12:50 PM - 2:00 PM
Track I:
Music Industry Innovates and Morphs: Radio, Blogs, P2P, Ad Revenue Concepts, Cable/TV Innovation
In the never-ending odyssey that is called the Music Industry, the road to future just keeps on getting longer and more complex. Perhaps it is because music is such an integral and creative personal experience, giving rise to an unlimited number of creative and disruptive forces, but as each year arrives, so too do about fifty new ways to deliver, listen, experience and pay for the music. In this session, we bring together a cross-section of creative players, from the traditional music label and P2P players, to companies with entirely new ways to reach the consumer offering new ways to listen and experience music all with completely new revenue models. We welcome you and all look forward to a fascinating session.
Ted Cohen, Senior Vice President, D3 – Digital Development & Distribution, EMI Music
Justin Beckett, CEO and founder, Fluid Audio Networks
Bill Moore, CEO, RadioTime
Michael Weiss, President & CEO, StreamCast Networks
Douglas S. Knopper, CEO, BitPass
Shawn Hopwood, Sr. Director, Coding Technologies
Stephen Murray, founder & President of Entertainment, BurnLounge
Rick Doherty, co-founder and Director, The Envisioneering Group, Moderator
Michael Weiss, President & CEO, StreamCast Networks: Entertainm
ent industry veteran, Michael Weiss first joined StreamCast Networks, formerly known as MusicCity.com, as its President & CEO in April 2000. Weiss was responsible for re-positioning the company from an Internet radio provider into a peer-to-peer powerhouse and the world’s largest peer-to-peer consumer software provider. Under Weiss’ leadership, the company introduced the wildly popular "Morpheus" peer-to-peer file sharing software. Within 4 months of launch, "Morpheus" achieved legendary status: 20+ million users, # 1 most popular Internet software, over 1 million downloads weekly, 2 million daily users, and the # 1 most searched Internet subject. After taking the company to # 1 status, Weiss left the company in September 2001 when it relocated to Nashville, TN and co-founded ShareComm, Inc., a technology start-up venture. Previously, Weiss was founder of WebRadio.com and served as its Vice President & General Manager. WebRadio.com, a subsidiary of GEO Interactive Media Group, Ltd. (GIM:LSE), transmits terrestrial radio stations’ signals on-line through the innovative EMBLAZE "plug-in free" streaming media technology developed by GEO. WebRadio.com was valued at $441 million during Weiss’ tenure. Previously, Weiss was VP, Strategic Marketing for GEO. Prior to GEO, Weiss held several positions at Sirius Publishing, Inc from 1994 to 1998. As Vice President of Entertainment & Business Development, he negotiated and acquired the digital rights to movies and video programs from major motion picture studios, independent production companies and record labels and served as company spokesperson for its MovieCD product line. As VP, Marketing, he played a key role in Sirius' trajectory as a major player in the multimedia industry--growing annual company sales from $100,000 to $22 million within nine months. Previously Weiss spent 16 years in the home video industry.Ted Cohen, Vice President, Digital Development & Distribution, EM
I Music: As Vice President of Digital Development & Distribution for EMI Music, Ted Cohen oversees worldwide digital business development for this "big five" record company, which includes labels such as Capitol, Virgin, Angel/Blue Note, Parlophone and Chrysalis. Under Cohen’s guidance, EMI has led the industry with its initiatives in new technologies and business models such as digital downloads, online music subscriptions, custom compilations, wireless services, high-definition audio and Internet radio. In addition to seeking out, evaluating and executing business opportunities for the company, Cohen serves as both a strategist and key decision-maker for EMI’s global new media and anti-piracy efforts. He has worked to establish company-wide policies, which have allowed EMI’s artists and labels a substantial advantage in the digital music arena. Cohen served previously as the Executive Vice President of Digital Music Network Inc., where he co-founded and served as Chairman of the Webnoize ’98 & ’99 conferences. He currently chairs MidemNet, an international music/technology conference convened in Cannes each year. Cohen also held senior management positions at both Warner Bros. Records and Philips Media. Additionally, Cohen lead two highly successful new media consulting operations, DMN Consulting and Consulting Adults, attracting clients such as Amazon.com, Microsoft, Universal Studios New Media, DreamWorks Records, Liquid Audio, Wherehouse Records/Checkout.com and several other entertainment, computer and new media organizations. A 25-year industry veteran, Cohen serves on the NARAS (Grammy) Los Angeles chapter Board of Governors, the Board of Directors for the Neil Bogart Memorial Fund, Co-chairs the new media arm of the T.J. Martell Foundation, and lends his time and talents to the Grammy In The Schools Program.Justin F. Beckett, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Fluid Aud
io Networks: Justin Beckett founded Fluid Audio Networks (FAN) in 2004 with the goal of fusing his passions for music and convergent media enterprise. After spending nearly two years researching digital music applications, Beckett developed the concept of an online digital music distribution method as a way to promote democratization in the music industry. In March 2005, FAN was granted licensing rights from American Idol co-producer and licensor, FremantleMedia, to create American Idol Underground. A 20-year entrepreneurial veteran with diverse work experience, during the past five years Beckett has focused exclusively on Internet-based consumer product applications. He currently serves as CEO of FAN. Prior to forming FAN, Beckett founded SkillJam Technologies Corporation, an online casual gaming business whose distribution partners included Microsoft, AOL and Media General. In 2004, Beckett facilitated the company’s sale to Fun Technologies & (LSE:FUN). In 2002 Beckett designed an IP-based video-on-demand application for Visutel Technologies In 2000 he founded Music Gaming, Inc., which developed the largest online annotated database of music trivia, before the company was sold to Intermix Media in 2001. He is also co-founder of Measurematics, Inc. an online performance measurement service catering to non-profit organizations. Before entering the realm of Internet-based consumer product applications, Beckett was an Executive Vice President and principal of Sloan Financial Group, a diversified financial services firm. Beckett began his career in 1985 as part of the consulting service division of investment banking firm E.F. Hutton. Beckett received his undergraduate degree from Duke University.Douglas Knopper, CEO, BitPass: Douglas Knopper brings more than 2
0 years of experience in marketing, media and technology, most recently serving as Senior Vice President and General Manager at DoubleClick. Prior to DoubleClick, Knopper oversaw advertising campaigns for well-known brands and products at Lowe and Partners, TBWA/Chiat Day and J. Walter Thompson. He was named one of "50 Online People to Know" by Media Magazine in 2004. Knopper earned his MBA from Georgetown University and holds a BA, with honors, from the University of Michigan.William Moore, Founder and President, Radiotime: Bill has led two profitable self-funded software businesses from bootstrap through acquisition and brings 15 years of technology experience in management, marketing, sales, and development including 8 consecutive years exceeding quota and profit objectives. Prior to RadioTime Bill was Vice President and General Manager of the Access Software Business unit for Efficient Networks selling over 8 million copies of consumer client software through broadband providers around the globe. Prior to Efficient Networks Bill was vice president responsible for sales, marketing, product management, and business strategy for the software startup Network TeleSystems in Sunnyvale California. He worked closely with the founder to create a profitable IP Management and broadband infrastructure business before the acquisition by Efficient Networks. Before NTS Bill was promoted through senior management roles in sales, marketing, and support during 9 years at UB Networks in Santa Clara and Dallas. Bill has a BBA/MIS degree from Southwest Texas State University.
Stephen Murray, founder and President of Entertainment, BurnLounge: Stephen Murray is the founder, president of entertainment and chief creative officer for BurnLounge. His responsibilities include the overall creative direction for the company and serves as the liaison to the entertainment industry. With his unique blend of creative and business acumen, Murray has been a driving force behind many successful ventures in the digital music business for more than a decade. Prior to joining BurnLounge, Murray co-founded 456 Digital LLC, a digital entertainment company, with television personality, Carson Daly (MTV, NBC), music executive, Jonathan Rifkind (Loud Records/Sony) and Ryan A. Dadd (BurnLounge). Prior to 456 Digital, Murray served as the creative director of RevImage, LLC, a digital consulting and creative services company providing services to a variety of clients in the entertainment industry as well as several Fortune 500 companies.
Richard Doherty is a co-founder and Director of The Envisioneering
Group; a two-decade old Seaford, NY Technology Assessment and Market Research Corporation. Before that, for thirteen years, Doherty was the Senior Technology Writer for Electronic Engineering Times, where he remains a guest columnist. Doherty is an electro-physicist who has garnered more than a dozen U.S. patents in computing, communications, medical electronics, high performance tooling and consumer electronics industry sectors along with dozens of international patents. During Doherty's 32 year career he has been Director of the Urban Vehicle Design Group at Pratt Institute, an engineer for Data General Corp., Chief Engineer of Lourdes Industries, Inc., founder and President of Optronic Labs and since 1983, co-founder and Director of The Envisioneering Group. There, he directs laboratory testing of technologies, products and services, oversees publication of the Envisioneering Newsletter, market research reports and provides senior executive counsel on market development and intellectual property protection, portfolio management and licensing opportunities. Doherty's prime focus is on researching and articulating the impact of advanced digital technologies, services, products, industry initiatives and standards efforts on consumers, industry and society. Doherty is a 31 year member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and is active with its Biomedical Engineering, Solid State Circuits Society , Consumer Electronics Society, Broadcast Engineering, Magnetic Technology Society, Technology & Social Policy and other I.E.E.E. societies. This is his eleventh year as a planning director for the International Conference on Consumer Electronics. Doherty is also a member of the Society for Information Display, Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers and many other technology & professional business industry associations. In addition, Doherty has been a co-chair of, and presently sits on several cross industry standards associations and technical working groups, spanning consumer digital electronics, communications, digital media and computing architecture definition groups. He is called upon by the industry to organize and chair panels at trade conferences and technical symposia more than a dozen times each year. Amongst his many industry awards, Doherty has been cited by the International Television Association for his many years of technology coverage of digital video design and engineering trends, and is the writer most cited by the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment for detailed features on the evolution of America's Digital TV system. Doherty also assisted Dr. Richard Feynman, NASA and Congressional researchers in the Shuttle Challenger accident investigation at the Kennedy Space Center, Johnson Space Center and many NASA contractor sites. In 2003, Doherty was nominated to and accepted a multi-year position on the Presidential Medal of Technology Award Selection Committee, reporting to the White House and Department of Commerce. Acting as an independent resource on the impact of digital and internet technologies on the consumer, society and business, Doherty is quoted frequently for his opinions on new technologies by CNN, CNBC, Fox News and by numerous American and international industry trade and daily business publications, including the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Newsday and the San Jose Mercury News. Doherty is married and resides in Seaford, NY with his wife and two daughters.