Blog Topic: Media Matters

Homedrone: Watch Vice's 'Made in Athens' Video

By Gabe Vodicka | July 28, 2014 2:23pm

Patterson Hood

Filmmaker (and former Athens resident) Lance Bangs is working with Vice music blog Noisey on a Budweiser-sponsored video series titled "Made in America." Each episode spotlights a different U.S. city, with a particular focus on said city's music scene.

Last month, Bangs and crew journeyed to Athens to shoot footage for a Classic City episode. Today, Noisey premiered the end result.

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Homedrone: EZFM No Longer Available on Local Airwaves

By Gabe Vodicka | July 25, 2014 4:04pm

Photo Credit: Rachel Bailey

James Hutto

Fans of easy listening station EZFM ("Music To Your Years"), which has been broadcasting locally at WNEE 88.1 and 89.9 FM since summer 2012, got the sad news earlier today that the station will no longer occupy space on the Athens-area radio dial.

From a post on the EZFM Facebook page:

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Homedrone: Fuze and BuzzFeed Want You to Visit the 'Athens Theatre'

By Gabe Vodicka | July 23, 2014 11:07am

From a recent sponsored post on content farm BuzzzzzFeeeeeeed. Something is off.

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Homedrone: WUOG GM Akeeme Martin Dismissed From Station

By Gabe Vodicka | July 15, 2014 12:42pm

Photo Credit: Clay Reynolds

Akeeme Martin

Akeeme Martin, the general manager at WUOG 90.5 FM, the student-run UGA radio station, has been dismissed for "violations of the station's constitution, including a series of events that the Board felt misrepresented WUOG as a whole," according to an emailed press release.

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Culture Briefs: Condé Nast Traveler Features Athens in Latest Issue

By Gabe Vodicka | July 8, 2014 2:07pm

White Tiger Gourmet

Another day, another listicle: This one comes courtesy of Condé Nast Traveler, which published a feature in its most recent issue titled "Skip Atlanta. Go Here Instead."

"Here," in case you hadn't surmised from the headline of this post, is good ol' Classic City, G-A—y'know, the town with all the best stuff. The magazine lists several local hotspots as examples of why Athens flat-out rulez and Atlanta straight-up droolz.

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In the Loop: WRAS Alumni Suggest Alternative Plan to GSU

By David Schick | June 25, 2014 4:10pm

Album 88 Alumni, the nonprofit group formed to save the beloved college radio station WRAS, released a proposal today that was submitted to Georgia State Unversity President Mark Becker last week as an alternative to the recent partnernship with Georgia Public Broadcasting.

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Homedrone: Georgia Theatre Owner: ABH Article Misleading, Sale Not Imminent

By Gabe Vodicka | June 6, 2014 12:24pm

Photo by Peter Frey

Last night, the Athens Banner-Herald posted a strangely written article alleging that Georgia Theatre owner Wilmot Green is currently in talks with a mysterious group of Atlanta investors with the (rather cartoonish) name Bravo Ventures to sell the beloved and historic venue.

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Homedrone: Sprockets Music Video Fest Dates Announced, Deadlines Approaching

By Gabe Vodicka | March 20, 2014 3:34pm

The 2014 incarnation of the Sprockets International Music Video Festival will happen July 18 and 19 at Cine and the 40 Watt Club, respectively, according to a press release from parent nonprofit Film Athens.

The festival, whose panel of judges awards the prize for Best Music Video and also includes the crowd-sourced Audience Choice and Best Georgia Video awards, seeks to highlight emerging and established filmmakers and their work alongside musicians. Groups from Athens and the wider world are encouraged to submit videos. Last year's grand prize went to Craig Sheldon and Lauren Gregg for their clip for local band Grape Soda's "Obvious Signs."

Submission details after the jump.

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Homedrone: SXSW in Review: Lady Gaga's Keynote Speech

By | March 14, 2014 2:03pm

First things first: I've been an unashamed Lady Gaga fan for years, up until the regrettableBorn This Way came out. But now, having just seen her keynote "conversation" with longtime music television journalist John Norris, I don't care if I never hear her speak about anything again.

More after the jump.

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Homedrone: SXSW: Q&A with Spotify's Sachin Doshi

By Gordon Lamb | March 14, 2014 11:12am

Sachin Doshi

Brands of all sizes populate SXSW, and the biggest ones populate it the most. Same as it ever was, right? This year’s Spotify House features three stages, a house DJ and has so far hosted shows from Phantogram, Dum Dum Girls, Future Islands, Warpaint, Holy Child and more. The hours-long lines to get in start happening at noon each day and don’t let up. Snoop Dogg showed up yesterday. The company could have easily rented a space three times the size of the small-ish corner lot they’re occupying this week, and they’d still have lines, I’m sure.

It can’t be just the lineup. These same bands are playing multiple locations. And it can’t just be because SXSW is overrun with people. Plenty of parties and shows thrown by less-heeled companies are barren even at prime time. I suspect it has mostly to do with brand identity and the way we consume entertainment. People don’t simply patronize a company: They’re encouraged to form a sort of quasi-relationship by “liking” it. People don’t write letters of complaint: They tweet out their dirty laundry. And people don’t just go see one of 10 shows Future Islands is playing: They see them at Spotify House.

The idea of cutting through the clutter of the streaming music market was kind of a novel idea, until Spotify managed to do it, and monetize it, too. The Swedish firm established itself solidly in the European market before expanding to the United States, which Sachin Doshi, head of Spotify’s content and distribution, rightly defines as the largest music market in the world.

Much has been said—from some prominent Athenians, even—about Spotify and its artist compensation. I spoke with Doshi for several minutes yesterday specifically about that.

Read the Q&A after the jump.

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