YouTube UK Blog
The YouTube Symphony Orchestra Returns!
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
The world’s first online collaborative orchestra is back, and this time a new round of performers will be playing their part onstage at the iconic Sydney Opera House.
It seems like just yesterday that Carnegie Hall was abuzz with a sold-out performance that made
headlines
around
the globe
. Ninety-six musicians arrived in New York City, from over 30 countries, to perform together after uploading an audition video and then being chosen by the YouTube community to be a part of the exciting event. We are thrilled to invite you to audition for the
YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011
.
In addition to the new locale, this “second act” includes another new element: “Mothership,” a musical work from composer
Mason Bates
. Right now, it’s still missing something: an improvisation provided by you. Take a listen to it here and start planning your contribution.
This time there are two ways to audition, for the classical audition perform the pieces listed on the channel according to instrument. For the opportunity to contribute your own creation, choose the solo improviser—it doesn’t matter if you play trumpet, viola or didgeridoo. If you proceed to the final stages, you will join musicians from around the world in a week-long music summit with Grammy-award-winning conductor
Michael Tilson Thomas
, who returns to guide the orchestra.
The YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 is a collaboration with partners the Sydney Symphony, the London Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker and many other leading institutions of the classical music world. This event is being made possible by Hyundai.
Michele Flannery, Music Manager, recently watched “
Eucalyptus Didgeridoo Solo
”
UK Music Tuesday: Marina At The Controls
Monday, 11 October 2010
Today we are pleased to turn over
UK Music Tuesday
to
Marina And The Diamonds
. A sly, bright presence in a Pop environment that can seem more nakedly packaged than ever, she has pulled together a playlist that is both heavy on quality and a smart shapshot of the genuine span of a genre that clearly fascinates and inspires her.
Since signing up to YouTube in July 2008, Marina has generated an impressive 18 million clicks from just 12 uploads, with
"Hollywood"
tipping the scales at a mighty 6.2 million hits. "YouTube has become kind of the voice of the people of our generation," she explains. "You have changed Pop Culture, the way that music labels work and the way that artists work. You've given artists who aren't necessarily signed a way to show people they are talented."
Her playlist places Madonna, Dolly Parton and Garbage are alongside the likes of Nirvana, Royksopp and Eminem, with less established acts like The Hundred In The Hands, Euro-Pop wonder Alizee and the perenially overlooked Robyn making cameo appearances. Hear her talk through her curation here:
It is always a pleasure to see how artists choose to approach putting together UK Music Tuesday playlists and Marina has been no exception. While clearly a Pop artist, her approach -- echoing many of the acts she lists above -- manages to be fresh while remaining somehow familiar. We wish her luck with the release of her debut album, "Family Jewels", and look forward to tracking her career here on YouTube.
Have fun,
Jamie Dolling, YouTube UK, recently watched
"Marina And The Diamonds -- I Am Not A Princess".
John Lennon: Join The Birthday Salute
Saturday, 9 October 2010
Today we join Yoko Ono in asking fans around the world to upload video tributes to John Lennon on what would have been his 70th birthday.
If you have memories to share of this legendary member of the Beatles and his music, upload a video to
www.youtube.com/johnlennon
and you’ll join a global chorus that includes
Aerosmith
,
Jeff Bridges
,
Jonas Brothers
,
Ringo Starr
, and YouTube Community members like
Goh Nakamura
and DJ Mike Relm.
As part of today’s celebration, you may have noticed a special YouTube logo that’s being featured in 24 different countries highlighting the artist’s famous self-portrait. This unique artwork is also part of
a birthday video
that you can find at
www.google.com
. It’s the very first time that a YouTube video has been embedded into a one-of-a-kind Google Doodle — read a message from artist who created it
here
.
“Spread Peace. Imagine Peace.” is how Yoko suggests you celebrate the day, along with sharing your video tribute with the world.
Michele Flannery, Music Manager, recently watched Plastic Ono Band -
“Give Peace A Chance”
UK Music Tuesday: Magnetic Man At The Controls
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Today the YouTube UK homepage has been turned over to
Magnetic Man
, the Dubstep collective that consists of three of the genre’s prime movers – Skream, Benga and Artwork. Their playlist is one of the most wide-ranging that UK Music Tuesday has showcased to date and is topped off with three brand new tracks from them, so prepare yourself for a musical adventure with the coolest thing to come out of Croydon since Saint Etienne.
As a genre, Dubstep has rapidly made inroads into the UK's musical consciousness, an incredible feat given that its roots only date back to 2003 and a recording studio over Croydon record shop
Big Apple
. The store was owned and run by Arthur Smith, who was using the studio to produce UK Garage (2-Step) and Techno tracks under the name Artwork. One of those tracks, "Red", contained all the DNA of Dubstep, strands that were picked up on and evolved by two of Big Apple's young regulars, Benga Adejumo and Oliver Jones (Skream).
The three artists enjoyed and continue to see phenomenal success with their solo recordings, but the Magnetic Man project has slightly different ambitions. "Dubstep is the biggest progression in music in the last five years," says Skream. "But too many people think that it's noisy, mid-range stuff. Magnetic Man is about a lot more than that, Magnetic Man is about proper songs, not just tracks or tunes." Their eponymous debut album, out on October 11, is testament to that ambition, and as part of today's takeover, Magnetic Man are premiereing three all-new recordings from the LP.
On which note, it is only appropriate to steer you towards Magnetic Man talking through their selections. Hold tight, because if you haven't been exposed to Dubstep before, you may be in for an aural surprise:
Here at UK Music Tuesday we were particularly impressed by the wide-ranging nature of today's curation, with references to the trio's real names, nods to their roots (and old friends) and pointers to new points of musical departure -- including artists like
Ronald Jenkees
, who are using YouTube to get their music and performances out to as wide an audience as possible. While that shouldn't come as a shock from three men who clearly spent their formative years flicking through vinyl and showcasing the results as DJs, that doesn't make it any less of a pleasure, so huge thanks to them for their efforts.
Have fun, enjoy the fruits of their labours, and see you next week, which is shaping up to be another exciting Guest Curation,
Jamie Dolling, YouTube UK, recently watched
"Professor Green: Alive Till I'm Dead"
.
YouTube Play: 125-Video Shortlist Announced
Monday, 20 September 2010
The Guggenheim has spoken: the shortlist for
YouTube Play. A Biennial of Creative Video
will now go in front of the jury, and is available to view at
youtube.com/play
.
It has been a busy summer. More than 23,000 videos, from 91 countries, were submitted for YouTube Play, and the Guggenheim has picked 125 to make up the shortlist.
In there, you’ll find submissions from students, video artists, photographers, filmmakers, composers, videogame programmers, an
American Women’s Chess Champion
, a
comedy improv group
, a
Swedish rock band
, a
South African hip-hop group
, an
Australian electronic music producer
– and a lot more.
It’s now down to the YouTube Play jury to pick up to 20 videos for a special presentation at the Guggenheim Museum on October 21. Here is one of the jurors, Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, to explain why he thinks YouTube is important in the art world today:
The videos selected by the jury will be on view to the public from October 22 through 24 in the Tower 2 Gallery of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, at kiosks at the Guggenheim Museums in Bilbao, Berlin and Venice, and available to a worldwide audience on the
YouTube Play
channel.
Tom Pursey, Product Marketing Manager, recently watched “
Luis
.”
Grazia Magazine Preps You For London Fashion Week
Friday, 17 September 2010
The good, incredibly well-dressed people of
Grazia Magazine
curate the homepage today, preparing you for the onslaught of London Fashion Week with a quick look back at the New York shows and the first installment of the magazine’s new online component,
Grazia TV
.
For the past few seasons the Grazia channel has been home to exhaustive London Fashion Week coverage, following the magazine’s editorial staff as they boldly navigate the shows. Including everything from
behind the scenes clips
to
front row line-ups
to
chats as they travel the city
, their updates are an easy way to get the fashion news first.
If you're a fan of all things fashion, we recommend that you subscribe the Grazia channel. The magazine has big plans to involve style-obsessed YouTube users in future, and you could be one of the first to get involved.
Have fun -- and enjoy London Fashion Week.
Jamie Dolling, Community Editor, YouTube UK, recently watched
"Sweat"
.
Explore The Life In A Day Video Gallery
Monday, 6 September 2010
On July 24, people around the world made history by capturing glimpses of their lives on camera and submitting the videos to
Life in a Day
, an experiment to create a documentary about a single day on Earth. In total, 80,000 videos were submitted from 197 countries, making this the world's largest user-generated film. Now, you can explore many of these videos in the
gallery
on the Life in a Day channel .
To make browsing easy, you can sort videos by geography, time of day, mood and more. The film's Academy Award-winning director, Kevin Macdonald, and his team are adding more videos to the Life in a Day gallery as they are reviewed, so check back soon for more content. You'll also find updates from Macdonald and editor Joe Walker as they lead a team of researchers in reviewing and cutting the footage down to the final feature-length film. Remember to subscribe to the channel for more news on the film's progress as Kevin and producer Ridley Scott gear up for the world premiere in January at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.
Congratulations again to all of the participants. Thanks for making history.
Nate Weinstein, Entertainment Marketing, just watched
Dancing Merengue Dog
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