Jared DiDomenico and Brad Naprixas are a music duo. They produced the first iPhone album Phoning It In. Jared and Brad both live in NYC. That’s how we got a chance to know each other. As a matter of fact, Jared is a member at NY Entrepreneurs Business Network (NYEBN). Jared and I met first time at a Hudson River Cruise Party that the group hosted, which led to the following interview that I did with this music duo today in the afternoon. (9/3/09)
You both came up with this iPhone album idea. How did this idea come about?
Brad – I downloaded the beatmaker app at the end of May 09, beginning of June. I played with it for a while. I showed it to Jared. We both thought that we could record an entire album using the program.
Jared: Brad and I have been music partners for a long time. We make music together. We used to use different types of music tools. It was a funny idea at the beginning. But a couple days later, we began to take it seriously. We made the decision and convinced each other we wanted to commit to this. Eventually we just gave ourselves one month to finish this project, because we wanted to be the first one to do this.
Wow, I am really amazed that you guys got it done within one month. How did it feel like? How did you get it done within one month?
Brad- Well, we worked really hard. We traveled together, worked at each other’s apartment. That one month was very intense, but we got used to it.
Jared – Yeah, as Brad said, it’s a combination of long hours and our prior experience. We are writers and we are used to that intense environment. Of course there is a learning curve. But it’s a model that we are familiar with. We have a quick way to learn it.
Brad – In fact, we have a long relationship, which really helps to make things faster and more efficient.
What types of music you make?
Jared – Brad and I write electronic music, hip pop, etc. Besides that, Brad is a keyboardist and I am a guitar player going back to our youth. We created different types of rock music.
Since you have created this first iPhone album, what would be your next goal?
Brad- Our next goal is to promote this album, not only to audience, but to publishers, televisions, video games, and even record labels. We want to be able to take what we’ve done and get much attention for it, while establishing ourselves as a music duo in the public eyes.
Jared – That’s exactly right. Generally speaking, we see everything coming together, including video, music, etc. So, Brad and I would like to work with different types of people on different projects. Meanwhile, produce music under our name. You know, it’s just basically a combination of our expression and collaboration. That’s what a lot of music producers are doing these days. That is the way things are going.
I can see your vision. That’s an ambitious and achievable goal. So what else you are promoting now?
Jared- Well, we work with different partners to essentially position ourselves, sell the product, place it in any kind of other media, and attract more publishing opportunities, eventually being able to write for other artists, make beats for rappers, and make soundtracks. That’s the overall plan.
What is your website?
Brad – nuclearoreilly.com
I checked out a couple songs, and really like the unique beat you have there. Who else do you have in your band?
Brad- It’s just us.
So you both are comfortable working with each other and achieving superb goals?
Brad- Yeah, we have been working together for well over ten years.
Wow, that’s precious. What is the chemistry that bonded you both together?
Jared – That’s a great question. In my opinion, our creative partnership is definitely the result of our strong friendship. Well, that could be a very long conversation. Brad and I have known each other since grammar school. To keep it quick, I think it has a lot to do with our mutual respect. Brad sometimes comes up some ideas which blow me away. We are both passionate and laid back which generates a unique trust relationship and respects among us. Do you have something to add, Brad?
Brad – There is really no secret formula in terms of how our creative partnership or friendship has lasted this long. We used to live in the same neighborhood. We just saw that creative energy in each other and decided to work together. Over the time, we have done lots of creative projects. It basically narrows down to trust and inspiration, I think.
Ok. How do you plan to use social media to promote your album?
Brad – Well, we have Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube accounts. In fact, iPhone is integrated with all those other services. For example, you can install Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter apps on your iPhone. It kinda gives us a build-in edge on Web 2.0 promotion. I am basically using iPhone to tweet for Nuclear O’Reilly that entire time. All these functionalities make the sharing process easier.
Jared – In terms of social media promotion, I think the biggest element for our social media campaign, right now at least, is Youtube video. We have a Youtube video (shown below) that shows Brad and I on buses, subways, starting working on the album. It’s just a little visual introduction. In fact, there is a lot of music on Youtube as well. People just put up a still image, and play the video to hear a song. There is going to be a lot of visual context for us on Youtube. I think that’s a huge thing because it’s so easy to embed a video on a blog, website, or your Facebook status, making it easy to share.
How do people find you on Twitter?
Brad – You can find us on Twitter @NuclearOReilly
Great! I am done with my questions. Do you have anything to add to our conversation?
Brad – Nothing else.
Jared – We feel good!
All right, Brad and Jared from NuclearO’Reilly, the producer of the first iPhone album. Thanks, guys.
NuclearO’Reilly – Thanks for taking the time out.
