CrackSpace has announced its official launch date as November 1st and is emphasizing the MySpace/YouTube-style social networking elements of the urban-oriented site, though it also has the typical range of news, interviews, reviews, etc. One particularly interesting twist is that the "MySpace-inspired web community" will allow folks to "upload and sell their own songs, videos, ringtones and wallpaper".
Also from the announcement:
Chuck Wilson, founder of one of the nation’s most successful independent urban labels (Babygrande Records), created CrackSpace, through his newly formed Triumph Media Holdings…
CrackSpace has formed a strategic partnership with Musicane, the company that will provide users with a unique player enabling all of the site’s transactions. Another CrackSpace strategic partner is hh411.com (a popular hip-hop information site) which attracts nearly 400,000 unique visitors a day. TAG Strategic, a company started by digital media whiz, and former EMI Music Group Senior VP of Digital Development & Distribution, Ted Cohen, has been enlisted to consult after launch.
Though I’m fine with the use of crack in the name, because I feel like its multiple meanings don’t ultimately endorse crack dealing or smoking, not everyone thinks the name is appropriate, judging from the comments added to my previous CrackSpace post.
Rizoh, who writes for CrackSpace, recently mentioned a competing site of which I was unaware, MinoritySpace.com, that’s basically a MySpace-clone with a smart feature, the ability to import one’s MySpace profile.
I’ve also been checking out Earwax Video Network that has become sort of an urban YouTube and has a related Gospel Video Network.
If you know of other such social networking and/or user generated content projects in the hip hop or urban space, please post it in the comments.
Related Announcements:
Zorpia Launches New Social Network Portal for Music Industry
muvee Teams With Warner Music Group to Transform User-Generated Content
Wiki Music Fan Site Created for Music Lovers, By Music Lovers is Now Online
Interesting. I was at Hi-Tek’s album release party last night, it was organized by a Courtney Barnes group staffer. So on PR end, they’re looking better by the minute.
I like Babygrande too. But as far as CrackSpace, while I’m trying to stay the objective journalist that I am, Chuck Wilson seems to be taking a cue from Nino Brown with his words while forgetting he’s not quite in New Jack City.
That’s not a good thing.
I believe he’s in league with the devil!!!
And that means he’s hiring….
Oh, back to reality.
Yeah, the Courtney Barnes Group must be doing their pr since they also did the press release for this announcement.
The whole Music Upfront thing was stolen from a NJ entrepreneur and sold to Sean “Diddy” Combs, who then partnered with VNU, Steve Stoute and others. This is going to result in a multibillion-dollar lawsuit in the coming weeks. By the way, Clyde Smith, thanks for warning Steve Stoute about the investigative journalism piece that resulted in Stoute’s people having their website taken down and only put up when the journalist told you that they had taken it down. Keep scoring them brownie points.
^Said lawsuit will result in the crowning of the 4th black billionaire in history and also the youngest.
To: “They Know Who”:
If you’re the guy that was sending me emails about Steve Stoute’s WHOIS registration, you never showed me anything of substance, so what would I have talked to anybody about?
If he was able to outmaneuver you by taking down and putting up his website then you didn’t have anything in the first place, which is how it looked to me when you wrote me directly.
Just so you know, I currently have no contacts with anyone famous in the biz. People like me generally deal with underlings who are the vast majority and who do most of the work.
But even those dealings tend to be a bit stressful for me because I’ve said harsh things about everybody in power. Mostly they just ignore me and hope I’ll go away.
Ok Clyde, my apologies for accusing you of warning Stoute. I just felt that the timing of his 1-page brochure website was questionable, hence, I figured you warned him. I stand corrected.
I did not show you anything of substance due to the site being removed and the tone of your e-mails once I revealed I was an investigative journalist seemed to be a bit defensive in the favor of Stoute.
Stoute did not “outmaneuver” me by removing the site and putting it back up, since I had already printed it before and after. The only thing that changed was the phony e-mail address was replaced with one for a Keith Sherwood. I wonder if Keith Sherwood is actually Keith Estabrook, who was formerly with BMG. Estabrook provided a statement via phone regarding Translation that will prove damning in court.
So all is well, and the evidence continues to mount against Steve Stoute, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jameel Spencer, Jimmy Iovine, Jarrod Moses, Jason Flom, Grey Global Group, VNU Inc., Universal Music Group, Interscope, Warner Music Group, L.A. Office, Translation Consultation & Brand Imaging, and many other individuals and entities.
So again, I do apologize. It has been my experience that others have been willing to jump in on the side of those with the power in this matter, so that affected my judgment. It sucks that we will have to go after people that have committed peripheral crimes in order to assist in coverup attempts of the theft.
If any of the parties above or their underlings reads this post, they will know exactly what I am talking about. The theft is so blatant that it is very widely known within the companies involved and attendees of both the “Inside The Music Upfront” and the L.A. Office RoadShow–which Combs and partners attempted to launder the stolen trade secrets through a year prior to introducing them on the east coast.
Also, you state yourself that the “underlings” do most of the work. So if underlings are warned about an investigation or pending legal action, they can surely get word to the “famous” people involved. The people involved had been warned prior to any e-mails to you, so no harm would have been done anyway, especially considering you had no relationship with us.
In any event, you will have bragging rights once the initial lawsuit is filed, that your media outlet was the first to catch wind of this story. Hopefully, the feds will not go after any of the parties for violating the federal Economic Espionage Act of 1996, which makes it a felony punishable by up to 15 years imprisonment for each count (ala the recent Coca-Cola case). The only person that deserves to go to prison for this, in my humble opinion, is the person that sold the stolen trade secrets to Combs. That young lady is an immoral, low-lifed, backstabbing hypocrite, jealous, hating Judas.
Last post for now. Clyde, I did offer you the opportunity to work on the investigative journalism story if you were willing to sign a confidentiality agreement. I stated to you in e-mail, that at that time you would be privy to all evidence. That’s a standard, necessary request in journalism, especially investigative journalism.
Upon signing a confidentiality agreement, you would have seen something of substance. I would have been a fool to provide you with any evidence outside the bounds of a confidentiality agreement, especially considering how the website was taken down immediately after I informed you of the investigative journalism piece.
At the time of our e-mails, I was in possession of over 100 evidentiary documents to support my claims. At this time, I have even more.
Well, thanks for the clarification and no harm done. Sorry if I overreacted.
Best of luck with the investigation and I look forward to seeing the fruits of your labor!
Thanks Clyde; good luck with your businesses.
I also wanted to say that the matter mentioned above is in no way meant to try and take anything away from the overall bodies of work of the individuals and entities involved. All were financially secure if not filthy rich prior to the trade secrets theft, and all had accomplished wonderful things. It’s just unfortunate that greed sometimes gets in the way of good common business sense.