Life does not always go according to plan. There is always an unexpected factor that may lead the person to potentially better outcomes. Joseph Reyna looked at the future and saw himself dancing professionally. It was fitting, given his talent and passion for dance. However, fate had other plans, and he later would come to realize that despite his enthusiasm for dance, there was a better path waiting for him to take it.
With a knack for rhyming words, he ventured into songwriting and flourished in it. His years of experience in working as a DJ, coupled with his rhyming ability, allowed him to write meaningful lyrics and match the corresponding song keys. He correlates emotions with colors and song keys in songwriting, and the whole endeavor becomes an art that goes beyond purely auditory for him.
His songwriting skill later would take him further than his dance did. His song Where The Party At has amassed over 26,500,000 plays on YouTube and millions of plays throughout Russia as well. He wrote songs with major hip-hop artists, and his music would eventually be heard all over the US as well. In 2014, he had his first TV placement on MTV.
With records featuring major artists such as Trill Sammy, Mark Battles, Zak Downtown, and Rockie Fresh, as well as holding onto higher-profile collaborations, JoeCat’s Spotify follower count is rising by leaps and bounds.
Despite his overwhelming success as a musician, it still was not his true calling. A later day would bring him the realization that he had a deep passion for marketing and an ability to grow brands better than his own.
Primarily in hopes of elevating the meaning behind today’s music, he created the iDream Music Label and Publishing Company in 2008. He strives to change the fundamentals of how the music industry operates, and he wants to develop an algorithm to protect artists from getting scammed and taken advantage of. Laws and technology to compensate artists fairly still have not caught up to the modern streaming era.
Armed with the knowledge and resources necessary to execute his vision for the future of artists in the industry, he continues to make sure artists and songwriters are fairly compensated for their skill, while at the same time giving them the freedom to express themselves through music.
Fair compensation has been a long-standing issue in the music industry. Songwriters get less than half of the total royalties from songs they create, while company executives enjoy taking major percentages of the profit. To combat this, JoeCat makes sure to write songs with and for artists.
Currently, he is booking keynotes, speaking about the implications of the creative industry in changing the corporate landscape. At the same time, he wants to develop technology as a security engineer consultant.
“I am more open to helping other upcoming artists because in my experience, I’ve watched a few artists whom I had the opportunity to work with really blow up, but I dismissed the artist and passed,” shares JoeCat. “You can always discover your passions in the process of helping others or trying new things. If you want to change the world, contributions that can benefit society as a whole are much more valuable than any other self-serving goals.”
This perspective seems to be a recurring theme in his life. If he were to impart wisdom on those looking to him for inspiration, this would be it.
Listen to JoeCat’s music on Spotify and visit his website to learn more about him and his projects.
