iQ Music Inc. interview

iQ had its official music industry debut at the Winter NAMM Show 2007.  NAMM is an acronym for the National Association of Music Merchants, and its annual tradeshow attracts not only the makers and sellers of musical instruments and related devices and services, but also musicians and recording industry figures, as well as the world’s press. 

Each year a panel of judges evaluates every new product that’s being introduced at the show and honors those that it considers the best in several categories. At the 2007 NAMM show, iQ was selected as a “Best in Show” for Trendsetter Products. 

The Q&A interview that follows was recently conducted by Music Trades magazine.  Answers were provided by PianoDisc’s executive vice president, Tom Lagomarsino.

Q. Player piano systems have often been on the cutting-edge of technology, whereas pianos as an instrument have changed little for generations. What specific market segment are you going after by integrating newer iPod and iTunes technologies into the PianoDisc iQ system? 

A.  MP3 players like the iPod and supporting media management libraries, like iTunes,  have hit the tipping point in the world market with well over 90 million sold since 2002. The iPod/ iTunes  phenomenon has resonated with generations Y, X and Baby Boomers alike. Combining this pop-culture technology with an intelligent system like iQ, allows us to reach and appeal to a much wider market.   The image of a “player piano” takes a giant leap with iQ. 

In addition to iPod and iTunes, iQ's technology also allows for seamless integration with whole-house audio and home automation systems.  This allows us to tap into a growing pool of high-end consumers who want all of their music stored and managed by a central system.  iQ is flexible enough to attract new younger customers, while at the same time catering to the wealthy, tech-savvy consumer.

Q. Could you explain to me a bit how the iPod/iTunes compatibility works? Are there only certain songs that are compatible with it, or will any piano-based music work?

A. It's quite simple:  all PianoDisc performances can be downloaded from our online Music Store or taken from any of our PianoDisc CDs and loaded directly into a customer 's iTunes play-list-management-center which works on Macs as well as PCs.  iTunes is simple to work with, has a robust browser and is easy to navigate.  The customer can create libraries and play-lists and then sync and load the PianoDisc music onto their personal iPod or MP3 player. iQ's intelligent technology reads a number of different player system formats but not all piano-based music will work.

iQ has an intelligent detection feature that allows it to differentiate between PianoDisc music and standard audio.  So it allows users to leave all of their favorite music in iTunes and on the iPod, and simply add the piano music to their collection.  When played through the iQ, the PianoDisc music will play the piano, while the remainder of the music will play unaffected.  This allows for maximum versatility, while providing customers with the familiarity of iTunes.

Q. What are some of the obvious benefits of the iQ opposed to other retrofit player piano systems?

A. The iQ system offers compatibility with a number of front-end music players like the PianoDisc's newest slim line DVD control unit equipped with onboard flashcard memory, USB port, as well as other CD and DVD players, MP3 players, X-Box, Sony PSP, as well as Apple products iPod Video, Nanno and iTunes, MS Urge, etc. Our patent-pending dual volume control allows the user to control audio and piano, is compatible with existing and whole house audio systems, Stereo output, plays all PianoDisc Creator PianoSync performances, records and can be controlled from a PC, Mac or any type of notebook computer.  The iQ system is certified and meets safety standards as well as WEE and other environmental and safety standards. iQ is backward compatible for upgrades on PianoDisc's SilentDrive system. 

While competing systems force the user to use two remotes--one for the piano and one for the music player--iQ's patent-pending technology automatically adjusts the piano volume to match the level of the music player. The benefit to consumers is simplicity:  one device controls the piano.  While we think a lot of people will use iPods, iQ is smart enough to work with almost any music playback device. 

Beyond the consumer benefits, we've also made the device simple for piano technicians. It’s easy to program, with set-and-forget learn system for technician set-up calibration.  The iQ control unit (which is hidden in the piano but accessible to technicians) features a single jog/shuttle control that allows for easy and quick access to the setup parameters. 

iQ is really about simplicity and versatility: improving the reproducing piano by making it simpler to use, and compatible with a wide variety of consumer electronic devices.