“My now retired business partner, who was the head composer for this company for years and years and years, he put that perfectly, and he said, I remember he talked to a young composer. He said, ‘Look, at the end of the day, it’s the difference between art and craft,’ said, ‘when you’re making your own music and you’re doing your own thing, it’s art, it’s art for you. You’re the artist and you’re making it and you can make it whatever you want, whatever you want. But when you’re making something for a brand, it’s a craft. You’re being hired to make a specific thing.’" -- Jack Bradley

Can you hear a brand? This week we continue to explore the world of audio branding with our audio expert and executive producer Jack Bradley. In the second half of our conversation, we talk about how the creation of music for a brand is a delicate blend of skill and ingenuity, between time constraints and client expectations. The sonic branding landscape has evolved drastically amid the pandemic, with the boom of podcasts and TikTok reshaping how we perceive branded music. We explore what this means for brand recognition when this happens and how a deeper understanding of a brand can lead to a refined, recognizable audio identity. Issues of negotiation, payment, and licenses in sonic branding are also touched upon, revealing the underlying complexities of this booming industry.

We also delve deeper into the converging worlds of AI, remote work, and audio-first social platforms. With AI-generated music, who holds the creative rights? How is the rise of influencer musicians impacting the industry, and how is the potential for more branded content shaping the future? Jack also takes us behind the scenes, sharing the best online audio resources and offering a sneak peek at some of his current sonic branding projects.

As always, if you have questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes.  If you have questions for me, visit audiobrandingpodcast.com where you’ll find a lot of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter will let you know when the new podcasts are available and access to a resource called The Studio with lots of interesting sound-related mp3s, videos, educational pdfs, and exclusive discounts from previous guests. And if you’re getting some value from listening, the best ways to show your support are to share this podcast with a friend and leave an honest review. Both those things really help – and I’d love to feature your review on future podcasts. You can leave one either in written or in voice format from the podcast’s main page. I would so appreciate that.

(0:00:00) - Audio Branding

We explore the difference between art and craft when it comes to audio branding. As Jack puts it, “When you’re making your own music and you’re doing your own thing, it’s art, it’s art for you. You’re the artist and you’re making it and you can make it whatever you want, whatever you want. But when you’re making something for a brand, it’s a craft.” We discuss how clients will often pay for an audio brand and then neglect to use it effectively, as well as the challenge of having to work within the constraints of time and budget. We also explore the role data plays in decision-making, and how quickly the branding situation can be changed if the numbers just don’t match up.

(0:05:46) - The Impact of Sonic Branding

Jack talks about the pandemic and how it changed the sonic branding game with the explosion of podcasts, remote work, and TikTok. “For us,” he explains, “like, we now have a whole arm that does audio post, and I would say 85% to 90% is remote, is done through Zoom calls.” We...