Check Out John Gelardi’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to John Gelardi.  

Hi John, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
JT Music started back in 2008 when we (John Gelardi and T. Christian Ames) made our first music video, “The Greatest Ever,” based on the video game Halo 3. We were blown away by the positive response from our friends and family, which gave us the motivation to keep going, which led us to a contract with Machinima.com. We realized that combining our passion for music with our love for video games was something special. 

As the years went by, we honed our skills, experimenting with different genres and styles. We embraced the gaming community and began creating music that captured the essence of our favorite games, movies, and pop culture. 

Over the last 15 years, we have created 600+ music videos and have garnered a following of 5,000,000 across all our platforms. 

We’re humbled by the support we’ve received and the impact our music has had on people’s lives. We’re proud to have built a strong presence on platforms like YouTube and Spotify, where we can share our music with fans around the world. 

Our journey is ongoing, and we’re constantly striving to push boundaries and create unique, catchy tunes that resonate with gamers everywhere. We’re grateful for the opportunity to continue doing what we love and to be a part of the gaming music scene. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has mostly been a smooth road, but creating content at volume can become taxing, and battling burnout is our biggest concern. It is something that takes a lot of fellow creators out cold, so it’s something we monitor closely. Otherwise, sticking to what’s trending and deciding between projects we’re passionate about versus one’s that are playing into YouTube’s algorithm can be a challenge too. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The genre of music we work in is called “Nerdcore.” It’s become a catch-all term for music about anything in pop culture. It’s been an interesting ride watching the scene grow up from an underground niche to then a YouTube trend and then become a mainstay in the gaming and anime scenes. Most musicians in the scene are independent as we are, and it’s been interesting to see the success everyone’s had while also being ignored by the music and gaming industries. 

That’s never discouraged us or any of our peers, however. We’ve always kept busy with the community and have focused on growing it with our nerdcore music festival we host called Nerdcore Party Con. This year it’s in Raleigh, NC actually. Additionally, we are producing a documentary on Nerdcore and its history and the people who’ve played a part in the niche. 

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
A healthy work-life balance is so important, especially when you’re a small company, and the only two employees are the owners. Throw in the fact that making music and video games and pop culture are our passions; it’s been hard to know when to stop. That combination, though has really exemplified to us why it’s important and has made it clear when we need to take a step back and take a break. 

However, the other end of that is success on YouTube and online requires consistency and meeting the expectations of your audience and the algorithms. It’s a tough balance, but in the end, we’ve been able to prioritize ourselves. 

Contact Info:

• Website: jtmusic.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtmusicteam/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JTMusicTeam
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JTMusicTeam
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/jtm