SMU grads Matt Sidhom and Samer Abousalbi set out on a venture to connect people through music. And based on download data, they’re doing just that.
Into its second season, their Super Awesome Mix podcast has hit the 100,000-download milestone, as the duo continues to build out its music sharing ecosystem with an app and customizable card service.
“Super Awesome Mix is not about making sure we are breaking the latest tracks or finding the most underground new bands,” Abousalbi said in a statement. “We are about connection through music.”
Sharing stories through song
Launched in 2021, the podcast features the hosts and guests sharing personal stories as they take listeners through a 12-song mix tape built around a particular theme. The most recent episode centered around the best songs to help people stay motivated.
“Songs discussed in the podcast target a wide range of music and music fans,” Sidhom said in a statement.
In addition to the podcast, Super Awesome Mix also has an app based on the founders’ experience sharing mix tapes when they were younger. Through the app, users create digital mix tapes, compiling songs and adding notes, voice introductions, and illustrations to share with others. Along with the app, Super Awesome Mix also has a card service for events, where customers can get cards made with a personal message and a QR code that links the recipient to a digital playlist.
Creating connections
Sidhom previously told People Newspapers that the idea behind Super Awesome Mix stems partly from mixtapes he would make with personalized notes for his future wife. He added that he had been partly motivated by the isolation of the pandemic, along with the growing political divide playing out online.
In addition to running Super Awesome Mix, Sidhom serves as a senior director of HR services at Integrity Marketing Group and Abousalbi works as the head of product for New York mental health care startup UpLift.
“Mixes are a perfect way to create & celebrate a memory,” the company says on its website. “Every mix is a story told through music.”
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