Last week, we were joined for a Water Cooler interview with Jessica Powell, CEO of AudioShake.

Jessica is an author (​The Big Disruption: A Totally Fictional But Essentially True Silicon Valley Story​) and former Vice President of Communications for Google who cofounded ​AudioShake​ — a music startup that uses AI to break down songs into separate stems.

The idea came to Jessica, a lifelong musician, after a karaoke session with her cofounder. They’ve since ​raised​ several million dollars in funding, most recently led by celebrity investors like Metallica and Miley Cyrus. 

We had a fascinating discussion which spanned the trials and tribulations of running a music startup, how AI can reshape how music is experienced, and how the traditional music industry can effectively forge partnerships with AI.

You can listen to the full audio below, or read on for key quotes and takeaways:

—

This article is available only to Water & Music members.

If you’re already a member, please sign into your account here.

If not, sign up today for a quarterly or annual membership plan to get smarter on music and tech and meet like-minded professionals in the industry. You can read more about our membership benefits here.