Dagfinn Bach
| Dagfinn Bach | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 April 1955 Hamar, Norway |
| 💀Died | 11 May 2022 Bergen, Norway11 May 2022 |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Norwegian |
| 💼 Occupation | Music technologist, entrepreneur, researcher |
| Known for | First use of MP3 for music streaming |
Dagfinn Bach (1955–2022) was a Norwegian music technologist, entrepreneur and digital pioneer. He is best known for being the first person to transmit music using the MP3 format over telecommunications lines, in an experiment conducted in Sogndal in 1992.[1]
Life and work
Bach moved to Sogndal in 1982 to teach music at the local teacher's college. From 1986 he worked as a researcher at Vestlandsforsking (Western Norway Research Institute), where he developed early ideas about digital music distribution.[1] He anticipated the impact of the internet on the music industry and rights management.
In 1992, Bach led a real-time transmission of compressed MP3 audio from Sogndal to a studio in Oslo. Musicians Jonas Fjeld and Knut Reiersrud performed live, with composer Arne Nordheim present in the studio in Oslo. Bach collaborated with Karlheinz Brandenburg, inventor of the MP3 algorithm, who supported the experiment.[2]
In 1994, he left Vestlandsforsking to co-found companies including Artspages and MusicDNA, focusing on music metadata, distribution and artist rights. Under his leadership, MusicDNA developed technologies used in millions of music tracks and monitored thousands of radio stations worldwide to ensure royalty payments.[2]
In 1996, Bach was responsible for the first internet publication of Eurovision Song Contest finalists.[1]
Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Bach led MusicDNA in international projects aimed at modernizing music recommendation, fingerprinting, and digital identification technologies. He launched MusicDNA ID, a music recognition service for developers, covered by technology media such as The Next Web and Music Ally.[3][4]
Bach held multiple patents related to digital music profiling.[5]
He also contributed to international discussions about the environmental footprint of streaming. Collaborating with the University of Bergen and Fraunhofer, he highlighted research showing that repeated streaming could exceed the carbon cost of a single CD. These findings were reported in major outlets such as The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Wired.[6][7][8]
Bach engaged in numerous global initiatives, delivering music tech services in China, Africa, and Australia. His work in introducing metadata and licensing tools to the Chinese music market was highlighted by NRK.[9]
Legacy
Fraunhofer Institute remembered Bach as a visionary and socially committed innovator who dedicated his life to fairness for music creators.[2]
References
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Obituary to Dagfinn Bach". Fraunhofer IDMT. 19 May 2022.
- ↑ "Music ID competition heats up as BACH launches Shazam-style service". The Next Web. 1 August 2011.
- ↑ "Dagfinn Bach, R&D Director, Bach Technology AS". Music Ally. 14 September 2012.
- ↑ "Patents by Inventor Dagfinn Bach". Justia.
- ↑ "Depending on how you listen, CDs may be the environmentally sensitive choice". The Washington Post. 24 May 2013.
- ↑ "Streaming Music May Be Worse for the Environment Than CDs". The Atlantic. 13 September 2012.
- ↑ "The environmental impact of streaming music, TV and movies". Wired. 11 May 2012.
- ↑ "Sogndøler gir kinesarar nettmusikk". NRK. 12 September 2001.
External links
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