*SPECIAL EDITION* Amie Street: Paving a New Road for Discovering Music

Elliott Breece, Josh Boltuch, and Elias Roman (from left to right) are founders of Amie Street, an online music sharing site. It allows the fans and artists to be completely interactive with the music sharing experience. It is a unique approach unlike any other.

What is the name of your company?

AmieStreet.com

What is the story behind its name?

We were seniors at Brown University in Providence RI when we came up with the idea for AmieStreet.com. We were working hard to get the site of the ground, we needed a name, looked out the window, and there was our street sign. It had a nice unique sound, it was a location that gave a feel of community, it stood out among the names of other music sites trying to sound cool or cutting edge, and it made for a great logo.

How did it get started? How long did it take to launch Amie Street?

The founders all met freshman year, we actually lived in the same hall in the dorms. So our friendship began long before our business did. We began to really work on the idea in model in January of '06, and it took about six months from there, until July 4, 2006, until we had a live site, although it was very minimal at that point. Where is it based? We are now in New York City. Before moving into our office here this summer we were in Hicksville Long Island, the five of us living in a house together. And before that we were hopping around a couple different apartments in Providence.

What are the goals of Amie Street? To be the destination for discovering new music.

What is your opinion on the quality of music in the mainstream right now?

That all depends on what you consider the mainstream. I think people's tastes are becoming more and more diverse as more and more music is available, so that is changing the classic definition of mainstream.

Where do you see the Amie Street going in the next five years? Do you plan to expand?

We are constantly expanding! The first question is difficult to answer because I don't think anyone can say with a straight face where the music world will be in five years. But what has been our advantage so far, and something we work hard at, is being flexible and responsive to what people are asking for. We take pride that you'll receive a response from a real person within 24 hours of contacting us, usually less than that. Everything we do is based on our customer feedback. That's how we created Amie Street, and our members are going to tell us what they want, and how their habits and preferences are changing, all we have to do is listen.

What is a typical work day like? Long. It involves everything you can imagine, from taking out the trash, to talking to CEOs of fortune 500 companies, although I probably take out the trash more often at this point. That's a very hard question to answer, and it has changed dramatically since we first started. It's a lot of problem solving, it's always exciting, and it's a lot of fun.

What inspires your entrepreneurial spirit?

Working with such intelligent people who I trust and who continue to amaze me with their talent and determination. There's nothing more satisfying than achieving shared goals with people you care about.

For more information and to become a part of this music experience go to http://www.amiestreet.com/