Quotes From Google Music Launch Conference

Friday, February 11, 2005

Mike Shinoda: We used to be called Hybrid Theory. We settled on Lincoln Park, we went online to see if we could get our URL. We were online early on, changed the name of the band to get URL that would give the fans the most direct link to our fans.

 Asks Mike about how things have changed over time. Mike talks about how Linkin Park had a different name, found the name Lincoln Park but couldn’t get that domain. “We thought, this could be an important thing to have a dot.com of our name.” So we literally changed the name of the band to get the URL that would give us the most direct link to our fans. [and yes, I know he also said this yesterday at the 140 Twitter conference. He mentioned to everyone here he told the story there, too].

RJ asks if they thought about getting non-US domain names for the band, like in France. Mike says thought about that.

Mike from Linkin Park says you’ll be able to see how they make their next album online.

Mike Shinoda: We used to be called Hybrid Theory. We settled on Lincoln Park, we went online to see if we could get our URL. We were online early on, changed the name of the band to get URL that would give the fans the most direct link to our fans.
Q: Did you ever think international? Do you think about the French version of the Linkin Park website?
MS: We’re in the process of doing that right now to create an easier experience for fans in Asia and Europe..

How will this change industry in future? Courtney says Google has lots of queries but hasn’t been leading people to a legit experience. This gives consumer more uniformity. It actually gives the rightsholder more control, a way to make money.

Mike from Linkin Park, “I want as few steps as possible between me and that think I’m looking for, the band … I want to be able to find them amidst the noise.” This is what excites him most about this.