User talk:Tcyrious

Musical Overture is a free online performance venue and networking site created in 2011. Users can upload videos of themselves performing their own musical compositions or compositions by other composers. Users can also view, comment on, and "like" videos posted by other users. The site, based in Carrollton, Georgia is owned by Musical Overture, LLC. The code for the website was written by the Atlanta-based internet and software company Steelcoat. Video encoding is done by Zencoder and uploaded to the Amazon Cloud for distribution to users.

Musical Overture differs from other video-sharing websites, like YouTube, in that its members post videos of themselves and/or groups in which they are a part, rather than re-posting videos of other musicians whom they admire. Users tag their videos as either "performance", "rehearsal", or "just for fun", thereby differentiating between work which they consider to be their best and works in progress. Unregistered users can watch videos, while registered members can upload and comment on videos and follow other users.

History
Musical Overture LLC was founded by Steve Gradick and Terry Lowry. Gradick is the owner of Gradick Communications, a radio broadcast company that operates six radio stations in West Georgia and East Alabama. Gradick is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology and a former aide to US Congressman Larry McDonald. Terry Lowry is a concert pianist, composer and conductor of the Carroll Symphony Orchestra. He is a graduate of Shorter College and the University of Alabama. Musical Overture launched the beta version of MusicalOverture.com in August 2011, and the official site went live in January 2012. The first launch event was held at Steinway Hall in Atlanta in February 2012.

Membership
Membership in Musical Overture is free. Members fill out a membership form and validate their membership through a legitimate email address. Members may upload videos, comment on the videos of other members, follow other members, and send and receive private messages through the on-site email network. All videos and content are supervised by a team of human monitors to ensure the protection of its members, many of which are teenaged. Violators of Musical Overture's Terms and Conditions and/or Community Guidelines are removed from the site.

Musical Overture's search algorithm is not "pre-clicked" or "linked-to" biased. Search results are delivered through tags placed on videos by users, primary and secondary instruments of up-loaders, and other information provided by up-loaders. This ensures that musicians with no prior fan base will have equal weight in Musical Overture searches, increasing the chances that their music will be heard. Videos are cataloged by user's profiles as well as musical instrument.

The site is maintained through revenue generated by selling 30-second video commercials uploaded by registered universities, conservatories and music industry companies. These ads are targeted at members by primary and secondary instruments, geographical location, and age of members. After viewing a commercial, members are given the option to click to be contacted by the advertiser.