Company description
Scratch Audio is the first online multi-track audio recording platform to offer an experience comparable to traditional desktop-based programs. It enables distributed musicians to author songs collaboratively via the browser.
Team
Eric Herbrandson - Co-founder & CEO/CTO
Eric is currently a Lead Developer and Architect at Epic Think Media, makers of the popular Golfshot GPS app for iPhone (5th highest grossing app in iTunes, 2009). Eric was the sole developer responsible for porting Golfshot to the Android platform. In the past Eric served as Lead Developer and Architect for PicksPal, an online sports picking site which later sold for $9M. Eric was also one of three developers who created Solid State Networks “Solid Publisher” product, an integral component to their award-winning “League of Legends” release and EA Games upcoming “Star Wars: The Old Republic” release. Eric is also a talented drummer having played for over 20 years and performing music in front of live audiences since he was five. Eric currently handles engineering and product development for the Scratch Audio platform.
Sean Tierney - Co-founder & Chief Strategist
Sean is currently COO and Co-Founder of local Arizona software company JumpBox, Inc. Sean has over fifteen years of experience in technology startups having served in technical and administrative capacities in a handful of companies, including GoodNet, Inc. (acquired by Winstar, 1999), iTool, Inc (acquired by Onvia, 2001), SalesLogix (acquired by Sage, 2005) and Proscout, Inc. (privately held). He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas, and is a graduate and teacher for the Eugene Marion-Kauffman Foundation FastTrac Entrepreneurship series. He was also recipient of the Arizona Republic “35 under 35” Entrepreneurs of the Year award in 2009. Sean currently manages the business development, marketing efforts, and fund raising initiatives for Scratch Audio.
Joseph Brackman - Engineer
Joe is an Electrical Engineer with an extensive background in Digital Signal Processing (DSP), particularly for audio applications. Joe was an integral part of building up the audio DSP technology base at Fender Musical Instruments, which culminated in the Cyber-Twin amplifier, a tour-de-force for the decades-old company. Joe was the chief effects designer on the project, and wrote DSP software for over 30 vintage and modern effects such as tape echo simulation, reverb, wah-wah, and many others.
Jason Barney - Advisor
Jason currently serves on various boards for such esteemed Arizona-based organizations such as Greater Phoenix Economic Council, East Valley Partnership and Pinal Partnership. In the past, Jason served as Co-founder and CTO of iTOOL, Inc. (acquired by Onvia, 2000). Jason also owns and operates Talmage Music, a recording Studio and music production facility in Gilbert.
Bill Ramsey - Advisor
Bill is Vice President of Business Development at Apriva, Inc. and is responsible for the growth strategy of their mobile Point-of-Sale product line and develops and maintains complex relationships across the major telephone carriers and payment processors. Bill formerly served as Co-Founder and CTO of LeadBot, LLC. Bill has deep connections in the music industry from his previous life when he was drummer for the Arizona band Horace Pinker and concert promoter for The Offspring, Fugazi, NOFX, and Green Day.
Business model
The primary revenue model is a monthly subscription plan for musicians offering multiple tiers of service. Other revenue streams include affiliate revenue from audio loop providers and royalties from song sales.
Competitive advantage
There are a handful of competitors in the online DAW space but Scratch Audio is the only Silverlight-based alternative. Flash and Java both introduce significant latency in the recording experience. Silverlight is the only technology that currently facilitates a desktop-comparable recording experience for musicians.
Sean Tierney
