August 18, 2008

some of you may have heard about our onstage dress-up antics from the show a couple nights ago. i haven't seen the videos up online yet, but i'm sure some of you have them...anyway, the question is, "why?"

answer: because backstage in the early part of an afternoon can sometimes be a boring place for the band. the show is being set up, and unless you leave the site, your options for entertainment are limited to whatever you bring. and sometimes, when you've been on tour on and off for 18 months, you need to bring some excitement to the party--something new and random.

the wigs showed up, and we couldn't help but to bring them out on stage (for no real reason whatsoever). for the last song of the night, chester and i dressed up like '80s rock stars. chester was better at the "moves" than i was, but i felt like my golden locks made up for it. we were something like the nelson twins meets axl rose meets bret michaels meets "the rep from the guitar company who always comes to our shows and gets wasted, then starts hitting on all the girls and embarrassing himself, but shows up the next time we come into town as if the last time never happened."

yes, we did it completely spur-of-the moment. yes, we mashed up bleed it out and sweet child o' mine...poorly. and yes, it was fun.

photos coming soon.

mike

EDIT: PS, we're nominated for an MTV VMA for best rock video. thanks to everyone who voted

2005

2006

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2008

September 12, 2008

next weekend, i will be joining TIMOTHY FERRISS, a new york times bestselling author, as a keynote speaker for BLOGWORLD and NEW MEDIA EXPO. i'll be around to answer questions, say hello, and sign some stuff if you like. i will be speaking in the earlier part of the morning on sunday.

the event is being held sept. 20 & 21 at the las vegas convention center. please come down and say hi.

http://www.blogworldexpo.com/

who is tim ferriss? the following is from his bio:

"Serial entrepreneur and ultravagabond Timothy Ferriss has been featured by dozens of media, including The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, NBC, and MAXIM. He speaks six languages, runs a multinational firm from wireless locations worldwide, and has been a popular guest lecturer at Princeton University since 2003, where he presents entrepreneurship as a tool for ideal lifestyle design and world change.

Tim has been profiled in The Success Principles, the New York Times bestseller written by Jack Canfield, and is a main character in the upcoming feature-length documentary "As Seen on TV," produced by Emmy Award winner Dan Partland.

As a professional polymath, he has amassed a diverse roster of credentials and experience: Princeton University guest lecturer in High-Tech Entrepreneurship and Electrical Engineering Cage fighter in Japan, vanquisher of four world champions (MMA) First American in history to hold a Guinness World Record in tango Advisor to more than 30 world record holders in professional and Olympic sports National Chinese kickboxing champion Glycemic Index (GI) researcher Political asylum researcher and activist MTV breakdancer in Taiwan Hurling competitor in Ireland Actor on hit TV series in mainland China and Hong Kong"

http://www.mikeshinoda.com/blog/all/blo … _las_vegas

September 22, 2008

RB (the red baron) and i just got back from an exhausting and fantastic trip to vegas for blogworld. although i went to sleep pretty early, RB was out all night overdoing it on the gambling, sex, and drugs...somehow i was able to get him up early enough to make it to the conference at 7:45am. it was a little early, but we got our wits together, and tim and i had a great talk with the folks there. there were a ton of fascinating questions, and i personally got a lot out of it. afterward i got a good chance to speak to some of you in person, take some pictures, and sign some autographs.

speaking of which: if you, the reader, are someone i met at the conference, and you have photos or video of us, feel free to leave a comment under this post, with the photo, video, or a link so all the mikeshinoda.com community can check them out!

a huge "thank you" goes out to tim ferriss (for babysitting us, ha!), rick calvert, rohit bhargava, mohammed saleem, and all the interesting folks i met and chatted with today. thanks to the many people who came up and said so many nice things about my music and art, and thanks to everyone who shared with us their insight into the future of our online world.

the link to the keynote talk, in full, is hopefully coming soon. i'll put it up asap. here are some links to some coverage in other good blogs:

http://rohitbhargava.typepad.com/weblog … -buil.html

http://www.flyteblog.com/flyte/2008/09/ … sunda.html

http://www.miss604.com/2008/09/blog-wor … sions.html

by the way, i was just kidding about RB and the gambling, sex, and drugs. he's not into that stuff--he keeps it clean.

except for his obsession with narcoleptic sheep:

Narcoleptic Sheep

EDIT: fan correction: narcoleptic goats, not sheep. (wow, people around these parts are pretty quick to correct you when it comes to mistakes regarding animal species. next thing you know, they'll be telling me a dolphin isn't a fish...)

*************************

September 22, 2008

RETURNING FROM BLOGWORLD, PART 2.

i want to add something that i may not have made 100% clear with my statement at blogworld about signing (or not) with major labels. i knew that this statement would resonate...don't worry, i'm not backing down from what i said at all

by no means do i know everything about how this works. i've made mistakes, and i don't know all the inner workings of the varied, complicated agreements that musicians are making with various entities. as you read on, i simply want to remind you that there are other opinions on the subject. this is mine.

at blogworld, i said that if you want to make a living making music, and you don't need the "fame" aspect (you don't need to "blow up"), then you don't need to go with a major. it's more complex than "avoiding majors" though. AND, to be perfectly clear, i'm also not saying the ONLY other option is an indie label (you could distribute it and promote it yourself, for example). i'm saying that there are many ways to be a self-sustaining musician these days. recording is easier and cheaper than ever, distribution can be nearly as simple as setting up a paypal account, and online fanbases are out there for you to find and connect with.

the key still is, and will always be: is your music good? do i, as a fan, like it? to what degree am i interested in being a part of what you have to offer through your recordings, shows, or merchandise?

on a side note: if fame is the focus part of the equation today, then what about linkin park? the answer: times were different back in the late 1990s when we signed with a major. they weren't asking for ownership of your touring, merchandise, fan club, and domain name back then. they are now.

to put it in perspective: tom whalley, the president of warner brothers, would love to see you succeed and build a strong following of 10,000 fans by yourself, with no one else's help. at that point, he knows that if you decide to work with warner bros., although he will have to offer you more in order for you to be interested in working with WB, your work has given you (and them) a head start, plus they know they're working with someone who understands what it takes to build momentum from the ground up. it's a win-win.

anyway, the bottom line is that the power is now in your hands more than ever. my advice to you is to throw the old rulebook out, be thoughtful about your decisions, and do what works for you.

http://www.lprussia.com/ posted a link to download, maybe you need it they say it's for the first time ever

http://narod.ru/disk/2626146000/Fort%20Min....2006).mpg.html

quolity is not very good - 1,29 GB
input figures and press green button

FORT MINOR
Tempe, Arizona
22nd April 2006
Acme Roadhouse
Club Tattoo 11th Anniversary

01. Remember The Name
02. It's Goin' Down
03. Enth E Nd
04. In Stereo
05. Mr. Brown
06. Fort Minor Medley
07. Where'd You Go
08. Feel Like Home
09. Red To Black
10. Cigarettes acapella
11. Black Violin solo
12. Believe Me
13. There They Go
14. High Road
15. Petrified
+
Bonus: Anything, Anything (Chester Bennington)

Video: MPG, 352x240 (16:9), 2399kb/s
Audio: MP2, 44100Hz, 224kb/s, Stereo

October 3, 2008

I'm not gonna lie...this post is to put you (the amazing fans) to work! (read on...)

Don't worry, its nothing difficult. My Wikipedia page needs help, and I'd love it if you could help me fix it.

1.) Busta Rhymes feat. Linkin Park "We Made It" (co-produced with Cool & Dre and Timbaland) -- incorrect: Timbaland was not involved in the track. The track was produced by me + Cool & Dre.

2.) It says, "In 2003, Mike was asked to be featured on Evanescence's single "Bring Me to Life," as stated by fellow band member Chester Bennington in a magazine interview. In the end, Paul McCoy of 12 Stones recorded the vocals instead." I don't remember this being said, but even if it was...I was never asked to be on any Evanescence music. Even if Chester said it, this part isn't true (we all make mistakes)!

3.) Do we have any good writers here? the best writer should help update the section about my art It's a little outdated.

http://www.mikeshinoda.com/blog/Mike_Sh … ikipedia-1

как мило

October 5, 2008
More responses...

POSTED BY DURG mike, heres the perfect site for your 'lost in translation' funnies that you find.. http://engrishfunny.com/

M: Well done, I love it! For those who haven't seen one, that icon is for a "traditional toilet" (AKA poop pit). Amazing!

POSTED LPFREAK1286 (DEAR HERTZ RENT-A-CAR) Thats right man. Things haven't changed a bit. Even if people are willing to make a change the big companies aren't. And if they are their going to cash in on it. Did you ever watch "Who Killed the Electric Car?"? I'm sure you have but if not its very informative. http://www.sonyclassics.com/whokilledtheelectriccar/ http://quicksilverscreen.com/watch?video=44020

M: "Who Killed the Electric Car" was definitely interesting. I like the idea of the electric car; I hope they become more available (and better looking, more accessible) in the US.

POSTED BY WEST_LP Mike, seriously, why u keep posting those random stuff??why dont u post things about the band....about the band members, like, things that you are doing, things that the band r doing...because those things that u r posting r so boring....those r not interesting anymore...im dead serious....

M: Great questions. Firstly, I started this blog to cover all the stuff that's not LP related. For example: I could post about it when i was doing an art show, or when I had an opinion on something that I thought was different from what the rest of the band's. If you think the stuff is boring, you're free to go elsewhere but if you avoid this site, you'll be missing out when I actually do post LP related news...

Incidentally, I've been working on new music and art, and I will likely post about that in the next couple weeks.

POSTED BY KATHYXX (NEW SEGMENT: "LYRICS IN PRINT") I believe you are familiar with Oingo Boingo, Mike?

M: A very subtle reference...yes, I know them, and this song: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/o/oingo+boingo/little+girls_20102778.html But for some reason I always assumed Boingo / Danny Elfman's song was written to be funny. The Winger song? I'm not so sure...

You may also notice that I'm making an attempt to type with proper capitalization. It's not easy for me...I've been typing in lower-case for years. Bear with me as I try to rewrite my stubborn brain...

*EDIT / ADDED: POSTED BY IGRABBEDCHESTERSWRIST Mike being a Blog-Whore makes me feel better about my own internet life. If someone like Mike can be on the internet so much, then it's not so bad that I am too!

M: I prefer Blog-Pimp, thank you very much. HAHAHAHAHA

POSTED BY BEC You found your shift key! I actualy thought it was just you typing in a certain style...can I tempt you to try typing like a british person? Drop the 'Z' and use the correct spellings containing 'S', e.g. capitalisation Make friends with the letter 'U': colour, flavour

M: BEC, I'm an A-MURR-i-can. We don't spell it that way...and that means I also don't say "al-u-min-ium," "gare-age," or "tele." So pass me that Coors light and my cowboy hat, because I'm watchin' NASCAR while cleanin' this here deer carcass. Yee-haw.

http://www.mikeshinoda.com/blog/Respons … o_comments

October 8, 2008
Thanks for all the fantastic suggestions for the title of the new live DVD/CD! Due to unforeseen time constraints, got to give Warner Bros. the name of the DVD TODAY! Help us choose by going to this page and voting (one vote per person, please). SPREAD THE WORD!

http://linkinpark.com/story/News/choose … cddvd_name

October 14, 2008
I was going to post a few responses to fan comments / questions, but this post caught my eye.

POSTED BY MAX_PAYN: I have a REALLY IMPORTANT question, Mike, Do mp3 sites pay you actually? I sometimes buy couple of songs from mp3 sites, I'm not sure are they really paying you for that songs. what about abroad sites? Here Korea we have big mp3 sites selling your songs, I sometimes buy them...Nowadays people don't buy CD, they buy mp3... so I really wanna know whether you can get actual benefit from them. Love you man. Anyway I did that survey but some error occurred, it won't submit my survey! ....gave up...

M: Artists are supposed to be paid for all music sales (mp3s, ringtones, albums, etc.). Our label and publishing company are supposed to make sure all those sellers are doing the right thing.

For all the music makers out there, I should elaborate further: whether major or indie label, it's not as much as you'd think. Even on a $9.99 album, the artist gets pennies. For each sale, everyone has to get paid out of that money; the store, the distributor, the record company; then your manager, lawyer, business manager, and more (at the end, if you're in a band, you usually split it up among band members).

To see more of the scary underbelly of how it works, check this article out: http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news … main_x.htm

Here's a really breakdown, based on a (highest price point) $18.98 CD:

$18.98 - suggested retail price in store (what buyer pays)

$14.74 - what's left after subtracting for "packaging costs"

$1.33 - how much your band gets as defined by average major label contract (standard average, 2004. Complicated stuff, and varies slightly depending on your deal and who you sign with...but I would be willing to guarantee that most upstart bands today make less than this if they sign with a major).

$0.93 - what band gets after various managers commissions (estimated: 30%)

$0.23 - what you get if your band has 4 members

The bottom line? You just got paid less than a quarter on your CD that sold for almost $20. The funniest part is that the label actually charges you some or all of the studio costs, video expenses, tour money lent, promotion of album and singles, and other expenses, so they don't pay you your $0.23 until they've "recouped" their expenses. Which could be never.

That's why it's important to think about whether or not it's time to work with a label. If it's just you and the fan, you make almost all $9.99. Even if you're only selling a few hundred units, selling them directly can be worth it.

PS: Again, Donald Passman's "All You Need to Know About the Music Business" is one great book to reference (It was even mentioned in the USA Today article).

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ … shinoda-20