Episode #12 | JR Denson (CEO and co-founder of Prekindle and Space Colonel Management)

In this episode, we are joined by JR, the visionary CEO and co-founder of Prekindle and Space Colonel Management. We delve into the recently dropped antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation by the DOJ and explore JR's inspiring journey in co-founding Prekindle. Discover how his company stands out by refusing to lock clients into contracts, their seamless integration with Prism, and JR's remarkable approach to maintaining authenticity in business. Additionally, we discuss the transformative potential of AI in the music industry and what the future holds. Tune in for an enlightening conversation that blends entrepreneurial insights with the cutting edge of technology.

After signing with Atlantic Records as a singer-songwriter and touring for years, J.R. quickly went the entrepreneurial route and helped start Prekindle where he’s currently CEO. Prekindle is an event ticketing and marketing platform started in Texas which now hosts 50,000 events a year across the US - including concerts, festivals, food & drink events, classes, attractions and everything in between. Denson has also built a career as an artist manager, having first discovered Charley Crockett and helped him to build a global touring and recording business. J.R. went on to cofound Space Colonel which now manages 14 music clients in the Country/Americana/Folk space including Shooter Jennings, Jason Boland and The Stragglers, Benjamin Tod, Lost Dog Street Band, The Lone Bellow, Kat Hasty, Beau Bedford. Via Space Colonel, J.R. also runs a publishing joint venture with Warner Chappell where they represent a growing roster of songwriters. His original mission to bring communities together through events and music has turned into a career that now spans 15+ years - over that time, J.R. has played a part in 10 million attendee experiences and counting. 

(00:25) - DOJ suing Live Nation & Ticketmaster
(05:10) - Government intervention in businesses
(08:10) - Monopolistic practices
(11:45) - The Prekindle origin story
(14:50) - Prekindle’s growth trajectory
(16:30) - Prekindle’s model differentiation
(19:20) - How Prekindle competes
(21:25) - Prekindle’s bootstrapped operation
(25:10) - Space Kernel origin story
(28:15) - Discovering Charley Crockett
(29:50) - SaveLive Prekindle partnership
(35:20) - Prekindle’s biggest challenge
(37:45) - Unique approach to business
(41:00) - Seamless Prism+Prekindle integration
(44:05) - Incorporating AI into business
(46:15) - Vision for the future