User:Tstilz/Panda Toes (Music Blog)

Panda Toes is an MP3 blog that started in 2007, that focuses on hip-hop, electronic, and dance artists and also posts lots of remixes of their work. Its main contributing editors are Greg Dona, Dan Kagan, and Breck Elizabeth. While some MP3 blogs are run by dozens of contributors and some backed by large corporations, Panda Toes, with a comparatively small staff and no affiliations, has managed to become one of the top 5 music blogs in the blogosphere.

Posts
A large majority of posts on Panda toes are very quick posts with a paragraph on a new band or new single, a picture and a link for a download of the song. It is a very popular format because you get a little background on the artists and then decide if you like them quickly. With dozens of new singles and remixes being release each day, the contributors must sort through emails from bands and DJs who send their tracks, to decide what to post. Bands that are often written about on Panda Toes include, Girl Talk, Yelle, Simian Mobile Disco, Daft Punk, Little Boots, and and Villians.

Interviews
In 2007, the first year of Panda Toes, Greg managed to conduct a couple of interviews with some very good artists including Gregg Gillis of Girl Talk, Flosstradamus, and Tokyo Police Club. Topics of the interviews included tours, parties, crazy stories, and future directions of bands. Some artists also talked in depth about their producing styles, software preferences, and hardware setups which are particularly interesting to DJs and producers. There have been no new interviews since 2007.

The Klaxon's interview was particularly humorous. Greg was obviously unprepared and inexperienced in interviewing. For example:


 * I hear you have a broken arm, how’s that coming along?


 * Broken? No, no, Jamie has a broken leg.


 * Ohh, okay… 

Reviews
Concert reviews are few and far between but Greg and Breck attended a couple of shows, including Great Northern and Yelle.

Guest Blogs
Back in 2007, Greg invited well-known artists like Girl Talk, The Teenagers, and The Glamour to guest write on his site. They included previously un-released tracks that boosted the popularity of the little known site.

Greg Dona


Greg Dona is the creator and main contributor of Panda Toes. He grew up in Highland Park, IL, and then attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. He was been active in the music scene at Dartmouth, frequently DJing at clubs and parties. The Dartmouth newspaper did a special feature on Greg and Panda Toes in September of 2008.

In 2008 Greg teamed up with his long time friend Dan Kagan to create Whack-A-Tone. They have performed in London, Paris, Sydney, and recently the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.

Currently Greg is studying at the Univeristy of Sydney, and interning for a DVD magazine, Pedestrian.

In addition to running Panda Toes, Greg is also a frequent contributor to AbsolutePunk.net, with over 100 album reviews.

Whack-a-Tone (CLVN v. HBBS)
Whack-a-Tone is the DJ duo comprised of the two main contributors to Panda Toes; Greg Dona and Dan Kagan. In the summer of 2008, they decided that blogging about music wasn't enough, so they started DJing together. They primarily play electro/pop remixes, and perform routinely in London and surrounding areas. Their original music is featured on Panda Toes under P.T. Mixes And Mash-Ups.

The contributors plan on moving pandatoes.blogspot.com to whackatone.wordpress.com in order to increase the exposure for their band.

Legas Status
Panda Toes puts free downloads for tracks at the bottom of almost every post. Some of these are remixes, which might be legal if they are derivative works, but some are copyrighted and therefore illegal to host. Greg Dona has said that he post lower-quality files to prevent DJs from stealing and using the music. The low quality and posting links to buy each album puts Panda Toes on slightly less shaky legal ground than other blogs. However, music labels have turned a blind eye to most copyright infractions on MP3 blogs, because they view them as free advertising.

http://blog.fairtilizer.com/electronic/2-playlists-and-interview-panda-toes-blog/