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<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="1538" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="tom-cruise">Tom Cruise</keyword> starred in <keyword id="79181" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Francis-Ford-Coppola">Francis Ford Coppola</keyword>'s "The Outsiders" in 1983 as a rising star.</li><li>One scene called for his character to eat chocolate cake, which he enjoyed to begin with.</li><li>But after three days of shooting the same scene and 100 takes, Cruise "was vomiting" by the end.</li></ul><p>Tom Cruise is known for <a href="https://www.insider.com/tom-cruises-amazing-stunts-mission-impossible-top-gun-maverick-2021-2">doing his own, often dangerous, stunts in his movies</a>. But it turns out he was doing them right from the start of his career - sort of.</p><p>During a recent appearance on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu1PK5HAgho">"The Graham Norton Show,"</a> Cruise said he ate chocolate cake for three days straight while shooting Francis Ford Coppola's "The Outsiders" in 1983.</p><p>"I had to do it in the scene, it's part of the character, I'm going to eat chocolate cake. We ended up shooting this scene for three days, we did like 100 takes of me eating chocolate cake, and I had to keep eating it," Cruise said.</p><p>"The first couple of takes, I was like 'this is so good, it was so moist.'"</p><p>However, the fun of eating cake wore off pretty quickly.</p><p>"And then it was like, 'Oh my gosh, did we get it?' Three days of Francis [Ford Coppola] saying: 'Let's do it again.' I was in sugar shock, I was vomiting."</p><p>You can see the cake-eating scene in this collection of scenes featuring Cruise's character from "The Outsiders," which also starred Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, and Patrick Swayze.</p><p>Cruise also spoke about his experience on a different movie that also ended with a regretful decision. While shooting "The Color of Money" with Paul Newman, Cruise tried on his costume in the summer and chose a t-shirt and a jacket.</p><p>But when it came time to shoot the movie in Chicago in the winter, Cruise realized he had made a mistake. Newman had chosen a big, warm, coat, and was sat in a car with an electric heater while Cruise was so cold he "couldn't speak."</p><p>"Lessons learned," Cruise told Norton.</p><p>Cruise recently spoke about some more recent - and more physical - stunts he's done on movies, and said that <a href="https://www.insider.com/tom-cruise-told-to-stop-smiling-movie-stunts-mission-impossible-2021-4">he has been told to stop smiling so much while doing them.</a></p><p>"I am a very physical actor and I love doing them. I study and train and take a lot of time figuring it all out. I have broken a lot of bones. The first time of any stunt is nerve-wracking, but it's also exhilarating."</p><p>Cruise has two movies coming out that were both delayed due to the pandemic. "Top Gun: Maverick" will be released on November 19 this year after being moved from a Fourth of July weekend release, while <a href="https://www.insider.com/mission-impossible-7-crew-members-reportedly-quit-tom-cruise-rant-2020-12">"Mission Impossible 7"</a> will now open on May 27 2022.</p>

Tom Cruise had to eat chocolate cake for 3 days straight while shooting 'The Outsiders': 'I was vomiting'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Each year the <keyword id="11896084" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="white-house" source="Orion">White House</keyword> is required to report staff salaries to Congress.</li><li>Biden's highest-paid official is Francis Collins, making $300,000 as Acting Science Advisor.</li></ul><p>Earlier this month the White House released its annual report to Congress revealing White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/July-1-2022-Report-Final.pdf">personnel salaries</a>.</p><p>The Biden administration's report disclosed the pay of more than 470 people, whose combined salaries total $46,759,727. Overall, the Biden White House employs more than <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-white-house-staff-aides-guide-2021-1">600 aides</a>. About half of current White House employees make $100,000 or more with the other half making $90,000 or less. </p><p>There are 16 Biden White House employees who make $0 a year, including senior policy advisors for immigration, economic policy, public health and democracy and voting rights, among others. Some positions in the White House do not earn a salary because they are considered "detailees" who work for other agencies, which compensate them, and are assigned to work with the White House. Five people in the Trump White house made $0 a year, including Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, who both served as top advisers to the former president.</p><p>Salaries can change from administration to administration depending on a variety of factors, including the number of positions available, inflation, and the president's priorities.</p><p>Since the George W. Bush administration, the presidential salary has been $400,000 a year. Former President <keyword id="11914386" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="donald-trump" source="Orion">Donald Trump</keyword> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-donated-salary-presidential-pension-payments-2021-5">donated his salary</a> to various federal agencies.</p><p><a href="https://www.marieclaire.com/politics/a33624827/kamala-harris-net-worth/">Vice President Kamala Harris</a> makes $235,100 a year, the federally mandated salary for her position. Former Vice President Mike Pence received a <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/02/14/vice-president-pences-salary-rising-but-not-much-gop-wanted/2872326002/">1.9% raise</a> during his time in office, increasing the vice presidential salary to $230,700.</p><div type="image" title="Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the IX Summit of the America in Los Angeles on June 7, 2022." height="3594" width="4792" msid="92786385" hostid="261" sizebytes="367160"></div><p>According to the <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/July-1-2022-Report-Final.pdf">report</a>, the Biden White House's 27 highest-paid employees all make over $180,000. The top 10 highest-paid officials begins with Francis Collins, the Acting Science Advisor to the president, who makes $300,000 a year. In comparison, Trump's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/highest-paid-trump-white-house-staffers-2019-7">highest-paid employee</a> was John Czwartacki, the senior adviser to the chief of staff for strategy and stakeholder engagement, who earned $239,595 annually.</p><div type="image" title="Dr. Francis S. Collins, who serves as the Acting Science Advisor the president is the highest-paid White House employee." height="2666" width="3555" msid="92786389" hostid="261" sizebytes="210848"></div><p>The second highest-paid staffer in the Biden White House is Luisa Paiewonsky, who makes $191,300 as the senior policy advisor for transportation. Paiewonsky is followed by Stephanie Sykes, the director of intergovernmental affairs for infrastructure implementation at $183,100.</p><p>White House Press Secretary <keyword id="13834406" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="karine-jean-pierre" source="Orion">Karine Jean-Pierre</keyword>, who took over for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jen-psaki-white-house-press-secretary-resign-job-opportunities-2021-8">Jen Psaki</a> in May, makes $180,000 a year. However, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-staffers-make-in-white-house-2019-8#sarah-huckabee-sanders-the-former-press-secretary-earned-183000-per-year-8">Sarah Huckabee Sanders</a>, former press secretary for the Trump White House made $183,000 a year.</p><div type="image" title="Karine Jean-Pierre, Jen Psaki" height="4775" width="6366" msid="92786390" hostid="261" sizebytes="2118050"></div><p>Biden's Chief of Staff Ron Klain makes $180,000 per annum, while Mick Mulvaney, former chief of staff to Trump, made $203,500.</p><div type="image" title="White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain speaks at Georgetown University in 2014 when he served as the White House Ebola Response Coordinator." height="2733" width="3644" msid="92786392" hostid="261" sizebytes="265576"></div><p>Robert Blair, a Trump White House aide and senior adviser to the chief of staff's salary was set at $183,000, however Jennifer O'Malley Dillon and Bruce Reed who serve the Biden White House as assistants to the president and deputy chiefs of staff make $180,000.</p><p>Jake Sullivan, Biden's assistant to the president for national security affairs, earns $180,000 per annum, while Trump's security affairs assistant John Bolton earned $183,000.</p><div type="image" title="National Security Advisor to the president Jake Sullivan answers questions at a daily briefing on May 18, 2022." height="2428" width="3237" msid="92786394" hostid="261" sizebytes="272414"></div><p>Counsel to the president in the Biden White House all make $170,504 or below. Counsel in Trump's White House made $183,000 on average.</p><p>A number of <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/03/15/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-commitments-to-advance-pay-equity-and-support-womens-economic-security/">Biden's White House</a> salary differences are a result of the president's push to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-white-house-majority-female-appointees-staff-narrowed-pay-gap-2021-7">decrease the gender pay gap by 1%</a> in the White House last July. </p><p>For the Biden White House, 91 roles contain the title "special assistant to the president." The Trump administration had 81 employees listed under the same title. A former White House employee told Insider there is "a lot to glean" about the titles that are given to people in the administration. </p><p>"It tells you where the priorities are," the official said. "Titles are free, as people like to say, but you have to be careful with those titles too. They don't mean as much if everybody's got them."</p><p>Some White House employees go to work for an administration with the understanding that their White House experience will boost their prospects of a higher salary in the private sector.</p><p>"You get a lot of people that go in for the opportunity to feel like they're really making an impact and it's really powerful to be able to work in the White House," a former White House official who worked on pay told Insider. "But then, I think you do get one or two people going in and saying … 'okay, how can I cash out eventually.'"</p>

How Biden and Trump White House staffers' salaries compare

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Nick Lee is a 24-year-old jazz musician and producer who recently worked with <keyword id="7908002" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="lil-nas-x" source="Orion">Lil Nas X</keyword>.</li><li>He spoke to Insider about his contributions to "Industry Baby" and "Dolla Sign Slime."</li><li>Lee created the trombone loops used in the songs, which were partially inspired by "Shrek 2."</li></ul><p>When he was 12 years old, Nick Lee picked up a trombone simply because he thought "the slide was cool."</p><p>That spontaneous decision kicked off a series of events for the budding musician, culminating in the triumphant energy that courses through Lil Nas X's latest <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9609037/bts-butter-number-one-hot-100-ninth-week/">top-10 hit</a>.</p><p>Yes, <a href="https://twitter.com/Komaniecki_R/status/1418603591284236290?s=20">despite the skepticism you may have seen online</a>, those are real brass instruments that form the bedrock of "Industry Baby." Each individual part is performed by Lee on trombone, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CRrqv6nlx9Q/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">layered atop each other</a> to create the illusion of a multiplayer horn section. </p><p>"We wanted it to sound like a marching band," he recently told Insider via Zoom. "We would put the mic in different positions of the room to get different sounds. We even played some of the layers outside."</p><p>The "we" in question includes the song's main producers, Denzel Baptiste and David Biral, also known as Take A Daytrip. The duo attended the same college as Lee's manager, who put them in touch last year during "peak pandemic." Lee had been working on building horn loops to stay productive and creative during the industry-wide lull.</p><p>"Coincidentally, Lil Nas was looking for trombones specifically, which was perfect," Lee explained. "So I sent Denzel my whole folder of horn loops. And then one day he texted me, 'Oh, Nas likes this one.'"</p><p>He later received another request, hilariously more specific than the last. Baptiste asked Lee to make an intro for the song and to make it sound "like a king entering a stadium." He attached <a href="https://youtu.be/iotSrFfiX0w">a scene from 2004's "Shrek 2,"</a> when the titular hero and his new wife are summoned to the kingdom of Far Far Away.</p><p>With all the resolve of a seasoned vet, Lee replied simply, "I'll get it done."</p><p>Then, in late October, Lil Nas posted a snippet of a song yet to be released, built upon a familiar nest of trombones.</p><p>"That was the first time I'd heard it, but I recognized the horn loop," Lee said. "I was like, 'Oh, shit. This is my song.'"</p><p>He texted Baptiste, who invited Lee to help out with some finishing touches at their studio. The three producers perfected the song's regal vibe, with <a href="https://www.insider.com/lil-nas-x-interview-grammys-old-town-road-first-paycheck-2020-1">the "Old Town Road" chart-topper himself</a> presiding over the session, suggesting tweaks here and there.</p><p>"Lil Nas, he's a super nice guy, and I had a great first experience working with him," Lee told Insider. "He's really funny. He's down-to-earth. He's not really 'Hollywood' like that."</p><h2>That was one of the first in-person sessions that Lee had ever done, and it yielded another imminent hit: 'Dolla Sign Slime'</h2><p>Lee had included a playful staccato piece in the folder of sounds he sent to Baptiste, which eventually became "Dolla Sign Slime" featuring <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/megan-thee-stallion">Megan Thee Stallion</a>, the ninth track on <a href="https://www.insider.com/lil-nas-x-montero-album-review-tracklist-breakdown-2021-9">Lil Nas' debut album "Montero."</a></p><p>The song was fine-tuned during the same in-person studio session as "Industry Baby," when Lee added a series of "accent horns" and live flourishes to the mix.</p><p>Upon the album's release last Friday, "Dolla Sign Slime" was <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/lil-nas-x-montero-1226841/">described by Rolling Stone</a> as a "joyously cocky" standout with special praise for Lee's "farts of court-jester brass." </p><p>Indeed, Lee had labeled the original horn loop "Jester" on his computer, directly inspired by Baptiste's "Shrek 2" request.</p><p>"That got me thinking about making more loops with that royal-sounding flair," he said. "So I named this one 'Jester' because it's really weird."</p><p>In order to create the instrumental, Lee played with counterpoint, a compositional technique that uses multiple melodic lines occurring at the same time. </p><p>"There are five or six trombone parts that are each doing something different - not harmonizing with each other," he explained. "It really helped to have studied Bach and counterpoint theory. Even though it was so weird that I didn't think that it was ever going to go anywhere."</p><p>"I was like, 'This will probably just sit on my hard drive for the rest of my life.' But I guess the weirdness is what Lil Nas liked about it."</p><h2>The 24-year-old Los Angeles native originally set out to become a jazz trombonist</h2><p>After high school, Lee enrolled at New York City's prestigious performing arts university, The Juilliard School.</p><p>Not long after, however, Lee learned to use the popular <keyword id="11898471" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="music" source="Orion">music</keyword> software Logic. When his grandfather died during the winter of his freshman year, he decided to produce a song for the memorial service.</p><p>"That was the moment where I had an epiphany, like, 'Oh, this is what I want to do, and I don't really see myself going down the jazz road anymore,'" he said, noting that he dropped out of school the following year.</p><p>"For me, it seemed like the only choice," Lee said, despite "a lot of tension" with his parents in the aftermath. "I had all these classes and assignments that I had to do, but I wanted to focus on production. That's all I wanted to do. I didn't really like having to do things for grades, et cetera, because I just wanted to be out in the real world, working."</p><div type="image" title="Nick Lee studio press photo" height="1867" width="2800" msid="86412747" hostid="261"></div><p>He moved back to Los Angeles to focus on making industry connections. He spent his time direct-messaging artists in hopes of collaborating, plus making "hundreds of songs" on his own, before his manager was able to set up a meeting with <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/scooter-braun">Scooter Braun's</a> management company. Braun is famous for <a href="https://www.insider.com/list-of-artists-that-scooter-braun-manages-2019-7">managing superstars like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande</a>.</p><p>Lee had recently begun cowriting and coproducing songs with BabyJake, <a href="https://www.insider.com/list-of-artists-that-scooter-braun-manages-2019-7">one of Braun's more recent signees</a>, including two collaborations with Dillon Francis called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtyfafrdADY">"Touch"</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsThLsILjTs">"You Do You."</a></p><p>"Scooter wasn't even supposed to be in the meeting, but he just happened to walk in, and he asked me to play him some songs," Lee said. "I played him a couple I did with Jake, and kind of right on the spot, he offered to sign me for publishing."</p><p>"I was freaking out," he added. "It's Scooter Braun - a mogul and a legend."</p><p>Within the first month of signing, Lee said, Braun had him in a studio session with <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/demi-lovato">Demi Lovato</a>: "Right off the bat, it was clearly, 'Oh, this is it. This is where the work begins.'"</p><div type="image" title="Nick Lee press photos" height="900" width="1200" msid="86412748" hostid="261"></div><p>In the time since, in addition to his work on "Montero," Lee has composed music for various TV shows and worked closely with K-pop stars like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsCFvUEIEiM">Stray Kids </a>and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chaelincl/?hl=en">CL</a>.</p><p>Lee, who is Chinese and Japanese-American, spoke reverently of the "meticulous" creative process for South Korean idols.</p><p>"I have the K-pop knowledge, but also can approach it with an American sound, so I feel like it's the ability to cross between both worlds is what's helping me produce that music," he said.</p><p>"Originally, my mindset was, 'I don't want them to even notice I'm Asian. I just want my work to speak for itself,'" he added. "But I think success means a lot more being an Asian in <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">entertainment</keyword>. I think you have to work twice as hard."</p><p>Perhaps taking a cue from <a href="https://www.insider.com/lil-nas-x-devil-lap-dance-montero-sneakers-twitter-internet-2021-3">his ever-online, fiercely ambitious collaborator</a>, Lee indicated zero intention of slowing down. He expressed frustration about the "handful of Asian producers" in the spotlight, "and even then, you don't hear about them nearly as much as you hear about a Max Martin or a Dr. Luke."</p><p>"I just want to help put Asians on the map," Lee said. "I want to show the other Asian-American kids who are learning how to produce that this can be done, and it is being done."</p>

2 songs from Lil Nas X's album were partially inspired by Shrek. Meet the producer behind 'Industry Baby' and 'Dolla Sign Slime.'

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Markus Persson, the Swedish video game programmer best known for creating "Minecraft," threw a huge Halloween party at the Beverly Hills mansion he <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/minecraft-creator-buys-70-million-home-2014-12#">famously bought</a> for $70 million in 2014.&#xa0;<p><span>The home is completely over the top, with&#xa0;</span><span>a 16-car garage, home gym, giant infinity pool, and lots of designer decor worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.</span><br><br><span>Persson - or "Notch" as he's known in the gaming community - has certainly been <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/minecraft-founder-markus-persson-hosts-wild-parties-in-70-million-mansion-2015-7">enjoying</a> his new digs, throwing wild parties where big-name DJs like Zedd, Skrillex, and Dillon Francis have been spotted hanging out.&#xa0;</span></br></br></p><p><span>Notch went all out for Halloween this year, throwing a massive party with the theme "Creatures of Hellcrest" (the mansion is located on Hillcrest Road in Beverly Hills).&#xa0;</span></p>

The founder of Minecraft threw an insane Halloween party at his $70 million mansion this weekend

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Ralph Macchio talked to Business Insider about reprising his "The Karate Kid" character, Daniel LaRusso, for the YouTube show "Cobra Kai" after years of saying "no" to playing the role.</li><li>Macchio shared the worst pitch he ever got for a "Karate Kid" sequel.</li><li>He recalled being part of one of the best young Hollywood movies ever, "The Outsiders," which also starred Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, and Diane Lane before they were huge stars.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>&#xa0;</p><p>Ralph Macchio says he's at peace with forever being known as the face of one of the movies that defined the 1980s: "The Karate Kid." But that doesn't mean he'll agree to every new idea of how to continue the franchise.</p><p>Macchio felt the Daniel LaRusso character had run its course after starring in "Karate Kid" parts 2 and 3. But he realized the hunger for the franchise would never go away, as he continued to get pitched offers over the decades. These ranged from a story arch in which the kids of LaRusso and Rocky Balboa would team up (more on that later), to being offered a cameo in the Jackie Chan/Jaden Smith 2010 reboot.</p><p>Macchio always politely declined the offers, but that changed when Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cobra-kai-creators-explain-how-they-made-the-karate-kid-show-2018-5">came to him with the idea for a show called "Cobra Kai."</a></p><p>Set in the present day, "Cobra Kai" shifts the focus from LaRusso to Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), the bully who LaRusso beat at the karate tournament at the end of the first movie. The first season of the show became an instant hit for YouTube by mixing a dark comedic tone about mid-life anxieties with nostalgic glimpses from the original movie. In it, we follow Lawrence who brings back the Cobra Kai dojo while LaRusso, who is now the owner of a successful car dealership, catches on to what Lawrence is doing and tries to put a stop to it.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Now there's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-comedy-shows-on-netflix-orange-is-the-new-black-after-life-2019-4">high anticipation</a> for the launch of season two (starting Wednesday on YouTube) as a familiar face enters the Cobra Kai dojo, John Kreese (Martin Love), the man who trained Lawrence in the first movie. Meanwhile, LaRusso has decided to start the Miyagi dojo, named after his sensei Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), to combat what he believes is a negative way of doing karate that the Cobra Kai dojo promotes.<p>Business Insider chatted with Macchio about what finally sold him to come back and play LaRusso, the worst "The Karate Kid" sequel pitch he ever got, who he hung out the most on the before-they-were-stars set of "<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086066/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Outsiders,</a>" and why everyone who made "The Karate Kid" thought the title was awful.</p><p><strong>Jason Guerrasio:</strong> For years people pitched you how to continue "The Karate Kid" franchise, why did you say yes to "Cobra Kai"?</p><p><strong>Ralph Macchio:</strong> Well, the credit goes to Jon, Josh, and Hayden, the creators. These guys really had a very well thought out pitch by coming in through the eyes of Johnny Lawrence - basically turning the prism view in the universe.</p><p>And they had such passion. It was an instinct that they wanted to make a show the fans wanted to see. I have said "no" for 30 years. I was definitely the last guy to come to the party. I was the piece, arguably, that they had to get.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio:</strong> Don't be humble.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Macchio:</strong> [<em>Laughs</em>.] But it was a combination of their passion, the belief that they wanted to pay respects and homage to the franchise, and they never wanted to trivialize it. They listened to the importance of the Miyagi element of the show and LaRusso's life and how that needed to be there for me to even begin to have a conversation about it.</p><p>Also the timing. Only now do we have these platforms where you can take a five-hour movie and cut it up into half-hour parts. Because that's what we did. We're making these five-hour movies, that's how we approach it. I don't think "The Karate Kid" would have been made as a movie today, I think it would have been a series on one of these platforms.&#xa0;</p><p>&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio:</strong> So out of all the pitches you've gotten over the years, which was the worst one?</p><p><strong>Macchio:</strong> It's my favorite. Everyone would come up with the pitch of, "You have a kid and you become the Miyagi to your kid." Everyone thought that was the brilliant continuation. But an executive once came up to me and John Avildsen, the director of "Karate Kid," and took it a step further. It was very off the cuff but he said, "Hey, what if Rocky Balboa and LaRusso had kids and they are related in some way?" Because Avildsen directed "Rocky," so that's the connection. This guy wanted to combine "Rocky" and "Karate Kid" in some way. Taking these two major hits this guy thought it would be a huge movie. So the concept was to go back to the Balboa and LaRusso lineage in Italy and find that we were somehow related and that our kids would now team up in some way.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio:</strong> Oh my god.</p><p><strong>Macchio:</strong> It was never pitched fully, but just the concept of someone coming up with that, it was crazy.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio:</strong> Did you even entertain the idea?</p><p><strong>Macchio:</strong> No. Me and Avildsen just looked at each other and went to the guy, "Well, you get back to us." But inside you're like, "How is this even possible?"&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio:</strong> You've lived in the fandom of "The Karate Kid" almost your whole life, but was it even a shock for you when YouTube told you that over 50 million people had seen the first episode of season one?</p><p><strong>Macchio:</strong> Um, I'll say this much, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. Did it exceed expectations? Absolutely. Listen, I've walked in these shoes for 35 years, everywhere I go there's a great love for that movie and the franchise. Daniel LaRusso was that kind of character that represented the everykid. He had no business winning anything so we all felt we could be him. So I knew there was love for the movie and then the pop culture element of it elevated it - "Sweep the leg." "Put him in a body bag." But the question was would they come to the party? Would they come to the well and drink the water? And they didn't just drink the water, they came back with buckets and buckets. That's what was beyond expectations.&#xa0;</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><strong>Guerrasio:</strong> What's been interesting to watch with the LaRusso character, and it's delved more in the second season, is the motives for Daniel. Does he want to be the Miyagi to a younger generation or is this just a guy going through a midlife crisis? Have layers like that been fun to explore?<p><strong>Macchio:</strong> That's part of what we discussed going into season 2 and hopefully many seasons to come. We want to keep this ball in the air and have the characters evolve as opposed to a quick one-off. It was important to have LaRusso be a little off balance and have to fill that void in his life. But in doing that you tap into what was important to him in his adolescence. He doesn't have his father, and his father figure is dead, so what seems simple is not so easy. He has the knowledge, but can he teach it? And then there's the balance of work and family, it creates some interesting hurdles for the character.&#xa0;</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong></em>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/media-transformers-list-2019-3"><em>10 people transforming the media business</em></a></p><p><strong>Guerrasio:</strong> Has this all been a really weird time in your life? At some point years ago, you had to have pushed LaRusso aside and been ready to move on. Is it wild that it's back in your life?</p><p><strong>Macchio:</strong> It's insane. [<em>Laughs</em>.] If you asked me 10 years ago, I would say "no way." And it's not that I buried the character, I live with him all the time. But the concept of going back, I was always "no, no, no." Why touch that again? It has such a blessed light on it. Everything happened right. Pat Morita's performance is treasured. Why would you go back and do that when everyone is trying to do that? And for the most part failing. Like when they remade the movie, I told them, "Go make your movie, I'm not going to be involved." I let that be its own thing.</p><p><strong>Guerrasio:</strong> So you were asked to be in the 2010 Jackie Chan/Jaden Smith version of "The Karate Kid"?</p><p><strong>Macchio:</strong> They wanted me to do a cameo or something in it and I passed on that.</p><p><strong>Guerrasio:</strong> But then you get work like HBO's "The Deuce," where you are a scene stealer and nothing like Daniel LaRusso. With something like that you must have felt, "Okay, I've moved on to the next chapter in my career." Because I would suspect for years you probably didn't get cast in stuff because directors could only see LaRusso when you walked in the door.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><strong>Macchio:</strong> Here's how I feel about that: yes, there is that part of it. And I'm sure there are people in the industry that see "Cobra Kai" and go, "Okay, he's doing that part that he does." But I would say it's the same character but a different person. You see him failing in lessons he should have learned by now. He's struggling as an adult. This is really the fan's show. There's so much joy and positive response from the world with this that to hold back and say, "I will only do other things, don't think of me as that anymore," that wouldn't have been right. It's become bigger than all of us. And with "The Deuce," I'm happy because my character gets to grow a little in season 3.<p><strong>Guerrasio:</strong> The crazy thing about your career is before "The Karate Kid" you already had a memorable role, playing Johnny in "The Outsiders."</p><p><strong>Macchio:</strong> I love that movie.</p><p><strong>Guerrasio:</strong> The movie didn't just launch your career but is directed by Francis Ford Coppola with a cast that includes Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe, and Diane Lane before they all got hugely famous. It's one of the best young casts ever. What was that like to experience?</p><p><strong>Macchio:</strong> That was the dream-come-true role. I read that book when I was 12 and it was the first book I finished all by myself. It wasn't my parents forcing me to read it. This one was just a page turner. And with the Johnny character, I could relate. I was the runt of the litter, I played sports but I was never the guy you picked first, so I connected with him. So I went in, I wanted that role more than anything and I had to go through a few rounds to get it. But it's still one of my treasured roles. It's the one I will never forget. I still have 13- and 14-year-old kids coming up to me and asking me to sign the book.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><strong>Guerrasio:</strong> Who did you connect with the most on set out of that cast?<p><strong>Macchio:</strong> Early on I did a lot of stuff with C. Thomas Howell. Emilio. Me and Matt Dillon really connected because we are two New Yorkers. We all stayed in contact. Rob Lowe, I did his roast a year ago and had fun ripping him apart. But everyone wanted to be close to Diane Lane because she was amazing.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio:</strong> Did you audition for "Karate Kid" while filming "The Outsiders" or was it after?</p><p><strong>Macchio:</strong> Yeah, "The Outsiders" was in theaters and "The Karate Kid" audition came right after that.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio:</strong> So you must have felt really good.</p><p><strong>Macchio:</strong> Yeah, I mean, I didn't know what "The Karate Kid" would be.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><strong>Guerrasio:</strong> But just being the lead in a movie.&#xa0;<p><strong>Macchio:</strong> Yeah, that's true. And my first reading with John Avildsen, I read it cold for the first time and he turns off the camera and said, "I can't guarantee anything but I would start taking some karate lessons." And I was like, "Wow." I'm skipping down the streets of New York. But I just kept thinking the title is so lame and if it worked I would have to carry it for the rest of my life. [<em>Laughs</em>.]&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Guerrasio:</strong> Crazy how things work out, huh?</p><p><strong>Macchio:</strong> Yeah. And it wasn't just me, a lot of people on set didn't think the title was good. Jerry Weintraub, our producer, said, "It's a terrible title which makes it a great title."</p><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/game-thrones-season-8-episode-1-premiere-details-you-missed-jon-snow-2019-4">13 details you missed in the 'Game of Thrones' season 8 premiere</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

'The Karate Kid' star Ralph Macchio explains why he agreed to reprise his iconic role in the YouTube hit 'Cobra Kai' after 30 years of saying 'no' to reboots and sequels

<p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Frazer Harrison/Getty Images</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Diplo is the 11th highest-paid DJ in the world, raking in $15 million in 2015 alone, according to <a href="http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eeel45ffjll/11-tie-diplo-15-million/" target="_blank">Forbes</a>.</span></p><p><span>But in a new cover <a href="http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/magazine-feature/7400330/diplo-dance-on-dj-culture-beyonce-justin-bieber" target="_blank">interview with Billboard</a> magazine, the 37-year-old is biting the hand that feeds him.</span></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"The DJ world is the corniest f--ing group of people," he says, shaking his head. "We're not celebrities, we're not famous for any good reason. We're just ... really lame. Besides people like Dillon Francis, who makes fun of the whole thing, or Calvin Harris, it's a sinking ship. It's a really lame culture. I'm sad that I'm part of it, but I play the game."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Billboard magazine</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Diplo, whose real name is Thomas Wesley Pentz, is also famous for being a part of electronic music group Major Lazer and new electronic duo, Jack Ü.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Ethan Miller/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">DJ/producer Diplo surfs the crowd at the Electric Daisy Carnival while performing with Major Lazer.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Despite his criticisms of the industry, Diplo has had a good year.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Frazer Harrison/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Diplo and Justin Bieber won the award for "Dance Song of the Year" for "Where are u now" at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span><span>He </span></span>recently produced the Justin Bieber hit, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nntGTK2Fhb0" target="_blank">"Where Are Ü Now,"</a>  and worked with Beyoncé on two tracks for her Lemonade album.</p><p>Diplo seems in awe of Beyoncé.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Ethan Miller/Getty Images for New Era</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span><span>"I wish I was Beyoncé! She's one of the only artists who can culminate a body of work so concisely," Diplo tells <a href="http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/magazine-feature/7400330/diplo-dance-on-dj-culture-beyonce-justin-bieber" target="_blank">Billboard</a>. "Nobody does that anymore." </span></span></p><p><span><span>"</span>Beyoncé<span> is the only artist I've produced for the last year, because it's more lucrative for us to make our own music now," he continued. "When we put out a song with Beyoncé, cool, we'll get a fee, we'll get some [publishing] splits, but Beyoncé is going to make a billion dollars ­touring it. If I make a song and it's </span><em>my </em><span>song, like 'Lean On,' we're going to make money off the synchs, the Spotify </span><em>and </em><span>we get to headline ­festivals on it. That's the model I want to explore."</span></span></p>     <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/25-year-old-may-become-congresswoman-2016-5">Meet the 25-year-old who might become the youngest woman ever elected to Congress</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="s4ZWtqMzE68Ub3FNwm-MK6xGn6FpXNEZ" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

DIPLO: 'The DJ world is a sinking ship, I'm sad that I'm part of it'

<p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Markus Persson, a Swedish video game programmer best known for creating Minecraft, </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/minecraft-creator-buys-70-million-home-2014-12#">famously dropped $70 million</a><span>&#xa0;for a 23,000-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion in December 2014.</span></p><p><span><span>The purchase was a record for the area, and Persson reportedly outbid Beyonce and Jay-Z, who had visited the home a number of times. &#xa0;</span></span></p><p><span><span>The home is completely over the top, with&#xa0;</span><span>a 16-car garage, home gym, giant infinity pool, and lots of designer decor worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.</span><br><br>Persson - or "Notch" as he's known in the gaming community - has certainly been enjoying his new digs.&#xa0;</br></br></span></p><p><span><span>A few weeks after news of the purchase broke, he <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-founder-of-minecraft-threw-an-epic-housewarming-party-2015-1">threw a housewarming party</a> to match the extravagant price, complete with celebrities, electronic music, Transformers, and fancy cars. Zedd, Selena Gomez, and Dillon Francis were among those in attendance.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span><span><div></div></span></span></p><p class="embed-spacer">&#xa0;<div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><strong>Apparently that hasn't been the only party Notch has hosted this year. As first spotted by <a href="http://la.curbed.com/archives/2015/07/notch_beverly_hills_party_mansion.php?utm_campaign=issue-38444&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Curbed+SF">Curbed LA</a>, the mansion has become quite the party pad for young celebrities and famous DJs like Skrillex and Martin Garrix.</strong></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><strong>Former pro skateboarder&#xa0;Tony Hawk has also made appearances at Notch's mansion.&#xa0;</strong><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><strong>That infinity pool seems like a big attraction.</strong><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><strong>The candy wall looks fun, too.</strong></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><strong>&#xa0;But if all of that gets old, guests can always try riding Segways around the courtyard.</strong><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer">&#xa0;<strong>Notch&#xa0;even&#xa0;joked about his constant party guests on his Facebook page.&#xa0;<div><div id="fb-root"></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/xNotch/posts/10153039959978947" data-width="500"><div class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/xNotch/posts/10153039959978947">Post</a>by<a href="https://www.facebook.com/xNotch">Markus Persson</a>.</div></div></div></strong></p><p class="embed-spacer">&#xa0;</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/watch-the-trailer-for-the-new-minecraft-game-2015-7">The first new 'Minecraft' game is ambitious, risky, and looks like a ton of fun</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="03eWIydjrT1OIJiY02gFvSWgqJpgJI95" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

The founder of Minecraft has been hosting wild parties since he bought his mansion for $70 million

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Michael Rozman for Beats Music" title_caption="In this version of the fairy tale, everyone dances happily ever after." class="zoomin" href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52ea6129eab8ea754c631ee8-960/ellen%20super%20bowl%20beats%20thumb.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source"><span>Michael Rozman for Beats Music</span></p><p class="caption">In this version of the fairy tale, everyone dances happily ever after.</p></div><p></p></div>Ellen DeGeneres and Beats Music are putting their own spin on the classic fairy tale "The Three Bears" at this year's Super Bowl.</p>
<p>Ellen, as Goldilocks, breaks into a nice apartment in "The Woods" complex in search of "the perfect music to dance to." Papa Bear's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQBttKoetqo">Black Sabbath</a> is too fast, Mama Bear's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plPRmANJF_w">Brandy Clark</a> is too slow, and the electronic breakdown of the teenager's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAjyD1wktEI">Dillon Francis</a> is just too intense.</p>
<p>Before she can find the perfect track, the bear family comes home. The Wolf is their funky friend in this version of the tale, and he gets everyone dancing to "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeVaa35Al7U">Can You Do This</a>" by Aloe Blacc.</p>
<p>Ellen revealed the ad to her talk show audience on the episode airing on Thursday. The commercial starts at 0:58:</p>
<p></p>
<p>After premiering the ad, Ellen gave everyone in her audience a new <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lg-flex-2014-1">LG G Flex</a> smartphone with a curved screen so that they could use the Beats app.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/beats-versus-spotify-2014-1">Beats Music</a> is a paid streaming music service that has features of both Spotify and Songza, and is from the same brand behind the popular Beats by Dre headphones.</p>

Ellen DeGeneres Busts A Move As Goldilocks In A Super Bowl Ad For Beats Music

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="28138" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="live-music">live music</keyword> industry could lose nearly $9 billion in ticket sales after the coronavirus canceled most performances in 2020.</li><li>But one genre of <keyword id="6354530" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="music">music</keyword>, <keyword id="42249" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="electronic-dance-music">electronic dance music</keyword>, has weathered the storm, with <keyword id="42254" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="DJs">DJs</keyword> pivoting to online streaming to recover lost revenue. </li><li>The genre has also adopted new technologies like <keyword id="6369781" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="virtual-reality">virtual reality</keyword> and video game settings for future <keyword id="3997287" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="concerts">concerts</keyword>.</li><li>For smaller DJs, online experiences are a means of survival, while for bigger names, online concerts have become major fundraisers for coronavirus response.</li></ul><p>We've seen the future of live music — and it belongs to the DJs. </p><p>Perhaps more than other music genres, electronic dance musicians have found ways to connect with fans from afar with internationally streamed public concerts to virtual reality concerts. </p><p>For the past 5 years, <a href="https://www.redpillvr.com/">Redpill VR</a> has worked to create digital replicas of live music venues like Ushuaïa, an upscale hotel on Ibiza, Spain's famous party island. </p><p>In a normal year, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ibiza-spain-party-capital-of-the-world-2018-9">3 million tourists</a> would be flocking to Ibiza's beach hotels and nightclubs for a summer-long dance party.</p><p>But since the pandemic has canceled or postponed in-person concerts around the world, Redpill told Business Insider Today its virtual experiences could become more popular.</p><p>"We're building the imagination if you can design anything you want to, without reality constraining it, what would that look like," CMO Isaiah Martin said of the company's most recent project, the Redpill Ushuaïa platform. "Their design team has put together some incredible concepts and our team is now busy, busy working, building it."</p><p>In Redpill's virtual venue, a motion-capture camera and sensor suit copy a DJ's movements onto a digital avatar. For the Ushuaïa platform, Martin disclosed that the company's already worked with a list of DJs who have residencies there, like the Grammy-winning David Guetta. </p><p><div type="image" title="Redpill VR" height="1080" width="1440" msid="77514638" hostid="261"></div></p><p>To access these experiences, people will need a VR headset like the Oculus. And once they've jumped into this virtual world, they can explore a forest filled with sound reacting objects like electric orbs and jumping crystals or stick around the dance floor which has its own set of fun areas to discover. </p><p>For example, you can touch an orb near the dance floor that'll shrink your avatar down so much that you'll feel like you're dancing next to giants. And if you want to get a closer view of the DJ, the VIP orb will teleport you right on top of the turntables themselves. For people who like to hang back at a concert, you can take an elevator or climb a tree to get a full view of the dance floor below and even have the option to switch the stage's design.</p><p><div type="image" title="Redpill VR Dance Floor" height="1080" width="1440" msid="77514640" hostid="261"></div></p><p>It's not quite the same, but online performances like this one are pumping much-needed revenue into an industry that the virus has decimated.</p><p>If live music remains "dark" for the rest of 2020, it could cause an <a href="https://www.pollstar.com/article/pollstar-projects-2020-total-box-office-would-have-hit-122-billion-144197">$8.9 billion loss</a> in box office revenues – in a year that was supposed to set new records for ticket sales. </p><p>But many music artists aren't letting these bad prospects stop them.</p><p>In April and May, a combined 49 million people tuned into David Guetta's <a href="https://davidguetta.com/donate/">United At Home concerts</a> that were livestreamed in Miami and New York without a physical audience.</p><p>"The experience will be one of the most memorable in my life because I could see the people on the balconies going absolutely nuts. There were like 16,000 people in all the towers around me," Guetta told Business Insider Today of his Miami performance. "It was not anything abstract. It was very real. And I love it."</p><p><div type="image" title="David Guetta United At Home Miami" height="3384" width="4512" msid="77514644" hostid="261"></div></p><p>At his New York show at the top of Rockefeller Center, Guetta didn't have the benefit of viewers on balconies, but could still interact with people in a private Zoom meeting during his set.</p><p>"This is why even in New York City I insisted that I have this interaction with people on Zoom," he said. "Because I want to play for some real people I can see, you know? And I like interacting with people." </p><p>The two events raised over $1.2 million for COVID-19 relief with donations to Feeding America, the World Health Organization, Fondation Hôpitaux de Paris, and the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City.</p><p>Livestreaming concerts may be something DJs haven't really delved into before, but these digital experiences aren't completely foreign to them. </p><p>Electronic dance music, or <keyword id="6356630" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="EDM">EDM</keyword>, started as an underground scene in the 1970s, and became a global phenomenon with the rise of social media. </p><p>Those online roots are helping DJs pivot to a world without in-person concerts. </p><p>"I think EDM is gonna be fine. I think if it's over by the end of the year and it goes somewhat back to normal, I think the impact will be minimal," Ethan Baer, a senior vice president at Create Music Group, told Business Insider Today.</p><p>Since the beginning of the pandemic, DJs have hosted over <a href="https://edmidentity.com/live/livestream-tracker/">7,000 live streams</a>.</p><p>YouTube channels like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/Proximity/">Proximity</a>, with no experience in live <keyword id="4578" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment">entertainment</keyword>, worked with Los Angeles event company <a href="https://browniesandlemonade.com/">Brownies &amp; Lemonade</a> to put on what they say was the first livestreamed festival after the pandemic started. </p><p><div type="image" title="Proximity Digital Mirage 2 DJ Chet Porter" height="1080" width="1440" msid="77514647" hostid="261"></div></p><p>For their Digital Mirage festivals, DJs streamed from many locations, like parks, deserts, and even underwater. </p><p>"They're really using these <keyword id="9747804" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="online-music-festivals">online music festivals</keyword> to showcase a very unique side of themselves that a lot of people don't see, and don't get a chance to see, because they can't see live or pay X amount for a ticket," Blake Coppelson, CEO of Proximity and founder of the Digital Mirage festivals, told Business Insider Today. </p><p>Proximity's Digital Mirage festivals also raised <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisakocay/2020/04/10/digital-mirage-online-music-festival/#62d213c87b69">$300,000 for COVID-19 relief funds</a> like Sweet Relief Musicians Fund and <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/dance/9404149/digital-mirage-organizers-favorite-sets">$70,000 for non-profit organizations</a> like Equal Justice Initiative and Color of Change.</p><p>Other events took place inside iconic locations while the audience stayed at home. </p><p><div type="image" title="Proximity Digital Mirage 2 DJ Oliver Heldens" height="1080" width="1440" msid="77514649" hostid="261"></div></p><p>For his Digital Mirage 2 set, Dutch DJ Oliver Heldens played at one of the Netherlands' historic venues, the Concertgebouw.</p><p>"I thought I also wanted to do a livestream with a more mature and sophisticated look," Heldens told Business Insider Today. "The Concertgebouw is a place with lots of history and it looks very sophisticated. It looks very classy. And it's different than the things I've done before."</p><p>Major festivals like <a href="https://www.tomorrowland.com/global/">Tomorrowland</a>, which usually attracts 400,000 people, are going fully online too. </p><p>At the end of July the festival giant held its digital version, Tomorrowland Around the World — and it wasn't that different from the live version.</p><p>"All year long we make our stages in 3D, we make our light shows in 3D. So we have everything digital. And two months later we're here, and I think the results look really amazing," Tomorrowland founder Michiel Beers said in a press conference.</p><p>To add a little realism to this virtual Tomorrowland world, DJs recorded their performances in green-screen studios where playing in front of a large festival audience was recreated.</p><p><div type="image" title="Tomorrowland Around the World DJ Nervo" height="1080" width="1440" msid="77514651" hostid="261"></div></p><p>"It took a little getting used to, but it was very loud," the DJ sister duo behind NERVO told press. "We had super loud monitors, so it really felt like we were on a stage. And sometimes when you're playing these big festivals, you can't see the crowd anyways. It's dark in front of you. So, you know, it was easy enough to get into it."</p><p>Tomorrowland Around the World dipped its toes into a game-like world with an online island full of activities and games for festivalgoers to enjoy other than the DJs' sets. Other companies, like Rave Family, are diving into gaming headfirst.</p><p><a href="https://rave.family/">Rave Family Block Fest</a>, which may possibly be the world's largest digital music festival, will take place inside the video game Minecraft.</p><p>CEO Jackie McGuire told Business Insider that she came up with the idea after her favorite music festival, Electric Forest, was canceled because of the pandemic. Her children's love for Minecraft and the video game's building capabilities made creating a festival inside the game possible. </p><p>Surprisingly enough, McGuire found that quite a few DJs already play Minecraft daily.</p><p>"A lot of artists actually built some of this stuff themselves, even ones who didn't normally play Minecraft," McGuire said. "It's really a cool concept to me that the artist designed literally everything about the world that you're standing inside listening."</p><p>Over 75 stages were built and over 900 artists were scheduled to play at the event in mid-July. However, after some technical concerns from both fans and artists, it was postponed indefinitely.</p><p><div type="image" title="Rave Family Block Fest" height="1080" width="1440" msid="77514653" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Tapping into the video game industry isn't as new for EDM either. Electronic music is often the backdrop for digital worlds, so some gamers are already fans of the genre.</p><p>For years DJs have worked with companies to make their own games, like deadmau5 and his games <a href="https://edm.com/news/deadmau5-and-dr-kucho-launch-ghosts-n-djs-free-video-game">Ghosts'n DJs </a>and <a href="https://www.magneticmag.com/2016/07/deadmau5-has-made-a-vr-video-game-absolut-deadmau5/">Absolut deadmau5.</a> They've even been featured in games themselves, like Steve Aoki in the games <a href="https://djmag.com/news/steve-aoki-stars-new-star-trek-fleet-command-video-game">Star Trek Fleet Command</a> and <a href="https://mixmag.net/read/steve-aoki-becomes-a-speedy-ninja-in-new-mobile-game-news">Speedy Ninja</a>. Fortnite has also held <a href="https://edm.com/events/fortnite-party-royale">in-game concerts</a> featuring DJs like Marshmello, Dillon Francis and Major Lazer. </p><p>Gaming is <a href="https://www.internationalmusicsummit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/IMS-Business-Report-2019-vFinal.pdf">seven times larger</a> than the entire music industry, so music insiders expect to see more DJs collaborating with professional esports players as well. </p><p>"When the pandemic ends, those gamers aren't going anywhere. They're still going to be playing the games," Baer told Business Insider Today. "So I think that model, tapping into that, is even more sustainable than focusing solely on live performances or virtual live performances."</p><p>Other musicians, like <a href="https://afrojack.com/">Afrojack</a> — who's made hits with David Guetta, Pitbull and Beyoncé — are using the extra time off the road to make new music and bring on new talent for their own record labels.</p><p><div type="image" title="afrojack performance" height="1333" width="1777" msid="77514655" hostid="261"></div></p><p>"All the money that I made over my career is now going into building studios, getting these kids apartments, getting them the right teachers, getting them dancing teachers, getting them mental coaches," Afrojack told Business Insider Today. "Everything necessary to get them to where they want to be, where they can do what they love. And that's the final financial risk I'm taking."</p><p>Between VR, live streams, video games, esports and DJs' record labels, are these alternative revenue streams enough to keep EDM afloat without touring?</p><p>The founder of EDM news blog <a href="https://trancefarm.com/">Trance Farm</a>, Erik Lake, thinks so.</p><p>"I think EDM does stand a much better chance of surviving the current world situation as compared to, say, a rock band," he said. "It's much easier for a DJ. You don't have to set up an entire stage with lights and speakers and monitors and drums and a guitar. It's so much more compact."</p><p>Chart-topping artists can afford to produce charity events or make money from ad revenue on their massive audiences. </p><p>But for smaller acts, free livestreams can't go on forever. Ticketed livestream events might be the answer. </p><p><div type="image" title="DJ Gareth Emery" height="1080" width="1440" msid="77514657" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Baer said that during the pandemic, <a href="https://createmusicgroup.com/">Create Music Group</a> has seen success with these kinds of events for many of their DJ clients. He said one of them, Gareth Emery, generated "a good amount of money" from a ticketed event through the platform Tixr.</p><p>"You can still create anticipation by limiting it to 1,000 people. So not everyone can get in and you're generating ticketing revenue," he said.</p><p>On the other hand, emerging artists like <a href="http://www.jvnamusic.com/">JVNA</a> had to put touring plans on hold. She's relying on streams to connect with fans instead, even if she's not playing music. </p><p>In her livestreams, JVNA does everything from cooking and painting to playing video games and learning how to do dance routines.</p><p>"In the beginning there was a spike in the increase of my viewership, mainly just because I did all these digital festivals," she told Business Insider Today. "There's a lot of people who didn't have the recognition that they could get from just doing regular shows, mainly just because they didn't have a name or following big enough to get a booking agent and go do these crazy things. But everything's on the internet now, so everyone has the same kind of chance to be on the same sort of level."</p><p><div type="image" title="DJ JVNA" height="957" width="1275" msid="77514659" hostid="261"></div></p><p>And maybe fans won't rush back to the dance floor — even after large concerts return.</p><p>"I think these immersive digital experiences are going to stick around," Martin of Redpill VR said. "And I think one of the biggest things about this is your ability to connect with your friends from all over the world and share this experience."</p><p>For the DJs, the platform may not matter as long as they can share music with their fans.</p><p>"I'm very happy that people are into my music after all those years. And I'm still incredibly inspired, and I have so much more to say and to express with the music," David Guetta said. "So if it's going be with the radio, with the streaming, with this channel or that channel, to me, it doesn't matter."</p>

COVID-19 left the live music industry in shambles, so DJs are finding other creative ways to connect with fans

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table no-rightrail"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Cagefighting firm Bellator is expanding outside the United States.</li><li>The company's president Scott Coker told Business Insider that its latest innovation, the European Series, looks to capitalize on the growing talent in the UK, Ireland, and the entire continent.</li><li>As the UFC only comes to England once a year and currently has no plans to return to Ireland in 2019, Coker believes there's a "business opportunity that UFC is not taking advantage of."</li><li>Bellator's relationship with John Kavanagh, famous for nurturing Conor McGregor's talent, is key to the growth.</li><li>Kavanagh told Business Insider that Bellator has been "life-changing" for him.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>Combat sport isn't just about knockouts, it's also about power - and who wields it.</p><p>This isn't the type of power that sees the UFC fighter Francis Ngannou separate his opponents from their senses, but the power to make big things happen behind the scenes, to strike <a href="http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/bellator-dazn-nine-figure-global-streaming-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars</a>, and potentially change the game forever.</p><p>Athletes like Ngannou have scary, concussive power, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-francis-ngannou-beats-junior-dos-santos-in-71-seconds-2019-6?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it's true</a>. But in Hollywood boardrooms there are executives in suits who have been delivering "a one-two punch" in the industry, and they want you to know all about it.</p><p>Scott Coker, the president of the cagefighting firm Bellator MMA, has been trying to topple the market-leading mixed martial arts company UFC ever since he joined the Viacom-owned business in 2014. He shared <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scott-coker-bellator-ufc-mma-2017-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the secrets to his success in building Bellator with Business Insider</a> two years ago, explaining how he planned to close the gap between his brand and the UFC.</p><p>Business Insider most recently caught up with South Korea-born Coker at the ODEON Luxe cinema in London, ahead of one of the American's fight events in the capital in June.</p><p>One of his newest innovations is the Bellator MMA European Series, which sees six events held every year in the UK, Ireland, and other big European cities like Milan. While Bellator has already held events in England three times in 2019, and will be at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland in September, the UFC has held just one show in England this year, and currently has no plans for Ireland. It is a stark contrast.</p><p>For Coker, UFC's apparent neglect of these territories presents a "business opportunity that UFC is not taking advantage of."</p><p>"That's the same all over the world for them," he told Business Insider. "They go to Japan like once a year, then they leave. They go to Croatia once a year, then leave. Their business has been to build US pay-per-view, which has been a great business for them. Ours is completely different.</p><p>"We want to come into the market, grow the business inside the marketplace, look for local talent, do it in a timezone that works for the local population, and make it a localized event with the opportunity to be part of this global, big infrastructure."</p><p>David Green, Head of Bellator Europe and former CEO of the UK-based MMA firm BAMMA, told Business Insider: "As a territory, Europe is actually underserved by a quality MMA production. But the talent in Europe is fantastic. We've got great fighters, great gyms, and fans who are very knowledgable and have a great appetite for the sport."</p><p>Green said the whole point of the European Series is to serve the UK, Ireland, and Europe with big events that finally focuses on homegrown athletes.</p><h2>Bellator wants to develop the next Conor McGregor</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table no-rightrail"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><p>There is no European fighter more famous right now than Conor McGregor, even though he seldom fights and has not won a bout since 2016.</p><p>McGregor's captivating trash-talk, his status as a two-weight champion in Cage Warriors and the UFC, combined with the headlines generated from his unsuccessful professional boxing debut against unbeaten all-time great Floyd Mayweather, created an athlete as famous as Mayweather himself.</p><p>For Coker, Bellator wants to develop "the next Conor McGregor."</p><p>He said: "There's so much talent here in this territory and throughout Europe. We want to grow it, build it, and really nurture the next round of superstars for Bellator."</p><p>To do that, its unique relationship with McGregor's coach John Kavanagh, who runs the Straight Blast Gym (SBG) fight club in Dublin, Ireland will be key.</p><p>"He's got the special sauce," Coker joked, describing Kavanagh's success with fighters like McGregor, Artem Lobov, Frans Mlambo, Gunnar Nelson, Dillon Danis, Charlie Ward, and James Gallagher.</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bellator-223-results-james-gallagher-paul-daley-2019-6?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Gallagher earns decision win at Bellator 223 … just don't ask him about his Straight Blast Gym teammate Conor McGregor like we did</a></em></p><p>"He's a great coach and they're not easy to find. There's probably 80% of the MMA talent coming out of four gyms. AKA in San Jose is one. Jackson Wink in Albuquerque, two. American Top Team, in Florida. There's three. And Kavanagh is one of those guys who is producing, and will continue to produce, world class talent."</p><p>Green added that Kavanagh is "a very big friend of the brand," and said there's a "perfect storm" involving Kavanagh and McGregor, who "captured the national imagination in Ireland." On McGregor specifically, Green said: "He made people realize MMA was a sport you could be successful in and a sport you could earn a living from. You could be a star.</p><p>"That, with John, with the SBG in Dublin, creates a lot of young prospects … people keen to get into the sport and maybe decide to get into it rather than get into rugby, boxing, or Gaelic football.</p><p>"One of our first moves with Bellator Europe was to use that relationship with John. You see it with the likes of James Gallagher. And the Irish fans are fantastic. Dublin itself has this brilliant arena that's right on the river, fairly central to town, and it's just this really loud ampitheater."</p><p>Green told Business Insider he wants Bellator to be in Dublin at least twice a year. The first show in 2019 lands in September and will involve Gallagher as one of the headline attractions, fighting Cal Ellenor in a bantamweight bout.</p><p>But Gallagher is just one of many fighters Kavanagh will represent at the show.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table no-rightrail"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><p>Kavanagh told Business Insider he has "a lot of fighters" involved with Bellator, who he says is "making an impact in Europe" with its European Series.</p><p>"Without being overly dramatic, it has been really life-changing for me and the team," he said. "There's never before been this number of big shows around Europe. The UFC was great when it came into town but it was fairly irregular whereas now, in Ireland, we have two guaranteed cards a year, then we have a bunch of cards in the UK, and also around the rest of Europe.</p><p>"So for Europe-based fighters, the only chance they really had of making a career out of fighting was having to travel to the US all the time. Whereas now they can get enough fights to be kept busy on the European circuit."</p><p>He added: "I'm very grateful [that] I can have a few fights where I'm on the same timezone at home without having to adjust all the time going to the States. It's been a great relationship so far and I hope it continues."</p><p>And if a young, gifted fighter walked into SBG tomorrow, would Kavanagh advise him or her to sign with Bellator?</p><p>"Now you're trying to get me in trouble," he said.</p><p>"Different fighters have different needs and different wants. Some fighters are adamant that they want to be in Bellator, others are adamant that they want to be in UFC. That's not really my role.</p><p>"I have plenty of guys in the UFC roster … yeah, I have to tread this line a little bit carefully about my employer somewhat. I enjoy working with both. I have a helluva lot more fighters with Bellator, more connection with Bellator. But I do have good relationships with the UFC and have some good fighters on their cards."</p><p>When you speak to Kavanagh, 42, it is clear he is one part mixed martial arts and one part philosophy. In the 11 to 12 years after he founded SBG in 2002, he said the team had been "working hard in the background, getting our skill-level up" because "luck is where opportunity meets preparation."</p><p>An opportunity came along in 2013 "so we got lucky," Kavanagh said. That opportunity was McGregor's UFC debut.</p><p>It was a clear milestone for Kavanagh and his SBG fight club, as McGregor took just 77 seconds to obliterate Marcus Brimage at a UFC on Fuel TV event in Stockholm, Sweden.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table no-rightrail"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><p>"Conor, as he says himself, kicked the door in and opened up a lot of opportunities for all of the Ireland-based fighters, whether that was on UFC or Bellator, in shows around the world. He was such a big persona, personality, and inspiration for a lot of fighters," he said.</p><p>That win for McGregor, for Kavanagh, and for the SBG team changed Kavanagh's life and career for the better. "I compare it to the Cambrian evolution explosion," he said, laughing, referencing an event approximately 541 million years ago when most of the major groups of animals began to appear in the fossil record.</p><p>That night in Sweden was the catalyst for a new lease of life in his gym. Suddenly, SBG was brimming with activity. "I went from having a very small number of fighters that were fighting and being paid as professional fighters, to having a fairly large gang of 35-40 fighters between UFC and Bellator," he said.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table no-rightrail"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><p>For Green, before Bellator came along with its European Series, there was no "focus on these talent pools in Europe."</p><p>Now there is, Green said. And as well as Kavanagh's SBG, Green is excited to unearth more talent from London Shootfighters, home to current Bellator star Michael "Venom" Page, and Nottingham's Spirit Dojo, owned by battle-hardened veteran Paul Daley.</p><p>"There's gyms all over Europe, as well as UK and Ireland, where the talent is exceptional and getting better all the time," Green said.</p><p>"Stockholm has one of the biggest concentrations of MMA gyms in the world. Sweden has huge amateur success and the country excels and punches above its weight. So you've got places like that. You've obviously got Holland."</p><p>Green also said "there's some killers" in Russia, too. But while Russia is not in the company's short-term plan, "our movement into Europe will undoubtedly creep in that direction sooner or later."</p><p>It all creates a "fully rounded MMA scene," Green said.</p><p>It is a scene where the top talents can be provided with a platform that, for Coker, is the best in the entire business.</p><p>Bellator has distribution deals with Paramount and DAZN in the US, and Channel 5 and Sky Sports in the UK. The Sky Sports agreement means fighters will not only be showcasing their skills on fight night, but will also be present during segments on the Sky Sports News channel, and be written about on the broadcaster's website SkySports.com</p><p>"The distribution between Sky Sports and Channel 5 in the UK and the Virgin deal in Ireland means we have the best distribution in all MMA of any MMA company in this territory," Coker told Business Insider. "No one has a better distribution deal, not even the UFC.</p><p>"To be on terrestrial television and Sky Sports … we have a one-two punch right now, and it's a good feeling."</p><p>Green added that Bellator's presence on Sky Sports brings legitimacy to the brand and to the sport, as they had not previously embraced MMA. "We're about building the sport as well as building Bellator," he said.</p><p>Bellator's next event is the Bellator 225 show scheduled for August 24 in Connecticut, but returns to Europe the following month with its Irish extravaganza.</p><p>Coker said: "If you look at the commitment to growing the fanbase, we're here for the long haul. Come watch our shows. It's a completely different and great fan experience. And if you can't come in, watch on TV. Bellator is here to stay."</p>

Cagefighting firm Bellator wants to exploit a market which has been largely neglected by the UFC, and Conor McGregor's coach John Kavanagh is a crucial part of the plan

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