Trapital

Adidas' fascinating history with the Nazi party, turbulent 1990s, and missed opportunities. The Yeezy deal with Kanye West and its controversy. Brands needing to reconsider celebrity partnerships strategy. The reasons behind the Beyoncé and Ivy Park collaboration not working.

Tati Cirisano, music industry expert, joins the podcast to discuss YouTube's impact on the music industry. They explore YouTube's entry into the space, rocky relationships with rights holders, the importance of user-generated content, the monetization-exposure trade-off, improving relationships with the music industry, Content ID, and YouTube's ambition to overtake Spotify. They also discuss the impact of Article 17 on content hosting platforms and explore the paradoxes of Apple, YouTube, and Spotify in the music ecosystem.

Explore the global value of the music industry at $41.5 billion, including topics like data transparency, the rise of vinyl, the relationship between music and gaming, and streaming price increases. The podcast also delves into the lack of transparency in the industry, money allocation and distribution, the future of vinyl sales, the impact of chat GPT on journalism, and the accuracy of global music industry figures.

Explore Reebok's rise and fall, competition with Nike and its role in hip-hop. Discover the Jay-Z x Reebok partnership and its downfall. Learn about the challenges of rapper and Reebok collaborations and the Adidas acquisition. Discuss the cultural clash between Reebok and Adidas and ABG's revival of dormant brands and partnership with Shaq.

The Trapital Report 2023 breaks down big takeaways on streaming, live music, state of hip-hop, and valuable songs. Hip-hop outshines electronic music, with its growth tapering off. Headlines without context impact decisions. Fans want identity, self-expression, and memories. Generative AI, splitting the pie, and different worlds for artists on different tours are also discussed. Historical bias and price influence hip-hop tours. YouTube active users prefer pop audience.

Apple has been the most influential company in music in the 21st century, and music was the major driver behind Apple’s comeback. Join us for a deep dive on where Apple was before its music journey, the impact of iTunes, Steve Jobs, iPod, U2, iPhone, Apple Music, Drake, Taylor Swift, Frank Ocean, and a whole lot more.I’m joined by friend of the pod, Zack O’Malley Greenburg. We discuss how music helped Apple exceed the value of the entire music industry. We also discuss the company’s strategy with software, hardware, and how it all worked together. Hope you enjoy it.[00:03:55] Steve Jobs returns to Apple[00:10:13] iTunes, iPod, iTunes Music Store[00:34:48] How U2 got their own iPod[00:44:20] Why Jobs was against subscription-based music streaming[00:51:27] Apple buys Beats Electronics[00:56:48] How U2’s album got on every iPhone[01:07:54] Apple Music launch[01:14:04] What would Jobs say about Apple’s current music strategy?[01:21:54] Apple Music’s old exclusives strategyEnjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapitalTrapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

No new episode this week. We’re working hard on this year’s Trapital Report, which is out at the end of October! Make sure you’re signed up for our email newsletter to get the report once it’s live.Next week we’re back with another deep dive episode. Listen to this brief episode for a few hints! Talk to you next week.

This episode is all about Pandora Music. In the post-iPhone era, Pandora was the early favorite in music streaming. We break down its decade-long journey to get there, its rise in popularity, IPO, SiriusXM, and how and why it got beat by other competitors.I’m joined by friend of the show, Tati Cirisano from MIDiA Research. Here’s what we discussed:[00:05:50] The Music Genome Project[00:09:37] Rejected by 300 VCs[00:14:44] Pandora’s legal battles[00:18:22] Pandora vs Spotify[00:40:50] The SiriusXM era[00:54:15] Changing cultureEnjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapitalTrapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

In May 2023, I gave a talk at the Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business - Black Leadership Conference. I explored the future of music, industry trends, and its impact on Black artists. Hip-hop culture sets the trends that society follows. I explore all that and more.[00:06:18] Beyond the vanity metrics[00:08:06] Whitney Houston estate[00:13:16] The OutKast Edge[00:19:51] Q&A: Leveling up at each stage of growthEnjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapitalTrapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

You can't tell the story about hip-hop without telling the story of Def Jam. We break down the business behind of one of the most iconic record labels of all time. Join me, Dan Runcie, and friend of the pod, Zack Greenburg, as we discuss the triumphs and challenges that shape Def Jam and its legacy.[00:04:44] Def Jam influence on modern hip hop[00:08:59] How Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin met[00:18:18] Simmons and Rubin part ways[00:26:23] Lyor Cohen takes over, Polygram deal[00:34:24] Def Comedy Jam and Def Poetry Jam[00:42:59] Late 90s run: DMX, Jay Z, and the UMG sale[00:52:11] Def Jam Vendetta[00:58:27] Jay Z becomes CEO[01:12:09] LA Reid, Def Jam in the 2010s[01:21:54] Most effective Def Jam CEO?[01:28:31] Dark horse move?[01:38:05] Missed opportunitiesEnjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapitalTrapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.