Leading a Music Tech Company w/ Rhiannon Bankston-Thomas (The Audio Programmer) | Ep 29

In this episode of The Audio Programmer podcast, Rhiannon Bankston-Thomas offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the business side of music technology. From co-founding FXpansion in 2002 as one of the first standalone VST companies to her roles at Roli and In Music, Rhiannon's 20-year journey reveals the often-overlooked complexities of bringing audio products to market. She discusses everything from managing relationships with distributors and dealing with boxed product manufacturing to navigating acquisitions and scaling operations across different company sizes.

The conversation explores how the industry has evolved, from the days of DVD-based products and 50% distributor margins to today's subscription models and digital-first approach. Rhiannon emphasizes the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration, the challenges of client communication in agency work, and the need for realistic cost expectations when developing plugins. She advocates for developers to inject more personality and creativity into their products while acknowledging the difficult balance between innovation and commercial viability in an increasingly crowded market.

Now serving as business operations lead at The Audio Programmer, Rhiannon brings her extensive experience to help developers understand that successful music technology companies require far more than just great code. Her insights offer valuable perspective for anyone looking to turn their audio development ideas into sustainable products.

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Originally recorded on Sep 27, 2024