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Jacking The 'Tube: Lady Gaga, Playlisting Videos and Affecting The Billboard Hot 100

Here's a great YouTube scam:

  • Set up a playlist to play your video 150 times in a row
  • Ask your fans to click it and let it play through
  • Hope it's enough to impact the Billboard Hot 100 Charts, which now include YouTube video plays

It's certainly cheaper than radio payola or buying and then warehousing thousands of albums, but alas, Billboard ain't buying those views. And advertisers aren't either, which is why YouTube filters them out.. But, let's get to how this involves Lady Gaga...

Rumored VEVO App Coming to Apple TV?

It's being reporting that VEVO is prepping an app for Apple TV.

If you have an Apple TV and read this site, you've probably already realized that all VEVO content is filtered out of the embedded YouTube app — which means very few major label videos are available. Sure you can mirror VEVO videos, or nearly anything from your iPad/iPhone, but having a built-in app will surely increase usage.

But, the bigger angle is how this increases VEVO's stronghold in connected devices, adding to apps already available on Xbox and Roku. And as more and more homes add these devices, VEVO will have a very strong foothold to offer their videos — be it individually on-demand, or perhaps through their 24/7 VEVO TV stream.

Pretty smart. The Internet is the battleground of today, but there's a decent chance that the no-holds-barred world wide web will cede to a world of apps and connected devices. And it's telling tht VEVO is content to work with YouTube, rather than challenge their dominance, but is making sure to carve out their own exclusive spots on next generation devices and platforms.

The Secrets of Mumford & Sons "Hopeless Wanderer" with Director Sam Jones

Call me biased, or have the biggest pop-culture stories of the past few months all been music videos*? 

Robin Thicke "Blurred Lines"... Miley Cyrus "We Can't Stop"... Jay Z "Picasso Baby"... and now Mumford & Sons "Hopeless Wanderer" starring the comedic dreamteam of Ed Helms, Jason Sudiekis, Will Forte and Jason Bateman seems to entering similar territory.

Case in point: USA Today, about as mainstream a media outlet as there is, has an interview with "Hopeless Wanderer" director Sam Jones, billed as "Director shares secrets of new Mumford & Sons video."

Note: No secrets are actually shared. And the article is actually a recasting of a Los Angeles Times article, which actually does have some good tidbits, like...

Lady Gaga Does The Abramovic Method in this NSFW EPK Art Clip

The Marina Abramovic music video moment just might continue past "Picasso Baby" with Lady Gaga recently studying with the famed performance artist.

The Marina Abromovic Institute has released an EPK (art film?) with Gaga and other proponents practicing the Abramovic Method, which involves not much movement or clothing, but lots of crystals.

It's a haunting and fearless little piece, but definitely NSFW and likely to be a target of snark.