Micah Sannan, Matt Wigton
Soundstripe, a Nashville-based company, is a leading provider of unlimited royalty-free music, stock video, and sound effects for use in videos, podcasts, and other media projects.
It was founded by former touring musicians Micah Sannan (Co- CEO), Travis Terrell (Co-CEO), and Trevor Hinesley (CTO) looking for another way to use their musical talents to create an accessible revenue stream for musicians.
Sannan was a touring guitarist who had been working in live entertainment for nearly 10 years. Knowing that he didn’t want to make working on the road a lifelong career, he started working in the studio with his now business partner Terrell.
“We have this love for music, but we’ve also always had this love for business,” Sannan says. “SoundStripe came along when he and I were producing and pitching little 30 second jingles for big brands. We realized that an email from a music supervisor will go out to a thousand different producers composers saying, ‘Hey, we need this jingle.’ There’s only one spot, so what about the 999 other jingles? What happens to them?
“We were like, ‘There’s got to be all these really great tracks, even the 10 that were in the running that just didn’t make it. What if we could find an audience for those songs.”
Now Soundstripe is a one stop shop for creators needing music for their projects. Driven by a unique subscription model, Soundstripe lets content creators pay a fee for usage of all the media in its catalog, with a la carte licenses also available. This approach has led to over 6 million licenses being issued for tens of thousands of customers in over 140 countries since Soundstripe’s inception in 2016.
“Soundstripe is a service oriented company. We’re here not to be the stars of the show, but to be the supporting character, because truly that’s what we are,” Sannan says. “We’re a tool for your tool belt in order to hopefully increase the value of your productions. That’s the heart behind what we do.”
A wide swath of users make up Sounstripe’s customer base, ranging from independent filmmakers to massive companies. “Our most predominant users self identify as professional editors. These are people who work with advertising agencies [and other clients]. They are individual, independent filmmakers. We also have a lot of wedding videographers and social media content creators,” Sannan says. “Microsoft and Volkswagen are also customers, so it goes all over the place.”
Soundstripe has nearly 70 team members, nearly a third of which are musicians, producers, and engineers who make some of the music on the platform. “We have an internet company that has all the things an internet and technology company has: a marketing department, an engineering department, product department, and customer success department. On the other side we have, essentially, what is a record label/publishing company/distribution company, where we make an unbelievable amount of new songs every month,” Sannan says.
In 2020, Soundstripe was named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list, where its growth rate of nearly 5,000% over the last three years placed it at No. 68 among the fastest growing private companies in the U.S., as well as No. 5 in the Media category and No. 1 in Tennessee. In addition, the company was named to the Tennessean’s Top Workplaces list for the second year in a row this year.
A lot of Soundstripe’s music is created by a slew of talented full-time, in-house musicians, producers and mixers.
Sannan explains, “If you look at what a software engineering department looks like, we did that, but with musicians. There’s people that are gifted at mixing, so we employ a handful of mixing engineers. There are people that are gifted at composing, so we employ a handful of those folks. There’s people that are great at producing. We put them together as a team.”
Soundstripe paid out over $2.5 million to music creators throughout 2020, including 75 unique artists from whom the service sourced content. While a majority of the music is sourced locally in Music City, some artists come from all over the world, spanning 18 different countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, England, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Scotland, Singapore, Sweden, and the U.S.
Matt Wigton was a touring musician for 20 years before he joined Soundstripe. “I’ve always been a composer my whole life. All the way back to when I was a little kid, tinkling on the piano and creating songs inspired by movies that I had just watched. So when the Soundstripe thing came to be, I was just starting to find my voice as a producer and they gave me a home to continue to grow and explore all these different avenues, sonically and genre-wise,” he says.
Wigton composes and produces music ranging from pop and low-fi hip-hop, to classical music, to world music.
Other than when a client approaches Soundstripe with a specific need, Wigton says he has the creative freedom to make the music he wants to make. “I generally try to use my best intuition and devote time to what I feel is going to be used. It’s almost like playing mind reader with our clients because you’re not scoring the picture, but your music will be more than likely used in picture, whether it be in like Instagram stories, YouTube videos, actual TV commercials, etc.”
He even has different monikers that he releases each style of music from, both on Soundstripe and on streaming platforms.
“Almost all of my monikers have presence on those platforms. It’s an interesting world because I’m not an artist, per se, but at the same time I treat my music as such. I feel like it is artistic and I put a lot of intention and time into that,” Wigton says. “I do actually have a fair amount of monthly listeners. For example, I like to produce lo-fi hip-hop music. That’s something that I usually do at least a couple of tracks a month, and that stuff is really popular with people’s study music. It’s a very interesting fine line balancing the world of our existence on our platform and our existence on all the DSPs.”
Wigton is thankful that he gets to work on a blank canvas every day.
“It was a dream of mine for a long time to exist as a musician in the studio world, like The Wrecking Crew days or Hitsville in Detroit, where your job is just to walk in the studio every day and you’re just recording record, after record, after record. And that does happen here in Nashville, I feel like Nashville is one of the last bastions of that type of existence,” Wigton says. “I feel like, in a weird backdoor entrance kind of a way, I have worked my way into a situation where I’m doing exactly that just not as a player, but as a composer and producer, which I’m very grateful for.
“This is like the best job ever, truly,” Wigton sums. “I just feel like to have a job like this through the current climate, I’m very fortunate and extremely grateful for that.”
Jim Catino To Exit Sony Music Nashville
/by LB CantrellJim Catino
Executive Jim Catino will exit Sony Music Nashville when his contract ends on July 1, 2021.
In an email obtained by MusicRow, Catino shared that he will leave the company to pursue his own music venture in publishing and artist development. “This is something I have wanted to do for some time, but it’s always been hard to make that move because I love this place so much. So it is bitter sweet,” Catino writes.
Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO, Randy Goodman writes of Catino, “He has made an indelible mark on the amazing legacy of Sony Music Nashville and thus we all owe him a great debt of gratitude.”
Most recently Executive Vice President of A&R, Catino joined the label group in 2001.
Catino is a Belmont graduate whose career includes time spent at MCA Music Publishing, Giant Records and Publishing, and DreamWorks Publishing.
Cash Is King Inks Distribution Deal With Copperline, Signs Flagship Artist
/by Lorie HollabaughCopperline has entered into a global distribution deal with the Cash Is King record label.
The new company is home to flagship artist Callie Twisselman, and both Cash Is King and Twisselman are represented by artist manager Danny Nozell and Justis Mustaine of CTK Enterprises.
A Cailfornia native, Twisselman learned to play guitar by the age of 15, and began writing her own songs. She was soon playing local songwriters rounds and formed her first band, traveling to fairs and festivals throughout the West Coast. After graduating high school, she flew to Nashville to record her first EP. In 2017, Twisselman made the move to Nashville permanently. Kent Wells, Dolly Parton’s producer, first introduced Twisselman to Nozell. Under Nozell’s guidance, Twisselman spent the next two years honing her skills and recording and demoing her music.
Callie Twisselman
“There is something about Nashville that inspires you,” says Twisselman. “I wrote about as many songs the first month here as I did in one year of living in California. I never felt more certain of anything in my life, this is where I am supposed to be.”
Twisselman is signed to eOne for publishing via Vintern Songs. Her debut single, “Two Hands,” is set for release on April 9.
Texas Rangers Dedicate Baseball Field To Charley Pride
/by Steven BoeroCharley Pride. Photo: Ben De Rienzo
The Texas Rangers are paying tribute to Charley Pride, dedicating its new spring training baseball field to the late country icon.
The newly named Charley Pride Field in Surprise, Arizona honors the lifelong Rangers fan who in 2010 became a partial owner of the MLB team. Pride passed away on December 12, 2020 from complications due to COVID-19.
“The Rangers have been honored to have Mr. Pride be a part of the team’s ownership group for the last ten years. A longtime resident of this area, he was a regular at home games when his schedule permitted… Mr. Pride was a true gentleman, and we will never forget the lasting contributions he has made to the Texas Rangers organization,” the Texas Rangers said in a statement in December.
The Country Music Hall of Fame member spent seven years as pitcher between 1953 and 1960, playing for the Memphis Red Sox and the Birmingham Black Barons. He was named to the Negro league All-Star team in both 1956 and 1957.
In one of his final performances, Pride sang the National Anthem in July 2020 at the first-ever baseball game played at the Rangers’ new Globe Life Field in Arlington, although the stadium was empty due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Cody Jinks To Release ‘Adobe Sessions Unplugged’ In May
/by Lorie HollabaughCody Jinks. Photo: Greg Giannukos
MusicRow Independent Artist of the Year, Cody Jinks, is releasing Adobe Sessions Unplugged, a new album featuring never-before-heard acoustic performances of songs and interviews from his critically-acclaimed 2015 Adobe Sessions record. Adobe Sessions Unplugged will be available both digitally and physically on May 7, and is available for pre-order now.
Jinks has sold more than 1.5 million in equivalent sales, racked up over 60 million streams per month, and has over two billion lifetime streams to date through his tenacious grassroots approach. Continuing to set the benchmark for independent country artists, Jinks garnered the most spins on MusicRow‘s CountryBreakout Radio Chart for an independent artist in 2020, earning him MusicRow‘s Independent Artist of the Year at the CountryBreakout Awards.
Fans purchasing the CD and vinyl versions of Adobe Sessions Unplugged will have exclusive access to bonus features, including a series of never-before-heard interviews ‘Behind The Mind and Music of Cody Jinks,’ dissecting each track from the record. The vinyl interviews are in digital form only.
“A handful of acoustic guitars, a few cameras, a few drinks and some good times. Josh [Morningstar] and I sat down and discussed each song in great detail,” says Jinks of the new project. “This is something we have never done before, so get ready for a bad ass show.”
Jinks and his band are set to return to the studio in May.
Adobe Sessions Unplugged Track List:
1. What Else Is New
2. Mamma Song
3. Cast No Stones
4. We’re Gonna Dance
5. Birds
6. Loud and Heavy
7. David
8. Me or You
9. Folks
10. Ready for the Times to Get Better
11. Dirt
12. Rock and Roll
Parmalee And Blanco Brown’s ‘Just The Way’ Tops The Charts
/by Lorie Hollabaugh“Just The Way,” Parmalee and Blanco Brown’s feel-good anthem, has reached the top of the Billboard and Mediabase country charts in the U.S. and Canada.
The track has garnered more than 150 million on-demand streams in the U.S. alone, and is the second No. 1 for Parmalee, following their Platinum smash “Carolina,” which was also co-written by the band’s Matt Thomas. It also marks Brown’s first No. 1 on country radio. The upbeat, celebratory tune racked up millions of on-demand streams overseas as well, and has already been certified Platinum in Canada and peaked at No. 1 on the Canadian Billboard and Mediabase charts.
Parmalee with Blanco Brown. Photo: Cody Heckber
“Having ‘Just the Way’ go No. 1 is amazing! As an artist or writer, all you can hope for is that your music connects with people and makes them feel something. We’re proud to be a part of something that has been able to spread positivity throughout the world, especially over the past year,” says Parmalee’s Thomas. “Thank you to our fans, country radio and everyone on all platforms who believed in us and have helped us spread the message behind this song.”
“I have to thank my Parmalee boys for believing in me, supporting me and allowing me to share my purpose with them—it’s been quite the journey but we did it, boys!!!,” says Brown. “This song and this message going No. 1 is another beautiful blessing, I am so grateful to all of you that helped lead me to this incredible moment.”
Parmalee and Brown also released an acoustic version of the song, stripping it down to create a more tender tune. Friends for several years, the bond between Parmalee and Blanco has only grown since teaming up for this song, and the band has been a constant source of support for Blanco throughout his recovery following his life-threatening accident last September.
Started By Musicians, Nashville-Based Soundstripe Grows Rapidly [Interview]
/by LB CantrellMicah Sannan, Matt Wigton
Soundstripe, a Nashville-based company, is a leading provider of unlimited royalty-free music, stock video, and sound effects for use in videos, podcasts, and other media projects.
It was founded by former touring musicians Micah Sannan (Co- CEO), Travis Terrell (Co-CEO), and Trevor Hinesley (CTO) looking for another way to use their musical talents to create an accessible revenue stream for musicians.
Sannan was a touring guitarist who had been working in live entertainment for nearly 10 years. Knowing that he didn’t want to make working on the road a lifelong career, he started working in the studio with his now business partner Terrell.
“We have this love for music, but we’ve also always had this love for business,” Sannan says. “SoundStripe came along when he and I were producing and pitching little 30 second jingles for big brands. We realized that an email from a music supervisor will go out to a thousand different producers composers saying, ‘Hey, we need this jingle.’ There’s only one spot, so what about the 999 other jingles? What happens to them?
“We were like, ‘There’s got to be all these really great tracks, even the 10 that were in the running that just didn’t make it. What if we could find an audience for those songs.”
Now Soundstripe is a one stop shop for creators needing music for their projects. Driven by a unique subscription model, Soundstripe lets content creators pay a fee for usage of all the media in its catalog, with a la carte licenses also available. This approach has led to over 6 million licenses being issued for tens of thousands of customers in over 140 countries since Soundstripe’s inception in 2016.
“Soundstripe is a service oriented company. We’re here not to be the stars of the show, but to be the supporting character, because truly that’s what we are,” Sannan says. “We’re a tool for your tool belt in order to hopefully increase the value of your productions. That’s the heart behind what we do.”
A wide swath of users make up Sounstripe’s customer base, ranging from independent filmmakers to massive companies. “Our most predominant users self identify as professional editors. These are people who work with advertising agencies [and other clients]. They are individual, independent filmmakers. We also have a lot of wedding videographers and social media content creators,” Sannan says. “Microsoft and Volkswagen are also customers, so it goes all over the place.”
Soundstripe has nearly 70 team members, nearly a third of which are musicians, producers, and engineers who make some of the music on the platform. “We have an internet company that has all the things an internet and technology company has: a marketing department, an engineering department, product department, and customer success department. On the other side we have, essentially, what is a record label/publishing company/distribution company, where we make an unbelievable amount of new songs every month,” Sannan says.
In 2020, Soundstripe was named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list, where its growth rate of nearly 5,000% over the last three years placed it at No. 68 among the fastest growing private companies in the U.S., as well as No. 5 in the Media category and No. 1 in Tennessee. In addition, the company was named to the Tennessean’s Top Workplaces list for the second year in a row this year.
A lot of Soundstripe’s music is created by a slew of talented full-time, in-house musicians, producers and mixers.
Sannan explains, “If you look at what a software engineering department looks like, we did that, but with musicians. There’s people that are gifted at mixing, so we employ a handful of mixing engineers. There are people that are gifted at composing, so we employ a handful of those folks. There’s people that are great at producing. We put them together as a team.”
Soundstripe paid out over $2.5 million to music creators throughout 2020, including 75 unique artists from whom the service sourced content. While a majority of the music is sourced locally in Music City, some artists come from all over the world, spanning 18 different countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, England, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Scotland, Singapore, Sweden, and the U.S.
Matt Wigton was a touring musician for 20 years before he joined Soundstripe. “I’ve always been a composer my whole life. All the way back to when I was a little kid, tinkling on the piano and creating songs inspired by movies that I had just watched. So when the Soundstripe thing came to be, I was just starting to find my voice as a producer and they gave me a home to continue to grow and explore all these different avenues, sonically and genre-wise,” he says.
Wigton composes and produces music ranging from pop and low-fi hip-hop, to classical music, to world music.
Other than when a client approaches Soundstripe with a specific need, Wigton says he has the creative freedom to make the music he wants to make. “I generally try to use my best intuition and devote time to what I feel is going to be used. It’s almost like playing mind reader with our clients because you’re not scoring the picture, but your music will be more than likely used in picture, whether it be in like Instagram stories, YouTube videos, actual TV commercials, etc.”
He even has different monikers that he releases each style of music from, both on Soundstripe and on streaming platforms.
“Almost all of my monikers have presence on those platforms. It’s an interesting world because I’m not an artist, per se, but at the same time I treat my music as such. I feel like it is artistic and I put a lot of intention and time into that,” Wigton says. “I do actually have a fair amount of monthly listeners. For example, I like to produce lo-fi hip-hop music. That’s something that I usually do at least a couple of tracks a month, and that stuff is really popular with people’s study music. It’s a very interesting fine line balancing the world of our existence on our platform and our existence on all the DSPs.”
Wigton is thankful that he gets to work on a blank canvas every day.
“It was a dream of mine for a long time to exist as a musician in the studio world, like The Wrecking Crew days or Hitsville in Detroit, where your job is just to walk in the studio every day and you’re just recording record, after record, after record. And that does happen here in Nashville, I feel like Nashville is one of the last bastions of that type of existence,” Wigton says. “I feel like, in a weird backdoor entrance kind of a way, I have worked my way into a situation where I’m doing exactly that just not as a player, but as a composer and producer, which I’m very grateful for.
“This is like the best job ever, truly,” Wigton sums. “I just feel like to have a job like this through the current climate, I’m very fortunate and extremely grateful for that.”
Tyler Hubbard Enters Top Five On MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart
/by LB CantrellTyler Hubbard. Photo: John Shearer
Tyler Hubbard makes his way up to No. 5 on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart this week, with Florida Georgia Line’s “Long Live,” FGL’s collaboration with Nelly on “Lil Bit,” and Hubbard’s collaboration with Tim McGraw on “Undivided” fueling his ascent.
Josh Osborne remains at No. 1 this week, with co-writer credit on Darius Rucker’s “Beers And Sunshine,” Morgan Wallen’s “Sand In My Boots,” Sam Hunt’s “Breaking Up Was Easy In The 90’s,” Rascal Flatts’ “How They Remember You,” and Carly Pearce’s “Next Girl.”
The weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart uses algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital download track sales and streams. This unique and exclusive addition to the MusicRow portfolio is the only songwriter chart of its kind.
Click here to view the full MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.
Weekly Register: Morgan Wallen Spends Ninth Week At No. 1
/by LB CantrellMorgan Wallen. Photo: John Shearer / Getty Images For Ryman Auditorium
Morgan Wallen‘s Dangerous: The Double Album is not slowing down. The project spends its ninth week at No. 1 this week with 78K album only and 5.8K song streams, according to Nielsen.
Dangerous: The Double Album is one of just four country albums ever to spend at least nine weeks in the top spot, along with Garth Brooks’ Ropin’ the Wind (18 weeks, 1991-92), Billy Ray Cyrus’ Some Gave All (17, 1992) and Taylor Swift’s Fearless (11, 2008-09).
Luke Combs takes the No. 2 and No. 3 spots on the albums chart with What You See Is What You Get earning 28K total this week and This One’s For You earning 17K. Wallen reappears at No. 4 with If I Know Me, and Chris Stapleton rounds out the top five with Starting Over.
Wallen also tops the songs chart with “Wasted On You” earning 6.5 million streams, while his “Sand in My Boots” comes in third with 5.6 million according to Nielsen.
Gabby Barrett is at No. 2 on the weekly chart with “The Good Ones” garnering 5.8 million streams. Niko Moon‘s “Good Time” is at No. 4, and Combs is at No. 5 with “Better Together.”
Recording Academy Forms New Songwriters & Composers Wing
/by Lorie HollabaughThe Recording Academy has established a new Songwriters & Composers Wing to help foster recognition of all genres of songwriters and amplify their unique role in policy discussions that seek fair compensation for creators. The new wing will be dedicated to elevating, supporting, and advocating on behalf of music’s storytellers.
Songwriter and Recording Academy Los Angeles Chapter President Evan Bogart will serve as Chair of the Songwriters & Composers Wing; Ashley Gorley, Lamont Dozier, Kenny “Babyface“ Edmonds, Carole King, Jimmy Jam, Tania León, Gustavo Santaolalla, Valerie Simpson, Diane Warren, and Hans Zimmer will serve as honorary chairs; and Susan Stewart, Senior Director, South Region at the Recording Academy will serve as Executive Sponsor.
Currently, a third of the Recording Academy’s voting membership identify songwriting or composing as part of their craft, and these members will be automatically included in the new Wing. Those interested in joining can find membership information on the Recording Academy’s Songwriters & Composers Wing page on grammy.com. Through educational offerings including panels, mixers, songwriting retreats, and mentorship, the Wing will provide opportunities for recognition, networking and collaboration and also spotlight emerging opportunities for song and scoring achievement within a variety of media globally.
“The musical process begins with our fellow songwriters and composers, and we’re thrilled to launch this Wing at the Academy that creates a home for music’s storytellers across the country,” says Harvey Mason jr., chair and interim president/CEO of the Recording Academy. “These creatives are essential to the music community and we look forward to collaborating with our industry colleagues to support, educate and empower the diverse members in these crafts.”
“The S&C Wing magnifies the presence of songwriters and composers throughout our membership body,” said Ruby Marchand, chief industry officer at the Recording Academy. “Many songwriters and composers are also producers, engineers, musicians, and recording artists. We look forward to celebrating their full array of talents and accomplishments.”
“Just as music begins with the song, music advocacy begins with the songwriter,” said Daryl Friedman, chief advocacy officer at the Recording Academy. “We are pleased to continue our fight for songwriters and composers’ rights, reenergized by the newly organized advocates of the Songwriters & Composers Wing.”
Jordan Gray Signs With Sea Gayle Music
/by LB CantrellPictured (L-R, top row): John Lytle, David Crow, Brandon Gregg; (L-R, middle row): Kim Wiggins, Emily Whitters, Chris DuBois; (L-R, bottom row): Marc Driskill, Jordan Gray, JD Groover
Artist-writer Jordan Gray has signed a global publishing deal with Sea Gayle Music.
Gray grew up in Lamar, South Carolina. In 2015 he released his first EP, West of The Pines, which helped him build a following on streaming and social media platforms. With the help of his song “Stay The Night,” he amassed 10 million streams, toured the southeast circuit, and moved to Nashville to pursue music full time.
Since arriving in Nashville, Gray has immersed himself in the Nashville songwriting community building relationships with several writers and publishers.
“I’ve known Jordan a long time. To watch him grow into the writer, artist, and human he is today is a pleasure. I am over the moon he chose us as his first publishing home in Nashville. Thank you Ward [Guenther] for letting me fill in at Whiskey Jam. This might not have happened!” says Sr. Creative Director at Sea Gayle Music, JD Groover.
Gray says, “Chris DuBois has an impressive background in the writing and publishing world and has helped many writers and artists develop successful careers in this industry. He has built a great team at Sea Gayle and I am excited to be a part of their writer’s group. I feel Chris, JD, and Sea Gayle will be a great developmental partner for me and I am looking forward to seeing what we can build together.”
John Lytle, Gray’s manager, adds, “We are thrilled to have Sea Gayle as a partner in Jordan’s career. It is a dream to find fervent believers like Chris and J.D. who see the potential in this young talent and have them join the crusade!”