Financing Alternatives

Recently, I have been under contract with a startup company to do some media work for them. While I cannot disclose which company, I can say that I have been exposed to some really interesting companies for startup companies looking for funding. 

One of my favorites that I have encountered is Plug and Play Tech Center. Plug and Play Tech Center is a company that joins startups together. It is a community of over 300 startup tech companies from around the world.

They bring in resources such as funding from corporate investors and venture capitalists, data centers, hiring strategies, residence programs for entrepreneurs, resources, and office space.

If your company is specializing a media production and technology focus, you might consider joining Plug and Play Tech Center.

Rogers Ventures is a leading venture capital company out of Toronto that features media companies and technology. They have helped launch companies like ScribbleLive and Thora as part of a digital media strive for better news and live note taking. While they may be based in Canada, you may find that your neighborhood has more funding sources like this venture capitalist company with resources and support your company needs. Companies like Rogers Ventures want to hear your ideas and innovation, so seek them out.

One place to seek companies out would be to checkout DEMO, a seasonally held event to launch startup companies and products. Investors and creators from around the world will be at these events. This is a place where highly regarded employees from companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Microsoft, Dell, HP and more will be in attendance.

You will also find funding sources and other resources that will help your company succeed.  Check out the sources page on the DEMO website for a list of companies that you might be able to work with. 

Business Plan Experts Part 2

In my previous post I mentioned two industry experts, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, and listed a few of the characteristics that I consider to be the basis for why their companies are so successful. That was three weeks ago and now a few major changes have hit both companies since then. Steve Jobs has stepped down as Apple CEO and Facebook has adopted privacy settings similar to rival Google+.

This may not be the first time that Jobs has stepped down from Apple, but it is the first time that he will leave while Apple continues to increase in success. While Jobs' health may be questionable, some like John Dvorak have theorized that Jobs stepped down so that Tim Cook could take his place. Dvorak also Cook has been "acting" CEO for months and if Jobs had not stepped down, then his CEO position could have been up for grabs (Dvorak).

This is a great example of knowing how to use leadership skills to best support your company. Jobs will still have a hand in some of Apple's dealings and he also made sure that Apple would not stumble if something were to happen to his health. It is also an example of how focused Jobs is on Apple. As I stated in my previous blog, there is not much Apple leaves to chance with it's products. Every item is researched, tested and designed to exact specifications (Kahney, 2008) and I do not think that Jobs would ultimately allow someone without that vision to take over when something does go wrong with his health. I want to incorporate a similar approach in my company, but I also want to be open to change when it is best for my company.

My company is small and for now does not need to be anything larger than a basic sole proprietorship but I am considering a partnership when I can no longer handle the responsibilities and need to expand. This will allow someone else to handle the affairs of the company should anything happen to me. The most important section of my business plan is my financial plan. Investors will want to see how quickly we can turn a profit and if our start-up can grow as fast as the others here in the greater Seattle area.


Dvorak, J. "Contrarian view of Steve Jobs’s decision ." Market Watch. Wall Street Journal, 25 Aug 2011. Web. 28 Aug 2011. .

Kahney, Leader. (2008, March 18). How apple got everything right by doing everything wrong . Wired , 16(04), Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/16-04/bz_apple

Business Plan Experts

When I think about the new media industry and the people who dominate the attention of news sites I think of Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg and Apple founder, Steve Jobs. Both have been highly scrutinized in the media for their involvement in the development of our creative society and businesses. Apple is always in the media for it's new services and products and Facebook is on the front of social media users. These companies thrive on a perceived image and reputation of the people who use services provided by these companies.

Steve Jobs has done a great job at keeping Apple in the news in a popular light while maintaining a strict design that was distinct to his company. Wired magazine put it like this, "No product escapes Cupertino without meeting Jobs' exacting standards, which are said to cover such esoteric details as the number of screws on the bottom of a laptop and the curve of a monitor's corners. "He would scrutinize everything, down to the pixel level," says Cordell Ratzlaff, a former manager charged with creating the OS X interface"(Kahney, 2008). Jobs not only runs his company, but he has a strong hand in it's design and development. This kind of involvement shows dedication toward a quality product and investors are reassured of the ability to sell more product.

Mark Zuckerberg only recently developed a plan for his company. He let Facebook become it's own powerhouse before taking back the reins of control. Facebook has been highly experimental with design and features for its users, the most recent has been the development of Facebook for Business, a page dedicated toward bringing in businesses to use Facebook as for their target markets ("Facebook for business," 2011). This flexibility has enabled Facebook to adapt to new scenarios in which the old models of Facebook would no longer serve it's purpose.

Both of these companies have a common enemy, Google. Google has proven to be a successful opponent in both the computing software world and the social media world. Google+ has 18 million followers (Simon, 2010), but there has been little to no news to how Google+ will be utilized as a information source to advertisers.


Facebook for business. (2011, August 7). Retrieved from http://www.facebook.com/business

Kahney, Leader. (2008, March 18). How apple got everything right by doing everything wrong . Wired , 16(04), Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/16-04/bz_apple

Simon, Saavedra. (2010, August 7). Google plus hits 18m, suggests facebook users ready to migrate? poll. Retrieved from http://www.christianpost.com/news/google-plus-hits-18m-suggests-facebook-users-ready-to-migrate-poll-52582/

Google Plus Artists Equals....?

Google+ has been the latest trend tested early adopters of social media. While many Internet users may not know quite what to do with Google+ yet, there are many who have found ways to using Google+ in their social media strategies.

What can Google+ do for artists? Google+ is still in a testing phase, but for personal pages the amount of information that is available in one place is incredible. The profile page allows the users to write in-depth about themselves without much restriction and includes links to other sites the user may have setup. Pictures and videos are easily included and the android app is incredibly intuitive to GPS notifications for check-ins and media uploads sent as soon as the pictures or video are taken.

One of the most outspoken artists on Google+ is Mark Hoppus the bassist of Blink-182.  All three members of Blink-182 have used Facebook and Twitter to reach out to fans. Rarely does someone who is not a member of Blink-182 make posts to the official pages. The posts are usually an-inclusive and provide exclusive content such as videos of recording sessions or pictures while one tour.

When Hoppus first joined Google+, he tested out the hangout feature, which allows up to ten people to video chat simultaneously.  The lucky few who were able to join the hangout responded positively to the event with Hoppus and there continues to be requests on other posts by Hoppus begging him to do it again soon.

Recently, Hoppus used his Google+ account to launch the latest single of the new album. While I have not found any reason that this spiked membership to Google+, it certainly did not affect the fan's reaction to the latest single negatively or dash the hopes of the new album.

For now, I think Google+ is more of an accent piece to the current platforms of social media, but in time I believe it will be a stronger tool for networking and sharing than the usual sites we have been using these last few years. 

ISP Companies Join The Fight Against Piracy

Bloomberg reported Thursday that Internet service providers are volunteering to send notifications to suspected piracy users. ISP providers such as Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast have joined with music and movie groups to help curb piracy in the industry and possibly put off stronger legislation against ISP companies.

What this means for those of us that are working hard to break into the industry is that ISP companies are starting to have our backs when it comes to piracy. They have access to information that could lead to significant piracy rings and they are going to use it. For now it is just an email scare tactic but volunteering the information is just one step closer to stronger enforcement.

There is no doubt in my mind that piracy affects big labels and big picture companies, but I have been of the belief that there are stronger side effects to piracy than a cut in profits. For independent artists, piracy means that your music is being spread almost virally to people who may have never heard your music before.

Even if it's free illegally, these pirates may become fans that purchase merchandise at shows. For a larger artist, merchandise is treated almost as important as the disk sale. An independent artist might find that the most important thing to their survival and profits is merchandise.

The LA Times has reported a large amount of negative feedback from readers on Friday, after the news had broke out.

What the ISP and entertainment community should focus on is why people pirate in the first place and recognize that pirates will find new ways to obtain illegal materials. Is it possible for the industry to lead into a market with free material? Is it worth the advertisements and endorsements in movies and music to allow pirating to affect the profits of the industry? I think that for our industry, it is too subjective to predict the future but something must be done to continue to produce higher quality material.  

Alternative Distribution

I think that the way to saving the music industry is to use inspiring content and distribute them in creative ways. One of my favorite methods is deploying them in video games, specifically Rock Band. Last.fm is also a great way to integrate music with social media with the focus being on music and not necessarily communicating with your peers. CD Baby is a tried and true method but it has a surprising resource that may be valuable.


Rock Band has created the Rock Band Network, which allows users to upload, customize, and distribute their music into the game. Not only does the consumer listen to the music, but they also feel and play the music by themselves or with their friends and family. They can purchase the mp3s for listening on the go or use the artist's avatar in their game for their own playable character. The artist's profile is directly linked with the artists site and linked with social media.


Last.FM is available online and as a mobile app for online radio. It connects and streams artists to users instead of a downloadable feature. It has intuitive music recommendation ability and it updates users with concert information. Fans can connect with other fans and share links to the artists with others. Music is also available for purchase on the website by Amazon.


CD Baby is great for mp3 and CD distribution but what you may not realize is that they also press vinyl. Vinyl records have become increasingly popular among audiophiles and music lovers as they provide a consistent high quality audio source that many mp3s can lack after ripping from compact disks. Digital files are also easily traded and copied to friends or pirated. Vinyl records are a solid piece of audio that will most likely not be copied or reformatted. They can be traded and resold but most likely will be collectable pieces for a collection. They can be included in bundles with other merchandise and mp3s.
 

If You Build It, They Will Come

Over the last year I have had the opportunity to go to Recording Academy events on a regular basis. One of the most reoccurring topic is the continuing relevance of Myspace as an outlet to musicians. Most musicians who are savvy with social media shy away from acknowledging Myspace altogether. Even though its popularity with users is down, many well-known users such as Lady Gaga and Green Day keep their Myspace pages updated and current.

The weaknesses of Myspace for musicians are many. There is little security preventing users to download mp3s and video.  Those who use facebook and twitter frequently may connect their feeds to post onto Myspace and vice versa. This cuts off the ability for users who see this to use one platform to communicate to the artist using another. If the musician posts from Facebook and connects it to Myspace, users who comment on Myspace may not be heard from, as their comments are not fed back into Facebook. Since Myspace is not as popular as Twitter and Facebook, fans move to these other sites. Twitter has created a more direct contact to artists like Billie Joe Armstrong, Fat Mike, Gavin Rossdale and others with it's popularity with fans.

Myspace can be a creative outlet for musicians with interactive artwork and those who feel free to post music on the site. The ability to completely customize a Myspace page that is enjoyable can be compared to the cut and dry pages on Facebook. Myspace has an all-around inclusive site for videos, music, and commentary. A large amount of fans could help show that you have a strong enough following to be signed to a label.  

Though there are strong cons to using Myspace as an outlet for music, it still is a tool available. Would it hurt to have one more site, one more page, one more listing in search engines that bumps your name up in your own search for popularity?