2:15 PM - 3:30 PM
Session A:
Indie Labels & Artists Go Internet-Direct
The record industry is having to restructure itself and the roles of artist and management as well as Indie Labels as they relate to the industry as a whole is up for grabs. Already major stars have asserted their position by more aggressively using the Internet and MP3 technology to better relate to their audience. Some artists have even experimented, “going independent” by setting up a direct e-commerce relationship between themselves and their audience. No one is quite certain as to how the restructuring of artist and industry will play itself out, but due to the Internet and the downloading of CD-quality music, there will be no going back to a brick and mortar world. In this session we bring together some of the most active and knowledgeable participants in the movement of going-direct to the consumer.
Steve Rennie, President, UBL.com (an ARTISTdirect.com property)
Ken Wirt, founder & CEO, Riffage.com
Bob Goodale, President, UltraStar (davidbowie.com)
Colleen Reidenbach, Executive Vice President, IndieArtist.com
Carl Severson, Director/New Media, Roadrunner Records
Syd Schwartz, VP/New Media, Wind-Up Entertainment
Daryl G. Berg, Vice President of Strategic Planning, TheOrchard.com
Peter Lupoff, CEO, Sub Verse Music
Robert Haber, CEO, Change Music Network, Moderator
Robert Goodale is a founder and President of UltraStar, the exclusive affinity group Internet Company with a subscription based revenue model targeting entertainment, sports, fashion and other niche specific passion groups. In this capacity, Mr. Goodale is responsible for establishing strategic business alliances and identifying powerful technology partners that will maximize the company's online business potential. He oversees the company's marketing and technology initiatives. Mr. Goodale is an executive producer for the music and Internet industry. He has developed powerful online events and Internet sites for such acclaimed entities as the Rolling Stones, David Bowie and The Cure. Working with The Cure, Mr. Goodale created the first-ever Internet-only audio sale by a major artist, selling over 5,000 numbered CDs. He was also involved in the first-ever Internet-exclusive single offer with David Bowie, generating 300,000 downloads in December 1996 / January 1997. Prior to this, Mr. Goodale produced the Internet's first live rock 'n' roll concert with the Rolling Stones, November 1994 and executive produced 4 of the top 5 most trafficked rock Webcasts in Internet history. He also executive produced David Bowie's CD-ROM, "JUMP." Robert worked with David Bowie as the executive vice president of Bowie's management company, where he served for eight years. He has also executive produced various films. Mr. Goodale received both a JD and an MA from Duke University and a BA from the University of Michigan. He resides with his wife in New York City.
Kenneth R. Wirt, CEO & Founder, Riffage.com: Ken founded Riffage.com in March 1999 and serves as its CEO. Ken's past experience includes extensive senior-level marketing experience within the computer and video game industries. Most recently, Ken was VP of Corporate Marketing with Diamond Multimedia Systems, one of the world's leading manufacturers of computer peripherals. At Diamond, Ken was responsible for the strategic planning and launch of the Rio, the first mass-market portable Internet MP3 music player, which received worldwide acclaim. He also ran the company's web site, grew Diamond's e-commerce revenues from zero to more than $300,000 per week and participated in the 1995 IPO. Prior to joining Diamond, Ken was in charge of marketing for Apple’s Personal Interactive Electronics division, was VP and General Manager of NEC’s Home Entertainment business unit, was General Manager of Cognitive Systems (’86 IPO), and was VP of Marketing for Atari Home Computers. Ken has a BA in "The Psychology of Kinetic Media" from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from Stanford.
Robert K. Haber, Chief Executive Officerm The ChangeMusic Network: Robert "Bobby" Haber comes to The ChangeMusic Network as former president, CEO, and founder of CMJ, the most respected source for information on the best in new music. In November 1999, CMJ merged with Rare Medium Group Inc. subsidiary ChangeMusic.com to form The ChangeMusic Network. Mr. Haber is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of The ChangeMusic Network, including coordinating all aspects of finance, sales, research and development, and personnel, as well as providing the guiding vision for the company. Mr. Haber is widely recognized as one of the foremost authorities on college radio and emerging music and media. Prior to founding CMJ in 1978, Mr. Haber was Music Director of WBRS, the radio station at Brandeis University. While Music Director of WBRS, Mr. Haber discovered that the music industry was virtually ignoring the importance and impact of college radio on record sales and trends in America. Mr. Haber took that knowledge and, after graduating from Brandeis, resolved to give representation to college radio with its own trade publication. The now internationally renowned CMJ New Music Report was launched from the basement of his parents’ house, where charts and playlists from college stations were compiled and records from new and emerging artists were reviewed. CMJ rapidly became the first link for progressive music outlets throughout the nation, tuning into the tastes of college-age audiences and identifying future musical trends. Heralding in the punk rock and new wave eras, CMJ was the first national music weekly to do feature stories on then unknown groups U2 and R.E.M., among others, and the first American magazine to do a cover story on the Police. Ever since, CMJ has premiered an extraordinary list of groundbreaking artists: from the Beastie Boys, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden, to Hole, Oasis and Beck, and thousands more. Mr. Haber has lectured extensively at both academic institutions and business seminars, including Princeton, UCLA, University of California at San Diego, Loyola College, the State Universities of New York at Stony Brook and at Albany, the Billboard, Gavin, and Radio & Records conclaves, the New Music Seminar, and the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System conference. Mr. Haber received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandeis University.
Peter M. Lupoff, President/Chief Executive Officer/Strategist, Subverse: Peter is the principal shareholder of Tiburon Holdings LLC, an entertainment and new media investment and advisory firm. Tiburon Holdings is a member of the New York New Media Association, through which Peter serves on the Angel Committee that participates in the investment in fledgling new media companies. Peter is also a Partner of Triune Capital Management, Inc., a company formed to finance the musical artist discovery and cultivation by partners affiliated with Triune Music Group, the discoverers of The Dave Matthews Band and Hanson. Peter is a Partner of RRL Entertainment Capital Group, Inc., an entertainment industry merchant bank he founded with music industry luminary, Nile Rodgers. Peter was formerly a Senior Vice President with Lehman Brothers Holdings in a proprietary investment unit. Prior to Lehman Brothers, Peter was a Partner, Senior Managing Director and Board Member of MJ Whitman, Inc., the investment firm of famed value investor, Martin J. Whitman. Peter was, additionally, the General Partner and Portfolio Manager of the MJ Whitman Pilot Fish Opportunity Fund. Peter has successfully invested for his firms and institutional clients in a variety of situations, including the turnarounds of Musicland, Orion Pictures, Transworld Entertainment, Camelot, Marvel Entertainment and Wherehouse Entertainment. Peter holds a BS in Economics from Hofstra University and an MBA in Finance from the Fordham University Graduate School of Business.
Daryl G. Berg, Vice President of Strategic Planning, TheOrchard.com: Daryl G. Berg, Vice President of Strategic Planning, is an attorney who worked in the Business Affairs department of International Creative Management and TVT Records. Daryl recently moved from The Orchard's Business Development Department to head the office of Strategic Planning, where he has helped to establish many of The Orchard's crucial business partners. Daryl is also responsible for setting up the New York Pho, the weekly, cutting edge gathering of Internet music professionals founded by Internet pundit Jim Griffin in LA.
Colleen Reidenbach, Executive Vice President, IndieArtist.com: Coleen is the EVP of Indieartist.com and VP of Marketing at HBPR. Coleen's prior positions include the Director of Marketing at Columbia Records, Director of Marketing and Promotion at Maverick Recording Company and the West Coast Director of Alternative Radio Promotion at Elektra Records. Coleen Reidenbach has over 10 years of experience in the music industry, involved as the product manager for major artists such as Alanis Morissette, Me'Shell Ndegeocello, Candlebox, David Rice, Adam Cohen, Sophie B. Hawkins, the Rentals, Deftones, James Taylor, System Of A Down, Toad the Wet Sprocket and many others.