Twangy Tunes to Barranquilla Beats: My Eclectic Musical Voyage into Sprinklenet Music
Hello from the pulsating shores of Barranquilla, Colombia! I’m Jamie Thompson, the entrepreneur behind the business and technology consulting firm, Sprinklenet, and now its musical venture spin-out, Sprinklenet Music. While tech is my terrain, today’s tale is tuned to a different key — my musical odyssey and the business of a startup focused on building longterm value in an asset class that I predict will be enormously important in the next decade and beyond.
The Rhythms of My Childhood
It all began at home as a kid. My dad had a soft spot for the twangy echoes of classic country. Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Conway Twitty, Rex Allen Jr., Hank Williams Jr. and many more cowboy crooners – their voices formed the backdrop of my early years. They weren’t just tunes playing in the smoky basement; they were foundational to my musical evolution.
Old country music tells stories about love, loss, challenges, and working through all the shit that life throws at you. These are timeless storylines that I’ve noticed can be successfully applied to all varieties of lyrical music genres. In fact, as you’ll soon see with Sprinklenet Music, we’re focused on Latin pop coming out of Colombia, but there will be a heavy emphasis on well-crafted lyrics and beats that echo the storytelling vibes of other genres that have created timeless hits.
Pablo Picasso said: “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” As I look at the world around us today and I see the joys and struggles of humans everywhere, I’m reminded of many a country song playing at my childhood home while my dad worked in solitude on various carpentry and electric projects.
We’ll be getting inspiration from the universally useful tales woven into music history from past decades and making them our own through an integration with Colombian culture and modern Latin reggaeton beats. I’m certainly not going to force anything when it comes to the artists – they are in charge and I’m just here to run the business like a dutiful fiscal servant, but I hope to offer guidance and some insight into how and why some of the best lyrics of all time resonate with people year after year, decade after decade. Think: Hotel California, Stairway to Heaven, Let It Bet, Man In the Mirror, and so many more brilliant songs that transcend time and place.
Actually, who am I kidding, of course I am going to guide each and every artist that we fund into focusing on music that has mainstream appeal. That’s part of what we’re doing here. Modern venture capital at the seed stage makes market-based evaluations at every step of the journey. We’ll be doing the same with music production and marketing. Feedback loops and authentic community engagement are critical signals that influence whether or not singers get additional resources or not. That’s just the way it goes.
Side note on Pablo Picasso… before he pioneered Cubism and made his prolific contributions to Surrealism and Symbolism art, was trained as a classical painter whose earliest work, pre Blue Period, more closely resembled something one might see at an Italian Renaissance art festival. Artists evolve.
From Rock ‘n’ Roll to Island Vibes
Growing up in the 90s, I didn’t want to be too associated with my dad’s “old” music, so I gravitated to stars that were still a little less than contemporary, but not so twangy; Elvis’s flavor of rock ‘n’ roll and Jimmy Buffett’s island vibes captivated me. The recent news of Buffett’s passing was a significant (sad) moment, a reminder of the impermanence of life and the endurance of music. For a few days or so, it really made me think long and hard about just how fragile life is for all of us. I wept for Jimmy’s death. But after a few days of sadness I realized that more than anything, we all would do well to remember how he, through music and lyrics, brought so much joy to millions of people decade after decade. Really quite a remarkable life to be able to bring smiles and happiness to regular people like all of us who deal with our own challenges, day in and day out.
Human mortality is a constant thought for me and reason to pray on a daily basis. It’s also a reason to build legacies that live on for our children and our children’s children. I absolutely love music, the genius of artists who can create cultural movements that shape societies through their artistic prowess; and while I am not one of those artists myself, I believe that through a rigorous, venture-minded approach to running Sprinklenet Music, we can build legacies vis-a-vis music IP and simultaneously create, influence and share the brilliance of the artists we work with.
Electronic Waves and Dance Kings
Buffet’s death did hit me hard, but as they say, the show must go on, and other astounding music pioneers like Giorgio Moroder who, with a single ‘click’ on a track, forever altered the course of music history, are also to be mentioned in shaping my foray into Sprinklenet Music. The electronic waves of Daft Punk mixed with the magic of Giovanni the Italian disco maestro, continued to shape my affinity for diverse sounds that would eventually lead me to the beats of Joe Arroyo and the Costeño dance kings of champeta.
Keep an eye on Jefry Oquendo.
I think that innovation happens in music and dance just like it happens in technology — and can impact culture and business in huge ways.
Modern Country and Beyond
Country would keep playing a starring role in my playlists. Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, George Straight, Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Dwight Yokam, Randy Travis, Shania Twain, Wynonna Judd, and Bonnie Rait — the list goes on. The modern sounds of Zac Brown Band, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Jason Aldean, and Taylor Swift’s early country offerings made sure I stayed hooked.
It’s no surprise that some of America’s top grossing artists of all time are Country Music superstars. It’s the vibe, the story, the life – tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of people in the U.S. alone identify on a deep, personal level with Country Music. As demographics shift, so to do the cultural inclinations of the next generation of royalty paying listeners and the brands that advertise alongside them. Humanity, our innermost desires and goals remain fairly constant, but the beats, the lyrics and even the languages change flavors and packaging.
My Latin Love Affair
Destiny had its plans, leading me to Mexico and eventually to Colombia. I have crisscrossed both countries with my wife over the past 3 years. The travel adventures opened a whole new world of Latin melodies. Legends like Luis Miguel and Vicente Fernandez, modern icons like Julio Iglesias, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira, Maluma, Karol G, Ricky Martin, and Gloria Estefan started dominating my audio space.
Being able to infuse the senses with Latin music, Latin food, Latin people and Latin cerveza all at the same time has really given me the true experience. It’s been unbelievable.
A New Beat in Barranquilla
When I moved to Barranquilla it wasn’t just a new address; it was a sensory explosion. Shakira and Sofia Vergara’s hometown, it’s a city that lives and breathes music, peaking during the Barranquilla Carnival. The local vibes of Champeta and Salsa are everywhere, and I was completely entranced.
Sprinklenet Music: A Tech-Driven Beat
Amidst this soundscape, I saw raw talent yearning for opportunities. Their challenges weren’t too different from tech startups in cities like Boston and San Francisco — they need resources, mentorship, and a guiding hand. My tech-entrepreneur instincts kicked in, leading to the birth of Sprinklenet Music.
What started as a passion project to uplift local talents morphed into a structured mission. While navigating the Colombian legal intricacies and mastering Spanish contracts was a challenge, the focus was clear: nurture talent, establish genuine connections and put the pieces in place to build an enduring portfolio of music IP that can be licensed and sold upstream as time goes on. Colombian law is more or less based on common law like the U.S. and England, so while there are some nuances, it hasn’t been too bad. I’ve had to make sure our music IP contracts and overall approach is wholistic so that we cover both the U.S. and Colombia.
Personally, I’m worried about of the possibility (probability) of a decade of significant, systemic inflation, or stagflation at best, around the world and major changes to how generational wealth is created, so a big part of my economic thesis looks to companies like PepsiCo, Nestle and other CPGs who have been historically adept at navigating inflationary periods because they can make price adjustments relatively easily and still face no shortage of consumer consumption.
Music is similar in an odd way. Royalties shift upward as the platforms adjust course. And frankly, like any long-term holding, as long as the original costs of acquisition are as low as possible and you’re producing cash flow with yields greater than other dividend paying assets, you can withstand a few storms and still squeeze ongoing value in just about any economic environment.
Music as an Asset Class
Let’s touch more on the intriguing part for many of you: the business of music. Icons in the industry, like the asset management firm Blackstone and its portfolio company Hipgnosis Records, have underscored music as a tangible asset class, highlighting its potential in the private equity sector at large.
As the value of music royalties becomes increasingly recognized, there’s significant potential in curating music IP. The aim? To produce and bring to market the next Latin sensation, while also diving deep into the promising world of music as a financial asset class.
The Harmonious Road Ahead
Peering into the future, I envision a beautiful blend of my roots in country music with the Latin rhythms I’ve come to adore. Dive into this harmonious journey with me through Sprinklenet Music.
Stay tuned!