Loop
news

Here’s how one Louisville veteran founded his successful video streaming company

Louisville Business First

Shawn Driscoll grew up a child of MTV and VH1, but as those platforms moved away from just playing music videos, he realized there was no home for music videos anymore. That's when he decided he'd make his own.

Shawn Driscoll began to understand the music business at a young age, being the son of Grammy award winner Phil Driscoll. But as he grew up there was one thing that confounded him to the point it ultimately became the spark for his business.

As a self-described "MTV generation" kid, Driscoll said he loved watching music videos on MTV and VH1, but as the two channels began to move toward creating their own content, there was no dedicated outlet where one could watch premium music videos anymore.

"As I began to study the music video market a little more intensely, I began to realize there was one company predominantly that was providing music videos, a company called Vevo," Driscoll said in an interview. "It kind of baffled me there was only one major music video company to supply music videos, but on the audio side you have Spotify, Pandora, Google, Apple, they all have billion-dollar valuations. But when it came to music videos there was only one, and 40% of YouTube's global traffic is music videos, so a lightbulb kind of went off in my head."

Seeing the need for more music video streaming channels, Driscoll teamed up with former Disney executive Jon Niermann to found Loop Media, which offers music video streaming services for businesses like restaurants, bars, gyms, beauty salons and more. Loop also offers other premium video content like Hollywood movie trailers, college sports, viral videos and other services to drive engagement with customers.

Loop offers two different content packages for businesses. The basic services- ad-supported music video channels and music licensing - are free and can integrate with the hardware a business already has.

The premium package for $149 includes the purchase of a Loop of professional player device and offers all the premium like viral videos, digital signage, college sports highlights, scheduling and automation for the content and more.

Loop also has a menu of add-ons for customers who don't want all the premium features but want to tack on one or two extra per month, ranging in price from $19.95 to $29.95.

Driscoll, an ex-Marine who now lives in Prospect, founded Loop a little more than five years ago and said the reason he chose to bring the company to the market was to give people a choice.

"For me it was sort of about having the opportunity to build a better process and content delivery system. When you go to YouTube, and you type in 'Madonna' you may get some Madonna videos, but you also might get a parody video or a lyric video from someone in their kitchen dancing with a broomstick," Driscoll said. "So, Loop is a pure music video platform that you're not going to get any parody videos or lyric videos. It's all the official music videos that come from the artist."

Driscoll said one can upload videos to Loop and the videos that do end up on the service are vetted for professional standards and either come from music labels or independent providers.

One day, he said, cable and satellite TV will be a things of the past as streaming takes over completely.

"Especially in the pandemic, no one can go to a live concert but you're seeing now, artists are doing livestreams from their home or a studio, getting together with other artists," Driscoll said. "It's definitely the future."

Driscoll said he's invested a substantial amount in the research and development of Loop, but like anything, the company has had its ups and downs. He said his best for other entrepreneurs with ideas is to make sure you vet your business model, and don't give up. He declined to disclose his total investment in the company.

"If you're a veteran or an entrepreneur out there, just do yourself a favor and don't quit. Dig deep inside of yourself and keep pushing, because you never know when your breakthrough will happen," Driscoll said. "I think that's important for a lot of people in business, as an entrepreneur, as a veteran. Whatever it is that you're doing, be inspired by the people around you and keep pushing."

Original Article