Editing Thomas Dolby (section)

==Headspace and Beatnik==
{{Main|Beatnik (company)}}
In 1993, Dolby established the [[Beatnik (company)|Headspace]] company. This was intended to provide tools for interactive audio, as at the time Dolby was frustrated about the lack of interactive audio tools. During this period, Dolby worked on a number of video game soundtracks through his company. The company was later approached to create MIDI-based music for [[WebTV]], leading to Dolby composing several key music tracks that were bundled with the devices.

Following the acquisition of the company Igor's Software Laboratories in 1996, which was also involved with creating audio for WebTV, Headspace developed a new downloadable file format designed specifically for Internet usage called Rich Music Format with the [[Rich Music Format|RMF]] file extension.<ref>Bruce Orwall, "Sound On; Thomas Dolby Robertson Has A Complaint About The Web: It's Too Quiet", ''The Wall Street Journal'', 1997</ref> It had the advantage of small file size like [[MIDI]] but allowed recorded sampled sounds to be included at a higher bitrate for better overall reproduction. RMF music files could be played in a browser using the free Beatnik Player plug-in, and were also encrypted to prevent unauthorised duplication, while info such as the composer and copyright information could also be embedded within the files. In 1999, Headspace, Inc., was renamed Beatnik, Inc., and later shifted its focus towards software synthesizers for [[mobile phones]], which it licensed to mobile phone manufacturers including [[Nokia]]. As [[truetone]] ringtones eventually overtook polyphonic ringtones in popularity, Beatnik went defunct in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=25461|title=Beatnik, Inc.: Private Company Information – Businessweek|website=[[Bloomberg News]] |access-date=24 March 2016}}</ref>

Dolby stepped down from his position as CEO in 2002, feeling that the business was no longer interesting to him, although he remained on the board. This subsequently led to him founding Retro Ringtones LLC, which produced the RetroFolio ringtone asset management software suite for companies involved in the mobile phone ringtone business, as well as offering ringtones that could be purchased by businesses. These ringtones largely consisted of sound clips such as animal sounds, celebrity quotes and sci-fi sound effects, as well as polyphonic covers of popular theme songs. At the 2004 second annual Mobile Music Awards in Miami, Florida, RetroFolio won "Best of Show" and "Best New Technology" awards.<ref name="fruit"/> The company ended business in 2005 and has since been suspended by [[Secretary of State of California]].

Dolby created hundreds of [[Digital data|digital]] polyphonic ringtones on mobile phones, both at Beatnik and Retro Ringtones. He was often a speaker at technology conferences such as [[Comdex]], [[Websphere]], and Nokia.<ref name="fruit"/>