Entrepreneurs Remix the iPhone App

Austrian Michael Breidenbruecker had the same idea in his head for nearly 10 years: Create a software application that provided a personal soundtrack to your mood, movement and speech. His app would be reactive, using pre-programmed electronic music that would change according to sensory input.

The problem for the 37-year-old was that available hardware wasn't up-to-speed. The traditional desktop, laptop or mobile phone didn't provide the sensory interface required. Then the iPhone came along.

"When I saw the iPhone, I knew this was the perfect device," says Breidenbruecker, who co-founded the music site Last.fm. "Its processors can do everything we need it to do. It has sensory input. And the thing that makes the iPhone really, really attractive for music apps is simply the fact it is a music device--people use it to listen to music."

Indeed, while many iPhone software startups focus on making a quick buck through simple games and novel gimmicks (iBeerturns the gadget into a virtual mug o' brew), many savvy programmers are focusing on the burgeoning world ofiPhone music programsand have only scratched the touch screen of possibilities. The iPhone's tactile interface, motion-sensing accelerometer, wireless capabilities and built-in iPod music functions make it an ideal device for new legions of pocket producers and music fans alike.

Musicians ranging fromBrian EnotoDJ Deadmau5have created and endorsed iPhone music apps. Though it's not clear how many of theApple iPhone App Store's 20,000-plus programs focus on music, it is true that, even in this recessed economy, this new mobile platform ismaking instant mogulsof savvy developers. The technology, startup costs and workforces involved are not as daunting as they would be if you were launching full-service software.

"I think it's such a great business model that Apple has set up for us creators," says Jeff Muncy, creative director of Psyclops LLC, a Los Angeles-based app developer. "I don't want to say it was completely smooth, but it wasn't too hard. You just need to be creative and be unique. There are so many 'me-too' apps out there."

Breidenbruecker'sRjDjapp, perhaps more than any other, exploits the iPhone's musical capabilities. The $2.99 "album" version (there's also a free "single" variant that's rudimentary) lets iPhone users chose a musical "scene," which then mutates as you speak into a connected, microphone-equipped headset. The music can also react to your movement, as it reacts to the handset's bearing-sensing accelerometer. RjDj's often-ambient electronic sounds are calm in conditions of silence and stillness but grow more cacophonous as volume and action ensue. Users can record the program's reactions.

"We're pushing the boundaries of the hardware and the platform," Breidenbruecker says, "using sound input and output and real-time signal processing."

He says his company, Reality Jockey, consists mainly of himself, one programmer and five supporting employees, and that it has yet to make a profit. But at 150,000 downloads and counting, Breidenbruecker thinks the app is well on its way to becoming an artistic and commercial success.

And it could lead the way toward a new paradigm for music consumption, where fans download an ever-changing app rather than static songs, he says. Music stars could be programmers, not singers, rappers and rockers. In fact, RjDj is open to developers who want to create their own musical scenes to add to the album version. The only hurdle--one that Breidenbruecker hopes will be addressed by Apple--is that new music added to the program can't be sold and downloaded individually. Software music production suites such as Reason usually come with standard instruments built in, but if you want a specific hip-hop drum kit, for example, you have to purchase an add-on disc. Add-ons for iPhone apps, on the contrary, don't come packaged individually. For now, RjDj comes bundled with its music.

"What we want to be is a platform for artists to produce reactive music," Breidenbruecker says. "In order to do that right now we don't have many options with Apple because they don't support itemized downloads."

Still, developers are flocking to the App Store to peddle their music wares. Product developer Joy Kovaleski paired up with TV producer Muncy to get in on the action. Their product,Psyclops, launched this month and encourages children ages 8 to 14 to pair custom music tracks with animated dance moves of their choosing.