My Collected EXCLUSIVE “5 Questions With” Q&A Series - Gyft, MovieLaLa, Kiosked, LittleCast, MediaHound, Mixify

I recently began my exclusive “5 Questions With” Q&A series with innovative companies and execs I believe are worth checking out and following in the digital media and technology worlds.

Here, I have consolidated all of those to date for your weekend reading ... and learning.  Consider this my free “book” to you in this holiday season (and expect more each week -- I have a great “coming soon” line-up).

(1) Gyft - COO CJ MacDonald

(2) MovieLaLa -- CEO/Founder Dana Loberg

(3) Mixify - CEO/Founder David Moricca

(4) Kiosked - Founder Antti Pasila

(5) MediaHound - CEO/Founder Addison McCaleb

(6) LittleCast - CEO/Founder Amra Tareen

R.I.P. S.S. Coachella

Long-time readers of my blog know that I am a passionate music and music festival fan.  Last year -- about this time -- I set sail on the inaugural S.S. Coachella music festival in the Caribbean.  AEG’s Golden Voice took the massive “Coachella” brand about as far away from the desert as you can get -- a full 180 degree turn -- as we set sale for the Bahamas.  

The results?  Spectacular.  At least for those of us fortunate to experience it (here is last year’s post/review of the event).

Apparently not so spectacular for AEG though.  Looks like the S.S. Coachella is “one and done” -- and we may never see that great event ever again.  Chances faded as June and July passed by with nary a peep about the ocean-based event -- a personal shame because I had absolutely planned on experiencing it again (and inviting many others to join me and my wife, Luisa, this time around).

R.I.P. S.S. Coachella.  Am glad -- and fortunate -- to have known you.  One of the most memorable 5 days of my life.

5 Questions with Mixify’s CEO David Moricca -- My Exclusive Q&A

Mixify is a NYC-based digital media start-up at the heart of the already-massive (and seemingly unstoppable) electronic dance music (EDM) scene.  The company has its own portal for sharing EDM playlists -- but has really hit its stride with live remote, but full-scale, DJ sets.  Imagine attending a major university off the beaten track (like Des Moines) (by the way, I can get away with that reference because I myself am from the frozen tundra of the Midwest).  And, imagine your wanting to experience a live set by your favorite DJ.  Well, that ain’t gonna happen in Des Moines and countless other markets ... until now.  Now, your DJ can stream live from anywhere directly to a club in your remote city -- and can fully customize his/her set for you and the club.  Even more, your DJ and you can interact directly during the set.  Mixify, in other words, brings the virtual and physical worlds together to enable entirely new experiences.  That is powerful.

I have been watching this company for several months, and believe they are onto something.  For this reason, I asked Founder & CEO David Moricca to tell us more in this, my latest, post in my continuing “5 Questions With ...” series.  David is smart, passionate, and believes -- as do I -- in the immense power of music.

Now, onto the questions!

(1) What is the reason your company exists (and what problem(s) are you looking to solve)?

Mixify.com (live streaming site) exists as a platform to enable EDM DJs to engage their fans online and grow their social following.

Mixify Clubcast (2-way live streaming into venues) exists to provide venues and promoters in secondary US and international markets a way to bring big-name DJs into their events in an immersive and personalized way, but at a fraction of the cost.

(2) How are you different from your competitors?

With Mixify.com, we differentiate ourselves primarily through the level of interaction and access the experience provides. With a mixify.com live stream, the artist and fan have a truly shared, participatory experience as opposed to a one way consumption experience.

With Mixify Clubcast, we are redefining live streaming to be not only about streaming out from big events, but streaming desirable artists into smaller markets and events. The differentiation comes through our technology, industry relationships and the fact that we are creating a new market with promoters and venues.

(3) Why will you succeed (and what is your single most important ingredient for success)?

We believe we will succeed because we know how to execute well in a market full of challenges, and because we have created a revenue model that is purely additive to every part of the value chain (artists, manager, agents, promoters, venues and fans).

(4) What makes you unique (and what do you enjoy most outside of building your business)?

Outside of building Mixify, I am enjoying being a Dad of 2 young boys – a 4-year old and a 1-year old. It does not get better that for me.

(5) What digital media trend is most interesting to you (and what is the least)?

Clearly, given the market I am in, I am most interested and excited by how live streaming can change the way fans experience different types of content (music, comedy, sports) and in different settings (homes, movie theaters, clubs). We are only at the tip of the iceberg here.

Cody Lovaas - Bill Silva Calls Him Jason Mraz’s “Protege"

I have written several times of 15-year old musical talent Cody Lovaas, whom I have called “the next Jack Johnson.”  I was fortunate to host a showcase at my home in San Diego a couple months back -- and he killed it.  Click here to watch him sing a Jack Johnson cover at this event.

Bill Silva Management obviously feels the same, and signed him onto its roster several months ago.  In a press release just last week, Silva called Cody a “protege” of Jazon Mraz -- high praise for the fellow San Diegan.

And, Silva announced that Cody is slated to release new music in 2014 -- great news for all of us who are absolute believers that this kid has it all -- most importantly, great musical talent.

Macklemore - My iPhone 5S Images From Last Night’s Concert in San Diego

This Close

 Great show -- all captured on my iPhone 5S

My 14 Year Old Daughter Likes Coldplay!

Taking the time.  Investing time in the things that matter most.  Pausing and reflecting.  There is an effect.  (I previously wrote a post about this concept titled “Pause & Reflect - The Cause & Effect.”)

Case in point.  Last night my family and I attended -- for the 12th consecutive time -- the annual “Lighting of the Del” holiday celebration at the world-famous Hotel del Coronado, a remarkable place down here in San Diego.  Hot chocolate.  Ice skating on an outdoor rink right off the beach and overlooking the ocean with a magical sunset.  Fireworks.  Food.  Friends.   Libations.  Yes, even Santa for those wanting to sit on a lap.

Another classic evening.  And, now a long-time Csathy family tradition.  Every one of us -- including our girl Hunter, age 14, and our boy Luca, age 11 -- look forward to this event every year.  It is simply an integral part of our Xmas season.  No matter how busy we are - with work, with school, with other life matters - we set this late afternoon/evening each year aside.  We invest the time.  And the effect is a magical evening that is ingrained in our hearts and minds forever.  Family memories that I have no doubt our kids will share with their kids.  Deeply embedded in their little psyches.

As we drove back from the Del together, my daughter -- a music lover like me -- manned the sound system with her iPhone.  She was the DJ.  Using a new music app that I had never known before, which is quite a feat because I know the digital music space quite well -- an app that you should check out called 8tracks (see, I squeezed a digital media angle in this very personal blog post!) -- she played a play-list that featured a classic Coldplay song.  “Fix You.”  That is a song that I used to crank in my home over and over and over again years and years ago -- from the time she was a toddler.

And, here’s the point.  My 14 year-old daughter never has been a Coldplay fan.  She never listens to Coldplay.  Let’s face it, Coldplay ain’t cool for 14 year-old girls.  But, she was in the moment.  A family moment.  A nostalgic moment.  A moment that reflected an investment of time over the years.  So, rather than skip that song, she asked me to crank up the volume once again -- just like I used to “back in the day.”  I obliged.  Cranked it to 11.  And, it became a magical moment that I never will forget.  Really won’t. All of us sang the entire classic song in full voice.  It was our “Tiny Dancer” moment a la the movie “Almost Famous.”

I don’t think my 14 year-old girl will forget that moment either ....

Join Me at CES - On 2 Digital Media Panels

Ahh yes, ’tis the season.  And, that means that the annual mega-media/tech ritual known as the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is right around the corner.

Depending on what your state of mind is, start off the new year right by joining me at CES.  This is my 10th (?) CES (really, who counts anymore?).  And, I will participate in two separate digital media panels on Monday, January 6th -- moderating one and serving as a panelist on the other.

I will moderate the opening panel for Digital Media Wire’s “Digital Music at International CES” sub-conference -- it is titled “The State of Digital Music: A View from the Top” and features top execs from various segments of the music eco-system in order to give different (and perhaps divergent) perspectives (i.e., John Rubey, President of AEG Network Live; Eric Johnson, EVP & GM of Games & Media at CBS Interactive; long-time top music exec Jay Boberg, Chairman of INgrooves Fontana; and Nick Panama, co-founder of Cantora, Mainframe Group who manage top acts like MGMT).

My second panel is titled “The New Hollywood Equation - Content Owners, New Platforms, Agents & Commerce” and is part of “Digital Hollywood” at CES.  I will join other fellow panelists Glasgwow Phillips, SVP Creative for leading MCN Maker Studios; Sarah Passe, Business Development executive at leading talent agency Creative Artists Agency; David Tochterman, Head of Digital Media at fellow agency Innovative Artists; Steven Katelman, partner at law firm Greenberg Traurig; Craig Palmer, CEO of Wikia; Lisa Black, EVP Content & Business Development of Vin Di Bona Productions; and moderator Mark Kapczynski, COO of Kontrol Media.

Come watch the sparks fly (or not) on these panels -- or reach out to me via LinkedIn to schedule a meeting.  That’s the best way to squeeze the most utility out of CES.