Today I have the pleasure to interview Mr. Nadav Poraz from WhoSampled.com, the community site that revolves around sampling and cover songs which I reviewed last week. Nadav kindly answered the following questions about his site, the response it has had so far and what the future holds in store.

This is Part 1 of the interview, about the community itself..

Part 2 (“Music & You”) is found here.

Mr. Nadav Poraz

Full Name: Nadav Poraz

Age: 33

Website: WhoSampled.com

Position: Founder

PART I

THE SITE

Tell us a little about your community site. How was it conceived?

As a music fan, producer, DJ and avid sample-spotter, the concept for WhoSampled was something I really wanted, as a user, to have on the web. So I figured out that if nobody else is doing it, I should! I have a background in building Internet services so it was relatively easy to get it going.

What was the original launch date?

The site opened up to the public on October 1^st 2008, so we’re getting close to our first birthday.

What has been the response so far? In which countries has it been more successful?

The site has been growing in popularity and exposure very nicely. Our users are really passionate about the site and many of them devote an incredible amount of time and energy to make it happen – it’s a true community effort. The site is most popular in the US, UK, France, Germany and Canada.

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

We’re planning new features around the community side of the site, so that our users will have more ways to communicate and discover music together. We’ll also improve the navigation, categorization and sharing functionality in various ways.

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?

The Internet is changing the music industry forever. There is no doubt in my mind that the Internet has a positive impact on the music industry in that fans are now more enthusiastic and engaged than ever. The business model is changing but the industry will remain profitable and hopefully be more rewarding to the artists.

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

Do something interesting and unusual – there are tons of music websites that look the same and feel the same, but in order to get your audience excited you’ll need to come up with something special. Do it from the heart because it’s hard to make money with a music website.

(Continue to Part 2)