ON A ROLL: HOWARD TULLMAN

Published: July 26, 1999

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Interactive entertainment entrepreneur Howard Tullman, 54, launched Tunes.com in March, partnering with music magazines including Downbeat, Rolling Stone and The Source to help readers sort through the vast array of music offerings on the Internet. Advertisers include Ford Motor Co., The Gap and Nike.

Goal: To be all things to each music fan on the Internet, giving people shortcuts to finding emerging music from the vastness of the Web plus ways to sample and buy music online.

Insight: Online consumers are in the search mode. Advertisers can find exact targets through music, which automatically lures and classifies consumers.

Opinion: Time is the Internet's scarcest resource. Today's consumers are more interested in the experience of a hit song, not in owning the CD, so they can move on quickly.

Prediction: It's only a matter of time before an MP3 [Internet music] clip comes along with a killer virus that will eat your computer. Up next: developing secure electronic commerce and consumer trust so people can buy music online with confidence from us and our magazine partners.

Fact: Traditional advertisers are boosting spending on the Internet to reach