Music Plus Technology

By Laura French, Star Tribune Sales and Marketing

Last update: June 12, 2003 - 11:00 PM

"Follow your bliss," the philosophers advise. But what if your passion doesn't happen to involve sitting in a cubicle and writing computer code? Some Twin Cities entrepreneurs have found that their high-tech skills harmonize beautifully with their love of music.

Six years ago, Glenn Shope was a musician with a day job as a communications coordinator. He produced a CD of his own music, then discovered that the internet retailing giants expected 60% of the proceeds from each CD he sold.

Career Acceleration

Shope decided to build his own website, offering his CD for sale. Then other musicians asked him to sell their CDs - and eventually, www.tcmusic.net was born. The site, which had 60,000 visitors last year, now includes free listings of more than 700 area musicians, provides information on upcoming live music performances, and offers CDs for sale.

Along the way, Shope has added to his own technology skills: "I was building a new page for each new musician, but that meant that every page needed to change every time there was an update. So I learned to build databases, and now the site is entirely database driven." Shope's other business, NetAcceleration, hosts websites for both individuals and businesses. In keeping with his philosophy that the Internet ought to be available to everyone, he works entirely with open source software.

Just this year, Shope's web enterprises have become successful enough to let him quit his day job. What's more, he adds proudly, he's sold all 6,000 copies of the CD that started it all.

High-Tech Piano Technician

While Shope was a musician with a day job, Mary Bailey was full-time systems analyst who played the piano in her spare time. In 1997, while working as an independent consultant, she took an introductory course in piano tuning. "It sounded interesting to me, because I love music and always thought I had a good ear," she recalls.

After taking the intro class, she joined the Piano Technician's Guild, which certifies members as Registered Piano Technicians when they have completed a series of exams. Bailey obtained her certification in 2001 - and in the past 6 years, she has gone from full-time IT consulting to a full-time career as a piano technician. "I still get calls about consulting," she says, "but for the most part, I try to pass the work along to other people."

Instant Gratification

While Bailey is no longer officially an IT consultant, she's still definitely in the technology field: "I use the Reyburn Cybertuner software (awesome stuff) while tuning, carry my pocket PC for scheduling appointments and keeping track of contacts, and of course carry the ever-handy cell phone, which allows me to talk to customers and run my entire business while on the road," she says. She also has a website that allows customers to introduce themselves and schedule an appointment online: www.thepianoworks.com/.

Bailey says, "I really enjoy what I do and have a great time doing it. Compared to long-term project work, the piano business is filled with lots of instant gratification. I start my day from my home office and my schedule is very flexible, which leaves me free to decide if I should work or go to a garden club meeting," Bailey says. "I never feel like I'm going to work anymore."

Laura French is principal for Words Into Action, Inc., and is a freelance writer from Roseville, MN.

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