Through Music and Sound: A Conversation with John Taite - Part 2

“I’ve said this quite a few times, but it still rings true: I think that the superpower of sound is that people think about what they see, but they feel what they hear. And that is magic, I mean, that is transformative. That is what turns audiences into fans.”-- John Taite   This week's the second half of my interview with content entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and Made Music Studio EVP John Taite as we talk about his work for such clients as Turner Classic Movies and Panera Bread, the future of social audio, and finding the emotional core of a sonic brand. 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 www.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 if you’re getting some value from listening, feel free to spread that around and share it with a friend, along with leaving 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.   Your Brand on Mute As we start off the second half of our interview, John talks about how digital audio, social audio, and even the metaverse are changing sonic branding. “There’s been such a seismic shift,” he says, “to, you know, sound on social platforms, or audio-first platforms, or audio-only platforms, and the conversation we have is ‘is your brand on mute?’” He tells us how he works with clients to understand the essence of their brand and how that brand can be expressed through sound: “you really do have to go through a sort of peeling back of the onion to understand what a true core brand sound is.”   Oboes and Death Metal “We often say that we're an emotional connection company," John explains. "That's at the heart of everything we do: how do we make human beings actually feel something about a brand?" We discuss Made Music's approach to helping people express their ideas in music and finding their sonic brand. "You're not sort of putting somebody who's not musical," he says, "in an awkward position of saying, like, 'I think my car sounds like, you know, oboes and death metal.'" He talks about his inspiration and the creative process behind Turner Classic Movies' award-winning "Where Then Meets Now" audio branding campaign, and what AI and the Metaverse might mean for the future of audio. "It's bringing personality and emotional connections," he says, "to, you know, a purely digital space."   Keeping It Interesting As our interview comes to a close, we talk about how much more competitive the audio industry's become over the past few years. "Sound and music are always going to have, you know, an important role to play," John notes. "I think everybody is looking to have an element of that enhanced emotional connection." He tells us what he's working on now and some of his most memorable projects. "There are never two jobs that are the same," he says. "there's never a client that's the same, never a challenge that's the same, and that's what keeps it interesting and keeps us looking to the future."   Episode SummaryHow digital audio, social audio, and audio-first apps are changing the industryJohn’s approach to working with clients and creating their unique soundHis award-winning work on reinventing Turner Classic Movies’ sonic brandingHow audio branding is becoming an essential part of brand...