This is the final part of the interview with Robert Dede (of PumpYouUp fame). In this installment we talk about the music that he loves, and which inspires him the most.

And in case you haven’t read it yet (why?!), the first part of this interview is found here.

PART II

MUSIC & YOU

When did you become interested in music? What was the first album or single you ever purchased?

I was forced to take piano lessons ever since I could remember.  Though I did not enjoy playing until in college and I created my first midi studio. This was on an Atari St computer running the first version of Steinberg software.

My first album: I can’t recall the actual name, it was an 8-track hit collection advertised on TV.  I only remember that one of my favorite tracks was “Rubberband Man”, Detroit Spinners.  I was age 10 at the time. I mowed lawns and had bought a nice amp and speakers; I still have the speaker cabinets today though the internal speakers have been replaced.

Are you in a band yourself, or have you been in a band in the past? Is there a clip on YouTube or elsewhere we could watch?

I’ve never been in a band.  I have jammed with friends but nothing formal and mostly just partying and making noise.

Musical likes and dislikes? Favorite artists?

I like all quality music that has energy, from the hardest Trance and Industrial to the loudest Classical. As of this writing I’m currently listening to mostly hardstyle dubstep and house and original electronica. I do not prefer music that puts me to sleep such as slow ballads, slow country, slow classical, Taylor Swift (all her songs sound alike) and similar artists who refuse to invoke energy but instead mostly heartache or pain. I believe life is too short and its tough enough to be productive without listening to music that makes you want to nap or feel sad.

As for favorite artists, early Van Halen, early AC/DC, early Metallica, Rob Zombie, Thomas Dolby, Depeche Mode, Thompson Twins, The Prodigy, Blink 182, Eminem, Rhianna, Skrillex

If you had to name the song that moves you the most, what would it be? Can you pinpoint the reason why?

Jay Ferguson’s “Thunder Island” invokes memories of my first crush, hanging at the neighborhood pool all summer, age 12, my first serious attraction to girls. While writing this I decided to listen to it again, the lyrics and how the song climaxes starting at 2:17 still gives me goose bumps.

Is there a song that – to you – captures the spirit of your startup and what you have set out to do? What would it be?

Skrillex’s “Reptile”, where it says “FIGHT”

What goes into creating and launching your own startup? This interview with Robert Dede from PumpYouUp (just featured on MusicKO) answers that question like little else. I’m sure it’ll give the ones among you who are thinking of taking the entrepreneurial path a hefty dose of determination.

Thanks a lot for your time, Robert!

Fall 2011, Heron Lake NM. PumpYouUp initial startup work.

Full Name: Robert Dede
Age: 46
Startup: PumpYouUp
Position: Software Entrepreneur, Electrical Engineer, owner Gigasoft, Inc.

PART I

THE STARTUP

Tell us a little about your startup. How was it conceived? What are its most distinctive features in your opinion?

The fall season 2011 I took my motor coach into the lower Rockies, Heron Lake State Park, NM for an annual sabbatical. Over the last 16 years it’s something I’ve done to increase productivity as I’ve been self-employed since age 23. Usually staying away 8 weeks from family, friends, and the same-old-grind that causes one to get complacent and stagnant. About 2 weeks into my trip I got a phone call about a seven year old domain name I had purchased and incorporated into Pump You Up, Inc. The call got me re-thinking about what to do with the domain, besides parking it, as I’ve always thought this was a good domain to own. Timing was everything. If I was not on my trip, the start-up would have never happened. Also, for this trip I happened to bring along a Yamaha MOX6 and latest Cakewalk/Sonar software. So a combination of bringing a keyboard on the trip (a first time for me) and having the phone call about PumpYouUp made me connect the two ideas. Researching the idea of music I saw there was a large demand for music and a large number of indie/hobby producers. It seemed obvious to create a web location to bring the two groups together. I will also keep producing music in-house. The goal is to get one of our artist’s songs or one of our in-house songs to go viral.  I feel producing in-house increases the chances.  Another goal is to keep pressure on improving the music quality and website’s public awareness.

What was the original launch date?

It took 5 weeks to write the initial web site, write a few songs in-house, deal with all the legalities, and find the initial Fall/Halloween 2011 collection.  In the process I registered PumpYouUp, Inc. with US ISRC so I could assign ISRC codes if needed.  I was working 18 hours a day during this period.  It all culminated on Oct 20th 2011 upon my first press release.

What has been the response so far? In which countries has it been more successful?  

The response has been very positive.  Many days the site gets StumbleUpon scores above 90 and facebook like click-though rate above 30%.  Not many websites produce such scores.  40% of the traffic is from the US, 45% from Europe, and the remaining 15% come from around the planet.

What features can we expect to see implemented in future revisions?

The site is very early in its evolution.  One day I would like the site to be mostly automated with a popularity high enough that the quality of music is undeniably world-class.  I don’t want to discuss future features in detail but there will definitely be some exciting additions.   I’m also looking forward to 2012 as I have many ideas for songs and it will be interesting to see how they take shape and received.

There is a certain tendency to demonize the Internet in the music industry. I think it is all a matter of perspective – it all depends on the uses it is put to. What is your opinion? In which areas has the Internet left an unquestionably positive mark?  

The internet is the wild wild west with no law.  It may be romantic to some but can exploit and harm others. Illegal music, software, books, and about everything copyrighted is infringed at some level. Gigasoft’s software is stolen but there is nothing I can do so I try not to worry about it. Remixes are very popular but I personally find them slightly interesting. I will not place remixes on the PumpYouUp site, mostly for legal reasons.  I want to promote true creativity and uniqueness.  Remixes promote re-use though I fully see the lure of young dj’s wanting to compare their mixes with that of the pros. As for a positive mark, the internet is filled with people willing to share. From music, to music creation tips, there is a wealth of content to experience and learn from.

What advice could you give to anybody who is launching a music-related startup in the future? What are the obvious mistakes that should be avoided?

The biggest mistake I can see, and one I may have myself, is expecting success.  I have to remind myself that this is a gamble in a high risk low reward environment.  I’m fortunate to have extra cash and time to help speed the evolution of the site. I’m also fortunate to have a bit of software, web, music creation, marketing, and general business knowledge. Though with my advantages I’m still not sure what the final product will look like.  My advice is to make any music related startup a hobby.  Don’t put all your eggs in one basket; get your degree or learn and develop another skill such as software or web development, cad, or welding which will guarantee a nice paycheck.

Continue to Part 2: “Music & You”

This is the final part of my conversation with Dario Zampetti from Veenue. Read it, post it to Facebook and Twitter, and show everybody what being one step ahead is like!

And just in case you’ve been out of touch recently, you can find the first part of this interview here.

PART II

MUSIC & YOU

When did you become interested in music? What was the first album or single you ever purchased?

I started to play guitar when I was 11years old. I have studied with teachers as great as Donato Begotti, owner of the Rock Guitar Academy in Milan. My first album was Eric Clapton “unplugged”, then Smashing Pumpkins and today Queens of The Stone Age.

Are you in a band yourself, or have you been in a band in the past? Is there a clip on YouTube or elsewhere we could watch?

Luckily there’re not videos around of me playing with my old bands : ) One of my funnier moments was with a “rage against the machine” like band. We’re used to perform without t-shirt and covered by colors (body paint). Like the “blue man group”. Very funny!

Musical likes and dislikes? Favorite artists?

I love Muse, QOSTA, RED HOT, GORILLAZ and many others. I listen to lot of Italian music, too.

If you had to name the song that moves you the most, what would it be? Can you pinpoint the reason why?

Definitely is “sound of violence” by Cassius. It’s the one I use to joggin’. Do I need to say why? : )

Is there a song that – to you – captures the spirit of your startup and what you have set out to do? What would it be?

Please Please Please, Muse version. Is the song used in all the test and presentation to investors. It’s one of the most beautiful songs ever, in the best cover ever! Of course, is the song I’m used to play with Max.

Dario Zampetti from Veenue (just featured on MusicKO) is today’s interviewee. We talk about his startup (one of the most original I’ve seen in a while, actually), and then about the music he loves.

Thanks a bunch, Dario!

Full Name:
Dario Zampetti Age: 32
Startup: Veenue ltd
Position: founder & CEO

PART I

THE STARTUP

Tell us a little about your startup. How was it conceived? What are its most distinctive features in your opinion?  

The veenue idea was born after a rehearsal with my friend and business partner Massimo. We were always surprised about how hard it was to find people to play music with.

“How can we find them?”, we thought.

And after a little while, the idea was clear: to build a search engine for musicians (what they play, how they look, what they like) and try to let them to play music together even if they’re far away from each other.  I believe the most distinctive aspect of Veenue is the way everything’s approached. The idea to be free to search for people without any border, and to be free to play real music with them.

What was the original launch date?  

3rd of October 2011

What has been the response so far? In which countries has it been more successful?   

It’s still too early to say. Veenue is a simple idea, but the adoption of the whole system is not. It’s not like when you ask someone to write a text or email, we’re telling musicians that they can play together if they record a video.  As it’s not a very common approach, we need time, marketing and good reviews to spread it : )  

What features can we expect to see implemented in future revisions?

A mobile app is the first step. That makes it easier to upload files on musician’s profile. I would also like to make the sync tool available on mobiles, too.

There is a certain tendency to demonize the Internet in the music industry. I think it is all a matter of perspective – it all depends on the uses it is put to. What is your opinion? In which areas has the Internet left an unquestionably positive mark?    

Crowd is power.

Not far ago we were shooting the Veenue mood video and we needed a band and a song. We asked some guys with a good track to use it, of course they were so excited. The only “little” problem was the agreement they have with a record label (no need to say which one, let’s say it’s one of the biggest). They asked us for so much money, we were forced to step back.

To sum up, the record label which is supposed to help young musicians to grow was the reason why we decided not to go on with them.

Do I need to add anything else?

What advice could you give to anybody who is launching a music-related startup in the future? What are the obvious mistakes that should be avoided? 

I am not old enough to really advise anybody. I can only tell other people to keep their feet on the ground. Be focused, believe in your idea until you fall in love, but keep the eyes open. Check numbers and revenue lines, many aspects gets not so obvious when you are online.

Continue to Part 2 of this interview (Music & You)

The second part of the interview I conducted with Christoph Thür from Ovelin, the creators of the super-cool WildChords for iPad. You can read the first part of this interview here. And this is my review of WildChords. Enjoy, and share!

PART II

MUSIC & YOU

When did you become interested in music? What was the first album or single you ever purchased?

I always loved those evenings at the scout summer camp where we were singing next to  the fire. I think the first album I bought with my own money was Keep the Faith from Bon Jovi.

Are you in a band yourself, or have you been in a band in the past? Is there a clip on YouTube or elsewhere we could watch?

No, I am still a total guitar beginner. Though improving fast now that I play with our own game. Once I performed in Sweden in front of 700 people or so, and the audience went wild! Admittedly, it was at a conference, and the people cheered for the game, not my guitar skills. Still, I felt a bit like a rock star!

Musical likes and dislikes? Favorite artists?

Amongst my favorite bands are The Ark (SWE), Poutatorvi (FI) and Absolution (CH). At home I usually listen to Radio paradise, and when on my own, I listen to heavy metal music.

Full Name: Christoph Thür
Company: Ovelin
Position: CEO

Last week I told you about WildChords, a cool iPad app created by Ovelin that lets you learn to play the guitar without you even noticing – it all becomes a game. Now I want to introduce you to Ovelin’s CEO, Christoph Thür. He was kind enough to answer my questions, and with WildChords’ release date set for October 2011 this interview’s all you need before heading to the App Store and downloading your own copy.

PART I

THE APP

Tell us a little about your app. How was it conceived? What are its most distinctive features in your opinion?

WildChords is a guitar learning app that motivates people to practice on their real guitars. Its played with an acoustic (or electric guitar), and currently on an iPad (other platforms to follow). The cool thing about it is that you don’t need any special equipment to play, and you also no previous guitar knowledge is required. Turn it on, grab your guitar, and the game will get you playing in no time. We concentrate much of our energy on the motivational aspects of the game: give rewards, make it easy to use and turn it into a casual game (play a quick session in the add- breaks, rather than reserve an hour for practice). Both co-founders (Mikko and me) were guitar dropouts. Not because we did not know what to do, not because we did not have time to practice (who has time for anything anyway), but because we lacked the motivation to go through those early exercises. We figured that if we find a way to motivate ourselves to practice, it might work for others too.

When is WildChords going to be released?

The plan is to launch the first version in October 2011.

What has been the response so far?

The response has been overwhelming. Users (kids and adults alike) love the game, they get hooked immediately, and make real progress. More importantly they really enjoy playing the guitar, which makes it that much easier to pick up the guitar every day for a few minutes. We also worked with different guitar teachers who love the idea even more. Finally their students practice at home and come to classes proud to show what they have achieved the past week, and motivated to learn more. One teacher tested WildChords with two of his least motivated students and said that they have practiced more at home in this one month using WildChords, than in the whole previous year. WildChords records the time you play, and another teacher reported that his student had used it on average of 2.5h per day! However, we are still learning so many things from our users that we are excited about gameplay modes, advanced features, and tons of new levels.
As a nice bonus, we won the Best European Learning Game 2011 competition with WildChords.

What features can we expect to see implemented in future revisions?

I don’t want to say too much about upcoming things yet, but we are working hard to make the game even richer, with new guitar techniques, and also more interactive features. We are also talking to different musicians and bands to help us create more songs for the game. And of course we will include some famous songs to the game too.

What apps is Ovelin going to release next?

WildChords of course, and then we are planning to launch our guitar tuner as individual app, because at least we found that it is the only thing out there that actually works.

There is a certain tendency to demonize the Internet in the music industry. I think it is all a matter of perspective – it all depends on the uses it is put to. What is your opinion? In which areas has the Internet left an unquestionably positive mark?

I think music is one of the most rewarding, most respected and most exciting hobbies in the world (both actively playing or just listening). I think the internet is an extremely powerful tool to connect music lovers, and it enables you to experience music on a whole new level. But like in many other industries, new technology disrupts existing business models. As an entrepreneur, I see this as a great opportunity for new products and services to flourish.

Continue to Part 2 of this interview (“Music & You”)

Part 2 of the excellent interview with Jonas from Restorm. Enjoy, and share!.

PART II

MUSIC & YOU

When did you become interested in music? What was the first album or single you ever purchased?

I became interested in music just when my brain started to work inside my mother’s belly. She often sang to me, that’s why I wanted to stay inside and they had to cut her open to get me. It was really comfortable. Since this day I often became angry and could channel all this emotion with Sonic Youths “Daydream Nation”.

Are you in a band yourself, or have you been in a band in the past? Is there a clip on YouTube or elsewhere we could watch?

The most people working at restorm.com are playing in bands or have a really strong passion for music. I have various projects. The main project at the moment is a German rap project and is called son kas.

Musical likes and dislikes? Favorite artists?

There is too much good music. My highlights this year have been to see Battles and The National live. If you are searching for some non-famous bands, you should check these here:

http://bit-tuner.restorm.com/press_info

http://my-heart-belongs-to-cecilia-winter.restorm.com/press_info

http://kwest.restorm.com/press_info

http://slagincullet.restorm.com/press_info

If you had to name the song that moves you the most, what would it be? Can you pinpoint the reason why?

No, I cant. Everyday is a new song. But you definitely shouldn’t miss the drinking song.

Is there a song that – to you – captures the spirit of your startup and what you have set out to do? What would it be?

This song has it all: the ideas, the positive groove, the speed, the impulse to change old structures and the bloody fights we sometimes have in our team meetings.

Believe me, you’re surely not wanting to pass on this interview with Jonas Brander from Restorm, the platform for licensing music online I reviewed last month on MusicKO. I praised the service quite extensively back then, and the conversation I was fortunate enough to have with Jonas simply exemplifies the way of thinking of those with the vision and the skill to create revolutionary digital services.
You can read Part 1 of the interview below. Part 2 (“Music & You”) is right here.

Full Name: Jonas Brander
Age: 25
Startup: restorm.com
Position: media & communication

PART I

THE STARTUP

Tell us a little about your startup. How was it conceived? What are its most distinctive features in your opinion?

We built an artist-based music platform that offers solutions for the challenges of the music industry. There should be one place for everyone who loves music, one meeting point where artists, labels, promoters, media representatives and music lovers can connect to share their music, offer gigs and tickets or talk about music.

At the moment we focus to build professional and completely free tools to help artists to earn more money and create more attention while saving time. For example restorm.com allows bands and labels to sell music directly to their fans. It only takes a few minutes to set up a personal download shop, which can be embedded on their homepage or on Facebook. 90% of all sales go directly to the artists. Another feature is the connect tool that allows you to synchronize Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Soundcloud, Youtube and large Eventdatabases with each other at once. With the so-called Minipage you can embed the entire restorm.com profile anywhere on the web. Just to mention a few of our tools.

What was the original launch date?

restorm.com was launched in 2007, but it had another focus back then. Our CEO Philippe Perreaux became the main shareholder of the company in 2008 and in the course of this change we had a big personal and conceptual shift towards the vision we represent now. So the real starting point was at the end of 2008. The following two years were mainly programming to get a unique profile and stand out from other music platforms.

What has been the response so far? In which countries has it been more successful?  

Since we have a clear profile, the feedback has been really good. For example, just recently there was a huge survey from a university and the biggest German independent music association. They analyzed 13 music platforms in eight categories and restorm.com won far in front of well-known services such as Bandcamp, Spotifiy or Soundcloud.

As we started in Switzerland its consequence was that we first had the most members in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. But since we are available in five languages and have a global approach, we daily get more and more bands form all over the world. So this discrepancy should be history soon.

What features can we expect to see implemented in future revisions?

One of our main ideas always was to simplify the really difficult process of music licensing, so that everybody can profit from it. We are really close to finishing this project. The system is called rightclearing.com and will be a modern and innovative licensing platform. Every step of the process is fully automated, from finding songs to creating legal contracts and paying. The state-of-the-art technology behind rightclearing will open up a previously exclusive field to all potential licensors and licensees.

At the moment it’s only open for musicians and labels. They can set up their songs and integrate them into rightclearing. As soon as we have a big soundpool of good music we will launch an additional homepage, where licensees like advertisers can find the right song for their project in less then a minute. The launch will be within the next few months, for sure.

Our team is full of creative and dedicated people, so there will be a lot of other stuff coming soon. Just to mention some: customizable business profiles on restorm.com, a Facebook App for Labels and a new version of the “Minipage”.

There is a certain tendency to demonize the Internet in the music industry. I think it is all a matter of perspective – it all depends on the uses it is put to. What is your opinion? In which areas has the Internet left an unquestionably positive mark?  

I agree with you. The Internet also offers the possibility democratize many processes of the music industry, thereby creating the possibility for many independent musicians and labels to run their own business without big majors. Many of the big music companies just overslept the change of the business and are now lamenting all the time about the troubles. What we need, and what we do with restorm.com, is to develop new models with a positive approach that help artists to earn money.

What advice could you give to anybody who is launching a music-related startup in the future? What are the obvious mistakes that should be avoided?

To always keep the passion for music and the creativity to think outside the box. If somebody tells you there is a problem and this solution is just not possible that’s exactly what a good start up should start with. A really obvious mistake would be to try to do the same thing as restorm.com

Continue to Part 2.

This is the second and final part of the interview I had the pleasure of conducting with Jason Grunstra from JamCloud. We talk about his musical likes, and lots and lots of underground artists.  If you haven’t already done so, read the first part of the interview here.

PART II

MUSIC & YOU

When did you become interested in music? What was the first album or single you ever purchased?

I believe that we are all born with a natural interest in music. It’s part of our DNA; just listen to the rhythm of your own heart beat! I’m sure our early ancestors were making music as soon as they were able to bang two sticks together!

The first music I purchased was in 1991 and was Naughty By Nature’s self titled album.

Are you in a band yourself, or have you been in a band in the past? Is there a clip on YouTube or elsewhere we could watch?

I once dabbled in recording engineered and recorded a demo tape with a close friend of mine from high school. YouTube didn’t exist back then though. I wish I had registered the domain name though!

Musical likes and dislikes? Favorite artists?

I tend to follow the hip-hop genre most closely, but I’ve also discovered a lot of really great content in other genres by using JamCloud. Recently I tend to gravitate to more underground artists, like Homeboy Sandman  or Classified . I think a new artist by the name of Shy B  has a lot of potential. My favorite artist of all time would have to be E-40 because if his unique style and overall creativity and hustle.

As far as dislikes… I try to keep an open mind, and one of the popular rooms on JamCloud is “The Music Lounge” which is an anything goes room. Generally I can tolerate most of the music played in that room. But the other day someone played some trance music and I just couldn’t handle it. I have no desire to be in a trance – I prefer to be cognizant.

If you had to name the song that moves you the most, what would it be? Can you pinpoint the reason why?

The Streets – The Edge of A Cliff.

I think the chorus speaks for itself:

For billions of years since the outset of time
Every single one of your ancestors survived
Every single person on your mom and dad’s side
Successfully looked after and passed on to you life.
What are the chances of that, like?
It comes to me once in a while
And everywhere I tell folk it gets the best smile.

Is there a song that – to you – captures the spirit of your startup and what you have set out to do? What would it be?

That’s a really good question! And a tough on to answer, but I’m going to have to go with “Classified (feat. Jordan Croucher) – Ain’t Hard To Find”  which is a hip-hop love song with a twist. I won’t give it away or spoil it, you’ll just have to listen to it and try to figure out who (or what) his love is for! : )

Today I bring you a really complete interview with Jason Grunstra from JamCloud, the revolutionary service for enjoying music and videos collectively that I profiled last week on MusicKO. I sincerely thank Jason for having taken the time to answer everything so thoroughly. You can read the first part of the interview below; the second part is here.

Full Name: Jason Grunstra
Age: 33
Startup: JamCloud
Position: Co-Founder & CEO

PART I

THE STARTUP

Tell us a little about your startup. How was it conceived?

JamCloud was created as a way to harness the massive amount of media that already exists out in the cloud and collect and organize those items that you love from various content providers into one unified player.

What are its most distinctive features in your opinion? Does JamCloud lend itself to more than listening to music? Who else could benefit from it?

Overall I would say that the most distinctive thing when you first use JamCloud is really the overall app itself in that it is really intuitive, easy to use and just looks great. If I had to choose a specific feature I would probably say the discovery tools that we’ve come up with give people multiple ways to discover some really great music and videos that they may have never otherwise heard of before. Tapping into the collective knowledge of friends and peers really helps bring some hidden talent to the surface.

Music is certainly the first thing that comes to mind when using the app. But when you think about it, JamCloud is actually the perfect app to use for any type of content that is fun to watch with others. Comedy routines is a great example – everyone loves to laugh with friends. Or sports highlights is another example where users can chat in real-time as they watch the same sports clips that are synced up across multiple peoples computers. JamCloud really creates an environment where you can socialize with others about any interest really. Or how about animated short films? We even have a group that shares woodworking videos with each other and get inspiration from others for their own projects. The possibilities are limitless.

So far, in which countries has JamCloud been better-received?

We started with the US audience since that’s where we are based, but we’ve had a really good reception in Canada, Germany and the UK. Many times people outside of the US will see a new music platform spring up one day to only to get shut down a few months later due to the record labels clamping down and I think those people are just plain tired of it. With JamCloud since we aren’t the ones providing the actual content we are able to reach an international audience without any problems. We’re just finishing up work on translations for the application into Spanish, German, French and Japanese.

What features can we expect to see implemented in future revisions?

We’re working on some additional ways to discover great new content as well as integrating other popular content providers. We’ve got some other tricks up our sleeve too, but you’ll just have to stay tuned to our @jamcloud Twitter account or like us on http://facebook.com/jamcloud to hear more about those!

There is a certain tendency to demonize the Internet in the music industry. I think it is all a matter of perspective – it all depends on the uses it is put to. What is your opinion? In which areas has the Internet left an unquestionably positive mark?  

The biggest negative I see that the Internet has had on the music industry is it has created an environment where many consumers tend to have the expectation that music should be free which is detrimental to the craft. But where the Internet has had an enormously positive impact is in distribution. The cost to distribute music to such a large audience is so cheap now compared to in the past that it really empowers a lot of artists. I believe this shift of power from the record labels to the recording artist has really damaged the music industry as a whole because of this tug of war that has been going on.

What advice could you give to anybody who is launching a music-related startup in the future? What are the obvious mistakes that should be avoided?

It’s very easy to think you have the greatest idea since sliced bread and then just become completely encased inside that bubble. But you really need to step outside of the bubble early and often to make sure there is a demand for your product and that you’re going to be able to make money for your business. Also, you absolutely have to consider the artists and musicians that create this music — they need to benefit too. It can’t be one-sided where only the consumer benefits.

Continue to Part 2: “Music & You”