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 recording directly on a phone to joining crews, entering competitions, and exchanging real-time feedback, Rap Fame turns music creation into a shared process. Artists don’t just upload music; they grow through each other.

What we cover in this episode:

• How peer feedback influences modern music creation
• Why artist-to-artist communities drive deeper engagement
• The role of competitions and recognition in creator growth
• How platforms like Rap Fame support independent artists

At its core, this conversation explores a shift: when artists support, challenge, and learn from each other, entirely new paths for growth, monetization, and creativity begin to emerge.

If you're building in music, working on a creator platform, or thinking about the future of music technology, this episode offers a grounded look at what’s actually working today.

Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

If you want to learn more about Rap Fame visit:

Website: https://www.raptech.co/

Linkedin: / rap-tech-studios-ltd-rap-fame-app

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rapfame_app...

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rapfame_app?_...

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 dedicated to South Asian classical music, built on exclusive rights, deep cultural metadata, and a business model that challenges traditional streaming economics. With strong engagement and global users, the platform is proving that underserved genres can become powerful digital businesses.

Faraan shares his journey from personal frustration as a listener to building a company that works directly with artists, preserves rare recordings, and creates meaningful access for a global audience.

A grounded, honest conversation on building in music tech beyond the mainstream.

If you want to learn more about Saarey music:

Socials:

Saarey website: https://www.saareymusic.com

Saarey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/saarey/

Saarey Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saareymusic

Saarey Insta: https://www.instagram.com/saareymusic

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 treated as infrastructure rather than background noise. Freddie explains how soundtracks can guide guest journeys, influence emotional outcomes, and help wellness spaces create more meaningful environments.

We also discuss the economics behind the global wellness industry and why wellness-focused consumers represent one of the fastest growing and most engaged segments in hospitality.

Along the way, Freddie shares lessons from building a music technology startup in a niche category, including the advantages of starting with owned assets, the challenges of licensing and distribution, and what it takes to scale a focused product in a complex industry.

Now live on Sound Connections Podcast.

[Links in bio]

Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

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, discovery, and data rather than the traditional advertising-driven approach used by major platforms.

Mark unpacks his path from a career in construction, consulting, and strategy into the world of founders and music technology. He reflects on what surprised him most about entering the music space, why innovation often struggles inside established systems, and how founders are forced to make difficult choices when a meaningful vision meets a difficult market.

This episode dives into the economics of music startups, the limits of pure storytelling when fundraising, and the importance of reaching tangible results with as little capital as possible. Mark also shares why Viktrs has expanded into non-music categories such as food and politics while keeping music as a long-term mission, using those adjacent markets to build leverage, revenue, and proof before coming back stronger.

For anyone working at the intersection of technology, media, and culture, this episode brings a sharp and honest perspective.

Watch the full episode on your preferred podcast platforms!

[Links in bio]

If you want to know more about Viktrs visit: https://viktrs.com/

Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

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 control for artists. Rob shares how bringing that data together into unified fan profiles changes how artists engage, monetize, and build long-term value.

We also discuss the shift away from algorithm-first growth toward a model that starts with core fans and expands outward, and how ticketing, premium experiences, and direct communication play a role in that evolution.

Finally, we get into the realities behind the industry, from bot-driven ecosystems and distorted metrics to why many superfan strategies fall short, and what it actually takes to build something that lasts.

Now live on Sound Connections Podcast.

Subscribe now!

If you want to learn more about OpenStage visit: https://openstage.live/

Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

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 technology famously scaled to handle massive peaks for global events like Tomorrowland. We explore his "horror story" exit, a grueling five-year marathon through corporate instability before the company’s final sale to Vivendi.

The conversation centers on his transition from a "non-music guy" to a seasoned investor and initiator of The Chorus at Amsterdam Dance Event, where he mentors the next generation of entrepreneurs. Jan Willem explains why he believes today’s AI-driven landscape finally allows startups to challenge legacy players and rebuild what's broken from the ground up.

Don't miss this honest conversation about starting a company, surviving a tough exit, and finding the spark to go again. 

Subscribe now!

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 every month.

In this episode, Christian shares how proprietary AI, white-label partnerships, and disciplined cost control have shaped a sustainable company in an industry where most struggle to survive.

We explore the economics of staying small, building trust over time, and creating long-term advantage in a competitive AI-driven market.

Listen in and join the conversation.

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 platforms, manipulate royalties, and launder millions, threatening the core of the industry. Andrew and Morgan share their bold vision of a trust and safety operating system that could reshape the music ecosystem.

Tune in for a deep dive into how fraud is evolving and what needs to change.

Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

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 and co‑founding Hipgnosis, Lindvall dissects the challenges of digital licensing, outdated CWR (Common Works Registration) file standards, and mechanical rights. He shares how Music Infra is building scalable systems to cut inefficiencies and ensure rights holders and songwriters are paid fairly and on time. 

This is a grounded look at persistence, trust, and the long‑term vision required to solve music’s most intractable problems.

Join us!

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 digital Hi-Res audio. Simon offers a grounded perspective on startup exits, investor relations, and the reality of life after acquisition. It is a quiet reflection on what it truly takes to innovate within the music industry and why understanding master rights is essential for any modern music entrepreneur.

Listen now and subscribe for more conversations on innovation in music and technology.

Know more about Primephonic: https://www.linkedin.com/company/primephonic/

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Produced by Amplitude Ventures Consulting: Partners in Early-Stage Venture Building - https://amplitude.venturesFollow on;

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2omT8uLhBamH3GFeih4oo3?si=45206dd146a84ae1

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soundconnectionspodcast?igsh=bDZzbnhrYXBlNHBr


00:00 Welcome and Intro
00:53 Founder Background and Transition
02:51 Digitalizing a Classical Label
04:50 High Quality Audio Formats
08:36 Building the Primephonic Brand
14:53 Solving Classical Metadata Challenges
21:18 Streaming Payout Models Explained
28:27 In-House Tech Team Growth
32:57 Apple Music Classical Acquisition
45:56 Reflections on Entrepreneurial Life