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The late Virgil Abloh’s legacy lives on. From luxury rap to high fashion, his influence changed an entire industry, and several other adjacent ones. In this episode of Trapital, I’m joined by friend of the pod Zack O'Malley Greenburg. We broke down Virgil’s early years that shaped his future, his relationship with Kanye West, brands like Pyrex Vision, Off-White, his 3% rule, his open-sourced approach to business, his highs, lows, and so much more. 00:00 How Virgil entered the fashion world 07:44 Virgil’s influence on hip-hop and ‘luxury rap’ 15:57 Open-source fashion 23:23 The Virgil-Kanye West relationship 27:20 Legacy and controversies Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

The rise and fall of the Yeezy brand is a Hollywood screenplay in the making. But this is less like the movie AIR, and more like The Wolf of Wall Street. To break it all down, I'm joined by Zack O'Malley Greenburg, who covered the Yeezy business through his reporting at Forbes. Together, we explore Kanye West's partnerships with Nike, Adidas, and Gap and the highs and lows along the way. Make sure you listen in for our new Chartmetric stat of the week! 00:00 Kanye West enters the fashion world 08:52 You don’t have the answer, Sway. 24:56 Yeezy becomes a billion dollar brand 30:28 The downfall 37:04 Yeezy’s independent future Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

From gamblers paradise to entertainment mecca, on this episode of Trapital, we take a trip to Las Vegas and how its coveted residencies have evolved over time, the economics of how they work, and predictions for the future. I’m joined by Tati Cirisano from MIDiA Research. We explore the Las Vegas’ origin with mob ties, the ground-breaking 2003 Celine Dion residency, and the changing demographic of Vegas attendees. Want to leave us a question for our upcoming mailbag episode? Leave us a voicemail at memo.fm/trapital This episode is brought to you by DICE. Want to learn more about how you and your artists can reach a packed room of your superfans? Learn more at dice.fm/partners Make sure you listen in for our new Chartmetric stat of the week! 2:30 Las Vegas evolution in music 14:26 Celine Dion's 2003 residency 21:50 The millennial demand 29:59 Weekends with Adele 41:42 The Sphere 48:04 The Future of Residencies Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

We hear a lot about superfans and how important they are for an artist, but we rarely see any data to quantify how valuable they actually are. In this episode, I'm joined by Will Page, author of Pivot and former chief economist at Spotify, to break down his most recent report, Soundcloud Rockonomics. We discuss the company’s Fan Powered Royalties, the user centric model, how artists like Lil Uzi Vert can measure their fans, and the impact on the industry. Today’s episode is brought to you by Bandzoogle. Build a stunning website today. Start your free 30-day trial and use promo code ‘trapital’ to get 15% off your first year. Make sure you listen in for our new Chartmetric stat of the episode! 00:00 SoundCloud’s fan-powered royalties 12:17 Lil Uzi Vert’s superfans 20:17 Helping artists nurture superfans 25:14 Streaming fraud 29:09 What the industry can learn from this model Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

This episode is about music's biggest night. But we’re not interested in who should win. This is about the business behind the show and everything surrounding it. We break down how the show makes money for CBS and the Recording Academy despite the viewership decline, the massive For Your Consideration business, the campaigning required to win an award, and major controversies over the years. I'm joined by Zack O'Malley Greenburg, friend of the pod, who covered The Grammys several times while at Forbes. This episode is brought to you by DICE. Want to learn more about how you and your artists can reach a packed room of your superfans? Learn more at dice.fm/partners Make sure you listen in for our new Chartmetric stat of the week! 00:31 Why The Grammys were started 08:04 The Grammys cultural impact over time. 16:50 How The Grammy elevated the perception of musicians 32:03 How The Recording Academy Works 52:15 Changes we would make to The Grammys Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

It's been over 10 years since State Farm's first Chris Paul - Cliff Paul ad. It's been over 20 years since GEICO first introduced the gecko. These ads from insurance companies have been the biggest ad campaigns and their impact continues to grow. I'm joined by Dr. Marcus Collins, who helped develop the Chris Paul - Cliff Paul campaign during his time at Translation. We talked about why there are so many insurance ads, how Chris Paul - Cliff Paul happened, and how its legacy lives on. This episode is brought to you by Primary Wave, the home for legends. Learn more about how Primary Wave continues to legacy of the biggest artists from yesterday and today at primarywave.com Make sure you listen in for our new Chartmetric stat of the week! Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

Radio is the music format with nine lives. Despite all of the new evolutions in AI, streaming, and short-form video, radio continues to live on; and will do so for several more years. In this episode, I’m joined by a friend of the pod, Tati Cirisano from MIDiA Research. We dive into radio’s impact in music over the years, current cutbacks and layoffs, and what the future of radio looks like in today’s era. Today’s episode is brought to you by Bandzoogle. Build a stunning website today. Start your free 30-day trial and use promo code ‘trapital’ to get 15% off your first year. Make sure you listen in for our new Chartmetric stat of the week! 09:100 The underestimation of radio’s impact. 15:20 Debates for royalty payments 22:20 How streaming flipped radio's role in promotion 37:15 The Breakfast Club's success 48:14 What streaming can learn from radio Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

Music has several big new stars with tons of talent, but will they ever have a year as big as Taylor Swift and Beyoncé in 2023. Both women have been commercially successful for decades and continue to dominate the charts even to this day. They came up in a different time, which works to their advantage. But what does this mean for the streaming and TikTok era artists who want to break through all the noise? Can they ever reach the same level of stardom? In this episode, I’m joined by Tati Cirisano from MIDiA Research to discuss what it takes, the impact of streaming and TikTok, and whether artists like Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny and others will ever reach the level of superstardom of artists like Beyoncé, Drake, Adele or T Swift. 04:16 Breaking through in a saturated industry 08:32 Monoculture 09:36 The impact of streaming and TikTok 14:30 Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Burna Boy, Post Malone 33:44 Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, SZA 58:29 Morgan Wallen, Bad Bunny 01:11:23 The monetization of streaming by genre This episode is brought to you by Steed, the tax strategy firm built for our industry. Trapital listeners can skip the 1,600 person waitlist and schedule your free tax consultation today. Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

It’s been 3.5 years since McDonald’s Travis Scott meal, and we still see new celebrity fast food meals all the time. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Marcus Collins, author of “For the Culture,” as we explore how fast food chains like McDonald's bounced back to its partnerships with influential artists and musicians. Marcus and I discuss McDonald’s history in celebrity fast food partnerships, how other fast food chains have had their own meals, what works what doesn’t, and where things are headed. 03:20 Why McDonald’s partnered with artists. 07:19 McDonald's and the McJordan. 16:39 The impact of social media on celebrity fast food meals. 27:53 The Travis Scott meal. 44:47 How fast food chains partnered with artists. Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

Adidas has one of the most insane backstories of any major apparel company. From its ties to the Nazi party, and its turbulent relationship with Kanye West, to its partnerships with Hip-Hop, and its influence in soccer, we cover it all. We also talk about the brands rise, its strongest years, Beyoncé, Ivy Park, and why celestial star power isn't always enough. In this episode I’m joined by friend of the pod Zack O’Malley Greenburg as we break it all down. We examine Adidas’ story history, strategic moves, missteps and more. 03:40 Adidas’ history with the Nazi party. 20:04 Adidas' turbulent 1990s and missed opportunities. 34:12 Adidas’ Yeezy deal with Kanye West. 41:07 The Yeezy anti-semitism controversy. 47:19 Brands need to reconsider celebrity partnerships strategy. 58:20 Why Beyoncé and Ivy Park didn’t work. Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo. This episode was brought to you by Audiense. Take your marketing strategy to the next level. Trapital listeners can start a free trial of Audiense. Learn more here. This episode was brought to you by Bevel . Get 20% off everything sitewide until 12/22! Visit getbevel.com.

It’s hard to imagine what music would be like today without YouTube. The platform has done more to lower the entry barriers to music creation and distribution than any other platform. From the early days when acts like Soulja Boy harnessed the raw power of YouTube to drive their careers, to modern narratives like NBA YoungBoy mastering Creator culture, in this episode we delve into how YouTube's become an essential player in the music industry. In this episode, I’m joined by Tati Cirisano from MIDiA Research to discuss the origins of YouTube entering the space, the rocky relationships with music rights holders, the importance of UGC (User Generated Content), and so much more. [00:01:23] YouTube Enters The Music Industry [00:08:37] Google Acquires YouTube, DMCA [00:21:12] The Monetization-Exposure Trade Off [00:28:36] YouTube’s “Value Gap” [00:44:48] Improving Relationships With The Music Industry [00:49:49] Content ID [00:56:44] YouTube and AI This episode is brought to you by Downtown Music, the world leader in music services with over 2 million clients. Visit Downtown today to learn more. Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.

How much money does the music industry really make on an annual basis? The answer is not as straightforward as you think. Most of the outlets that publish figures only report on one side of the business. But since 2014, former Spotify chief economist and author Will Page has made it his job to answer this question in his annual report on global music copyright. This year the global value is at $41.5 billion. In this episode, I’m joined by Will and friend of the show, Tati Cirisano from MIDiA Research. We dive deep into the key findings of the report, the growth of publishing, vinyl sales, why “back catalog” is a dated term, AI’s disruption, and a whole lot more. [00:04:06] The need for data transparency [00:30:51] The rise of vinyl [00:46:43] How music relates to gaming [00:54:42] Streaming price increases This episode is brought to you by DICE. Want to learn more about how you and your artists can reach a packed room of your superfans? Learn more at dice.fm/partners Want to write a guest post while I’m on paternity leave in 2024? Here’s the form to fill out Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital’s free memo.