Tell us a little bit about yourself, involvement with school cheer, etc
Innovative Performance Productions provides elite cheer and dance mixes for All-Star, College, High School, and rec teams around the world. IPP was founded in 2012 by myself, I’ve been in the business for 16+ years, providing mixes to the teams that win National Championships, NCA Titles, and worlds.IPP’s reputation for creating polished, punchy, elite-level mixes, at such reasonable prices is renowned and unmatched. A long-standing record of consistent rapid turn-around times has earned IPP an extensive and highly coveted clientele of industry leaders.
IPP has been involved with school cheer since its inception. As a matter of fact, the first-ever mix created by IPP was for a school team!
In your opinion what are some major differences between cheer music now and back in the early 2000’s-2010’s?
The differences between the early 2000s/2010s are drastic. We used to purchase radio-type top 40 songs from wherever we could then edit them together accordingly trying to highlight the most popular parts of the song. Now, we are responsible for creating our own original mini-songs to place throughout the mix. It has increased production time tremendously, however, we are now able to control every aspect of the mix which allow us to make sure everything is not only cohesive but expresses the message and has the big impactful sound that teams have come to love and expect.
As a music producer, what is your opinion on musicality and the way it can enhance a performance?
Cheer music can be considered the “heartbeat” of the routine. It can help give the performers the energy and inspiration needed to get through difficult routines. A well-executed theme can really tell an interesting story when matched with innovative choreography. For example, being able to have the ability to create the perfect big ballad sound/song for an intricate pyramid sequence can create an unforgettable moment for both the performer and the audience. It is always so humbling to hear the crowd singing along with a song that you have created especially for that team.
You cater to so many different demographics which is incredible. From Team USA to the smallest all-star program. Can you tell us a little bit about IPP and its goal as a company?
The goal of IPP has always been to provide an incredible, high-end product at an affordable price. We pride ourselves on having something for everyone. Whether it’s a full custom (all original) mix or one of our premade mixes, every team will find something that is suitable for their skill set, age, and, most importantly, their budget.
What are some teams we can look up that you’ve done mixes for?
Some teams that we work with and whose mixes are available to listen to on both our Youtube and Soundcloud page are the USA Nationals Teams, Oklahoma State University, Cheer Athletics, The California Allstars, Pacific Beach Allstars & Moore High School
Can bad music make or break a performance?
Bad music can definitely break a performance. Not only can it be detrimental to the performers if the sections are hard to count or the sound samples are hard to hear, but it can also be a turn-off to the judges if they don’t enjoy the quality of, flow, message etc of the mix.
Thank you for giving us so much background on the cheer music industry as a whole! We appreciate you so much for doing this interview.