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Josh Collum of Soundstripe Makes Sure Brands and Artists Don't Get Lost in Translation
When art becomes sustenance
Josh is senior director of publishing of Soundstripe.
We spent two minutes with Josh to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he’s admired.
Josh, tell us …
Where you grew up, and where you live now.
I’m Mississippi born and raised, but have been living in Nashville for 18 years.
Your earliest musical memory.
My Aunt Mary playing the piano—she was an excellent piano player.
Your favorite bands/musicians today.
Doja Cat is a special pop star. Benson Boone might help usher rock and bands back to the forefront. But give me The Killers all day, every day.
One of your favorite projects you’ve ever worked on.
A number of years ago, I helped stand up Sun Records’ internal sync operations, and my favorite song in the catalog was “How Much Can a Man Take” by Big John Hamilton. I got to license that song in one of my favorite shows, Mad Men, for a scene filmed inside one of my favorite L.A. bars, The Dresden.
A recent project you’re proud of.
Soundstripe landed our first Super Bowl commercial, and it was my first as well. The spot was for Cirkul, and featured the song, “The Need For Speed,” by one of our artists, Tiger Gang, produced by one of our in-house composers, Aaron Sprinkle. Aaron’s name might sound familiar, especially if you’re an emo kid. He’s worked with Anberlin, MxPx, Relient K and Copeland.
One thing about how the music world is evolving that you’re excited about.
Not since Naptster has there been such a disrupter as GenAI. We as an industry didn’t handle Napster, and it ushered in a decade in the wilderness. We are handling GenAI in a much more positive fashion, embracing it as a growth opportunity and creative tool.
Someone else’s work, in music or beyond, that you admired lately.
I was recently in Portugal and ate at a restaurant called Boubou’s. I sat at chef Louise Bourrat’s table and watched her do her thing for three hours. Her attention to detail was inspiring.
A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring.
The team creating Severance is doing something really special. It’s bold and challenging in a few different ways.
An artist you admire outside the world of music.
I’ve always loved how Ethan Hawke views the world. He said something along the lines of art being a luxury most of the time. But then your father dies or you go through a break up. That’s when art isn’t just a luxury. It becomes sustenance.
Your favorite fictional character.
How musicians should approach working with brands.
This is what I’ve always told artists who are making music for brands: Every song has an inspiration point. It could be something you’re going through, it could be a story that a co-writer tells, or it could be an imaginary scenario you’ve conjured up. When you’re creating for a brand, the brief or prompt is simply another inspiration point. Now, just go and write a great song.
How brands should approach working with musicians.
Find a good “translator” to sit between your brand and the artist. It’s rare that the brand and music makers speak the same language. But there are people, usually music supervisors, who have an ability to translate both ways. In my experience, when that dynamic exists, great things happen.
A mentor who helped you navigate the industry.
Mark Montgomery is a music tech entrepreneur who saw something in me very early on. He challenged me and put me through the ringer early in my career, and I’m so thankful for that.
What you’d be doing if you weren’t in the music business.
Working at an ad agency, desperately trying to find ways to work with artists and the music industry.
2 Minutes With is our regular interview series where we chat with creatives about their backgrounds, creative inspirations, work they admire and more. For more about 2 Minutes With, or to be considered for the series, please get in touch.
