Marc Moglen

Web3 Music

Marc is a business development strategist working at the intersection of Web3 and Music. A former musicology researcher with an MBA, he’s also a singer-songwriter, composer, and bassist.He writes on the shifting music industry with the goal of helping musicians onboard to Web3.


The Book:

This book will be published chapter by chapter as digital collectibles (NFT) beginning in October 2023Web3 will transform what it means to make a career as a musician. My forthcoming book will help musicians to understand the sea change that is taking place and arm them with the knowledge they need to redefine what it means to be a professional musician in the Web3 era.

The Newsletter:

This newsletter will be published monthly beginning in October 2023Stay up on the latest with this occassional (monthly) newsletter highlighting my top posts on social media and curated selections of other thought leaders in Web3 Music.

Featured Articles:

"A brilliant essay on the current state of Web3 music."
> Ziggy Ziggy Music Newsletter

Published in Friends with Benefits

Published in Water & Music


Presentations and talks:

Article - "The Promise of NFTs for Musicians" - Vagobond Magazine 2.4: April 2023: This is an article discussing the potential benefits and promises of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) for musicians.Article - "Friends with Benefits - Should Musicians Keep Believing in Web3?": An article that explores the relationship between musicians and the Web3 ecosystem, discussing whether musicians should continue to invest in it.Invited Speaker at Ocean Floor Music - Twitter Space (2/2/23): Invited to speak at a Twitter Space hosted by Ocean Floor Music on February 2, 2023, to discuss topics related to music and Web3.Article - Water and Music - "New Pathways...": A piece that explores new avenues and directions in the intersection of music and NFTs/Web3.Article - The "One-Way Chasm" for Web3 Music: This article delves into the challenges or barriers faced by musicians in the Web3 space, particularly addressing the concept of the "one-way chasm" conundrum.Article – “How Significant Was the Muse Drop?” An article assessing the impact and significance Muse’s drop on Serenade.Twitter Space - BREAKING NEWS - Mint Songs Shutting Down - Music NFT News: A breaking news announcement regarding the shutdown of Mint Songs.Interviewing Thought Leaders in Web3 and NFT Music: A channel dedicated to providing news and interviews with thought leaders in the Web3 and NFT music space.Podcast Appearance - The RIA Compliance Collective: "What the NFT?": An appearance on a podcast, discussing the regulatory aspects and implications of NFTs.Podcast Interview - Crypto 10x: An interview on a podcast called "Crypto 10x," where we discussed NFTs and their impact on the crypto industry.Podcast Interview - Non Fungible Counsel: An interview on a podcast focusing on legal and advisory aspects of non-fungible tokens.Podcast Appearance - Grind, Sell, Elevate: A podcast appearance where I shared insights on how musicians can navigate the NFT and Web3 landscape to advance their careers.IRL Talk, The Future of Music NFTs at Tulum Crypto Club: A real-life talk held at the Tulum Crypto Club, discussing the future of music NFTs.YouTube Show Appearance - The Joe Roberts Show: "The Explosion of NFTs": An appearance on a YouTube show hosted by Joe Roberts, discussing the rapid growth and impact of NFTs.Conference Presentation - CGC|NFT 2.0 - "NFT's Can Be Anything": A presentation at the CGC|NFT 2.0 conference, discussing the versatility and potential of NFTs.LinkedIn Article - "NFTs Have One Big Problem... Really?": An article posted on LinkedIn addressing a supposed significant within the NFT ecosystem.YouTube Host - Conversation on Chainlock: "Unlock the Power of NFT": Hosting a YouTube conversation focused on the potential of NFTs and their role in unlocking new possibilities.


Curriculum Vitae

Objective:
Passionate and accomplished professional with a versatile background encompassing music, NFTs, and extensive business development expertise. Eager to leverage my unique skill set and deep industry insights to contribute significantly to the dynamic and evolving landscape of the music industry. Seeking a strategic role that allows me to bridge the worlds of music, technology, and innovation, driving growth, and fostering creative collaboration within this vibrant sector. My goal is to make a meaningful impact on the industry's future by embracing emerging trends and harnessing cutting-edge technologies to empower artists and reshape the music experience for audiences worldwide.
Business Development and Strategy Leader (Feb. 2022 – Current):
• Acted as Project Lead at Water & Music, a renowned Web3 Music resource, spearheading collaborative research efforts focused on the intricate landscape of NFT Music Sales Strategies.
• Demonstrated effective leadership by skillfully facilitating discussions and organizing engaging group events on official Discord threads.
• Excelled in a Business Development and Strategy capacity at XronoCircles, an innovative algorithmic audio-visual project conceived by leading music technology researchers. Notably, secured coveted featured positions on KnownOrigin.
• Drove essential partnerships with NFT Token Gating providers and NFT Minting Services, significantly contributing to project success.
• Beyond the professional realm, showcased remarkable musical talent as a Band Leader, adeptly performing the roles of Singer-Songwriter and Bassist, based in the vibrant city of Valencia, Spain.
Senior Vice President, Retail (Nov. 2021 – Jan. 2022):
• Undertook a pivotal role as the Senior Vice President of Retail within the dynamic environment of Let the Music Pay.
• Orchestrated the development of a groundbreaking sub-product strategy, meticulously crafted to captivate and engage music enthusiasts on the RCRDSHP NFT Music Platform.
• Drove revenue growth by successfully upselling current content partners into fully exclusive contracts, demonstrating prowess in the entire spectrum of business development.
• Stepped into the shoes of product ownership during the critical phases of ideation and user story development, contributing significantly to the platform's vision and execution.
Business Development Director (April 2021 – Oct. 2021):
• Actively contributed to the growth of Topio Networks, spearheading business development initiatives targeting the evolving landscape of the 4th Industrial Revolution.
• Leveraged a rich skill set to refine and optimize pitching strategies across multiple business lines, encompassing advisory, marketing, and an influential industry conference.
• Managed strategic partnerships with prominent industry associations, including IEEE-ISTO, Rural Cloud Initiative, and Open Geospatial Consortium, in addition to the Blockchain Supply Chain Association, all of which played a pivotal role in advancing Topio Networks' mission.
Consultant, Business Development (June 2018 – March 2021):
• Delivered remarkable results as a consultant, making substantial contributions to the growth of AU3d.IO.
• Successfully engineered an impressive growth trajectory by increasing an ad-tech client's Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) by over 800%. This achievement was realized through a strategic blend of networking and sales initiatives, coupled with an unrelenting focus on customer success and the end-to-end sales process for a sophisticated big data SaaS product.
• Expertly represented offshore software development firms, playing a pivotal role in client acquisition by conducting comprehensive needs assessments and scoping projects.
• Displayed a remarkable breadth of knowledge by mastering various cutting-edge technology domains, encompassing IoT, AI, VR/AR, and Big Data.
• Proactively represented AU3d.IO at conferences and events, which translated into successful pitches, demos, and an expanded client base, particularly within the dynamic sphere of advertising technology.
• Provided invaluable guidance on global marketing strategies, market growth initiatives, and the orchestration of innovation management workshops, showcasing a talent for collaboration with international teams.
Independent Consultant, Investor Relations (Nov. 2013 – July 2016):
• Drove innovation within the VR/AR sector as a visionary leader, orchestrating cross-functional think tanks that brought together engineering and creative influencers.
• Initiated and cultivated corporate partnerships, culminating in private pitching sessions with Fortune 10 technology giants.
• Strategically formulated market entry strategies for independent music distribution firms, offering valuable counsel to CEOs and executives.
• Led the development of pioneering B2B music branding platforms, placing a premium on brand development, business model innovation, and product marketing.
• Garnered recognition as an invited presenter at Founders Space, where contributions extended to private VC pitching and provision of legal insights for media distribution, solidifying expertise in the intersection of technology and the arts.
Education:
• 2018 - Simon Business School at the University of Rochester: Attained an MBA in Entrepreneurship
• 2013 - University of Leipzig in Germany: Distinguished career as a Lecturer and Researcher in Experimental Musicology
• 2007 - University of California, Berkeley: Earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychoacoustics and Music Perception
Skills:
• Acknowledged as a thought leader in the nascent Music and Web3 space, boasting invitations to prominent events such as NFT.NYC, Tulum Crypto Club, and the RIA Compliance Podcast.
• Renowned for exceptional prowess in public communications, spanning over ten conference presentations where roles ranged from moderator to interviewer, lecturer, and pitcher.
• Acclaimed facilitator of ideation sessions and group brainstorming endeavors, particularly for the genesis of novel product concepts, project launches, and Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies.
• Proficient in leveraging data insights through proprietary big data visualization platforms, advanced Excel expertise, Nielsen/IRI analytics, financial projections, business modeling, custom E-commerce tracking, and seamless collaboration with technical teams.
• Possesses comprehensive experience across diverse technologies and industries, encompassing Blockchain, Web3, NFTs, Edge Computing, Big Data, DApps, VR/AR, IoT, Ad-tech, Media, CPG, and more.
• Distinguished by advanced communication abilities, coaching proficiency aimed at CEOs of startups and mid-size enterprises, mentorship of international startups and entrepreneurs, and specialization in Pitch Deck Development and Delivery.
• Notably, a gifted music composer and bassist, further underscoring an impressive range of creative talents.


Research Foci

Since Pythagoras mused upon the Music of the Spheres, mankind has systematically attempted to understand the reasons for the relations of musical tones. To Pythagoras, music is inextricably connected to the movement of cosmic bodies. With the development of scientific method, Helmholtz showed that consonance between two musical notes was reliant on harmonic overlap. With the advent of computer science William Sethares and others showed local dissonance minima to determine the validity of the Pythagorean tuning, and even a prescription for curing the ‘problem’ of Equal Temperament. While this solution, sometimes called dynamic tuning, mediated by computer software, opens up all sorts of questions as to how musical tonality could take radically new form, we are again met with the question of ‘why’ tonal connections create music at all. Now, so-called artificial intelligence technologies promise to ‘compose music’ to our liking without extensive human intervention. If this is even possible on a philosophical level (that computers can compose, and not humans), then we are again met with the question of why music exists at all and, in particular, why tonal dynamics exist. As we rush toward a musical landscape that will blur and obscure all varieties of music into a unified ‘computer-generated’ musical landscape, we ought to consider the deeper meaning of music as an introspective and interpersonal force- and again ask the question posed by Pythagoras of ‘what’ this musical substance is composed of.This research leans on years of work in exploring the possibility for new musical worlds by means of computer mediated new tonal systems (conducted at the University of Leipzig, Department of Musicology). Further, this research is informed by recent explorations, in collaboration with leading scholars (Sethares and Milne) of algorithmically constrained musical compositions (called “XronoCircles”). It may be argued that algorithmic constraint is consistent with music composition as it has been known for a millennium- rules which define the fungible boundaries of what the composer may do. Whereas it may be argued that artificial intelligence, requiring a huge corpus of data, may not have the capacity to compose music, and thus a new term is required to define what “AIs” do with musical material (if not ‘compose’, then what?).This research takes an analytic view of the published research works in systematic musicology, historical musicology, and ethnomusicology to take a fresh look at how we are to understand ‘why’ musical tone exists and ‘what’ it is that music is composed of.About Marc MoglenMarc Moglen studied Psychoacoustics and Music Perception at the University of California, Berkeley, where he designed soundscapes for multi-user virtual environment research and development groups at the Center for New Media and Department of Anthropology. He was a guest lecture in "Advanced Psychoacoustics" at the University of Kent before becoming a doctoral researcher in Systematic Musicology at the University of Leipzig. Under the guidance of his supervisors Professor Sebastian Klotz and Professor William Sethares (University of Wisconsin), Moglen has lectured three university courses including "Academic Argumentation," "Interdisciplinarity in Musicology," as well as "Experimental Tonal Practice Working Group," a tutorial for strings and voice based at the Leipzig Conservatory of Music and Theater (HMT Leipzig "Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy"). Conference presentations include, "Exploring New Musical Worlds," "Dialogue around Hip-Hop," "Parallels and Incongruences of the Trance Music Experience," & "Music and Robotization."


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Marc
Moglen