Trapital

Benjy Grinberg, founder and CEO of Rostrum Records, looks back on his journey—how he left what others might consider a dream job to start his own music label. Rostrum has helped put Pittsburg on the map with artists like Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller. Benjy reveals what it has been like to work with those two artists, giving us a snapshot of how their careers took off. Tune in until the end to learn about some of the philanthropic things he has done.If you want to know what it’s like to start your own label, this is the episode for you!Episode Highlights:( 02:40 ) About Pittsburg’s music scene( 03:24 ) Benjy’s transition from L.A. Reid’s assistant to independent music producer( 07:05 ) How he met Wiz Khalifa and their trajectory to success( 11:40 ) On handling different duties at the same time( 17:41 ) The challenges of releasing mixtapes on streaming services( 25:52 ) On doing deals with artists and major labels( 37:40 ) The importance of giving back and mental health awarenessListen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSSHost: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.coGuest: Benjy Grinberg, @benjybenjy, Rostrum RecordsTrapital is home for the business of hip-hop. Gain the latest insights from hip-hop’s biggest players by reading Trapital’s free weekly memo.

An audio version of the Trapital essay “Inside Universal, Sony, and Warner’s Arms Race For Your Attention” Streaming, media, and indies have changed the game for the three biggest major record labels. Here’s a full breakdown on where each company is heading. Host: Dan Runcie, trapital.co Trapital is home for the business of hip-hop. Gain the latest insights from hip-hop’s biggest players by reading Trapital’s free weekly memo:  https://trapital.co/newsletter

Entertainment attorney Leron Rogers, a partner at Fox Rothschild, came on the pod to talk about rising up the ranks as a lawyer. He has represented Kanye West, Rick Ross, Monique, Migos, Steve Harvey, and the Miami Marlins. His goal is to help artists build their business like a Fortune 500 company. They should establish a board of directors. That message is definitely easier with some artists than others! We also talk about Rick Ross and 50 Cent’s beef, artists wanting to own their masters, and advice he gives to up and coming industry execs. If you want to hear all the hats that music industry attorneys wear, this is the episode for you. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSS Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Guest: Leron Rogers, @leronrogers, foxrothschild.com/leron-e-rogers Trapital is home for the business of hip-hop. Gain the latest insights from hip-hop’s biggest players by reading Trapital’s free weekly memo.  trapital.co/newsletter

Cinematic Music Group founder and CEO Jonnyshipes came on the pod to talk about how he’s built Cinematic into an influential entertainment company that other labels are trying to follow. Shipes worked with Smoke DZA, Nipsey Hussle, Joey Badass, and more. In this episode, Shipes breaks down how he partners with major labels, helps artists build their careers, and more. Shipes also loves comedy. He recently signed comedian Druski, who blew up after Drake’s “Laugh Now, Cry Later” video. Druski and Shipes have a few things in the works which he goes more in depth with. If you want to hear about how an indie hip-hop company is run, this is the episode for you. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSS Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Guest: Jonnyshipes, @jonnyshipes, cinematicworldwide.com  Trapital is home for the business of hip-hop. Gain the latest insights from hip-hop’s biggest players by reading Trapital’s free weekly memo.  trapital.co/newsletter

Combs Enterprises President, Tarik Brooks, came on the Trapital Podcast to talk his role managing the Combs Enterprises portfolio of brands, which includes Ciroc, Bad Boy Entertainment, Revolt, Sean John, AquaHydrate, and more.We talked about how to measure Diddy’s value-add as an investor, Tarik’s experience working for both Diddy and Robert L. Johnson, and why Diddy sought mentorship from Ray Dalio, and more.This episode originally ran on February 4, 2020.Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSSHost: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.coGuest: Tarik Brooks, @tarikamin, combsenterprises.comTrapital is home for the business of hip-hop. Gain the latest insights from hip-hop’s biggest players by reading Trapital’s free weekly memo.  trapital.co/newsletter

Twitch’s VP Head of Music, Tracy Chan, came on the podcast to talk about how artists on Twitch are making money. The number of artists making $25,000 on Twitch has grown 16x since the pandemic started. For those making $50,000 or more, the median viewership is 183 fans. That’s wild! We talk about how artists use the platform, gaming culture’s influence, and where the creator economy is heading.Tracy joined Twitch in 2020. He left Spotify where he launched Spotify for Artists, and worked at YouTube before that to help launch its creator platform. Tracy has seen the creator economy at every stage. If you’re interested in this topic, this is the podcast for you.Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSSHost: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.coGuest: Tracy Chan, @tracypchan, twitch.tv/musicLink: Twitch’s Rockonomics - a case study on how musicians make money on the platformTrapital is home for the business of hip-hop. Gain the latest insights from hip-hop’s biggest players by reading Trapital’s free weekly memo.  trapital.co/newsletter

Rap Snacks founder and CEO James Lindsay came on the podcast to talk about his rise in the consumer packaged goods industry. Rap Snacks launched in 1994 and has partnered with artists like Migos, Cardi B, Trina, and Fabolous to sell snack chips.We talk about how Rap Snacks landed distribution space in Walmart, and how to navigate the snack food industry. We also talked about BossUp Bank, the new bank he launched with Master P to reach underserved communities.Lindsay also co-managed Meek Mill, so we talked about his experience there, and some recent advice he gave Meek about Dogecoin!Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.coGuest: James Lindsay, @askfly1, rapsnacks.netTrapital is home for the business of hip-hop. Gain the latest insights from hip-hop’s biggest players by reading Trapital’s free weekly memo.  trapital.co/newsletter

I answered a bunch of questions from Trapital readers and listeners! Monetization in hip-hop vs other genres, rap battle leagues, Square’s Tidal acquisition, women in the music industry, cancel culture, record labels, and tech funding announcements that look like music festival lineups!Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSSHost: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.coTrapital is home for the business of hip-hop. Gain the latest insights from hip-hop’s biggest players by reading Trapital’s free weekly memo.  trapital.co/newsletter

Live Nation Urban’s VP of Business Development & Operations, Brandon Pankey, joined to talk about the post-pandemic return of concerts and music festivals. He recently launched APEX, an advertising video on demand streaming service that will be music-centric. We talk about why he launched it and how he plans to give artists an opportunity to tell their stories. We finished our conversation by talking about the community and education-related work that Brandon has done, and why we have to let the next generation know about the opportunities that are out there! Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Guest: Brandon Pankey, @brandon_pankey, watchapex.com Trapital is home for the business of hip-hop. Gain the latest insights from hip-hop’s biggest players by reading Trapital’s free weekly memo.  trapital.co/newsletter

Music executive Shawn Prez came on the pod to talk about his days as Bad Boy’s VP of Marketing, what set Bad Boy’s Street Team apart, breaking hit records, starting the Ciroc Boyz, his work at Power Moves Inc., and why he decided to launch an award shows to recognize DJs. This episode was originally published on April 7, 2020. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | YouTube | Overcast | RSS Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.coGuest: Shawn Prez, @powermovesprez, powermovesprez.com Link:  Ciroc Boyz – Power Moves Inc. Black Rob – “Whoa” Global Spin Awards Power Moves with Shawn Prez – YouTube