Sound Connections

For our next partnership episode, we have Collette Tibbetts, founder of Joker Deck, for a no‑fluff look at why music tech investing demands wild card thinking.Collette blends her experience as a songwriter and investor to explain why traditional VC frameworks often fall short in the music space—and how her angel syndicate, Joker Deck, is flipping the script. Drawing from industry nuance, lived artistic insight, and behavioral economics, she argues for smaller checks, deeper support, and an entirely new way to frame value.___________________________________________________________________________Sponsored by Allfeat: Decentralized Blockchain Solutions for the Music Industry - https://www.allfeat.com/Produced by Amplitude Ventures Consulting: Partners in Early-Stage Music Tech - https://amplitude.ventures

With over 20 releases, a Netflix series soundtrack, and chairing Denmark’s top songwriting organizations, Danish musician and advocate dives deep into the challenges of sustaining a music career in an industry where streaming pays fractions and social media demands pay-to-play tactics.Find out how Anna Lidell's startup, SLEEVE, enables musicians to build direct, monetizable relationships with their fans—bypassing traditional gatekeepers and finally giving artists ownership of their audience. Building with a lean team to generate more income from a handful of superfans than from Spotify streams, Anna reflects on the broken music revenue system and explains the power of community, authentic storytelling, and owning your audience using timing, trust, and a craving for authenticity.Explore the platform; https://sleeve.fm/sleeve-for-artists/___________________________________________________________________________Sponsored by Allfeat: Decentralized Blockchain Solutions for the Music Industry - https://www.allfeat.com/Produced by Amplitude Ventures Consulting: Partners in Early-Stage Music Tech - https://amplitude.ventures

How does a song become a multi-million dollar asset? With a career that began in talent and label management at M.E.R. Group—home to EDM icon Alan Walker—Yonas brings a unique, full-stack perspective on what gives music lasting value. Now leading operations at one of the most sophisticated music investment funds in the U.S., he reveals the internal mechanics behind valuing music catalogs, why evergreens matter, and how his team builds a generational portfolio from both legacy artists and active creators.All this and more as we sit with Yonas Aregai, Chief of Staff at Gold State Music, to explore the fast-evolving world of music rights acquisition.Learn more about Gold State Music; https://goldstate.com/___________________________________________________________________________Sponsored by Allfeat: Decentralized Blockchain Solutions for the Music Industry - https://www.allfeat.com/Produced by Amplitude Ventures Consulting: Partners in Early-Stage Music Tech - https://amplitude.ventures

With roots in building digital experiences for artists like Childish Gambino and SZA, Megh and Chuka co-founded  Symphony — an all-in-one marketing platform tailored for creators. In this episode, they share their journey from agency life to launching a scalable SaaS solution that simplifies marketing, data, and fan engagement for a new generation of artists. From LA grind to AI-driven global impact, this is a candid look into the future of music tech.Learn more about Symphony here; https://beta.symphonyos.co/homepage___________________________________________________________________________Sponsored by Allfeat: Decentralized Blockchain Solutions for the Music Industry - https://www.allfeat.com/Produced by Amplitude Ventures Consulting: Partners in Early-Stage Music Tech - https://amplitude.ventures

PARTNERSHIP WITH WALLIFORNIA 2025We explore the evolution of music discovery alongside Aurélien Hérault, Chief Innovation Officer at Deezer. From early editorial playlists to today’s AI-powered recommendation engines, Aurélien explains why Deezer labels—and withholds promotion of—100 % AI-generated tracks, how it detects fraudulent streaming activity, and the metrics that guide “lean-back” versus “discovery” modes. You are about to listen to a clear, behind-the-scenes look at the technology and ethical choices shaping what you hear next.Explore Deezer here; www.deezer.comAbout the 9th edition of the Wallifornia Music + Tech Summit in July 2025;https://walliforniamusictech.com/___________________________________________________________________________Sponsored by Allfeat: Decentralized Blockchain Solutions for the Music Industry - https://www.allfeat.com/Produced by Amplitude Ventures Consulting: Partners in Early-Stage Music Tech - https://amplitude.ventures

Let's explore the journey of Tom Allen, CTO of Downtown Music Group and founder of Curve. Tom shares how he went from an independent-label intern to building a bootstrapped music-data platform that earned its acquisition. You’ll hear his insights on blending deep technical know-how with customer-driven iteration, and how he fosters a people-first culture across global engineering teams, the value of staying close to the user, and why being “leaderful” matters more than just leading. A masterclass in music techLearn about Curve: https://www.curveforcreators.com/about-curveLearn about Downtown Music: https://downtownmusic.com/___________________________________________________________________________Sponsored by Allfeat: Decentralized Blockchain Solutions for the Music Industry - https://www.allfeat.com/Produced by Amplitude Ventures Consulting: Partners in Early-Stage Music Tech - https://amplitude.ventures

In a world where billions of songs compete for attention, one company is ensuring every creator gets paid what they’re owed. Hans Peter Roth shares how he transformed Muserk from a microsync licensing side project into the leading U.S. rights administrator, claiming an unexpected \$500K from YouTube in 2017 and growing to manage over 20 million works today. He explains why U.S. mechanical royalties are a tangle all their own, how strategic pivots and industry partnerships drive growth, and why markets in Africa and APAC hold massive untapped potential. Plus, discover the metadata challenges of AI-generated “ghost” tracks and the role of standards like DDEX in cleaning up the data chaos. In this episode, learn about a clear, factual look at the infrastructure that powers a fairer, more transparent music industry.Visit Muresk here; https://muserk.com/___________________________________________________________________________Sponsored by Allfeat: Decentralized Blockchain Solutions for the Music Industry - https://www.allfeat.com/Produced by Amplitude Ventures Consulting: Partners in Early-Stage Music Tech - https://amplitude.ventures

Turntable.fm was Joseph Perla’s first breakout hit in 2011 — now he’s back with Hangout.fm, a fully licensed platform that brings shared music experiences online. In this episode, Joseph reveals how a failed music rights negotiation taught him lessons that shaped his career at Facebook and Lyft, and fueled his four-year battle to secure label agreements for Hangout.fm.How did he raise funding from Founders Fund, partner with Discord and other social apps alongside his plans to roll out virtual goods?They are all in this episode.Explore the platform here; https://hangout.fm/___________________________________________________________________________Sponsored by Allfeat: Decentralized Blockchain Solutions for the Music Industry - https://www.allfeat.com/Produced by Amplitude Ventures Consulting: Partners in Early-Stage Music Tech - https://amplitude.ventures

From island beats to global charts, Gineyda Cornelio, Director of Marketing & Latin Strategy at AudioMack is rewriting the rules of today’s music business. She traces her own path from club social-media gigs in Miami to guiding AudioMack’s Latin growth, then breaks down the numbers behind the genre’s 19% listener surge, the rise of independent distribution, and why Bad Bunny, Karol G, and regional Mexican stars are changing global charts. She shares candid insights on licensing hurdles, touring economics, and the power of color-coded branding that turns casual listeners into loyal advocates.___________________________________________________________________________Sponsored by Allfeat: Decentralized Blockchain Solutions for the Music Industry - https://www.allfeat.com/Produced by Amplitude Ventures Consulting: Partners in Early-Stage Music Tech - https://amplitude.ventures

Knowledge is the new currency for independent musicians—and Ryan Schmidt, Esq., wants every artist to have plenty in the bank. In this episode, the artist-turned-music-lawyer explains Foundation App, a gamified pocket “music-business school” for delivering two-to-five-minute lessons on contracts, royalties, publishing, tour deals, mental health, and more. This conversation covers business skills for musicians and shows how shrinking the knowledge gap helps creators dodge bad agreements, forge stronger label and management partnerships, and maps the mindset—and the practical steps—needed to level up and earn sustainably in 2025’s evolving music landscape.Engage with the Foundation App here; http://foundationapp.xyz/___________________________________________________________________________Sponsored by Allfeat: Decentralized Blockchain Solutions for the Music Industry - https://www.allfeat.com/Produced by Amplitude Ventures Consulting: Partners in Early-Stage Music Tech - https://amplitude.ventures