Today's Entrepreneur: KamranV

POP-AUT || automatically PAY THE ARTIST+    

POP-AUT is automatic, collaborator-validated payments for creative work such as film, music, games and art.

WHO

 POP-AUT comes from the experiences of its founder KamranV. Kamran simultaneously managed an internationally-touring band and honed his talent in New Media at Interscope Records as its head of production and business development. His work at Interscope was the beginnings of what is now social media; building tools and platforms allowing artist and fans to communicate directly. In this time, KamranV also served as producer for DVD-Audio (surround sound) releases of albums from Sting, Nine Inch Nails, and Beck. 

 With no additional staff or funding, he started Interscope's mobile business in collaboration with Universal Music's eLabs. This project generated $12 million in its first year. In its second year, KamranV co-founded Universal Music Mobile U.S.A. as its head of Marketing. That year UMM posted $40 Million before his exit in 2006 to start the Spaceland Recordings live concert record label. 

WHY

Budgets for creative works continue to shrink however the output of collaborative work is more than ever in history. As a result, creative projects have become mostly speculative business relationships, pooling everyone's collective resources in the hopes that the project will create long-term benefit for all involved. Sadly, even with the best of intentions by all parties and the most clear, fair contract, processing royalties quickly becomes expensive and inaccurate.  Too often creative projects fail due to the ineffectiveness of paying its creators. In the age of online banking and digital media distribution with companies like PayPal, iTunes, YouTube and Square as cornerstones, there are few excuses. Enter POP-AUT for transparent, accurate, inexpensive, simple and automatic distributions and reports for all involved. POP-AUT is:

1.  Low cost of Collaboration - virtually eliminate accounting overhead, transactional fees, lawsuits and audits.
2.  Removing the Business from Creativity - once the projects/deals are set up, POP-AUT takes care of the back office on behalf of all parties equally. Creators stay focused on creation.

THE CHALLENGE

•  With the rise of the creative class and its thirst for constant creation and sharing, the high overhead of every creator having their own royalty police doesn’t work.
  •  PRODUCTION costs have come down, making Apps, Film and Music less expensive to make.
  •  DISTRIBUTION costs have come down, allowing anyone to distribute products globally.
  •  MARKETING costs have come down, making finding customers easier and less expensive.
  •  However, the cost of PAYING EVERYONE involved in a work has gone UP. There are dozens of points of distribution and parties to pay in every creative project. Paying people costs money.
•  CREATORS and necessary COLLABORATORS have not yet been able to make direct, transparent, inexpensive and timely payments to collaborators. Without this, the creative economy is broken.