Company Overview
Imagine being able to literally touch your favorite music and have it respond with interviews, video, pictures, lyrics, and more. ROBA Interactive makes that happen. ROBA creates multi-media Apps for the iPad and other tablet devices that open up new dimensions for a unique digital music experience.
ROBA’s patent-pending application starts from the artist’s music and then layers in photographs, videos, interviews, lyrics, bios, interactive gaming, and more, depending on the vision for the individual artist’s project. This can include different audio options that allow the fan to hear each of the separate audio tracks, including vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, horns, strings, percussion, and drum tracks for each song, and even interactive components to remix those tracks and upload the new versions to share with others. The Internet connectivity means the App can link out to current news such as tour dates and TV appearances, and if desired, the App itself can be updated to add in new content. It can also provide ecommerce options, such as purchasing additional songs and albums, concert tickets, and other artist merchandise. The ROBA team brings this expansive universe right to the fan’s fingertips.
ROBA was set in motion when Larry Rosen, co-founder of the iconic GRP Records and N2K (the pioneering company behind the first commercial digital music downloads), and Phil Ramone, the legendary and technically innovative music producer (the first CD with Billy Joel, the Frank Sinatra Duets recordings, and so many more), teamed up with Miami-based documentary filmmakers and interactive multimedia developers Rick Cikowski, Brandon Dumlao and Eric Yaklin during the production of Rosen, Ramone and Quincy Jones’ epic documentary series RECORDING: The History of Recorded Music. Rosen worked with the Miami team again to produce behind-the-scenes documentaries and websites for his ground-breaking concert series JAZZ ROOTS. This multi-city concert series showcases music greats, including Buddy Guy, Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Al Jarreau, Keith Jarrett, Take 6, Sonny Rollins, and many more. In the winter of 2009, JAZZ ROOTS brought Rosen back together with his GRP Records co-founder Dave Grusin to work on the concert event JAZZ ROOTS: An Evening with Dave Grusin, featuring guest performances by Jon Secada, Patti Austin, Monica Mancini, Gary Burton, Arturo Sandoval, Nestor Torres, and Sammy Figueroa.
As they sorted through the wealth of material – audio, video, interviews, and photographs – captured during the concert for the creation of the CD and Blu-ray discs that were to be released by Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group, the Apple iPad entered the marketplace. It became evident to Cikowski, Dumlao and Yaklin that this technology could allow music enthusiasts to access all these things through the device, creating the ultimate immersive music experience. The long-time friends used their expertise in documentary film making, graphic design, and interactive multimedia to create the prototype, and took the idea back to Rosen, who immediately saw the App’s potential. Rosen helped fill in the team, bringing in entertainment attorney Leslie Zigel as General Counsel.
The first ROBA Music App, An Evening with Dave Grusin, will be released on April 26, 2011, with more to follow…. For more information visit www.robainteractive.com and email info@robainteractive.com. For PR contact: Eric Yaklin- eric@robainteractive.com
