In our recent interview, we sat down with Josh Judy, CEO of Jukebox Culture, to talk about competition, Kentucky’s growing rap roster, and goals down the line.

What is Jukebox Culture and how did the concept initially come together?

Jukebox Culture is a music based entertainment website. We publish articles and Instagram posts about top industry artists in the game and underground artists that very few have heard of. I’ve always been heavy into music and pop culture. When I was growing up, I always wanted to start my own “World Star,” and had some fledgling ideas, alongside some terrible websites that never made it out of beta.

However, nothing ever really clicked and I lacked funds, marketing knowledge, and music connections at the time, so I just kind of pushed the idea to the side. Years later, I developed an eye for videography and started shooting music videos for practice. That freelance work was essential to me landing some business and commercial jobs. As I got better at social media and creating content, I started to work on my own brand’s growth, instead of spending the majority of time on other businesses. That evolution led to me spending the much needed extra time on Jukebox Culture.

Since launching the brand, what has been the best and worst decisions that have taken place?

The best decision was just committing to starting the project again and sticking to it. The worst decision were my snapchat ads. I forgot to turn them off with no limit. They were more test run ads than anything, so they weren’t polished, and I ended up with a hefty bill on the backend, with little to nothing to show for it.

What sets Jukebox apart from other social media platforms?

Right now, we only accept approved, paid submissions. Even if you pay for a post, we’ll offer a refund if we feel the music isn’t up to quality standards, or if it’s not exactly what we’re looking for. It allows us to curate the content that we want, but it also makes for a more premium video lineup.

As far as purpose goes, what goals does the platform have set in mind?

At the end of the day, we just want to shine a light on quality and entertaining content. We want to be one of the go-to places you visit, when you’re looking for new music. We want to be known as a site with a well tuned ear to the ground. We’d also like to see the brand become more of a household name, like the big players (Worldstar, SayCheese, Elevator etc.). We also love working with artists on development and growth, whether that be through marketing, financial advice, or videography. We’ve had some really positive experiences, which has us looking to take that to the next level as an official label sometime in the future.

Being from Kentucky, how has that played a role in the brand’s development?

When we were building the community, I actually avoided any type of Kentucky connection. I exclusively targeted artists outside of KY. This wasn’t a slight to KY artists because we have some really excellent ones here. It was more from a standpoint that we didn’t want to be branded as strictly a KY news source. Once we were more established, we moved toward hitting more KY artists, most notably with our recent “2020 All Kentucky Team” lineup. As far as Kentucky playing a role in the brand development as a whole, I think it’s had an incredible impact. We view music and entertainment much differently in a rural area, than those in an urban setting (i.e. New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, etc.) There isn’t ready access to quality shows, venues, or innovative physical opportunities for exposure. This makes the digital game that much more important to us, and why we’re interested in bringing that higher quality level of digital access to others around the globe. We believe there are elusive, untapped markets out there that mimic the rural dynamic of KY.

How can connecting with Jukebox be useful when developing as an artist?

It helps the artist to network with a new audience. We have a wide range of people in the Jukebox community. There are industry artists, producers, A&R’s and more, so you’ll never know who might like what you have to offer.

We also offer some great Instagram campaigns aimed at artist growth. We currently have around 10+ artists on our campaigns doing great numbers with an all organic pull.

With over one hundred thousand followers on social media, where do you see Jukebox Culture going in the future?

I’d like to see @JukeboxCulture grow to over a million within a few years. We’re also relaunching the YouTube channel with new interviews & music videos, so be sure to check it out. But ultimately, we’re looking to tap into that elusive market that I spoke about above. I think we’re in a unique position to bring more people into the music and entertainment fold. Those rural areas can feel a little left out without physical access to some things. We want to bridge the gap and see the industry as a whole grow

Follow @jukeboxculture on Instagram now!

The post Get To Know Jukebox Culture, Emerging Music Influencer appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.