TMN 30 Under 30: Vampr founder Josh Simons wins Reader’s Choice

Everybody loves a fan favourite.

Aussie musician-turned-startup CEO Josh Simons has not only found himself in the TMN 30 Under 30 class of 2020, but also collects the coveted Reader’s Choice title.

Simons is the co-founder of Vampr with business partner Baz Palmer, a platform to help musicians to discover and connect with like-minded collaborators.

APRA AMCOS was so impressed with Vampr that they sponsored the company in October.

With over half a million users, Vampr recently completed a blockbuster public crowdfunding campaign which raised almost US $500,000 in fresh funding for the business.

Last week’s Reader’s Choice Poll collected over 3,000 unique votes from TMN readers, with just 16 points between Simons and runner up Jayden Bath from Loch Hart Music Festival.

“Thrilled to get the gong and keep company with such amazingly accomplished people and companies,” Simons told TMN. “For Vampr this is a wonderfully timed validation as we ready ourselves to drop the next big update – more on that soon.

“In the meantime, I’m going to celebrate with a quarantini! Thanks to all who voted.”

Also placing in the Top 5 were Nic Holland from Eleven: A Music Company, Guven Yilmaz from Vita Music Group and Allegra Caldwell from BMG’s sync and licensing team.

Prior to launching Vampr, Simons fronted indie-pop band Buchanan and enjoyed a successful career on the national stage, working with indie label Inertia and publisher Native Tongue.

“I have now worked in the music industry for over 10 years,” said Simons. “There are very few players in Australia, the UK or North America, who I haven’t had the pleasure of coming across either through my time as an artist, songwriter or now as the CEO of Vampr.”

In his winning TMN 30 Under 30 application, the startup founder said his background as a songwriter created the perfect launchpad for transitioning into the business world.

“In many ways, this experience primed me perfectly for my role as CEO of Vampr where I have the responsibility to maintain and improve a platform which speaks to and services the people who work in all of these various fields,” he said.

This year’s TMN 30 Under 30 Awards are made possible thanks to six incredible sponsors, including APRA AMCOS, Eventbrite, MTV, Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music.

From Monday, TMN will profile each of the winning entries from across the 10 categories.

Congratulations to all 50 finalists, the class of 2020 and fan favourite, Simons.