Gilles Scotto di Carlo had always wanted to chase his dream of being in music.
It started back when he was 25 and he wanted to make a new speaker system made from composite materials. He spent four years doing that, before landing on a career in IT.
Scotto di Carlo spent a long career in IT, but still has his eye fixed on music.
In December 2020, in the midst of COVID, he approached his company about taking a sabbatical. They accepted.
That’s when he met the current founders of France-based My Shared Studio and they recognized a shared vision and a complementary set of skills.
“We have the same passion for audio and music,” Scotto di Carlo said.
Now, he’s their CEO.
My Shared Studio
One of the pinch points in virtual collaboration is trying to produce new music while all of the musicians are remote, Scotto di Carlo said.
With the current tools out there, it’s not possible to record and collaborate without having a musician record, then download and send the audio for others to listen to.
“The result is that you waste 30 per cent of your time, to time of production,” he said.
The My Shared Studio web-based software provides a single view of a recording and can connect different musicians. The music producer can see the tracks in the navigator and can produce and mix the files on the fly.
“We tried to think about the artistic collaboration and project management,” Scotto di Carlo said.
Once the process is complete, a producer can simply finish the mix and export the file.
“You can really manage your project – there are many things in the tools to facilitate the experience,” Scotto di Carlo said.
North America is a different experience
Scotto di Carlo said that one of the big advantages of working with the Reverb program at Platform Calgary was the immersion into the North American music scene. Europe is a different kettle of fish.
“We’re very different, I think, for the business,” he said.
It was great to make different connections with others in the industry. And, even though many of the founders had experience in the industry, learning the specifics of building a business were key. Everything from marketing and prototyping to preparing a pitch was invaluable.
They finished their beta version of the program late last year and they’re going through the refining process.
They’d also launched a kickstarter campaign to not only solicit feedback from others but to raise capital to continue the development of the product.
It’s all with the goal of creating a seamless system for musicians to collaborate – no matter where they are.
It’s the realization of a dream he had when it was young.
“There is something very special for us,” Scotto di Carlo said.
