Dear HN,<p>I am currently working to launch a new music startup. Now, I know what you are thinking when you hear "music startup", but this is different.<p>For the past 5 months, I’ve been piecing together ideas and solutions that will finally put an end to "the disease of which the RIAA is a symptom". The current record labels' business model is not working for the 21st century and thus needs a 21st century makeover; But…<p>I have no programming skills or background, and I need to find a co-founder that understands what I’m really going for and will bring something to the table that I am obviously lacking (Programming skills). I currently live in Frederick, Maryland where; to say the least, there is a shortage of computer-minded people.<p>So, I came to seek your opinion, HN…<p>Where can I find a cofounder/programmer that understands ‘music’? (A hacker that understands the current problems that are facing the music industry today. ex: Piracy, declining music sales, etc. Someone that also has an interest in solving these problems.)<p>Should I just find my way to Silicon Valley by any means possible?<p>Any suggestions on how I should present my idea to a hacker (co-founder)?<p>Your advice and, or suggestions are all welcomed.
I think you are best served by diving head strong into a programming language in order to make your idea a reality. When you struggle, get on mailing lists and forums. Go to Hacker meetups. Hang out at your nearest school's computer science lab. Contribute as best you can. Through that you will build connections and then you will be at the point of asking them to join you. However, if you have money, there are plenty of willing programmers who would be quite interested. What's your idea? How do you plan to differentiate yourself where other music startups have failed?<p>Disclaimer: I'm a programmer at a music startup.
Why necessarily a programmer who understands music? Sure you want someone who loves it, but it sounds like you'll be bringing lots of the product/industry expertise in this case,so you two can complement each other.<p>I think if you looked around in NYC, you'd likely find some of these people too. NY is somewhat better for music+tech than SF, though SF is lovely as always.
Just curious, are you familiar with the music business? Or a musician that had a bad experience interacting with the industry? Or just someone who has a random idea?<p>P.s., I'm also in the Baltimore area (~10 mins south of B'more). Drive near Frederick every so often when going to Annapolis Rocks.
I think you need to define what you mean when you say someone that understands 'music'.<p>Do you mean someone with experience in the music business? Someone who understands thing from the perspective of a musician? A hacker with knowledge of distribution channels? Recording labels & studios?
PS. I run the Hype Machine (<a href="http://hypem.com" rel="nofollow">http://hypem.com</a>) a well-regarded music site that keeps track of music on blogs. Would love to know what you think about it.
You could go to an HN meetup or maybe attend a conference. You may need to work on selling yourself because your post did not indicate (to me) what value you will bring to the partnership.