DigiMusiCon 2006

DigiMusiCon 2006 - Miami

November 21, 2006

Sam Tarantino
Founder & CEO

Hey everyone! Back from a crazy several days last Thursday and Friday at the Digital Music Conference in Miami. I don’t even know where to begin. I can start by saying that I was honored to meet Bob Ezrin, the producer behind Pink Floyd. We got into a discussion about where the industry is heading plus he told me about his days with Floyd. What an amazing character! I ended the conversation by slipping in a pitch of our Grooveshark solution and he responded very positively saying that it was a concept that could definitely work. I could not have been more honored as this was coming from this legendary producer!

I also had the pleasure of speaking briefly with Lyor Cohen, CEO of Warner as well as representatives from EMI, SonyBMG, and Universal. Sueng Jin and I received positive responses from VP’s of EMI, Warner, and Universal while the reps from SonyBMG left us in amazement at their close-mindedness. We also had the chance to meet with several entertainment attorneys after a panel on copyright law. This panel was heated! Arguments were thrown at each other in support of and rejection of DRM as well as the role of the internet as a marketing tool vs a distribution tool. I spoke to a proponent of the abolition of DRM, Stephen Masur of Masurlaw and pitched him on our solution. Again, more positive response as he seemed to like the idea very much.

The highlight of the trip had to have been our meeting with Jorge Hernadez-Toraño of Holland & Knight in downtown Miami. We entered their office amazed by its grandeur on the 30th floor overlooking Miami beach. They lead us to the conference room which also had an amazing view and was adorned with diplomas of all kinds and pictures of famous people. We then got down to discussing the business concept details and again were met with receptiveness. The meeting ended well as they seemed to like the concept and were willing to work with us to develop the legal end of things.

More business news soon!