Business Wars

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Taco Bell vs Chipotle | Demolition Man | 1 Oct 05, 2022

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It's 1984 and Taco Bell CEO John Martin's looking for a fight. The PepsiCo-owned chain might be America's número uno when it comes to Mexican fast-food, but growth is tepid. So Martin's on a mission to convince a skeptical nation to put down their Big Macs and eat tacos and burritos instead.

But even as Taco Bell goes all out to disrupt the fast-food status quo, a young chef with a burrito habit is rustling up a different business recipe that will shake fast-food to its foundations.

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Best of Business Wars Daily | The Power of Nuggets | 5 Sep 29, 2022

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The fast food industry is raking it in, but they still have to feed the beast. We bite into how they create hype in order to boost sales and capture our ever-scattered attention, before we drive on past them. On this episode, we're joined by Heather Haddon, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, and comedian and writer Josh Gondelman.

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Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun | Breaking Down the Big Machine | 4 Sep 28, 2022

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It’s safe to say that Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun are…never, ever, getting back together. Taking us inside their battle is Chris Willman, senior music writer at Variety, who’s covered Taylor since her early days as an up-and-coming young artist on the country music scene.

Later, we’ll dive into the growing artist labor movement with Damon Krukowski, the drummer for the late 80s indie band Galaxie 500. Damon shares how the band bought back its masters from their label and why most bands aren’t as fortunate. He’s also breaking down the impact of streaming on musicians' pocketbooks, and what smaller artists are doing to advocate for their rights.

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Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun | Revenge of the Swifties | 3 Sep 21, 2022

Show notes

By 2019, Taylor Swift's battle to get her masters back from Scooter Braun has gone public. She decides to fight by deploying her own, very dangerous weapon -- the Swifties. And Braun pulls out all the stops to protect his $300 million asset.

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Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun | Bad Blood | 2 Sep 14, 2022

Show notes

By 2014, Taylor Swift has spread her wings into pop. But as her self-confidence grows, so does her discontent with her label. So she makes a bold move. Meanwhile, mega-manager Scooter Braun sees a business opportunity in Swift's early masters. The problem is, Swift has serious beef with Braun and his clients. And when she finds out about his plan, it'll be all out war.

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Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun | On the Outside | 1 Sep 07, 2022

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When Taylor Swift signed to an upstart country label as a teen, she probably didn't realize that she was signing away the rights to something she would spend decades getting back -- her masters. Swift’s fight for her $300 million master recordings is a scrimmage that could reshuffle the entire business model of the music industry. But first, Swift has to make it big. And that's a one-in-a-million shot.

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Best of Business Wars Daily | An Unfinished Song | 6 Sep 01, 2022

Show notes

While music streaming platforms have exploded, many critics argue the status quo isn't working for artists. We're taking a deep dive into the music industry, exploring the relationship between artists, labels, fans and the internet. On this episode, we're joined by music journalists Brittany Spanos, senior staff writer at Rolling Stone, and Naima Cochrane, a music and culture journalist and a former record label executive at some of the industry’s biggest outlets.

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The Battle for Paramount Pictures | Reinventing an Empire | 5 Aug 31, 2022

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Can the former crown jewel of Hollywood keep up in the age of the streaming giants? To understand Paramount’s future, you’ve got to understand its past. So today, we’re throwing it back with Doug Herzog, a former executive at Paramount’s parent company Viacom. Doug greenlit some of cable’s biggest shows. South Park, anyone? He now hosts Basic, a podcast about the time when cable was cool.

Later, we’ll check in on what’s in store for Paramount going forward with Matt Belloni. He’s a founding member of the entertainment industry newsletter Puck, and host of The Town from The Ringer, a podcast that goes behind-the-scenes in Hollywood.

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The Battle for Paramount Pictures | Down to the Wire | 4 Aug 24, 2022

Show notes

It’s Christmas 1993. The bidding war for Paramount is underway and QVC is far out in front.

But Viacom owner Sumner Redstone’s not giving in. He’s trying to engineer a merger with Blockbuster that will arm him with the billions he needs to catch up with QVC.

But Blockbuster chairman Wayne Huizenga isn’t about to roll over, and with the deadline for final offers approaching, Redstone’s almost out of time.

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The Battle for Paramount Pictures | Under Siege | 3 Aug 17, 2022

Show notes

It’s the fall of 1993 and Viacom owner Sumner Redstone thinks he’s got Paramount all sown up.

But QVC chief Barry Diller is about to launch a counter-strike and ignite an all-out war for control of the movie and publishing giant.

And as the fight intensifies, both men are depending on their partners to have their back. But they’re about to find their back-up isn’t as solid as they think.

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