Trapital

Latest Episodes:

Tarik Brooks, President of Combs Enterprises (2020) May 28, 2021

Show notes

Combs Enterprises President, Tarik Brooks, came on the Trapital Podcast to talk his role managing the Combs Enterprises portfolio of brands, which includes Ciroc, Bad Boy Entertainment, Revolt, Sean John, AquaHydrate, and more.

We talked about how to measure Diddy’s value-add as an investor, Tarik’s experience working for both Diddy and Robert L. Johnson, and why Diddy sought mentorship from Ray Dalio, and more.

This episode originally ran on February 4, 2020.

Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co

Guest: Tarik Brooks, @tarikamin, combsenterprises.com

Trapital is home for the business of hip-hop. Gain the latest insights from hip-hop’s biggest players by reading Trapital’s free weekly memo. trapital.co/newsletter

Tracy Chan on Twitch Music, Helping Artists Monetize, and the Creator Economy May 21, 2021

Show notes

Twitch’s VP Head of Music, Tracy Chan, came on the podcast to talk about how artists on Twitch are making money. The number of artists making $25,000 on Twitch has grown 16x since the pandemic started. For those making $50,000 or more, the median viewership is 183 fans. That’s wild! We talk about how artists use the platform, gaming culture’s influence, and where the creator economy is heading.

Tracy joined Twitch in 2020. He left Spotify where he launched Spotify for Artists, and worked at YouTube before that to help launch its creator platform. Tracy has seen the creator economy at every stage. If you’re interested in this topic, this is the podcast for you.

Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co

Guest: Tracy Chan, @tracypchan, twitch.tv/music

Link: Twitch’s Rockonomics - a case study on how musicians make money on the platform

Trapital is home for the business of hip-hop. Gain the latest insights from hip-hop’s biggest players by reading Trapital’s free weekly memo. trapital.co/newsletter

James Lindsay on Rap Snacks, BossUp Bank, Why Distribution Matters, and Managing Meek Mill May 14, 2021

Show notes

Rap Snacks founder and CEO James Lindsay came on the podcast to talk about his rise in the consumer packaged goods industry. Rap Snacks launched in 1994 and has partnered with artists like Migos, Cardi B, Trina, and Fabolous to sell snack chips.

We talk about how Rap Snacks landed distribution space in Walmart, and how to navigate the snack food industry. We also talked about BossUp Bank, the new bank he launched with Master P to reach underserved communities.

Lindsay also co-managed Meek Mill, so we talked about his experience there, and some recent advice he gave Meek about Dogecoin!

Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co

Guest: James Lindsay, @askfly1, rapsnacks.net

Trapital is home for the business of hip-hop. Gain the latest insights from hip-hop’s biggest players by reading Trapital’s free weekly memo. trapital.co/newsletter

Trapital Mailbag! Hip-Hop’s Streaming Popularity, Rap Battle Leagues, Cancel Culture, Women Music Execs, and Record Labels May 07, 2021

Show notes

I answered a bunch of questions from Trapital readers and listeners! Monetization in hip-hop vs other genres, rap battle leagues, Square’s Tidal acquisition, women in the music industry, cancel culture, record labels, and tech funding announcements that look like music festival lineups!

Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co

Trapital is home for the business of hip-hop. Gain the latest insights from hip-hop’s biggest players by reading Trapital’s free weekly memo. trapital.co/newsletter

Brandon Pankey on Launching the APEX Video Network, Live Music’s Return, and Educating the Next Generation Apr 30, 2021

Show notes

Live Nation Urban’s VP of Business Development & Operations, Brandon Pankey, joined to talk about the post-pandemic return of concerts and music festivals. He recently launched APEX, an advertising video on demand streaming service that will be music-centric. We talk about why he launched it and how he plans to give artists an opportunity to tell their stories. We finished our conversation by talking about the community and education-related work that Brandon has done, and why we have to let the next generation know about the opportunities that are out there!

Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co

Guest: Brandon Pankey, @brandon_pankey, watchapex.com

Trapital is home for the business of hip-hop. Gain the latest insights from hip-hop’s biggest players by reading Trapital’s free weekly memo. trapital.co/newsletter

Shawn Prez on Bad Boy, Black Rob, and PowerMoves Inc. (2020) Apr 23, 2021

Show notes

Music executive Shawn Prez came on the pod to talk about his days as Bad Boy’s VP of Marketing, what set Bad Boy’s Street Team apart, breaking hit records, starting the Ciroc Boyz, his work at Power Moves Inc., and why he decided to launch an award shows to recognize DJs.

This episode was originally published on April 7, 2020.

Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co
Guest: Shawn Prez, @powermovesprez, powermovesprez.com

Link:

BrandMan Sean on Music Marketing, Common Mistakes Artists Make, and Working with 24KGoldn Apr 16, 2021

Show notes

Music marketer BrandMan Sean (Sean Taylor) joined to talk about how he built the BrandMan Network, which recently crossed 100,000 YouTube subscribers! He’s been a go-to source of insights for rising hip-hop artists on how to build their brands, use social media, and focus on what matters most.

In this episode, Sean breaks down how he keeps up with the changes in the landscape, how artists beat those with 2-3x their budget, and his Contrabrand Agency.

If you’re interested in the latest best practices on music marketing, this episode is for you!

Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co

Guest: BrandMan Sean, @brandmansean, BrandMan Network YouTube Channel

Trapital is home for the business of hip-hop. Gain the latest insights from hip-hop’s biggest players by reading Trapital’s free weekly memo. trapital.co/newsletter

The "Will and Jada" Playbook Apr 09, 2021

Show notes

An audio version of the Trapital essay “How Will and Jada Pinkett Smith Built a Content and Commerce Powerhouse”

The star couple regained Hollywood success by letting fans into their once-private lives and building a media-driven commerce flywheel with Westbrook Inc.

Host: Dan Runcie, trapital.co

Trapital is home for the business of hip-hop. Gain the latest insights from hip-hop’s biggest players by reading Trapital’s free weekly memo: trapital.co/newsletter

Brian “Z” Zisook on DJBooth’s Run, Major Record Labels, Indie Artists, and Audiomack’s Partnerships Apr 02, 2021

Show notes

DJBooth’s Editor-In-Chief and VP of Content Operations and Artist Services at Audiomack, Brian “Z” Zisook, came on the pod to talk about DJBooth’s 18th anniversary (!) and how it stayed strong over time. We also talked about the role that major record labels serve, the potential for indie artists, TikTok’s influence, the streaming era, classic rap albums, short releases, and more. At the end, we talked about Audiomack World and the company’s new partnerships with DistroKid.

If you want an honest take on where the music industry is heading, this is the episode for you!

Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co

Guest: Brian “Z” Zisook, @djboothEIC, audiomack.com/world

Dame Ritter on When “Ownership” Goes Too Far, Myths about Streaming and Touring, and Managing Comedians Mar 25, 2021

Show notes

Music Entrepreneur Club founder Dame Ritter came back on the pod to help me break down four music industry myths:

artists need to own everything. Ownership!
I can’t make money on streaming
NFTs will save me
I’ll make all my money on tour

All of these takes need nuance, and there’s no better person to talk to than Dame. He ran Funk Volume, a former independent record label that hit $4M in sales in its first four years. On the episode we also talked about the comedians he manages, Bigg Jah and Minks, and the difference between artists and comics.

If you’ve been hearing a lot about ownership, music business models, and want more context, this is the episode for you.

Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co

Guest: Dame Ritter, @Dame_MEC

Links: Music Entrepreneur Club

Hip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the execs, CEOs, and moguls who read Trapital: trapital.co

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