Interview with Tapulous CEO, Bart Decrem
TLB: What is Tapulous?
Bart: One of the most successful pure-play iPhone/iPod touch companies! We’re all about building fun and social apps for the App Store.
TLB: Upon starting Tapulous last summer, what was your vision of apps you would be making?
Bart: We imagined that we would mostly be making fun social apps - things like Fortune Cookies and Collage, with a small dose of games (Tap Tap Revenge). The surprize has been that Tap Tap Revenge has been such a massive hit that it’s overshadowed everything else we do.
TLB: Where do you see the Tap Tap revolution going in the future?
Bart: For 3.0, we’re focusing on (i) letting users purchase premium content directly inside of a paid version of the game, (ii) the community and online portions, including a big push on making Live play more fun and engaging and also a push towards user generated content (specifically, theming contests and opening up our music catalog to more independent artists).
TLB: When Tapulous makes Tap Tap’s for large band (Coldplay, Nine Inch Nails) are you in close contact with the band members or just their agents and recording studio?
Bart: It depends. Our head of business development, Tim O’Brien, has worked in the music industry for over a decade. We work with record labels, publishers, band managers, and artists directly - sometimes we reach out to partners, sometimes they reach out to us. In the case of Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor, who’s a pioneer in music and technology, was very closely involved. We had several meetings with him. In other cases, band management or the label are more in the drivers seat.
TLB: If you could re-transform Tapulous and they’re type of apps, what would it be?
Bart: More and more, I feel that we are not in the business of building apps (or even games), but in the business of offering great services, and a key part about how the user engages with those is the app (the game). That’s the future and that’s where we are focusing our energy.
TLB: What app has been the most fun for you to work on?
Bart: Tap Tap Revenge is a blast to work on, because the game is so much fun and because there’s such a huge community of gamers that give feedback every day.
TLB: What can we expect soon from one of the largest iPhone app companies in the world?
Bart: We expect to stay on the leading edge of the App Store. Expect us to continue to focus on building on the success of Tap Tap Revenge. We want to be the leader in music gaming on the App Store, with a big focus on the network and social aspects.
TLB: Will we ever have the functionality to make our own songs online or in a desktop app?
Bart: We are definitely going to offer more ways to allow independent artists to make their music available in Tap Tap Revenge. We are constantly looking for more ways to offer users access to a broader range of music.
