There is something to be said about faith. Once you have a hold of it, you’re either a slave or a motivator. Arif Gursel, who serves as a technical evangelist at Microsoft, interestingly tip-toes the line between those two worlds. His name is associated with Microsoft platforms such as Windows Vista, Xbox360 and Zune. With his tech savvy mind aligned with the culture of hip hop, Gursel looks to push the impact of digital media technology via the entertainment industry.

You’re probably thinking to yourself that this is a pretty ill concept, right? Sha Money XL thinks so, too. The duo has partnered up for this year’s One Stop Shop in Phoenix, Arizona in March. As the voice of the future and the voice of the streets link up to do business, the unknown can become known as the Audio Music Partner Alliance helps to develop and support products that inter-operate with the Microsoft. Mr. Arif Gursel speaks with The Evil Collector about the upcoming meeting of the minds, sheds light on his unique position with tech-giant, Microsoft and talks about the future of the business.

The Evil Collector: For those who aren’t familiar with your name and position, can you go into what you do?
Arif Gursel: My job is really about evangelizing technology. Some people when they hear that scratch their head and are wondering if it’s a real time. But the title carries many different hats. My 9-to-5 is to manage relationships between Microsoft and other companies. These are individuals who are the ones that create unique platforms within our strategies. I am also involved in work with audio and video. I manage numerous accounts on the 1-to-1 basis. Another side to it is our program, Audio Music Partner Alliance. I am their technical voice where we work to develop and support products that work within Microsoft’s platforms. It provides us an open forum for us, as a company, to talk to the rest of the industry about what Microsoft is doing and it gives, you, the public, an opening to tell us what we should be doing. Lastly, I’m the resident hip hop dude. My site is aimed at all the young up-and-comers in the Arts, who are looking to take it to the next level. It’s a way for us to give back to the community in an educational forum. We have unique videos to go with it. I sat in a studio session with Lil’ Jon as he made a beat. My job changes from time to time, but I’m the one who looks at the media and the entertainment and figure out how we get Microsoft platforms out.

TEC: With Zunes, iPods and other mp3 based players the rule of thumb – what will be the next trend in tying media into one bow?
AG: It’s interesting that there is a convergence in technology. After the media is out, we instantly consume it. It’s not just it to listen to the music, now. You have to be able to record it and distribute it on your own means. Right now, and it’s an interesting thing, the record label is having a hard time with their business model. The kids of today are discovering music in different ways at an alarming rate. A lot of the power is going back to the artist, which I think is a good thing. The real problem is how do you tie it all in.

TEC: Do we run the risk of monopolizing ourselves within the media by merging so many brands and products together?
AG: Any product that you’re dealing with, at the end of the day, has an open-ended format. There may still be a proprietorship to it, you know, but it’s mainly that there is just other licensing.

TEC: But do you think that this will monopolize anything?
AG: No, I don’t think so. I have a Zune, now, but before the product was ever released, I owned an iPod. I had iTunes and all that. But when I got the Zune, I was able to transfer all of my iTunes onto it with no issues or hassle. I don’t use my iPod anymore, but I’m still listening to all of my music from its services. Microsoft, any company, really, doesn’t get into the competition part of the product game. We sell platforms. You may buy TurboTax – since it’s tax season coming up – to work on your taxes. We, as Microsoft, don’t get any money from that. Not a piece of it at all, but you still can use the service any time you want.

TEC: In what effect would this have on all the other avenues of media, such as, production and distribution?
AG: I’m glad that you had asked that. We have a security file folder called Groove, through Microsoft Office, that allows you to give access to your works to other people that you wish to work with or vice versa. I’ve produced music for ten years and I’ve sent music out to people who have worked with me with no problems. I have a bass player in Miami who I send tracks via email. The Groove program through Office can send a file and can only be accessed by others only if they have log-in credentials. Then, you can just go in there, get the work, do what you want with it and put it back with no worries. I’m certain that they’re the only ones who are able to use it. With the Zune, the wireless share feature is unique in that I can send files to you and you’re only able to evaluate it and can’t share it elsewhere. After three plays, it’s done and it limits file sharing to a minimum and still allows the creator to keep his or her work in tact without worrying about piracy.

TEC: So, how did you manage to link up with Sha Money XL?
AG: Microsoft has many products and services and, at the time, Sha was meeting up with the people over at Zune. They knew his history and it matched with my credentials, so the good people over there linked the both of us up. Once we met up, we talked about goals and whatnot. He’s a very intelligent person and is very knowledgeable about where technology is going to go. There are a lot of things that are convergent that involve all of our operating systems. We have a demographic of like-minded individuals who are in the game and are upcoming, as well. Together they are foreseers of what’s next to come.

TEC: So, are you bending the people’s ears?
AG: My job is not to convert people. There are those that when you say the word, “evangelist,” they think of some guy preaching the Gospel, hitting you with the Bible. I’m not that guy. I want to show people that their other options within the marketplace.

TEC: How does this tie-in to your aspirations with the One Stop Shop?
AG: Realistically, if kids show up not knowing what a Zune is, then I’d want them to be able to collaborate with the One Stop Shop and us and learn more about the work that the both of us do. They would learn about the partnerships we have and would be introduced to the Cakewalks of the world. It is, then, my goal for them to learn more about the music. That’d be a win for me.

TEC: So, with someone like Jay-Z starting a digital label with competitor, Apple – how much of a change are we going to see in the music industry?
AG: With every change, the business model morphs into something more of itself. You’re talking about the distribution of a product that threatens to remove a brick and mortar practice. How do you market a new artist in a world where you’re competing with a guy who has a popular MySpace page? How does one who is going digital promote themselves in that marketplace? You can’t have an album signing if no one goes to the stores anymore. I was involved in a think tank called Wingspread that was to try and help raise the market share in jazz. But this is the nature of business. I told them five years ago that it’d be important to pair themselves with software companies. Labels are going to need CTO’s [chief technical officer] and vice presidents of technology. Basically, they’d need people who know where cynergy is headed. You’re going to see more of that now. The record label process that’s been in place is finally being leveled. I come from a musical family and they have to begin to look past what’s going on right now. While business models tend to change, there is also a growth that comes with it. People will have to begin to augment their education. There are things that you can’t just learn with experience. The more people who align themselves with technology will find themselves still in the pipeline.

TEC: Wow… Sounds like we’re in the Terminator or something… How impacting are companies like yours with the preservation of music, movies and other forms of media?
AG: I’m not quite sure preservation is the right word to use. Microsoft Windows is a product and a platform. There are extensions that can be added onto it. When we look at the music industry, we’re not in a position to dictate anyone with any direction on where they want to go. We do, however, have the foresight to see where it’s direction is headed towards. I want to help move that forward. I don’t Microsoft has that much pull to sway people’s opinions or habits. Especially when you have a company like Sony and its far reaching arms. They have a label, their own mp3 player, a software company and a studio. They have more influence. They can really determine a format war.

TEC: You’re CEO at Invisible Man Entertainment, right? You make beats?
AG: Yes, I produce as well. I’ve done independent film. I have a couple of R&B acts. You see, I run a production company, as well and it’s a lot of hard work paying off. I started off with myself, but with all of what I do, I don’t have the time to be in a studio. So, now, I’m hiring a young stable of producers to have that sound. My R&B acts, Cameron Lewis, this brotha from Chicago and Anjalae Rose are next up. Ms. Rose was on American Idol the same year as Jennifer Hudson. She learned the language in Russia, went on their version of Idol and won. This is a sista from Brooklyn. Very dope! We’re working on a bunch of things at the moment.

TEC: With Microsoft’s involvement with the One Stop Shop – you have a unique position to bring awareness to your platforms. Will there ever be a time where hip hop isn’t on the verge of pushing new mediums to the public?
AG: I’m a hip hop cat, man. I think we’re cutting edge, man. If you look at the nature of our music, we’re pushing the envelope from the jump. I don’t care what anyone says. It’s because of hip hop that we have sampling. It’s true why the AKAI and the MPC are hip hop staples. It just makes sense that hip hop and technology go together. It’s a no-brainer. I think the problem is that you don’t have enough people who live our culture and you definitely don’t have them in corporate America. It’s a unique position for me to be able to be in, as one of those individuals out there making it work. I believe that technology and hip hop is a perfect marriage. With that said, 2% of the world drives the other 98%. If myself and others can help to educate others about the new trends in a continually evolving world, then that helps us fight a lot of the negative perspectives.

TEC: You mentioned earlier that Sha Money XL is ahead of the curve when it comes to those things. How does one stay abreast of the new trends in any market? Is it who you know or what you know?
AG: I think it’s who you know. The smartest business people know that they’re not the smartest and they hire those who are. I give him credit as a forward thinking person, but those who are in this business want to see money now, others don’t have to think with a pure business mind. Sha knows that he made his money off of producing, but he’s looking forward. He’s done a video game. He’s done a lot of things. He’s aligned himself with things that people know. He’s not going to front when he doesn’t know about something. He’ll call me [laughs]! More importantly, you have to know enough about your business to know when it needs to change.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 at 11:09 pm and is filed under Video Games, collaborations, Gadgets, Lifestyle Events, Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.