Hearing you have breast cancer can bring forth a myriad of feelings including fear and loneliness. Susan G. Komen has worked for years to let breast cancer fighters and survivors know that they are not alone. In its efforts to raise money and awareness, Susan G. Komen has partnered with Songfinch, a personalized gift company specializing in music, to produce an original soundtrack to inspire and encourage women and their families who are in the battles of their lives. With eight songs from all genres such as hip hop, country and pop, a portion of the proceeds from the soundtrack will benefit lifesaving research and treatment. CEOMOM Magazine had the opportunity to speak with a co-founder of Songfinch, Rob Lindquist, about what the soundtrack means to him and how Songfinch got involved in such a meaningful project.
How did a partnership with Susan G. Komen come about? What was the inspiration behind the collaboration?
With our Susan G. Komen partnership, it came from a personal experience. My mother, who is now in remission, was diagnosed with lymphoma 2 years ago and during her time in treatment, I had a song written for her. She would listen to it during treatment and said it made her feel the support and comfort that can easily be forgotten during the battle. I have always worked in the music space, and have seen time and again with major brands how music can create positive connections with people. When we started Songfinch last October, we wanted to give the everyday person that same power to connect to a loved one in a new way – through personalized songs written just for them. One of our co-founders reached out to Susan G. Komen about our mission and this partnership was born.
I love the name of the album “More than Pink.” What does More than Pink mean?
“More Than Pink” is an existing Susan G. Komen campaign, and we used that because it fit our goal with the soundtrack. Breast cancer is more than a color, ribbon or the month of October. Sharing real stories, from real people affected with breast cancer, has been their way of showing fighters and their families that they are not alone.
Since the album was released, what has the feedback been?
We launched the campaign three weeks ago and we just received the pink vinyls back last week. We have been getting quite a few spins on Bandcamp and the initial feedback has been great from the songs. The artists are excited to be using their talent to help people in a direct manner and it is a “feel good” project all around. If you know someone who is battling breast cancer, you can buy them a limited-edition pink vinyl, buy a download from Bandcamp or even just send them the link to the page so they can listen and enjoy it. Our biggest goal is to spread the message around as much as possible and have as many people have a “this is my song” moment. We made sure to include several genres including hip hop, country, singer-songwriter and pop so that we can reach a larger group of music fans around the world.
Besides raising money for breast cancer research and support, what are you hoping comes from this partnership?
I want people to know the personal connection we have with this project, and that we understand that they are going through a rough time in their life. Sometimes it only takes something as simple as a song to shift their attitude and their outlook on everything to turn things around or make a positive impact in their lives. I hope this will bring some value back to music and give talented artists a platform to be a part of something cool and meaningful.
Describe the process for getting a personalized song produced through Songfinch.
We start with a “madlib” process where you tell us who the song is for, what the occasion is and the desired reaction you want the song to evoke. Next, you tell us your favorite stories, memories and feelings that you may want included in the lyrics of the song. Next, you can choose the genre for the music and male or female vocalist as well as the mood for the song. From there, we use those details to curate the best fitting artist to bring your song to life.
Within seven days, you get your own personal URL which we call your Story Homepage, where you can listen and download your song, read the lyrics, share your song with friends and family and connect with your songwriter. From there, it’s in your hands on the best way to present the song to your loved one – that’s one of the best parts!
What future collaborations does Songfinch have planned?
This is a really good question as there are so many directions we can go. Within the charity space, there have been quite a few people getting songs created for loved ones affected with Alzheimer’s. Music is one thing that can trigger past memories and the feedback on those songs have been incredible. There could be some space there to partner with some organizations that can use our service to help people connect with their loved ones.
Another area we are putting focus on is the wedding space. We have been making quite a few songs for first dances, mother-son dances, father-daughter dances, speeches, etc. It’s been a super fun process and the responses have been incredible, so the fit there is pretty obvious. Partnering with DJs, planners, venues, videographers, photographers and many other vendors in that space is something we will be focusing on as we plan out the roadmap of Songfinch.
Lastly, we will be expanding our offering by offering some lower-level, entry level products such as greeting cards as well as items that accompany songs created such as pressed 7” vinyls, framed lyrics, amongst other products. We’re excited with what we are doing and hope that we can keep spreading love and positivity throughout this world one song at a time.
For more information about Songfinch and the Susan G. Komen partnership, visit https://www.songfinch.com/.