Fuzebox Inc. – Changing the Music Business Game?

While those working for the major labels are still trying to figure out how they can reassert control of the current music market, Les Ottolenghi and team seem to know the answer to that and proactively ponder the strategies that will be useful in future markets.  While Les concentrates on the business feasibility of different strategies, his team thinks more in bits and bytes.  Visiting Ottolenghi’s company, Fuzebox Inc., with Bruce Burch and Keith Perissi of the UGA Music Business Program, I was reminded of the Terminator ride at Orlando Universal Theme Park combined with the company Cyberdine Systems and its new Terminator technology.  Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not talking about any negative image that Cyberdine Systems may call up, I’m talking about the rush, excitement, and amazement that I felt viewing and learning about the goings-on at Fuzebox.

Let me see, where to start?  I guess I’ll start with production where Les has combined producing digital audio and visual content (music and music videos) and the distribution of the final product under one roof and to all of that has also added a controlling unit which can monitor how the content (the video and audio files) and its popularity spreads around the internet.  This technology and bundling allows him to produce music and videos which provide a more profitable return than that of his competitors and in addition gives him or his customers much more control over the market.

How does this work for an artist?  First you record your music digitally in the custom-made Fuzebox “Truck” a recording booth on wheels which is not really a truck, but is lovingly called that by its engineer because it kind of looks like one.  The hardware used in this unit consists of only one keyboard unit, the Miko Timbaland Edition, produced by Open Labs.  It can simulate any digitally existing sound plug-in by simply saving the existing plug-in to its server and using it over its own interface.  I don’t have to explain how many possibilities that generates for this recording unit with an almost unlimited number of available sounds.  Studios without the means to buy this technology will hate it, artists will love it.  This new entity will be even more powerful because the actual recording will be done by Daddy-O from Stetsasonic who along with others produced Public Enemy.

At this point in the process one could leave Fuxebox Inc. with a completed master recording, but why would one want to when they could step into the video recording studio that the company has set up next to the audio recording studio.  “We don’t see the distinction between audio and video (recordings) anymore,” says Daddy-O.   So now you could leave with an audio-video product but again, why would one want to when by staying longer they could go online and use the powerful aggregator tool developed by Fuzebox Inc.  This online tool can instantly make one’s music video available to Facebook, Youtube, MySpace or any other similar site with the ease of one click of the mouse.

During this visit Les also showed us more innovations such as touch-screen tables (have you seen the latest Bond movie?) and an advancement that is predicted to replace HD-TV in the future, 3D-TV.  All that I have told you about this company adds up to the answer Les Ottolenghi has formulated to withstand and thrive in today’s marketplace.  Now, I feel like anything is possible, soon.  If you ever get a chance to visit Fuzebox Inc. in Atlanta, do it!  It is totally worth it.