Dave Allen

Nemo Design
Pampelmoose Blog and Label
(Former) Gang of Four Bass Player

Dave Allen is an iconoclast who is over the status quo. He can be found sniffing around the confluence of the internet, music, branding, marketing and social networking arenas. He is a founding member and bass player for the post-punk band Gang of Four who are currently in the midst of a completely unexpected reunion. His fast-growing blog, Pampelmoose.com, is the place to go to gain insight into his thinking about how the music industry has been derailed by the internet and why he believes in the “feels free” idea of music delivery. He is a strong proponent of the Long Tail theory.

Recently he took the position of Director, Insights & Digital Media for the Portland-based branding and interactive agency Nemo Design where he works on the company’s forward thinking strategies especially in the areas of planning, radical transparency and Web 2.0. He works closely with Nemo Design’s Interactive team worrying about Electronic Mass Communications. He has determined that we all now have our 15 minutes of fame elongated over the Long Tail. He gets to think about that.

His past career includes being an integral part of the team that built Emusic.com back in the late 90’s. It was a fun rollercoaster ride destroyed only by Napster but then you can’t compete with free…. It was where he fully embraced the idea of the online distribution of music. He then spent two years at Intel honing his thoughts and ideas before leaving and founding Pampelmoose. He is regularly invited to appear on and moderate panels at conferences such as South by Southwest, CMJ, Webvisions, Future of Music Coalition and many more. He believes that music will eventually be the commodity that feels free. He has lived in Portland, Oregon since 2000.