Philip Kaplan

Founder and CEO at DistroKid

Philip Kaplan, known as "Pud," is an influential American entrepreneur and computer programmer, born on October 30, 1975. He is the founder and current Chairman of DistroKid, a prominent platform for independent music distribution. Kaplan established DistroKid in June 2012, initially serving as its CEO until January 2024 when he transitioned to the role of Chairman, allowing him to focus on the company's strategic direction while stepping back from daily operations.1 2

Career Highlights

DistroKid: Under Kaplan's leadership, DistroKid has grown to serve over 2 million artists and has become a significant player in the music distribution industry. The platform allows musicians to upload their music to various streaming services while retaining 100% of their earnings.1 4 DistroKid is noted for its innovative features, such as automatic royalty splitting among collaborators.2
Previous Ventures: Before founding DistroKid, Kaplan created several successful companies:
- AdBrite: An online advertising network he founded in 2004.
- TinyLetter: A simple email newsletter service acquired by MailChimp in 2011.
- Fucked Company: A website that chronicled the dot-com bubble's failures, which also led to a bestselling book titled F'd Companies published in 2002.3 5

Education

Kaplan earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Syracuse University in 1997, where he later delivered a convocation address at the graduation ceremony for the Class of 2014.3

Personal Life

Philip Kaplan is also a heavy metal drummer and resides in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and son. His diverse interests and experiences have shaped his approach to entrepreneurship, particularly in the tech and music sectors.2 5

Highlights

Sep 9 · twitter

New EyePhones come out today.

Background: In my search to improve the soundstage of headphones, I found that holding drivers in front of my face, with no enclosure or baffle, produced the most realistic "in front of you" sound.

The problem was bass cancels out in this configuration, so you just hear the treble & mids.

So I "fixed" the bass issue by using high-excursion "BMR" drivers from Tectonic and hoo boy they SHAKE when there's bass.

For best results, you gotta use a real headphone amp. Phone dongle produces sound but not earth-shattering bass vibrations. But when you get it right, the experience is kind of awesome and very novel and you won't want to take them off right away.

Plus you can't see anything. So lay back and it's like getting a face massage to your favorite music.

Love these.

I've added them to my website, here:
https://t.co/UhjaH7mITv