Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to JP. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi JP, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

I think AI is clearly the biggest emerging trend. It is reshaping the music industry from my perspective.

ChatGPT, for example, can generate creative ideas for music promotion or help initiate a song concept, from lyrics to chord structures. Logic Pro (https://www.apple.com/logic-pro/), an industry-standard music production software, has a Drummer plugin that is another standout. It automatically creates drum parts by ‘listening’ to a reference track within the song, and it can adapt to various styles based on user preference.

IZotope’s Ozone (www.izotope.com) features a Mastering Assistant that uses AI to analyze your mix and recommend mastering adjustments, streamlining the polishing process. Moreover, Output’s (www.output.com) innovative software, Co-Producer, leverages AI to produce custom audio samples based on textual prompts, delivering personalized drum, synth, or instrument parts.

This is an amazing era for music creators with an array of AI tools available to democratize music production, opening up professional grade possibilities for both novices and seasoned artists alike. There is much more innovation to come on this front.

I love new technology, so I’m looking forward to finding new ways AI can compliments my creative process.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m the head “Stunt Guitarist” at Squad Car 37, a company that creates custom music for advertising, TV, film and digital media. Some of the brands that have used my music include Canva, Six Flags, Google, A&E, History Channel, Nick, CMT, MTV and the National Institutes of Health.

I host a video podcast called The Squad Car 37 Show (https://bit.ly/48tDdnd), a series where I connect with musicians and creators to discuss tips, tools, and the creative process. I balance these freelance music endeavors with a full-time role as a marketing professional.

My love of music started early, with my dad. He was the founding member and bassist for the The Apollos. The Apollos had several songs on regular East Coast radio rotation in the late 60’s.

He gave me my first acoustic guitar when I five years old and later bought me a black, Fender Squire Bullet. I still love and play Fender guitars to this day.

My dad laid the foundation of my music education before I took lessons from Randy Pearce, an MI graduate with flying fretboard fingers and solid music theory. I loved going to lessons, learning the modes, and exploring improvisation.

My dad and I built a home studio where I honed my recording skills. While I was growing as a musician and developing some early production chops, my dad urged me to continue my education saying that a business degree can apply to anything, including music. I took his advice, graduating from the University of Missouri with a business degree and later earning an MBA.

I maintained a focus on a business career in marketing while perusing music through freelance work. I found many benefits to using this strategy. The full-time day job helped finance the equipment I needed for music projects, and my music expertise helped me with my creative marketing initiatives at the day job. Being free from the financial pressure of making music to pay the bills, allowed me to pick projects I was passionate about.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

To me, one of the most rewarding aspects of being a creative is the ability to imagine something, and then bring it into reality. And occasionally, what you create turns out even better than you imagined.

I had a wild idea for a demo video for a guitar pedal called the Centavo, by Warm Audio. I recall explaining the creative brief to my wife.

“It will start out like a normal pedal review, but as I demonstrate the features, I’ll go through a portal and have an epic guitar duel with a half-human half-horse Centaur!”

I could tell she was confused. I added “You see, the Centavo pedal’s logo is a Centaur, so the concept is pretty much, on-brand.” She didn’t get it, but it was too funny not to explore.

The final video caught the attention of the Warm Audio team who used a portion in several international sales presentations promoting the new guitar pedal. The co-owner, Bryce, told me his presentation required a translator in Asia, but the Centaur dual clip had the audience laughing without any need for translation. Ha!

Being able to meet and work with creatives is also rewarding. The Squad Car 37 Show has been a great vehicle for this. The guest roster has included some extraordinarily talented musicians including Stu Philips who composed the original Knight Rider theme song and scored dozens of TV shows and films during his career, Luke Rice the bassist for Morgan Wallen and Mechanics Wanted, and Randy Kohrs a Grammy-winning producer/musician who toured with Dolly Parton, just to name a few. Being able to chat with other artists about their craft and their musical journey is cherished time for me.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

When you have music inside of you. You just have to get it out. So, I never really had a choice. I’ve been fortunate to be able to go on a creative journey, meet and collaborate with other musicians, support awesome projects and have fun along the way. I’m looking forward continuing the creative quest.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://squadcar37.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squadcar37
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squadcar37audio
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/squadcar37
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/squadcar37