1. What is your history within digital music?
It goes all the way back to 1994 when three friends (a music attorney, an executive at Sony Pictures and a M.S. in Computer Science from Stanford) and I (a corporate lawyer at the time) started an online community/new media company on AOL that focused on Afro centric content. We cut ‘never-been-done-before” deals with many major and indie record labels to promote their R&B, Jazz, Soul, Hip Hop and Rap artists on AOL. We raised millions of dollars in venture financing and grew the company quickly. It was an amazing time!
2. What’s exciting you in the digital music space right now?
This might seem pretty basic, but it never ceases to amaze me that I can carry my entire CD collection (which has taken me over 20 years to build) in an Internet-connected device that fits in my shirt pocket. And if I am tired of my collection, I can access a service on that very same device that let’s me type in my favorite artist, and hear song-after-song from that artist or similar artists. If I press a button, I can immediately purchase a song or album that I like and add it to my collection.
Moore’s law + cheap storage + wireless Internet connections + robust app development + somewhat stabile business model = “better-than-decent” consumer experience. It’s a start in the right direction.
3.What will be the focus of your Key Note presentation at Sounds Digital in London this year?
That’s a good question. I’m looking at several topics that might be of interest to attendees. I’m currently at the SXSW Conference in Austin, TX (USA). There’s a lot of interesting buzz about licensing music for major and independent theatrical releases. As a “recovering” lawyer, I’ve done a ton of licensing deals over the past 15 years. Maybe something along those lines…I’ll have a better idea in a couple of weeks.
4. What experiences and skills will you be sharing with your ‘Lab’ mentoring projects at Sounds Digital?
No one should have to reinvent the wheel. My goal is to provide as much value as I can to my mentees, and if there are some key insights I can share from my experiences, I’m happy to roll up my sleeves, share thoughts and brainstorm for solutions.
5. Favourite website or online experience that not enough people know about?
www.iwantmedia.com is a functional website that provides news highlights for all things media-related. I skim it every day, and use it as way to keep informed on a wide variety of media-related topics and transactions.
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