hope to see you there. Visit http://www.me.dium.com at 4 PM EST on the 31st to participate.

Technorati Tags: me.dium, RockMe, Fancey, WhatAreRecords, NewPornographers, halloween, Witchfinder General, Venom, Angel Witch, Led Zeppelin, BlackSabbath