| 1. FESTIVALGOERS COULD GET TO COACHELLA BY TRAIN NEXT YEAR: Music fans traveling to festivals in the Coachella Valley might have the option of not dealing with traffic as early as next year. An Amtrak service is being planned as a new means of transportation for Coachella and Stagecoach attendees. Associated Press: "The Riverside County Transportation Commission says it has received funding for an $8.6 million temporary train platform at the city of Indio Transit Center, and it could be ready for the 2020 festivals. The funding includes $5.9 million awarded by the state and an additional $2.7 contributed by the county agency. Concert-goers would board special trains at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, travel about 130 miles (209 kilometers) east to the Coachella Valley and then take shuttles to the concert grounds." 2. VICELAND STEPS UP EXPERIENTIAL STRATEGY AT SXSW: While many media companies have scaled back their presence at South by Southwest this year, Viceland has only elevated its presence for the channel's third year at the event. The Vice-owned channel turned a downtown Austin parking lot into a roller skating park, offering passersby drinks, food, gifts, and its signature party bus. Adweek: "'It happened that SXSW is doing this whole kind of ’80s nostalgic hip-hop [theme] … so it kind of meshed perfectly,' Megan Kirsch, Viceland’s svp of marketing and creative, said. But while '80s nostalgia has been a hot trend as of late, one element of Viceland’s activation stood out far more: It’s one of the few media companies ramping up its presence at the festival this year. For example, while Mashable used to host an annual SXSW Mash Bash at its Mashhouse, it shrank its presence, instead holding Mash Bash at Austin venue The Main. BuzzFeed also shed its house, opting for only parties and panels. Viceland is bucking the trend and going big mainly, Kirsch explained, because the festival is 'the perfect place for us' and 'fits with our brand.' Last year’s petting zoo saw approximately 20,000 people coming through, she said, and with 'tons of social impressions' and 'so much earned media.'" 3. GRAMMYS PLAN TO HAVE NEW PRESIDENT BY SPRING: The Recording Academy's search for a new leader to replace president and C.E.O. Neil Portnow is expected to be completed this spring. The selection committee is moving into its second round of interviews with the finalists this week. Billboard: "The week of February 25, the selection committee, which is composed of 12 members of the Recording Academy’s board of trustees, interviewed the top candidates. Sources say there were around six to eight finalists, including at least one current member of the board. That number of first round candidates was winnowed down from the initial applicant pool by executive search firm Korn Ferry, which screened candidates who applied for the job, as well as recruited executives it felt could be a good match.A smaller pool will move into the second round and then, after more cuts, at least one more round of interviews is expected. The remaining finalists will be presented to a special meeting of the board that will take place before the annual spring board of trustees meeting begins May 21. The voting for Portnow’s successor will take place at the special meeting. Portnow’s successor is expected to be named in the spring, depending upon how the negotiations go." | 