All Episodes
Trapital — 334 episodes
Buyer Beware: The Rise of Debt in Music Rights Deals
Who Will Win in the AI Music Courtroom?
What Dollywood Got Right About Artist-Led Businesses
Should Netflix Start Streaming Music?
Why Investors Are Looking Beyond Iconic Music Catalogs
Jay-Z’s Year of Offense, Explained
Bold Predictions: The Future for Songwriters and Creators
Remembering Clive Davis: 1932 - 2026
When AI Writes Code and Makes Music, What's Left for Humans?
Find Your Interstellar: Why Some Art Ages Well
Why Everything Feels the Same Now
K-Pop's Paradox: Why BTS Fans Aren’t K-Pop Fans
Arena Tours: The Truth Behind “Blue Dot Fever”
Music Catalogs: Is There Ever A Good Time to Sell?
Troy Carter on Why Suno Changes Everything
Artists and AI: Offense, Defense, and the Future of Music
SoundCloud’s Big Bet for the AI Era
Clive Davis Part 2: Reviving Careers, Industry Power, and Leaving a Legacy
Clive Davis Part 1: Whitney Houston, Resilience, and The World's Greatest Party
Coachella’s Dilemma: Stadium Money vs. Festival Money
Talent Agencies: Who Leads the Next Era?
Can AI Music Creation Be a Real Growth Market?
Live Nation and DOJ Settled. Now What?
Private Investors Love Music. Why Doesn’t Wall Street?
Trapital: Where Business Meets Culture
Is The Sphere… A Good Business?
Follow The Money: EVEN, Duetti, and The New Deal Stack
Why Netflix and Spotify Won in Paid Streaming
Inside Grammy Week: Galas, Deal Rooms, and “The Two Grammys”
Can YouTube Have It All?
The Rise of Reels: Meta’s $50B Ad Machine
Music is a $47 Billion Industry. Why Isn’t It Bigger?
Polymarket and Kalshi: Financial Tools or Casinos?
How MTV Lost Its Way
Five Bold Predictions: Netflix and Spotify, AI-Powered Industry, The Big 3’s Future, and More
What's a Grammy Worth? New Voters, New Winners, and Rewriting History
Building Businesses Around Artists with Firebird Music CEO Nathan Hubbard
Investing in Music Rights with Shamrock Capital’s Jason Sklar
Udio CEO Andrew Sanchez on AI’s Future in Music
Steve Pamon on How to Create Moments That Matter
Andreea Gleeson on TuneCore’s Next Chapter
Kakul Srivastava on Why Splice Acquired Spitfire Audio
Oliver Schusser on Apple’s Strategy in Music, AI’s Potential, and the Super Bowl Halftime Show
Elliot Grainge on Atlantic’s Future, AI, and Selling 10K Projects
Trapital Summit Recap: Venue Surprise, Highlights, and Behind the Scenes Moments
How Much Is The Weeknd's Music Really Worth?
Have Record Labels Turned Into Private Equity Firms?
The Business Behind Iconic Music Catalogs
Revisiting The Sphere (Rewind)
Algorithms vs. Curators: YouTube’s Role in Breaking Through The Noise
Trapital Summit: Sep 10 in LA. A few announcements...
Record Labels Want Market Share, But At What Cost?
How Will Taylor Swift’s Masters Ownership Saga Be Remembered?
Why Artist Development Matters More Than Ever
Does Hip-Hop Still Run Luxury Fashion?
America Streams American. The World Follows.
The Business of Soundtracking the Creator Economy
Tariffs, Tours, and Trade Wars: Why Music Investment Won’t Slow Down
The 2025 Live Music Draft
The $10B+ Blind Spot in B2B Streaming
Why Legacy Rock Bands Still Love Music Festivals
How to Win on YouTube
Coachella’s Layaway Plan, Tubi’s Long Game , Lucian Grainge’s Legacy
How TikTok Got Caught in the Trade War
Inside Spotify’s $10B Payout to the Music Industry
Streaming Growth Slowed Down. What’s Next?
Apple Music Turns 10: Is It a Success?
Reddit: How To Monetize a Marketer’s Goldmine
Do True Moguls Still Exist?
WhatsApp is a Cultural Force. Will it Make More Money?
Can New Superstars Ever Surpass Current Superstars (Revisited!)
Who is ‘Spotify Music Pro’ Really For?
Meta’s Media Strategy: An On-Again, Off-Again Relationship
The Biggest Surprises in Streaming
Disney’s Pop Star Pipeline
What’s Next for TikTok?
How the Podcast Mega Deals Evolved
How YouTube Became Every Company’s Competition
Spotify’s Road to $100B and Profitability
Winners and Losers of 2024: Part 2
Winners and Losers of 2024: Part 1
What Superfans Really Want with SoundCloud CEO Eliah Seton - Trapital Summit
The State of Hip-Hop with Def Jam CEO Tunji Balogun - Trapital Summit
The Future of Music Creation with Splice CEO Kakul Srivastava - Trapital Summit
Founder Mode vs. Manager Mode with Believe’s Denis Ladegaillerie - Trapital Summit
Unpacking The Value of Music
What is Drake's Goal?
What's Next After Streaming? Troy Carter - Trapital Summit
Will TikTok Become Too Big to Ban?
AI and Music - Trapital Summit
Inside the NFL and Roc Nation Partnership
The Future of Music Rights with Sherrese Clarke Soares - Trapital Summit
Why The Grammys Moved to Disney
Ghazi on EMPIRE's Rise in Music - Trapital Summit
Clive Davis: The Business Behind The Golden Ears
It's Time to Hear From You
Where Does Drake Go From Here?
Trapital Summit: October 3 in Los Angeles
The Oprah Effect
What Music's Next Growth Phase Will Look Like
Inside the Sphere and the Future of Entertainment
Why The Live Nation-DOJ Lawsuit Missed The Mark
StubHub: The Complicated World of Reselling Tickets
50 Cent: From Trolling to Triumph
Who Wins When There's More Music Than Ever?
Quincy Jones: One of Ones
Arena Tours: The Art and Science Behind Sold Out Shows
Why Now Is The Best Time to Be An Artist
A24 Wants to Evolve, But Can it Maintain its Brand?
Why Top Artists Stick with Major Labels
The Generative AI Music Sweepstakes
Why NPR Tiny Desk Is Still a Phenomenon
Why Penske Bought All The Media Companies
How Hip-Hop Beef Evolved in the Streaming Era
Inside KKR's Investments in Music
What Taylor Swift's Return to TikTok Means for Universal Music Group
What's Next for Diddy's Businesses?
Do Music Festivals Have a Superstar Problem?
Do Major Record Labels Still Have Brand Identity?
UMG vs TikTok, Kids’ Music, and Beyonce - Verizon (Trapital mailbag episode)
What’s Next For Concert Films?
Why We’re Still Early on AI Music
The Oscars: Hit Songs, All the Drama, and Tons of Money
Virgil Abloh: Off-White, Luxury, and Open-Source Fashion
Yeezy: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
The Rise of Las Vegas Concert Residencies
SoundCloud and the Future of Superfans
The Business Behind The Grammys
How Insurance Ads Became the Industry Standard
Why Radio Still Matters
Can New Superstars Ever Surpass Current Superstars?
Why Celebrity Fast Food Meals Took Off
Adidas: Sneakers, Hip-Hop and Culture
YouTube’s Impact on Music
Why Music is a $40+ Billion Industry
Reebok: Sneakers, Hip-Hop, and Missed Opportunities
The Trapital Report 2023
Apple’s Impact on Music: From iPods to AirPods
Trapital Report coming soon!
Pandora: a 3-1 Lead in Music Streaming
Stanford GSB: The Future of Music - 2023 Black Leadership Conference
Def Jam Recordings: A 40-Year Legacy
Investing in Music, Songs of the Summer, Pop Star Decline, and Creator Trends
The Music Industry: A Tale of Two Cities
Napster's Impact on Music and Culture
MTV: Music Videos, Reality TV, and Ridiculousness
Unpacking the Economics of Taylor Swift
Hip-Hop's 50 Greatest Moguls
The State of the Middle-Class Artist
What’s Next for Travis Scott?
Motown Records: The Hit Factory That Changed Music Forever
The Real Story Behind Hip-Hop's "Decline"
30 years of Bad Boy Entertainment (with Zack Greenburg)
Why Music Streaming Can’t Agree on a Payout Model (with Lucas Shaw)
Do Music Videos Still Matter? (with Tati Cirisano)
How Ice Spice Blew Up (with Denisha Kuhlor)
The Rise and Fall of Roc-A-Fella Records (with Zack O'Malley Greenburg)
The State of Music (with Will Page)
Artist Independence (with Steve Stoute)
How Brands Become Ideologies (with Marcus Collins)
Rerun: How KevOnStage is Building His Comedy Flywheel
The Rise of Interscope Records (with Zack Greenburg)
Rerun: Investing $200 Million In Music with Matt Pincus
The Business Behind Coachella (with Tati Cirisano)
Rerun: The Future Of Music Business With Economist Will Page
Picking The Most Valuable Music Catalog Portfolio (with Denisha Kuhlor)
The Short-Form Video Wars: TikTok vs Shorts vs Reels (with Tati Cirisano)
Africa’s Music and Startup Future (with Mr Eazi)
The Future of Music and Gaming (with Vickie Nauman)
The Rise of Burna Boy (with Denisha Kuhlor)
Where Web2 and Web3 Meet (with Cardin Campbell)
Investing in New Music Startups (with Bob Moczydlowsky)
Rihanna, Roc Nation, and the Super Bowl Halftime Show (with DJ Louie XIV)
Why It’s Not Too Late to Start on TikTok (with Sean “BrandMan” Taylor)
How Cash Money Records Pulled Off Hip-Hop’s Louisiana Purchase (with Zack O’Malley Greenburg)
Why Algorithms are Getting Smarter with Ari Herstand
How Diddy is Underestimated as a Businessman
NYU Keynote: Music, Streaming, and Second-Order Effects
Trapital Mailbag: A.I. in Music, Future of NFTs, Hip-Hop Globalization, and More!
Turnover at Motown, Berner's Billion-Dollar Weed Business, and Hip-Hop's Wealthiest of 2022
Why The Next 10 Years Of Rich Homie Quan’s Career Won’t Be Like The Last
Investing in Web3 Music with Coopahtroopa
What Spotify and YouTube’s Billions Playlists Tell Us About Streaming
How a16z’s Cultural Leadership Fund Is Putting More Black Dollars in Tech
The Culture Report, and DICE President on Making Music Ticketing Less Transactional
How HitPiece Rebounded and Relaunched After Controversy
How Curren$y Played The Long Game With His Career & Jet Life
Rap Capital: The Rise & Reign Of Atlanta’s Hip-Hop Empire
Mona Scott-Young’s Influence On Culture Goes Beyond Love & Hip Hop
Inside Hannibal Buress’ Pivot From Comedy To Rap
The Music Industry’s Oversaturation Problem
How Roy Wood Jr. Is Evolving His Comedy
TikTok Wants to Takeover. Will it Succeed?
Investing $200 Million In Music with Matt Pincus
How Virtual Characters Are Done Right
Inside the Business of Beatmaking
Post Malone’s Agent Breaks Down Strategy Behind His Success
Inside Benny Pough’s Career in Hip-Hop
How Does the Music Business Compare To Film And TV?
Why Talib Kweli is Focused on his Fans
What Every Artist and Creator Needs to Know Before Signing Contracts
Improving The Artist-Fan Relationship
Sherrese Clarke Soares Explains Why Content Is Queen
How Drake and Beyoncé Drop New Music
Broken Record: Missy Elliott
Stem CEO Milana Lewis Wants To Get Artists Paid
Bay Area Hip-Hop with Rexx Life Raj
Why the Golden State Warriors Launched a Record Label
The iPod’s Legacy in the Music Industry with Zack O’Malley Greenburg
Comedian Bigg Jah Charters His Own Path Into Entertainment Industry
How indify’s Co-Founder prettyboyshav Is Flipping The Economics Of The Record Business
Young M.A and the $20 NFT
How Fanbase Raised $6 Million Without VC with Isaac Hayes III
The Future Of Music Business With Economist Will Page
Audiomack CMO Dave Ponte’s Plan to Grow the Pie for Artists
The Broccoli City Music Festival
Why Podcast Ownership Matters with Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings of “For Colored Nerds”
How Kevin Liles Built 300 Entertainment Into A $400 Million Business In Under 10 Years
How Quality Control Music Invests in Startups
Frank Cooper III Brokered Beyonce-Pepsi’s $50 Million Deal. Here’s Where He Sees Industry Going Next
The Future Of Live Music with Kevin Shivers, Partner at WME
Bun B Believes The Metaverse Will Open Up Access Between Artists & Fans
How Tuma Basa is Bringing Black Music to the World with YouTube
How Junae Brown Became the ‘Beyoncé of Marketing’
BONUS: The New Creator Manifesto
How KevOnStage is Building His Comedy Flywheel
Troy Carter on the Future of Music Streaming
Ralph McDaniels on Video Music Box and Documenting Hip-Hop History
Master P on Bringing Culture to Corporate America (live from TMRE)
Issa Rae on Insecure, Ownership in Media, and Creator Economy Trends
Chris Taylor on MNRK's Rebrand, Managing Death Row Records Catalog, and Music's M&A Market
Charlie Kaplan on Audiomack Supporters, Artist-Fan Monetization, and Streaming Business Models
Tunde Balogun on Developing R&B Superstars, LVRN's Journey, and Mental Health in Music
Independent Artist Life with Flawless Real Talk (2020)
Steven Galanis on Cameo's Rise (2020)
Trapital Mailbag #5: Blockchain Opportunities in Music, Middle Class Musicians, Astroworld, Indie vs Major Record Labels, and more
Dave Mays on The Source's Legacy, Launching Breakbeat, and State of Hip-Hop Media
Sacha Jenkins on Rick James Life and Times, the Rise of Music Documentaries, and Hip Hop 50
Zack O'Malley Greenburg on How Music Leads Innovation, Forbes to Substack, and Hip-Hop's Next Billionaire
Mary Rahmani on TikTok Artist Strategies, Launching Moon Projects, and Influencer Partnerships
Mike Weissman on SoundCloud's Creator Strategy, Web 3.0, and Building a Music Entertainment Business
Steve Stoute on Artist Independence, UnitedMasters, Translation, and Facilitating Fan Access
Karl Fowlkes on Becoming an Entertainment Attorney, NBA Agent, and NIL Opportunities
DJ Semtex on Donda, Certified Lover Boy, Podcasting, and UK Hip-Hop
Rick Ross on Bossing Up, Building His Empire, WingStop, and his Investments
The OutKast Edge
A Campaign Breakdown on Tyler, The Creator’s “Call Me If You Get Lost” with Amber Horsburgh
24kGoldn on TikTok Success, Investments, and Record Label Deals
Mike G on Music Festivals, Touring, Young Thug, The Kid LAROI, and Chris Brown
Anthony Martini on Royalty Exchange, Music Royalties, NFTs, and Managing Lil Dicky and Tyga
Steve Rifkind on Loud Records, Spring Sound, Wu-Tang Clan, and the Family Business
Detavio Samuels on REVOLT, Digital and Cable Strategy, The Crew League, Black-owned Media, and Working with Diddy
Jamal Henderson on Space Jam, Structuring SpringHill, LeBron James, and the Creator Economy
Music Business Podcast: Trippie Redd's Manager Charlene Bryant on Hitting Billboard #1 and Launching Riveter Management
MixedByAli on EngineEars, TDE's Legacy, and Mixing for Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre
Call Me Ace on his Indie Rap Career, Building His Brand, and Still Working Full-Time
Benjy Grinberg on Rostrum Records, Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller, and Mental Health
The Major Record Labels All Want Your Attention
Leron Rogers on Helping Artists Become Moguls, Entertainment Law, and Representing Rick Ross
Jonnyshipes on Cinematic Music Group, Indie Hip-Hop, and Building the Supreme for Music
Tarik Brooks, President of Combs Enterprises (2020)
Tracy Chan on Twitch Music, Helping Artists Monetize, and the Creator Economy
James Lindsay on Rap Snacks, BossUp Bank, Why Distribution Matters, and Managing Meek Mill
Trapital Mailbag! Hip-Hop’s Streaming Popularity, Rap Battle Leagues, Cancel Culture, Women Music Execs, and Record Labels
Brandon Pankey on Launching the APEX Video Network, Live Music’s Return, and Educating the Next Generation
Shawn Prez on Bad Boy, Black Rob, and PowerMoves Inc. (2020)
BrandMan Sean on Music Marketing, Common Mistakes Artists Make, and Working with 24KGoldn
The "Will and Jada" Playbook
Brian “Z” Zisook on DJBooth’s Run, Major Record Labels, Indie Artists, and Audiomack’s Partnerships
Dame Ritter on When “Ownership” Goes Too Far, Myths about Streaming and Touring, and Managing Comedians
Ibrahim "Ib" Hamad, Dreamville President (2020)
Micah Johnson on Selling $1M Worth of NFTs in 1 Minute, Transitioning from MLB to Fine Art, and Getting More Black Collectors Involved
Mick Batyske on How His DJ Career Led to Brand Deals, Angel Investing, and Startup Advising
Jay Z sells 50% of Ace of Spades, TikTok Artist’s Path to Success
Ted Lucas on Slip-N-Slide Records, Miami Hip-Hop, and R&B’s Comeback
J. Erving on Human Re-Sources, Sony Music's Acquisition, and How to Evaluate Talent
The Best Hip-Hop Album Rollouts of All-Time (with Ernest Wilkins)
Def Jam's Past, Present, and Future with Gary Suarez
Binta Brown on the State of the Music Industry, omalilly projects, and Black Music Action Coalition
Master P on Reebok, Ownership, Generational Wealth, and Lessons Learned from Reginald Lewis
Why Artists Are Selling Their Music Catalogs (with Karl Fowlkes)
Phylicia Fant on Developing Superstar Artists, Rising in the Music Industry, and Navigating 2020
Flawless Real Talk on Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow, Life as an Indie Artist, and Building His Fanbase
Daouda Leonard on CreateSafe, the Record Deal Simulator, and Empowering Artists to Manage Their Careers
Steven Galanis on Cameo’s Growing Marketplace and Closing the Gap Between Fame and Monetization
Dave Macli on Audiomack’s Role in Music Streaming, Partnership with DJBooth, and Global Expansion
Big Tech's Big Plans in the Music Industry with Cherie Hu
Alex "Al D" Damashek on a New Partnership With Twitch, Move Forward Music, and the Future of Live Music
Netflix's Black Content Strategy
The Best Hip-Hop Marketing Campaigns of All-Time with Marcus Collins
Jason Geter on Heavy Sound Labs, Launching Grand Hustle, Signing T.I. and Travis Scott, and Redefining the Modern Record Label
Donald Albright on Building a Podcast Network, Hip-Hop Marketing Tactics, and Tenderfoot TV’s Future
Hip-hop's Indie Economy
Tyler, The Creator's Cult-Like Following
Peter Bittenbender on Mass Appeal’s Rise, Holding Brand Partners Accountable, and International Expansion
Hip-Hop Challenger Brands with Ernest Wilkins
Roy Wood Jr. on How 2020 Changed Comedy, His Comedy Central Partnership, and Why Alabama Means So Much to Him
The Steve Jobs of Gap?
Hovain Hylton and Busy Rivera on Cinematic Music Group’s Rise, and Turning the Brand into a Lifestyle
Build Your Table
Hip-Hop's Role in the Fight for Justice
Trapital Mailbag #3: How Hip-Hop Makes Money in a Pandemic, Superproducers in the Streaming Era, What’s Next for Fortnite + Travis Scott, and more!
Tiffany Ballard on Music Business Law, Why Bad Deals Still Happen, How She Made Connections on Myspace, and Her Time on Reality TV
Zack O'Malley Greenburg (2019)
Ibrahim "Ib" Hamad on Building Dreamville, Managing J. Cole, the Dollar & a Dream Tour, and Starting the Dreamville Fest
Shawn Prez on the Bad Boy Street Team, Grassroots Marketing in Hip-Hop, and Starting the Global Spin Awards
Hannibal Buress on How Netflix Changed Comedy, His Investing Strategy, and Why Isola Fest is One of His Favorite Career Moments
Mike Weissman - President, SoundCloud (2019)
Akin Aliu - Music Touring Agent, CAA (2019)
James Supreme - A&R at Universal Music Publishing Group (2019)
Trapital Mailbag #2! D-Smoke’s Potential, Lovers & Friends Fest, Jay Z the Wartime Leader, The Cost of Album Bundles, and Def Jam…oh Def Jam
Lynzie Riebling on Gen Hip Hop, Quantifying the Power of the Hip-Hop Audience, and REVOLT’s Role in the Culture
Karl Fowlkes on Music Business Law, Combat Jack’s Influence, and Why He Hopes There are Less Lawyers in 20 Years
Jesse Kirshbaum on Nue Agency's Brand Marketing, #CRWN Interview Series, and the Future of Award Shows
Tarik Brooks on Combs Enterprises, Diddy’s Investment Strategy, and Managing a Portfolio of Brands
Steve Stoute on UnitedMasters, Partnership with Apple Music, Ownership in Hip-Hop, and Why Brands Value Indie Artists
Fantasy Record Labels? We’re Skeptical. (a Trapital - Water & Music Collaboration with Cherie Hu)
Milana Lewis on Stem’s Artist-First Strategy, How it Evolves in the Streaming Era, How the Company Makes Tough Decisions
Trapital Mailbag Special: Grammy Awards Woes, Young Rappers Most Likely to Become Moguls, and Thoughts on a Rappers Union
Why Netflix's 'Rhythm + Flow' Was a Hit
Mike Weissman on SoundCloud’s Creator Strategy, How it Compares to a Startup Accelerator, and What it Means to be a SoundCloud Rapper
Shea Serrano on the Economics of Book Publishing, ‘Movies (and Other Things),’ and How DJ Screw Inspired his Promotional Tactics
DJ Semtex on UK Hip-Hop’s Moment, Stormzy and Skepta Becoming Stars, Brexit’s Impact on the Culture, and Why Radio Still Matters
Akin Aliu on Life as a CAA Agent, Representing Ciara, and the “Rich Paul Rule”
James Supreme on Being the A&R Behind Lil’ Nas X “Panini”, G-Eazy's Management Team, and why Mental Health Matters in the Industry
Dame Ritter on Kanye West’s Sunday Services, Launching Music Entrepreneur Club, and How He Almost Signed Russ to a Deal
Zack O’Malley Greenburg on the Forbes Hip-Hop Cash List, the Controversy it Causes, and What it Took to Declare that Jay Z is a Billionaire
50 Cent is a Habitual Line Stepper
Moody Jones on marketing for Snoop Dogg, EMPIRE’s digital strategy, and why he wants to work with Childish Gambino
RapCaviar's Big Advantage
Roc Nation's Wild Year
The Hip-Hop Partnership Flywheel
No Tour, No Problem for Cardi B
Mathew Knowles on Beyoncé's Streaming Strategy, Solange's Marketing, and Dinner with Jay Z or $50,000