MERRILLVILLE | Chris Bauman and his crew at the Chordcraft Music Co., with their mission of connecting musicians and music lovers, will present their largest production to date on Friday at Chicago's historic Kenetic Playground.

Dubbed "G-Stock," the concert is produced and promoted by Chordcraft's FanFound.com, along with Binj Productions of Chicago.

Chordcraft and for FanFound.com, the company's Web site, launched in June, CEO Chris Bauman said. "We're making significant progress every day introducing people to talent they would never have known existed," he said.

Bauman, a Valparaiso University graduate who received his MBA from there on Sunday, said he and his company are benefiiciaries of the Purdue Technology Center.

Much of Northwest Indiana has been supportive of FanFound's concept that links musicians, fans and venues, Bauman said.

"Z107 has been playing FanFound artists during their 'Fresh Brew' segment almost every week for the past, few months," Bauman said, adding, "One of the bands featured on Z107 'Fresh Brew' goes by the name of Detagoh, and is starting to create our first 'FanFound Cinderella story.' On December 26, they are opening for the legendary band Rusted Root at The House of Blues in Chicago."

Bauman, who believes that the corporate culture of modern music does not allow many talented artists to be heard, gives kudos to Z107's on-air talent, Don and Bailey, as well at everyone at Radio One Communications. "They are pioneers in bringing back a local feel to the FM radio dial," he said, adding, "'Fresh Brew' is a bright beacon of hope in a terribly dark industry."

Bauman said Chordcraft and FanFound.com have formed a partnership with Binj Productions for a year of musical, promotional events.

For more information about the concert and the company, visit www.chordcraft.com or, www.fanfound.com.

BusINess Magazine
Chris Bauman: Indiana's Top 20 under 40

Bauman strikes chord at
Purdue Tech Center

By Melanie Csepiga

After contemplating becoming an attorney and after a
stint as a LaSalle Bank official, Chris Bauman has
returned to his roots. In a classic case of seeing a
need and working to find the solution, Bauman, 26,
is poised to lead his company, Chordcraft Music,
into uncharted territory.

The pioneering spirit sits well on Bauman?s shoulders. He?s the
grandson of Verne Engblom, who originally founded Chordcraft in
Chicago in 1964, as a conduit through which local musicians, largely
of the gospel and children?s varieties, could record and be heard.
Fast forward to the present where Bauman, a 2004 Valparaiso University graduate (political science and psychology) working on his MBA there, is refashioning Chordcraft to focus on modern music, but with the ideals established by his grandfather.

?The values are still there,? Bauman says, adding, ?We?re
looking for ways that musicians can distribute their music, get gigs, connect with fans.?

The idea to create a company that would specialize in the
expansion, integration and perfection of the music industry, via
Web-based applications, promotion and production services, grew
from a simple incident.

A musician buddy of Bauman?s had text-messaged him to let him
know that he would be playing a particular date at a certain Chicago
venue.

Bauman says he imagined the time it took his friend to text-
message everyone he wanted to inform, and thought, ?What if we
had that automated??

That began Bauman?s new role as entrepreneur.

?The music business is very corporate, packaged,? Bauman says.
?Over the last decade, the public has rejected record labels.?

Bauman says the opportunity to locate in the 300 square feet of
space he filled with computers, technical equipment and a guitar or
two at the Purdue Technology Center has made a difference. He says
the shared receptionist, conference areas, technology and lunchroom
are things Chordcraft could not afford alone.

There?s a near-palpable energy these days in that 300 square feet
where Bauman and his crew of technology whiz kids brainstorm after launching their first product, www.FanFound.com.

?It was almost totally developed with zero funding,? Bauman says, adding he and Chordcraft have been helped by the Purdue Technology Center. ?We?ve definitely grown, comfortably grown. We bring on one new person per week," Bauman says, adding, ?A lot of the staff are interns.
That?s awesome, because they?re so in touch, so full of ideas. We have
thousands of ideas out there.?

Chordcraft has four full-time, four part-time and 15 intern
workers. Bauman still gets a lot of help from Valparaiso University,
through one of his MBA classes.

?Valparaiso is very intimate. In this marketing class, we?re working
on Chordcraft. It?s like having 40 employees in the class working for
me,? he says.

Bauman adds today?s music fans want something new, and he and
his Chordcraft crew have every intention of delivering.

?I really want to nurture the music industry,? he says.

CEO, 25, wants fans to pick music's elite
By ROBERT ELFINGER Staff Writer

A lot of breath has been wasted by rock stars like Eddie Vedder and Sheryl Crow and their hipster fans who detest music industry practices.

They say four major record label companies -- Universal, Sony BMG, EMI and Warner -- account for 70 percent of music sales worldwide and 85 percent in the U.S. This monopoly allows corporate-types essentially to choose which music is marketed and played on the radio for the general public, such critics say.

But Glenbrook South graduate Chris Bauman is taking on the major record labels by giving famous and not-yet famous musicians a vehicle they can use to bypass the industry. He's created an online community that brings fans, musicians, disc jockeys and concert venue owners together at one Web site.

Fanfound.com combines the concept of I-Tunes with successful social networking Web sites like Facebook and Myspace, Bauman said.

CEO, and student
Bauman, 25, is chief executive officer of Chordcraft Music Company, the parent company behind Fanfound.com headquartered in Merrillville, Ind. The Glenview native is working toward a master's degree in business administration from Valparaiso University.

Bauman and staff have been working for two years on Fanfound.com and are hoping the site becomes a beacon of hope for musicians, fans and businesses everywhere that are fed up with the current music industry.

"Fanfound is more than a just another Web site; it's a movement to claim back the music," Bauman said. "In a world where you can't turn on your FM radio without hearing the same songs being played over and over, Fanfound is a breath of fresh air."

On Fanfound, people are able to create a profile that allows them to receive information about their favorite bands, including their upcoming concerts and new songs that can be played, downloaded or burned onto a compact disc.

Music fans also are able to create and share lists of their favorite songs, archive the concerts they've attended, complete with photographs and the music presented, and even create a personal song-based profile that they can share with others.

"We want to have an environment where listeners can download music for free" and where in the near future, the artists they listen to also can get paid, Bauman said.

The Web site is free for everyone and fans can buy compact discs and apparel that feature their favorite bands. Bauman said most of the Web site's revenue comes from advertising, which costs clients 3 cents to 75 cents, depending on if a user clicks on an ad or purchases something.

Ad dollars aim
According to Bauman, Internet advertising swelled to $14 billion last year, making up about 5 percent of national advertising dollars spent. He believes that number will increase dramatically in coming years.

"Once businesses learn how cheap and targeted Web advertising is, they're going to jump into it," Bauman said.

The Web site also helps concert venue operators learn how many fans a band has and where those fans are located.

"A huge problem that venues face is estimating how many fans a musician or band has and getting those fans the information they want to receive about shows and events," Bauman said. "Fanfound gives venues a much better idea of a musicians' fan base and more confidence in booking a new act because they know exactly how many fans will get notified about the performance.

"With the click of a mouse, venues will be able to see exact statistics on how many text messages or e-mails will be sent to fans who specifically have chosen to receive information about the show."

By next year, Bauman hopes to begin sharing a percentage of advertising revenue with musicians, along with other key perks such as recording contracts. Money will be shared according to how many Fanfound users are listening to their songs and how many fans have downloaded their music, among other criteria, he said.

Fan freedom a goal
Bauman's company, Chordcraft Music Co., was started in Chicago by his grandfather in 1964 as a hobby business that published country and barbershop music for local musicians. While growing up, Bauman often went to his grandfather's studio and played various instruments there.

After his grandfather died three years ago, Bauman began thinking of ways to continue the business.

"There's a lot of tradition with this company ... so I'm excited to keep that tradition going," Bauman said.

Ultimately, Bauman said he wants to reform the music industry so fans can discover local musicians, rather than waiting for them to break into the relative handful of artists with big label contracts.

"There is unbelievable talent in every city, big or small. We're going to give fans the ability to stay in touch with the music they love and find new music to fall in love with," Bauman said. "The goal is for fans to directly support the musicians they like, helping these musicians develop while giving them a chance to concentrate more on their music rather than worry about acquiring record label funding."

With the recent successes of other social networking sites, Bauman has reason to be optimistic.

"We are working very hard, day in and day out, to ensure that Fanfound brings to the music industry now the same thunder the radio did when it was first introduced."

Chris Bauman is interviewed on Z107 and discusses with Don and Bailey how FanFound works, along with it's mission of supporting music everywhere.