Doug Hoppe, CEO, has an MBA in International Business and Marketing from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College and a degree in Music and Italian from Yale University. He is the founder of Central and Eastern Europe’s first and largest internet music portal.
Doug conceived of, initiated, researched, created financial models and projections for, developed and helped implement a major project for Sony BMG. Sony BMG was in a post merger phase and needed to organize and aggregate artist’s sites, e-commerce, and audio/video content while increasing revenue from online advertising. Working with the New Media department of Columbia Records and the Global Digital Business Group, Doug was able to help make this project – MyPlay – a success. (http://myplay.com/)
Doug also worked in Marketing Planning preparing budgets, marketing plans, P&Ls, and other mission critical tasks at BMG for Clive Davis and Charles Goldstuck. He also assisted with a mobile radio project for the GDBG and initiated a partnership with a leading classical music portal for Masterworks. At Columbia Doug assisted in online marketing and promotion as well as creating strategic partnerships.
Doug predominantly works with corporate clients well as startups in the mobile and internet sectors, mostly dealing with music, video, advertising, and social networking, as well as independent labels and general business projects.
In addition to Eastern European expertise and North American lifelong experience and education, Doug also has close ties with clients in Western Europe, Japan, and Hong Kong.
Being a Music Expert and Founder of the most important music and internet venture in Eastern Europe, Doug was invited to Moscow to serve as the Keynote speaker for the largest music conference in the CIS. Doug addressed issues related to e-commerce of CDs, DVDs, merchandise etc., the digital sale, distribution, and promotion of content, As well as legal issues related to piracy, p2p networks, and non-harmonization of Intellectual Property systems and mechanisms between the CIS and most other countries.
Doug is a lover of the Arts, and besides being an orchestra conductor, founding orchestras, and organizing his own concerts, he organized a festival for independent music (borderline avant-garde) and actual avant-garde acoustic and electronic free jazz with British, Hungarian, and Japanese contacts. He worked in the marketing dept. of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra while at Yale, and also founded, managed, and promoted his own Chamber Orchestra and Chorus. He worked on a Pro-Bono project for Jazz at Lincoln Center while studying Non-Profit Marketing and Music marketing at NYU. During the summer season of 1994 he worked as the VIP liason, production coordinator and librarian for the Orchestra of St.Luke’s.
Doug is also an avid fan of independent and niche music and his internet music portal also sponsored and organized a stage for top indie musicians and DJs from around Central and Eastern Europe, as well as a hospitality internet email/browsing tent for the weeklong Sziget festival in Budapest, largest Music festival in Europe east of Vienna and Berlin. Many successful online and on the ground promotions were carried out increasing the popularity of regional independent artists throughout Europe. Much of the activity involved partnering with Central Europe’s biggest online and offline underground radio station, Tilos Radio.
Doug is involved in international politics and humanitarian / economic efforts and has worked with George Soros’ Open Society Institute, the Helsinki Committee for Refugees, the OSCE and the UN (UNMIK/UNHCR). Doug takes pride in having recorded and promoted refugee music from the Balkans, Africa, and Afghanistan.
At Yale Doug received an award and a fellowship to study orchestra conducting in Siena, Italy with Myung-whun Chung and Yuri Temirkanov in 1996. Doug has also worked with André Previn and many leading soloists and conductors.
Doug is fluent in English, Italian, French, German, proficient in Spanish and Hungarian, has studied Russian, and knows how to get into trouble in any Slavic nation.
Doug is a member of APAP, NAPAMA, 212NYC Interactive Advertisng Club, the Pho List, and is the Founder and Organizer of the New York Digital Music Group.
He also teaches music and language lessons in his spare time.