Season 2 Episode #12: What happens when an entrepreneur with roots in film, music, and physics sets out to solve one of music tech's hardest problems? Fiona Ryder, Co-Founder and COO of Bonza Music, shares how decades of building companies across music, media, and broadcasting shaped her approach to creative collaboration.

We explore why existing tools fail creative professionals, how spatial audio and digital twin acoustics bring back the "feel" that musicians depend on, what role AI should and shouldn't play in the creative process, and why the best technology should be invisible.

The entrepreneur's journey

How a childhood steeped in music, film, and physics shaped an unconventional founder
What successive businesses taught Fiona about finding the right people and the right moment
The emotional fuel behind starting something new and why the idea should scare you a little
Honest talk on fundraising, investor relations, and the relentless pace of startup life

The state of creative collaboration

Why standard video-call tools fundamentally fail musicians and performers
The hidden costs eating into independent musicians' earnings: rehearsal rooms, travel, time
What's actually broken in the early creative process and how files-back-and-forth kills momentum
Bridging the gap between music education access and professional-grade tooling

AI, authenticity, and the human element

AI as an assistant versus AI as a replacement and where the line should be drawn
Why "beige-sounding" generated music will never replicate a happy accident like Sting's bum note
The financial sustainability question behind generative AI in creative industries
Keeping the artist visible, protected, and front-and-centre in a tech-driven world

Engineering the invisible: building tech for "feel"

Ultra-low latency, spatial audio, and why milliseconds make or break a musical moment
Capturing real-world acoustics with room impulse responses, binaural measurement, and ML extrapolation
The deliberate decision to require no special hardware and keep barriers as low as possible
How direct feedback from working musicians reshaped the product from the ground up

And Much More

Fiona Ryder

Co-Founder and COO of Bonza Music

Fiona Ryder has spent over two decades on the tech side of the entertainment industry, founding, building, and exiting companies across music, media, and broadcasting. She currently serves as Co-Founder and COO of Bonza Music, where she is building an immersive collaboration platform for professional musicians and educators, and as Senior Independent Director at Suffolk Building Society.

Josh William Burmistre-Griffiths

Digital Marketing and Paid Ad Specialist

Josh William Burmistre-Griffiths works at TestDevLab, focusing on digital marketing and paid advertising across multiple platforms. His past experience working at agencies and unicorn startups has equipped Josh with the expertise to bring valuable digital marketing insights to Tech Effect.

# 31 Fiona Ryder (Bonza Music): From Film School to Music Tech - Building for Creativity in the Age of AI

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