Trapital

A webinar recording of "The Best Hip-Hop Album Rollouts of All-Time," a conversation on the best album rollouts in hip-hop since the year 2000. I’m joined by Ernest Wilkins of Office Hours.We break down the marketing tactics that make a good album release and each shared our top five list of albums rollouts. Our lists include some big releases by Kanye West, Dreamville, Beyonce, and many more!Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSSHost: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.coGuest: Ernest Wilkins, @ernestwilkins, officehoursnewsletter.comHip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the execs, CEOs, and moguls who read Trapital: trapital.co

A webinar recording of "Def Jam's Past, Present, and Future," a conversation on the past decade of business decisions made by one of hip-hop's most storied record labels.Gary and I discuss the highlights, the lowlights, and who should lead the label next.Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSSGary Suarez ( @noyokono ) runs a hip-hop newsletter called Cabbages. He's a music journalist with bylines in Vulture, Entertainment Weekly, NPR and VICE.To learn more about his work, sign up for his newsletter at https://cabbages.substack.com/Dan Runcie is the founder of Trapital, a media company that covers the business of hip-hop.Learn more at: https://trapital.co 

Music executive Binta Brown talked about why she left a successful career as an attorney to enter the music industry. We talk about the opportunities she saw and how the industry differs from other forms of media. We also talked about her work leading the Black Music Action Coalition, an advocacy organization formed to address systemic racism in the music industry. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSS Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Guest: Binta Brown, @batnib Link: Black Music Action Coalition Hip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the execs, CEOs, and moguls who read Trapital: trapital.co

The mogul and hip-hop legend Percy Miller (!!) came on to talk about why he and ex-NBA star Baron Davis want to acquire Reebok. We also talked about his new Master P Reviews channel on YouTube, supporting Black businesses, how his strategy differs from Jay Z and Kanye West, and lessons learned from studying the late Reginald Lewis, the Wall Street banker who started the first Black-owned billion dollar company.If you want to learn it straight from the No Limit Records legend himself, this is the episode for you.Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSSHost: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.coGuest: Master P, @masterpLink: “Why Do White Guys Have All The Fun” - Reginald Lewis “What Hip-Hop Gets Wrong About Master P and No Limit” - Trapital Hip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the execs, CEOs, and moguls who read Trapital: trapital.co

A recording of the Why Artists Are Selling Their Music Catalogs webinar from December 19. We broke down the reasons why so many artists sold their catalogs in 2020, the companies that want them, and where this trend is heading.Karl Fowlkes is an entertainment attorney whose clients include artists, musicians, athletes, producers and creative companies that have amassed millions of streams, RIAA certifications. He's also a music industry professor at Rowan University and Drexel University.To learn more about his work, visit: https://www.fowlkesfirm.com/Dan Runcie is the founder of Trapital, a media company that covers the business of hip-hop. Learn more at: https://trapital.co

Columbia Records’ Head of Urban Music Phylicia Fant came on to talk about her career in the music industry. Before Columbia, she had executive roles at both Warner and Motown, and launched The Purple Agency. We talked about the superstar artists she’s worked with, the challenges the industry has faced in 2020, the use of the word “urban” in the music industry, and more. We also talked about the documentary she worked on--Eggs Over Easy: Black Women & Fertility. If you’re interested in how major record labels have navigated all the changes in 2020, then 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: Phylicia Fant Links: Eggs Over Easy: Black Women & Fertility Hip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the execs, CEOs, and moguls who read Trapital: trapital.co

Rapper, producer, and entrepreneur Flawless Real Talk joined to talk about how he manages his rap career. He was the runner up on Netflix’s hip-hop competition show Rhythm & Flow, which boosted his career trajectory. But despite all the industry attention, Flawless is still an independent artist. He talks about that decision, the tradeoffs he’s had to make, and what his goals are as an artist. He recently hosted a livestream concert on LIVIT, where he had over 1 million fans join in. If you’re interested in how artists manage tradeoffs between being signed and indie, building a fanbase, and resiliency, then this is the episode for you. Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Guest: Flawless Real Talk, @flawlessri, flawlessri.com Hip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the execs, CEOs, and moguls who read Trapital: trapital.co

CreateSafe co-founder and CEO Daouda Leonard came through to break down his company’s goals in the music industry. In 2020, CreateSafe launched the record deal simulator to empower artists to better manage their careers. Daouda has used these tools to manage Grimes and other artists. It’s planning to launch a publishing simulator and a suite of other products. The goal is to make the music industry’s operating system--an open source tool that offers the transparency the industry needs.  If you’re interested in artist management tools and freemium business models, this is the episode for you. Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Guest: Daouda Leonard, @daoudaleonard, createsafe.io Links: Record Deal Simulator - CreateSafe Bringing Transparency to the Music Industry - The Hustle Hip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the execs, CEOs, and moguls who read Trapital: trapital.co

Cameo CEO and co-founder Steven Galanis came on the pod to talk about his company’s marketplace for personalized celebrity video shoutouts. We broke down Cameo’s growth in the pandemic, finding product-market fit with people who are more famous than they are rich, and tapping into the long tail. We also break down Cameo’s success with hip-hop artists and Black culture, and the future products that may come from the company. If you’re interested in how marketplaces are built, creating flywheels, and finding product-market fit, this is the episode for you. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | RSS Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Guest: Steven Galanis, cameo.com, @bookcameo Links: How Cameo Blew Up During Quarantine - New Yorker Why The Music Industry Should Be Tuning Into Cameo - Forbes Hip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the execs, CEOs, and moguls who read Trapital: trapital.co

Dave Macli is the co-founder and CEO of Audiomack, a music streaming provider built for artists. We discuss how Audiomack got started, its business model, and why it’s artist-first approach is so important. It landed early projects by J. Cole, Chance The Rapper, and Jennifer Lopez. Dave is also co-founder of DJBooth, which has had an ongoing partnership with Audiomack. In 2020, Audiomack has strengthened its global footprint in Africa and other continents. If you’re interested in how music streaming execs navigate a rapidly growing landscape, this is the podcast for you. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | YouTube | Overcast | RSS Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Guest: Dave Macli, @audiomacli, audiomack.com Links: Audiomack Announces Partnership with DJBooth Warner Music Inks Licensing Deal with Audiomack for Key African Markets Hip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the execs, CEOs, and moguls who read Trapital: trapital.co