Music legend Bryan Adams joins Scottish tech start Songbox up as co-founder

Rock legend Bryan Adams is backing a Glasgow music start up and is encouraging other artists to get on board.

The multi platinum recording artist was one of the first renowned names to use Songbox for his work after the firm was founded from musician Michael Coll’s frustration at the effort of burning CDs.

The platform allows musicians and other audio content creators to securely store and share their files with anyone they choose.

The platform allows the content creator to know that the file has been received and whether it has been listened to – even confirming which tracks have been played and for how long, all done with built-in privacy and security.

Adams was one of the first to use the newly-launched Songbox for his work and has helped to add new features to the product.

He said: “Songbox allows me to share new music that I’m working on in a way that I couldn’t before.

“I don’t need to send out MP3 files or physical products, so it keeps my ideas and early versions safe and secure until I’m ready to officially release the songs.

“It was exactly what I was looking for. I’m delighted to join Songbox and to help tell other people in the music business how great this tool can be for their work.”

Coll told how he had been met with a wall of silence when trying to get his music into the hands of record labels.

He also saw this from the other side of the fence, when he later worked as a web developer at a major music industry player.

He said: “Like many other bands, we’d send out demos and never even know whether they had been received, yet alone listened to. And in my job, I’d see people’s hard work in the form of hundreds of demos arriving every week, only to pile up in a corner without ever being opened. We called it ‘the corner where dreams went to die.’ I knew there had to be a better way.”

His idea led to the creation of the company – which was launched without any external funding and already has thousands of global users, including Grammy winners and hobbyists alike.

He added: “Bryan coming on board as a co-founder has been a great boost to the company. And as a Songbox collaborator, he has also helped organically grow the product through adding new features that he knew would benefit fellow Songbox users. That kind of insight has been invaluable.”