When blog network Buzzmedia bought electronic music website XLR8R a couple of weeks ago, the Hollywood online media company gained access to loyal electronic music fans.
Buzzmedia now plans to invest in XLR8R to expand the site offline, as it has with its other music blogs, some of which have launched satellite radio shows and record labels.
Buzzmedia Chief Executive Tyler Goldman said he decided to purchase the electronic music site after visitors of his music sites, such as indie-focused Stereogum and pop music site Idolator, posted extensively about the genre.
“(Electronic dance music) is its own genre and growing very fast,” he said. “Our view of the market is that dance fans today are underserved.”
After doing some research, he decided to make a purchase offer to XLR8R, which has its offices in San Francisco, given its sizable fan base and reputation as a tastemaker in the genre.
The acquisition is reminiscent of how Buzzmedia started its venture capital-backed growth spurt years ago, buying sites that already had large visitor numbers. For example, Idolator was previously in Gawker Media’s blog network in New York.
The emphasis more recently at the company has been on developing sites in-house, such as celebrity-focused Celebuzz. XLR8R is the first purchase in a couple of years.
Goldman wouldn’t disclose the price of the acquisition, but said it’s the start of a multimillion-dollar investment to expand on his blog network’s music reviews and videos, such as by producing live XLR8R events with brand sponsorships.
Expanding offline has been central for other Buzzmedia blogs. Indie music blogs Brooklyn Vegan and Gorilla vs. Bear have satellite radio shows on SiriusXM, while the latter also has a record label to distribute vinyl recordings for some of the artists featured on its site.
“(Bloggers) may not have the resources to do those things,” Goldman said. “That’s something we’ll be able to help them execute.”
Unbelievable Gross
When independent thriller “Zyzzyx Road” makes its way to DVD shelves next month, it will culminate a long, strange journey from the theater, where it notoriously grossed just $30 in 2006 after playing for a week to empty seats in a small Dallas theater.
Since the movie’s notorious debut – the lowest box office total ever – it has been shopped around to a few DVD companies in town. Finally, it will be released on disc by Grand Entertainment Group, a Moorpark distribution company that officially launched just last week.
Grand Entertainment founder David Rand said despite the box-office blunder, “Zyzzyx Road,” starring Katherine Heigl, is a good movie and just one example of how he plans to distribute films to homes that might otherwise not be made available.
“There are so many films out there that deserve to get to the consumer that are getting pushed aside and aren’t seeing the light of day,” he said.
Rand, who previously worked in home entertainment distribution for Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., Image Entertainment and other companies, decided to start the company after seeing an opportunity to use his contacts with producers, as well as retail and digital distribution outlets.
Already he’s found business is exceeding expectations. He expected at first to distribute about six to eight movies a year, but has since revised that number up to 24 to 30. Budgets are as high as $3 million.
He said the key to the new venture is offering independent movie producers more input than is usual in the distribution and marketing process – for example, deciding how the DVD cover art will look.
“My whole conversation (with producers) was, ‘I want you to be part of the process,’” he said.
Going East
ArcLight Cinemas, a chain of four upscale theaters in Los Angeles, has announced plans for its first expansion to the East Coast, in Bethesda, Md.
The decade-old chain, owned by Decurion Corp. of Beverly Hills, shows a mixture of art house and Hollywood movies, and has distinguished itself by offering amenities such as reserved seating, gourmet food and liquor. Ticket prices range about 20 percent higher than typical theaters.
The Bethesda location will be at the Westfield Montgomery Mall. Construction is expected to begin next year, with completion expected by 2014.
Staff reporter Jonathan Polakoff can be reached at [email protected] or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 226.
