Smartley-Dunn Solutions, Founder

Ken Waagner, is the founder of Smartley-Dunn Solutions and a 30-year veteran of the independent music scene who got his start as a promoter, artist manager and utility infielder in Detroit during the 1980s. He is best known for his work over the past 10 years with the band Wilco, whom he helped be as innovative online as they continue to be on stage.

His work with Wilco on the setup and eventual release of their album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which included streaming the entire album for eight months, helped attract thousands of new fans to the band, their website and their shows. The success of the YHF campaign (#13 debut/600k copies sold) earned the band a WIRED Rave Award in 2003 and laid the foundation for both the band and Ken to spend the next decade pushing the envelope of how to use the web and technology to reach new and existing fans. Each subsequent Wilco album charted higher than the previous, peaking with 2009's #2 album Wilco (The Album).

Since starting Smartley-Dunn in 1999, Ken has had the pleasure of working with a number of artists, including Andrew Bird, Neko Case, Amos Lee, R.E.M., Tortoise, Pavement and Kronos Quartet, as well as a wide range of companies and organizations such as Apple, Google, WIRED, Gigapan, The City of Chicago, the New York Public Library, Alinea, Next/Aviary, Outstanding in the Field, the Grammys and the Obama Campaign.

His work in live webcasting, interactive media and content delivery has kept Ken at the forefront of defining user experience and advances in technology, and has provided him the opportunity to work help redefine everything from music marketing to earthquake recovery via the use of technology.

His most recent projects include deploying free public Wi-Fi to 70,000 people at the Austin City Limits Music Festival for Google+, and websites for Trampled by Turtles, Neko Case and Amos Lee, as well as a number of projects he can't talk about but might if you come hear him speak.

Follow Ken on Twitter: @smartleydunn