Stanford
Palo Alto, California

Description
A variety of new models have cropped up in the past 18 months around monetizing music. What are these models and how viable are they? Come discover the latest thinking around innovative models using technology -- ranging from discovery engines to gaming to others -- that have been leading the way toward new business models in music.

Moderator
Paul Bonanos, Journalist covering Music, Technology & Finance

Paul Bonanos is a journalist, blogger and author. He covered technology, media, venture capital and private equity as a senior writer and West Coast correspondent for The Deal, and maintained a blog about startups in the digital music industry. He was a writer, columnist and editorial researcher for The Industry Standard magazine during the dot-com boom era, and served as a music editor for Spin magazine as it launched its first Web site in the mid-1990s. His writings about music have also been published by the Huffington Post, No Depression magazine, and VH1.com. Paul is also a co-author of Baseball Prospectus’s forthcoming book, I Don’t Believe What I Just Saw, about baseball in the 1980s. He plays about a dozen musical instruments, and performs onstage and in recording studios around the
Bay Area.

Jessica Kahn - Director of Engineering, Tapulous

Jessica Kahn is Director of Engineering at Tapulous, a Palo Alto maker of applications for the iPhone and iPod touch. Amongst Tapulous' products is the wildly popular Tap Tap Revenge, the #1 game on the iTunes App Store in 2008, with over 6M users. Other music-related offerings in Tapulous' lineup are custom games made for specific music artists and genres; three of these are shipping today, and more are currently in development. Prior to joining Tapulous, Ms. Kahn held various positions in Software Engineering at Apple, Inc., from 1999-2008, in engineering and management, with a focus on user-visible Internet-savvy features of Mac OS X. Most recently, she was a senior software engineer on the Safari Mac Platform team. Ms. Kahn received her bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College.

MC Hammer - Hip-Hop Pioneer & Multi-Platinum Recording Artist

Known for his amazing dance talent and spectacular performances as well as his flamboyant wardrobe and energetic personal style, MC Hammer is the winner of three Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, a People's Choice Award and a Diamond Award. He has sold over 30 million records, breaking down numerous doors for rap music and demonstrating that hip-hop had the potential for blockbuster success.

Hammer was born Stanley Kirk Burrell and raised in Oakland, Calif. His first break came when he landed a job as a ball boy for the Oakland A's, where he entertained fans by dancing during game breaks and earned the nickname "Hammer" for his resemblance to all-time home run leader, "Hammerin'" Hank Aaron. Upon his return to Oakland from enlisting in the Navy for three years, he began performing at local clubs and, with help from several of his athlete friends, started his own record label. Recording singles and selling them out of the trunk of his car, he marketed himself relentlessly. In 1987, using the name MC Hammer, he recorded "Feel My Power" and impressed a Capitol Records executive with his elaborate live dance show. Soon after, he signed a multi-album deal.

Hammer's 1988 triple-platinum debut, Let's Get It Started, paved the way for his massive breakthrough effort, Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em which sold 17 million units and established him as the most popular hip-hop artist of the era. The mega single "U Can't Touch This" was unavoidable in 1990, playing regularly on radio and MTV. For 1991's five-time platinum 2 Legit To Quit, Hammer dropped the "MC" from his name, but kept the trademark wholesome pop-rap sound, which had won over millions of fans worldwide. The single became his second big smash. In 1994, Hammer returned with a new platinum album, The Funky Head Hunter, and a grittier, hip-hop image. In 1997, Hammer announced his choice to use his musical talents to praise God and emphasize traditional family values.

The album, The Greatest Dancer, was released in 2003. He is a producer on the MTV feature film, Better Luck Tomorrow. Also in 2003, Hammer's WorldHit record label released eight new musical acts and his book Enemies of the Father. In December 2001, 2 Legit To Quit: The Life Story of MC Hammer became the second highest-rated original movie in the history of VH1.

Jordan Kurland - Artist Manager, Death Cab for Cutie and Partner, NoisePop

Jordan Kurland is the owner of Zeitgeist Artist Management, LTD. Formed in 1999, with offices in San Francisco and Manhattan; Zeitgeist focuses on cultivating long-term careers for independently minded artists. The company’s roster includes Death Cab for Cutie, the Postal Service, Bob Mould, Matt Nathanson, She & Him, Rogue Wave, Grizzly Bear, Sondre Lerche, and producer Jimmy Tamborello and his projects DNTEL and James Figurine. Jordan is a partner in one of the nation’s longest standing independent music festivals, Noise Pop. The event runs throughout the city of San Francisco each year and garners bands and attendees from around the world. He also co-owns and co-produces the Treasure Island Music Festival.

Dorrian Porter - CEO & Founder, Mozes

Dorrian Porter is the founder and CEO of Mozes. He is an entrepreneur who co-founded HigherMarkets, an on-demand software company in March 2000. He later became CEO and led it to its acquisition by a Nasdaq listed company in 2002. Dorrian worked with the combined company until July 2005, where he helped significantly grow the business and shape the company's product offerings. Previously, Dorrian practiced law at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto, California where he represented a wide range of tech companies. Prior to joining WSGR, he worked in Canada as an associate at McCarthy Tetrault, an analyst at Harrowston, Inc. (now TD Capital) and at the Canadian Parliament, including the Prime Minister's Office. Dorrian received his law degree and MBA from the University of Toronto and a bachelor's degree in Public Policy and Administration from the University of Ottawa.

Larry Marcus - Venture Capitalist, Walden Partner

Larry Marcus is a Managing Director at Walden Venture Capital, which is based in San Francisco, CA and was founded in 1974. Walden specializes in early stage institutional rounds in the digital media, consumer and enterprise technology enabled services and eCommerce sectors. Prior to Walden, Larry was a leading equity research analyst at Alex. Brown / Deutsche Bank and prior to that Robertson Stephens & company, both in San Francisco. Larry was among the first equity analysts to cover PC and video games, followed by internet media and enhanced TV (e.g. Scientific Atlanta, General Instrument, Gemstar, Wink). Through a hands on, product oriented approach, he developed a successful methodology and track record of backing products/companies at early stages of adoption that would eventually achieve mass market success, including Terayon, Edmark, Women.com, Netflix, CBS Marketwatch, Maxis, Activision and Spectrum HoloByte. Prior operating experience includes consulting for both Digidesign and Maxis, media planning at a major New York ad agency and general management in computer services retail. Larry received both his Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Business Administration from University of California, Berkeley. Larry is an avid drummer and a green tech enthusiast.

Jeff Yasuda - CEO and Founder, Blip Inc.

Jeff is the Chief Executive Officer of Blip Inc. which has developed Blip.fm. Call it "Twitter for Music," Blip.fm is a social music DJ service powered by people. DJ your favorite songs to your friends or just kick back and listen to what your friends are playing. Previously, Yasuda was the Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of Redwood Ventures where he held board directorships and managed investments in their technology portfolio. Prior to joining Redwood, he worked in Investment Banking at Lehman Brothers, concentrating on technology financings within Equity Capital Markets, where he was involved in initial public and follow-on offerings for software, hardware, computer services, semiconductor, semiconductor equipment, and telecommunications equipment companies. Before Lehman Brothers, he worked at Arthur Andersen, focusing on strategic consulting, mergers and acquisitions, and financial valuation within the Corporate Finance Group. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. He graduated with a BA in History from Dartmouth College and received his MBA from New York University Stern School of Business in Accounting and Finance. Jeff also is a co-founding Director of the board of Little Kids Rock, a non-profit established to teach contemporary music to children in public schools. He considers himself to be a true hack guitarist and has recently played in two San Francisco bands. Jeff is currently negotiating with his wife to start his third band.

Register here: http://www.vlab.org/store.html?event_id=260

Official Website: http://www.vlab.org/article.html?aid=260

Added by dsundarraj on March 5, 2009