I’d like to share with you the “Music & You” segment of my interview with James Fontana from SongVote. This is the last part of the interview that started here.

PART II

MUSIC & YOU

When did you become interested in music? What was the first album or single you ever purchased?

I’ve been interested in music for as long as I can remember. I remember saving my money in the early 80’s for a “Ghettoblaster” that was the term in America back then for a Jambox.  The first tapes I purchased on my own were Tears for Fears, Cyndi Lauper and Starship.  My, how my taste have changed a bit, except for Cyndi, Her music still takes me back to good memories.

Are you in a band yourself, or have you been in a band in the past? Is there a clip on YouTube or elsewhere we could watch?

No, that for sure is NOT my talent.

Musical likes and dislikes? Favorite artists?

I find myself listening to a lot of down-tempo beats like Kaskade and zero 7, but I enjoy all music from Steely Dan to Beyonce. Continue reading →

James Fontana from SongVote was kind enough to sit through the MusicKO interview in full. Thanks a bunch, James! You will find the first part of the interview below, and the second is here.

James Fontana (Co-founder of SongVote)

Full Name: James Fontana
Age: 33
Startup: SongVote
Position:  Co-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?

A few years back I put a pool in my back yard.  Every weekend people would come over and swim and there would be 5-7 iPods around the docking station.  No matter what, the music always became an issues.  Someone was always taking out someone else’s iPod and putting their own in.  For me I saw an opportunity for a solution that involved musical democracy.  I wanted to create a way that we could all come together based on our similarity and diversity of musical taste.

In my opinion the most distinctive feature is the ability to create one playlist based on the opinions of a group.

What was the original launch date?

Feb. 2010

What are the main uses people are putting SongVote to? In which countries has it been more successful?

We are noticing people having fun on SongVote by expressing their musical opinion in different public contest.  We also saw someone create a playlist that was moving from Dallas to Boston and was going to be in the car for three days.  They had a playlist built on song that reminded friends of the good time they spent together.  This person was able to listen to a playlist built by close friends during their long drive. Continue reading →