We check in with the Founder, CEO & Chairman of BE-AT.TV which includes, BE-AT.TV, Ibiza Sonica, a controlling investment in Ibiza Global Radio, Trackitdown and Louder…
Interview by Dan Prince
Your earliest memories of watching music television and also early clubbing shows
Growing up in the states, MTV was pretty much all we had. They focused on Hip Hop, Rock and Pop but never really gave electronic music the time of day. If you wanted to experience electronic music or culture you had to go out there and get to the clubs.
When did the idea of BE-AT.TV begin to form in your mind, what was the idea and what obstacles did you have to overcome in the early days?
Traveling through Europe in the early 2000’s I had the opportunity to experience some truly amazing events. Afterwards, when I was working in Silicon Valley, I found the vibe and energy I enjoyed overseas sorely lacking. There were very few clubs in the states replicating the European party ethos but I still very much wanted to enjoy the best the world had to offer from wherever I was at the time. This was long before social media kept you abreast of everything happening around the world on a minute by minute basis. The emergence of online video streaming in the mid 2000’s encouraged me that there might finally be a way where I could attend every amazing club and festival in the world virtually via the internet. I wanted more than a standard static photo or a 15 second video clip. There was finally a way to create an immersive digital experience that captured the best clubs, festivals and parties from start to finish. I figured, if I wanted a digital platform like this there had to be others like me who valued the chance to partake in this type of experience regardless of whether they could arrange to travel there. This thinking and desire to lower the barriers to participation in the world’s best events led me to create BE-AT.TV
Live video streaming was pretty much non-existent back in 2008 when we began. This was before YouTube was everywhere. We wanted to bring events to people live but we were still figuring out the best way to do it. At one of our first attempts at SW4 festival in the UK, our crew filmed and recorded the event in one hour blocks. At the end of each hour, I ran the footage outside the festival grounds to Ed Hill (our COO) who was waiting to drive the footage to the closest internet café to upload the set. The whole thing resulted in a “live stream” that was delayed by a few hours but we were that determined to share this music with people around the world and this was how we began.
How has BE-AT.TV changed the way dance music is consumed?
Each year since we launched in 2008, dance music has become more and more of a global phenomenon. The spread of broadband and social networking has done a lot to make the world feel smaller and smaller, and I think a key component to fueling the spread and acceptance of electronic music worldwide is a constant stream of content from the world’s best festivals and events. We are streaming over 200 live sessions per week and offer fans the flexibility to enjoy the best the world has to offer on their mobile/tablet/desktop/tv whenever they want.
BE-AT.TV is allows people to tap deeper into festival and clubbing experiences. Our calendar of activity allows you to experience a beach party in Ibiza, a warehouse party in Berlin or a 100k person festival in Miami all with the click of a button. Our relentless schedule of broadcasting every week ensures the pace at which dance music continues to break down borders and bring people together is only going to continue to accelerate.
Why did you want the acquisition of Global Radio and Sonica in Ibiza, why is this market so important to you?
Ibiza is and will always be the epicenter of dance music. Ibiza Sonica and Global are at the forefront of pushing the sounds and the culture forward at every level. While BE-AT.TV has always made it easy for fans to follow their favorite DJs/Events/Festivals there are always times when you may not know exactly what you’d like to listen to. This is where linear radio programming by the best curators in the business comes in. These guys always nail it with the perfect type of music to listen to at any time of day.
I firmly believe that Ibiza Sonica and Global will always play a critical role in new/old music discovery for fans and listeners around the world. I felt it was important to work to ensuring these stations continue to grow and reach a wider audience both on and off the island. A big part of that is the new beta IbizaSonica.com and there is lots more to come!
What are your predictions on the future of broadcasting in Ibiza over the next decade?
Ibiza is such a special place. My first trip here many, many years ago led me to quit my job, leave America and begin BE-AT.TV in London. It’s always been difficult to fully capture the magic of the island through a website or radio station but that hasn’t stopped us trying. We’re continuing to push the boundaries and develop innovations that can bring people closer and closer to what we get to enjoy here. The VR/360˚/LIVE technology space are undoubtedly going to allow us to continue to evolve the ways in which we put people in the middle of the action.
Nothing will replace coming to this magical place, however we still want to be able to showcase the best elements of the island to those in other parts of the world who may not be fortunate enough to ever make it here. Also if you’re like me, and you crave to connect to the island whenever you’re away, we offer ways to experience it 24/7.
How important is the public interaction to BE-AT.TV?
Shared experience plays an indispensable role in making an electronic music event unforgettable. Since the art of DJing is such an interactive process, the DJ needs to feed off the crowd and the crowd feeds off the DJ. We take several extra steps with our broadcasts to ensure that we capture the crowd and vibe of an event as much as much as we focus on the DJ themselves. Carl Cox playing a beach party will always feel different to when he lights up his Music is Revolution party at Space and we pride ourselves on showcasing those subtle nuances.
Through our BE-AT.TV Chatrooms and FB Live comments we also foster a sense of community amongst those enjoying the parties from afar. Anything we can do to remove barriers and bring people together through music is something we will support 100%
And finally – are there any new projects your station is working on for 2017 you would like to share with us?
We just launched the beta version Ibiza Sonica which we’re very excited about. Previously only available to those who could make the trip,www.ibizasonica.com now offers listeners from around the world a complete experience that pairs the island’s hypnotising sounds with its unique and unparalleled beauty, and all LIVE. Ibiza Sonica’s new platform levels the playing field for music lovers everywhere and allows them to reach the spiritual home of dance music, for free.
Dan Prince is Music Editor at Ushuaïa’s IUMAG, Ibiza’s No.1 music and lifestyle magazine where this interview was featured in the September issue…
www.theushuaiamagazine.com
