PassAlong Networks

PassAlong Networks, also known as Tennessee Pacific Group, LLC, was a developer of digital media innovations and services located in Franklin, Tennessee. The company had a digital music library of three million licensed songs, two million of which were raw MP3 music files, and provided a series of products and services in the digital media marketplace.

PassAlong Networks
Tennessee Pacific Group, LLC
TypePrivate
IndustryDigital Music
Founded2002
DefunctMay 5, 2009; reopened June 28, 2010
Headquarters
Franklin, TN
,
United States
Key people
Dave Jaworski, CEO
Scott Lewis, SVP
Louis Upkins, SVP
Patrick Reilly, SVP
Skip Franklin, SVP
Kevin Gorman, SVP
ProductsStoreblocks, OnTour, FreedomMP3
Number of employees
80
SubsidiariesSpeakerheart
WebsitePassAlong Networks website

The company had digital music catalog agreements with the four major record labels: Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, EMI, and Sony/BMG. PassAlong’s catalog was composed of non-DRM, MP3 music files. The other major catalogs were DRM-protected files based on Microsoft WMA technology. The Independent MP3 catalog included songs from The Orchard, Nettwerk Music, IODA, CD Baby, Naxos Records, and many others.

Products

The Company Products include:

  • StoreBlocks: online retail store-building platforms, media libraries, metadata, and web services. Its technology includes turnkey templates, Web services, reporting systems, storefront showcases, a music referral system, consumer rewards programs, legal music sharing, and a library of raw MP3s to enable consumer interoperability. This platform currently powers over 120 digital stores, including BreakthruRadio, TransWorld’s f.y.e. online music store and Procter & Gamble's Julie's Jukebox, a digital music store on HomeMadeSimple.com. See www.StoreBlocks.com for more information.
  • OnTour: consumer-direct media showcases, widgets, data services, and notification systems. Its core product notifies users when their favorite artists are performing a concert in their area. The OnTour Barenaked Ladies Special Edition won the 2006 Billboard Demmxpo Award for Best Use of Technology by an Artist. See www.OnTour.net for more information
  • Connected Consumer: interactive CE interfaces and media services for the digital media ecosystem.
  • FreedomMP3: protection technologies and media tracking services
  • Speakerheart: a subsidiary to empower independent artists to self-publish and promote their works online. See www.Speakerheart.com for more information.

History of PassAlong Networks

Founded in 2002 in Nashville, Tennessee, the company moved their headquarters to the Factory at Franklin, south of Nashville. The founders included former Microsoft executive Dave Jaworski, digital media producer Brad Edmonson, former EMI executive Scott Hughes, Scott Lewis, Robin Pou, and independent music producer Jozef Nuyens, who also owns The Castle Studio in Franklin, Tennessee.

In September 2004, PassAlong launched its first digital music download store in conjunction with eBay. The store became the largest store on eBay. The eBay relationship is longer in place however. Then the company launched over two hundred stores, including Procter & Gamble's Home Made Simple store and the f.y.e.- for your entertainment, digital download store. PassAlong became Microsoft PlaysForSure certified in December 2004. In 2006 the company released a non-DRM solution that helps guard artist content without restricting interoperability on the consumer side. In that year PassAlong joined DDEX to develop metadata standards across the industry. Members include Microsoft and Apple Computer.

The company stopped operations on May 5, 2009.[1] The closing was evidently a result of losing investors who were forced to pull out by the effects of the waning economy.[2] At the time of closing, new initiatives included variable-pricing programs and in-car music downloads, digital video libraries, and social networks.

DRM and Microsoft PlaysForSure

The PassAlong library of digital songs includes both DRM files and MP3 files. The DRM (Digital Rights Management) technology used was developed by Microsoft to protect digital music files. They are called WMA or Windows Media Audio files.

The certification program developed by Microsoft to ensure that portable devices (portable media players, phones, etc.) and content services have been tested against several hundred compatibility and performance requirements, is called Microsoft PlaysForSure. PassAlong is PlaysForSure certified.

See also

Artist-rights, Rightsholder organizations, and royaties:

  • RIAA - Recording Industry Association of America
  • CRIA - the Canadian Recording Industry Association
  • ASCAP - performance rights organization for songwriters, composers, publishers
  • BMI - performance rights organization for songwriters, composers, publishers
  • SESAC - - performance rights organization for songwriters, composers, publishers
  • SOCAN - Canadian performance rights organization
  • Harry Fox Agency - agency that collects and distributes mechanical license fees on behalf of music publishers
  • CMRRA - Canadian agency for mechanical license fees
  • Soundscan - Performance tracking used by Billboard Magazine and others
  • RoyaltyShare - an outsourced royalty processing solution for the music industry
  • DRM - Digital Rights Management
  • DMCA - The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, made law in 1998, and validated DRM

Alternative artist rights/royalty models and open source:

Consumer rights, user experience, and device interoperability:

News, Blogs and Sources:

  • Digital Media Wire

Notes and references
  1. Songtouch store, using PassAlong Networks technology
  2. PassAlong dies, Jaworski lives, Bandbox bets on boom. July 1, 2009. blog article by Milt Capps on Venture Nashville Connections
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