Tommy's high school mate, CEO of Vampr
Josh Simons knows Tommy from high school days. Josh lives in LA, working as a songwriter, musician and CEO of his own tech company Vampr which he co-founded in 2016. Vampr allows other musicians to discover, connect and collaborate with one another, something Josh is passionate about. Made by musicians, for musicians.
Josh on Twitter:
@josh_simons_
Vampr:
www.vampr.me
Verbatim from the transcripts — each quote links to the moment.
“Veganism, you know, it's like one of those experiments that you, you don't commit to, so you just make it my life.”
“It, yeah, it sounds like MoviePass. Have you heard about MoviePass?”
“You believe your shit. You believe your shit.”
“I'm not sure is a powerful response to anything because—”
“I think that's when you turn to drinking and drugs, is when deep down inside you kind of know that you probably could have given that little bit extra, but it was easier instead to open the Merlot, you know.”
“The only thing in life that you can do that's truly independent is masturbation.”
“Wait a night, sleep on it is the best piece of advice ever.”
“Where there's dreams, there's nightmares.”
How do you build sustainable healthy habits when overhauling your lifestyle?
Don't try to cut everything at once; introduce changes one at a time (e.g., stop smoking, then cut coffee, then reduce drinking) so the habit becomes sustainable rather than an all-or-nothing experiment.
How should a startup founder respond when they don't know the answer to something?
Say 'I'm not sure' rather than bluffing — it signals confidence rather than weakness and should be followed by a plan to find the answer; investors and team members who react badly to that phrase are not the right people to have around you.
What should founders/creatives focus on instead of just trying to 'sell' their work?
Focus on genuinely getting better at your craft/skill rather than just trying to sell or hustle it, since being truly excellent is what leads to the big opportunities (large record deals, big exits).
How should you think about past projects that didn't hit the 'big' outcome you wanted?
Reframe the full context of what was achieved (e.g., screening a self-made film in a major cinema, charting music on every continent) as a genuine success rather than labeling the project a failure just because it didn't reach the very top outcome.
How do you decide which creative pursuit to focus on when you're good at many things?
Identify what every option has in common rather than treating them as separate paths: for Simons it's always working closely with other people, and always being a form of problem-solving (getting an idea from the brain into the world), which lets him move fluidly between songwriting, running a label, and building a tech company.
Should a musician think of themselves as an entrepreneur?
Every musician is effectively running a small business, even at the smallest club show there can be roughly 27 different roles (merch, sound, lighting, promoter, agent, manager) they coordinate with, so it helps to consciously own that entrepreneurial role rather than deny it.
Josh Simons describes feeling run down from constant travel and heavy drinking earlier in the year, being inspired by watching Tommy's video about trying a sober year, and gradually cutting back. He also recounts an emergency landing in Houston due to a cyclone where he broke his new sobriety-ish routine for one wild night at a bar before flying back to LA.
Josh Simons recounts dropping out of school at 17 to make a self-funded $20,000 feature film, The Vapor Boys, lying to his cast that he was 24 to secure actors and police cooperation, being exposed by a newspaper article, submitting to Sundance and getting rejected, and eventually getting the film screened at Palace Cinemas in South Yarra.
After the exhausting, 18-month production of The Vapor Boys left him burnt out, Josh Simons spent two years mowing lawns, which he describes as some of the best years of his life and a period of reconnecting with humility after the manic focus of filmmaking.
Josh Simons recounts getting an unexpectedly terrible haircut earlier that day from a substitute barber after being impatient, leaving him mortified and planning to shave his head the next day.
After releasing Buchanan's second record and officially retiring the band, Tommy Simons flew to France to launch Vampr; around the same time APRA approached him about a Voice winner's single and, the next day, his agent called with an offer to open for Keith Urban, despite having already announced Buchanan's final show.
Simons prepared a personal TED Talk at Macquarie University about his father's death and perseverance, had the structure altered by producers the night before, disliked his own delivery, and had the talk itself pulled from release — but the accompanying musical performance impressed Keith Urban's trainer, leading to the tour offer.
Drawn from the episode transcripts.
MoviePass charged a low flat monthly fee (around $12) letting subscribers see unlimited movies but had no deals with cinemas—users just charged tickets to a MoviePass-funded card—so the company absorbed the full cost of every ticket, which was unsustainable and eventually led to its collapse.
From episode 518→He quit smoking, cut back drinking significantly, improved his diet, started napping, and used meditation and walking to manage stress, partly inspired after watching Tommy Jackett's video about attempting a sober year while Simons was feeling run down from heavy touring/travel.
From episode 518→According to Tommy Simons, performance royalties are calculated based on the venue's capacity rather than actual attendance; the promoter pays into a pool (via bodies like APRA) that is distributed to songwriters after they file a record of what was performed, meaning a show at a bigger venue pays more regardless of turnout.
From episode 197→Tommy Simons argues the key is a shared common goal — partners will always argue about process, which is healthy, but if the underlying goals differ, conflict becomes destructive. He recommends drafting a short 'heads of agreement' document early and warns that going into business with friends who don't already have a working relationship frequently damages the friendship.
From episode 197→Mentioned on 2 episodes Joshwasn’t on.
Every episode featuring Josh Simons on The Daily Talk Show.
Josh Simons joined Tommy Jackett and Josh Janssen on Episode 518 (15 November 2019) — "Josh Simons On Investment & Looking After Yourself". Josh Simons is back! Josh is the co-founder & CEO of the music app Vampr. We chat about crowdfunding for Vampr, looking after yourself while running a business, and having the confidence to say "I'm not sure".
Josh Simons joined Tommy Jackett and Josh Janssen on Episode 197 (16 October 2018) — "Josh Simons & The Music Business". Today we chat to Tommy’s high school mate Josh Simons. Josh is now living in Los Angeles working as a songwriter, musician and is the CEO of the tech company Vampr, which he co-founded in 2016. Josh is a creative and down to earth dude who’s gained a valuable perspective from his time working i...