Here's the E-Mail interview I did with PeteRocc, co-host of GamerTagRadio.
1. What is Community Vibes all about and what role does Gamertag Radio play in uniting music and gaming?
Community Vibes IV is Gamertag Radio's (GTR) 4 year anniversary
celebration. It's our way of giving back to the gaming & hip hop
commnity. Since day 1, GTR has always been about our 1st loves, Video
Games and Hip Hop. Our weekly podcast features interviews with gaming
industry execs and/or hip hop artists. We recently featured an
interview with Hip Hop legend B-Real (Cypress Hill) on our show!
2. How much traffic does your site get and how much of that is from the local community?
The numbers change daily, but we've done so well that MTV extended an
offer recently for us to join their Generation Tribes network and will
soon feature our content on the MTV front page. Of course we said yes.
but we never forget where we came from. Miami is where the site was
born and we'll always be representing the 305!
3.How'd you come up with the gaming party concept and how do you get girls to go?
A few years ago we had a small party at a family members office. The
party was promoted via the Gamertag Radio site and had about 50-60
people show up. After that we talked to our staff and were discussing
ideas for 2008. We came up with an idea of throwing a birthday
celebration for the site in February. We got tons of support from the
gaming community and the video game developers. We got over 600 people
to show up at PS14 last February for the event with attendees from as
far as Seattle and Canada!
We try not to discriminate against who shows up but obviously guys will
go to where the girls are. That's why we're reaching out to the growing
female gaming population as well as the local college scene here in
South Florida.
4. What's your affiliation with Garcia and Mayday and why's the underground/local movement important to what you do?
Like last year we're featuring live performances from local hip hop
artists Mayday! and Garcia as well as a special DJ set by Miami's own
DJ Sharpsound. Garcia was unable to attend last year due to the recent
birth of his child but is looking forward to rocking the stage this
year. Garcia has been doing this for a long time and well known in
Miami, FL. He has been on MTV, Miami Ink, Magazines and many other
places. Sharpsound was nuts last year spinning underground and old
school hip hop joints that had everybody's head nodding. But it was
Mayday! that stole the show last year. Last year's attendees can attest
to their ability to bring the funk! Mayday released a video a few years
ago featuring Cee-Low (Gnarls Barkley & Goodie Mob) & DJ Craze
(3 time DMC World Champion) and got over 2 Million views within 48hrs
at Youtube for their track, Groundhog Day
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzgt1FuDR-w)
The members of Mayday! are also good friends of the Gamertag Radio
crew. Wrekonize, the newest member of the group and Sharpsound are the
ones that produced the different intro's of our weekly podcast and have
helped in the past with music related projects.
Mayday (http://maydayonline.com/)
Garcia (http://www.crazyhood.com).
Make sure to support them and get their new albums coming out early
this year. We try and feature local artists and help get them the
needed exposure they need to succeed.
5. What sponsors do you have for the event and how much money worth of stuff are you giving away?
We've got about $5000 in prizes and giveaways this year, including Xbox
360 Elites and a Playstation 3 to giveaway to 2 lucky attendees.
Our main sponsor is Tritton Technologies this year. Tritton is a
manufacturer of high end multimedia products from California and is
known in the gaming industry for its amazing AX series gaming
headphones. The headphones are mid-priced but feature 4 speakers in
each cup (8 total) and utilize True Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound
technology. They sound amazing regardless of whether you're playing
video games or watching a movie. For more information on their
products, you can go to http://www.trittonusa.com.
Other sponsors of the event include gaming industry giants Microsoft,
Electronic Arts, Activision, Midway, Namco Bandai and more.
6. Is there alcohol?
Yes, and plenty of it! The event is being held at Ecco Lounge in
Downtown Miami. Ecco Lounge is a 2 story, 4,500 square foot Italian
Restaurant and Lounge located in the heart of Downtown Miami. This is a
blessing in disguise for not only us, but the party goers as last year
we didn't account for food and PS-14 isn't located close to any food
spots. At Ecco Lounge, you can take the stairs or elevator down to the
first floor. The restaurant downstairs features a menu developed by
three-time award winning pizza chef champion Chef Massimo Fabio Bruni
from Italy. Aside from delectable pizzas, Ecco Pizzateca® will also
offer a special menu serving vegetarian meals with organic vegetables,
whole-wheat options and a selection of signature salads. Those
interested in learning more about Ecco Lounge, can go http://www.eccomiami.com.
7. Are you expecting people to travel to come down for this event?
Absolutely! Just like last year, we expecting people from all over the
country. Just off the top of my head, we have people coming from
Canada, Seattle, San Francisco, NYC, Philadelphia & Michigan. We're
expecting around over a 1000 people to show up at the event and hope to
be able to get everyone into the venue without overcrowding it.
8. How many people are involved with putting on the event?
Internally, most of the event coordination is done by myself and the
site's founder, Danny Peña (aka Godfree). Godfree and I usually start
planning the event around August and September. Planning the theme or
concept is sometimes the hardest part. Last year was the first time
we'd thrown an event together and we were lucky to have the support of
our friends, family and especially our staff members. Their input is
key as they are gamers just like ourselves. Then we start reaching out
to the gaming companies and music artists to see if there's anything we
can collaborate with them and go from there. Around December through
February, its just non-stop. Big shout out to Tritton, SFX-360,
Destructoid, R3y's Gameday & Game Wars for all of their help in
planning and making it happen.
9. What's your message to the local gaming community, and just people
that are into free shit and or hip hop in general and shit like that.
There have been some major changes in the gaming industry recently due
to the economic climate, but the gaming community is getting stronger
as a result. The gaming community is going to have some tough
challenges in the months to come but we all need to work together to
make things happen. This is a business first and foremost and people
shouldn't take things personal. You just have to come up with a plan B
if things are not working for you.
That's why were so happy about Community Vibes IV. It's because we have
so many people helping us out from the gaming community. Thats the only
way good things can come for all of us. Unity is the key to success.
WHAT: "Community Vibes IV"
WHEN: Saturday, February 21th, 2009 3pm - 10pm
WHERE: Club Ecco: 168 SE 1st St. Unit 1A, Miami, FL 33131
WHO: GamertagRadio.com and You
COST TO ENTER: None, zip, zero!
Thanks,
Peter (aka Peterocc)
http://www.gamertagradio.com
