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Last week, Tech In Motion hosted an event at 1871, where CrowdNoize, a music-tech startup based out of 1871, spoke of their plans for the future – launching what they like to call “CrowdNoize 2.0.” Entrepreneurs including our own Rick Desai (autographs available upon request), Mike McGee of Code Academy, Tom Giles of Stage Bloc and Danny Sanchez of Music Dealers sat on the panel, offering advice to CrowdNoize and aspiring entrepreneurs in the audience.
Out of college, the typical DePaul University graduate is looking for a job at a big corporation. This wasn’t the case for Patrick Welby, Domingo Meneses, and their Chicago-based “Dream Team” of 3 others who managed to skip the corporate world and dive in to what they love: music. So, how do some college kids manage to create a site that gets 15,000 unique visitors per month? Lots of dedication and hard work.
It started with a blog. Patrick, who hosted Radio DePaul, the University’s weekly broadcast, always loved sharing new music and upcoming shows with his listeners, and his listeners came to love his recommendations.
“[After the show] People were hitting me up on social media, Twitter, Facebook, shooting me texts and emails, asking for my script” Patrick states, “so I thought, why not start blogging about it?”
What started off as a side project has not turned into something big, about to turn huge. CrowdNoize’s “organic content” is one thing that Patrick and Domingo agree on as to what sets them apart from their competition. CrowdNoize writes about music they like and music they know; mainly hip hop and the booming electronic music industry, both of which have a huge following of similar listeners.
“We don’t know much about Indie, but one of our writer’s does, so she handles that. We don’t know anything about country, so we don’t write about country.” Domingo adds, “It’s the organic, real content of our site that make it so appealing to our users.”
“Writers are the heartbeat of our operation” Patrick states, “We’ve got 18 writers in different cities across the nation, all reaching different audiences.”
CrowdNoize’s newest site is about to capitalize on what they’ve already done, and provide more for users and artists alike. CrowdNoize 2.0 will act as your one-stop shop for all things music. From before the show, during the show, and after the show, CrowdNoize will be with you the entire time (if they haven’t been already).
Here’s the advice panelists gave to CrowdNoize, which can apply to every entrepreneur looking to launch a business, or revamp their current operation:
“Highlight how successful you’ve been in the past when you’re pitching. Investors and partners love numbers because they can’t be disproved. If you have 15,000 unique users – tell everyone! Your innovation has been acquiring content and users, keep doing it.”
Mike says: “Keep it simple. When launching new features, don’t overwhelm the users. See what works, see what they like, and get feedback.”
“The music industry is a crowded market, and it’s crowded by people with tons of traction. I’ve seen so many companies get stuck in a corner. Your content needs to be really great, all the time.”
“Data is king. Make sure you have a plan – always ask yourself: how are you going to get your next 1,000 users, and your next 1,000 after that.”
