Trapital

21:05

The Business of Sold Out Tours and Festivals

Trapital ·

2026/10/14

Kevin Shivers started in an agency mailroom at 31. Today, he’s Co-President of Music at THE·TEAM, representing artists including Tyler, the Creator, Leon Thomas, and Kali Uchis. His approach to building the agency centers on teamwork, developing artists, and what he calls “unreasonable hospitality.”Kevin sat down with Billboard’s Taylor Mims at the Trapital Summit to break down his journey, what he looks for when signing artists, and how he’s helped grow Tyler, the Creator’s touring business over

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31:36

KevOnStage Keeps It Real on Touring Economics, Tubi,...

Trapital ·

2026/10/08

KevOnStage has millions of followers, a growing production company, and the largest creator deal Tubi has signed to date. But live touring still drives roughly 60% of his revenue, while his TV shows are more about building his long-term business.Kev and I sat down at the Trapital Summit to break down his business model, why he can sometimes make more money selling 300 tickets at a church than 1,000 tickets at a traditional venue, and his frustrations with Live Nation and Ticketmaster fees. We also

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25:35

Larry Mestel on What Makes a Song Worth Millions

Trapital ·

2026/09/30

I sat down with Primary Wave CEO Larry at the Trapital Summit. When Larry started Primary Wave in 2006, the company had roughly $60 million to invest. Twenty years later, Primary Wave raised a record $2.2 billion fund dedicated. It has partnered with the estates and catalogs of Whitney Houston, Prince, Bob Marley, James Brown, Luther Vandross, and more.Larry and I talked about how Primary Wave evaluates music rights, recent acquisitions, the rise of capital in the space, the criticism that the

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21:02

What We Learned at Trapital Summit 2026

Trapital ·

2026/09/18

The third annual Trapital Summit is officially in the books. We are joined by MIdiA Research's Tati Cirisano to look back on what happened in Los Angeles, from the standout moments on stage to the conversations that continued throughout the room. We break down the ideas that sparked the most discussion, the biggest takeaways from the day, and what the Summit revealed about where music, media, entertainment, and finance are headed next. We also reflect on how the event has grown over the past

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14:38

Buyer Beware: The Rise of Debt in Music Rights Deals

Trapital ·

2026/09/14

In our final bold prediction before Trapital Summit, Guillaume de Chalendar, Executive Vice President and Head of Media and Entertainment Banking at Banc of California, joins us to discuss the growing wave of capital entering the music industry. Guillaume explains why artists and rights holders may borrow against their catalogs instead of selling them, along with the risks of overleveraging valuable music assets. We break down lender rights, foreclosure risk, capital stacks, rising loan-to-value

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33:25

Who Will Win in the AI Music Courtroom?

Trapital ·

2026/09/04

AI music’s legal landscape is getting more complicated. We break down three questions at the center of the debate: whether AI can learn from copyrighted work, how companies obtain training data, and whether AI-generated outputs compete with original music.Then, Vydia co-president Jenna Gaudio and NVIDIA’s Shari Reich share bold predictions about context-aware listening and how AI could unlock the value of existing music catalogs. Trapital Summit 2026 is happening on Tuesday, September 15 in Los

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32:38

What Dollywood Got Right About Artist-Led Businesses

Trapital ·

2026/08/27

Dolly Parton’s most valuable asset wasn’ther music, it was her theme park. We kickoff the episode with an exploration of Dollywood. Then on our road to Trapital Summit, Shot Tower Capital’s Rob Law and Antwyne DeLinde joins us for bold prediction: Why AI could increase the value of human-made music, improve royalty collection, and strengthen catalog cash flows. Musixmatch Co-President Marco Paglia also predicts that, within three years, every AI-generated song will be licensed before it

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34:20

Should Netflix Start Streaming Music?

Trapital ·

2026/08/18

Could music become Netflix’s next big content category?In this episode, we break down Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl’s case for bringing music to Netflix, why it could give both Netflix and the music industry more leverage against YouTube, and how advertising could make the opportunity more compelling. We also explore the challenges, from licensing economics and consumer behavior to whether Netflix actually needs a full music offering. Then, on the road to Trapital Summit, Epidemic Sound’s

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32:08

Why Investors Are Looking Beyond Iconic Music Catalogs

Trapital ·

2026/07/31

The music business has changed dramatically over the past decade, especially in the independent sector.We sit down with Flexpoint Ford's Managing Director, Mike Morris, to discuss why independent music has become such an attractive investment opportunity, how fragmentation creates value, and how investors weigh catalog ownership against infrastructure, services, and technology. We also explore what makes a music investment durable in an increasingly competitive market. CHAPTERS 02:26 Why

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32:28

Jay-Z’s Year of Offense, Explained

Trapital ·

2026/07/22

Jay-Z's 2026 has been a victory lap of sorts. Anniversary shows, stadium runs, and enemies put on notice. He’s focused on the music, yet less public on the business moves. But maybe that’s by design.For years, one of Jay Z’s goal was to attain more wealth and become richer. Mission accomplished, he’s the world’s richest musician. But ever since he got there, the climate has long shifted. For public figures, billionaire status is more nuanced and complex than ever before. We're joined by ESPN’s

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31:35

Bold Predictions: The Future for Songwriters and...

Trapital ·

2026/07/13

Our third annual Trapital Summit is right around the corner, live September 15 at the Sunset Room Hollywood. We're kicking off a new segment called Bold Predictions, where you’ll hear from the executives from our sponsors who made this year’s summit possible. Today we’re joined by Lucas Keller, president and founder of Milk & Honey as he explains why shrinking splits could turn songwriting into a vanity business. We’re also joined by Maurice Slade, head of music of SoundCloud, who predicts why AI

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17:24

Remembering Clive Davis: 1932 - 2026

Trapital ·

2026/07/01

My April 2026 interview with Clive Davis (watch here or listen here) was one of his last before he passed away in June 2026. Here are my reflections on my interactions with Clive, and a few parts of his legacy that still get overlooked. You can also revisit our original Trapital episode on Clive’s career Here. CHAPTERS 04:23 Reflecting on our interview 06:03 Clive's overlooked career peak 10:03 Clive's relationship with American Idol 13:15 Clive and the Future of

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30:26

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

Trapital ·

2026/06/09

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 matters? We're joined by Jessica Powell, CEO and co-founder of AudioShake, to figure that out. We talked about why experienced practitioners get the most out of AI, what happens to the creators caught in the middle, and whether "AI-generated" is already a useless label. We also break down how

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29:13

Find Your Interstellar: Why Some Art Ages Well

Trapital ·

2026/06/02

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 episode, we break down the mechanics of a cultural reappraisal: why some polarizing work ages into greatness, and why other art quietly disappears. From Yeezus to Reasonable Doubt, Mr. Brightside to Cruel Summer, the pattern is more predictable than you'd think. CHAPTERS 02:16 The Four

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32:43

Why Everything Feels the Same Now

Trapital ·

2026/05/28

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 unpack how we got from finale watch parties to infinite algorithmic feeds. If culture is so fragmented, why does everything online look, sound, and feel the same? We did more into the great cultural collapse, and whether live events are the last water-cooler moments standing. CHAPTERS 04:11 Was Culture

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28:24

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

Trapital ·

2026/05/19

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 roughly 2% of global streams are from K-Pop, and the genre is and trending down.We are joined by Will Page, former Chief Economist at Spotify and author of Pivot. He released a new report on Music Business Worldwide in collaboration with Jeongbeom ‘JB’ Kim, Chief Data Officer at the Korean-based

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26:44

Arena Tours: The Truth Behind “Blue Dot Fever”

Trapital ·

2026/05/12

"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 cancelled tours. The term is catchy, it captures headlines, but is the “problem” a bit exaggerated?With blue dot fever now part of the discourse, we dive deep into the latest in the business, how agents anticipate demand, and what usually leads to a successful or unsuccessful tour. CHAPTERS 03:27

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35:42

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

Trapital ·

2026/05/05

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 value. But it's hard to look at sales are pure financial decisions. As most investors know, there are countless factors that can go into a sale.We are joined by Josh Gruss, founder of Round Hill Music. We dive deep into the deals that he's worked on that blew past expectations (The Offspring, Goo Goo

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36:52

Troy Carter on Why Suno Changes Everything

Trapital ·

2026/04/28

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 was hosted by Chaka Mahone at his company, DAWA, 4-day event titled Vision 8291, in collaboration with Venice Music, where Troy is the co-founder and CEO. CHAPTERS 03:30 Stayed Ahead of AI News 08:37 Why Suno Matters 14:38 AI and Fair Use 24:25 Art vs. Content 29:43 Investing in Music

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19:27

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

Trapital ·

2026/04/24

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 creative force multiplier for artists, not a replacement. We discussed why music’s supply problem existed long before generative AI, how artists are using new tools to reduce production friction, and why authentic connection still matters more than infinite output. The conversation also breaks down

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