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<ul class="summary-list"><li>D<strong>wayne "<keyword id="11995423" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="the-rock" source="Orion">The Rock</keyword>" Johnson shared on Instagram that he surprised his mom with a house. </strong></li><li><strong>In his videos, Johnson highlighted the personal details he had added to the house for Ata Johnson.</strong></li></ul><p>Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson surprised his mom, Ata Johnson, with her dream house. </p><p>On Sunday, Johnson shared several videos on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CeZlEzWFWIG/">Instagram</a> showing off all the personal details he and his design team included in the house. The first was a "Le Samoana" sign over the door, referencing their Samoan heritage. </p><p>"When I was a little boy, I hated when my mom would cry ~ these days, I'll happily take her tears of joy," he captioned the first video. "I surprised my mom and bought her a new home... Everything she saw was brand new and a total surprise."</p><p>Johnson added that although <a href="https://www.insider.com/dwayne-the-rock-johnson-career-timeline-2021-7">he's bought his mom several homes over the years</a>, this one meant more because it will probably be the last.</p><p>"This one is special, as she's told me over and over these past few years, 'After a lifetime of traveling, I want this home to be my last. That's my dream,'" the actor wrote in his caption. </p><p>In the second video Johnson posted to Instagram on Sunday, he showed off the unique, personal touches he had incorporated into the house. His mom's vintage ukuleles are displayed on a family room wall, as well as an array of pictures of their ancestors that Johnson said his mom hasn't seen since she was a child. </p><p>"She misses her mom and dad. I miss them too. Thank you, God, for blessing me with a little bit of work ethic to make stuff like this happen. Enjoy your new home, mom!!" he captioned the video. </p><p>Johnson posted a final video on Monday, where he showed viewers his mom walking into her new WWE "Smackdown" room. In the caption, he wrote that over the years, her old "Smackdown" rooms became too crowded with all his memorabilia from his time as a wrestler, so he had built-ins added and more items from his past put into this new one. </p><p>"It's my least favorite because the last thing I want to do is stand in a DJ Shrine while people look around as my mom takes them thru all the stuff I've done," he wrote. "But, truth is, when I'm BY MYSELF, these 'Smackdown<em>'</em> rooms she creates have such positive energy and beautiful mana. Always a good reminder for me to never forget where I came and always be grateful for [the] grind."</p><p>Representatives for Johnson and his mom did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. </p>

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson buys his mom her dream house complete with a WWE 'Smackdown' room dedicated to him

<ul class="summary-list"><li>YouTuber Colleen Ballinger posted a 10-minute ukulele song in response to accusations she was inappropriate with fans.</li><li>Many of the people who accused Ballinger have expressed anger at the video.</li></ul><p>On June 28, YouTuber Colleen Ballinger strummed along to a ukulele while she <a href="https://www.insider.com/colleen-ballinger-responds-to-grooer-claims-in-ukulele-song-2023-6">responded to allegations</a> of inappropriate behavior with fans in a 10-minute <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceKMnyMYIMo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube video</a> titled, "hi." </p><p>The song, which has been dubbed "Toxic Gossip Train" after one of its lyrics, has gone viral, and TikTokers are using it as inspiration to create their own parody songs. </p><p>Ballinger created "Miranda Sings," an eccentric fictional character that sings and dances badly and responds to her critics with her catchphrase, "Haters back off," in 2008. She rose to huge popularity in the 2010s, and today, Miranda Sings' <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@mirandasings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube channel</a> has over 10.7 million subscribers. </p><p>Over the past few years, accusations have been mounting against Ballinger. In 2020, the YouTuber <a href="https://www.insider.com/colleen-ballinger-apology-accusations-lingerie-teen-fan-miranda-sings-2020-5">confirmed that she had sent lingerie</a> to one of her fans, Adam McIntyre, when he was 13 years old. (At the time, Ballinger said it wasn't "sneaky" or "gross," but rather a part of a longstanding tradition she had within her fandom of giving away different items.)</p><p>The allegations have recently resurfaced, partly as a result of a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC88nVkj-2U" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new YouTube video</a> posted by McIntyre, and a <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@noitsbecks/video/7245780524344659243" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok video</a> posted by a user named Becky. Both have alleged that Ballinger acted inappropriately towards them when they were minors. </p><p>After taking several weeks away from the internet since the accusations began, Ballinger responded with a 10-minute video on June 30, in which she sang along while strumming a ukelele — <a href="https://www.insider.com/colleen-ballinger-responds-to-grooer-claims-in-ukulele-song-2023-6">a choice many found bizarre</a>.</p><p>In the video, she denied being a "groomer." She sang, "Many years ago, I used to message my fans, but not in a creepy way like a lot of you are trying to suggest. It was more of a loser kind of way."</p><p>So far, the video has been viewed over 7.8 million times and sparked a whole new meme.</p><p>On June 30, comedian and "America's Got Talent" judge Howie Mandel, who goes by the TikTok username <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@officialhowiemandel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@officialhowiemandel</a>, spoofed Ballinger's video with his own <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@officialhowiemandel/video/7250302360759602475" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mock apology video</a> captioned "Apology Video". </p><p>In his parody song, which has been watched over 6.3 million times so far, Mandel strums a guitar while pretending to apologize for a controversial TikTok video he posted in July 2022. In the TikTok, Mandel had shown his friend's prolapsed anus and asked, "Does somebody know if this is COVID related?" Mandel deleted the video soon after he posted it, but many users had already seen it. </p><p>"People told me not to do this, but nobody said I shouldn't sing this," Mandel said in the video, seemingly referencing the beginning of Ballinger's video, where she said: "Even though my team has strongly advised me to not say what I want to say, I recently realized they never said I couldn't sing what I wanted to say."</p><p>In the rest of his two-minute video, Mandel sang that he was "just a human being, who didn't know what a prolapse was." He referred to the incident as getting on the "prolapse train," parodying Ballinger's concept of the "toxic gossip train." Throughout the video, someone off-screen sellotaped objects to Mandel's head while he sang. </p> <p>Amanda Nolan, who goes by the username <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@amandumb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@amandumb</a> on TikTok where she has over 613,000 followers, has made multiple videos parodying Ballinger's.</p><p>In <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@amandumb/video/7250225831157452078" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one</a>, which has over 3.9 million views, Nolan sings from the perspective of several influencers including Shane Dawson, who <a href="https://www.insider.com/shane-dawson-cat-sexual-assault-apology-2019-3">joked about sexually assaulting a cat</a>, and beauty YouTuber Jaclyn Hill who was <a href="https://www.insider.com/jaclyn-hill-responds-to-broken-lipstick-reactions-accusations-2019-6">accused of selling broken lipsticks</a> in 2019, reimagining their apologies.</p><p>In another <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@amandumb/video/7250574471101156650" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a>, which has 1.9 million views, she referenced Jenna Marbles, who made a 45-minute <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFwMTG6T_PI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube apology video</a> after fans accused her of animal abuse for buying a circular fish tank in 2017.  </p> <p>TikToker Chris Quazzo, who goes by the username <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@quazzomodo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@quazzomodo</a> and has over 700,000 followers, posted a <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@quazzomodo/video/7250921063373245742" target="_blank" rel="noopener">parody video</a> captioned "Colleen Apology Video (Ice Spice Remix)." In the video, which has gained over 200,000 views since it was posted on July 2, Quazzo rapped over the sound of Ballinger's ukulele apology song. </p><p>In the song, which he appeared to be singing from the perspective of Ballinger, Quazzo suggested that she was "not really sorry," and that she was playing people "like a ukulele." </p> <p>On July 1, TikTok user <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@fleetwoodmacarena" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@fleetwoodmacarena</a> also posted a parody apology <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@fleetwoodmacarena/video/7250538682497666310" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a> in which she pretended to be sorry for eating a human being. She said that she was "not a cannibal," and that she was "just hungry," playing off Ballinger's "not a groomer, just a loser" lyric. "Oh, so you're all so perfect and you've never gotten really hungry or wondered what humans taste like?" she said. </p><p>So far, the video has over 155,000 views. </p> <p>Many of the people who accused Ballinger have expressed anger at the apology, including McIntyre. On July 1, he responded to Ballinger's video with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsfezYbjZdA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his own apology song</a> titled, "hi." So far, his video has been viewed over 1.8 million times.</p><p>On July 3, YouTuber Trisha Paytas, who had recently begun collaborating on a podcast with Ballinger titled, "Oversharing with Colleen Ballinger &amp; Trisha Paytas," uploaded a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj3D_XRowC8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube video</a> titled "colleen," where Paytas revealed they were "shocked" by Ballinger's video. </p><p>"I wasn't aware of the most recent things that are coming out," Paytas said. "Everyone knows I have a very, very, very firm stance on talking to anyone underage. Platonic or not, I've always been very firm with this that I think it's inappropriate."</p><p>Ballinger did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. </p>

A controversial YouTuber's ukelele 'apology' video was so bizarre it's sparked a whole new genre of meme

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="207748" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Lori-Loughlin">Lori Loughlin</keyword>, who with her husband <a href="https://www.insider.com/lori-loughlin-mossimo-giannulli-college-admissions-scandal-sentenced-2020-8">paid $500,000 to guarantee their daughters' admission</a> to the University of Southern <keyword id="2379" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="California">California</keyword>, will spend two months at a federal correctional institution in Victorville, California.</li><li>Loughlin will stay in open dormitory cubicle housing and have access to classes like ceramics, spinning, and Pilates.</li><li>Loughlin was sentenced in August and has been ordered to start her sentence by November 19.</li><li>Her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, is set to start his sentence at a facility in Santa Barbara County.</li></ul><p>Lori Loughlin is set to start her <keyword id="6362397" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="prison">prison</keyword> sentence in November, after a judge signed off the actor's request to stay at a facility near her home in California, according to court documents seen by Insider.</p><p>Loughlin will be held at a medium-security federal correctional institution in Victorville, California, two hours from Los Angeles.</p><p>Last month, Loughlin was <a href="https://www.insider.com/lori-loughlin-mossimo-giannulli-college-admissions-scandal-sentenced-2020-8">sentenced to two months in prison</a> for her role in the college-admissions scandal, in which she and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, paid $500,000 to guarantee their daughters' admission to the University of Southern California. Loughlin was also ordered to <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/investigations-college-admissions-and-testing-bribery-scheme">pay a $150,000 fine</a>, complete 100 hours of community service, and spend two years on supervised release.</p><p>Loughlin will be in Victorville's minimum-security camp, <a href="https://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/vvm/">which holds about 185 women</a>. She will have to adhere to a strict schedule and wear a uniform, but she'll also have access to classes like ceramics, spinning, and Pilates.</p><p>When she starts her sentence — which is set to begin by November 19 — this is what her daily life will look like.</p><h2>She'll wake up every morning at 5:30 and be in bed by 9:30 p.m.</h2><p>Loughlin will stay in open dormitory cubicle housing at Victorville, which has two- and four-person cubicles.</p><p>These cubicles typically have short walls that act as partitions — an example of such rooms can be seen in the <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/70242311">Netflix TV show "Orange Is the New Black."</a></p><div type="image" title="FCI Victorville federal prison in Victorville, California" height="3943" width="5914" msid="78265129" hostid="261"></div><p><a href="https://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/vvm/VVM_camp_aohandbook.pdf">Victorville's handbook for its satellite camp</a> says that lights turn on every morning at 5:30 and that beds must be made by 7:30 a.m. on weekdays.</p><p>Facility staffers count inmates at specific times throughout the day, including at midnight, 3 a.m., 4 p.m., and 9:30 p.m., when the lights are turned off.</p><h2>Loughlin will have to wear a green uniform, just like everyone else</h2><p>Inmates at Victorville are required to wear green pants, a green shirt, and safety shoes, according to the facility's handbook.</p><p>Outer shirts must be buttoned from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and house and shower shoes are allowed to be worn only in housing units and the unit's yard area, the handbook says.</p><p>Like all other inmates, Loughlin will be required to shower every day and have her hair neatly groomed.</p><h2>The prison's recreation department offers sports, crafts, wellness programs, and more</h2><p>Victorville's satellite camp offers several retreat-like workout activities, including spinning classes, yoga, Pilates, and cross-training.</p><p>It also offers crafts like calligraphy, beading, landscape painting, origami, and crocheting, as well as classes on the accordion, drums, ukulele, and guitar.</p><div type="image" title="FILE - In this April 3, 2019, file photo, actress Lori Loughlin, front, and her husband, clothing designer Mossimo Giannulli, left, depart federal court in Boston. The judge overseeing the case against Loughlin, Giannulli and other parents charged with cheating the college admissions process called allegations of misconduct by investigators “serious and disturbing” Friday, April 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)" height="1539" width="2000" msid="78265130" hostid="261"></div><p>Loughlin and other inmates can also take classes on nutrition, wellness, anatomy, ceramics, and more.</p><p>It's unclear whether Loughlin will partake, but many inmates work jobs while in the prison, including in food and trash services, plumbing, painting, education, and auto-parts inventory, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-09-17/lori-loughlin-college-admissions-scandal-victorville-prison">according to the Los Angeles Times</a>.</p><h2>Visitation at the facility is suspended because of COVID-19, but Loughlin will be given 300 minutes on the phone per month</h2><p>Inmates at Victorville are allowed to call friends and family when they're not working.</p><p>Each inmate is given 300 phone minutes per month, and calls are limited to 15 minutes each.</p><div type="image" title="Lori Loughlin (center) with her daughters Olivia Jade (left) and Isabella (right)." height="2092" width="3000" msid="78265131" hostid="261"></div><p>In-person visits have been suspended, likely because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. That means Loughlin won't be able to see her two daughters, Olivia Jade Giannulli and Isabella Giannulli, until after her sentence.</p><p>She also won't be able to speak with her husband, because he, too, will be behind bars at a low-security federal prison for men in Santa Barbara County.</p><h2>Loughlin will be able to buy brand-name toiletries at the prison's commissary</h2><p>It's unclear whether Loughlin will be provided generic toiletries when she arrives at Victorville, but if she wants to upgrade, <a href="https://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/vvm/VIX_CommList.pdf">the prison's commissary offers</a> several brand-name toothpastes, shampoos, deodorants, and more.</p><p>She'll also be able to buy postage stamps, over-the-counter medications, and dozens of snacks, including ramen, oatmeal, popcorn, and chocolate bars.</p><p>Inmates are allowed to spend $360 a month at the prison's commissary, according to the prison's handbook.</p><div type="image" title="A screenshot of part of Victorville's commissary menu" height="1200" width="1604" msid="78265132" hostid="261"></div><h2>Other celebrities have served sentences at Victorville</h2><p>Loughlin isn't the first <keyword id="6355064" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Celebrity">celebrity</keyword> to serve time at Victorville.</p><p>The "Dance Moms" star <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2018/03/27/dance-moms-star-abby-lee-miller-released-federal-prison/462751002/">Abby Lee Miller</a> completed an eight-month sentence in 2018 after being convicted of bankruptcy fraud.</p><p>And the former MLB outfielder <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ct-xpm-2013-06-21-chi-lenny-dykstra-prison-20130621-story.html">Lenny Dykstra</a> spent 6 1/2 months behind bars in 2013 after being convicted of bankruptcy fraud and money laundering.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/college-admissions-cheating-scandal-full-list-people-charged-2019-3">Here's the full list of people charged in the college admissions cheating scandal, and who has pleaded guilty so far</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/lori-loughlin-felicity-huffman-college-admissions-scandal-differences-2019-4">Why Lori Loughlin will spend 2 months in prison for the college admissions scandal while Felicity Huffman was sentenced to 14 days</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/college-admissions-scandal-full-list-people-sentenced-2019-9">Here's everyone who has been sentenced in the college admissions scandal so far</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/lori-loughlin-mossimo-giannulli-college-admissions-scandal-sentenced-2020-8">Lori Loughlin was sentenced to 2 months in prison for her role in the college admissions scandal</a></li></ul>

Here's what life is like in the prison where Lori Loughlin will serve her 2-month sentence in the college-admissions scandal

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Brandon Ginsberg/Red Light Management</span></p><p class="caption">Madilyn Bailey has 6 million subscribers on YouTube.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Musician Madilyn Bailey, who now has a YouTube channel with 6 million subscribers, said starting a music career on YouTube wasn't easy.</li><li>In an interview with Business Insider, Bailey credited her cover of "Titanium," which blew up overnight and now has 100 million views, with helping launch her career.</li><li>But she still worked for about three years before "Titanium" without earning a real income from her music, she said.</li><li>Bailey moved from Wisconsin to Los Angeles, where she now lives and pursues music full-time, employing her dad and husband on her team. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary">Click here for more BI Prime stories</a>.</li></ul><p>In 2012, Madilyn Bailey uploaded a cover to the David Guetta song "Titanium" to her <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGoCtJzPHkU">YouTube channel.</a> It became an overnight hit.</p><p>That video, which now sits at 100 million views, allowed her to quit her job and move to Los Angeles to pursue music full-time.</p><p>But making a music career on YouTube wasn't been an easy road, and Bailey worked for years building her online fan base before "Titanium" became a hit, she told Business Insider in a recent interview.</p><h2><strong>From a small town in Wisconsin to making it in LA </strong></h2><p>Bailey, who now has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/MadilynBailey">6 million subscribers on YouTube</a>, started her channel in 2009 when she was 16 and living in a small town in Wisconsin (she's now 27). She taught herself to write songs, play drums, guitar, and ukulele using online resources.</p><p>"As I was falling in love with music, I started seeing that people were posting videos of themselves doing acoustic versions of pop songs on YouTube, just right off their camera, nothing crazy," she said. She started a channel with the help of her mother, who made Madilyn pick her first and middle name (Bailey) as her stage name and helped her film her first few videos.</p><p>Within the first six months, Bailey began gaining attention online from groups like "Jonas Group," the management group that at the time managed the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato, she said. She graduated six months early from high school and began flying out to LA to film videos, using her job as a certified nursing assistant to buy plane tickets.</p><p>But she still wasn't making much money.</p><p>"It took about three years to start earning any sort of income," she said.</p><p>When Bailey started her channel, creators didn't have the option to monetize their channels through YouTube's Partner Program. She earned money by streaming her songs on iTunes and Pandora, using a website to distribute her music across the platforms.</p><p>Her advice to musicians starting out online is to put their music on every platform possible, and use a website like she did to easily distribute songs. Distributing music to streaming platforms allows an artist to start earning money as more people discover their music, and is a better option than relying on YouTube alone, she said.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Brandon Ginsberg/Red Light Management</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>'Develop yourself' </h2><p>After "Titanium" took off,  Bailey moved to LA to pursue music full-time.</p><p>Once in LA, Bailey took artist development classes and tried to get in as many writing sessions as possible. </p><p>"As you are growing your audience on YouTube, develop yourself," she said she'd advise those looking to start a music career on YouTube. "Put yourself in tons of sessions. Anyone who will write with you, write with them." </p><p>Bailey said she's been in about 200 writing sessions since she's moved to LA, and is now in a place where she has a clear vision of where she is headed as an artist, with an audience who she can release music to online. </p><p>Bailey also signed with Warner Music Group's label PlayOn in 2015 and now has a team for things like booking shows and making sure her videos get posted and edited. Bailey's husband helps film and edit her videos and her dad also works for her.</p><p>But it all started from years of work without making significant money.</p><p>"Start posting, that's my biggest piece of advice," Bailey said. "The more stuff you can put out there, the more of a chance you'll have at something blowing up."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/el-camino-breaking-bad-movie-trailer-details-you-missed-2019-9">Everything you may have missed in the new trailer for 'El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie'</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

YouTube music star Madilyn Bailey says the viral hit that launched her career was actually years in the making. She describes her rise to 6 million subscribers.

<p class="source"><span>C.F. Martin &amp; Co.</span></p><p class="caption">Christian Martin IV, the CEO of the legendary guitar maker C. F. Martin &amp; Co.</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Chris Martin is the CEO of C. F. Martin &amp; Co., the most famous maker of acoustic guitars in the world.</li><li>The company was founded by his great-great-great-grandfather, a German immigrant, in 1833.</li><li>Martin has been steering the company into its third century, tackling numerous challenges while remaining focused on the brand's core value: quality.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>Christian Frederick Martin IV is a genial, mellow raconteur who shouldn't be mistaken for a man who doesn't know his business.</p><p>The 64-year-old CEO has to. It's his job to ensure that the company that bears his name, founded in 1833 by his great-great-great-grandfather, remains the best acoustic-guitar maker in the world.</p><p>"It's my obligation to continue to reach for the perfect guitar," he said in an interview at C. F. Martin &amp; Co.'s factory and headquarters in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.</p><p>He's not kidding around. For well over a century, the company's acoustic guitars have defined the sound of essentially every musical genre, but particularly country and bluegrass, folk, and rock 'n' roll. Willie Nelson plays a Martin (an especially battered example named "Trigger"). Dolly Parton played a Martin. Joni Mitchell played a Martin. Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page played a Martin. Hank Williams. Johnny Cash. Eric Clapton. Neil Young. John Mayer. Coldplay's Chris Martin (no relation). Kurt Cobain. Ed Sheeran. <em>Elvis Presley!</em></p><p>And that's just the tip of a vast iceberg that strummed and plucked what Martin has been crafting from wire and wood since before the Civil War. I could occupy your time for many more paragraphs simply reviewing the bluegrass kings who have favored Martin's groundbreaking dreadnought design, which has become the default shape and style of pretty much every inexpensive starter acoustic one can buy. (A modern version of the original, first sold in 1931, can be had for $3,600 as a D-28 model, vintage examples of which from before World War II go for nearly $100,000.)</p><h2>A brand with a history deeper than almost anyone else's</h2><p class="source"><span>Matthew DeBord/Insider</span></p><p class="caption">Elvis was a fan.</p><p>If there were ever a company that could rest on its considerable laurels, it's C. F. Martin &amp; Co. With annual revenue of about $120 million and reliable profits, the privately held company operates its famous factory in Pennsylvania, about two hours west of New York City, as well as a plant in Navojoa, Mexico. Its core product is the acoustic guitar, though Martin also manufactures strings, ukuleles, and accessories like straps.</p><p>While there's considerable variety in Martin's offerings, what the company is really selling is quality, quality, and more quality. There likely isn't a guitarist on earth who hasn't coveted a Martin at some point.</p><p>Chris Martin credits the founder, Christian Frederick Martin (the first), with establishing the brand's astoundingly durable reputation.</p><p>"We don't know what possessed him to be a guitar builder," Martin said, adding that C. F.'s family might have been happier had he entered the family furniture business and not been seduced by musical instruments.</p><p>C. F. "developed his own style," Martin said, and would take quality as far as he could, always with the musician in mind.</p><p>Chris Martin summed up a typical player's attitude toward the company's guitars as "These things aren't cheap, but I need a good tool."</p><p>Or, as Clapton put it when <a href="https://americansongwriter.com/an-inside-look-at-eric-clapton-and-guitar-centers-crossroads-guitar-collection/robert-ender/">discussing several new signature models in 2013</a>, it was Martin that had "the seal of approval from the master musicians."</p><h2>Avoiding the curse of being just for wealthy guitar players</h2><p class="source"><span>Matthew DeBord/Insider</span></p><p class="caption">A worker at Martin's Pennsylvania factory.</p><p>That summarizes the Martin philosophy. The priciest guitars are essentially handcrafted by master luthiers in Martin's custom shop, while the least-expensive models, at less than $500, are renowned for their value. And the heart of the lineup is reasonably priced, given the predictable level of performance delivered.</p><p>Musicians might prefer Gibson or Taylor or Collings guitars, but they know that if they pick up a Martin, at any price point, it will do more than get the job done.</p><p>In that context, Martin's yearly output of about 100,000 instruments is a testament to how effective it's been at pursuing quality in the US and Mexico. And while production in Mexico is now politically complicated, Martin has been committed to it since 1989, when it experimented by shifting string production south of the border. In 2014, the company <a href="http://blog.martinguitar.com/2014/01/16/from-nazareth-to-navojoa-celebrating-25-years">celebrated 25 years in Navojoa</a> by creating a special commemorative dreadnought model adorned with regional graphics.</p><p>Mexico and Asia are the main alternatives to US-based manufacturing, and while the uptick in quality from China and Indonesia in recent years has been stunning, the experience of Martin and others - including Fender, in California - has been that Mexico can deliver a consistently superb guitar at a competitive price.</p><p class="source"><span>Matthew DeBord/Insider</span></p><p class="caption">Guitar tops are cut precisely with lasers.</p><p>For Chris Martin, who became CEO in 1986, the move to Mexico was all about making sure his company didn't become so elite that it lost musicians at the beginning of their journey.</p><p>"I saw us becoming a brand that people decided they weren't wealthy enough to own," he recalled. "That was never my family's intent. But we can't compromise, and that's an ongoing conversation."</p><p>Martin is a trim, witty man who is constantly seeking to keep the family business relevant, and that requires some innovative thinking. For example, when string production moved to Mexico, string makers in Pennsylvania were confronted with job losses. Martin offered them a deal: Learn to build guitars, and stay with us. Some employees chose to retire, but many took him up on the offer.</p><p>Martin quality at lower prices has been a boon for the company - and its dealers.</p><p>"They say, 'Thank you for giving me a range of guitars,'" Martin said. "Now we can take you from $500 to your heart's desire, and the dealers like that. We need the dealers to make this work."</p><h2>Managing the challenges and opportunities of e-commerce and sustainability</h2><p class="source"><span>Matthew DeBord/Insider</span></p><p class="caption">Inlays in a fretboard.</p><p>That's a bold stance to take as the music business shifts from brick-and-mortar sales to e-commerce. And Martin isn't ignoring the opportunity. He knows the company could enjoy robust online guitar sales, if it chose to go that way. But it prefers to work with authorized Martin dealers. (Martin fans can buy accessories, branded clothing, and other modest items via <a href="https://www.martinguitar.com/">the company's website.</a>)</p><p>"It allows you to use the internet as a tool," Martin said, adding that it's critical for retailers to emulate their physical presence in the digital world.</p><p>But beyond that, Martin wants customers to put their hands on what they hope to buy, especially if they choose to invest in a limited-edition or custom-made guitar. Chris Martin is a Porsche aficionado - he owns several 911s, the German automaker's iconic sports car - and was inspired by the factory-delivery model. Martin's "Buy from Factory" program enables customers to order a guitar and then visit the factory in Nazareth to collect it, or to select an instrument from the stock on hand.</p><p>A more pressing challenge for Martin is literally fundamental. Environmental regulations have restricted manufacturers from importing endangered woods, making it difficult for Martin to continue business as usual in an age of climate change and sustainability.</p><p>But Chris Martin isn't backing away from that one either.</p><p>"We can take the circuitous route to explain why it matters to us - or I can just say that it's purely selfish," he quipped. "If we don't pursue sustainability, I can tell my daughter to sell this thing as fast as you can."</p><p>Martin has embraced Forest Stewardship Council standards for some of its all-solid-wood guitars, and for other models it's blended solid-wood tops made from abundant Sitka spruce with high-pressure laminated body materials and fretboards made of paper-like materials. A few Martins effectively use no solid woods whatsoever. Again, these guitars sound as good as a Martin should, though for the purists the company has to come up with ways to build all-wood versions of its stalwarts and the reproductions of classics that the vintage-guitar market has created a demand for.</p><p>Interestingly, Martin's most sustainable guitars are also popular with performing musicians, who appreciate their value, durability, and lack of susceptibility to the temperature and humidity changes that affect all-wood instruments.</p><h2>Defying the gloom and doom around the guitar business</h2><p class="source"><span>Matthew DeBord/Insider</span></p><p class="caption">Pulled into Nazareth.</p><p>Observers of the guitar market have argued that the instrument's popularity is in terminal decline, an argument bolstered by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/lifestyle/the-slow-secret-death-of-the-electric-guitar/?utm_term=.a7d1a912c3bc">a 2017 Washington Post article</a> that lamented the six-string's twilight. But Chris Martin doesn't buy it.</p><p>"If you look at very commercial music, sometimes it's hard to find a guitar," he said. "But if you go below that, there's lots of guitars."</p><p>He said that for one of Martin's key customer groups - acoustic-only musicians who play house concerts and small venues - there remains abundant grassroots activity.</p><p>"The electric-guitar companies are more reliant on a superhero," he said.</p><p>So the Martin proposition is no less appealing now than it was 100 years ago. The business renews itself, thanks to the founder's great-great-great-grandson remaining true to the company's principles.</p><p>"There's always been a fantastic pool of people who've wanted to work here," said the CEO, whose name is on the headstock of every instrument the company makes.</p><p>"The brand has never been as strong as it is today. How many people, when you ask them what they do for a living, they can say, 'I make the best of its kind'?"</p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/musician-looking-for-guitar-on-youtube-2016-1">This man's life changed forever when a stranger gave him a guitar 15 years ago - now he's trying to find him</a></h3>

The CEO of C. F. Martin & Co. explains why the iconic American brand has endured and prospered since 1833

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Sarah Hughes</span></p><p class="caption">Fiverr freelancer Sarah Hughes.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>Fiverr, the freelancer marketplace, has opened an office in the UK and is hiring marketing staff as part of an international expansion push.</strong></li><li><strong>CEO Micha Kaufman won't comment on rumours that Fiverr is looking to float, but the firm has bulked out its finance and accounting teams in the last year.</strong></li><li><strong>Business Insider spoke to one British freelancer on Fiverr who currently makes $13,000 a month writing and selling original jingles and tunes.</strong></li><li><strong>The company has raised $111 million to date.</strong></li></ul><p>Even the most talented musicians struggle to turn their skills into a regular income, but 28-year-old Sarah Hughes has already bought her own house and paid for a wedding in the last year.</p><p>Hughes, like most of us, works between the hours of 9am to 5pm every weekday. But unlike the average commuter she also takes time out of her day to potter around the house, do chores, meet friends, or go shopping. She never works after 5pm, or on weekends.</p><p>And she makes $13,000 a month, before tax, or about ten times higher than the UK national average.</p><p>Hughes is a freelancer on Fiverr, a marketplace where anyone can buy freelance services for as little as $5.</p><p>She has been using the platform since 2013 and charges up to $300 a time to create original jingles. She can play the ukulele and sing but, she says, her real talent is with Apple's recording software, Logic Pro X.</p><p>Her Fiverr page advertises original ballads for Valentine's Day, voiceover work, and nursery rhymes. More recently, she told Business Insider, there's been a lot of demand from YouTube creators who want cutesy backing music for videos designed to entertain kids.</p><p>Without Fiverr, Hughes said, her finances "wouldn't be good."</p><p>"I got married in November, and just exchanged on a house," she told Business Insider. "We've saved up for huge things."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Sarah Hughes</span></p><p class="caption">Hughes gets demand from kid-focused YouTubers asking for original backing tunes and jingles.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Hughes isn't the only person to make decent money through Fiverr. <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/24/how-this-dad-made-almost-1-million-on-fiverr.html">One US dad coined $1 million</a> and got himself out of debt doing voiceover work.</p><p>Fiverr is a marketplace for freelancer to sell their wares, and has been around since 2010.</p><p>While Fiverr has strong associations with that $5 price point, popular freelancers like Hughes can charge considerably more for their services and after winning loyal customers and good reviews.</p><p>The company has raised $111 million to date and, according to Bloomberg, is mulling a public float <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-14/israel-s-fiverr-is-said-to-hire-citigroup-jpmorgan-for-u-s-ipo">at a valuation of around $800 million</a>.</p><h2>Fiverr may be worth almost $1 billion</h2><p>Chief executive Misha Kaufman says there has been 50 million transactions in total on the platform, although he wouldn't share details of revenue, user numbers or active sellers.</p><p>He wouldn't comment on the possibility of a float either, saying it's "just a rumour." Still, LinkedIn postings analysed by Business Insider show that Fiverr has bulked out its finance and accounting teams with at least three new hires in 2018, suggesting the firm may well be prepping for an IPO.</p><p>This is Kaufman's fourth company, he told Business Insider. His previous startups included encryption software firm Keynesis and user ratings service Spotback.com.</p><p>"What really drove me to start this company was that I've been an entrepreneur for many years, and I've worked with a lot of freelancers," Kaufman said. "I've worked a lot with freelancers, and that usually involves a lot of friction. The way most freelancers' work is done to this day is very old-fashioned. You usually get your freelancer through references, then you get in touch, meet in coffee shops, figure out if you want to work together, then there's all the contracting that has to take place."</p><p>The process, Kaufman said, is highly inefficient, even as the number of freelancers is set to rise. According to Morgan Stanley, <a href="https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/freelance-economy">freelancers represent about a third of the US workforce</a>.</p><p>"What we wanted to do was increase the efficiency of this market," Kaufman said, likening Fiverr to Airbnb and Uber, and other big marketplace companies. "We make purchasing a service online as easy as buying a product on Amazon."</p><h2>Fiverr made negative headlines after PewDiePie hired freelance workers to hold up a sign saying 'Death to all Jews'</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>YouTube</span></p><p class="caption">PewDiePie hired two Indian freelancers through Fiverr to hold up an offensive sign, earning instant blowback.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Buying another human's skills "frictionlessly" has some drawbacks, as the company discovered in 2017.</p><p>Felix Kjellberg, the Swedish YouTube star better known as PewDiePie, hired a couple of Indian comedians through Fiverr to hold up a sign that read: "Death to all Jews." The two comics, who call themselves Fiverr Funny Guys, have been banned from the service since, and Kjellberg was widely criticised for the anti-Semitic stunt.</p><p>Kaufman is stoic. "Everybody needs to remember Fiverr is a marketplace, it offers services that are offered by people," he said. "It's user-generated content. You might come across things you find offensive or inappropriate. Much like YouTube, we give you the option to report these things and we have a zero-tolerance policy.</p><p>"As much as we put technology and marketplace integrity in place, it's the internet, you're never going to field everything 100%. That's why we encourage our community to report anything inappropriate."</p><p>With a possible IPO on the way, would Kaufman consider raising the base price above $5, in order to boost Fiverr's own earnings?</p><p>"We won't be encouraging that for many years," he said. "The $5 is a tiny fraction of our business. Historically it's what we were associated with, but it's a very small part."</p><p>The $5 price tag, he added, has caused journalists and commentators to hold Fiverr up as an example of <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/08/fiverr-online-gig-economy/569083/">a race to the bottom for freelancers</a>, in a world where struggling workers are turning to unstable "gig economy" work like driving for Uber to supplement their income.</p><p>"Fiverr has tried to do the opposite," said Kaufman, noting that Fiverr freelancers are free raise their prices as they build up loyalty and regular customers. "We're trying to allow people to price in the right way in terms of what they're offering and experience."</p><p>The US is Fiverr's biggest market, Kaufman said, but the firm is making its first major push in the UK. It already has a chunk of freelancers and customers here, but the platform has hired dedicated staff to support its users. The idea is to run meetups for freelancers, offer tips and tutorials to help people win more business.</p><p>Fiverr points to Hughes as an inspiration, as someone who has managed to build up a steady income and enjoys the freedom of working from home. "I don't think I would have got anywhere without Fiverr," she said. "I'd have been stuck in a job I didn't want to do."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-foldable-phone-galaxy-x-f-winner-2018-9">Everything we know about Samsung's foldable phone</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

This woman earns $13,000 a month writing YouTube jingles on Fiverr

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Good morning. Here's everything you need to know in the world of <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword> today.</p><p><strong>1. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/maker-studios-rene-rechtman-predicts-death-of-linear-tv-2015-4">Maker Studios' international boss says linear TV will be "dead in 10 years."</a></strong> Rene Rechtman predicts nobody under 50-years-old will be watching scheduled, live TV in a decade given the choice offered online.</p><p><strong>2. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mayweather-pacquiao-sponsorship-costs-2015-4">The boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio is shattering all revenue records.</a></strong> Sponsorship on Pacquaio's shorts alone is worth $2.3 million.</p><p><strong>3. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/salesforce-acquisition-suitors-2015-4">Salesforce has hired advisers to look at a takeover offer.</a></strong> Potential suitors include Oracle, Microsoft, Google, IBM, and SAP.</p><p><strong>4. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/league-of-legends-pro-gamer-explains-the-most-unexpected-obstacle-to-winning-2015-4">Pro gamer Diego "Quas" Ruiz said his sponsorship commitments take up at least 15 hours a week.</a></strong> He spends a chunk of his time promoting products like Red Bull, HTC, and Alienware.</p><p><strong>5. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/americas-classic-beers-are-on-sale-2015-4">The most popular American beers are suddenly on clearance.</a></strong> The beers you are most likely to see on sale are classics like Bud Light, Budweiser, and Shock Top.</p><p><strong>6. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/marissa-mayer-has-yahoo-working-on-2-messaging-apps-2015-4">Marissa Mayer has Yahoo working on two messaging apps.</a></strong> One is for group messaging, and one is for one-to-one communication, sources told Business Insider.</p><p><strong>7. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/15-highest-paying-positions-at-facebook-2015-4">These are the 15 highest paying positions at Facebook.</a></strong> CEO isn't one of them.</p><p><strong>8. <a href="https://www.theinformation.com/Publishers-Mulling-Snapchat-Strategy-As-Discover-Traffic-Drops?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=UK%2010%20Things%20In%20Tech%20You%20Need%20To%20Know&amp;utm_campaign=Post%20Blast%20%28tech%29%3A%2010%20things%20in%20tech%20you%20need%20to%20know%20today&amp;nr_email_referer=1&amp;utm_content=10ThingsSAI">Traffic flowing to Snapchat's Discover section is declining, according to The Information.</a></strong> Visits to the Discover feature fell 50% for some publisher channels since its January launch, the report suggests.</p><p><strong>9. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/warren-buffett-coke-song-video-2015-4">Coca-Cola's biggest shareholder Warren Buffet has released a video of him singing the brand's famous "I'd Like To Buy The World A Coke" advertising jingle.</a></strong> He played along on the ukulele.</p><p><strong>10. <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/cmo/2015/04/29/here-are-the-top-publishers-for-facebook-video/">The Wall Street Journal's CMO Today has a ranking of the top video publishers on Facebook.</a></strong> The top publisher in terms of video views is UK male-focused media company The Lad Bible.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/surprising-subliminal-sex-messages-ads-2015-4">5 subliminal sex messages hidden in ads for wholesome brands</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="U0bjIwbDp8myHrSr85ETgy0OyTDvG9UO" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

The 10 things in advertising you need to know today

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Warren Buffett usually comes across as a friendly, folksy, and generally approachable person.</p><p>On occasion, he'll <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/warren-buffett-coke-song-video-2015-4">sing a jingle and strum a ukulele</a> to humor Berkshire Hathaway shareholders.</p><p>He's the billionaire next door.</p><p>But you don't become a billionaire by being nice.</p><p>At his core, he's a ruthless businessman with controversial views that many people don't care for.</p><p>And they've made him one of the most successful investors ever.</p><p>Buffett revealed this stone-cold side at least three times this weekend at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/berkshire-hathaway-annual-meeting-2015-2015-5">Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting</a>:</p><h3>He won't lose any sleep when his companies cut workers.</h3><p style="padding-left: 30px;">Many people get laid off when two companies are merged together. The recent merger between Berkshire's Heinz and Kraft Foods will include $1.5 billion in annual cost-saving "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/kraft-foods-heinz-synergy-2015-3">synergy</a>," which basically guarantees a big cut in headcount.</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">That's fine by Buffett. "I don't know of any company that has a policy that says we're going to have a lot more people than they need," he <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-buffett-celebrates-50th-year-at-berkshire-defends-3g-ties-2015-5">said</a> last weekend.</p><h3>He doesn't care what you think about his love for junk food.</h3><p style="padding-left: 30px;">Buffett is notorious for his unhealthy diet. <span>And after his investment in Kraft Foods last month, nutritionists warned against buying into his "junk-food portfolio," according to a Reuters </span><span></span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-nutritionists-warn-diners-to-be-wary-of-warren-buffetts-junk-food-portfolio-2015-3">report</a><span>. </span> Earlier this year, he said he drinks five cans of Coke a day. And he's 84. </p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">But he makes no apologies about his junk food habits as a majority <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/warren-buffett-coke-song-video-2015-4">shareholder</a> in Coca-Cola. In fact, he mocks people who judge him. "Literally one-quarter of all the calories I've consumed in the last 30 years have been Coca-Cola," he said in an interview on CNBC Monday morning. And during the annual shareholders meeting in Omaha, he told shareholders he doesn't see people at Whole Foods smiling, according to <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-02/buffett-affirms-junk-food-citing-lack-of-smiles-at-whole-foods">Bloomberg</a>.</p><h3>He has no qualms about giving high-interest rate loans to low-income people.</h3><p style="padding-left: 30px;">Berkshire Hathaway owns Clayton Homes, a manufactured housing company. Last month, The Seattle Times and the Center for Public Integrity published a detailed <a href="http://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/the-mobile-home-trap-how-a-warren-buffett-empire-preys-on-the-poor/">investigation</a> about how the company reportedly traps low-income borrowers into loans on affordable houses that quickly depreciate and become hard to resell. </p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"I make no apologies whatsoever about Clayton's lending terms," he <a href="http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/buffett-sticks-up-for-mobile-home-business-at-shareholder-meeting/">said</a> at the investors' meeting on Saturday, according to The Seattle Times. He added that regulators have not raised any concerns, and dealing with the lower end of the market means many of their clients have poor credit, which warrants higher interest rate loans, MarketWatch <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/buffett-waxes-poetic-on-clayton-3g----and-his-diet-2015-05-02">reported</a>.</p><p>If you wanna be the next Warren Buffett, be prepared to field all sorts of criticism</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-6-coke-boil-apple-techrax-youtube-2015-2">This is what happens when you boil an iPhone 6 in Coke</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="l3dWE3czo6BAuvpmMpjl6hsy6KYvjJFE" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

You Searched For "ukuleles to buy" and got 8 results

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson buys his mom her dream house complete with a WWE 'Smackdown' room dedicated to him

Celia Fernandez

A controversial YouTuber's ukelele 'apology' video was so bizarre it's sparked a whole new genre of meme

Aimee Pearcy

Here's what life is like in the prison where Lori Loughlin will serve her 2-month sentence in the college-admissions scandal

Kelly McLaughlin

YouTube music star Madilyn Bailey says the viral hit that launched her career was actually years in the making. She describes her rise to 6 million subscribers.

Amanda Perelli

The CEO of C. F. Martin & Co. explains why the iconic American brand has endured and prospered since 1833

Matthew DeBord

This woman earns $13,000 a month writing YouTube jingles on Fiverr

Shona Ghosh

The 10 things in advertising you need to know today

Lara O'Reilly

3 times Warren Buffett demonstrated he is a ruthless businessman

Akin Oyedele

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