What is Feed.fm? Interview with Rob Kenkel, Director of Sales

At Feed Media Group (FMG), we use our experience, data, and musical knowledge to solve music challenges for brands. Through our B2B music platform, Feed.fm, we deliver music programs that are efficient, effective, and personalized for your customers and customized for your brand. We like to think of it as giving brands a musical personality.

Still confused about what a B2B music platform does or how we can support you? Learn more from our Director of Sales who answers the question, “What is Feed.fm?” and shares his journey at FMG.

Meet Rob! 

Robert Kenkel has been selling cloud-based products and services since 2003, and he is currently the Director of Sales & Partnerships at FMG. Joining the team in our San Francisco HQ in 2017, a lifetime ago in the tech world, but what feels like just yesterday to him – time flies when you’re having fun! While a lot has changed since then –  we are now fully remote – his passion for relationship management has remained intact. Rob leads by example, relationships are everything to him.

What are the most common customer needs that you’ve encountered over the years? 

The most common requests that I get regarding music for businesses ties back to music strategy. Whether companies are looking for guidance around licensing or product integrations, most of the needs fall into one of these scenarios:

Music licensing solutions:

• Licensing music to accompany content, ie. video streams, classes, or other digital experiences

Music integration and product strategy:

• Options to stream music in apps
• Strategies for incorporating music in connected devices like fitness equipment or other personal devices.

I’ve had many conversations over the past 6 years, and I’ve explained music licensing for businesses to a lot of inquisitive and driven entrepreneurs. As Dani said in her blog, I didn’t know much about music licensing when I started, so I stayed glued at the hip for months to Jeff Yasuda, my guru. If you have the privilege of ever speaking with Jeff, you know he’s a combination of a lover of people and music. He knows a ton about music licensing, and I know how to read a room.

I was able to quickly identify the points in the conversations when prospects became excited and leaned into the conversation, vs the moments when it became clear they preferred that Feed.fm take care of the intricate details. Once we understood inflection points, we were able to work together to deliver music licensing education and solutions to companies in a way that really resonated. This approach has allowed us to build incredible relationships across industries, grow Feed.fm revenue year after year, and grow the team from 8 employees to almost 40.

What is Feed.fm’s approach to helping businesses meet their goals with music?

Our customer-centric approach allows us to craft customized music solutions for brands and their end users. When I first started we were thriving in retail apps like American Eagle and Charlotte Russe and with pro sports teams like the Golden State Warriors. In the 6 months prior, we had launched with Fitbit Coach and right after I joined we signed Mirror (now Lululemon Studio) and Tonal.

• Our retail apps needed a way to increase engagement and retention and generate longer session times in their eCommerce app without having to resort to discounting sales. 
• The Warriors needed more intimate ways to connect with their fans by sharing the music that Steph, Klay, and Draymond were using to get pumped up before games.  
• Fitbit, Mirror, and Tonal desperately needed compelling soundtracks to drive their digital workouts.