Welcome to Part Two of our Double Feature with Mixhalo, a startup built on the brilliant idea of giving the audience of any live event a new way to enjoy a better quality experience. If you missed Part One, take a look at what CEO Marc Ruxin had to share about his experience and where he and the Mixhalo team are going into the future.
In addition to the passionate insight delivered by Marc Ruxin in the preceding interview, Founder and CCO Mike Einziger updated us on his journey with Mixhalo, as well as touched upon what it has been like for his band, Incubus, to have had such massive success with their album, Make Yourself, and what is in store for us during this coming 20 Years Of Make Yourself…And Beyond tour.
Read on to see where his passion and gumption have gotten him thus far, both with Mixhalo and with his band, Incubus.
The Sky’s The Limit With Mike Einziger, Founder/CCO Of Mixhalo
PopWrapped: Hi Mike! Thank you so much for joining me today. So, we talked to Marc about his role in the company and everything that Mixhalo has been accomplishing. How have things been going for you since we last spoke? A lot of big and fantastic changes for your company.
Mike Einziger: Well, we spent a lot of time developing technology for the first couple of years and then we got to a point where the platform was built out for the most part. It still needs some refinement, and we’re still iterating regularly, as startups tend to iterate. I needed to really start building out the team and working up a business model and the other things that we really hadn’t been focused on for the first couple of years. So, that’s what we are doing now. Building our team, growing the organization, and starting to deploy Mixhalo into real world scenarios and venues. The technology is great, but if it’s not in people’s hands, then there’s really no point. But, you have to start someplace! So, our goal now is growing and expanding.
PW: Excellent! Yes, so not only in the music space, but sports is another focus, which as Marc explained, sounds like it’s going to be an amazing and really rich experience for fans.
ME: One of the things for me as someone who is trying to guide this experience is being able to give the experience of being on the field, or down on the court to someone who’s in the back row. When you’re at a basketball game or a football game, the sounds of the players interacting with one another, bumping into each other, hitting each other…the sound the ball, all of the sounds of the sports. The sound is a key component. When you’re down at court level, or field level, you’re having an experience that just isn’t accessible to people that are even just a few rows back. Even just, it could be ten rows back, you’re not having the same type of experience. I want to be able to offer the opportunity for people to hear the sounds like you’re sitting feet away from the action, not hundreds of feet away. It’s something that’s really exciting. It’s something that I haven’t experienced yet, but it is technologically possible for us to do it. It’s never been done before and I can envision what it’s going to be like to experience an event like that. To me, it would change the whole experience and I’m super excited to be able to share that with people!
PW: It really is an exciting concept! I remember when we spoke before, you touched on some theoretical use cases, and now hearing that this one is going to become a reality shows the value of Mixhalo being used in environments apart from music. It’s fantastic!
ME: Yes! And most people can’t afford a court-side ticket or a field-side ticket. Those are almost always reserved for the elite and people who can have the connections to get those things, or the money. So, this is kind of a way to democratize the experience for everybody.
PW: And that is so important, too. In regards to ticket prices, in a venue like BB&T in Camden, once you add fees, even lawn seats aren’t as cheap as they used to be.
ME: Definitely not.
PW: Right? And if a venue or event isn’t enabled or enhanced by Mixhalo, you’re kind of stuck with subpar sound.
ME: Well, most venues don’t have the PA systems, or the budget to actually cover those far away areas, so they just kind of get overlooked. The venue operators will freely admit that. So, if there’s a way to provide a better audio experience for people in these large swaths of space that are just not really being covered in a way that is cheap and easy…well, that’s what Mixhalo offers. Our technology is lightweight and robust, low footprint. It is a very small amount of equipment that covers a very large area. This is a new phase for us, where we are building out a lot of tech. We’re also building a lot of key partnerships, like with Metallica, Charlie Puth, and early on – Pharrell. Now, we’re making new partnerships that are in different scenarios and use cases.
PW: It’s great that other artists are seeing the power behind Mixhalo now, so it helps with creating an environment that’s perfect for growth. And with the new boost in funding, I’m sure it’s very helpful in achieving even more success than you thought imaginable.
ME: Yes! The biggest challenge of a startup is keeping the lights on! [laughs] Keeping the company funded. There are a lot of great ideas in the world that don’t become successful businesses for lots of different reasons. I definitely don’t want to be one of those. Everyday we fight, it’s a war to keep the train on the tracks. It’s also part of the process. It’s not unlike being in a band.
PW: Speaking of a band…you have a major milestone tour coming up with Incubus. When you look back at your career, what do you think about? Do you have memories of that time that you look back on now and are just in awe sometimes? Because having this kind of longevity is something very special to watch as a fan. How about you?
ME: The older I get, the more appreciative I am of how fortunate we’ve been and how much I appreciate the other members of my band, and everything we’ve all been through together and accomplished as a team. It’s really difficult to achieve any kind of success in the world of music, in any way shape or form. So, the fact that we’re here 20 years later celebrating the success of our first commercially-successful album is a big deal for us. We are just really thankful and feel humbled at the opportunities that we’ve had. Especially when we were younger. People gave us a chance. It’s not easy to gain a fanbase and to get respect from those whom you don’t know. It sounds so normal now because we’ve been doing it so long now, but we were just a bunch of kids who were bored and just started making music in a garage like anybody else. 20 years passed since the release of Make Yourself, we can’t believe how many people all over the world have really connected with that album. We just feel really fortunate.
PW: Well, I’m definitely a fan and that album is one that is tied to so many great memories for me and I still enjoy it to this day. It stands the test of time. Really. Congratulations for everything, for having the longevity and being able to connect with so many people. It truly is a very special thing.
ME: Thanks, man! I really appreciate it.
PW: For Mixhalo’s role in the upcoming tour, will it be available at all venues?
ME: Most definitely! It is a perk of the VIP packages where fans can have an onstage experience with us during the shows, which will be really fun. It’s something that we’ve been experimenting with over the last few years while developing Mixhalo. So, yes it will be at every single show.
PW: Do you have any closing thoughts you’d like to share?
ME: It’s a very exciting time for Mixhalo, we’re really growing. I’m excited to share the vision of what our technology does with more people who love live events, whether it’s sports or music. There’s a lot of new to be found in events that people have been to over and over again. I feel like it will turn over a new perspective on what people feel they’ve experienced many times in the past. Maybe it will make events feel new to them in a certain way, which is exciting to me. It’s also wonderful to be celebrating a milestone with our music. There’s a lot to be thankful for.
PW: We’re thankful, too, Mike. It’s such an amazing thing you did. The idea of you wearing in-ear monitors and the thoughtfulness of wanting to share that experience with fans sparked a movement in access to great sound across the board. We’re excited for Mixhalo’s continued success!
ME: Right on! Thank you!
Incubus kicks off their tour this fall. Visit their website for more information and to purchase tickets. Follow along in the developments taking place at Mixhalo on Twitter and Facebook and see where you can find upcoming shows enhanced by Mixhalo by visiting the website or downloading the app. Rock on!
