Trapital

When AI Writes Code and Makes Music, What's Left for Humans?

AI keeps getting called music's biggest threat. Or its biggest opportunity. Both framings miss the point. The real question is harder: if AI can handle the cognitive work, what's left that actually…

Find Your Interstellar: Why Some Art Ages Well

Interstellar wasn't a phenomenon when it dropped in 2014. Now it's widely seen as a masterpiece. It’s more popular now than it was on release. How does that happen? Can we see it coming? In this solo…

Why Everything Feels the Same Now

Was there ever truly a "monoculture”? Or have we been telling ourselves a comforting story about past shared experience? We sit down with Tatiana Cirisano, VP of Music Strategy, MIDiA Research to…

K-Pop's Paradox: Why BTS Fans Aren’t K-Pop Fans

K-Pop is in a unique situation. The genre “feels” like it’s everywhere. BTS, Blackpink, Stray Kids, and KPop **Demon Hunters have topped Billboard and Netflix charts. But recent data shows that…

Arena Tours: The Truth Behind “Blue Dot Fever”

"Blue dot fever" is the new phrase floating around for artists whose tours have seat maps full of unsold blue dots for concerts, especially in arenas and stadiums. It’s said to be a precursor to a…

Music Catalogs: Is There Ever A Good Time to Sell?

The multiples for music rights and catalog sales continue to rise, despite high interest rates. Selling can look rational in the moment but great music keeps finding new formats, new buyers, and new…

Troy Carter on Why Suno Changes Everything

I sat down with Troy Carter during SXSW in Austin. We talked about Suno role in music, where record labels stand today, artist management, catalog sales, estates, we covered it all! The conversation…

Artists and AI: Offense, Defense, and the Future of Music

Is “Artists vs. AI” the wrong way to think about music’s future? At HumanX, I hosted a conversation with Splice CEO Kakul Srivastava and Universal Music Group’s Michael Nash on how AI can become a…

SoundCloud’s Big Bet for the AI Era

SoundCloud is at a turning point, and CEO Eliah Seton takes us inside the strategy shaping its future. In this conversation, we break down how SoundCloud evolved into a two-sided marketplace for…

Clive Davis Part 2: Reviving Careers, Industry Power, and Leaving a Legacy

In part two, you'll hear Clive Davis reflect on strategic decisions made when running a record label and career revivals he helped shape that defined another chapter of his run. He discusses the…

Clive Davis Part 1: Whitney Houston, Resilience, and The World's Greatest Party

I sat down with the legendary record executive Clive Davis. We looked back on the career-defining moments that made him one of the most influential figures in music. He shares memories from the…

Coachella’s Dilemma: Stadium Money vs. Festival Money

Coachella sold out in five days after announcing Justin Bieber as headliner. That's the good news. The bad news? It tells you how hard it's become to book a headline act who can actually move 250,000…

Talent Agencies: Who Leads the Next Era?

Now that Wasserman Agency has rebrand itself to "The Team," what's next? Who will lead The Team? Who will the new owner be? What will they do with it? Elsewhere in the talent agency world, CAA has a…

Can AI Music Creation Be a Real Growth Market?

As streaming growth slows, the music industry is searching for its next big opportunity. One of the leading bets? AI-powered music creation. I'm joined by MIDiA Research’s Tati Cirisano to break…

Live Nation and DOJ Settled. Now What?

The Department of Justice has settled its lawsuit against Live Nation - Ticketmaster. There will be no breakup of the live entertainment company, but Live Nation has agreed to several remedies in an…

Private Investors Love Music. Why Doesn’t Wall Street?

Investors have poured more money into music than ever before. Music as an asset class if hotter than ever,. But the public markets have discounted the value of music companies: UMG stock is…

Trapital: Where Business Meets Culture

Is The Sphere… A Good Business?

Sphere Entertainment is now profitable, Wizard of Oz was a hit, and more locations are coming. Has the business turned the corner, or are there still question marks? In this episode, I’m joined by…

Follow The Money: EVEN, Duetti, and The New Deal Stack

In music right now, the winners aren’t just the artists with the biggest audiences, they’re the teams that control the infrastructure. First, I sit down with Mag Rodriguez, CEO and co-founder of…

Why Netflix and Spotify Won in Paid Streaming

For the past 20 years, subscription streaming has produced an outcome that still gets overlooked. The category winners weren’t the big tech giants or the major studios. In music, Spotify became the…