Trapital

Depending on who you ask, it's either the best or worst time to be an artist. There's plenty of evidence on both sides. Today, we're breaking down all of that and more. I'm joined by beatBread's Peter Sinclair. We covered it all: why it's the best time to be an artist but why it's harder to be an omnipresent superstar the role and perception of Spotify, YouTube, and DSPs making it in music today v...

Let's dive deep into the world of A24, the film studio known for its distinctive approach to storytelling. We explore A24’s journey from a savvy film distributor to a powerhouse production studio with hits like "Moonlight" and "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once." But A24 faces some headwinds: big investments with higher expectations, a string of underperforming releases, and pressure to expand t...

The biggest stars in the world, like Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, and Drake, have all the leverage to go independent, but they continue to work with the major labels. A big reason why is that they sign licensing deals. These deals have shifted over time, and become much more artists friendly, especially for the superstars in the streaming era. We break down the different types of deals, how they’...

The market is booming for generative music. Suno raised $125M and Udio has raised over $10M. The tools are impressive, but they raise some important questions: What data are these products trained on? Are startups in music incentivized to ask for permission? Is this what 'IG for music' looks like? Are these products or features? I'm joined by Tati Cirisano from MIDiA Research. Hope you enjoy liste...

NPR Tiny Desk is 15 years old and arguably stronger than ever. It helped Usher perform at the Super Bowl. It helped Tank and the Bangas break through to a Grammy nomination. And it elevated the perception of artists like T-Pain and Mac Miller. But how does Tiny Desk maintain its influence? Any company can host a stripped-down acoustic series for artists to perform in their office. But even if they...

The list of brands that Penske Media Corporation owns or has invested in is long: Billboard, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone, Music Business Worldwide, Deadline, and dozens more. What's Penske's long game? Are these companies better off? Where would these companies be without Penske? Which companies are most likely next? To break it all down, I'm joined by Bill Werde, former Billboa...

While Drake and Kendrick Lamar trade diss tracks back and forth, we decided to dig into the engine that makes it all possible. How has rap beef evolved in the streaming era and social media? Do the stakes still matter? Who makes money from these beef? How does this impact hip-hop's "decline"? I'm joined by BrandMan Sean, our friend of the pod who had a lot to say about this. Listen here or whereve...

Private equity firm KKR has been fascinating to watch in the music rights landscape. Just when you thought they were out, they get pulled back in! In this episode, we break down the past few years of KKR's deals with Chord Music, Kobalt, HarbourView Equity Partners. Why did they sell Chord Music? Why did they partner with HarbourView? What does it say about the broader music rights investing lands...

On April 11, Taylor Swift’s songs reappeared on TikTok despite the platform's ongoing dispute with her record label, Universal Music Group. This move was made in advance of the release of Taylor’s 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department. On this episode of Trapital, Tatiana Cirisano and I discuss why Swift and UMG don’t see eye-to-eye, competing incentives, who’s in charge at UMG, and mor...

We've had plenty of conversations on Trapital about Diddy's business success, so we have to keep that same energy when outlook changes. On this episode, Zack O'Malley Greenburg and I talk about our initial reactions to the allegations surrounding Sean Combs, and we talk about the present state and future of the biggest businesses in his portfolio. Make sure you listen for our Chartmetric stat of t...

Despite the all-time record highs for the live music industry, music festivals haven't quite had the same post-pandemic recovery. Several well-known festivals have closed up shop, and others have had slower than usual demand (even Coachella!) To break it all down, I'm joined by Tati Cirisano from MIDiA Research. Hope you enjoy! Make sure you check out our Chartmetric stat of the episode!

Back in the day, each record label had a distinct consumer identity. In the 90s, you knew what to expect from an Interscope album. Def Jam, Jive, Uptown, Cash Money. They all had their own vibe, their own identity, their own brand. So... what the hell happened? In the episode, we talk about how music's landscape shifted, and took the consumer brands with it. Strong brands still exist today among t...

It's time to dig into the mailbag again. I asked Trapital listeners to send me their most burning questions about the music industry. But this time we’re doing things a bit differently: you’ll be hearing the questions directly from our listeners. We dug into the TikTok vs. UMGc dispute, children’s entertainment media, and the Beyoncé - Verizon relationship leading to album ‘Act II: Cowboy Carter.”...

2023 was a big year for concert films. Taylor Swift's “Eras Tour” film became the highest grossing concert film of all time with nearly $270M in worldwide box office gross. Beyonce’s Renaissance film grossed over $44M. Was this just a Beyonce and Taylor thing, or will this continue? In this episode, I’m joined by Jimmy Stone, Founder of Alderbrook Companies, to dive deep into the rise of concert f...

There’s been a lot of discussion (and concern) about the impact of generative AI on music and whether the industry is on the verge of another Napster moment. But according to Jessica Powell, CEO of AudioShake, it’s going to take a lot more than a text prompt to kill music as we know it. On today’s episode, Jessica and I did a dive deep into the rise of generative music, its actual opportunities, a...

This episode is about Hollywood's biggest night, the Academy Awards. I’m joined by friend of the pod Zack O'Malley Greenburg to dive deep into the Oscars, how it compares to the Grammys, its relationship with music, the money spent on campaigns, the dramas, the major controversies, and some wild theories. 00:00 The money behind the Oscars 06:30 Why the Grammys gets worse ratings than the Oscars 22...

The late Virgil Abloh’s legacy lives on. From luxury rap to high fashion, his influence changed an entire industry, and several other adjacent ones. In this episode of Trapital, I’m joined by friend of the pod Zack O'Malley Greenburg. We broke down Virgil’s early years that shaped his future, his relationship with Kanye West, brands like Pyrex Vision, Off-White, his 3% rule, his open-sourced appro...

The rise and fall of the Yeezy brand is a Hollywood screenplay in the making. But this is less like the movie AIR, and more like The Wolf of Wall Street. To break it all down, I'm joined by Zack O'Malley Greenburg, who covered the Yeezy business through his reporting at Forbes. Together, we explore Kanye West's partnerships with Nike, Adidas, and Gap and the highs and lows along the way. Make sure...

From gamblers paradise to entertainment mecca, on this episode of Trapital, we take a trip to Las Vegas and how its coveted residencies have evolved over time, the economics of how they work, and predictions for the future. I’m joined by Tati Cirisano from MIDiA Research. We explore the Las Vegas’ origin with mob ties, the ground-breaking 2003 Celine Dion residency, and the changing demographic of...

We hear a lot about superfans and how important they are for an artist, but we rarely see any data to quantify how valuable they actually are. In this episode, I'm joined by Will Page, author of Pivot and former chief economist at Spotify, to break down his most recent report, Soundcloud Rockonomics. We discuss the company’s Fan Powered Royalties, the user centric model, how artists like Lil Uzi V...

This episode is about music's biggest night. But we’re not interested in who should win. This is about the business behind the show and everything surrounding it. We break down how the show makes money for CBS and the Recording Academy despite the viewership decline, the massive For Your Consideration business, the campaigning required to win an award, and major controversies over the years. I'm j...

It's been over 10 years since State Farm's first Chris Paul - Cliff Paul ad. It's been over 20 years since GEICO first introduced the gecko. These ads from insurance companies have been the biggest ad campaigns and their impact continues to grow. I'm joined by Dr. Marcus Collins, who helped develop the Chris Paul - Cliff Paul campaign during his time at Translation. We talked about why there are s...

Radio is the music format with nine lives. Despite all of the new evolutions in AI, streaming, and short-form video, radio continues to live on; and will do so for several more years. In this episode, I’m joined by a friend of the pod, Tati Cirisano from MIDiA Research. We dive into radio’s impact in music over the years, current cutbacks and layoffs, and what the future of radio looks like in tod...

Music has several big new stars with tons of talent, but will they ever have a year as big as Taylor Swift and Beyoncé in 2023. Both women have been commercially successful for decades and continue to dominate the charts even to this day. They came up in a different time, which works to their advantage. But what does this mean for the streaming and TikTok era artists who want to break through all...

It’s been 3.5 years since McDonald’s Travis Scott meal, and we still see new celebrity fast food meals all the time. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Marcus Collins, author of “For the Culture,” as we explore how fast food chains like McDonald's bounced back to its partnerships with influential artists and musicians. Marcus and I discuss McDonald’s history in celebrity fast food partnerships, ho...