EC's Project Music captures broader range of entertainment plays

By Staff, adapted from submitted materials

Published April 13, 2020

The Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC) announced April 2 the 11 members of the 2020-2021 Cohort of its Project Music program.

The cohort includes startups related to music, live events, sports, gaming, among other entertainment segments.

The startups have on average accepted investment of more than $375k, most of the cohort are generating revenue, and team size averages 2.7 FTE, according to an EC press release.

The 2020-2021 Project Music Cohort:

► BlackSleeve Media (Nashville) Founder: Doug DeAngelis -- BlackSleeve Media gamifies the entertainment industry with a proprietary mobile entertainment platform that generates crowd-sourced advertising campaigns and year-round fan participation. Based on the video game model for monetization and engagement, BlackSleeve generates revenue streams for the music, sporting, entertainment, and advertising industries.

► Healthy Hip Hop (Kansas City, Mo.) Founder: Roy Scott -- Healthy Hip Hop is YouTube meets Spotify for kids! Their online platform provides a safe space for children to consume, create and share age appropriate content.

► ItyDity (Denver) Founder: Emily Satterlee -- ItyDity is an online music production company that uses patent-pending software to help artists craft their vision for their song and then helps match them with music producers. Artist receive specs from multiple producers and then select their favorite.

► Make Music Count (Atlanta) Founder: Marcus Blackwell -- Make Music Count app and curriculum are designed to enrich problem solving by combining math concepts with piano playing. The platform also represents a marketing avenue for record labels, media platforms, and corporations whose content we promote to our student users.

► MeloQuest (Colorado Springs) Founder: Graeme Winder -- For the young and the young at heart, MeloQuest is developing an engaging video game called "Keys & Kingdoms" that teaches musical skills and empowers players to find the music within themselves. The new game guides players through magical lands and presents them with exciting challenges that make learning music fun, creative, and intuitive, while delivering real musical results.

► Oscilloscape (Farmington, Conn.) Founder: Edward Large -- The team of this music technology and digital health company has a broad understanding of the role that neural rhythms play in human perception, memory, and cognition, as well as expertise in modeling neural rhythms. They have developed and patented a neural network that simulates the synchronization of neural rhythms to external stimuli. They aim to develop, license and sell products into music technology, digital health, and speech & hearing sectors.

► Osiris Media (Washington, D.C.) Founder: RJ Bee -- This team aims to transform how music fans connect with the music they love, by deepening the connection between artists and fans through the power and intimacy of audio storytelling, within unique musical experiences.

► SCI (USA) (Chattanooga) Founder: Stuart Bostock -- SCI (USA) designs and manufactures modern mobile safety and surveillance towers for rapid deployment to enhance security and attendee safety at music and sporting events, festivals and venues.

► Sonido Software (Oxford, Miss.) Founder: Brady Hoggard -- Sonido Software is an end-to-end business management solution that combines the necessary tools for managing a successful audio production business, such as recording studios, in a single, intuitive platform.

► Starsona (Mountain View) Founder: Peter Karpas -- "Connect with fans. Make a better living." To fans, Starsona is "where your favorite star will know who you are." The Starsona platform make a better living by efficiently monetizing individual fan interactions in a safe way.

► With the Band (Nashville) Founder: Sarah Beth Perry -- With the Band is a mobile app that enables fans to easily create and participate in fan projects & fan meet ups. They also partner with artists to help unite their fanbases.

Three of the 11 teams of the 2020 cohort are Tennessee-based and two of them are represented by women. In 2019, five of 16 teams selected were Tennessee-based.

Inaugurated in 2015 with backing from the Country Music Association, Project Music brings music, technology, and business leaders together to accelerate the development of potentially industry-changing startups. The program affords cohort members access to the EC's industry network.

As VNC reported Feb. 18, the EC is soon likely to rebrand the Project Music program as Project Entertainment.

The 11 teams in the new cohort were selected from an applicant pool of 50, with a final stage of review by advisors, EC staff, and Project Music alumni with industry, investment, legal, tech, and other credentials.

"These eleven teams form the most diverse cohort in our six year history," says Stephen Linn, Entrepreneur-in-Residence for Project Music. "Together, they touch every aspect of the industry and are the building blocks for the next generation of innovation. I'm excited to watch their progress and impact on the industry."

"It's in this moment that I am most proud of the work we do at the EC," said Jane Allen, President and CEO of Nashville Entrepreneur Center in a press release.

Allen also said in the release, which was issued amid the global COVID19 tumult: "For the past three weeks we have not missed one program or event. For that matter we have added significant programming -- everything is now done virtually. At the same time, I am proud of these entrepreneurs, the perseverance and resilience to follow your dreams in such uncertain times -- to keep moving forward and to use this time to truly work on your business..."

The April 2 press release explained the EC has modified its program to ensure the EC maintains relationships, continuity and programming for its new cohort.

Project Music sponsors include CMA, Belmont University's Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business, Bonnaroo Works Fund, Big Machine Label Group, First Tennessee, Galante Entertainment, Launch Tennessee, Pinnacle, SESAC, and Who Knew. [###]

. last edited 14 April 2020 0846