Back in May of 2006, I met with Derek Webb before a show at Jammin Java in Columbia, SC to talk about some new ideas he had for the future of his own music distribution. This was where I first heard about his plan to give away the album, Mockingbird, for free, in exchange for fans’ recommending the album to five more people.
We discussed all sorts of ideas that day, from the changes in packaging formats, to live concert albums purchased directly at venues, to microsites promoting single albums. That meeting left me with a short list of books to read (The Future of Music as well as some books by Lawrence Lessig) and a lot of brainstorming to do. After the Free Derek Webb campaign launched later that year in September, we started discussing and developing the idea for NoiseTrade in a more focused way. Many, many iterations of the concept were presented—on both a functionality and business operational level. Sometimes the site’s production looked like it was going to go full steam ahead. At other points, however, it looked as though the idea had seen its day and would fade into the background as another brilliant concept that never quite made it.
The initial discussions about NoiseTrade had happened while I was working in the day to day operations at Portland Studios, a design and illustration company I had founded with a few other people after we graduated from college. In December of 2007, I left my role there to pursue other projects. When Derek approached me about teaming together and kick-starting the NoiseTrade concept once again, it was just the right time. Having left my former position, I was now able to have the head space and a financial cushion needed in order to involve myself in the project more fully.
Portland Studios was approached by NoiseTrade to take care of all the development for the site, while I would fill the role of designer. Derek, along with the other owners, has been carefully combing over the entire process looking for the most minor ways to improve the experience for both the music fan and the artist.
After all the talk and work, the version of the site that has finally emerged is remarkably simple. Mark Johnson has worked tirelessly to implement the design and remove any remaining bugs in the system. The site is no complex online
music store. Rather, it commits to doing one thing well: connecting artists and fans through music recommendations while giving both parties what they want—exposure for musicians and free music for fans. An extremely simple idea, when put that way.
The first order of business is to launch a cleanly executed site that works intuitively, engagingly, and flawlessly. We’ll spend the next three weeks putting on the final touches and finally launch on July 4.
