Thinking In Sound: Being Nimble to Adapt with Ronnie Fountenberry

Ronnie Fountenberry is the owner and lead provocateur of Sounds Delicious. 

Ronnie began his career as a recording artist (signed to Interscope/ Modular Records: Wolf Mother, Cut Copy, Tame Impala....).

After finding success in the sync world he made the transition to advertising, launching Sounds Delicious in 2020.

An accomplished songwriter and composer, he is also (and most importantly) husband to Hannah Fountenberry and father to Moses + Simeon. His music has appeared in numerous television shows, films + commercials including Apple, Toyota, Google & Ford.

LBB> When you’re working on a new brief or project, what’s your typical starting point? How do you break it down and how do you like to generate your ideas or response?

Ronnie> The approach is always different, it really depends on the project. We usually start with are the references and any adjectives or other starting points the client has given us. From there it's just all about exploration. We want to make something new that fills our creative desires but also ticks all the boxes that the client is requesting. 

LBB> Music and sound are in some ways the most collaborative and interactive forms of creativity - what are your thoughts on this? Do you prefer to work solo or with a gang - and what are some of your most memorable professional collaborations?

Ronnie> In a perfect world, it is, but again, our end goal is pleasing the client. It's not the same as being in a band or chasing one's own creative muse. It's about trying to channel the same creativity but in serving someone else's vision. 

The idea is always to let the composers dive in on their own, and then once we hear what they've sent if we have any feedback will get our hands dirty to see if we can get it closer to what we think the client is after.

LBB> What’s the most satisfying part of your job and why?

Ronnie> Just getting to be creative and make music!  

For me, coming from the band/label world, there was a bit of fear when I entered advertising that I would lose that creative freedom, but it really turned out to be the opposite. 

Commercials and advertising give artists such a broad array of musical endeavours to chase and explore, so that's really exciting.

LBB> As the advertising industry changes, how do you think the role of music and sound is changing with it?

Ronnie> Music is always changing just like advertising and we have to be nimble to adapt.

LBB> Who are your musical or audio heroes and why?

Ronnie> Too many to mention, but strictly from the perspective of having a song serving visual content ie. film, tv, or advertising, people like John Williams and all the greats. 

LBB> And when it comes to your particular field, whether sound design or composing, are there any particular ideas or pioneers that you go back to frequently or who really influence your thinking about the work you do?

Ronnie> Not really, for Sounds Delicious it’s about culture and artists we think are pushing boundaries and moving things forward. So it’s always changing. 

LBB> When you’re working on something that isn’t directly sound design or music (lets say going through client briefs or answering emails) - are you the sort of person who needs music and noise in the background or is that completely distracting to you? What are your thoughts on ‘background’ sound and music as you work?

Ronnie> I’m one of those 'work silently' folks. I get too involved when I’m listening to music and it’s more distracting than helpful.

LBB> I guess the quality of the listening experience and the context that audiences listen to music/sound in has changed over the years. There’s the switch from analogue to digital and now we seem to be divided between bad-ass surround-sound immersive experiences and on-the-go, low quality sound (often the audio is competing with a million other distractions) - how does that factor into how you approach your work?

Ronnie> Kind of going back to my earlier point, our job is to serve the clients' creative dreams. So it depends on what they need and how we can best achieve it. It might mean something more hi-fi, or maybe something more analogue and dusty feeling. Just depends. 

LBB> On a typical day, what does your ‘listening diet’ look like?

Ronnie> I get up somewhat early- around 5am. Usually, before I dive into work at seven, I’ll start listening to music, just to get inspired. The music I listen to is all over the place and it’s almost always on shuffle. 

After 3-4pm when things mellow down, I’ll usually put some more music on. Or even watch some live performance YouTube clips. I always like to see how artists are pulling things off in a live context. 

LBB> Do you have a collection of music/sounds and what shape does it take (are you a vinyl nerd, do you have hard drives full of random bird sounds, are you a hyper-organised spotify-er…)?

Ronnie> I’ve been collecting Vinyl for years and have pretty nice collection. I also have a few channels/ blogs I follow that post random tracks ripped from vinyl daily.

Old records are unique in that there’s so much music from before the digital age, and lots of it has never been digitised or put on Spotify. I like finding new things that I would find through traditional avenues. 

Outside of the music and sound world, what sort of art or topics really excite you and do you ever relate that back to music (e.g. history buffs who love music that can help you travel through time, gamers who love interactive sound design… I mean it really could be anything!!)

I think all art is connected. Fashion as well. I love looking at art and fashion, even home design and getting inspired. 

LBB> Let’s talk travel! It’s often cited as one of the most creatively inspiring things you can do - I’d love to know what are the most exciting or inspiring experiences you’ve had when it comes to sound and music on your travels?

Ronnie> Going abroad is always a fun way to hear artists who haven’t landed in the States yet. I’ve found many bands I love that way. 

LBB> As we age, our ears change physically and our tastes evolve too, and life changes mean we don’t get to engage in our passions in the same intensity as in our youth - how has your relationship with sound and music changed over the years?

Ronnie> I think I heard Joni Mitchel speak about being creative and keeping the fire going. Her philosophy was rotating crops so to speak. So maybe one day I paint. Maybe the next I try a new guitar tuning. Basically never doing the same thing over and over. 

I completely agree with that and so my relationship with music always feels fresh. If anything I just love music more!