Biography
This blog features viewpoints, news, debate, comment and more around MIDEM, the world’s music market (January 24-27, 2010), and its MidemNet digital business conferences (January 23-27).
Its content is managed by James Martin, of MIDEM/MidemNet organiser, Reed MIDEM; details of our eminent guest contributors are below!
Visitors are encouraged to comment on all posts in the aim of developing debates around key industry issues. Any irrelevant, offensive or obscene posts will be removed; any guest posts represent the opinions of their writers, not of Reed MIDEM.
CONTRIBUTOR BIOS
Ted Cohen
Managing partner, TAG Strategic (USA) & chairman, MidemNet Visionary Chair Commitee
Known throughout the technology and music industries as being "part ambassador and part evangelist," Ted Cohen was instrumental in crafting the licensing agreements upon which the Rhapsody subscription service and the iTunes Music Store were built.
In his previous role as SVP of digital development & distribution for EMI Music, Cohen led next-generation digital business development worldwide for this "big four" record company. During that time, EMI led the industry by embracing and exploiting new technologies and business models such as digital downloads and online music subscriptions, custom compilations, wireless services, high-definition audio and Internet radio. Cohen also served as both a strategist and key decision-maker for EMI's global new media and anti-piracy efforts, working to establish company-wide digital policies.
Cohen also led two highly successful new media consulting operations, DMN Consulting and Consulting Adults, attracting clients such as Amazon.com, Microsoft, Universal Studios, DreamWorks Records, Liquid Audio and Wherehouse Records/Checkout.com.
Cohen now works for TAG Strategic, a company whose services include strategic planning, business development, content acquisition and creation, corporate and individual access, product development, project workflow and infrastructure.
A 30-year industry veteran, also serves on the NARAS (Grammy) Los Angeles chapter Board of Governors as well as the national Trustee Board; and lends his time and talents to music & technology education efforts such as the Grammy In The Schools programme.
Denzyl Feigelson
Consultant to iTunes, Coke Music EU & founder & CEO, awal.com (UK)
A lifelong musician and trained music-therapist, Denzyl has had the opportunity to manage and work closely with many of the world's most popular and most diverse artists.
Denzyl launched AWAL.COM (Artists Without A Label) in 1995. He was also a strategic consultant to major labels on their early digital strategies.
Denzyl has been a strategic music consultant to Apple and iTunes, since 2001 - in multiple aspects of the business, including digital, licensing, creative, retail and live events. Since its initial launch in 2003, Denzyl has been an integral part of the Apple iTunes' success (over 6 billion tracks sold). He has assisted with the launches of iTunes stores across multiple countries and has worked within the editorial direction and programming of all genres of music. Denzyl was in charge of editorial programming for the UK iTunes Music Store, from June 2004 through June 2007. He recently co-architected & co-produced the groundbreaking iTunes second annual 31-day iTunes Music Festival in London.
He is also currently advising Coke Music EU on their global music strategy.
Fiegelson is also the founder of www.hanaflowers.com.
Bruce Houghton
President, Skyline Music & Editor, Hypebot.com (USA) & member of the MidemNet Visionary Chair Commitee
Houghton is the president of booking agency Skyline Music and blogs daily on music and technology at Hypebot.com. Houghton graduated from Boston University with a degree in journalism and over the next eight years held positions with A&M Records, The Boston Phoenix newspaper, as the in-house agent for seminal Boston nightclub The Rat during the original punk craze and running an independent record label. He founded Skyline Music in 1984 and began blogging about upheaval in the music industry in 2005.
Skyline Music represents a unique middle ground between the major agencies and the smaller boutiques, offering aggressive and personalised services to a diverse roster of select artists including Solomon Burke, Michelle Shocked, George Winston, DMC and 35 others.
As part of the agency’s mission to help clients navigate the shifting music industry landscape, Skyline President Bruce Houghton began chronicling these changes on his blog www.hypebot.com, in 2005. His daily updates have grown to become a leading source of news and commentary at the important intersection between music and technology.
Peter Jenner
Emeritus President, IMMF ( UK )
After gaining a first class honours degree in Economics at Cambridge University, Peter Jenner became a lecturer. Four years later, he became the manager of the band then known as The Pink Floyd.
Now, after more than forty years in the music business, he has managed T Rex (fronted by Marc Bolan), Ian Dury, Roy Harper, The Clash, Robyn Hitchcock, Eddi Reader, Baaba Maal and more. He continues to manage the career of Billy Bragg.
As well as being president emeritus of the IMMF, Jenner is also a director of the UK MMF (Music Managers' Forum).
The IMMF’s mission is to ensure the safeguarding, respect and protection of the moral and professional interests of its members and the worldwide community of music managers. It fosters awareness of the importance of the rights of artists as the creators of copyright, and therefore of culture, and the essential role which managers play in protecting the rights and role of their clients in this regard.
Gerd Leonhard
Media Futurist & Author, www.mediafuturist.com
(Switzerland)
The WSJ calls Gerd ‘one of the leading Media Futurists in the World’. Gerd’s work focuses on the Future of Media, Content, Technology, Business, Marketing, Advertising, Branding, Communications and Culture; and he is considered a leading expert on topics such as Social Media, Web 2.0, UGC and Peer Production, Social Networking, Copyright Trends, Convergence, Mobile Entertainment, and new Advertising and Branding Strategies.
Gerd is the Co-Author of ‘The Future of Music’ (2005), the Author of ‘Music2.0’ and of ‘The End of Control’ (2009), and he blogs at www.mediafuturist.com.
Gerd’s keynotes and speeches keep him very busy, with over 70 engagements in 22 countries during the past 3 years. His clients include Nokia, SonyBMG, RTL, ITV, the BBC, France Telecom / Orange, DDB, Omnicom, the European Commission, and many others. Gerd is a fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts (London), and lives in Basel, Switzerland.
Ruth Mortimer
Associate editor, Marketing Week magazine (blog: http://brandstrategy.wordpress.com) (UK)
Ruth Mortimer appears regularly in national and international press discussing issues relating to business, marketing, music and branding. She also appears on TV and radio as an expert commentator in this field for multiple programmes, including those on the BBC and Sky. Previous to joining Marketing Week, Ruth was editor of global business title Brand Strategy, as well as writing for Channel 4’s ‘4talent’ service to let young people know about new talents in music, design, arts and digital techniques. She is also author of two books for publisher John Wiley - “Marketing for Dummies” and “Marketing Kit for Dummies”, published in 2009.
