MAY 2025

A seasoned professional helping global brands navigate the world of music and sound, SixtyFour Music’s Emma Byford shares her journey into music strategy and her thoughts on creating impactful sonic identities. 

We hear how her approach has evolved from a deep-rooted love of music and diverse industry experiences, and she underlines how sonic branding uniquely taps into our subconscious, forging powerful emotional connections… 

MASA: Can you share details of your career journey so far and talk us through how you first became involved in the world of music strategy?

EMMA: I’ve always been very music-focussed throughout life and knew early-on that I wanted to work in the industry. I started out on the live side, working as a creative producer for festivals including Wilderness, The Great Escape and Lovebox. From there, I moved into digital marketing and artist management, working across campaigns for some incredible artists and labels such as Confidence Man, Heavenly and PIAS. About five years ago, I shifted into the brand world, initially focusing on sonic branding and now more broadly across music strategy. Today I help brands take a more strategic, culturally-driven approach to music and sound. I get to work across a really broad range of projects and my varied experience across the industry certainly helps! 

MASA: Having joined SixtyFour Music this year, what are you most excited about the projects you’re currently working on? 

EMMA: Since joining SixtyFour, I’ve been lucky enough to continue our work with Sephora. It’s been amazing to see how they’ve really taken their music strategy from strength to strength, cementing their place in music culture while amplifying diverse voices. I always enjoy projects that we can collaborate really closely with the brand team, especially when there’s a real understanding of the value that a holistic music strategy can bring. Sephora’s strategy has included building a roster of incredible emerging artists for licensing and social content, bespoke campaign compositions, and talent booking for their events including the Grammy’s last year. I’m looking forward to seeing where we take it next. 

MASA: You’ve led sonic identity projects for global brands like TikTok, Wikipedia and Rugby World Cup. What are the key ingredients of a successful sonic brand and how do you tailor your approach for such diverse clients?

EMMA: The first step is always to build a deep and meaningful understanding of the brand. It’s about immersing yourself in their world to uncover those hidden gems that can go on to inform a sonic identity with real longevity and authenticity. It’s also important to have a deep understanding of the target audience, allowing you to consider their mindset with every brand interaction so that you create a sound that truly resonates. 

A sonic identity also needs to be built with modularity in mind. Even if the initial goal is to only create one asset, it’s crucial that it has the ability to flex and scale over time. This allows you to future-proof the brand and ensures it can evolve when faced with new brand needs, technologies or cultural shifts.

And lastly, it needs to be truly ownable. If you create a sound that embodies the brand while also differentiates from competitors, that’s when it really starts to cut through.  

MASA: In your experience, how does sonic branding influence consumer perception and emotional connection compared to traditional visual branding?

EMMA: Sonic branding taps into the audience’s subconscious in a way that visuals alone simply cannot. In just a couple of seconds, a well-crafted sonic identity can evoke emotion, shift perception and create a powerful sense of connection. It’s also highly versatile so it can be used across nearly all brand touchpoints. When used consistently, this makes it incredibly useful in driving widespread recognition and recall.

That said, it’s important not to view visual and sonic identities as separate. When they’re strategically aligned and used together, they reinforce each other as cohesive expressions of the brand.

MASA: What do you see as the most common misconceptions people have about sonic branding? 

EMMA: That it’s just a jingle! Although thankfully sonic branding has become much more popular in recent years so this comes up less frequently. 

While the likes of McDonald’s do an incredible job of showing the large-scale impact of a successful brand sound, a sonic identity is far more comprehensive than a standalone asset. I often talk about it as a modular ‘system of sound’, designed to be flexed and adapted across all brand touchpoints and territories. A successful sonic brand is one that can be used holistically across all brand touchpoints, whether it be a podcast series, an app, or social media content. When done right, it becomes an integral part of how the brand communicates with their audience. 

MASA: With the rise of digital and social platforms, how has the role of music in advertising evolved and what new opportunities or challenges does this present for music strategists?

EMMA: It’s no longer just about licensing a stand-out track for that one big campaign. There are now so many places and ways in which a brand interacts with their audience. That creates lots of opportunity but also a great deal of complexity when it comes to music. The challenge is finding a sound that aligns with a brand’s identity but also feels relevant and resonant in the places it shows up.

Without having a distinctive sonic identity or music strategy, brands run the risk of being muted in what is now a very competitive, audio-driven landscape. A strategic approach to sound isn’t a quick fix, but it’s essential to strengthen brand equity in the long-term.

Ultimately, it’s about giving brands and their agencies a sonic framework to work within so that they can confidently make consistent music choices that enhance brand recognition and connection with their audience.

MASA: What role does data or audience insight play in shaping your music choices for brands?

EMMA: Music is incredibly powerful, but also very subjective. That’s why data and audience insights are so important when creating a sonic identity. They help ensure we’re not just creating something that sounds good, but something that will genuinely resonate with the brand’s audience and drive long-term impact.

Consumer research during the demo phase can be especially valuable. It gives brand teams the confidence to move forward with a creative direction, backed by real audience feedback. It can also help to guide any final tweaks that might be needed ahead of the launch. We’re also seeing more brands track the performance of their sonic identity post-launch, measuring impact on things like brand recall, perception and emotional connection over time. 

There’s sometimes a hesitation that data might dampen creativity but when used well, it does the opposite. It’s a fantastic way of getting feedback directly from consumers, which ultimately elevates the creative and gives it the best chance of success. 

MASA: And lastly, what will you be looking for when judging? What makes a piece of work worthy of a Music+Sound Award?

EMMA: Something bold and unexpected. I’d like to see something that challenges the way things have been done before and is a fresh take on what sonic branding should look (and sound) like in 2025. 

MASA: Thanks so much for sharing your deep industry experience and thoughtful perspectives with us. Your passion for music strategy, commitment to innovation and focus on authenticity and audience insight is so inspiring. It’s great to have you - and these qualities - on our jury this year!

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