Trapital

Latest Episodes:

The Rise of Reels: Meta’s $50B Ad Machine Jan 15, 2026

Show notes

Meta’s short-form video surface, Reels, now generates $50 billion in annual run rate. That’s more than some of the largest media companies like Netflix, TikTok, and YouTube’s ad business.

Reels may be less culturally relevant than those companies, and its users spend less time on the platform than others, but it prints money and shows no signs of slowing down.

This episode explores how Meta’s infrastructure made Reels one of the most successful monetization plays in modern tech and what could threaten its momentum next.

CHAPTERS

02:51 Culture vs. Cash

04:30 How Reels Makes Money

06:49 Meta’s Advantage

15:34 Risks Ahead

18:54 What’s Next for Reels

SPONSORSChartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week

Linktree: Help your followers discover everything you do, with one simple link. Use code TRAPITAL50 for a discount

TRAPITAL

Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

Music is a $47 Billion Industry. Why Isn’t It Bigger? Dec 23, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, we sit down with Will Page, economist and author of Pivot, for a deep dive on the global economics of music. Using Will’s latest Global Value of Music Copyright Report, we explore streaming economics, global market gaps, AI, and where the music industry’s next phase of growth may come from.

CHAPTERS

02:45 Global Value of Music: 10 Years in Review 11:24 Emerging Music Markets 13:37 Africa’s Music Economy 18:11 Brazil’s Music Market 21:12 The Crocodile Smile 33:18 AI and Music’s Future

SPONSORS Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week

beatBread: Smarter choices. Better deals.

GUEST

Will Page, former Chief Economist of Spotify and PRS for Music, Author of Pivot

LINKS

Global Value of Music Copyright - Will Page

TRAPITAL

Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

Polymarket and Kalshi: Financial Tools or Casinos? Dec 12, 2025

Show notes

Prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi have had a big year in 2025, but what are they really? Securities? Derivatives? Sportsbooks? They may be all of the above.

Listen to my breakdown on how these markets have evolved over time, and what led to their current rise today. We then dive into the opportunities, risks, and the regulatory challenges that may shape their future.

CHAPTERS

02:54 The Origin of Prediction Markets

06:43 Polymarket, Kalshi, and Modern Prediction Markets

09:16 Regulation and What’s Next

09:31 Bucket A: Policy, Finance, and Economics

13:36 Bucket B: Sports, Entertainment, and Pop Culture

SPONSORS

Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week

Too Lost: empowering artists with tools to manage, distribute, and grow their music independently.

TRAPITAL

Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

How MTV Lost Its Way Dec 05, 2025

Show notes

People say they miss when MTV played music videos, but their viewing habits say otherwise!

We revisited one of our most popular episodes from 2023, but trimmed it down to include the best parts. I’m joined by Zack O’Malley Greenburg to unpack MTV’s rise from a scrappy video platform to a cultural powerhouse. We break down breakthrough moments like Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”, the rise of reality TV, the networks influence, rise, fall, and what’s next?

CHAPTERS

01:04 The Birth of MTV 04:45 MTV's Business Model 13:01 Cultural Impact of Influence 21:28 Rise of Reality TV 29:59 MTV ‘s Decline

SPONSORS

Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week

beatBread : A music funding platform that empowers independent artists to access advances on their streaming income while keeping 100% ownership of their music.

Splice, a cloud-based music creation platform offering millions of royalty-free samples, plugins (via rent-to-own), and AI-powered tools to inspire creators everywhere

GUEST

Zack O’Malley Greenburg, Author, Empire State of Mind

TRAPITAL

Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

Five Bold Predictions: Netflix and Spotify, AI-Powered Industry, The Big 3’s Future, and More Nov 20, 2025

Show notes

We continue our Trapital Summit series with Dan and MiDIA Research’s Tati Cirisano sharing bold predictions from Trapital Summit attendees and sharing their thoughts.

We debate the long-term viability of major record labels, whether a Netflix + Spotify merger make sense (we recorded this before the podcast partnership!), we also discussed whether we’ll return to mass mainstream monoculture, future growth opportunities, and which new opportunities will be unlocked by AI-powered tools.

CHAPTERS

01:47 Future of Major Labels?

03:58 Will Netflix and Spotify Ever Merge?

05:52 A Return to Monoculture?

09:06 Unprecedented Industry Growth?

10:30 Will AI-Driven Labels Be The Future?

SPONSORS

Splice: Splice Instrument is here. Real instruments, meticulously crafted, and authentically crafted

Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week

GUEST

Tatiana Cirisano, VP Music Strategy, MIDiA Research

TRAPITAL

Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

What's a Grammy Worth? New Voters, New Winners, and Rewriting History Nov 13, 2025

Show notes

This episode is in partnership and collaboration with our friends at The Recording Academy

You’ll hear our deep dive on what we can learn from this years Grammys with our usual analysis and a few select guests including: Panos Panay (President of The Recording Academy), Tati Cirisano (MIDiA Research), Zack O’Malley Greenburg, author and investor.

We discuss the biggest takeaways from the 2026 nominations, the rise of international music, how the voting body has evolved, and the economic lift of a Grammy win.

CHAPTERS

01:41 - Biggest takeaways

05:41 - Tati Cirisano joins us

13:02 - Panos Panay joins us

17:10 - Which past Grammys would have changed

21:52 - The Grammy Bump

33:10 - Zack Greenburg joins us

SPONSORS

The Recording Academy Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week Tidal: Win $100k with the Tidal Upload Contest

GUESTS Panos Panay, President, The Recording Academy

Tatiana Cirisano, VP Music Strategy, MIDiA Research

Zack O’Malley Greenburg, Author, Empire State of Mind

TRAPITAL

Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

RESOURCES What is the Economic Value of a GRAMMY in Today’s Industry? - Chartmetric and Will Page

Building Businesses Around Artists with Firebird Music CEO Nathan Hubbard Nov 06, 2025

Show notes

At our Trapital Summit, Nathan Hubbard joined me in stage to discuss Firebird Music’s investment thesis, working with Yungblud, and the business of Taylor Swift.

CHAPTERS

04:06 Firebird’s Mission

06:46 Yungblud’s Case Study

14:16 Investing in Management Companies

21:03 Finding New Talent

23:34 Is Taylor Swift the Best CEO in Music?