PeopleofSuperintelligence

Builder

Josh Simons

Josh Simons is a music technology founder whose work includes AI-assisted recommendations for music collaborators. He fronted Buchanan before starting Vampr in 2015 and launching its platform in Los Angeles in May 2016; the service later added music publishing. After Jaxsta acquired Vampr in 2023, he became CEO and backed AI recommendations that use music-credit data to connect potential collaborators. He won The Music Network’s 30 Under 30 Reader’s Choice title in 2020, holds a Bachelor of Business from Swinburne University, and is CEO of Vinyl Group; in October 2026, he joined the Proudly Human advisory board.

Now at
Vinyl Group and Proudly Human
Born
1990
Badges

Years link to their sources.

Timeline

  1. 2015–2016

    From Buchanan to Vampr

    He fronts indie-pop band Buchanan before starting Vampr in 2015 to solve his difficulty finding professional contacts after moving to London. The app launches in Los Angeles in May 2016 as a network for musicians seeking collaborators.

  2. April 2020

    The TMN Reader’s Choice

    He wins Reader’s Choice in The Music Network’s 30 Under 30 class in 2020.

  3. May 2020

    Vampr Publishing

    Vampr, the network he co-founds, launches a publishing service in May 2020 to build a sync catalogue of original, unrepresented tracks.

  4. 2023

    CEO after Vampr acquisition

    After Jaxsta acquires Vampr in 2023, he becomes Jaxsta’s CEO and plans to link its music-credit database with Vampr’s professional network.

  5. December 2023

    AI partner recommendations

    He says Vinyl Group is spending R&D on AI that uses Jaxsta’s music-credit data to improve Vampr’s algorithmic recommendations for future work partners.

  6. By November 2025

    Swinburne business degree

    By November 2025, he holds a Bachelor of Business from Swinburne University.

  7. November 2025

    AI voice in music

    In November 2025, he praises licensed AI software for music and sees legal AI-assisted distribution as a way for artists to reach listeners.

  8. October 2026

    Vinyl Group CEO and adviser

    In October 2026, he is CEO of Vinyl Group and joins the Proudly Human advisory board, whose certification work helps audiences identify human-created work.

Career

  1. From 2026Vinyl GroupCEO
  2. From 2026Proudly HumanAdvisory board member
  3. From 2023JaxstaCEO
  4. Until 2015BuchananFrontman
  5. From 2015VamprCo-founder

Education

  1. Swinburne University of TechnologyBachelor of Business

From the biography.

Videos

YouTube videos in which Josh Simons speaks or appears, newest first. A model chose them from YouTube search results. List updated 22 October 2026.

  1. Josh Simons: Why Domain Expertise Is Your Biggest Business Advantage | MM Podcast #346Modern Musician · 18 September 2026 · 41 min
  2. How Tech Is Changing Our Relationship With Music with Josh Simons | The Sound Mind Podcast Ep. 49The Sound Mind Podcast · 27 May 2026 · 1 h 9 min
  3. From Touring Musician to Music CEO | Josh SimonsGrand Slam Journey with Klara Jagosova · 20 January 2026 · 53 min
  4. Boundaries for You? Toured w/ Coldplay, Carrie Underwood & Keith Urban Josh Simons, CEO, Vinyl GroupBold Encounters, Mark Spencer Cook · 17 December 2025 · 53 min

All 20 videos of Josh Simons

Video data from YouTube API Services. By watching you agree to the YouTube Terms of Service. How we use YouTube data.

  1. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes Swinburne University of Technology. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  2. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes Swinburne University of Technology. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.
  3. Google had the most people shaping AI every year from 2014 to 2025Our estimates of which organizations employed the most people shaping AI each year from 1955 to 2025, tracing the shift from university labs to companies.
  4. The United States employs an estimated 48% of people shaping AIWe estimate where the people shaping AI work today, how universities, companies and research institutes split across countries, and how country shares have changed since the 1960s.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Josh Simons yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. TMN 30 Under 30: Vampr founder Josh Simons wins Reader’s Choice themusicnetwork.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. Vampr: Networking And Making Musical Connections With Josh Simons profitablemusician.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. From Musician To Music Industry Pioneer With Josh Simons pathwise.io. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. Introducing Vampr Publishing—our next big move in music vampr.me. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. Vinyl Group’s Josh Simons on how metadata can create a fairer industry, plus LP e-commerce expansion musicweek.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. Josh Simons joins Proudly Human advisory board mediaweek.com.au. Checked 20 October 2026.