Tom Cassell signs merch for fans. Photo courtesy Tom Cassell.
The zombies are closing in, the alien mothership just landed, the battlefield crackles with gunfire… and Tom Cassell, better known as the famous Twitch streamer TheSyndicateProject (or "Syndicate," for short), settles down for another day at the office. He’s in the business of video game streaming, and his followers and fans number in the millions. Now, he’s teaming up with Heard Well, the first record company working with social media influencers, to release Sounds of Syndication Vol. 1 a mixtape of the songs that most get him amped while gaming. The benefits of an album like this are twofold: Cassell gets to share his favorite tracks with his fans, and the indie and small-press artists who created these songs get money and exposure from the venture. Cassell speaks about how he first got into streaming, his love of music, and how gaming can, at times, get too intense for jamming out.
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Cassell first got into streaming as a teenager, broadcasting live from his dad’s bathroom and talking about video games and life. “I realized what I was doing was a bit pointless, and no one cared about it,” Cassell realized people just wanted to watch games, “so I got on a schedule, got several games and people just began tuning in on a regular basis to watch me absolutely suck at video games.” For those unfamiliar with the video game streaming world, the two big sites are YouTube and Twitch. Cassell explains that the real draw of streaming live games to an audience is the interactivity involved, “If I say something the audience can respond to it immediately. If I ask a question, they can reply to it immediately. It just makes it a more engaging experience overall.”
Cassell met the people behind Heard Well at a charity event, and after a great conversation they asked him to put together an album of his favorite songs. These tracks, each created by small or completely independent artists, are songs Cassell uses as background music while he streams. Does Cassell try to match the music to the mood and genre of games he plays? “I don't worry about it so much, I just like anything that has a good beat. I've got a very particular taste in music, but it doesn't depend on the genre. It can be rock & roll, country, R&B, or anything else. As long as the music has a good beat, then I'm a happy gamer, and can kick back, play video games, and livestream for hours on end.”
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Of all the songs on the album, Lisa Mitchell’s song “Neopolitan Dreams” is his favorite, for sentimental reasons. “It's one of the first ever songs that I got licensing from to be able to use on my YouTube channel and I previously used it in every single one of my vlogs. I made that song the last one on the album because it means the most for me.” Cassell says that if he could play any instrument himself, he would hands-down play the drums, “If I could Matrix-style inherit the ability to be able to play them, I would do it immediately, even if it cost $100,000. Then I would make the kind of music I love to listen to!”
“As long as the music has a good beat, then I'm a happy gamer” says Tom Cassell, seen here interacting with fans of his streams. Photo courtesy Tom Cassell.
In the end, Cassell’s a gamer with a lot of passion to share. His streams are lively, he’s talkative and interactive, and the music’s always pumping. Well… almost always pumping, “There have been several times where I've been playing a certain game and it comes down to the final 15 seconds of the game, and the intense action music begins to the point where it just throws you off and you can't concentrate, so I have to turn it off. As much as I love my jams, my gameplay has got to be Grade A. So, gotta get that bomb defused. Do it for the team. Succeed.”
Sounds of Syndication Vol. 1 Album Cover. Photo courtesy of Heard Well.
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