Jason Peterson, Chairman, GoDigital Media Group & Cinq Music – Merlin Nomination Statement

NOMINATION STATEMENT

for

 JASON PETERSON, CHAIRMAN, GODIGITAL MEDIA GROUP & CINQ MUSIC

I’m an attorney by training and a media & technology entrepreneur by vocation with 18 years of experience. In the year 2000 I forecasted the paradigm shift from physical to digital. This included forecasting that the MP3 pIayer and phone would merge to become one device catering to all of our entertainment needs. Now we are in the era of exponential computing which will lead us down a path driven by AI. With this vision in mind I have spent my career working to solve problems in the music industry usually by applying technology.

I have always been a futurist and early adopter.

  • According to YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki in January 2007 I was the first person globally to implement YouTube monetization for the clearing of independent rights on the platform
  • According to Ethan Jacks the former CLO at Avid, in 2006 my company ContentBridge was first to market in delivering a fully automated cloud based encoding and delivery software for long form video content that could deliver movies and TV shows to Cable, Broadcast, and digital platforms like iTunes

In doing so, I regularly participate on boards.

  • For example, in 2017 I recently joined the Digital Media & Emerging Technologies Committee at A2iM to serve its members in providing information on the exponential growth in computing power, artificial intelligence and what this means for the music industry. I also put on the music finance panel at Indie Week 2017 and brought in major financers including JP Morgan and City National.
  • In 2016 I was elected to the board of directors for the Entertainment Merchants Association which is the trade group for the $43B / year United States home entertainment industry (which includes games, movies, and TV consumed in the home). It includes nearly every studio and retailer. As part of this position I have published thought leadership on everything from the fundamentals of copyright licensing to internet neutrality; from “how to launch an OTT network” to issuing the first standards body endorsed definitions for virtual, augmented, and mixed reality. I also recently wrote a white paper on the conflict of laws surrounding the enforcement of copyrights with an eye towards steering the major digital platforms like YouTube to license and pay for music compositions directly from publishers worldwide.

Why does this matter to MERLIN?

It matters because I’m an advocate that is passionate about music.  I’ve never been more bullish on the industry, and I believe MERLIN is a critical component for healthy independents. My firm is an independent music rights holder and investing every available resource in solving pain points in the music industry.

I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work across the recorded music, music publishing, movie, and television industries in every part of the value chain from production through distribution and retail.  The combination of the past 18 years of experience as a media entrepreneur and problem solver combined with being an intellectual property attorney have provided me a perspective that can be valuable to MERLIN members as we navigate the new streaming market cycle, negotiate internet neutrality, close the value gap, and ensure a new golden age for intellectual property owners.