“And if you have fun with it, that's going to come across and, I think that's the missing piece. That's where I would start. If I was going to really trust an agency or musicians to create something for me, it was, like, how do we have a conversation or multiple conversations to get us to the most fun way of executing this? Because if you're having fun, you're going to come up with something unique. If you're not having fun, you're just going to try and get it out the way as quick as possible, right? If it's just transactional, I don't think anybody really gets to that point of exploring an idea beyond what's written on the paper. Although it's hard to predict what makes a successful Sonic brand, I think it's more about the process that gets you to that place.” – George Holliday

This episode is the second half of my conversation with producers, composers, and founders of creative music agency Hear Me Out, George Holliday and Luke Moseley as they share their thoughts on what defines a sonic brand, how AI is reshaping the music and advertising industries, and their message to the next generation of musicians as they grow up in the age of generated content.

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(0:00:00) - Creating a Sonic Branding Strategy

The second half of our conversation picks up as Luke shares his thoughts on what makes or breaks an audio brand. “I think, for me, a successful sonic branding strategy is something that has the lowest friction to actually getting to market,” he says, “to showing people the effectiveness of it, and then it can just be developing from there.” “I also think we kind of rely on statistics far too much in the creative phase of doing all of this,” George adds, recalling his marketing experience prior to founding Hear Me Out. “I think when we really understand the brand and you get to have fun with what it is they're about, that's what's going to make the most successful sonic logo for them.”

(0:07:31) - Exploring AI's Impact on Music

“That's not really what brands are employing us for and having us as partners,” Luke notes as he and George discuss their Hear Me Out clients. “It's for the understanding, it's for the ability to translate their larger goals and their marketing strategy and how music can help elevate that and support it.” Our talk turns to AI and how much it’s impacted the audio industry over the past year or so, and whether machine-generated music might someday replace human artists. “I was thinking about when CGI came into the film industry,” George observes, “and everyone was like, ‘Oh, nobody's gonna go out and make films anymore. We're just gonna hire a studio and make everything in one room.’”

(0:12:43) - The Impact of CGI and AI

George notes that CGI hasn’t replaced cinematography as much as people expected, partially because movie franchises like Mission: Impossible take pride in their authenticity. “It wasn't CGI,” he says, “because Tom Cruise wouldn't allow it to be CGI. He demands that you would hang off the plane, right? That's why we love watching Mission Impossible and I think that's for me, why I still have hope for music in an AI world.” Luke recalls his conversations with a friend at Pixar during the first rush of CGI films, and how the industry eventually found its balance. “Everyone that was using pen and paper thought ‘I'm out of a job,’” he notes. “And then, all of a sudden, it's like, ‘Oh, now, all my friends have jobs as long as we can use this computer.”

(0:22:02) - The Power of Sound and Music

With our conversation coming to a close, George and Luke offer their advice to the next generation as it navigates social media, streaming media, and generated content. “It would just be trust themselves.” Luke says. " I think it's so easy now, particularly with everyone trying to fit in, and, you know, the world of music and the world of being in music is not a particularly easy one. It's very rewarding, you know, and it's a privilege to be able to, to be in it, but it's not the easiest.” George adds his thoughts and reminds us to hold onto the things that set us apart from algorithmic content. “That's the thing we should never lose touch with,” he says, “our understanding or just feeling. You don't have to understand why, you just have to understand that, that is something that you're feeling.”

Episode Summary

• Luke and George’s approach to developing unique sonic logos for brands.
• How AI has reinvented music composition, and human creativity’s role in AI music.
• Exploring the potential of the human brain and AI consciousness.
• Insights into enhancing a brand's auditory presence through sonic branding.

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