Local entrepreneurs, Ron Karroll and Aaron Stack sat down at GLI to talk with LouPreneur about Collabra Music, a product where one can make and listen to music with the crowd…in the cloud!
Having loved music from a very young age, one thing that always inspires me is when various musicians cross paths or collaborate on songs that they normally wouldn’t. One of the best examples when that happens is at the end of awards shows. For example, at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Inductee Ceremony there is always an incredible ‘final’ jam consisting of various musicians, from various bands, belting out a classic tune that is usually one of the inductees’. Another would be during live shows when perhaps a member of the opening act joins the headliner for an impromptu on-stage collaboration. Either way, it is always very exciting to see and hear such moments.
To further understand the possibility of musical collaboration, another prime example would obviously be on the studio level. Whether an artist choses to invite ‘special guests’ to play on their recordings, do covers of other people’s songs, or even in cases of ‘tribute albums’ there are numerous ways in which various artists can come together using music as their outlet for artistic expression.
When thinking of musicians coming together, what if you could collaborate with any musician anywhere, to create the best musical experience possible? If I’m in Louisville, KY and record a really great guitar track but desperately need an exceptional bass line, how could I get one immediately without physically, or virtually, searching for a bass player and hoping that they could provide exactly what I need? Currently, it sounds like a painful process but very soon there will be a way in which collaborations of this nature could be at your inter-webbed finger tips.
Collabra Music entrepreneurs Karroll and Stack have created a musical software sharing platform that allows musicians from around the world to create sounds, post them to the site to be used by others as wanted, and to also use postings by others for their own musical endeavors. Follow me? Imagine the above example of creating that guitar track but needing a bass line. Rather than go through a physical process, you can simply go to Collabra’s website and search through numerous bass line options and find one that suits your needs! Sounds insanely more efficient doesn’t it? Well it certainly is. Essentially, Karroll and Stack have created a music sharing platform that allows members to make and listen to music with a crowd, in the cloud! Currently the product is in beta stages but with the help of Greater Louisville Inc.’s Enterprise Corporation and angel investors, Collabra hopes to become a firmer reality for the world to utilize.
In addition to simply finding the needed musical addition to your contribution, say the guitar track, Collabra allows you to mix the tracks together and adjust the audio inputs of all contributions. Utilizing proprietary software, Collabra offers a way in which to fully utilize the audio inputs of all contributions. It’s truly amazing to think that there will be so many ways for musicians to join forces audibly online, mix tracks to their exact specifications, and get recognized for their efforts. Of course there is an electronic record of anything a musician contributes, crediting an individual musician on any collaboration, which should your song break loose and become popular, then you would be guaranteed ‘credit’. Collabra’s ultimate mission is to assist musicians to better their own efforts employing a user friendly online platform. Another brilliant feature of Collabra is an actual ranking of the individual tracks in the database, highlighting the most used or popular tracks.
As the product matures, it’s really amazing the potential of music that can be created using such a medium. While there are a couple other platforms that are similar in theory, Collabra really stands apart given the amount of features. In speaking with Ron and Aaron, the passion they have for the project is overwhelming. In order
to get their product to the public, they are going through various avenues to recruit musicians. Fortunately for Louisvillians, this brilliant concept is starting here, so I highly recommend musicians further investigate. Look for Collabra to chan
ge the way in which musicians collaborate to create magic in the future. For entrepreneurs their advice is fairly simple:
While it is important to be careful of whom you share your idea with whom you, don’t let your fear limit your exposure, and be ready to put in the work necessary to live your dream.