MIAMI & NEW YORK (Top40 Charts/ Jaybird Communications) The next evolution in the music industry is here... ROBA
Interactive develops multi-media
Music Apps for the iPad and Android tablets that open up new dimensions for an immersive digital music experience. ROBA
Interactive is led by industry visionaries Chairman/Producer/ Entrepreneur Larry Rosen, whose storied background includes co-founding GRP Records, the first CD-only record label, and helming N2K, Inc. (NASDAQ), the pioneer of Internet-driven music commerce; CEO, Larry Miller, the co-founder of AT&T's a2b music, one of the first digital download companies, and of Or Music, the independent GRAMMY-winning record label; legendary multi-GRAMMY winning producer, Phil Ramone, Chairman of the ROBA Advisory Board; and Entertainment Attorney
Leslie Jose Zigel, who serves as ROBA's General Counsel. ROBA is based in Miami, FL and New York, NY.
"Remember all the intimacy of holding an LP cover while listening to music, poring over the liner notes and images, well now, it responds to your touch by providing more information, video, photography, interviews, reference material, games, and anything that the artist and producer envisions," said ROBA Interactive Chairman Larry Rosen. "While working with the ROBA team last year as we were producing the CD, Blu-ray, and TV show for the An Evening with Dave Grusin project, which coincidentally was about the same time as the launch of the iPad, we quickly realized that this was the breakthrough moment that would take digital music from being a one dimensional experience to something that could go beyond anything anyone had ever experienced. It was just a matter of creating a new integrated music experience for the new rapidly growing tablet computer platform."
"The ease of digital downloads means more music is being consumed than ever before, but without any of the rich context that used to be part of the album experience," said Larry Miller, ROBA Interactive's CEO. "Music fans today are using YouTube, Facebook and other sites to learn more about their favorite artists, and the demand for high-end offers beyond the plain vanilla download, such as the Radiohead 'newspaper' premium package is growing among music fans. ROBA creates the ultimate music experience instantly available on your iPad, and it can be refreshed indefinitely."
The heart of ROBA is in the Miami-based creative team and co-founders Rick Cikowski (COO), Brandon Dumalo (Chief Content Officer), and Eric Yaklin (CTO). The long-time friends blend their backgrounds as interactive media designers, video editors, and audio engineers to design, create, and program all the elements of the ROBA apps.
"All our work creating content for audio-visual projects culminates in ROBA. It brings together all our passions: music, interactive design, and video," said Cikowski. "Our team can work with an artist to put together all the elements, from concept to final product that will make their specialized ROBA Music App a complete, immersive entertainment experience."
Phil Ramone, the legendary 15-time GRAMMY award winning producer, who has worked with many chart topping artists including Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel, and has just produced the new Paul Simon album, is the Chairman of the ROBA Advisory Board. After seeing the groundbreaking ROBA App Phil said, "Welcome to the future of the music biz."
ROBA's patent-pending application starts from the artist's music, and then layers in photographs, videos, interviews, lyrics, and more, guided by the vision for each artist's project. This can include different audio options that allow the fan to hear each of the separate vocal, guitar, and drum audio tracks for each song, and even interactive music gaming components to remix those tracks and upload the new versions to share with others. Wi-Fi connectivity means the App can link out to current news such as tour dates and TV appearances, and if desired, the App itself can be updated to add in new content. ROBA Apps can also provide ecommerce options, such as purchasing additional songs and albums, concert tickets, and other artist merchandise. The ROBA team brings this immersive universe right to the fan's fingertips.
The first ROBA Interactive release will be An Evening with Dave Grusin, to be released on April 26, 2011, simultaneously released with the Heads Up International (a division of Concord Music Group) CD and Blu-ray release of this concert event. For more information see www.robainteractive.com, or email: [email protected].
