Gobbler: A File Backup, Transfer & Organizing Tool Made Just For You

SOHO, MANHATTAN: The night before we met up with Gobbler CEO Chris Kantrowitz, he invited us to a private Jane’s Addiction concert at Terminal 5.

His (other) company, Frank The Plumber, had been hired to design the “Jane’s Addiction Comes Alive” show, an experiential marketing event for the new LG Thrill 4G smartphone, which has a 3D display. LG gave 100 fans 3D phones to shoot the first user-generated 3D concert film, later cut together into a 60-minute documentary.

An amalgam of directors, producers, editors, audio engineers and designers, Frank The Plumber is the kind of company an LG can hire to pull off such a stunt – to design the lighting and stage, produce the shoot and edit; to manage all the media, all the details.

And this is where Kantrowitz, a serial entrepreneur whose businesses have always bridged technology and entertainment, thrives – in the details. To wit, his latest venture, Gobbler, is a backup, transfer, and organizational service for managing audio project files and assets in the cloud.

It’s a classic case of necessity being the mother of invention. Running Frank The Plumber over the last six years, Kantrowitz has been out on the road supporting large-scale concert productions for artists like Madonna, Lenny Kravitz, Beyonce and The Strokes.

“The idea for Gobbler came about when I was out working on these shows,” Kantrowitz notes. “We were dealing with all these audio, video and photo assets, and we were always looking at digital workflows. Then one of the artists I was out with had his hard drive crash and I asked him where his backup was. And he said, what backup?”

Kantrowitz began asking around, and realized there were a number of problems media producers (audio/video/photo/etc) were having backing up, organizing and sending large files.

“It’s a huge mess out there,” he says. “There were no tools being made specifically for media creators. There are the general-purpose tools like Dropbox and YouSendIt, but they are like pickup trucks – they’re great for hauling dirt – and you don’t take a pickup truck to a drag-race. Media creation is really more like a drag-race.

“So I started talking to all the people I work with, asking ‘what are your biggest problems?’”

The responses and market research began to crystallize into a business plan, and the Gobbler concept was born. In that process, Kantrowitz decided to develop the solution specifically for one market, and then evolve later for other media markets.

“We chose audio first because it was the market that needed the most help,” he says. “There are products out there that address photos and video, but nothing specifically for audio.

“I think part of the reason for this is that, for whatever reason, the tech community has this strange attitude about music. Like in Silicon Valley, they feel like record companies are going south, so this isn’t a good idea. But the reality is that there are more people than ever making music.

He cites some statistics: “6 million GarageBand users,” “12 million artist pages on Myspace, at its peak.” No matter how you slice it, this means millions of music creators producing in home and professional studios, sending files to bandmates, to producers, to mastering – all, potential Gobbler users.

Music is a market Kantrowitz knows well, and with previous successful ventures in game and software development, in addition to running a concert design and full-service production company, he has a wide view of the media landscape for evolving the platform.

And, he also has a partner…

Kantrowitz founded Gobbler in 2010 with his sister Jamie, a former Myspace executive. In fact, she was Myspace employee #9, and ultimately its SVP of Strategy and Global Marketing. Now, Jamie Kantrowitz serves as Gobbler’s Strategic Advisor. She is also Board Director at SoundCloud, and deeply entrenched in music, tech and startups – obviously a major asset to the company, and component of its rapid growth.

Gobbler has, after all, seemed to burst onto the scene, and – like a mainstream product launch – once in your consciousness, it just keeps popping up. Though still in beta, tens of thousands of Intel Mac-based music creators are already using Gobbler. PC compatibility is apparently just months away.

HOW IT WORKS

You can download the Gobbler application at Gobbler.com. After a quick install, Gobbler scans your drives for files created on all the major DAWs, including Pro Tools, Logic and Garageband, Ableton Live, Steinberg Nuendo and Cubase, Propellerhead Reason and Record, PreSonus’ Studio One, and Reaper.

Once your projects appear you can select the ones you want to back up to the cloud. From there, file changes are monitored in real-time and automatically backed up.

According to Kantrowitz’s research, the biggest need amongst surveyed potential pro audio users was a faster way to send files. Second highest was the demand for a backup solution.  Then there was the need for an organizing system – both for individual users’ catalogs, and for projects being worked on and updated by multiple users in different locations.

Gobbler improves significantly, and specifically, on the existing tools audio pros are using for file transfer, backup and collaboration. With widely-used file sharing products like YouSendIt, for example, there is an upload on one end and a download on the other. With Gobbler, the files are already uploaded in the automatic backup process, and so sharing them is quick and easy – click on share and enter an email address to send.

As for backup, Kantrowitz notes: “When Gobbler backs up thousands of your files, it’s really doing more than just backing up. Gobbler does versioning for you. So if you’re working on a project and you want the version from three hours ago, you can access that.”

Among audio professionals surveyed, Dropbox was the most-used file-sharing service.  “They found Dropbox because that was the best thing out there,” Kantrowitz notes, “But while it is a great product, it’s a sync product, which is not necessarily what you want when you’re collaborating on an audio project.”

To enable efficient collaboration, Gobbler developed a proprietary file transfer engine for the pro audio community, which according to their specs, “combines lossless compression and server side de-duplication algorithms.” The transfer feature in Gobbler only sends and receives changes to files rather than the entire files, which obviously decreases on transfer times and optimizes it for collaboration between Gobbler users.

And with Gobbler you can send projects and files “of any size” to any number of recipients, and not just other Gobbler users – anyone. The files are also fully encrypted, so the transfers remain secure.

Gobbler also catalogs the locations of your audio, and allows you to tag the files, so you can search and browse your catalog, including offline projects and files on disconnected hard drives. Since your files are backed up to the cloud, your entire catalog is accessible via secure login on any computer that has Gobbler installed on it.

Gobbler also integrates with SoundCloud. “We built the SoundCloud API into Gobbler because SoundCloud is like Flickr for audio,” Kantrowitz. “And we’re the creation and distribution side, so it’s the perfect synergy.

“And we can actually enable features for other APIs – for example we were able to solve two problems for SoundCloud: bulk uploading and bulk tagging. So, now, you can take your whole SoundCloud library and manage it from the Gobbler app.”

THOUSANDS OF GOBBLERS GOBBLING

At the time of our interview with the Gobbler CEO, there were approximately 11,000 people already using Gobbler. “Featured Users” on Gobbler.com include recent NYC-to-LA transplant mastering engineer Howie Weinberg, and NYC-based engineer Gus Oberg – who attests to using Gobbler to backup the live show recordings he’s engineering for The Strokes.

Though the LA-based Gobbler is still in its beta period, Kantrowitz wants to build as big of a user-base as possible right now – firstly, to gather feedback and keep improving the system, and secondly, because it is already totally functional for Intel-based Mac users. Functional, though not entirely flawless. For sending files, Gobbler works like a dream, and you can send any kind of file including audio, video, photos and documents, to anyone. But one of our engineer-reviewers who tested the system in July ran into an issue where Gobbler did not locate all of his Pro Tools session files in the scanning process.

“It’s a known issue,” Kantrowitz assures, “And it will be super simple to fix once we get access to the file format from Avid. We’re in talks with Avid now (and they really like our product.) The issue is based on how Gobbler scans for project files and certain kinds of file structures people use to organize their Pro Tools session files.

“Typically the problem cases have been with Pro Tools users who have very complicated systems, with thousands of files inside thousands of files.”

But, he emphasizes, only some Pro Tools users have experienced this problem. “We have a lot of users, including Pro Tools users, who aren’t having any problems at all,” he says. “And with Logic, GarageBand, Live, Reason and others we’ve had none of these problems because those files are saved in a very consistent way.”

And while Gobbler works out this issue, and gets its PC version up-and-running, the product is improving regularly. “Right now, our total focus is stability, speed, and better compatibility, and it’s constantly improving,” he explains. “We release new builds with fixes every 4 weeks.

“But I feel like you can’t really charge people until it’s totally bulletproof.”

So for now, and the foreseeable future, Gobbler is a free solution you should jump on – if for no other reason than just to send large files. In the process, you’ll be helping develop a stronger product that this industry definitely needs. “Every new user is one more person that might find something that we can fix,” Kantrowitz allows.

“We need people using it in real-world scenarios. We’re looking for questions, ideas, suggestions, etc. so we can address everything that’s coming up, and fix things really fast. We have full-time staffers focused on customer support. And everyone in the company receives feedback and questions posted to our community board.”

Ultimately, the Gobbler price structure will be based on storage space. “Our cheapest plan will start at $8.95 a month, but we’ll also have a free version. I think it’s good for people to try it and decide for themselves whether it’s helpful to them.”

And Kantrowitz will reward Gobbler’s early adopters: “We’re giving out 25 GB of space to anyone who’s in that early group. And we’ll grandfather you in… so our evangelists can pay the lowest tier price once we start charging, and still get that bonus space.”

So go check it out. Become a Gobbler user – send and backup your files, criticize, evangelize.

Visit www.Gobbler.com to get started.

Legal Notes: Napster’s Muscle Falls to Indie Label Rounder Records in NY Federal Court Battle

FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT, SOUTHERN DISTRICT, MANHATTAN: Picture it, the Internet, 1999. Napster launches out of a college dorm room in Massachusetts, and becomes one of the biggest forces in the music industry to reckon with. Its mechanism of peer-to-peer music file-sharing causes nothing short of a music-technology revolution, and major record labels are forced to grapple with learning how to co-exist with, if not under, Napster.

Flash forward to life twelve years later in 2011 and we are faced with many new remarkable realities. For one, as aptly alluded to by Napster Co-Founder Sean Parker’s character in  the blockbuster hit movie The Social Network, the creation of Napster led to the demise of CD sales and  practically the elimination of most major record stores because of the ease in (unfortunately) acquiring illegal music downloads on the Internet.

Another new remarkable reality is that while Napster has had such a profound effect on the recent history of music, the muscle it once had in the music industry has largely diminished, leaving behind a memory of the giant music industry influence it once was. The recent court decision of Napster v. Rounder Records in a Manhattan Federal District court echoed this reality when a federal judge gave a huge score to indie record label Rounder Records, while simultaneously providing a bit of a blow to the ego of Napster.

Napster, which had adjusted their business model to provide a service where users can legally stream and download music, had privately settled a claim brought against them by music publisher MCS America for failing to possess mechanical licenses (permissions to create copies of music under the copyright law) for their music. While the amount that Napster and MCS settled for is unknown, Napster made a bold move by subsequently bringing a $1.3 million law suit against Rounder, one of the many Indie record labels it entered into a deal with under their legal download/legal streaming operations, for failing to possess mechanical licenses for the music they provided to Napster. Rounder licensed some of its music from MCS and many people viewed Napster’s suit against Rounder as a means of unfairly attempting to obtain reimbursement for the settlement Napster paid to MCS.

While going up against Napster in a court battle is no small feat for Rounder Records or any Indie Label to handle, their lawyer, David Baum, a partner with the law firm of SNR Denton based out of their NYC Office in downtown Manhattan, was able to pull a huge victory for Rounder by getting the case not only dismissed, but additionally sanctioned in Federal Court.

“Rounder is a very special record company to me and I think to a lot of people, both artists and fans alike,” Baum commented. “When I got this lawsuit or at least the claim of the case before it was filed that Napster was going to go after a company like Rounder on such a claim that I thought was frivilous, I was offended for Rounder…I told Napster at the outset of the case before they filed the case that if they filed it we would fight it and get it dismissed, and in the process we would seek to get it sanctioned.”

Napster may have had somewhat of a viable argument that a 2001 agreement they made with Rounder contained language which rendered Rounder responsible for securing mechanical licenses for the music they provided in addition to an indeminification clause (legalise for a clause that allowed Napster to sue Rounder for any third party claims brought about by Rounder’s conduct). However, a subsequent agreement that the parties signed in 2006 alleviated the mechanical license responsibility from Rounder, leaving it fully on Napster’s lap; and most importantly, contained a clause which noted that it “terminated and superceeded” the terms of the 2001 agreement, including the indemnification clause.

“The Court threw the case out on a total of three grounds” Baum said. “The first one being that the 2001 agreement did not apply to the parties relationship anymore, and that under the 2006 agreement, ‘A,’ it was Napster’s responsibility to get the licenses for the compositions and not Rounder’s, and ‘B,’ in any event there was an indemnification provision, but in order for Napster to have relied on that indemnification provision, they needed to get a certain kind of consent.”

For indie labels entering music-technology deals to have their music streamed or downloaded online, Baum offers very simple advice: “Pay attention to your contracts and be very precise with the language because language matters.” He further adds: “If you are out there and making successive agreements with the same party, its very important for you to be careful about how you are characterizing these agreements – are they all supposed to exist at the same time, or is one supposed to replace the other? And if one replaces the other, you better have it say so.”

Words by Shamita Carriman – Entertainment lawyer, founder/ managing partner of Carriman Law Group PLLC, Board of Director of Women In Music, and music tech enthusiast. She can be contacted at info@carrimanlawgroup.com

LimeWire to Shut Down Operations On December 31st

LimeWire, the NYC-based file-sharing service, said on Friday that it would completely shut down its operations as of December 31, 2010. The SoHo office will be closed in the process.

The announcement appears to mark the final chapter for the highly controversial company, which started out as a peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing service that easily enabled the unauthorized online exchange of music files.

LimeWire issued a statement saying, “As a result of our current legal situation, we have no choice but to wind down LimeWire Store operations. Despite our dedication and efforts, Dec. 31, 2010, will mark the day when LimeWire Store shuts its virtual doors.”

After being the subject of a lawsuit by the major labels in 2006, LimeWire attempted to go legit with a subscription service selling licensed music from independent labels. In May, however, Judge Kimba M. Wood of Federal District Court in Manhattan ruled that LimeWire was liable for copyright infringement, decision that could compel the company to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.

Making matters worse for LimeWire, In October, Judge Wood ordered it to disable any functionality enabling searching, downloading, uploading, file trading and/or file distribution – essentially outlawing its core P2P offering. Although the LimeWire store was able to continue operation, it proved to be only a temporary stay before the company’s decision to shut down completely at year’s end.

While the doors to LimeWire are being shuttered – and unfortunately dozens of NYC music professionals will lose their jobs in the process – it does not mark the final chapter in the company: In January, a hearing is scheduled for damages owed to the major labels.

DubFiler: Brooklyn’s Little Rottweiler of Online File Sharing

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN: At SonicScoop, we love things that work reel good. And we would certainly put DubFiler in that category. Released from the mad mind of Corey H. Maass, this Brooklyn-based file-sharing service just might take over the world and vanquish all its inhabitants.

OK, it will probably never commit any acts of violence. But Maass is right when he says he came up with a workflow that’s really fast for DJ’s, musicians, producers, audio post pros and indie labels for file sharing. Don’t believe us? Try the free demo yourself – Maass’ new take on this important process makes it faster, easier and more affordable do to more with your files than other file-sharing services we’ve experienced. Here’s our ode to his code:

Q: What were you doing before you founded DubFiler? Both professionally and/or on a musical basis.
A: I started learning web design to promote myself as a musician around 1996 — I make electronic and dance music under the name Secret Agent Gel. Music has always been an avocation, and web design and programming have always paid the bills — I love them both. Lately I’m making less music, and concentrating more on running my labels, radio show and DubFiler.

Q: Everyone I know is either doing lots of things, or just one thing. Sounds like you’re in the diversified category! So from that musical/Web start, what led to DubFiler being founded?
A: DubFiler solved a real problem I had. I would finish a track, or have a musical idea I’d bang out, and then I’d want to send it to people for feedback. But some folks weren’t on IM, or couldn’t receive large email attachments. And using the file sharing services were obnoxious – ads, waiting for downloads, etc. So I built DubFiler to make it quick and easy to share my tracks. Then it made sense to make it into a real web app.

Q: Fair enough, but why is the music production community due – or overdue — for DubFiler? What makes you different/unique from other file-sharing services?
A: I think overdue. It’s not a new idea, but we’re doing it better, and just for folks like us. DubFiler is dedicated to musicians. We want to help you get famous. We focus on a clean, professional design and only the features you need so you can share your tunes, then get on with making more.

Q: I do dig on the interface, myself. So who uses your services the most? Who isn’t using a service like and Dubfiler and should be – they just don’t know it yet.
A: Most of our users are bedroom producers and aspiring musicians. We also have a good number of small labels. All of these people are who we’re trying to reach, which is hard. Everyone’s online, but usually tucked up in their own forum or community.

Q: SonicScoop relates, ja. So what did you learn in putting the application together? What was the most rewarding aspect of the process, and what made it particularly challenging?
A: It was the first full application I finished and got out the door. Finishing a project like this, even if it’s only version one, is a big hurdle. But when it is out the door, that’s the best feeling. And of course having people use it and tell me they love it — that means a lot.

Q: Congrats on getting it going! The Internet is, like, worldwide, but why do you think NYC a good place for a small, pioneering music-related company to be starting up?
A: There are so many start-ups and small businesses here. There are so many creative, interesting people and a lot of them are thinking about music. The tech community is strong, and we’re getting better about sharing ideas, putting people together and helping each other out. And living in Brooklyn is the best feeling.

Q: How is this sector of the business going to evolve in the next five years, in your opinion?
A: You could even limit it to five months. Watching the music tech space change, constantly, is fascinating – there are so many good ideas and so many bad ones. There are a lot of resources for the indie musician, but not all of them great, or right for everyone. I honestly feel bad for musicians trying to make it now. It’s tough. That said, though, there are infinite possibilities. It’s not just about making music anymore.

I try to use DubFiler as a resource for musicians – it’s a tool, but since I’m paying attention to the music industry, I hope to help musicians with links and information, too. Check out the blog for inspiring stories and interesting ideas, and follow us on Twitter for links that you might find interesting. – David Weiss