Trapital

The list of brands that Penske Media Corporation owns or has invested in is long: Billboard, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone, Music Business Worldwide, Deadline, and dozens more.What's Penske's long game? Are these companies better off? Where would these companies be without Penske? Which companies are most likely next?To break it all down, I'm joined by

While Drake and Kendrick Lamar trade diss tracks back and forth, we decided to dig into the engine that makes it all possible. How has rap beef evolved in the streaming era and social media? Do the stakes still matter? Who makes money from these beef? How does this impact hip-hop's "decline"?I'm joined by BrandMan Sean, our friend of the pod who had a lot to say abo

Private equity firm KKR has been fascinating to watch in the music rights landscape. Just when you thought they were out, they get pulled back in!In this episode, we break down the past few years of KKR's deals with Chord Music, Kobalt, HarbourView Equity Partners. Why did they sell Chord Music? Why did they partner with HarbourView? What does it say about the broader music rig

On April 11, Taylor Swift’s songs reappeared on TikTok despite the platform's ongoing dispute with her record label, Universal Music Group. This move was made in advance of the release of Taylor’s 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department.On this episode of Trapital, Tatiana Cirisano and I discuss why Swift and UMG don’t see eye-to-eye, competing incentives, who’

We've had plenty of conversations on Trapital about Diddy's business success, so we have to keep that same energy when outlook changes.On this episode, Zack O'Malley Greenburg and I talk about our initial reactions to the allegations surrounding Sean Combs, and we talk about the present state and future of the biggest businesses in his portfolio.Make sure you listen for

Despite the all-time record highs for the live music industry, music festivals haven't quite had the same post-pandemic recovery. Several well-known festivals have closed up shop, and others have had slower than usual demand (even Coachella!)To break it all down, I'm joined by Tati Cirisano from MIDiA Research. Hope you enjoy!Make sure you check out our Chartmetric stat of

Back in the day, each record label had a distinct consumer identity. In the 90s, you knew what to expect from an Interscope album. Def Jam, Jive, Uptown, Cash Money. They all had their own vibe, their own identity, their own brand.So... what the hell happened?In the episode, we talk about how music's landscape shifted, and took the consumer brands with it. Strong brands still e

It's time to dig into the mailbag again. I asked Trapital listeners to send me their most burning questions about the music industry. But this time we’re doing things a bit differently: you’ll be hearing the questions directly from our listeners.We dug into the TikTok vs. UMGc dispute, children’s entertainment media, and the Beyoncé - Verizon relationship leading to albu

2023 was a big year for concert films. Taylor Swift's “Eras Tour” film became the highest grossing concert film of all time with nearly $270M in worldwide box office gross. Beyonce’s Renaissance film grossed over $44M. Was this just a Beyonce and Taylor thing, or will this continue?In this episode, I’m joined by Jimmy Stone, Founder of Alderbrook Companies, to dive deep

There’s been a lot of discussion (and concern) about the impact of generative AI on music and whether the industry is on the verge of another Napster moment. But according to Jessica Powell, CEO of AudioShake, it’s going to take a lot more than a text prompt to kill music as we know it.On today’s episode, Jessica and I did a dive deep into the rise of generative music, its ac