Sound Connections
by Amplitude Ventures
This is the intricate world of music entrepreneurship. Hosted by Jakob Wredstrøm from Amplitude Ventures, this podcast offers listeners a unique blend of insightful interviews, industry expertise, and behind-the-scenes stories from the global music landscape. From the challenges of breaking into the industry to the nuances of music tech innovations, each episode is a journey into the lives of music professionals, founders, artists, and innovators. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, an industry veteran, or just a music enthusiast, "Sound Connections" provides a fresh perspective on the ever-evolving world of music. Listen and connect with the sounds and stories that shape the industry.
Episodes
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#168: FOUNDER: Building a Unified System for Music Rights, Data, and Payments: Tim Luckow
The music industry generates billions in royalties, but getting that money to the right people remains surprisingly complicated. In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob speaks with Tim Luckow, founder of Notes.fm and an experienced music-tech entrepreneur, about the structural challenges…
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#167: EXPERTS: The Future of Music Discovery Through Context & Emotion: Ty Roberts & Göran Andersson
What would it take to make music discovery more personal, contextual, and meaningful? In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob Wredstrøm speaks with Ty Roberts, co-founder of Gracenote and currently Chief Commercial Officer at MusiMap, and Göran Andersson, Head of Strategy at MusiMap and…
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#167:EXPERTS: The Future of Music Discovery Through Context and Emotion:Ty Roberts & Göran Andersson
What would it take to make music discovery more personal, contextual, and meaningful? In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob Wredstrøm speaks with Ty Roberts, founder of Gracenote and former CTO of Universal Music Group, and Göran Andersson, veteran music producer and music technology...
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#166: FOUNDER: Beyond Generative AI: Building Technology for Musicians: Andrew Carlins
What does it take to build a scalable music technology company in a market many investors consider too niche? In this episode of Sound Connections, host Jakob Wredstrøm speaks with Andrew Carlins, Co-founder and CEO of Play Anything, about how assistive AI is making music learning more…
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#165: FOUNDER: AI and the New Economics of Independent Music Careers: JC Sanchez
What happens when AI takes care of more of the business behind an artist’s career? In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob Wredstrøm sits down with JC Sanchez, founder of Orphiq and a former music strategist at Spotify, Meta, and Sony, to explore how AI could change the way artists and their...
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#164: FOUNDER: Building the Infrastructure Behind Modern Artist Commerce: Tommy Stalknecht
Artists can have millions of listeners, ticket buyers, and fans, yet still have limited visibility into who those people are. In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob Wredstrøm speaks with Tommy Stalknecht, founder and CEO of Single Music, about the infrastructure connecting music, e-commerce,...
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#163: FOUNDER: Rethinking Music Education Through AI and Personalized Learning: Raul Rodrigues
Learning an instrument has never been more accessible, but keeping people motivated remains one of music education’s hardest problems. Raul Rodrigues, founder and CEO of Upbeat Studio, joins Sound Connections to unpack the business and technology behind modern music education. Starting with...
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#162: FOUNDER: The New Economics of Music Fandom: Jacquelle Amankonah Horton
What happens when superfans stop being treated as the end of the music experience and become part of building it? Jacquelle Amankonah Horton, founder of Fave, returns to Sound Connections to explore how fandom has evolved since our first conversation. Drawing on her background at YouTube and…
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#161: EXPERT: The Business of Turning Music Royalties into Growth Capital: Michael Bizenov
Music rights generate value, but turning that income into capital can still be difficult for many creators. In this episode of Sound Connections, Michael Bizenov, Managing Partner and President of Sound Royalties, joins Jakob Wredstrøm to unpack the business of financing music royalties and how...
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#160: FOUNDER: Exporting African Music: Rights, Revenue, and Global Growth: Yoel Kenan
African music is growing globally, but the business behind that growth is still catching up. In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob Wredstrøm speaks with Yoel Kenan, a longtime music executive and entrepreneur whose career has taken him from major-label roles at Universal and BMG to building...
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#159: FOUNDER: Building the Infrastructure for Scalable Music Licensing: Chantal Epp
Music is everywhere, but the systems for licensing it at scale are still remarkably fragmented. In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob Wredstrøm sits down with Chantal Epp, founder of ClicknClear, to explore the hidden challenges and opportunities within music licensing. Chantal shares how…
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#158: FOUNDER: The Business of Artist Analytics in the Age of AI: Oskar Eichler
Music is becoming increasingly data-driven, but having access to data is only the beginning. In this episode of Sound Connections, Oskar, founder of Songstats, joins Jakob to discuss the business of artist analytics, music technology, and the growing role of AI in how artists and music companies...
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#157: FOUNDER: The Reality of Building a Music Tech Business: Matt Urmy
Building music technology is often presented as a story of rapid growth. Matt’s journey with Artist Growth tells a very different story. In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob sits down with Matt Urmy, Founder of Artist Growth. He reflects on more than a decade of building software for the...
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#156: FOUNDER: Reinventing the Tools Behind Music Creation: Casey Kolb
Can music software become more powerful without making creativity feel less human? Casey Kolb, founder of Lunacy, joins Sound Connections to explore the changing world of audio plugins and what it takes to build tools that feel as inspiring visually as they sound. From his years as a film…
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#155: FOUNDER: Inside the Next Generation of Music Companies: Aidan Schechter
What happens when the future of the music business is built by small, agile companies instead of industry giants? In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob Wredstrøm sits down with Aidan, CEO of Patchbay and Partner at 1916 Enterprises, to explore how music, technology, investment, and...
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#154: EXIT: Building a Music Tech Company Before the Market Was Ready: Vijay Basrur
A missed CD delivery exposed a gap in India's music industry. That moment led Vijay to build OKListen, an independent music platform that spent more than a decade growing alongside a market that wasn't yet ready for it before ultimately being acquired by AWAL. In this episode of Sound…
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#153: FOUNDER: AI Is Rewriting the Business of Music Software: Noam Levinberg
Are traditional music production tools entering their last era? Noam Levinberg, founder of Safari Audio, believes the future of music creation may look very different from the world producers know today. In this episode, we explore the rapid impact of AI on music software, why traditional plugin...
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#152: FOUNDER: The Metadata Problem Costing Creators Millions: Niclas Molinder
What happens when creators make music, but the industry does not know who to pay? In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob Wredstrøm sits down with Niclas Molinder, songwriter, producer, founder of Session, and one of the music industry's leading advocates for creator rights. Niclas shares how...
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#151: EXPERT: The Business Model Independent Music Is Missing: Thierry Ascarez
Streaming changed music, but it did not solve the business problem for most independent artists. In this episode of Sound Connections, we welcome Thierry Ascarez, Chief Business Officer at Winamp, to discuss how the company is reimagining its role in the music industry after nearly three decades…
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#150: EXPERT: From Fan Economy to Artist Economy: John Lister
Most music platforms are built for listeners. This one is built for creators. In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob Wredstrøm sits down with John Lister, Head of Community at Rap Fame, to explore how a global rap platform is reshaping music creation, discovery, and artist communities. From...
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#149: FOUNDER: Turning Cultural Gaps into a Streaming Business: Faraan Irfan
What does it take to build a music streaming service around culture, access, and long-term value? In this episode of Sound Connections, we sit down with Faraan Irfan, Founder and CEO of Saarey Music, to unpack how he’s solving one of music’s biggest access problems. Saarey is a streaming platform...
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#148: FOUNDER: The Rise of Functional Music in Wellness Spaces: Freddie Moross
Freddie Moross, founder of Myndstream, joins Sound Connections to unpack the growing role of functional music in wellness, hospitality, and care environments. This conversation explores how intentional audio can shape experiences inside spas, hotels, and treatment spaces, and why music should be...
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#147: FOUNDER: What It Takes to Build Music Tech in a Resistant Industry: Mark Bamford
Mark Bamford joins Sound Connections for an open discussion on startup building, video monetization, and the hard truth about innovating in music. As the founder of Viktrs, Mark is working on a new model for video that aims to unlock more value from every view by focusing on engagement…
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#146: EXPERT: Building Real Fandom in the Age of Algorithms: Rob Abelow
Rob Abelow, product leader at OpenStage, joins Sound Connections to go deep into the infrastructure behind fan relationships and why they are becoming central to music growth. This conversation breaks down how today’s ecosystem fragments fan data across multiple platforms, limiting visibility and...
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#145: EXIT: The 5-Year Exit Nightmare: Surviving My Acquirer's Collapse: Jan Willem
Join us for a grounded conversation with Jan Willem, Co-Founder of Momants and the strategic mind behind Paylogic. Jan Willem reflects on Paylogic’s journey as a fintech pioneer which provided a white-label ticketing solution that let event organizers sell directly to their own audience. This...
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#144: FOUNDER: Staying Lean as a Competitive Edge in Music Tech: Christian Ringstad Schultz
We welcome Christian Ringstad Schultz, CEO and co-founder of the Norwegian music tech company Masterchannel – delivering industry-grade audio mastering. With a team of just two and a half people, Masterchannel has reached a million-dollar revenue run rate while mastering nearly 100,000 songs…
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#143: FOUNDER: Industrial-Scale Money Laundering in the Music Industry: Andrew Batey & Morgan Hayduk
Join us as we dive into the dark side of the music industry with Andrew Batey and Morgan Hayduk, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of Beatdapp. Their company, the leader in fraud detection and trust solutions, is tackling industrial-scale money laundering in music. Discover how fraudsters exploit streaming...
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#142: FOUNDER: Building the Next Generation of Music Infrastructure: Björn Lindvall
The music industry doesn't need another revolution; it needs a thoughtful evolution. Björn Lindvall, CEO and Co-founder of Music Infra, joins the podcast to explain why “blue box” tech fixes often fail and why lasting change depends on deeper infrastructure. Drawing from his finance background…
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#141: EXIT: The Startup Apple Music Had to Acquire: Simon M. Eder
From niche record label to Apple Music Classical Simon Eder shares the journey of building Primephonic, a specialized music tech startup acquired by Apple. We discuss the complexities of classical music streaming, from solving metadata challenges to navigating the shift from physical CDs to…
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ESNS 2026: Innovative Ticketing Strategies: Mike van Gaasbeek and Yannick Corbeau
Let's go behind the scenes of live music digitalization in this special Sound Connections session from the ESNS 2026 Conference. We examine the "red ocean" of ticketing with guests Mike van Gaasbeek of Stager and Yannick Corbeau of CM.com, understanding how innovative platforms are easing the…
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#140: EXPERT: A Quiet Path Through the Noise of Modern Algorithms: Gigi Johnson, PhD.
It's a new year and for our first episode, we welcome Dr. Gigi Johnson in this special partnership with BIME for a deep dive into the challenges and opportunities of music discovery today. From her decades at UCLA to her current work at Rethink Next, Gigi brings a unique perspective on how AI is...
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#139: EXPERT: Independent Music Success: Distribution, Marketing & Ownership: JESSE FLORES
In this value-packed episode of Sound Connections, host Jakob Wredstrøm sits down with Jesse Flores, Head of Artist and Label Partnerships at Intercept Music, to explore what it really takes to succeed as an independent artist today. If you're producing your own music, wondering how to grow a...
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#138: FOUNDER: Adapting E-commerce Strategies for Musicians: Jack McCarthy
Streaming isn’t enough. If you're an artist or manager looking to grow real revenue, this episode breaks down how to use merch, email, and digital sales to build a profitable artist business. Jakob Wredstrøm talks with Jack McCarthy, co-founder of Indiepreneur and co-host of the Creative Juice...
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#137: FOUNDER: Music IP Rights — Valuing Catalogs, Due Diligence & The 10-Year Rule: Alan Wallis
Veteran catalog expert and CEO of Dynamite Songs, Alan Wallis joins Jakob to break down the real mechanics behind IP rights, music catalog sales, sync revenue, valuations, private equity, and long-term music investing. He shares how he built Mojo Music, acquired classic catalogs, sold to Concord,...
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#136: FOUNDER: Epidemic Sound: The Legal Model That Created a New Music Economy: Tom Höglund
Tom Höglund, a key figure from the founding team of Epidemic Sound, breaks down how they built a unicorn by disrupting the century-old music licensing industry. From his early days as a lawyer to creating an alternative model that pays musicians upfront and offers a 50-50 split , Tom shares the...
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#135: MTEA: Rethinking AI, Consciousness, and Creativity: Alex Braga
Discover how Alex Braga built an AI 'Instrument' a decade ago — not to replace musicians, but to rediscover what makes us human. In this episode of the Sound Connections Podcast, Alex Braga, award-winning artist, performer, and creator of the A-Mint AI instrument, joins Jakob Wredstrøm to unpack...
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#134: EXPERT: The Mood Music Model: A New Way to Make a Living in Music: Niklas Brantberg
Who are the people behind the music that shapes how we listen? In this episode of Sound Connections, host Jakob Wredstrøm sits down with Overtone Studios CEO Niklas Brantberg, who shares how Epidemic Sound and his label built a new music economy for creators, one where focus playlists turn into...
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#133: FOUNDER: Democratizing Music Ownership Through Smarter Finance and Technology: Lior Tibon
Can finance make the music industry fairer? In this episode, Lior Tibon, CEO and Co-founder of Duetti, shares with host Jakob Wredstrøm how he’s building a platform that lets artists turn their catalogs into opportunity. From Tidal to Duetti, Lior’s journey blends financial innovation with deep...
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#132: AI, Localization, and the New Music Economy: Ben Mendoza
Can AI and infrastructure finally make the music industry scalable? In this episode, Ben Mendoza, CEO and Co-Founder of Beatchain, joins host Jakob Wredstrøm to reveal how AI-driven infrastructure, data analytics, and localization are redefining the future of music entrepreneurship. Learn how...
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#131: BIME: Why Audience Data Is the New Currency in Live Music || Lauriane Saint-Denis
What does it really mean to own your audience in today’s music industry? In this special partnership episode, host Jakob Wredstrøm joins Taj from The Sound of Startups and Lauriane Saint-Denis, a business developer connecting culture, innovation, and people in music tech to unpack how audience...
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#130: FOUNDER: The Business of Band Merchandise and Artist Branding || Seamus Menihane
If you’ve ever wondered how merch works behind the scenes? Seamus Menihane, CEO and co-founder of Armada, one of the fastest-growing merch companies in the music industry. From being a touring drummer to leading a 170-person team, he shares his journey of turning a DIY screen-printing hustle into…
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#129: FOUNDER: Building Sustainable Music Tech Companies in a Resistant Industry || Edward Ginis
For over two decades, the music industry has struggled to answer three deceptively simple questions: What do we own? Where is it? Are we making money from it? Edward Ginis, co-founder of OpenPlay and Proto Hologram, shares how OpenPlay evolved from a bold internal project at Concord into an...
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#128: FOUNDER: Building a Music Career Fans Can Emotionally Invest In || Vishal Ramakrishna
How do musicians break through in today’s noisy creator economy? In this episode with Vishal Ramakrishnan, co-founder of Round music marketing technology, to explore the future of music promotion and digital marketing for artists. Vishal shares how he went from failed film composer to building a...
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#127: EXPERT: Building a Music Career Fans Can Emotionally Invest In
What does it really take to turn a viral moment into a lasting music career? Head of US Marketing at 1RPM and a music industry veteran with over 20 years of experience has played pivotal roles in the rise of artists like Shawn Mendes, Elton John, and Nick Jonas, and she shares candidly what it...
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#126: WALLIFORNIA: Music Tech Funding Is Broken – Who Might Fix It?
Reflecting back to Wallifornia Music Tech Conference 2025 July, in this fiery and data-driven conversation, Jakob and Taj challenge the illusions around music tech investment. They talked about why most music startups face poor exits, why B2C music apps struggle, and why B2B infrastructure...
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#125: FOUNDER: Changing the Music Industry’s Artist Revenue Model: Mag Rodriguez
It takes just one person to believe in the vision you are building. Using that mindset, Mag Rodriguez, the founder & CEO of EVEN, has been able to create a platform that helps artists sell music to fans before it hits streaming services. He shares his journey from managing artists straight out of...
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#124: EXPERT: How Remote Work Benefits Creators || Adam Fine
Fiverr is one of the multi-national online marketplaces for freelance services and in this episode with Adam Fine, Head of Music and Audio, we had an eye-opening conversation on how remote collaboration and AI are transforming the music industry. Topics such as the evolving landscape of music...
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#123: EXPERT: AI vs the Music Industry: What’s Actually Happening? || Becky Brook
In another episode with Rebecca Brook, she breaks down what’s really happening with Suno, Udio, and the major labels—who’s suing whom, why startups trying to “do the right thing” feel betrayed, and why the current legal landscape is making things murkier, not clearer. The conversation pulls no...
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#122: ARTIST: The Truth About Being a Professional Guitarist || Ryan Roxie
Strings, tours and faith. Legendary guitarist tells his story from rejection to global tours and AI innovation. The mindset and evolution of Ryan Roxie, the longtime guitarist for Alice Cooper and a true rock industry survivor shares a brutally honest and inspiring look at life on and off stage.…
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#121: EXPERT: The Future of Physical Music Collectibles in a Digital World || Jennifer Sullivan
Can Physical Music Make a Comeback? Jennifer Sullivan, CMO and President of North America at KiTbetter discusses how KIT albums—a hybrid physical-digital format originating in K-pop—are transforming music monetization in the West. With insights on artist sustainability, fandom-driven commerce…
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About this show
This is the intricate world of music entrepreneurship.
Hosted by Jakob Wredstrøm from Amplitude Ventures, this podcast offers listeners a unique blend of insightful interviews, industry expertise, and behind-the-scenes stories from the global music landscape.
From the challenges of breaking into the industry to the nuances of music tech innovations, each episode is a journey into the lives of music professionals, founders, artists, and innovators. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, an industry veteran, or just a music enthusiast, "Sound Connections" provides a fresh perspective on the ever-evolving world of music.
Listen and connect with the sounds and stories that shape the industry.
Hosted by
Amplitude Ventures
Categories