MusicBox recently launched an iPhone app, MusicBoxMobile, which provides users with a whole new level of collaboration for choosing production music on-the-go. The app interacts with the company’s online system, MusicBox Live, which can be accessed on their Web site. Preview and download MusicBoxMobile here.

President Joel Goodman discusses the idea behind the app and how it can add value to a tight production schedule.

Can you tell us a little bit about the concept behind the app?
The idea is to get your music to people as easily as you can and there are so many delivery mediums these days. So we set out to do this, not just to provide a source for people to listen to the music on the go, but we wanted it specifically to integrate with our online search and download system. So we have an application called MusicBox Live, which you can access through our Web site and the iPhone app, MusicBoxMobile integrates specifically with that. So it wasn’t just the idea, of let’s let people search our music online and what good is that. Ok they’re searching it and what do they do then, write down what they want to order? No, with our app, customers can find what they like, then hit a button on the iPhone-it takes literally a second-and that track is now saved in their project folder. So the next time someone logs on to their MusicBox Live, it’s there.
 

So you can have shared folders?
Yes, exactly. By way of example, a producer’s out in the field and he knows that he’s going to be needing music for a spot and he’s listening to music on MusicBoxMobile and he stars three tracks. He then can send a message directly to the editor, who could be in another country for that matter, and inform that person. The editor tries out the tracks and then the editor might find another track he likes. The editor takes that track and adds it ot the same folder and sends a message back to the producer and says, “Thos tracks were pretty cool, but I think these might work even better.” Then the producer can easily listen on his phone.
 
So it’s really a collaborative extension of our online system. It allows you to work wherever you are.
 
Are there any limits on how many tracks you can tag or listen to?
No, there aren’t any limits at all. We have over 12,000 tracks available. Every time we update our online system, MusicBoxMobile accesses the same database. There’s nothing to update, it automatically does it, whether we add 10 tracks or 1,000 tracks. We did an update this month with 800 new tracks.
 

It’s nice that it’s free as well…
Well, I wanted to charge $1,000 for it, but that wouldn’t fly. Kidding!  I don’t view this as a limitation, but to be able to download music you need to set up an account with us. We license music in  all kinds of media. It’s not buyout music, it’s licensed music so if you want to download anything, you basically need to e-mail or call the office and we’llset up the account for you. And you’ll have full access. Otherwise, you’re just browsing.
 
It sounds very intuitive.
It’s interesting, one of our accounts executives, Aaron, does not use a Mac or an iPhone and, when I finished working with the company that was designing this for us and I handed him my iPHone and said, here use this, without explaining anything. In five minute was all it took. It’s a very simple application which is what makes it useful.
 
Have you heard of stories of people using this?
Absolutely. I spoke with two producers before it came out and one of them wanted to borrow my phone for the afternoon. He had to find music, but had to get in a car back to Brooklyn to do something with his family. He said, while in the car I could be searching for music. I hear people are using it.
 
It’s recent, but do you have plans for futher updates?
We do, in fact, what I’ve learned about getting into the technology business is that you never stop, you’re always improving your technologies. With Mbox mobile, we hae lists. We’ve had Live for about 4 years and we’re always making little changes every year and a half or two years. You’re just always doing something. We have some really neat ideas, but I can’t really reveal them now.
 
You have 800 new tracks you said?
That was a big release. We also distribute catalogues for other libraries as well so it’s not just our guys. We have probably 100 composers/producers working at any given times. We do different updates at different times, which was part of our quarterly update. Over the course of the year, we probably release about 2,000 tracks.
 
Can you categorize your recent releases?
We’re pretty fortunate that our music tends to get used in a lot of different markets. We are very strong in the TV programming world. We do a lot of music for various reality shows. But then, there’s a lot of advertising work including promos and trailers. Then we have corporate clients, even the Boston Red Sox. So, when we do updates, sometimes they appeal to a specific market, sometimes 8. We did a disk recently called Trailerama, which speaks quite specifically to the trailer market, big film cinematic trailer market.
 
It’s good to be wide in today’s market…
It’s like a mutual fund: diversity is good.