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 more.

00:00 Why we’re not surprised Taylor Swift made this move

07:52 Why Swift and UMG have competing incentives

13:37 What it means for UMG and TikTok moving forward

24:27 Who’s the most powerful person in the music industry?

This episode is brought to you by EVEN, where you buy the art from the artist. Learn more at https://get.even.biz/trapital

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Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

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.

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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!

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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 today's music companies, but they operate more like B2B brands than B2C brands.

I'm joined by Justin Hunte, music journalist, startup advisor, and former Editor-in-Chief of HipHopDX, and we break it all down.

04:20 Def Jam's fight for legitimacy and innovation.

06:59 Federal Communications Act - media consolidation impact

12:08 Media success relies on standing on giants' shoulders.

16:36 Hybe's Weverse maximizes label and artist reach.

18:21 Maximizing super fans to boost revenue. Consolidation.

23:07 Shift in entertainment from pandemic to 2024.

25:41 Changing music industry, companies adapting to trends.

28:37 Brand identity crucial; industry accolades have limits.

31:31 Share, rate, and spread the word.

Make sure you listen in for our new Chartmetric stat of the week!

Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

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.”

00:00 UMG vs TikTok 15:17 Kids’ music 19:55 Beyoncé, Verizon, and Cowboy Carter

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Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital

Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

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 films, the economics behind them, the highest grossing concert films of all time, and so much more.

At the end of our conversation, we also included an audio segment of the guest essay that Jimmy wrote for Trapital: “What Is Driving The Rise Of Concert Films?”

00:00 Why are concert films becoming so popular? 06:50 Transmedia storytelling in music 12:48 The economics of concert films 21:11 Which artist could make a successful concert film in 2024? 31:22 Jimmy’s essay: What Is Driving The Rise Of Concert Films?

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Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital

Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

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, and what it means for the industry moving forward.

At the end of our conversation, we also included an audio version of the essay that Jessica wrote for Trapital: “Is Generative Music Really the Next Napster?”

00:00 Will AI music have a Napster moment?

08:07 The rise of generative music

12:14 Main challenges and opportunities

20:26 Audio essay: “Is Generative Music Really the Next Napster?”

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Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital

Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

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

22:05 What happened to big movie soundtracks?

31:36 Controversies over the years

40:02 Biggest snubs of all time

44:39 How to improve the show

Make sure you listen in for our new Chartmetric stat of the week!

Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital

Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

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 approach to business, his highs, lows, and so much more.

00:00 How Virgil entered the fashion world

07:44 Virgil’s influence on hip-hop and ‘luxury rap’

15:57 Open-source fashion

23:23 The Virgil-Kanye West relationship

27:20 Legacy and controversies

Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital

Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

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 you listen in for our new Chartmetric stat of the week!

00:00 Kanye West enters the fashion world

08:52 You don’t have the answer, Sway.

24:56 Yeezy becomes a billion dollar brand

30:28 The downfall

37:04 Yeezy’s independent future

Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital

Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.