What is all this noise about CISPA?

By Justin:

If you frequent any social media site, I am sure that by now you have heard about something called CISPA. Everyone is ranting and raving about this new Cyber Security Bill that is swirling around in Congress.

What is CISPA?

"CISPA stands for The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, a network and Internet security bill written by Representive Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) (H.R. 624). The bill purports to allow companies and the federal government to share information to prevent or defend against network and other Internet attacks. However, the bill grants broad new powers, allowing companies to identify and obtain “threat information” by looking at your private information.

The bill is written so broadly that it allows companies to hand over large swaths of personal information to the government with no judicial oversight—effectively creating a “cybersecurity” loophole in all existing privacy laws."

Companies such as Google, Microsoft and AT&T have all openly endorsed the bill because if passed, it will alleviate all responsibility of protecting personal privacy rights from whoever visits their sites.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has kindly provided some FAQ information about CISPA More on CISPA here!

What Do You think About CISPA? Tell us on Facebook or Twitter

A couple of your favorite DJs such as Dillon Francis and Bassnectar have expressed their disdain for the act and I am sure there will be more to come:

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Laidback Luke & Hardwell - Dynamo (Official Video)

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Diplo, DJ BL3ND Fued: Buying Fame - The Complete Story

By Kyle:

As the EDM world grows more and more by the day, artists are finding different ways to make their music known, and become popular on social media.  However, last week, an up and coming artist by the name of DJ Bl3nd made a bold move in order to gain fame.  BL3ND’s actions offended several well known artists, including Diplo and Deadmau5.

Overnight, the amount of likes for this “DJ” skyrocketed to over 3,000,000.  That is more Facebook likes that Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, Above and Beyond, and Diplo all put together.  Seems a little fishy doesn't it?

This is not the first time DJ Bl3nd has been accused of this either.  With several million views on his youtube “mixes,” yet nowhere near as many fans, people and artists across the communtity are understandably upset.

Last week, well known artist, Diplo, took this annoyance to another level and called DJ Bl3nd out.  At the IMS Engage Social Media Panel, Diplo made comments referring to the purchase of Facebook likes by DJ Bl3nds management.  These comments were not taken lightly and resulted in Steven Haddad, DJ Bl3nd’s manager, screaming from the audience.  This retaliation by the DJ Bl3nd management then angered Diplo’s manager, Kevis Kusatsu, who forcefully told Haddad to shut up.  At the conclusion of the panel, the heated argument escalated leading to a brawl between management staff, pictured below.  

The fued between Bl3nd and Diplo spilled over to Twitter after the event, with other artists such as Deadmau5 chiming in.

Deadmau5 text to Diplo:

DJ Bl3nd funny response:

This alleged purchase of Facebook likes angers me as an EDM fan.  However, without forensic analytics we don't know if Bl3nd is truly purchasing likes or simply dominating the social media game.  Nevertheless, if he or other artists are purchasing "Likes" it is unfair to artists who have worked hard for years to acieve the fans that they have today. Don’t buy your fame to get your name out there.  

Diplo has since apologized for his actions, but DJ Bl3ND is sticking to his guns and claiming that he has never purchased Facebook likes.  DJ Bl3ND's fan-base  known as "Blenders" strongly back BL3ND up, claiming that he is becoming one of the BEST in the business   Either way, 3,000,000 likes overnight, raises some eyebrows, for both praise and questioning.

What do you think - Is Bl3nd purchasing Likes on Facebook?

Do Artist with High Facebook Likes Get Your Attention?

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Markus Schulz Boston: Screaming Review

By Mike Hurowitz

Anyone who was lucky enough to be in Boston at Royale Nightclub on April 10th could tell you that it was an incredibly special night. With serious star power in The M Machine as the opening act, and superstar German trance producer Markus Schulz set to play for a full two hours, little else could have been expected.

Schulz got the Boston crowd going immediately, taking the stage as soon as The M Machine had walked off. Starting off with an energetic track, he surprised fans with a quick blast of the confetti cannons two minutes into the show. What struck me as perhaps the most remarkable part of the show was Schulz's ability to maintain a sense of momentum throughout the set. Although the entire set was incredibly high energy, he brought it in waves, building a track up until the crowd seemed ready to burst, and finally breaking it down.



The Markus Schulz Boston set truly was something special. Perhaps riding his momentum from incredible performances at the various ASOT 600 events, in particular his New York collaboration with Ferry Corsten, in a project called New World Punx, made it a night to remember. While he remixed many popular tracks by other artists, such as "Out of my Mind" by Bingo Players, or "Dream Within a Dream", by Hanz Zimmer, perhaps most memorable was his nod to trance god, Armin van Buuren, with "D# Fat" featuring W&W.

Markus Schulz, the first in a string of trance artists who are slated to hit Boston over the next month, was a great way to kick it all off. We can only imagine what is in store for us with Ferry Corsten, Above & Beyond, Armin van Buuren and more set to perform at venues across Boston.

Check our Calendar of Events for upcoming Trance shows!

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Pete Tong Highlights Best Upcomers of North England

Last Friday Pete Tong the time on his BBC Radio 1 show to highlight some of the hottest new DJs, producers, labels, and clubs in the north of England. The mix includes standouts: PBR Streetgang, Richy Ahmed, Hot Since 82 and Ben Pearce.

Tracklist after the JUMP:

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