Carmine Silano didn’t stumble into cheer music—he engineered his way into it.

Born in 1985 and adopted by a Brooklyn police officer and a Bronx school teacher, Carmine grew up at the intersection of discipline and academics. His mother insisted on honor roll and a well-rounded education; his father, Carmine Sr.—an NYPD sergeant who built one of the country’s largest silk-screen and embroidery shops—modeled grit, customer service, and entrepreneurship. The lessons were simple and unforgettable: “Customer service is how you win,” and, “People want to be able to make their own.”

At nine years old, Carmine Sr. (his dad) placed a broken computer in front of him and said, “Learn this—it’s the future,” along with a C++ manual that was miles past a fourth grader’s level. Carmine learned anyway. By high school he was taking extra computer classes, earning the school’s Computer Science award, and handing the IT department a white-hat security report he produced himself. He would go on to Northeastern University (2003–2008) on a partial academic scholarship, earning a B.S. in Computer Science with a minor in Music Industry focused on production and engineering.

It was at Northeastern that an unexpected introduction changed everything. A persistent gym patron and cheerleader, Hassan Harris, convinced Carmine to try cheerleading. The stunting drew him in; the curiosity kept him there. He met Steve Pawlyk on the team, and the two bonded over music, training, and relentless growth. When the team’s music lead shipped out with the Navy, Carmine and Steve volunteered. They started making mixes for Northeastern Cheer and North Shore Cheer Xplosion, discovering a lane where Carmine’s dual passions—software and sound—could run side by side.

Carmine began his professional career as a software developer at Northrop Grumman, but nights and weekends kept pulling him back to music. Together with Steve, he stood up a website for cheer mixes, navigated some early naming hiccups in a still-forming niche, and ultimately chose a name that would become a standard: CheerSounds. On May 9, 2010, CheerSounds Music & Training, LLC officially launched.

Early in 2012, Carmine and Steve amicably parted ways. Steve went on to found and run IPP Music which is still successful today. From that point forward, all online‑store initiatives became a primary focus. 

From day one, Carmine’s approach was different. He was a producer with an engineer’s mind: upgrading dsp chains, ditching outdated DAWs, and selecting Reaper for its superior time-stretching algorithms because cheer audio needs precision as much as punch. He also wrote software to automate trivial, repetitive tasks—constantly finding ways to spend less time on non‑musical work and more time being effective with the music. He brought his Music Production & Engineering chops to bear—designing vocal effects, inventing repeatable chains, and pushing for a consistent, high-impact “CheerSounds” sonics that coaches could trust. He still records voiceovers for cheer mixes every single morning, year‑round, and is widely believed to hold the record for the most premade voiceovers ever recorded.

Alongside the sound, Carmine engineered the system. In 2011, he teamed up with fellow developer Edward Roberts to build something many said couldn’t work online at scale: a cheer music store with smart customization. Edward believed in Carmine’s desire to write proprietary software that would give users the ability to edit music like they never have before. In 2012 they launched CheerSounds Express, proving that service, speed, and reliability could replace the old “text-and-wait” model. Carmine Sr.’s voice rang in his head: “Pick up the phone.” So they did—every hour, any hour—and built a reputation for responsiveness that still defines the brand.

Then came the insight that would reshape the category: “People want to be able to make their own.” Coaches and choreographers don’t always speak the language of DAWs, but they live by eight-counts. Carmine turned that insight into a product idea that felt obvious in hindsight: build the music tool around the eight-count grid. He mapped the architecture in C#, sketched the interface on paper, and, with Edward, transformed it into a pioneering web application. The result was 8CountMixer—an intuitive, eight-count-first production environment that let teams design their own music with professional polish.

Carmine’s leadership style matured in the crucible of growth. He left Northrop Grumman to go all-in on CheerSounds, hired aggressively, and learned even faster. Not every hire worked out—and he’ll be the first to say those were some of his most important lessons. The takeaway became a core company principle: hire for character, train for skill. That shift produced a loyal, long-tenured team known for craft, candor, and care—people who elevate the work because they take pride in it.

As CheerSounds expanded, Carmine kept the mission rooted in service and innovation. The catalog broadened from custom mixes to a suite of offerings: Premade+ for flexible, coach-friendly personalizations; 8CountMixer for build-it-yourself power; DanceSounds for dancers; SongsForCheer to license CheerSounds’ proprietary recordings to other producers; and GymnastMix for floor routine music—each built with the same engineering-first rigor and customer-first mindset. He also holds issued patents covering the technologies behind 8CountMixer and Premade+, with two additional patents pending in the same space.

Culture matters just as much. Under Carmine’s leadership, CheerSounds emphasizes two values above all: autonomy and curiosity. Team members are expected to move the mission forward without being micromanaged—and just as importantly, they’re encouraged to keep learning, to build side projects, to write, to experiment. The result is internal mobility and growth: editors become producers, admins become authors, producers become AI-media consultants. When the company voted in 2024 to go fully remote, Carmine guided the transition with the same clarity he brings to product decisions—optimize for ownership, trust, and tools that connect people who care.

Community is a pillar, not a tagline. CheerSounds invests in the industry that shaped it, sponsoring 60+ cheer organizations across the U.S. and Canada, supporting USASF initiatives—including the USASF College Scholarship—and sending representatives to major events across the U.S. and Canada to celebrate the cheer industry as a whole. Although he does not attend most events in person, Carmine makes a point of presenting the Gold Scholarship Awards for Cheer and for Dance at the USASF Worlds competition. Carmine believes a company earns its place by giving back, not just showing up.

Today, more than 15 years after its founding, CheerSounds is both a music company and a technology company—exactly as Carmine envisioned. It’s the culmination of a childhood shaped by a teacher’s standards and a sergeant-turned-entrepreneur’s relentless customer focus; of a teenager who chose code over shortcuts; of a college athlete who fell in love with a sport’s rhythm; and of a founder who believes that the best products help people make something of their own.

Ask Carmine what makes him suited to lead CheerSounds and he’ll talk about the team first. But the through-line is unmistakable: he builds. He builds tools that unlock creativity, systems that scale quality, and a culture that brings out people’s best. The beat is cheer—but the blueprint is engineering. And that is why CheerSounds sounds like no one else.