What if the biggest revolution in music wasn’t about creating new sounds but about making great sound accessible to everyone? An exclusive Scaling Remote interview with Jeff Perkins, CEO of Soundstripe, diving into how he’s building a music licensing engine powered by creator empathy, human-made sound, and AI systems that remove friction from storytelling for 45,000+ brands and creators worldwide.

The Man Behind the Music Revolution

When Jeff Perkins talks about music, it’s not with the detached precision of a corporate executive; it’s with the ease of someone who’s spent years listening, testing, and understanding what sound does to a story.

As the CEO of Soundstripe, a music licensing platform used by over 45,000 creators and brands, Jeff leads a company built on a simple but powerful idea:

“Make music licensing effortless, affordable, and inspiring.”

Soundstripe’s library has over 12,000 songs, 58,000 audio tracks, 100,000 sound effects, as well as stock video footage. But behind the numbers lies something much more personal: the desire to help creators from small YouTubers to global brands find their voice through music, without worrying about lawsuits or copyright headaches.

Solving the Oldest Problem in Media

Music has always been the emotional heartbeat of storytelling. Yet for decades, licensing it has been a legal and logistical nightmare.

“Music licensing is confusing, expensive, and full of risk,” Jeff explains. “If you use a copyrighted song improperly, it can cost you millions.”

And he’s not exaggerating.

Recent lawsuits against major brands like Crumbl Cookie, Marriott, and DSW Shoes prove how easily even the biggest companies can trip over copyright rules.

Soundstripe eliminates that risk. By working directly with its own composers and sound engineers, including a Grammy-winning producer, the company offers high-quality, royalty-free music with clear usage rights for every track. Creators can use songs across social media, TV, films, and ads without worrying about takedowns or “audio strikes.”

“People don’t want more options,” Jeff says. “They want the right one, fast, and that’s where AI comes in.”

AI That Knows How You Want to Feel

Soundstripe’s breakthrough is its set of AI-powered tools that make discovering and editing music easier and smarter.

The first, their AI Music Supervisor, nicknamed Supe, acts like a creative collaborator. “You tell it the vibe you’re going for, ‘I’m making a high-energy ad for a caffeinated drink,’ and Supe guides you through genre, tone, and rhythm until you find the perfect fit,” Jeff says.

Then there’s OnBrand, a tool that lets companies infuse their brand personality directly into their search. Whether your brand is quirky and playful or serious and professional, the platform curates songs that reflect that tone, transforming music from an afterthought into an expression of identity.

And for editors? There’s the AI Editing Tool, which intelligently remasters songs so they match the timing of a video perfectly. No more awkward intros or mistimed beats, the music flows naturally, as if it were composed specifically for that scene.

“It’s not about replacing creators,” Jeff emphasizes. “It’s about freeing them to focus on creativity, not technicalities.”

Redefining Access in the Creator Economy

The modern creator economy of YouTubers, podcasters, filmmakers, and social media marketers has exploded, but most creators still can’t afford traditional music licensing.

“Big labels have the big names,” Jeff says, “but the process to license a song is complex, slow, and expensive. Soundstripe is fast, simple, and affordable.”

By democratizing access to great music, Soundstripe gives creators what Jeff calls “a professional-grade soundtrack for everyday storytelling.”

It’s no surprise that their music has appeared across every medium imaginable, from short TikTok clips to Hollywood productions.

The AI Debate: Creativity or Chaos?

The rise of AI-generated music has split the industry. Some see it as innovation; others call it intellectual theft. Jeff sits in the middle.

He’s clear-eyed about the dangers, especially when AI is trained on copyrighted songs, but optimistic about its potential when used ethically. “We’re not trying to replace human creativity,” he says. “We’re using AI to enhance it.”

That’s why Soundstripe continues to focus on human-made music, using AI today for workflow, ideation, and editing. While exploring future ethical ways to apply AI to music customization.

“It’s about speeding up the boring parts so artists can spend more time on the meaningful parts,” Jeff explains.

And when he talks about Soundstripe’s own future, his vision is as much about artists as it is about algorithms. “We pay royalties to our musicians. We care about our creators, and we’ll always keep humans at the center of what we do.”

Leadership in Harmony

Jeff’s leadership philosophy mirrors his approach to music: part precision, part freedom.

“I hire smart people, empower them, and get out of their way,” he says. “If I’m doing the work for someone, it means I hired the wrong person.”

He’s built teams that challenge him, not just follow him. His mantra is simple: clarity, alignment, and trust. Everyone should know what they’re working on, why it matters, and how their role contributes to the bigger picture.

And while Jeff thrives on strategy, he values culture just as much. “A team that feels trusted performs better. A team that feels micromanaged just performs worse.”

The Sound of Data

Behind Soundstripe’s creativity lies a robust data infrastructure, the kind of foundation most startups skip. With Snowflake for data storage and Looker for visualization, the company analyzes which genres are trending, which creators are being searched for, and which sounds are resonating globally.

That insight helps shape the 10 new songs Soundstripe releases every week. “We don’t just make music we like,” Jeff says. “We make what creators are craving.”

From the rise of new genres like ‘Phonk’ (90s Memphis hip-hop meets horror-film vibes) to global sounds blending Brazilian beats or French flair, Soundstripe’s music library evolves as fast as culture does.

The Last Note

Jeff Perkins’s story isn’t about disrupting music; it’s about democratizing it.

By using technology to remove friction, Soundstripe empowers thousands of creators to tell stories with sound that’s both beautiful and legally safe.

In a world where AI can generate a melody in seconds, Jeff reminds us that music is still a human language, one that connects emotion, brand, and story in ways algorithms can’t fully replicate.

Soundstripe’s mission is simple:
Help every creator tell a better story through better sound.

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