Interview: 4QFor KnowTheMusicBiz.com’s David Rose

We continue our ongoing 4QFor (Four Questions For) series with David Rose, the founder and President of Kudzu Media Group and the Managing Editor of KnowTheMusicBiz.com, an online community and resource center for artists. (Read more 4QFor interviews with the heads of imeem, We7 ReverbNation, New Music Strategies and Nimbit here.)

Q1:  What major changes in the music industry do you foresee over the next year?
The music industry and related technology solutions are changing so rapidly it’s difficult to forecast which specific new trends will be emerging in the next year. I think it is clear two existing trends will continue to accelerate: 1. The continual emergence of new and innovative technologies to market and distribute music (and hopefully ways to monetize it) and 2. The already crowded field of artists vying for the attention of music fans, venues, booking agents, retailers, program directors and record labels is only going to become more crowded as the traditional barriers of entry to the industry (cost of recording, lack of distribution options, etc.) continue to erode.

Q2: How are you and your company preparing to benefit from these changes?
Everyone has heard the saying “Knowledge is Power” but you don’t really appreciate how true that is until you work in the music business. The music business is inherently complex and there are now so many technology related options available it can be overwhelming to simply try and keep up.

We founded KnowTheMusicBiz.com as an online community and resource center to help serious artists and others interested in the music business find the information they need to build a sustainable career. We believe artists who truly understand publishing, licensing,

distribution and music technology not only have a much better chance of
succeeding in the highly competitive and complex world of today but
they can also be an important catalyst in developing new business
models for the future of the industry that will work for everyone.

Q3: What excites you?
I thrive on change and innovation so I find the ongoing transition of
the music industry and the emerging new business models very exciting.
I am very passionate about music and technology so having the
opportunity to found an online community and resource center whose
purpose is to assist artists in building a sustainable career has been
very rewarding.  Singletrack mountain bike trails can be pretty sweet
too. 

Q4: What’s next?
I am quite optimistic about the future of the music industry as a
whole, music has intrinsic value and value can always be monetized by
innovative people. The biggest challenge the industry faces right now
is the lack of technology standards and interoperability. The current
technology environment of the industry simply can’t provide the revenue
growth that’s needed when consumers face a multitude of file formats,
services and devices that don’t work together and artists face an ever
growing number of point solutions for reaching fans and selling music
they have to register for and manage individually.   Only when the
music industry and related technology providers fully embrace open
standards, formats and user ID’s will the potential of the digital
music economy finally become realized.