Today’s interviewee is Tony Bouchereau, creator of the Tony-B Machine (reviewed last week on MusicKO). You can learn how this novel tool for the interactive creation of music came to be and what has been its reception below. And after that, please read the bit named “Music & You” to learn more about Tony and the bands he is involved with.

Anthony "Tony-b" Bouchereau

Full Name: Anthony “Tony-b” Bouchereau
Age: 29
Startup: The Tony-b Machine
Position: Founder

PART I

THE STARTUP

Tell us a little about your startup. How was it conceived? What are its most distinctive features in your opinion?

My first idea was to make a kind of interactive song where the listener can choose which drum part or which bass part he wants to hear next.
Progressively, I saw that it could be fun to interact with each part of the drums (kick, hi-hat, snare) and to play chords or notes.
I tried to develop the funny side of the application by adding some special “combos” and hidden sounds.

What was the original launch date?

The Tony-b Machine is online since the beginning of 2007 (Version 2).

What has been the response so far?

The beginning was quite calm and after a few months, there have been a few articles in some magazines.
The number of visitors became important at the end of 2007. Since then, the site welcomes more than 1000 visitors every day.
There is a small community of regular visitors who follows the evolution of the site assiduously.

What do you think is the best song that has been created using the Tony-b Machine until now?

It’s difficult to choose only one song ^^’. mmm… I would say “Abba Gimme gimme” from DJ Alex (http://www.tony-b.org/?song=1838). It’s very realistic and lively!

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

First I am going to reshape the website (without changing the Machine).
After that I don’t really know…
Maybe I will study the possibility to adapt it and bring mobile support, which will probably imply some major revisions.

In your opinion, what does the future hold for musical instruments? What is your take on this?

This kind of experimentation looks fun, but the link between the drawing and the sound seems hazardous…
I prefer to have control on my instrument when I play music.

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?

I listen to a lot of music on Internet, because it’s easier than looking for a disc and put it out of its box etc…
But I don’t think it’s really a good economic alternative for the artists.
Most of the people are satisfied with what they can hear on the Internet and don’t buy a single disc.
And on the Internet, the quality of the sound is too variable.
When I feel courageous, I prefer to listen to a disc.

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?

The biggest mistake would be to try to make another Tony-b Machine! It’s impossible to do better ^^

Continue to Part 2: “Music & You”.