MatchMySound came to life with a few innovators, passion for music education, and a bit of serendipity.
About ten years ago, Kristo Käo, a renowned Estonian guitarist, theorist, tutor, and researcher, authored a guitar method book. Kristo offered a unique opportunity for any and all students who read the book: If they sent him their MP3s, he promised to listen and respond.
The book was a success. It was so successful, in fact, that Kristo found himself flooded with student MP3 submissions. As luck would have it, Margus Niitsoo, a classmate at the University of Tartu, had purchased the book, sent in his MP3, and was waiting for a response. When Margus realized Kristo was doing the entire process manually, he took it upon himself to create an algorithm that would automate the process. The partnership of a brilliant developer and an equally brilliant musician brought MatchMySound to life.
Fast-forward a few months, and the duo – now known as Music Education OÜ – sent word of their innovative music technology out to educators and publishers across the globe. David Smolover, music business entrepreneur and lifelong musician and music educator, heard the message loud and clear from 4,000 miles away. He immediately realized that Kristo and Margus had created a solution that would disrupt the music education ecosystem. They formed a partnership in 2014 and, five years later and with the help of an investor team that believed in the technology, David’s company Accelerando acquired the company.
Musicians and professionals in the industry of music education quickly came on board to join the revolution. Today, MatchMySound is a vibrant and passionate company whose mission it is to change the world of music, one musician at a time.
Meet the Team
CEO
Dave is a career musician, music educator, and serial entrepreneur whose lifelong mission has been to find ways to make it easier for more people to bring music into the world. He has founded several innovative and successful businesses in pursuit of that dream, including the National Guitar Workshop, DayJams, Workshop Arts Publications, and WorkshopLive.
COO & CFO
Steven Raft is an award-winning operations and finance executive with over 25 years of C-level experience. He was most recently the CFO for Tandem Careplanning, a Los Angeles based innovative technology-based home care agency where he was the founding CFO. Prior to Tandem, Steven was the COO for Alfred Music, the world’s second-largest print music publisher, where he spearheaded a $50 million recapitalization. Before that, he was the COO/CFO for 2 Los Angeles area real estate development and construction companies where he arranged over $275 million of financing, and the CFO of Cerwin-Vega, the world-renowned Academy Award- winning loudspeaker manufacturer. In 2015, Steven was the recipient of the San Fernando Valley Business Journal’s CFO of Year Award after being a finalist in three separate years and was a finalist for the 2013 Los Angeles Business Journal CFO of the Year Award. He holds a B.Sc. in Accounting and was a practicing CPA from 1985 to 1997.
Design Lead
Raul Taremaa has 14 years of experience in UI and UX design, front-end programming, and product development. He studied Biology at Tartu University, jazz and pop guitar at Georg Ots Music School in Tallinn, Liberal Arts at Tartu Art School (Painting and Paintings Conservation Faculty), and has his Bachelor’s in design from the Estonian Academy of Arts. Raul was one of the founding members of MatchMySound technology, helping the then startup out with UI and UX design as well setting up the front end library.
VP, Technical Operations & Support
Tish is a classically trained guitarist with over 20 years as a music educator in both private and classroom settings teaching guitar, bass guitar, and music theory. She has been recording and performing with award-winning children’s performer Terry “A La Berry” Hall for almost two decades, entertaining young audiences all over New England and beyond. Terry A La Berry and Friends are two-time recipients of the Parent’s Choice Award for their albums “Braver To Be Kind” and “My House” and have been featured in the School Library Journal on multiple occasions. Having worked in Music EdTech for 18+ years, Tish has extensive IT and Business Operations experience, serving as Systems Administrator/Tech Support Supervisor for WorkshopLive, as well as a Senior Technical Advisor for Apple, Inc.
VP, Business Development & Artist Relations
Steve is an accomplished Jazz guitarist and career educator. After serving on the faculty at Musicians Institute, he founded the Atlanta Institute of Music, an accredited school for guitar, bass, drums, voice, brass, and production. After many years as CEO, Steve joined the Camp Jam team as their VP of Operations. Steve has authored several books and continues to compose and record his original music. His music can be heard at stevefreemanguitar.com.
Indrek studied mathematics and computer science at the University of Tartu. He has worked as a teaching assistant at the university, giving various practicums in mathematics. Good knowledge of mathematics helps Indrek solve any challenge he faces in improving the MatchMySound technology.