bio

Niko began his career managing a racing pit crew and starting a Suzuki motorcycle dealership in New York. In 1977 he helped build the now world-famous Record One Studios in California. He was lead engineer at Record One and in 1984 he began producing and recording independently.  His artists have included Neil Young (The Volume Dealers), Melissa Etheridge, Keith Richards, Herb Alpert, KISS, Stan Getz, John Doe (X), and most recently, Martin Scorsese, John Mayer, Herbie Hancock, Sting, Pixar, and Daredevil Jane.

In 1989, Niko co-founded Fakespace Music to create musically driven virtual reality experiences. Presenting the world’s first virtual reality music piece at SIGGRAPH 1995, they débuted two new patented technologies with exciting commercial and artistic potential: The Soundsculpt Toolkit and Third Dimension Video.

Niko and the other Fakespace Music founders undertook a new venture in 1998: To design and sell Sonicbox, an internet radio stand-alone device designed to simplify selecting and listening to Internet radio stations.  With Niko as President/CEO, Sonicbox was successful in raising venture capital and integrated its technology with several mass-market consumer products.   In 2000 the company was re-named iM Networks and in 2001, it merged with Japan's software giant Softbank.

 

This was followed by a union with Harlan Lansky called Nick Lansky Entertainment, where he continued his work with legacy artists, emerging talent, and start-up companies in both Los Angeles and New York. (And of course the ever elusive Honda RS125 racing campaign.)

In early 2006, Niko teamed up with long time friend and colleague Dan Nash to begin forming a new production company called Just Great Entertainment, which seeks to combine old school artist development with *Culture of the Net* marketing. Keep track of their progress by clicking here.

Niko is currently calling Nashville his home base and has set up a semi-permanent home within the famous world class BLACKBIRD STUDIO.