About this podcast
Trapital is where technology meets culture. Hear breakdowns on the most important trends in tech, media, and entertainment. Trapital founder Dan Runcie and various guests break down the moves that shape the rest of society. Learn more
Episodes
The newest 50 of 345 episodes
- Suno’s Grand Plan for the Future of Music · 46 minSuno is betting that music’s next big business is getting people to create and interact with songs. CEO and co-founder Mikey Shulman calls it “creative entertainment,” with a…
- The Business of Touring and Talent Agencies · 37 minStreaming numbers don’t always tell you how many tickets an artist can sell. Lee Anderson saw that firsthand with clients like ISOxo and Knock2. As co-president of music at…
- NVIDIA’s Vision for AI, Music, and Hollywood · 22 minNVIDIA is best known for everything it does to power AI, but its work in media and entertainment goes much further. At the Trapital Summit I sat down with, Richard Kerris, VP…
- BONUS: JAY-Z’s Super Bowl Endgame · 25 minJay-Z has spent years helping decide who performs at the Super Bowl halftime show. Now he’s taking the stage himself. After a year of stadium shows and playing offense, his 2027…
- Inside Ticketmaster: Fans, Fraud, and False Narratives · 25 minI sat down with Saumil Mehta, Global President of Ticketmaster, at the 2026 Trapital Summit to talk about the future of ticketing. Saumil and I discussed the challenges of…
- Amazon's Big Bets on Music, Twitch, and Podcasts · 27 minI sat down with Steve Boom, VP of Audio, Twitch & Games, at the 2026 Trapital Summit to talk about the competition for your attention. Boom oversees Amazon Music, Wondery…
- Why Some Artists Go Global (and Others Don't) · 17 minBrazil’s biggest music stars can build massive audiences at home, while Nigeria’s global stars often find most of their listeners abroad. Both are finding success, but the paths…
- The Business of Sold Out Tours and Festivals · 21 minKevin Shivers started in an agency mailroom at 31. Today, he’s Co-President of Music at THE·TEAM, representing artists including Tyler, the Creator, Leon Thomas, and Kali Uchis…
- KevOnStage Keeps It Real on Touring Economics, Tubi, and Ownership · 32 minKevOnStage has millions of followers, a growing production company, and the largest creator deal Tubi has signed to date. But live touring still drives roughly 60% of his…
- Larry Mestel on What Makes a Song Worth Millions · 26 minI sat down with Primary Wave CEO Larry at the Trapital Summit. When Larry started Primary Wave in 2006, the company had roughly $60 million to invest. Twenty years later…
- What We Learned at Trapital Summit 2026 · 21 minThe third annual Trapital Summit is officially in the books. We are joined by MIdiA Research's Tati Cirisano to look back on what happened in Los Angeles, from the standout…
- Buyer Beware: The Rise of Debt in Music Rights Deals · 15 minIn our final bold prediction before Trapital Summit, Guillaume de Chalendar, Executive Vice President and Head of Media and Entertainment Banking at Banc of California, joins us…
- Who Will Win in the AI Music Courtroom? · 33 minAI music’s legal landscape is getting more complicated. We break down three questions at the center of the debate: whether AI can learn from copyrighted work, how companies…
- What Dollywood Got Right About Artist-Led Businesses · 33 minDolly Parton’s most valuable asset wasn’t her music, it was her theme park. We kickoff the episode with an exploration of Dollywood. Then on our road to Trapital Summit, Shot…
- Should Netflix Start Streaming Music? · 34 minCould music become Netflix’s next big content category? In this episode, we break down Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl’s case for bringing music to Netflix, why it could…
- Why Investors Are Looking Beyond Iconic Music Catalogs · 32 minThe music business has changed dramatically over the past decade, especially in the independent sector. We sit down with Flexpoint Ford's Managing Director, Mike Morris, to…
- Jay-Z’s Year of Offense, Explained · 32 minJay-Z's 2026 has been a victory lap of sorts. Anniversary shows, stadium runs, and enemies put on notice. He’s focused on the music, yet less public on the business moves. But…
- Bold Predictions: The Future for Songwriters and Creators · 32 minOur third annual Trapital Summit is right around the corner, live September 15 at the Sunset Room Hollywood. We're kicking off a new segment called Bold Predictions, where you’ll…
- Remembering Clive Davis: 1932 - 2026 · 17 minMy April 2026 interview with Clive Davis (watch here or listen here) was one of his last before he passed away in June 2026. Here are my reflections on my interactions with…
- When AI Writes Code and Makes Music, What's Left for Humans? · 30 minAI keeps getting called music's biggest threat. Or its biggest opportunity. Both framings miss the point. The real question is harder: if AI can handle the cognitive work…
- Find Your Interstellar: Why Some Art Ages Well · 29 minInterstellar wasn't a phenomenon when it dropped in 2014. Now it's widely seen as a masterpiece. It’s more popular now than it was on release. How does that happen? Can we see…
- Why Everything Feels the Same Now · 33 minWas there ever truly a "monoculture”? Or have we been telling ourselves a comforting story about past shared experience? We sit down with Tatiana Cirisano, VP of Music Strategy…
- K-Pop's Paradox: Why BTS Fans Aren’t K-Pop Fans · 28 minK-Pop is in a unique situation. The genre “feels” like it’s everywhere. BTS, Blackpink, Stray Kids, and KPop **Demon Hunters have topped Billboard and Netflix charts. But recent…
- Arena Tours: The Truth Behind “Blue Dot Fever” · 27 min"Blue dot fever" is the new phrase floating around for artists whose tours have seat maps full of unsold blue dots for concerts, especially in arenas and stadiums. It’s said to…
- Music Catalogs: Is There Ever A Good Time to Sell? · 36 minThe multiples for music rights and catalog sales continue to rise, despite high interest rates. Selling can look rational in the moment but great music keeps finding new formats…
- Troy Carter on Why Suno Changes Everything · 37 minI sat down with Troy Carter during SXSW in Austin. We talked about Suno role in music, where record labels stand today, artist management, catalog sales, estates, we covered it…
- Artists and AI: Offense, Defense, and the Future of Music · 19 minIs “Artists vs. AI” the wrong way to think about music’s future? At HumanX, I hosted a conversation with Splice CEO Kakul Srivastava and Universal Music Group’s Michael Nash on…
- SoundCloud’s Big Bet for the AI Era · 37 minSoundCloud is at a turning point, and CEO Eliah Seton takes us inside the strategy shaping its future. In this conversation, we break down how SoundCloud evolved into a…
- Clive Davis Part 2: Reviving Careers, Industry Power, and Leaving a Legacy · 32 minIn part two, you'll hear Clive Davis reflect on strategic decisions made when running a record label and career revivals he helped shape that defined another chapter of his run…
- Clive Davis Part 1: Whitney Houston, Resilience, and The World's Greatest Party · 31 minI sat down with the legendary record executive Clive Davis. We looked back on the career-defining moments that made him one of the most influential figures in music. He shares…
- Coachella’s Dilemma: Stadium Money vs. Festival Money · 30 minCoachella sold out in five days after announcing Justin Bieber as headliner. That's the good news. The bad news? It tells you how hard it's become to book a headline act who can…
- Talent Agencies: Who Leads the Next Era? · 31 minNow that Wasserman Agency has rebrand itself to "The Team," what's next? Who will lead The Team? Who will the new owner be? What will they do with it? Elsewhere in the talent…
- Can AI Music Creation Be a Real Growth Market? · 33 minAs streaming growth slows, the music industry is searching for its next big opportunity. One of the leading bets? AI-powered music creation. I'm joined by MIDiA Research’s Tati…
- Live Nation and DOJ Settled. Now What? · 29 minThe Department of Justice has settled its lawsuit against Live Nation - Ticketmaster. There will be no breakup of the live entertainment company, but Live Nation has agreed to…
- Private Investors Love Music. Why Doesn’t Wall Street? · 28 minInvestors have poured more money into music than ever before. Music as an asset class if hotter than ever,. But the public markets have discounted the value of music companies…
- Is The Sphere… A Good Business? · 35 minSphere Entertainment is now profitable, Wizard of Oz was a hit, and more locations are coming. Has the business turned the corner, or are there still question marks? In this…
- Follow The Money: EVEN, Duetti, and The New Deal Stack · 43 minIn music right now, the winners aren’t just the artists with the biggest audiences, they’re the teams that control the infrastructure. First, I sit down with Mag Rodriguez, CEO…
- Why Netflix and Spotify Won in Paid Streaming · 26 minFor the past 20 years, subscription streaming has produced an outcome that still gets overlooked. The category winners weren’t the big tech giants or the major studios. In music…
- Inside Grammy Week: Galas, Deal Rooms, and “The Two Grammys” · 38 minWe just came back from the 68th Grammy Awards. I am joined by Tati Cirisano of MIDiA Research break down what it’s actually like to the experience the Grammys up close from…
- Can YouTube Have It All? · 19 minYouTube is the biggest TV, music, and video platform in the world, but it’s not satisfied. The company still wants to compete for the dollars that go to traditional TV. But can…
- The Rise of Reels: Meta’s $50B Ad Machine · 23 minMeta’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…
- Music is a $47 Billion Industry. Why Isn’t It Bigger? · 35 minIn 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…
- Polymarket and Kalshi: Financial Tools or Casinos? · 26 minPrediction 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…
- How MTV Lost Its Way · 51 minPeople 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…
- Five Bold Predictions: Netflix and Spotify, AI-Powered Industry, The Big 3’s Future, and More · 16 minWe 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…
- What's a Grammy Worth? New Voters, New Winners, and Rewriting History · 38 minThis 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…
- Building Businesses Around Artists with Firebird Music CEO Nathan Hubbard · 26 minAt 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…
- Investing in Music Rights with Shamrock Capital’s Jason Sklar · 26 minWe continue our Trapital Summit series with Jason Sklar, a partner at Shamrock Capital, to explore music rights as an asset class, as well as gaming, film, and more. We discuss…
- Udio CEO Andrew Sanchez on AI’s Future in Music · 28 minWe continued our Trapital Summit series with our talk with Udio CEO Andrew Sanchez and MIDiA Research’s Tati Cirisano. AI is rapidly transforming how music is created…
