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Discovering the Next Big Sound


Ever dream of being a record mogul, discovering the next hit-producing pop icon? Check out The Next Big Sound, an online music networking startup launched by four Northwestern graduates in August 2008. TNBS allows anyone to sign up to be an artist or a record mogul on the site for free. Moguls who create their own labels can "sign" up to 10 artists, gaining points for the ability to "sign" the most popular bands.

The four founders, David Hoffman (WCAS09), Samir Rayani (McC09), Jason Sosnovsky (WCAS09) and Alex White (SESP08), developed the idea during a Business Institutions Program entrepreneurship class.

In April 2009 TNBS was accepted into TechStars, a competitive seed capital and mentorship program in Boston and Boulder, Colo. The founders moved to Boulder last spring to participate in the program, where Next Big Sound switched gears to focus on the development of a new online music analytics and insights company.

"We're all huge music fans and music lovers, and one of the biggest questions we've always had is how a band goes from playing in its garage to nationwide fame. What's the process to become famous?" White asked.

The new company will track and measure the growth of bands on web sites such as MySpace and YouTube and sell insights on this data to band managers and industry professionals.

— Sisi Tang (J11)

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