Tag Archive for 'iTunes'

Iration Interview

Iration is a Southern Californian based band that formed in 2006 when the members attended UCSB. All coming from Hawaii, the band has created a powerful sound that fuses reggae, rock and pop. They released their “Fresh Grounds” EP in February and have been touring all year, most recently as part of the Winter Greens Tour with Rebelution. I had a chance to sit down with Iration’s bassist, Adam Taylor, and ask him about how Iration came to be, their influences, marketing strategies and their next tour.

TC: You guys are all from Hawaii but met in Isla Vista, California. How did Iration form?

AT: Iration formed while we attended UCSB. It started as a hobby and then developed into our career.

TC: Do you pull a majority of your influence from Hawaii or where you live currently? How is that influence brought out in your music?

AT: Initially from Hawaii, but these days I feel like we’re influenced by our surroundings here in Santa Barbara and while on tour. It comes out in the way we approach creating songs and the way we perform live.

TC: You released your “Fresh Grounds” EP in February and are setting out on tour. What are you looking at to accomplish with this next tour? How will this tour be different than other tours you have been on?

AT: We want to bring out all our fans as well as gain some new ones. We want to play well and give the audience a really fun and memorable experience. We’ll be playing new material off our new CD as well as two covers that are really fun to play. We’ll also be experimenting with some acoustic stuff on this tour.

TC: Who would your dream tour lineup consist of?

AT: The Police, The Beatles, Black Uhuru, and Iration!

TC: You guys have played at many colleges, especially in California. Which college town has given you the best fan response? Why did you choose to play colleges as opposed to regular venues?

AT: Calpoly in San Luis Obispo is great and so is Northern Arizona University. We play colleges because you typically get a large built-in crowd and often times students that have never heard of you get exposed to your music.

TC: What is one of the craziest things you have had happen on tour?

AT: My amp had a power overload and caught on fire on the past tour. That was pretty crazy!

TC: What is your best fan memory?

AT: Hanging out with Kelly Slater on stage!

TC: Your band’s website is set up like a blog on the homepage. Did you design it this way in order to connect more with your fans?

AT: Yes. Social networking and having a strong viral presence is really important to us and it’s a great way to connect with fans.

TC: What are some of your favorite ways to reach out to your fanbase?

AT: We like using Fantourage and Fanbridge. Fans can ask us questions and post videos and photos from the shows.

TC: Do you have an online marketing strategy in place?

AT: We basically like to keep up a strong presence online and be in constant communication with our fans. It just comes down to us enjoying what we do, and we love to write back to fans and hear what they have to say online.

TC: How does your MobBase mobile app fit in to this strategy? What has the response been from fans?

AT: Fans love it. Its a great tool for finding out where a show is or listening to music. Its free on iTunes and the Android Market, so pick it up!

TC: If Iration owned a coffee company, what would be the name of your special blend and most popular pastry?

AT: Our drummer does own a coffee company on the big island of Hawaii, called Kona Homestead Coffee! If the others owned one, we’d call our special blend ‘Kona Gold’ and our pastry would be the Butternut.

Iration is currently on tour around California their next dates are:

Tila Tequila Launches iPhone App Via MobBase

Tila Tequila prepares to fully dominate the digital world with the launch of her very own Miss Tila iPhone app, powered by MobBase. The official Miss Tila app will allow fans into Tila’s various social media properties including her blog, her merch store, videos, photos, twitter and music. All things Tila…on-the-go!

“Tila is a great example of an artist who is passionate about using all of the tools at her disposal to connect and engage with fans online and on their mobile devices, without having to know how to program a mobile app ,” said Charles Feinn, CEO and co-founder of MixMatchMusic, MobBase’s developer. “A custom MobBase mobile app is an essential part of that mix, with the high value content that fuels the artist-fan connection. We are very excited to be working with Tila on her official mobile app!”

To download Tila’s official iPhone app, click here!

Hello Music and MobBase Partner to Offer Independent Artists Custom iPhone App Solution

Hello Music, the digital music platform and power tool connecting independent artists to industry resources and career opportunities, today announced it has partnered with MobBase to offer its artist community an intuitive and cost-effective solution for creating their very own personalized iPhone app.

Hello Music will offer the MobBase iPhone app solution as an additional opportunity for its independent artists to market and promote their music to fans. Through the deal, Hello Music artists receive a free month of MobBase membership, and for those artists who want more help designing their personalized app, they will also receive a free premium support package for three months valued at $200.

“Mobile is an incredibly valuable platform for artists of every level, and the mobile music market continues to flourish,” said Zack Zalon, Co-Founder, Hello Music. “While many independent artists previously found it cost-prohibitive to go mobile, MobBase levels the field for them. We are pleased to offer our artist community the ability to create their own custom app for bringing their music, photos, videos and more to the device that’s always at hand.”

“Connection fuels the fan – artist relationship” said Charles Feinn, CEO and co-founder of MixMatchMusic, MobBase’s developer. “A MobBase mobile app is one of the most effective and least expensive ways to make that connection. “Our relationship with Hello Music is a natural because we share the common goal of helping artists build their careers.”

Existing Hello Music artists are able to access MobBase through the Hello Music Dashboard. Interested artists not already part of the Hello Music community should go to hellomusic.com to join for free and then they can make an iPhone app!

About Hello Music
Touted one of Billboard Magazine’s 10 Best Digital Music Startups, Hello Music is the digital music platform and power tool for independent artists. Providing valuable insight, resources and career opportunities, independent artists can upload their music at www.hellomusic.com for FREE, to be reviewed by Hello Music’s in-house music screening team who listens to every song submitted and provides each musician with a FREE Music Feedback Report. Hello Music matches artists with opportunities that matter, from partners including Taylor Guitars, CMJ, New Music Seminar, Durango Songwriters Expo, Balcony TV, Topspin, Yahoo! Music, Slacker, Delta Airlines Radio, Jango Airplay, TuneCore, Dropcards, Getty Images, PlayNetwork, RootMusic, Swing House Studios, Gravity Studios, The Record Shop Studios, and Next Big Sound. Launched in 2010, Hello Music was conceived and incubated by Wilshire Media Group, a digital music product design and development firm founded by Zack Zalon and Brendon Cassidy.

MobBase Teams With Valleyarm, Music180 & Viral Nation for International Reach & Digital Distribution

MobBase, the fast, easy and inexpensive way for music artists to get their own custom iPhone app, is now available to more artists in more places and through more channels than ever. A new partnership with Valleyarm is marketing MobBase to musicians in Asia, Europe, and Africa. And Music180 and Viral Nation are now offering MobBase as part of the toolkits of products and services they provide musicians to help them market and promote themselves.

“More and more musicians are reaching out to fans and bringing them backstage, on tour or into recording sessions via a mobile app,” said Charles Feinn, CEO and co-founder of MixMatchMusic, MobBase’s developer. “It’s connection that reinforces relationship and it’s what builds musical careers.”

“Our partners are helping build relationships and careers too. The shared commitment to indie and developing artists guides our partnering strategy and is fueling our growth.”

Reaching musicians in Asia, Europe, and Africa
MobBase partner Valleyarm is marketing MobBase to musicians in Australasia, The Pacific and throughout Asia and through its partner network in Africa, the Middle East and Europe. The publishing and online marketer of music and video content is the leading digital distributor in the Asia Pacific, selling through hundreds of online stores including China Mobile, China Telecom, Telstra Bigpond, Beatport and Maxis Malaysia.

“A mobile app is a ‘must have’ part of artists’ promotional mix,” said Lucy Tulett, Valleyarm’s Head of Business Development. “Because it’s so fast, so easy and so inexpensive, MobBase is the hands down best mobile app solution for Valleyarm artists.”

New distribution relationships promote MobBase to more artists
Music180 is the world’s premier Artist Development Platform that gives artists career management and the ability to meet and work with the world’s top music industry professionals. With Music180’s new membership-based management programs, artists can create a custom career game plan, get pitched to labels and management companies, write and record in the studio with top music pros and more.

“We give artists expert guidance and access to top music pros to take their music careers to the next level,” said Eric Galen, CEO of Music180. “MobBase is about helping independent artists connect with fans and promote themselves – it’s a perfect complement to our services.”

Viral Nation is a social platform connecting musicians and other content providers to venues, promoters and fans. Viral Nation is offering MobBase to musicians to help them promote their music and build their careers.

More than 400 apps – including apps for Saw 3D, Stomp the Yard
More than 400 artists and also music venues, movie and TV soundtracks are using to build iPhone apps. Notables include heavy metal artists, X Japan, and also new apps for Jazz Mafia, Robbie Rivera, and Filth FM. And MobBase is powering the official soundtrack apps for the NBC television hit, Parenthood, the Saw 3D movie and the dance celebration, Stomp the Yard.

Fast, easy, and inexpensive way for artists to get their own iPhone app
MobBase is the low cost way for musicians to share music, photos, videos, tweets, news, information about shows, merchandise and other content with fans on their mobile devices. MobBase apps are priced for starving artists and also artists who remember what it is like to starve, with many artists paying as little as $0.50 a day for their own custom iPhone app.