Founder & CEO, Grooveshark.com (Escape Media Group)
Gainesville, Florida Area
- Current
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- Founder & CEO at Grooveshark
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1 person has recommended Sam - Connections
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Sam Tarantino’s Summary
Founded EMG with business partners. Created, developed and periodically revised Business Plan, Financial Projections, and Executive Summary. Compiled management team, industry advisors and board of directors; directed the hiring of software development team, marketing team, and design team; closed over $3,000,000 in F&F, angel & institutional capital. With partner and team, successfully released Grooveshark with over 1.3M registered users. Structured Company’s Capitalization, HR policies and external team of accounting and legal.
Negotiated and closed deals with V2 Music UK, Nettwerk Music Group, Magnatune, Naxos, Sheridan Square Records, EMI Records and Publishing, Telecom Italia, ASCAP, BMI. & SESAC. Negotiated and closed licensing deal with University of Florida for their support with contacts, and IP issues. Negotiated and closed angel and institutional seed round.
Has attended numerous industry conferences such as MIDEM, CES, Digital Music Forum East and West, as well as private portfolio company events. Developed relationships over the past two years with many C-level and executive media, technology, and music industry players while negotiating with the major and independent labels. Developed multiple partner-level contacts in the venture community as well.
Oversees and gives strategic direction to a team of 7 team leaders including a hardware infrastructure director, three senior software directors (Backend, & Frontend), a sales and PR director, a label relations director, and a business development director.
Sam Tarantino’s Specialties:
Deals and Negotiation, license acquisition, organizational behavior, operations, fundraising, startups
Additional Information
Sam Tarantino’s Websites:
Sam Tarantino’s Interests:
Revamping content distribution, disrupting existing industries, building something from nothing, playing piano, guitar, drums, organ, harmonica, and singing, jamming funk/blues/fusion/bluegrass/classic rock/alternative, climbing, skiing, hiking, Italy.
