Ryan Edwards on Career Pivots and Audoo Success

Ryan Edwards began his professional life in the music industry. In his early 20s, he served as the drummer for an indie band that toured festivals and reached the UK's Top 10 Independent Singles Chart. Despite the initial success, Edwards recognized that the band's longevity was uncertain. He eventually left the band in 2008 to pursue a stable income.

Following his departure from music, Edwards entered the retail sector. He secured a position as an assistant store manager at a cell phone retailer chain, where he remained for four years. Edwards viewed this transition as an excellent education, noting similarities between retail and band life, such as managing stock and persuading customers. He described the experience as trading "day in, day out."

After being made redundant in 2012, Edwards briefly worked in business development for an app development firm. This role was short-lived, as he was recruited by Visa Europe in late 2013. Joining Visa marked his first entry into a corporate environment. Although he initially worried the role might be "stale," he was given permission to innovate within the company. He stayed with Visa for three years before receiving an offer from a fintech startup in 2016.

The concept for Audoo materialized in 2018 while Edwards was shopping in a London department store. Hearing one of his own band's singles play over the speakers, his wife joked about the royalties he would earn. Edwards doubted the payout, and weeks later, his royalty statement arrived. The document listed payments but offered no data on how those figures were calculated or how the plays translated into revenue.

Realizing the royalty system was a "mess," Edwards sought to build a solution inspired by Amazon's Alexa and Shazam. His goal was to create technology that could identify music played in public spaces and ensure artists were paid fairly. He developed the first prototype on his kitchen table using a Raspberry Pi. While the prototype successfully recognized songs, Edwards admits the code was embarrassing and has since been replaced.

Edwards incorporated Audoo in August 2018 at the age of 33. Motivated by a pregnant wife and a new puppy, he used LinkedIn to reach out to industry leaders. These coffee dates quickly confirmed there was market demand for the product. The current Audoo Audio Meter is a plug-in device that tracks music in commercial premises, such as stores and bars, and sends the data to royalty-collection organizations.

Audoo quickly gained traction within the music industry. In 2020, Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA saw Edwards promoting the company on television and decided to invest. Ulvaeus issued a statement claiming Audoo is a solution he believes "will change the music industry forever." Through word of mouth, other industry figures, including Elton John, also invested in the startup.

Despite running a successful company, Edwards maintains a flexible approach to his career. He does not adhere to lifelong linear goals. Instead, he prefers to reset his goals every two to three years. This strategy allows him to continually learn new things and avoid being "boxed in" by a specific title or industry.

Edwards emphasizes that while his job titles have changed, one constant remains: a belief in hard work. He states that "nine times out of ten," getting your head down and working hard is what pays off. He encourages professionals to remain open to exploring new opportunities, as you never know where they might lead.

Ryan Edwards' journey from a drummer in an indie band to the founder of a music tech startup illustrates the value of adaptability. His career path was not linear; it moved through retail, corporate finance at Visa Europe, and fintech before settling on a venture that solves a problem he personally experienced.

By identifying a gap in the music royalty system, Edwards created Audoo with the backing of high-profile investors like Elton John. His story serves as a testament to the power of being open to change and the importance of a strong work ethic. For Edwards, success comes not from sticking to a rigid plan, but from the willingness to pivot and embrace new challenges.