Mike on CNN

Mike recently spoke with CNN about the relief effort in Japan and what Music For Relief is doing to help. Watch the piece below, and visit DownloadToDonate.org to find out more.

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New LPTV: Making of the "Burning in the Skies" Video

Check out the new LPTV episode from behind the scenes of the new music video for "Burning in the Skies."

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“ISSHO NI”

Linkin Park - Ishho Ni by musicforrelief
This is “Issho Ni,” the Linkin Park song we contributed to www.downloadtodonate.org.  There were a lot of positive comments (thanks), and I also saw some of you were saying: 1.) you thought it should have been arranged in a different way, because you wanted more “action” earlier in the song, and 2.) you thought there should have been vocals.
I’ll tell you what: you guys edit it, add vocals, sample it, do whatever you like–I’ll let you finish the song.  The vocals don’t have to be about Japan, they can be about whatever.  Sing, rap, rearrange, remix, write new material, whatever….and I’ll post the best versions I hear up here on www.mikeshinoda.com.

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‘Issho Ni’ is now online

Linkin Park’s new track ‘Issho Ni’ is now online, listen here. The songs for Download To Donate: Japan Tsunami Relief can be downloaded at www.downloadtodonate.org for a donation of $10 or more. One hundred percent of the proceeds will be directed to Save the Children for the duration of the campaign, which runs through May 11. Press release below.

LOS ANGELES, CA–(Marketwire – March 22, 2011) – New, unreleased songs by leading artists, Angels & Airwaves, Sara Bareilles, B’z, Counting Crows, Flyleaf, Hoobastank, Enrique Iglesias, Linkin Park, Plain White T’s, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Staind, Slash, Elliott Yamin and more have been compiled by the nonprofit Music For Relief to support Save the Children’s emergency response efforts to the multiple disasters in Japan. The exclusive and growing catalog of songs can be downloaded at www.downloadtodonate.org for a donation of $10 or more. One hundred percent of the proceeds will be directed to Save the Children for the duration of the campaign, which runs through May 11. Several participating artists have direct ties to Japan including Mike Shinoda co-lead vocalist of Linkin Park and Doug Robb of Hoobastank who are both of Japanese decent and B’z, the best selling rock band in Japan.
“The people of Japan — especially the children — will need our help for many weeks and months to come,” said Mike Shinoda, the co-lead vocalist of the band Linkin Park, which founded Music For Relief. “We are proud to partner with Save the Children, which has decades of experience in helping children and families impacted by disaster.”
“Our country is facing one of the most difficult situations ever,” said Tak Matsumoto and Koshi Inaba from the B’z. “We have to do whatever it takes to rebuild our beautiful homes. If playing music could help people in hardship, that’s what we can do now. That’s what we must do now.”
Save the Children has been working in Japan for 25 years. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, the international development and relief organization deployed emergency response teams to assess the needs of children and their families. In addition, the organization has set up a child-friendly space in an evacuation center in Sendai City where families who lost their homes are staying. It provides children with an opportunity to play safely with other children while freeing up parents to work on the recovery. More child-friendly spaces will be set up in the coming days.
“Children are always the most vulnerable in any disaster,” said Charles MacCormack, president and CEO of Save the Children. “We are grateful this partnership with Music For Relief will help address the immediate and ongoing needs of children and families impacted by this emergency.”
Music For Relief established Download to Donate as an immediate response to the January 12, 2010 Haiti earthquake. Download to Donate V2.0 launched on the one-year anniversary of the quake, and has raised over $270,000. Last month, Linkin Park participated in Facebook’s virtual Town Hall discussion on Haiti hosted by the UN Foundation with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, to raise awareness on recovery efforts, with Download to Donate being the primary call to action during the discussion.
One of the most unique aspects of DOWNLOAD TO DONATE: TSUNAMI RELIEF is its community element. On www.downloadtodonate.org, songs are downloaded and fans are encouraged share the program on their own social network pages to help spread the word.
“We ask that everyone donate, but if all you can afford is to spread the word, share Download to Donate on Facebook, Twitter, whatever, then that is great, too,” said Mike Shinoda. “It all helps.”
“Our hearts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy,” said Enrique Iglesias. “Now is the time for us to stick together and do everything we can to help our friends in need.”
In addition to the songs, Music For Relief is also raising funds for the Download to Donate: Tsunami Relief campaign for Japan through two t-shirt designs created by Shinoda, which are available at www.musicforrelief.org

Source : LPTimes

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Download To Donate For Japan: Give to Charity, Get Music.

Responding to the tragic earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Music for Relief has launched Download to Donate: Tsunami Relief with a brand new song from Linkin Park.

As we did in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, Music for Relief compiled a digital album of amazing music for you to enjoy. We ask that you make a $10 donation and that you also help us by telling your friends about it.

I was deeply saddened by the images of devastation from Japan, as were my band mates. We hope that you will join us and the other 13 artists involved with this campaign to help alleviate the suffering of children and families in Japan.

Go to downloadtodonate.org to make a contribution and get the music.

Thank you for your support.
- By : Mike

Source : Linkin Park

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Merch Discount for Online Ticket Purchasers of Cancelled Shows

If you purchased tickets to the Linkin Park shows in Uncasville, CT, Washington DC, or Cincinnati, OH through Ticketmaster.com or LinkinPark.com, you should have received an email with a code that will allow you to download any live show in the LP Tour Archives. In addition, that code is also good for 40% off tour merch in the Linkin Park Online Store. Be sure to check your email if you purchased tickets to the show at Ticketmaster.com or LinkinPark.com as you should have received this email a couple weeks ago.

We know it's not the same as experiencing a Linkin Park show in person, but we hope you will still enjoy.

Source : Linkin Park

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Chat Temporarily Removed from LinkinPark.com

Earlier today we made the decision to remove chat from LinkinPark.com. Chat has been an integral part of the new site since we launched it in January 2010, and we know it's something many of you enjoy.

We are currently exploring options to make the chat safer for everyone. In the meantime, please use the forum, blogs, photos, videos, and groups to stay engaged in the Linkin Park online community.

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Mike Shinoda Speaks About Japan

Mike was on 98.7 FM this morning discussing the relief effort in Japan. If you missed it, you can listen to it now. Click the banner below.

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A conversation with Mike Shinoda

A Conversation with Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda
(transcribed by Theo Shier)
Mike Ragogna: So, Linkin Park goes to the United Nations.
Mike Shinoda: We were on tour in the US as a part of our world tour behind our record A Thousand Suns, and we got an email from the UN. They were asking if we wanted to do a meeting with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and some members of the UN Foundation to discuss Haiti. We were thrilled about this opportunity because we’ve had this ongoing effort to benefit the folks effected by the earthquake in Haiti. Our effort is called Download To Donate. Basically, the UN wanted to recognize Music For Relief and Linkin Park as well as Download To Donate. So, long story short, we got online (on) the Facebook Town Hall. It was an online chat in four different cities, it was the biggest one they’ve done and it’s complicated to do. I think we were in New York, LA, The Bay at Facebook headquarters, and in Washington, DC. The UN Secretary General sat down in a room with four members of our band and we talked about Download To Donate and Music For Relief’s effort. They were very complimentary of what we’ve done so far, and we also got a chance to all talk out some of the ideas about how we can continue to help Haiti. Even a year out, the recovery effort is still on going.
MR: It’s encouraging there’s still a focus on Haiti.
MS: To be fair, there are always a lot of events that deserve that news time. It’s tough for people to figure out what to pay attention to and what to donate to and even if they have money to donate because times are tougher. People maybe don’t have the money to donate to a cause like this one even if they love it. One thing that we wanted to do with Download To Donate was to make it really easy for people to participate, and if they wanted to participate and they didn’t have money to spend, then they could do that to. We created www.downloadtodonate.org and a hundred percent of the proceeds go straight through to Haiti. The idea is that originally, we would let you go on and download all of the music, which at that point was twelve songs and you could donate whatever you wanted. At this point, it’s evolved into a different format. Now a year later it seems like a static donation price is really what’s working for us. It’s a ten dollar donation–you can either go to the website and donate that money or you can text relief to 41010. Basically, you get access to the entire library of music at Download To Donate–it’s no longer 12 songs, it’s now over 60 songs. For ten dollars, you can get 60 songs, it’s from artists like Alanis Morissette, All American Rejects, Crystal Method, Enrique Iglesias, Everest, Glitch Mob, Jack Johnson, Kenna, Linkin Park, Lupe Fiasco, Metric, and many more. There is tons of music, and if you go to www.downloadtodonate.org, you’ll check it out. And a hundred percent of the money flows right through and goes straight to Haiti Relief.
MR: What was your impression of how that Facebook conference went.
MS: I was thrilled with it. It was short because we were all separated. We wanted to make sure we got the basic information out there and really had an informative discussion. I felt like we had an informative discussion, I really learned a lot. Basically, we went offline and our band talked with the UN folks in LA for a while. Phoenix and I were actually up in Facebook headquarters, so we continued online with the folks from UN Foundation for a while. One of the things that stuck out to me was that they had done a campaign to get malaria nets to the families that were living in the tent communities in Haiti. A lot of people–their homes destroyed or had nowhere else to go–they were living in these tent communities. A lot of them were getting sick and dying from malaria, from diseases by insects, and they needed these insect nets in these tent camps. So, the UN Foundation did a campaign where they got those nets for the people, and they saved all of these lives just based on a simple campaign like that. They have a new campaign, which I thought was really great–it’s a solar light campaign. In a lot of tent camps, they found out that there actually isn’t any light. People are going around with lanterns and candles and things like that, but it’s not safe for women and children to be running around in the dark. There could be predators, and as a lot of people know, a lot of the prisons were destroyed, so a lot of the inmates had basically escaped. They haven’t had the best time in cleaning that up and recapturing the folks that were supposed to be in prison; they’ve had some violence and things like that. One of the things they’ve done to head some of that off is to create light at night. It seems like something that’s really simple and we take for granted for sure. They have a lot of sunshine down there, so solar lights are a good solution to the problem. So, they have a campaign right now where they are trying to get solar lights down to the families. We tend to support that with our campaign.
MR: The goal was a hundred new solar lights, do you imagine they will go beyond that?
MS: I believe they absolutely will. They will get as many as they think are necessary. The good thing about these campaigns is that they are very specific with a targeted goal like the one you just talked about. It’s easier to see exactly what you need, how many lights you need, how many families they are going to, and what kind of effect they are having. A lot of people, when they worry about donating to a charity, it’s like, well, if the Red Cross takes in all of these millions of dollars, where does it all go? They want to know specifically what’s being done. With a targeted campaign like the solar light one, it’s all very specific and you get very specific results.
MR: It seems like your band is a band in which everyone is always experimenting with new things. Is that a fair assessment?
MS: Yeah, I would say so.
MR: How far do you think you’ve grown as a band since your early releases?
MS: Well, creatively where we were at in 2000, we were trying to make Hybrid Theory a statement record. We were saying this is who the band is, this is what we’re about, this is what defines how we mix different styles and how that differs from other bands. The record, from song to song, I feel, was intended to make a clear statement about the music we make. As far as the identity of the record, there was a lot of similarity from one song to the next. To give you an idea of how you record a record like that is, you set up a main guitar tone, a main drum tone, and you play almost all of the songs with that one thing as if you’re playing in your rehearsal studio. On each record, we want to challenge ourselves though, back then, it was challenging ourselves to make this sound that was our own and new. As the band has evolved, the challenge has been how do we take that and really represent where the band is at now. We want to keep it challenging and keep it interesting. If we were to just keep doing that over and over again on every record, that would be lazy of us. So, what ends up happening is, basically, from record to record, we do new things and challenge ourselves in new ways. Especially on the new record, obviously, we were trying to step outside of the box and try something different from what people expected of the band, and even maybe what we expected of ourselves.
MR: You also played “The Catalyst” at The Griffith Observatory to help promote the album.
MS: Another event that brings to mind was we played in front of a great Spanish landmark called Puerta de Alcalá, and that was for the MTV VMAs, and we played “Waiting For The End.” That was the song that was televised. but we actually played a full hour set and over 50,000 people showed up to watch the show. They were standing in the streets and singing the songs. We were able to film that, and we are going to be re-releasing A Thousand Suns with a special limited edition version which has the DVD of that performance. You actually get the DVD and the MP3′s of the live songs, so it’s a new release of the album for fans who are interested in that particular performance and want to see some of the old songs played live on stage.
MR: What advice do you have for new artists?
MS: My advice for new artists…I always feel like a broken record, I say the same thing. These days, the most important thing for them to do is to do it themselves, to get familiar with recording your own music, distributing your own music, building your own fan base without many other people’s help. I think the crutch for a lot of young artists is when they sign with somebody else, they think somebody who knows better is going to come in and magically make a fan base appear for them, but that’s not how it works. Really, there are so many applications, so many programs that you can download and you can use online that will allow you the tools to get it done. If you can create your own fan base of a thousand up to ten thousand fans, then if you decide to sign with a major label, you will have all of the leverage in the world. You’ve got a fan base of ten thousand people, that gives you more leverage so that they would have to give you more in your contract if you decide to do that. If you go it alone at ten thousand fans, you have every right to do that. You’re going to be making a hundred percent of the money instead of a small little sliver that they would leave you with at the end of getting involved with a small artist who has no leverage.
MR: Of course, there are so many more opportunities and options for an artist now than there ever were before.
MS: I was laughing about this with somebody the other day. Even just ten years ago, when we wanted to write music in our bus, it would take a unit the size of a refrigerator to get it done. Today, I can literally just take my laptop. We are talking about Pro Tools, we are talking about Garage Band, Logic, and all of the other things out there. I personally use Pro Tools, I think it’s great. Then, after you’ve made songs, you’ve got Facebook, you have Twitter, you have great sites like Bandcamp and Topspin that will help you, basically, sell your music and concert tickets. You literally can do so much now that you couldn’t do even five years ago. Artists can get really far doing it themselves.
MR: And you’re still on tour?
MS: Yeah, we just finished the U.S. leg of the tour, and we are getting ready for the European dates and all of the tour dates are on www.linkinpark.com. Don’t forget to go to www.downloadtodonate.org to get your sixty-plus songs. By the way, songs are continuing to be added. If you donate ten dollars now, then you get all of the songs plus whichever songs we add in the future.

 Source : Linkin Park Times

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Linkin Park's Facebook Town Hall

If you missed Linkin Park's town hall discussion they did on Facebook with the UN Foundation about the ongoing relief effort in Haiti, you can watch an Artisan News piece about the discussion below.


Source : Linkin Park

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HELP ME CHOOSE WHICH TEE WE SHOULD MAKE!

As I mentioned on Twitter today, I’m designing a tee for Music For Relief, to benefit relief efforts in Japan.  I want you guys to vote below, to tell me which one we should make.  We’re going into production ASAP, so vote right away.
Click Here to vote Poll: MFR Japan Benefit Tee
An 8.9 magnitude earthquake rocked Japan on March 11th, 2011, causing massive destruction and an enormous tsunami that smashed into coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean. Thousands of buildings have been destroyed and the death toll is rising rapidly.  The National Weather Service has issued Tsunami Warnings to over 50 countries.
Come alongside Music for Relief in responding to this tragedy.
Text ‘MFR’ to 85944 to make a $10 donation to help those affected by this disaster or click here to donate online.
 
Source : mikeshinodablog

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8.9 Earthquake Strikes Japan

An 8.9 magnitude earthquake rocked Japan on March 11th, 2011, causing massive destruction and an enormous tsunami that smashed into coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean. Thousands of buildings have been destroyed and the death toll is rising rapidly.  The National Weather Service has issued Tsunami Warnings to over 50 countries.

Come alongside Music for Relief in responding to this tragedy.  
Text 'MFR' to 85944 to make a $10 donation to help those affected by this disaster or click here to donate online.

To read more about the Japan earthquake click here.

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New LPTV Episode: North American Tour, Part 2

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MTV's Musical March Madness Preview: Linkin Park Promise Total Dominance

Our 2011 tournament begins on March 14, but early favorites Linkin Park already proclaim, 'We're winners. That's our motto'

MTV Shows

Last year, whether it was due to oversight by the selection committee or just plain bias, Linkin Park did not make the field of 65 bands that competed in MTV's inaugural Musical March Madness tournament.
In the end, after weeks of fiercely contested matchups, more than 2 million votes and precisely one accusation of cheating, it was Coheed and Cambria that ended up taking home the championship, shocking the world and inspiring this hilarious photograph in the process.
And while we're not going to discount the valiant efforts of Coheed and their fervent fanbase — after all, winners were determined by fan voting — we couldn't help but wonder if things would've turned out differently had Linkin Park made the tournament in the first place. They are, after all, one of the biggest rock acts on the planet, commanding a vast (and loyal) army of fans that most certainly would've carried them to the Final Four ... at least.
So this year, we're determined to put that claim to the test. Because while we'll reveal our full 2011 MTV Musical March Madness bracket next Monday (March 14), we're going to let it slip right now that not only did Linkin Park make the field this year, they'll enter the 2011 tournament at a very high seed. This is what happens when you release a jaw-dropping, envelope-pushing album, A Thousand Suns, and then convince the entire world to listen.
So, do Linkin Park have what it takes to claim the 2011 MMM Championship? We decided to ask them, and as it turns out, they've already got their game plan in place.
"Well, I think what we're going to have to do is, we're going to have to be smart about our offense, we're going to have to have a tough defense," Chester Bennington said. "We're going to put a lot of pressure on the other bands, to really perform at their best. Because, you know, our motto is 'Go hard all the time.' Whether we win or lose, we're winners. That's our motto."
That's actually two mottos, but who's counting. And though they're already planning on bringing the pressure — Brad Delson is a master of the full-court press — Linkin Park are focused on one thing, and one thing only: hoisting the hardware on April 5.
"We want to win," Mike Shinoda smiled.
"We want to win," Bennington added. "So basically, we'll let these guys come in and play hard, but we're going to want to kick their asses. And that's just how it goes."

MTV's 2011 Musical March Madness Tournament begins on Monday, March 14, when we reveal the full field of 65 bands that will battle for the championship. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite act made the cut, it'll be up to you to guide them to glory. You can rally the troops on Twitter using the hashtag #MMM ... but get ready, it's gonna be a war.

Source : MTV

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A THOUSAND SUNS +

We’re excited to announce the European release of A Thousand Suns +, available 28 March. This is a limited re-issue of A Thousand Suns that comes with a live DVD of our show in Madrid, which was recorded at the historic Puerta de Alcalá Gate, on November 7th 2010, in front of a crowd of 60,00 people. This was an incredible performance for us, and we wanted to share the experience with our fans.

This enhanced version of A Thousand Suns + will be available in select international territories. Stay tuned for details. Check out our performance of “Waiting For The End” from the DVD HERE.

-M

2010 MTV2 EMA Site

Source : Linkin Park

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LINKIN PARK HEADING BACK TO SINGAPORE

Linkin Park will be the headlining Race Day band at the 2011 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix on September 25. Admission to the show is free with a ticket to the race. Tickets go on sale for the race starting March 3rd. Tickets will be available for sale online (www.singaporegp.sg), via the ticketing hotline +65 6738 6738 as well as all SISTIC outlets from 3 March 2011, 0900hours (GMT +8 hours).

Visit http://www.singaporegp.sg for more info.

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