This week Daisy and Francis are joined Sam Valenti IV. Sam is the founder and leader of Ghostly International, a 25-year-old collective that has grown from a dorm room-based record label to a recognized platform for the work of great artists, designers, technologists, and musicians. The New York Times says Ghostly “transcends its record label roots to sell and ethos.” Ghostly International is the first label alongside upstart drink sum wtr in All Flowers Group, a label unit formed as an affiliate of Secretly Group. An inveterate collector, Valenti also writes the weekly newsletter Herb Sundays, which features a personal playlist by a noted artist or enthusiast.

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Sam

• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Substack
• Ghostly

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Timestamps

00:00:00 Igno-fiction

00:05:45 Cultural beatdowns

00:11:18 The knowledge requirement of fandoms

00:18:15 Sycophancy vs. fandom

00:21:50 Community in record labels

00:27:45 Archiving culture

00:33:29 Nostalgia and new media engagement

00:36:52 Preserving artists legacies

00:42:36 New media monetization strategies

00:50:00 AI and the future of media consumption

00:57:31 The best music journalism right now

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Our intro song, Night Life, is written by Nakisso Peralta and performed by Chillers.