Simon, who was in town to speak at the IDBYTE 2023 conference, is a bona fide professional with a career spanning decades and a CV that includes working with renowned musicians, creating companies and being at the forefront of digital innovation.

While his name is not something you’d hear every day on the radio, the artists his record label has signed on might: Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson to name a few.

Over some light refreshments to cool down from the Jakarta heat, Simon showcased his unique perspective on the ever-changing music industry and the worldwide influence of technology.

From his early days in the music industry, Simon found his calling. As a member of a successful local band during his university years, he learned three valuable lessons: how to fill a dance floor, rehearse material and create a memorable musical experience.

"I played the keyboards, and I was the singer in the band. [...] The most important thing of all was, I wanted to make wherever our band played, for that evening, the happiest place on earth," he said.

Describing his band as a "human jukebox", Simon spoke fondly of his ability to play almost any song by request. This experience, he said, taught him the importance of making music that brought joy and happiness, helping people form connections and fall in love with each other through music.

Looking back at his early years he recalled, "Growing up, for me, the major inspirations came from people like Stevie Wonder, came from people like the British rock and pop era. More of the Beatles, and then U2."

He would eventually work with U2 in various roles and represent the band. Their worldwide reach and ground-breaking undertakings made an indelible mark on him. He cited U2’s recent “groundbreaking” performance series at The Sphere in Las Vegas, a sensory marvel that is revolutionizing live musical experiences.

Though every act must be represented equally, everyone will of course have a favorite or two. Simon’s were AC/DC and Iron Maiden.

"The one that I loved working with more than anybody else was AC/DC. Because Angus Young, the guitarist in AC/DC – it’s just the dedication that he had as a musician."

Alongside a musical background, his fascination with technology led Simon to start a record company. He recognized that in the age of streaming, standing out in a sea of daily song releases was a formidable challenge.

"I always felt that if I could have a record company and work with young musicians or songwriters and try to develop some interesting material, the goal would be to try and get them to write songs that could become hits all over the world," he said.

His interest in TV production, particularly The Virtuosos, demonstrates his fascination with discovering talent worldwide. The show aims to introduce virtuosic musicians to a global audience, emphasizing their exceptional skills and originality.

In discussing the changing landscape of the music industry, Simon highlighted Daniel Ek's pioneering role in founding Spotify, emphasizing the transformative impact of streaming on music consumption, shedding light on how artists and listeners have adapted to the digital era.

"Spotify every day adds about 90,000 songs to the platform. That's crazy. How do you lift yourself above the clutter of 90,000, half a million a week, 2 million a month?" he asked.

Owing to his fascination with technology, Simon has also embraced the tech world in his career. He reflected on how the mobile phone, from the early flip phones to slabs of glass and metal costing thousands of dollars, had become the remote control of our lives, steering music and digital content.

Born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, Simon left for London in the 1970s, but it was his pivotal move to San Francisco in 1990 that underscored his dedication to staying ahead of tech trends.

Yourmobile, the start-up he founded in 1997, became the first commercial ringtone company in the Americas, Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia and Africa, giving birth to a new international mobile entertainment industry. To that end, Simon’s experiences revealed his commitment to exploring technology's intersection with entertainment and also earning him the moniker of “father of the ringtone”.

He also founded Mobilium Global, aiming to unite technology and entertainment knowledge. The impact of tech on music and entertainment became a constant theme in his career.

“I've had a long association now with the tech community, and in fact, when we started that first ringtone company, we also formed the world's first trade body to try and promote what mobile entertainment was,” Simon said.

“So we started something called the Mobile Entertainment Forum. It was developed all over the world. We had developed a team, someone in India, someone in Finland, someone in Singapore, someone in Australia, someone all over Europe, America, Canada, Africa, to try and work out what technology would enable music or musical experiences and then video to also be used,” he continued.

It may be hard to imagine a ringtone as groundbreaking now, but when smartphones were a distant dream, the music that played when someone called was what you had for customized content.

“Remember, when mobile content first started, you couldn't get video on your mobile. Now, of course, you can get YouTube, you can get TikTok, you can get basically anything. Today, video is really the medium that most people do and use for so many aspects of their lives. We engage so much in videos, right? Well, it took some companies in California and Silicon Valley and Nokia in Helsinki in Finland to come up with the technology,” he recalled. (jlm) 

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