The first interview in a month that will see a fair share of them (some coming from unexpected angles… just you wait and see) finds me talking to the TuneCrank team.

TuneCrank is a startup I featured way back in November. It lets you discover new music and then share it with others. But there’s no need for you to listen to the story for me – the team responsible for it is going to tell you everything below…

Full Name: The TuneCrank Team
Age: Infant
Startup: TuneCrank
Position: VPs TuneFinding

PART I

THE STARTUP

Tell us a little about your startup. Where did the idea come from? Was it developed after any particular incident or negative experience either you or someone in your team had with the music industry?

We just love music. And upon finding something awesome we’re like “Man, where can I get some more of this?” Simple as that. Find great tunes and show them to the world. Then the world can take it from there.

What are its most distinctive features?

Clean. Open. User-friendly. Unlimited upload.

What was the original launch date?

No real launch date. Soft launch was in the latter half of 2010. Not sure we’ve actually launched yet. Haha.

What has been the response so far? Which countries are you focusing on the most?

The world. Seriously. Anywhere. Tuvalu.

What features can we expect to see implemented in future revisions?

We’re working on playlists or fav-lists for TuneLovers.

There is a certain tendency to demonize the Internet in the music industry. I think it is all a matter of perspective – it all depends on the uses it is put to. What is your opinion? In which areas has the Internet left an unquestionably positive mark?

That’s a great question. If we think music and we think online, many are of the opinion that it’s killed hopes, dreams and incomes for artists mighty and small. We wouldn’t go that far. Certainly, some established artists are having to think twice about pre-established revenue models. On the flip side it’s turned every basement dreamer into a potential industry. The trick is finding all this stuff. It’s ALL there. We just haven’t come up with a way to make sense of it all yet. It’s coming. And it’s exciting!

What advice could you give to anybody who is launching a music-related startup in the future? What are the obvious mistakes that should be avoided?

Think big and do it for love.

Read part 2 of this interview.