Speaker biographies: Partner Panels
TED COHEN
Integrating his widespread digital authority in music, mobile, IPTV and product & service development, Ted Cohen is the Managing Partner of TAG Strategic.
In an industry that's been slow to embrace change, Cohen is the exception to the stereotypical music-exec rule. Of course, when you start a career on the road with Van Halen and the Sex Pistols, you're more primed for the unexpected.
Known throughout the technology and music industries as being "part ambassador and part evangelist," Cohen was instrumental in crafting the licensing agreements upon which the Rhapsody subscription service and the iTunes Music Store were built.
In his previous role as Senior Vice President of Digital Development & Distribution for EMI Music (home of artists including Coldplay and the Rolling Stones), Cohen led next-generation digital business development worldwide for this "big four" record company. During that time, EMI led the industry by embracing and exploiting new technologies and business models such as digital downloads and online music subscriptions, custom compilations, wireless services, high-definition audio and Internet radio.
Prior to his role at EMI, Cohen served as Executive Vice President of Digital Music Network Inc., where he co-founded and served as Chairman of the groundbreaking Webnoize conferences.
Cohen also led two highly successful new media consulting operations, DMN Consulting and Consulting Adults, attracting clients such as Amazon.com, Microsoft, Universal Studios, DreamWorks Records, Liquid Audio, Wherehouse Records/Checkout.com and various other entertainment, technology and new media organizations. Cohen also held senior management positions at both Warner Bros. Records and Philips Media.
A 30-year industry veteran, Cohen was recently re-elected Chairman of the Mobile Entertainment Forum Americas board, and currently chairs MidemNet, an international music/technology conference convened in Cannes each year. Cohen also serves on the NARAS (Grammy) Los Angeles chapter Board of Governors as well as the national Trustee Board, the Board of Directors for the Neil Bogart Memorial Fund, co-chairs the new media arm of the T.J. Martell Foundation, and lends his time and talents to music & technology education efforts such as the Grammy In The Schools Program.
PETER FREGELIUS
Peter Fregelius has extensive international experience in the Telecommunications and IT World, and has held different management positions in leading multinational telecom companies such as Ericsson, Ascom and Swisscom. He also founded his own Consulting Company, gaiaNET, specializing in consultancy in the area of Broadband Services and Networks. His areas of expertise are primarily within Marketing, Business Development, and Portfolio Management. Peter is currently responsible for Swisscom Mobile’s introduction of a new music proposition into the Swiss Market.
DEBORAH SASS
Since 2004, Deborah Sass has worked as the Head of Client Services and Business Development for Muze Europe.
Muze is the leading aggregator of music and film release information and works with over 4000 record labels and 700 film studios/ distributors.
Muze is the largest provider of entertainment metadata in Europe, servicing such clients as HMV, Play, Yahoo, Amazon and Microsoft. Muze has over five decades of music and film metadata, with over a million products on their database. They provide a variety of services to retailers, libraries, and price comparitor sites, Digital Music Stores and e-tailers that are involved in the music, film and games sector.
Her main role is to develop the business and drive the brand forward throughout the European territories. She manages both the client services and the business development teams based in the UK office for Europe and works very closely with the Muze US office.
RICHARD WHITEI started in the music industry in 1981 as a 16 year old with a retail company called Music Market.
In 1983 I was diagnosed with Leukaemia & the response from my current employers at the time was absolutely fantastic as they allowed me to have as much time off as needed whilst keeping my job open for me, I eventually had a bone marrow transplant in May of 1984.
What a great company they were, in fact I still keep in touch with the owner & mentor, Ian Howard, who went on to purchase venues such as Brixton academy & Shepherds Bush Empire. Although Ian has sold his interest in the company, another mentor, John Northcote still heads them up under the banner Academy Music Group (AMG).
I was with them until 1986 when I decided to leave after they sold the company to WH Smith & then merged with Our Price to become Our Price Music.
I then took the plunge & decided to open my own record shop on September 1st 1987 & the company is now approaching it’s 20th anniversary.
The music industry has given me so much over the years & I will always jump at the chance to give something back….That’s of course if anyone wants to listen to me.
PATRICK ZELNIK
Patrick Zelnik started his career in 1972 at Polydor. In 1980, Richard Branson offers him to launch Virgin Records France which rapidly becomes a major record company signing major local arts like Julien Clerc, Renaud, Alain Souchon, Rita Mitsouko, Telephone, Mano Negra... While President and CEO of Virgin France from 1980 to 1997, he also launched Virgin Retail and the Champs Elysées Megastore in 1988 which he presided until 2000. In 1997, he decided to quit the presidence of the executive board of Virgin France.
In 1998, he started a brand new experience: he launched his own label of production and edition of multi- cultural goods: naïve.
Naïve has the ambition to develop all styles of music (classical, jazz, pop, world, urban) and all styles of formats: records, books, DVD.
In less than 10 years, naïve has become one of the leaders in classical music with a market-share approaching 10% and responsible for successes such as The Vivaldi Edition, and the breakthrough of Accentus, Anne Gastinel, Laurent Korcia and many more. Naïve also aquired prestigious labels such as Opus 111, Ambroisie, etc.
Besides classical music, naïve has also established a leading position in the pop and world repertoire with artists such as Carla Bruni, Pink Martini, Mirwais, Muse, Marianne Faithful, Claire Diterzi, and in the world music/jazz sections with Angélique Ionatos, Raul Paz, Thierry "Titi" Robin, Baptiste Trotignon and Hadouk Trio.
In 2006, naïve represented altogether 3.5% of the French market.
Patrick Zelnik’s inspiration for his label was that naïve keys to success were: to sign artists he would like to listen to at home regardless of formats and market, to implement a strong strategy in international development of the repertoire, and to reject the idea of specialisation therefore adding to music the edition of books, films, exhibitions, theatre plays in DVD format etc…
Patrick Zelnik (former President of UPFI from June 2000 to June 2004) was appointed President of IMPALA in July 2006.
