Trapital

Latest Episodes:

Why Artists Are Selling Their Music Catalogs (with Karl Fowlkes) Jan 04, 2021

Show notes

A recording of the Why Artists Are Selling Their Music Catalogs webinar from December 19. We broke down the reasons why so many artists sold their catalogs in 2020, the companies that want them, and where this trend is heading.

Karl Fowlkes is an entertainment attorney whose clients include artists, musicians, athletes, producers and creative companies that have amassed millions of streams, RIAA certifications. He's also a music industry professor at Rowan University and Drexel University.

To learn more about his work, visit: https://www.fowlkesfirm.com/

Dan Runcie is the founder of Trapital, a media company that covers the business of hip-hop. Learn more at: https://trapital.co

Phylicia Fant on Developing Superstar Artists, Rising in the Music Industry, and Navigating 2020 Dec 14, 2020

Show notes

Columbia Records’ Head of Urban Music Phylicia Fant came on to talk about her career in the music industry. Before Columbia, she had executive roles at both Warner and Motown, and launched The Purple Agency. We talked about the superstar artists she’s worked with, the challenges the industry has faced in 2020, the use of the word “urban” in the music industry, and more. We also talked about the documentary she worked on--Eggs Over Easy: Black Women & Fertility.

If you’re interested in how major record labels have navigated all the changes in 2020, then this is the episode for you.

Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co

Guest: Phylicia Fant

Links: Eggs Over Easy: Black Women & Fertility

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

Flawless Real Talk on Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow, Life as an Indie Artist, and Building His Fanbase Dec 07, 2020

Show notes

Rapper, producer, and entrepreneur Flawless Real Talk joined to talk about how he manages his rap career. He was the runner up on Netflix’s hip-hop competition show Rhythm & Flow, which boosted his career trajectory. But despite all the industry attention, Flawless is still an independent artist. He talks about that decision, the tradeoffs he’s had to make, and what his goals are as an artist. He recently hosted a livestream concert on LIVIT, where he had over 1 million fans join in.

If you’re interested in how artists manage tradeoffs between being signed and indie, building a fanbase, and resiliency, then this is the episode for you.

Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co

Guest: Flawless Real Talk, @flawlessri, flawlessri.com

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

Daouda Leonard on CreateSafe, the Record Deal Simulator, and Empowering Artists to Manage Their Careers Nov 30, 2020

Show notes

CreateSafe co-founder and CEO Daouda Leonard came through to break down his company’s goals in the music industry. In 2020, CreateSafe launched the record deal simulator to empower artists to better manage their careers. Daouda has used these tools to manage Grimes and other artists. It’s planning to launch a publishing simulator and a suite of other products. The goal is to make the music industry’s operating system--an open source tool that offers the transparency the industry needs.

If you’re interested in artist management tools and freemium business models, this is the episode for you.

Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co

Guest: Daouda Leonard, @daoudaleonard, createsafe.io

Links:

Record Deal Simulator - CreateSafe
Bringing Transparency to the Music Industry - The Hustle

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

Steven Galanis on Cameo’s Growing Marketplace and Closing the Gap Between Fame and Monetization Nov 23, 2020

Show notes

Cameo CEO and co-founder Steven Galanis came on the pod to talk about his company’s marketplace for personalized celebrity video shoutouts. We broke down Cameo’s growth in the pandemic, finding product-market fit with people who are more famous than they are rich, and tapping into the long tail. We also break down Cameo’s success with hip-hop artists and Black culture, and the future products that may come from the company.

If you’re interested in how marketplaces are built, creating flywheels, and finding product-market fit, this is the episode for you.

Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co

Guest: Steven Galanis, cameo.com, @bookcameo

Links:

How Cameo Blew Up During Quarantine - New Yorker
Why The Music Industry Should Be Tuning Into Cameo - Forbes

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

Dave Macli on Audiomack’s Role in Music Streaming, Partnership with DJBooth, and Global Expansion Nov 14, 2020

Show notes

Dave Macli is the co-founder and CEO of Audiomack, a music streaming provider built for artists. We discuss how Audiomack got started, its business model, and why it’s artist-first approach is so important. It landed early projects by J. Cole, Chance The Rapper, and Jennifer Lopez.

Dave is also co-founder of DJBooth, which has had an ongoing partnership with Audiomack. In 2020, Audiomack has strengthened its global footprint in Africa and other continents.

If you’re interested in how music streaming execs navigate a rapidly growing landscape, this is the podcast for you.

Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co

Guest: Dave Macli, @audiomacli, audiomack.com

Links:

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

Big Tech's Big Plans in the Music Industry with Cherie Hu Oct 21, 2020

Show notes

This is a recording of our webinar discussion on the latest music strategies from big tech companies!

We broke down the latest and greatest from Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google, Tencent, and more.

Cherie Hu is an award-winning music journalist and founder of Water & Music where she unpacks the fine print of innovation in the music business.

Her work has been featured in Billboard, Forbes, NPR Music, Columbia Journalism Review, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Music Business Worldwide, Variety, CNBC, and more.

Hosts:

Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co
Cherie Hu, @cheriehu42, cheriehu.com

Links: Slides shared during webinar

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

Alex "Al D" Damashek on a New Partnership With Twitch, Move Forward Music, and the Future of Live Music Oct 12, 2020

Show notes

Al D is founder of Move Forward Music, a New York-based live events production company. His company built a reputation for putting on the first NY shows for big name artists like Kendrick Lamar, DaBaby, Noname, and others.

But like many companies, Move Forward was forced to pivot in 2020. Al partnered with Twitch for a new live streaming channel. Oct 17-18 is the Move Forward Fest with Just Blaze, The Alchemist, Sonny Digital, and more.

Al D broke down tough decisions made, his business model, and the future of his company after the pandemic.

Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co

Guest: Alex Damashek, @mfmusic, moveforwardmusic.com,

Links:

Move Forward Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/moveforwardmusic
Move Forward Partners with Twitch: https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/9460342/move-forward-music-partners-twitch-live-streamed-programming-festival/

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

Netflix's Black Content Strategy Oct 02, 2020

Show notes

An audio version of the Trapital essay: Netflix's Black Content Strategy, Explained.

The global entertainment company has grown stronger since it leveled up and focused on its influential customers.

Hip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the people taking hip-hop to the level at trapital.co.

Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co

The Best Hip-Hop Marketing Campaigns of All-Time with Marcus Collins Sep 28, 2020

Show notes

This is the audio from the webinar with Marcus Collins, a marketing professor at the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business. We broke down the top five hip-hop marketing campaigns of all time (and a few honorable mentions). We also talked about Marcus’ favorite ad campaigns from his days as an advertising exec at Translation, Doner, and other agencies.

At the end, we broke down Travis Scott’s McDonald’s campaign and took questions from attendees.

Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co

Guest: Marcus Collins, @marctothec, marctothec.com

Links to discussed campaigns: