Sound Connections

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 behind music royalty collection and the technology working to address them.

Tim shares how his experience building music technology companies, including STEM, shaped his perspective on the industry. He explains how fragmented metadata, mismatched registrations, and disconnected systems can leave royalties unclaimed, and how Notes.fm and Credits.fm help identify missing revenue and make music data more accessible.

The conversation also explores how open APIs could improve the industry's infrastructure, why music publishing and distribution might eventually become a more integrated service, and how independent technology platforms can challenge established ways of working.

Listen to the full conversation for insights into music rights, technology, and the systems shaping the future of royalty collection.

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Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

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 veteran music producer and music technology entrepreneur, about the technology shaping music discovery.

They explore why music recommendations often rely on popularity rather than listening context, how human-curated metadata and audio analysis can help describe music more deeply, and how emotional intelligence and listener profiling could improve personalized listening experiences.

The conversation also examines the challenges of fragmented music metadata, the potential for context-aware music experiences in streaming services, and the role of technology in connecting listeners with music they might otherwise never discover.

Listen to the full conversation to explore how better music data and listener insights could reshape the way people discover music.

Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

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 veteran music producer and music technology entrepreneur, about the technology shaping music discovery.

They explore why music recommendations often rely on popularity rather than listening context, how human-curated metadata and audio analysis can help describe music more deeply, and how emotional intelligence and listener profiling could improve personalized listening experiences.

The conversation also examines the challenges of fragmented music metadata, the potential for context-aware music experiences in streaming services, and the role of technology in connecting listeners with music they might otherwise never discover.

Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

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 accessible.

Andrew shares how a Stanford classroom project became a music technology company, developing tools that turn recordings into sheet music and offer personalized piano learning.

The conversation also explores the realities of building a venture-backed music startup, from securing music licensing agreements and navigating publisher relationships to validating organic demand, managing investor expectations, and balancing technical development with user growth. Andrew reflects on the challenges of being a non-technical founder and why community could become an important source of long-term differentiation.

Listen in for insights into the future of AI-powered music education and the business of building music technology.

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 teams manage careers.

JC shares why the next generation of music technology should reduce complexity rather than give artists another job to learn. The conversation explores artist management, AI-powered workflows, direct-to-fan relationships, product-led growth, and the growing middle of the music market.

They also discuss why smaller audiences could become increasingly viable as AI lowers the cost of managing and monetizing a career, and why artists may not need to become full-time marketers or business operators to build sustainable careers.

Listen in for a grounded conversation about AI, artist independence, management technology, niche audiences, and the changing economics of building a career in music.

Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

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, chart reporting, fan communities, and direct-to-fan experiences.

Tommy shares how Single started by solving a specific reporting problem between Shopify and the music industry, then expanded into a broader B2B platform supporting digital music, video, communities, and commerce for artists, labels, and merchandise companies.

Tommy also discusses the realities of the superfan economy, the balance between fan engagement and monetization, privacy and consent, and how communities can support everything from fan relationships to decisions about where an artist should tour.

A practical conversation about music commerce, infrastructure, data ownership, and building technology that stays behind the artist rather than competing for the fan’s attention.

Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

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 drummers, Upbeat is building educational tools designed to move beyond libraries of content and toward a more personalized learning experience.

Raul breaks down the challenging economics of music education, why distribution can matter as much as product quality, and how Upbeat approaches retention in a market where keeping people engaged over the long term remains difficult.

Raul also explores how AI could bring the most valuable parts of a great teacher into digital products, why learning music is ultimately about more than becoming a great musician, and how instruments themselves could eventually become part of the learning experience.

Tune in for a grounded conversation about building in music education and preparing for a future where AI may reshape how people learn.

Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

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 Google and years spent building tools around creators and fans, Jacquelle explains why the next opportunity in music may sit beyond traditional artist-to-fan relationships.

We explore how fan-to-fan communities create their own products, events, experiences, and economies, why conventional merchandise can miss what fans actually want, and how artist teams can identify and support the people already shaping their communities.

Jacquelle also shares how Fave is evolving from a place for superfans to connect into infrastructure that helps fans bring ideas to life, while giving artists new insights and potential revenue opportunities without requiring them to constantly create more content.

It’s a closer look at fandom as culture, community, and an emerging layer of the creator economy.

Listen in and join the conversation.

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Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

#SoundConnections #Fave #Superfans #MusicIndustry #MusicTech #FanEngagement #CreatorEconomy #MusicBusiness

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 alternative financing can give creators access to capital without giving up ownership of their work.

Michael shares how his background in banking and entrepreneurship shaped his approach to the music industry, from evaluating royalty streams and managing risk to building financing solutions around the individual creative. They discuss why ownership matters, the role of financial literacy, and how Sound Royalties has built its business by focusing specifically on financing rather than becoming a label, distributor, manager, or publisher.

The conversation also explores how the company evaluates royalty income, uses data and technology alongside human judgment, and grows with creators as their businesses develop.

Tune in for a conversation on music finance, rights, trust, and the business behind creative careers.

[Link in bio]

Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

#SoundConnections #MusicFinance #MusicRights #CreatorEconomy #MusicBusiness

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 businesses focused specifically on African music. After founding Africori and helping develop it into a significant distribution business, Yoel is now returning his attention to African music rights, catalog investment, and the wider opportunity around cultural entrepreneurship.

Together, they unpack why the growth story of Sub-Saharan African music is more complicated than the headline numbers suggest. Yoel discusses the gap between huge levels of music consumption and comparatively low monetization, the role of telecom companies and streaming platforms, challenges around publishing and rights registration, and why missing contracts and unclear ownership can make catalog investment particularly difficult.

From exporting African artists and songs to building stronger marketing systems, investing in catalogs whose audiences are still moving toward streaming, and supporting the next generation of cultural entrepreneurs, Yoel sees significant opportunity, but on a longer timeline than many investors expect.

This is a candid conversation about patience, infrastructure, ownership, and what it will actually take for African music’s global momentum to become a stronger and more sustainable business.

Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.