Seven music tech startups will join the sophomore cohort of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC) and Country Music Association’s Project Music 2016 Accelerator. These music centric startups will be onsite at the EC for a 16 week business building program that meets the unique needs of musicminded entrepreneurs by surrounding them with the curriculum, community, connections, and capital necessary to turn their ideas into reality. Project Music saw a 55% increase in applications over the prior year, leading to tough competition for the coveted slots in this unique industryfocused program. The following entrepreneurial ventures were chosen for the 2016 program: (in alphabetical order) Concert.Expert: Aladdin Schastlivy (Kiev, Ukraine) Moodsnap: David Blutenthal (Nashville, TN) My Fans Demand: Shaun Cavanaugh (Nashville, TN) nicechart: Steve Morell (San Diego, CA) notetracks: Kam Lal (Montreal, Canada) RecordGram: Erik Mendelson (Miami Beach, FL) Up Next: Ayinde Arnett (Chicago, IL)
Project Music cofounder, Joe Galante, recognizes the impact of the program’s exposure and reach, “The dramatic increase in both applicants and their geographic reach signifies a significant milestone for Project Music. It is the culmination of a great deal of effort at the EC lead by Stuart (McWhorter), Heather (McBee) and our initial investors.” Galante continues, “We look forward to helping this next cohort provide some solutions and opportunities for the entertainment business.” In addition to growth in the number of applications, Project Music saw an expansion in its global reach and more developed startups submitting for consideration. Applicants in the inaugural year of the program were predominantly ideastage startups from the United States. In year two, over 25% of the applications came from international locations, including Argentina, Nashville sister city, Dublin, Ireland, China, and Australia. Seventy percent of the applicants have at least a working prototype, with half of those having actual users on their platforms. About Project Music (An EC Initiative):
Project Music is the Nashville Entrepreneur Center’s leading action to support innovation within the music industry, a core business vertical in Nashville's economy. To meet the unique needs of musicminded entrepreneurs building musiccentric business, the EC is providing a year round music entrepreneurship focus that brings music, tech, and business leaders together to nurture startups desiring to grow music industry revenue. The program’s capstone is the annual four monthlong accelerator. The 2016 Accelerator runs January 31 May 18, 2016. 2016 Accelerator Supporters: Title Sponsor : Country Music Association (CMA) Platinum Sponsors : YouTube, LaunchTN Gold Sponsors & Donors : Avenue Bank, BMI, DevDigital, Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Patterson Intellectual Property Law, and Rock Paper Scissors, Inc. Silver Sponsors : Anderson Benson Insurance, Belmont University Curb College of Entertainment and Music, Linda and Doug Howard, Music Business Association, and Beth Lee and Thom Oliphant. Partners : Flo Thinkery, Baker Donelson, Sherrard & Roe, LBMC, and American Music Water. Investors: BBR Music Group, RCA recording artist Chris Young, Galante Entertainment, Landscape Capital, Maverick, Red Light Management, Shopkeeper Management, Sony/ATV, Beth Lee and Thom Oliphant, Universal Music Group, Vector Management, and Warner Music Group. For more information, visit www.projectmusic.co . About the EC: The Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC) connects entrepreneurs with the critical resources they need to CREATE, LAUNCH and GROW their businesses. As a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, the EC is funded through sponsorships, partnerships, donations, and grants. The EC relies on support from leading corporations, successful entrepreneurs, and those who have a vested interest in the success of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. For more information, visit ec.co . About CMA: Founded in 1958, the Country Music Association was the first trade organization formed to promote a type of music. In 1961, CMA created the Country Music Hall of Fame to recognize artists and industry professionals with Country Music’s highest honor. More than 7,400 music industry professionals and companies from around the globe are members of CMA. The organization’s objectives are to serve as an educational and professional resource for the industry and advance the growth of Country Music around the world. This is accomplished through CMA’s core initiatives: the CMA Awards, which annually recognize outstanding achievement in the industry; the CMA Music Festival, which benefits music education and is taped for a threehour TV special; and “CMA Country Christmas,” featuring Country artists performing original music and Christmas classics. All of CMA’s television properties will air on the ABC Television network through 2021. For more information, visit CMAworld.com .