Cedric Gore

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Cedric Gore (born July 24, 1969) is an African American businessman, web developer, musician and early pioneer in the field of Enhanced CD & Interactive CD-ROM technologies. He has founded several software companies focusing on Internet-driven or Web-Connected CD & CD-ROM software products.

Javakitty Media, formed in Atlanta in 1999 with his brother James, developed and launched two key Enhanced CD technologies, Bandlink and BlinkCard. His research and development in this field has led to products and services that have been widely adopted by Fortune 500 companies as well as major and independent record labels for use on hundreds of commercial music releases.

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[edit] Technological innovations

Bandlink's key innovation was to replace the extra content on Enhanced CDs with software that allowed the user to connect via the internet to exclusive content stored externally. This allieviated the problem of limited CD storage space, and allowed the additional content to be virtually unlimited in size and constantly updated, as required.[1] Of Bandlink, Gore has stated that "the idea is to simulate the concept of going to a concert",[2] later elaborating "Bandlink captures constantly changing data be it text, video or sound, limited only by the artist's creativity, all in real time... It releases the genie in the music CD".[3]

In early 2002, Bandlink won a special Consumer Products Technology Award from the Atlanta-based Resource Forum,[4] and Gore thereafter secured a license agreement with Arista Records to incorporate the software into new music releases by three artists, including TLC's 3D.[5] The deal was later extended to seven more albums in 2004, including Carlos Santana's Shaman.[3] Another early adopter was Universal/Motown.[6]

Benefits for the music consumer were reported to include:

a fully self-contained "insert and play" experience with no need for special codes or registration at web sites. Additionally, Bandlink's customizable interface which consists of standard browser, chat and player buttons allows fans to enjoy free access to original, exclusive content and the latest, dynamic information related to a music CD including bios, news, tour info, lyrics, photos, videos and mailing lists, as well as interactive features such as community chat, while online.[3]

For the record company, perceived benefits were not restricted to potentially improved sales:

Arista benefit from access to real time CD playback statistics based on hourly, daily, weekly, bi-weekly, quarterly and annual fan usage. This intelligence can subsequently be applied immediately for more effective marketing and promotion campaigns.[3]

Bandlink's twin poles - enhanced content for music buyers regarding their favourite artists, plus enhanced feedback for music sellers about which of their products were popular - was known as "CD Intelligence",[1] and was marketed as being mutually beneficial for all parties, particularly since Gore was insistent that the record company information "is presented as a composite ... none of it's traceable back to an individual".[7]

The LA Times nevertheless noted that "this kind of monitoring may unnerve some consumers",[7] and this has been echoed in occasional criticism on internet forums such as Slashdot that attempt to equate the product with spyware.[8]

The technology is also intended to reduce music piracy implicitly, by adding value back into physical ownership of the shop-bought CD.[7] However, this stated goal has also led to the mistaken belief that Bandlink itself is anti-piracy software, which Gore has insisted is not the case. To allieviate such misconceptions, FAQs now tend to accompany Bandlink-equipped releases, characterising the software and explaining, for example, that use of Bandlink is entirely optional for CD owners.[9]

Bandlink continues to be incorporated into growing numbers of major CD releases,[1] including Norah Jones's Feels Like Home, Sarah McLachlan's Afterglow and Thievery Corporation's Versions.

[edit] Current projects

Gore continues to do research and development in this space in search of what he terms, "The worlds most interactive "digital" music experiences!" Further, he suggests:

Music has gotten easier to obtain but at the same time it has become such a limited tactile experience compared to the albums I grew up with. But, the Internet makes it possible to shatter the Album level music experience and that's what I want to do. I want kids to buy a record in a store or online and disappear in the full world of that artist for the duration of the record... we have done Live Chat's right from a CD, where a fan actually talks with the band in real time. I would loved to have chatted with my music heroes!

Currently, Cedric Gore is overseeing the development of technologies for multiple disc formats, online music services and portable music devices.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Xeni Jardin (January 10, 2003). The Killer Anti-Piracy App?. GRAMMY.com. Retrieved on 2006-06-28.
  2. ^ Tony Kontzer (November 4, 2002). Beyond Music. InformationWeek. Retrieved on 2006-06-28.
  3. ^ a b c d Carlos Santana Leads Arista Artists Adopting Bandlink. Band Radio.com (June 12, 2004). Retrieved on 2006-06-28.
  4. ^ Ernest Holsendolph (May 8, 2002). Javakitty's sound byte: Firm creates interactive music mode. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved on 2006-06-28.
  5. ^ Arista Divas TLC, Toni Braxton, Blu Cantrell to Use Javakitty Media's Bandlink. Business Wire (November 12, 2002). Retrieved on 2006-06-28.
  6. ^ Universal/Motown Records will use Bandlink technology for Temptations and Erik Sermon upcoming album releases. Top40-Charts.com (June 29, 2004). Retrieved on 2006-06-28.
  7. ^ a b c Jon Healey (November 17, 2002). Labels' Online Hope: New Enhanced CDs. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2006-06-28.
  8. ^ Will Your CD Player Tell on You?. Slashdot (December 15, 2002). Retrieved on 2006-06-28.
  9. ^ Bandlink Enhancement FAQ. Norah Jones official website. Retrieved on 2006-06-28.

[edit] References

Clement, Michel, Digital Rights Management – Lessons from Content for-Free Distribution Channels. Kiel, DE: Chair for Innovation, New Media and Marketing, 2002.
Geyskens, I., K. Gielens and M. G. Dekimpe – The Market Valuation of Internet Channel Additions, Journal of Marketing, 2002 102-119.

[edit] External links

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