#Mp3 hype machine download#

Ultimately, though, the Hype Machine needs the blessing of the four largest record companies: SonyBMG, Warner Music ( WMG), Universal and EMI. It's better than having them not find the artist at all.' If people discover an artist they like, they are going to make an investment - go to a show, buy a CD or a T-shirt. 'But I think a lot of labels like mine aren't going to be antagonistic. 'I don't really know about the legality ,' says Sam Valenti, founder of Ghostly International, a respected independent record company in Ann Arbor, Mich. 'It's a great way for someone who works at a record label to gauge the awareness of an album.' 'It's almost like a buzz meter,' he says. Adam Farrell, director of new media for Beggars Group, whose acts include the Breeders and Sigur Ros, finds the site's lists of the most searched songs invaluable. Some independent labels whose acts can't be heard on commercial radio or MTV couldn't be more supportive of the Hype Machine. This is often done with the blessing of artists and their labels - but not all the time.

#Mp3 hype machine download#

They post songs online that users can download for free. These music writers don't just rhapsodize about their favorite bands. Just as the political bloggers are altering the outcome of elections, MP3 bloggers are changing the way people discover new music. The aptly named Hype Machine is rapidly becoming the gatekeeper to the influential MP3 blogosphere. It's easy to see why there is so much interest in Volodkin's company. It's not clear that the big record companies are ready to embrace this notion. It will require a leap of faith on the part of his investors that the major labels are finally willing to tolerate a certain amount of unauthorized downloading in hopes that it will stimulate their sales. So it will be interesting to see if Volodkin can attract outside money now. There's only one problem: The Hype Machine is still operating in a gray area legally. (So does Viacom.) But he says people approach him 'all the time ' about investing in his company. Valleywag, the widely read technology blog, reported in April that Viacom offered to buy the Hype Machine for $10 million. It attracts more than one million monthly visitors. The Hype Machine, based in New York, has become one of the most talked-about music sites in the Internet. That's because venture capitalists worried they might be sued by the big record labels if they funded the Web site, created by the 22-year-old recent Hunter College graduate, that enables music fans to search for songs - not all of which are posted legally - on MP3 blogs.Ī lot has changed since then. NEW YORK (Fortune) - Anthony Volodkin ran into trouble last year when he tried to raise money for the Hype Machine, a digital music startup.