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Blink-182's Tom DeLonge tries to sell Vampire Weekend a social network

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Re: Blink-182's Tom DeLonge tries to sell Vampire Weekend a social network

#31

Post by Multiplayer »

philk wrote: post #23

All I can say is good on him for having a go, no matter how awkward it seemed. Being successful means being willing to look like a weirdo from time to time. I'm not seeing the smarmy reporter types achieving too much beyond saying nasty things about someone who's actually trying.

I can only imagine how difficult it is to pitch a product to someone who isn't there to listen to a pitch while being filmed by two separate crews. It would be really hard not to look like a dildo.

We've known for over a decade now since Napster that artists would need / could get other revenue from online to make up for declining music sales.

It's cool that Tom is actually trying to participate in the changes rather than just bitch about the state of the industry as 999/1000 of them do.

Re: Blink-182's Tom DeLonge tries to sell Vampire Weekend a social network

#32

Post by callmeed »

Regardless of DeLonge's bad pitch and VW's reaction, niche website tools are a good business. That's what we do and we do well. Don't forget, that's #29 on YC's startup ideas.

In a way, I see a lot of similarities to our industry (professional photography). Both are creative industries that have been quite disrupted by various technologies. Just about every well-known, experienced photographer sells training material, photoshop actions, holds workshops at $1k a seat, or lends their name to technology companies in exchange for money and/or free services.

I imagine DeLonge isn't much different. I just hope he wasn't suckered into investing his own money into someone else's idea. I also don't blame DeLonge for pitching to VW (but I admit, the circumstances seemed awkward). In niches like this, the more well-known bands you can get using your startup's product the better. Heck, I would have offered it to them for free. But, then again, I'm also a big VW fan.

Re: Blink-182's Tom DeLonge tries to sell Vampire Weekend a social network

#33

Post by blasdel »

hugh_ wrote: post #27
justokay wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been pretty good friends with one of the band members of VW since college, and I don't think the comments stem from a "too-cool-for-school" mindset. I remember one of my nerd friends and I talked about our approach for a poker bot to this member of VW, and he was extremely interested in the idea, even though he didn't have a technical background. The thing that really bothers him, though, is "inauthenticity", an…

Does he consider Blink 182 to be more "mainstream" than Vampire Weekend?

One does bog-standard 3-chord power-pop-punk with standard 'rebellious' studded-crap accouterments, the other does mellifluous afro-pop in menswear from a Wes Anderson character's closet.

Re: Blink-182's Tom DeLonge tries to sell Vampire Weekend a social network

#34

Post by philk »

Multiplayer wrote: post #31
philk wrote: post #23

All I can say is good on him for having a go, no matter how awkward it seemed. Being successful means being willing to look like a weirdo from time to time. I'm not seeing the smarmy reporter types achieving too much beyond saying nasty things about someone who's actually trying.

I can only imagine how difficult it is to pitch a product to someone who isn't there to listen to a pitch while being filmed by two separate crews. It would be really hard not to look like a dildo. We've known for over a decade now since Napster that artists would need / could get other revenue from online to make up for declining music sales. It's cool that Tom is actually trying to participate in the changes rather…

Agreed. I have a lot of respect for someone who looks at the changing situation and decides to grab a pair and make the best of it, rather than calling his lawyers or claiming the internet needs to be changed so he can make money.

Re: Blink-182's Tom DeLonge tries to sell Vampire Weekend a social network

#35

Post by ianbishop »

They showed up to interview him, as a west-coast artist, and instead walked into a (rather sad) pitch for a music publishing network. It would be atone to going to a party and seeing an agent and trying the agent pester them to switch record labels or something. It was awkward because it was Tom DeLonge who they respected too much to say 'what the fuck' half way through.

How can anyone see this as them being 'too-cool-for-school'?

Re: Blink-182's Tom DeLonge tries to sell Vampire Weekend a social network

#36

Post by krakensden »

mbbean wrote: post #22
kilian wrote: post #5

The way I see it, this is just an entrepreneur being very passionate about his product, and some too-cool-for-school kids make jokes about it. I submitted the (full) source article to HN a couple of hours ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1034444

The journo's point wasn't about the pitch, the site itself or a "too cool for school" reaction from VW, it's about the band staring their own future in the face. Blink-182 was a massively (far more so than VW) successful act, yet one of the members of the band is now hawking a web site instead of making music. It's an anecdote about the state of the industry and how that affects those currently caught in the machine.…

He's still pretty successful- Angels and Airwaves gets plenty of radio play.

Re: Blink-182's Tom DeLonge tries to sell Vampire Weekend a social network

#37

Post by mbbean »

skinnymuch wrote: post #25
mbbean wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The journo's point wasn't about the pitch, the site itself or a "too cool for school" reaction from VW, it's about the band staring their own future in the face. Blink-182 was a massively (far more so than VW) successful act, yet one of the members of the band is now hawking a web site instead of making music. It's an anecdote about the state of the industry and how that affects those currently caught in the machine.…

I think 'successful act' should be changed to 'profitable act'.

How do you define success in the music industry?

To me it means the following things: making a career out of playing music (even just for the short term), being profitable both for yourself and your label/team, being heard by a large amount of people (this includes touring and sales) and getting mainstream radio/tv play. And managing to make more than one record that gets at least a 50% positive critical response.

Re: Blink-182's Tom DeLonge tries to sell Vampire Weekend a social network

#38

Post by SwellJoe »

Multiplayer wrote: post #31
philk wrote: post #23

All I can say is good on him for having a go, no matter how awkward it seemed. Being successful means being willing to look like a weirdo from time to time. I'm not seeing the smarmy reporter types achieving too much beyond saying nasty things about someone who's actually trying.

I can only imagine how difficult it is to pitch a product to someone who isn't there to listen to a pitch while being filmed by two separate crews. It would be really hard not to look like a dildo. We've known for over a decade now since Napster that artists would need / could get other revenue from online to make up for declining music sales. It's cool that Tom is actually trying to participate in the changes rather…

I can only imagine how difficult it is to pitch a product to someone who isn't there to listen to a pitch while being filmed by two separate crews. It would be really hard not to look like a dildo.

Which, to some people, would indicate that this might not be an appropriate time to pitch.

Sometimes, pitching has negative value. Looking like a dorky salesman on video is anti-marketing for a rock and roll related project, and cannot be good for the project. It makes it look like just another "big business cashing in on little guys" swindle, with the older bands now being on the side of big business.

There is a right time to be a salesman. This wasn't it.

Re: Blink-182's Tom DeLonge tries to sell Vampire Weekend a social network

#39

Post by Rd182 »

Ok some I'm a member of modlife.com specifically the angels and airwaves site. And I have to say it is the perfect site for a dedicated fan, who enjoys social networking online. It is a site for people to have a more intimate look into the band members lives. We also get to hear insider news, have access to presale tickets, get to participate in private sound check parties and get VIP status at shows, we usually have live chat or webcam at least once a day with one of the members, etc. I enjoy the site very much, because I am a loyal fan.

I dont think people should hate on the site, because it is cool that the guy who used to sing about sex with dogs is trying to adapt to the changing times. It a shame more bands won't have such an open mind.

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