February 26, 2010

There's Always Three Ways To Look At It

This week at the Digital Music Forum East, in a snow covered New York City, NPD Group Analyst Russ Crupnick had great news for artists using Online Radio as part of their promotional strategy stating that 'Online radio services lead to a 41% increase in paid downloads.' You can read more HERE on CNET

Crupnick compared online radio services to free streaming-music sites like Spotify that he says 'lead to a 13% decrease in paid downloads.' A spokesman for spotify responded saying that 'there is other data out there to prove the exact opposite of that report'

Spotify Hits Back at Claims of Download Canabalization

And of course what debate in this new music business model, still in it's very infancy, would be of any note if there was not at least one more way to look at it? Enter wired.com with a great article titled...

Of Course On-Demand Music Replaces Sales - It's Supposed To

Here at Jango we're more than pleased with this postive report about online radio exposure helping create more paid download sales. The jury is still out on free on-demand services and their impact on the future of music sales but our eyes and ears are peeled.

Tell us what you think in the comments, we're sure there's even more than three ways to look at it.

Have a great weekend, The Jango Juggler !

February 25, 2010

Artist Interview - Dead Stars

Here's a quick interview with Brooklyn's Dead Stars who recently had one of the top 5 PopScores for the week. Great Sound, Great Band !















Jango: So when did you start playing music?

Dead Stars: We’ve been together for about two years now. We were all in different bands and one day we decided to do something different so we formed Dead Stars.

J: And where are you based?

DS: We live in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. There’s a really good scene going on right now, though sometimes it can be a bit over saturated.

J: Tell us about the 3 major influences on your music?

DS: If you mean other bands then it would probably be My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement. If you mean in general then I’d say staring out the window, sandwiches and sleeping.

J: How would you describe your sound?

DS: Psychedelic Indie Grunge


J: Do you have any big releases coming up?

DS: We plan to head back into the studio next month to record some new songs. Our plan is to release them on vinyl and cassette. You can also pick up our debut album ‘Break The Tide’ through our website.

J: Do you perform live and if so where can people see your live show?

DS: Yes we perform live all the time. You can check our site for tour dates etc. We plan on doing another east coast tour during the spring. Right now we have a few shows coming up in NYC, Brooklyn and Philly.

J: What is your best tip for other Airplay Bands when using Jango?

DS: When you use the targeting feature make sure to pick the correct influences. This seems to bring the right people to your music.

Thanks Guys, See you in Brooklyn

The Juggler

February 24, 2010

What's In A Name ?

This week we thought we'd take a closer look at the band and artist names in our Airplay community to see what popped out. So below is a word cloud of the most popular ones.










After seeing this we started to wonder, how did you pick your band/stage name? Drop your answer, band name/stage name and link to your Jango profile in the comments.

February 23, 2010

Jaron & The Long Road To Love

Here's the video to 'Pray For You' from one of our top PopScore artists for the past week, Jaron and The Long Road to Love. Great Lyrics, check it out.

February 22, 2010

Featured Artists - PopScore Top 5

Once again here's the top 5 Jango PopScore bands for last week. There's some great stuff here so drop them a line in the comments section and say hello

Artist: Jaron and The Long Road To Love
Jaron, of Jaron and The Long Road to Love, is a fresh face on the new-Country scene. His is a crisp blend of powerfully smooth vocals and a diverse skill-set, conveying a simple message, unclouded by over drawn ironies or artificial packaging.

Click to hear Jaron and The Long Road To Love:
Pray For You
Artist: Jess Turner
Jess has been writing music since age 13 and is a classically trained pianist, cellist, and composer. She has spent summers studying music at various schools including the Boston University Tanglewood Institute and the Berklee College of Music.

Click to hear Jess Turner:
In My Tracks
Artist: Ladybug Landslide
Ladybug Landslide is singer-songwriter Marshall from Nashville, Tennessee. Having played drums for nine years before switching to guitar and vocals, he now writes his own material and plays everything on record, in addition to touring the continental US and Alaska.

Click to hear Ladybug Landslide:
Cover Story Kids
Artist: Killa Cole
Killa Cole recently released his self-produced debut "Ground Zero." A raw mixture of melody and emotion, the album puts deft flows on top of hip hop/rock music.

Click to hear Killa Cole:
4sho (Ft. Bigg Tweezy and Boogie the Mann)
Artist: Neverest Songs
Neverest Songs is the work of Luke Twyman (born 30 Nov., 1981), an English musician and songwriter based in Margate, UK. His album "Small Voyages" is out now on Unlabel

Click to hear Neverest Songs:
Maria's Clockwork Spirit

February 18, 2010

What makes you a fan on Jango?

The big question for the past week on the blog has been...

What makes you a fan on Jango?

So in the spirit of utter transparency we want to lay it out in the simplest of terms here. We have developed this criteria in order to deliver the best value we can to all of our bands and artists, so here goes...

- On the 'Make 'Em Break 'Em' overlay clicking 'Make 'Em' makes you a fan

- On the artist's profile clicking 'I'm A Fan' makes you a fan

- Clicking 'Add To Station' makes you a fan as well as starting a station with an artist

- Clicking the 'Like It' & 'Love It' smileys in the player makes you a fan.

- Visiting a profile through a www.jango.com/music/band+name link, such as the one we provide you in the 'Promote' tab of your dashboard, can make you a fan...If you are logged-in to Jango or have a cookie as a registered Jango listener, following a link does not make you a fan nor does the single act of visiting a profile. If you are not logged-in or not yet a registered user, following the link will make you a fan if you subsequently log in or register (because you now own a station with the artist).

And that's it.

We sincerely hope this makes it as clear as possible. Feel free to keep the conversation going in the comments section of this post. And in the general spirit of good conversation please keep all comments on the Jango Airplay Blog related to the post at hand.

Thanks again,

The Jango Juggler

February 17, 2010

The Jango Listener Newsletter





Every week we send an email blast to millions of Jango listeners, highlighting the best new releases in Pop, Rock, RnB, Rap, Country, and Electronica. Now, top PopScoring bands will be featured right alongside major artists. Aside from hopefully rewarding artists with lots of organic plays, this is a great opportunity to show an audience that emerging acts can stand up right next to the biggest music on Jango.

So there's yet another reason to hone your targeting, engage your audience, and make sure you put your best foot forward. Login to airplay.jango.com and figure out how you can wind up in the Jango Listener Newsletter.

February 16, 2010

And Now...The News






iTunes nears 10 Billion Downloads - Hypebot

“iTunes changed the way you buy music, making songs and albums available for download, day or night,” declared Apple on the site. “Seven years later, we’re about to celebrate our biggest milestone for music, yet—10 billion songs downloaded.” As part of the promotion iTunes is also offering a rare glimpse at its most downloaded songs of all time. Read more HERE

Featured Artists

Once again, for the two weeks past, we bring you the top 10 bands on Jango.com. Check 'em out here and show them your support in the comments. There's no better way to get ahead than by supporting others and this is the perfect forum.

Congrats gang !!!

Artist: Angie Mattson
After stints in North Carolina, Tokyo, and Florida, Angie sold nearly everything and moved onto a small sailboat. She spent a year in the West Indies learning guitar and writing songs, which people liked enough to convince her to move to Los Angeles and pursue music.

Click to hear Angie Mattson:
Thank You
Artist: Khalil
Khalil Coerleone got his start battling neighborhood emcees on street corners and in school hallways. After school he joined the military, where he continued recording mixtapes. In 2005 he was released and back on the grind, residing in the Bedstuy section of Brooklyn.

Click to hear Khalil:
The Love Remains
Artist: Kalei Hogan
Kalei helped open for Kellie Pickler at the Star Of The West concert in Utah. She sang with the band Little Texas at their Preston Idaho concert, and has just finished cutting songs in Nashville.

Click to hear Kalei Hogan:
Color Blue
Artist: Left Hand Daisy
Left Hand Daisy is a quartet hailing from Grand Rapids, MI, with a keen ability to cut through the clutter with a fresh, modern sound. The band is currently in the studio working on an LP, scheduled for release in spring of 2010.

Click to hear Left Hand Daisy:
Save Her
Artist: Evans Blue
2009 marked the debut of new Evans Blue frontman Dan Chandler, the St. Louis singer who was selected after an extensive nationwide search, as well as the independent release of the band?s third album evans|blue. Their albums and singles have collectively sold over 700,000 units worldwide.

Click to hear Evans Blue:
Cold (But I'm Still Here)

Artist: Odd Year
Odd Year is David Gonzalez, an electronic music artist, programmer, remixer and producer. Other projects include, The Long Division and Highrize.

Click to hear Odd Year:
Days Like This (Ft. Loren Radis)
Artist: Dead Stars
Dead Stars are an alternative rock band from Brooklyn, NY. Their debut, Break The Tide, showcases loud textured guitars and full blown out rock songs.

Click to hear Dead Stars:
Break The Tide
Artist: Olivia Bonilla
Currently a highschool senior, Olivia is trying to balance the demands of that life with her dream of being a performer. She recently released her EP, Arrival, to a warm reception online and at Radio Disney.

Click to hear Olivia Bonilla:
Stumble
Artist: Little Freddie King
Little Freddie King - Mississippi Bluesmaster, a hard-living character who plays the rural juke joint electric blues. Dirty, messy blues, stripped down, primal as hell.

Click to hear Little Freddie King:
Messin' Around Tha House
Artist: Anna Thomas
Anna Thomas is a singer-songwriter currently working in the Dallas, TX area. While just 13, she grew up in a musical family, and now tops the Broadjam charts with songs like "Trace of Light."

Click to hear Anna Thomas:
Little Red

February 12, 2010

Artist Interview - The Sweaters


















Here we are with The Sweaters who had one of the top 5 PopScores last week

Jango:
So when did you start in music ?

The Sweaters: We collectively started playing music together around 2001 but began developing and experimenting with our own sound shortly before we came to Nashville, TN in 2008.

Jango: And where are you based ?

The Sweaters: We are originally from East Peoria, IL but we came to Nashville, TN for the music scene here which is not all country but a variety of Indie, Rock, Pop, and other genres. There are a lot of interesting bands coming out of Nashville right now and it's definitely a good place to be playing with many great venues.

Jango: Tell us your three most important influences ?

The Sweaters: Some major influences of The Sweaters are Pinback, Nirvana, and The Postal Service. Each of these bands have qualities that inspired us such as Pinbacks melodies and arrangements, Nirvanas lyrics and originality, and The Postal Service's use of time-based effects and drum loops.

Jango: How would you describe your sound ?

The Sweaters: We would describe our sound as melodic and original. We like to combine catchy guitar, bass, and synth lines with both live drums and loops, while keeping a certain pop sensibility. We strive to not fit into any one category but to blur the lines between them.

Jango: Any new releases in the works ?

The Sweaters: We have just released a new single "All for Sun" which can be found here on Jango.com, feel free to check it out. We are currently writing now and will have an ep out later this year.

Jango: Do you perform live ?

The Sweaters: We have been playing locally at various venues here in East Nashville and West End. You can check out our myspace page for upcoming shows, however we primarily play out with our other band "The Garden Leo", which has a show coming up Feb 20th at the 5 spot. Definitely check this band out. We are currently recording an ep with "The Garden Leo" at lake fever productions.

Jango: And lastly, any tips for Airplay artists ?

The Sweaters: Our best tip would be to keep in touch with your fans on jango and let them know what is going on with your band and your music.

Thanks guys,

The Juggler

February 10, 2010

The Rush Of Fans - Update And Clarification

Hello Airplayers,

We had such a great response in the comments section on our recent blog post titled 'Seeing A Rush Of Fans?' that we decided it deserved a whole new post as an update for clarification. So after reviewing all the comments we want to address everything here as simply and as straightforward as possible...so here goes.

- If your fan count went down, it was only because we used to count 'Guest Listeners' as Fans. We decided going forward that since there was no way to communicate with 'Guests' we would no longer include them in the count.

- Most bands actually see an increase in fans. The reason for this is we looked back over the last year and found all of the listeners who had been adding your Band into their stations and playlists. These people have been updated to be your fans. This is what created the rush of new fans earlier this week.

- Since the above mentioned 'historical' fans did not make these positive ratings just recently they are not likely to be making comments on your profile pages but you can now e.mail them and leave them bulletins.

- Going forward we will continue to create these 'Fan Relationships' when listeners add your band or songs to a station, so you should see an increase in overall fan count per play in the future.

- The Band's message center is our next area to improve so that Bands can e-mail all Fans at once. We are working on that as we speak. In addition, we are fixing the Listeners message center so that a visual alert lights up when they have a new message.

- This change in 'Fan Relationships' has no effect on PopScore. Any apparent correlation was because Tuesday is the most volatile day for PopScore. More on PopScore fluctuation HERE

Thanks, The Jango Juggler

New Feature - Updated Play Stats Page



More big news from Jango Airplay this week: As part of our continued efforts to improve your Airplay Dashboard, the Play Stats Page has received an update! See for yourself at under the Reports tab...

And this beauty isn't just skin deep. In addition to better organization, the new layout now gives you an opportunity to view your historical play data. Not only can you get totals or break out the plays & likes by song, but you can also view week-over-week changes in total, paid & organic plays, song likes, new fans, and profile views.

As always, there could be a variety of uses for data like this. One thing worth trying might be choosing different similars every week for a month, then going back and charting what effect the changes had on likes and fans. Click over to and see what you can come up with.

February 9, 2010

Seeing A Rush Of Fans ?



















We're always updating things around here at Jango Airplay with a goal of making it the best promotional platform available for bands and artists. Because of this you may have seen a few changes in your 'Fans' tab.

First, we removed all of your fans who were just 'Guest Users' of Jango meaning that they are not 'Registered Users'. Bands and artists can only communicate with registered users so this should streamline things for you. Guest users will still be able to opt in to leave their e.mail address for you though but cannot become a fan unless they register.

Next you may have noticed a recent influx of new fans and new fan e.mails over the last 24 hours. This is because we went back in our database and updated all of our registered users that have interacted positively with your band and meet the new criteria to 'become a fan'. So now you have this new group of fans to communicate with as well.

Going forward all of your new fans will be registered users that you can send e.mails to and drop bulletins on their page.

Drop us a line in the comments if you have any questions and we'll try and address them there

Speak soon

The Jango Juggler

February 8, 2010

Artist Interview - Get Stellar


Here we are with a quick interview of Get Stellar who had one of the top PopScores last week.
























Jango:
So when did you start in music ?

Get Stellar: Andrew and I have both been playing music for some time now. I got into music production during high school in the late nineties, using free "mod tracker" software on a crusty old computer and sending my songs to the online tracking community for feedback. I also played bass in the school jazz band and DJed at house parties and school discos.

After school I started a live five-piece Jazzy/Housey dance band. Looking back, the music was pretty bad but because we were the only ones doing the live-dance-act thing at the time we got plenty of gigs. Everyone in the band was busy working or studying and no one had any time or money so it only lasted a year.

Andrew was always in bands at school and then moved on to his own one-man-band acoustic rock solo project, writing, singing and playing guitar. We met through a mutual friend one night, I sent over a track I was working on, Andrew wrote some lyrics, layed down his vocals and that was that.

Jango: And where are you based ?

Get Stellar: We're in Adelaide which is the smallest state capital city on mainland Australia and it's often the butt of jokes from the bigger cities. Despite the size, we have a healthy music scene and night life, with artists like Donnie Sloan (Empire of the Sun), The Hilltop Hoods and The Swiss all hailing from Adelaide. A smaller city makes everything more accessible so it's a great place to get started.

Jango: Tell us your three most important influences ?

Get Stellar: I would have to nominate Philippe Zdar from Cassius. The "Cassius 1999" album was the first time I heard the French House sound and it came out around the same time I first started going to clubs and fell in love with dance music.

Andrew is a huge fan of Phoenix, whose latest album coincidentally was produced by Zdar.

As the third, we have both been influenced by Adelaide local Donnie Sloan, from his early projects like Phat Albert and Juno all the way through to his chart topping work with Empire Of The Sun.

Jango: How would you describe your sound ?

Get Stellar: We describe our sound as "indie disco". The vocals and lyrics have an indie rock feel but the beats, bass and synth have an eighties disco feel. Andrew's vocals are quite unique, they have a rough edge, he keeps the Aussie accent and it works in well with the smoother, electronic backing.

Jango: Any new releases in the works ?

Get Stellar: At the moment I am working on remixes for The Vanish from NYC and Monk from Germany, two fantastic groups with a similar sound to us. Remixes are a great way to increase our exposure and lift our profile. We are also making steady progress on our debut album that will be out later this year.

Jango: Do you perform live ?

Get Stellar: We don't have enough original material to get a band together and start performing live yet but it's definitely on the horizon. I have just resumed DJing so we'll be pushing a Get Stellar DJ Set for the clubs soon.

Jango: And lastly, any tips for Airplay artists ?

Get Stellar: There is so much music out there, so many different genres, sub-genres and sounds that are constantly changing with fashion, when you're starting out it's difficult to find your target audience. Jango has allowed us to position our music alongside established artists in our niche and effectively target new fans. The reporting is invaluable as it ranks which established artists our fans listen to, along with all the demographic information. Our advice to other bands would be to listen to the market- let go of any preconceived ideas about what bands you sound like and who your fans are and let Jango work it out for you.

Thanks guys, we'll see you on the dancefloor

February 5, 2010

PopScore Fluctuation - Mon to Wed

Hello Airplayers,

Some of you have noticed and dropped us an e.mail wondering why your Jango PopScore fluctuates early in the week, usually Monday through Wednesday, and then levels out towards the end of the week. So here's a simple explanation and diagram for you so you can get a better understanding.

First and foremost, PopScore is relative. Relative to what you may ask ? The Jango PopScore is relative based on the cumulative amount of 'band activity' at any given moment during the week. 'Band activity' we define as the following; number of bands participating, total spins and fan ratings. Therefore, the more overall 'band activity' taking place the more stable your PopScore.















We hope this clears things up a bit...and keep those questions and comments coming

-Jango Jugglers

February 4, 2010

Jango Listener Newsletter - Millions of Readers

Hey Airplayers, just a quick update from the Jugglers here. We're starting to feature some of the artists with the best PopScores in our weekly listener newsletter. This newsletter goes out to millions of registered Jango users letting them know what's new and what's hot in Pop, Rock, R&B, Country, Hip Hop & Electro. Airplay artists will be presented right alongside major artists like Justin Timberlake, Los Campesinos, Jay Z, Gretchen Wilson & more. We're working hard here to create more and more opportunities for the artists that resonate the most with Jango listsners so go to Jango.com and set yourself up with a listener account as well so you can get the weekly newsletter sent right to you...& stay tuned right here to Jango Airplay for more

February 2, 2010

Success Stories ??


We follow our artists pretty closely, and there have been some great success stories in the last few months. Got one of your own? Tell us about it right here in the comments section!

From Phil Vassar to Mikey Wax, Airplay artists aren't just building buzz online, they're getting out there and translating success from one arena to another. By sharing your stories, hopefully we can all learn a little about how that's done.

So click through to the comments section and tell us about your biggest recent successes in the comments section. What were they? How did you do it? What do they mean for your band? Maybe what worked for you will work for other Airplay artists and vice versa.

Mikey Wax - On Tour















Mikey Wax is a rising singer/songwriter from New York who was one of the first artists to use Jango airplay for his single "In Case I Go Again" off his debut album "Change Again." Since placing the song on Jango, Mikey's career has continued to develop strongly, most recently being selected to open for Howie Day on his up-coming US tour.






More Tour Info HERE

Mikey's song "In Case I Go Again" had won the Unsigned Artist Contest held by the top-40 radio station 97.9FM WRMF in South Florida, and shortly after he placed it on Jango in hopes of reaching a larger audience. The song quickly received several thousand "likes" and hundreds of new fans worldwide. The music video for the single, released last May, has currently received over 45,000 hits on Youtube. The combination of factors has lead to his album charting on the iTunes top 100 pop albums in the US, Canada, and UK.

We are proud to be sponsoring Mikey on his up-coming tour opening for Howie Day. Mikey's career is continuing to take off due to strong support from the Jango community as well as fast word-of-mouth on social networking sites.

You can download his single "In Case I Go Again" for free HERE

Also be sure to also check out his album, "Change Again", available now on iTunes


February 1, 2010

Featured Artists - PopScore Top 5

The Grammys are fun but always so predictable and with such a narrow field of play. So to keep things fresh here's this weeks Jango Airplay winners with the top PopScore for the week past.

Artist: Antahlyzah
Antahlyzah is a Chicago-born emcee whose "primary goal is to elevate the consciousness of all of those that listen to [his] music." His solo album, entitled Truth Seeker was released in the summer of 2009.

Click to hear Antahlyzah:
1 Da Luv
Artist: Brian King
Brian King is a gifted saxophonist with a jazzy yet soulful contemporary style. His latest release, Carribean Sunset, is rhythm and jazz fused with a smooth yet funky compliment of sweet vocals and electrical instrument arrangements

Click to hear Brian King:
Carribean Sunset
Artist: Get Stellar
Get Stellar was born into the cosmos when galaxies of two celestial beings named Simon and Andrew collided in the Australian city of Adelaide. The duo mixes disco with a touch of indie, and top it off with a unique, funky edge.

Click to hear Get Stellar:
The Moment (Radio Edit)
Artist: Soft Words Traverse
A band that lives up nicely to its description as "sonic terrains to accompany the wide range of emotions that we, as humans, experience on a moment-to-moment basis."

Click to hear Soft Words Traverse:
Sprawling Certainty
Artist: The Sweaters
The Sweaters are an Indie Rock/Indie Pop band out of Nashville, TN. Their music offers a unique blend of melodies and arrangements with a twist.

Click to hear The Sweaters:
So What