Bandsintown Acquires Hypebot and MusicThinkTank

– bandsintown
Bandsintown announced the acquisition of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank on Friday.

Concert discovery platform Bandsintown announced the acquisition of Hybot.com and MusicThinkTank.com on Friday.

Founded by Bruce Houghton in 2004, Hypebot takes an artist-centric approach to the music industry, new artists and the sphere’s intersections with technology. Its MusicThinkTank forum offers musicians and music business professionals a platform to discuss the types of topics covered by Hypebot.

“Hypebot was created as a guide to understanding the new music industry – not just labels and tech companies; but more importantly, the artists and music that give it life,” said Houghton, who also serves as Hypebot’s editor, in a statement. “Working with a successful artist-centric team like Bandsintown will give Hypebot the resources to expand on our mutual mission of empowering artists. I look forward to contributing to Bandsintown’s ongoing effort to help more artists and managers build a successful and sustainable career in music, with live music at its center.”

According to a press release, 93 percent of artists on Bandsintown have fewer than 100,000 followers, and the acquisition of Hypebot comes as Bandsintown pushes to connect with those users.

“We believe indie and emerging artists are a transformative and a vibrant component of the music industry” said Fabrice Sergent, Managing Partner of Bandsintown. “We share the same passion for independent and DIY artists. By welcoming Bruce and Hypebot into the Bandsintown family, we enhance the breadth of our support to the artists and further contribute to artists’ career growth and success.”

Houghton will continue as Hypebot editor going forward, while also serving as a Bandsintown adviser. He will also continue to run Skyline Artists, the national booking he founded.