Music News

Linkin Park: Rich Venture Capitalists

Along with food, tech is the new rock’n’roll. Guys like Bono to will.i.am. to Jay Z to MC Hammer are deeply involved in a variety of venture capitalist activities in the tech world. So is Linkin Park–and they’re doing quite well, thank you. From Mashable:

Linkin Park used to be known for angry, emo music that had all the feels…except happiness. Now they are pragmatic, hyper-rational, look-at-the-upside capitalists.

The band, which is still touring and releasing records 15 years after its ubiquitous rap/rock debut, quietly launched a venture capital firm called Machine Shop Ventures at the beginning of this year in an effort to parlay their success with the music industry into success investing in the technology industry.

As you do.

The idea of Linkin Park, a group from the era of Limp Bizkit and Papa Roach, trying to present themselves as venture capitalists might sound like a story that The Onion briefly toyed with after the first dot com bust only to discard because of its implausibility.

But we live in a different time now — a time when the musician mogul is a powerful role model. Jay-Z acquires music streaming services and Nas invests in dozens of startups and Ashton Kutcher backs founders of major startups while pretending to be Steve Jobs on screen.

Read the whole story here.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 39665 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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