OnSMASH

OnSMASH, previously OnSmash.com, is a hip hop blog founded by Kevin "Hof" Hofman,[1] a native of Long Island.[2] It is a part of the blog family New Music Cartel (NMC).[1] OnSMASH LLC, the corporate entity,[3] has its headquarters in Huntington, New York.[4]

History

The website was founded in 2006. Vibe described it as a "hip hop YouTube". [5]

OnSmash.com had distributed material similar to the videos of rappers engaging in fights with other rappers and almost-pornographic material that had been previously distributed offline, via physical media. Lee Q. O'Denat, the founder of WorldStarHipHop, used the setup of OnSmash.com, which had already been distributing that sort of material. O'Denat said that this led to tension between the two websites. O'Denat added "Once we went 100 percent video, showing that original hood stuff, we prevailed."[6]

On November 25, 2010 (Thanksgiving),[1] the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement seized the domain name due to allegations of selling of counterfeit goods and piracy. Hofman initially believed that hackers had removed the site, but he later learned that the U.S. government had taken it down. Ben Sisario of The New York Times said "OnSmash.com and the handful of other music blogs shut down by the government post brand-new songs and videos without licenses, but much of that material is often leaked to them by managers, music labels and even the artists themselves."[2] Alvin Blanco of MTV said "Reaction to the over-zealousness of authorities in shuttering the website last Thanksgiving Day was swift, with artists and fans bemoaning the fact that an outlet for new music from up-and-coming acts was unfairly targeted."[1]

Hoffman purchased the domain name "FreeOnSmash.com" after the seizure of the original OnSmash.com. The new website opened on January 18, 2011.[1] Blanco said "a quick visit reveals that its DNA remains the same" despite the new domain name.[1] Hoffman said "Initially I planned to fall back and use this domain to chronicle our legal situation. After seeing the public outcry from artists and users alike, I felt we owed it to the culture to come back better than ever. We launched a refreshed version of the website and video player yesterday but have many new plans in store. I think this whole experience has forced us to evolve and look ahead."[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Blanco, Alvin. "Hip-Hop Site FreeOnSmash Debuts After OnSmash Seizure." MTV. January 19, 2011. Retrieved on November 2, 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sisario, Ben. "Piracy Fight Shuts Down Music Blogs." The New York Times. December 13, 2010. Retrieved on November 2, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Terms of Service." (Archive) OnSMASH. Retrieved on November 3, 2012.
  4. ↑ "OnSmash, LLC." (Archive) United States Copyright Office. Retrieved on November 3, 2012. "701 Park Avenue, Huntington, New York 11743"
  5. ↑ "New Power Generation" (NPG). Vibe. Vibe Media Group, September 2007. Vol. 15, No. 9. ISSN 1070-4701. Start: 139. Cited: p. 161. (Authors of NPG entries are John Caramanica, Sean Fennessey, Linda Hobbs, Rob Kenner, Keith Murphy, Shanel Odum, Julianne Shepherd, Danyel Smith, Ashley Waker, and Chris Yuscavage)
  6. ↑ Jacobson, Mark. "WorldStar, Baby!" New York magazine. February 5, 2012. 2. Retrieved on November 2, 2012. Also available at General OneFile.

External links