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 Justin Tinsley to break it all down. We discuss why Jay went "all offense" this year, how the cultural conversation around wealth turned on him, his music, Roc Nation, the Super Bowl Halftime Show, and more. After Justin’s segment, we have a bold prediction from Symphonic CEO Jorge Brea. CHAPTERS 05:13 2026 is Jay Z's "All Offense" Year 09:14 Billionaire Scrutiny and Public Image 17:12 The American Carnival 26:32 Who Will Perform at the Super Bowl in 2027? Bold Prediction: Symphonic’s Jorge Brea Trapital Summit Tickets - Get your tickets here SPONSORSChartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week TRAPITAL Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

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 will mint a new kind of creator the way that sampling once did. CHAPTERS 04:13 Bold Predictions: A New Series 04:58 Lucas Keller: The Future for Songwriters 11:47 Why The AI Threat is Overstated 17:26 Maurice Slade: The Dawn of a New Creator 22:57 When Music Becomes Self Expression Trapital Summit Tickets - Early bird pricing ends July 15 SPONSORS Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week TRAPITAL Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

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 Music Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week TRAPITAL Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

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 AudioShake works — not generative AI, but subtractive stem separation and why physical media and community could be music's quiet hedge against digital abundance. CHAPTERS 04:53 Music vs. Code 07:46 Taste and Differentiation 14:27 Should We Label AI Music? 17:41 How AudioShake Works 26:23 Vibe Coding, Jobs, and Disruption SUMMIT Get your Trapital Summit tickets here SPONSORS Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week Symphonic: Distribute your music to one of the largest networks in the industry. Symphonic delivers your music to over 200 digital service providers ensuring that you’re monetizing every stream and use of your music on Spotify, TikTok, YouTube, and more TRAPITAL Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

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 Buckets 03:25 Cruel Summer, Mr. Brightside, Queen, Freaks and Geeks 06:01 Dan's Top 5 13:55 What Enables Reappraisal 18:39 Recent Candidates 26:30 Why Reappraisal Fails SPONSORS Trapital Summit Tickets - Get them here Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week TRAPITAL Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

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 More Fragmented Than We Remember 05:42 Consumption vs. Consciousness 10:35 Stages, Porches, and Living Rooms 15:44 Internet Culture Sameness 20:39 Algorithms as Gatekeepers 29:03 Live Events and Differentiation SPONSORS Trapital Summit Tickets Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week Symphonic: Distribute your music to one of the largest networks in the industry. Symphonic delivers your music to over 200 digital service providers ensuring that you’re monetizing every stream and use of your music on Spotify, TikTok, YouTube, and more TRAPITAL Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

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 KreatorsNetwork. We discussed how K-Pop’s demand is centralized at the top, why even a phenomenon like KPop Demon Hunters didn't lift the rest of the genre, and what Western labels keep getting wrong when they try to copy the model. We dive deep into Korea's "export or die" culture, and what other sports may teach music about reaching new audiences. CHAPTERS 04:47 The Status of K-Pop 08:28 The Impact of BTS' Hiatus 17:02 The Limitations of Superfan Monetization 24:38 "Export or Die" Model 29:44 Inflation's Impact on Music 31:28 Lessons from Formula 1 SPONSORS Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week Symphonic: Distribute your music to one of the largest networks in the industry. Symphonic delivers your music to over 200 digital service providers ensuring that you’re monetizing every stream and use of your music on Spotify, TikTok, YouTube, and more TRAPITAL Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

"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 What is Blue Dot Fever? 08:07 Ticket Costs and Pricing 13:06 The Leap to Arena Tours 18:17 Tour Packaging and Residencies 20:35 VIP & Ancillary Revenue SPONSORS Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week Symphonic: Distribute your music to one of the largest networks in the industry. Symphonic delivers your music to over 200 digital service providers ensuring that you’re monetizing every stream and use of your music on Spotify, TikTok, YouTube, and more TRAPITAL Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

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 Dolls), the ones that got away, and Round Hill's public and private journey over the past decade and a half. CHAPTERS 01:54 Deal cycles in music rights 06:05 The Wind-up Records miss 12:45 The Offspring breakthrough 15:49 Goo Goo Dolls and "Iris" 24:02 Round Hill going public, then selling to Concord SPONSORS Trapital Summit Tickets Early bird tickets are available until July 15. Capacity is limited. AI on the Lot The largest AI media conference bringing together artists, innovators, filmmakers, media execs, startups, creators, and developers. Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week TRAPITAL Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

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 Rights 31:26 Prince and Michael Jackson estates SPONSORS Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week TRAPITAL Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.