Chris Sampogna

Article in Vents Magazine - Vents Magazine

This is a special success story, as a follow up from our post two weeks ago about High Tolerance getting licensed through ReverbNation’s premium song licensing program. The program, a ReverbNation partnership with APM (a joint venture of EMI and Universal Publishing), allows bands to submit songs for consideration to the APM library and to possibly to be placed in TV shows, video games, movies, and more. The song “Heroes,” by High Tolerance was eventually accepted and placed in the opening and closing credits of “Inside the PGA Tour.” We notified our blog readers when it happened, but have since caught up with High Tolerance to learn more about their music, the placement, and their use of ReverbNation.




ReverbNation: Tell us a little bit about High Tolerance, how did you get started, etc..?

High Tolerance: The band started in January of 2008, two brothers, two cousins. Chris and Danny started playing guitar together and thought about forming a straight up rock n’ roll band. Chris had a demo of a few songs that he wanted to play live and a younger brother who plays drums and loved the idea. After a few auditions with bassists, Danny’s cousin Pat was the right guy for the job. We were all really serious and committed to starting a band that was different than anything out there. After a month or two of rehearsals, we immediately started playing shows all over Long Island. We figured the best way to start was to jump right in and never look back, we still haven’t.

RN: How did you find out about ReverbNation?

HT: When every band is raving about how useful ReverbNation is, it’s only a matter of time before it finds you. The internet is so vital to getting our music out there. When we’re putting as much work into our music as we are marketing our band and ReverbNation comes out, we’re in! Now, bands seem to join RN before they even play out.

RN: Why did you want to be part of the licensing program?

HT: We thought it was such a refreshing way to be heard by a large audience. Having your song heard nationally is an opportunity no artist would turn down. We figured if a song of ours was picked, our sound would be exposed to a listener who normally wouldn’t have a chance to hear it. Above all, it’s a great opportunity. In this business, with all the talent and competitiveness, you have to make the best of every opportunity that comes your way.

RN: What part of the Premium Song Licensing Program was most attractive to High Tolerance?

HT: People have a certain attraction and excitement to their choice of entertainment whether it’s video games, movies, TV shows, etc. Having our song as a soundtrack, puts it on a level where the listener is much more open and interested from the get go. On a larger scale, take Entourage’s theme song; Jane’s Addiction’s “Superhero” for example. Here’s a song that gets exposed to a large audience of people who normally wouldn’t listen to that band. A fan of Entourage hears it somewhere else and then automatically thinks of their favorite show and enjoys listening. It’s a very creative way of turning someone on to your music.

RN: What type of programming did you hope to be on when you applied to the program?

HT: Any selection is an amazing opportunity but our initial hope for licensing was actually to make our way to video games. We can remember accidentally discovering some of our favorite bands while playing games like Madden and Need For Speed.


RN: Are you guy’s golf fans?

HT: Our drummer plays a little. All of our time has been dedicated to what we do musically to become the best we can be. However, we appreciate anyone that strives to be the best. Golf is no different. We totally respect the talent these guys have.


RN: Did you see your music as licensable before you got the opportunity from Reverb?

HT: We definitely knew that our music was capable of being used as more than tunes to blast on your way to work. First, if you want someone else to believe in your music and message, you gotta believe it yourself. Yes, we definitely knew that any one of these songs could make its way to a nationally syndicated show, we just needed a lucky break!

RN: Why do you think the reviewers at APM selected your song?

HT: “Heroes” is one of the simplest structured songs we’ve ever written. It’s just a driving riff with a catchy melody. It is a huge anthem that can just get stuck in your head over and over again. It peaks, dips, and keeps building up until that final chorus hits. The message is very direct and easy to relate to as well. But above all it’s about being your best and living up to and above everyone’s expectations; to live the way your suppose to. What better way to represent the best competitors in this sport?

RN: Were you able to see the showing live? How did it make you feel?

HT: Yes, We memorized the times it was being aired to make sure we could catch it every time. Hearing a song that we wrote 6 months ago in a b - Neal Moody- ReverbNation

The song “Heroes” by the band High Tolerance has been selected by PGA Tour Entertainment to play during the opening teaser highlight sequence of The Golf Channel’s Inside the PGA Tour every Tuesday night at 7:30pm EST for the next 6 weeks (view full schedule). “Inside the PGA Tour” reaches a wide national audience, and will bring High Tolerance added exposure as well as music licensing royalties.



Matching the right music to the right opportunity



It only takes one listen of the song “Heroes” to understand why it was chosen as the backdrop to a sports highlight reel. It evokes emotions that complement the fist-pumping and triumph of golf tournament highlights.

PGA Tour Feature Producer Mark Kubiak said, “When I heard the song, I knew it was going to be perfect for the intro to ‘Inside the PGA Tour’.”

High Tolerance was one of a handful of artists invited to participate in ReverbNation’s soon to be announced Premium Song Licensing program, developed in conjunction with APM Music (a joint venture of EMI Music Publishing and Universal Music Group). As the largest licensor of music in North America, APM secured the High Tolerance placement after introducing the song “Heroes” to the producers at the PGA Tour.

“We thought it was such a refreshing way to be heard by a large audience,” said High Tolerance vocalist Chris Sampogna, when asked about the reasons his band elected to participate in the licensing program. “In this business, with all the talent and competitiveness, you have to make the best of every opportunity that comes your way.”

More on Licensing Opportunities from ReverbNation and APM


This initial success story is just the first of many licensing opportunities coming down the road from ReverbNation. In the coming months, ReverbNation and APM expect to expand the offering to additional ReverbNation artists. More details on the partnership between APM and ReverbNation will be released later this year.


- Neal Moody- ReverbNation Blog

The song “Heroes” by the band High Tolerance has been selected by PGA Tour Entertainment to play during the opening teaser highlight sequence of The Golf Channel’s Inside the PGA Tour every Tuesday night at 7:30pm EST for the next 6 weeks (view full schedule). “Inside the PGA Tour” reaches a wide national audience, and will bring High Tolerance added exposure as well as music licensing royalties.



Matching the right music to the right opportunity



It only takes one listen of the song “Heroes” to understand why it was chosen as the backdrop to a sports highlight reel. It evokes emotions that complement the fist-pumping and triumph of golf tournament highlights.

PGA Tour Feature Producer Mark Kubiak said, “When I heard the song, I knew it was going to be perfect for the intro to ‘Inside the PGA Tour’.”

High Tolerance was one of a handful of artists invited to participate in ReverbNation’s soon to be announced Premium Song Licensing program, developed in conjunction with APM Music (a joint venture of EMI Music Publishing and Universal Music Group). As the largest licensor of music in North America, APM secured the High Tolerance placement after introducing the song “Heroes” to the producers at the PGA Tour.

“We thought it was such a refreshing way to be heard by a large audience,” said High Tolerance vocalist Chris Sampogna, when asked about the reasons his band elected to participate in the licensing program. “In this business, with all the talent and competitiveness, you have to make the best of every opportunity that comes your way.”

More on Licensing Opportunities from ReverbNation and APM


This initial success story is just the first of many licensing opportunities coming down the road from ReverbNation. In the coming months, ReverbNation and APM expect to expand the offering to additional ReverbNation artists. More details on the partnership between APM and ReverbNation will be released later this year.


- Neal Moody- ReverbNation Blog