Founder of Trapital: where business shapes culture

Joined March 2009
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Coachella’s dilemma is this: Big artists no longer need festivals. But festivals cost more money than ever to run. Higher prices. Fewer A level stars. Tougher product to sell.
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I hear fireworks going off in SAN FRANCISCO after the Knicks won. Coast to coast celebrations rights now.
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When AI writes code and makes music, what’s left for humans to do? Turns out, there will be plenty to keep us busy. I sat down with AudioShake’s Jessica Powell to discuss on the latest episode of Trapital:
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Interstellar. 808s and Heartbreaks. The Wire. Scarface. They all became much more beloved over time. Here’s why this happens:
I have a theory: The Interstellar Effect. It’s why works like Interstellar, 808s & Heartbreak, The Wire, and Scarface weren’t beloved at first but gained more love over time. Here’s why it happens and how to spot the next one.
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I have a theory: The Interstellar Effect. It’s why works like Interstellar, 808s & Heartbreak, The Wire, and Scarface weren’t beloved at first but gained more love over time. Here’s why it happens and how to spot the next one.
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Garth Brooks wants $2B for his music catalog. People forget that Garth was a machine. Sold more albums in the US than anyone in the 90s. He controls his all his rights, and his music has never fully been optimized for streaming. That said, $2B is still very, very high.
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Everyone says monoculture is dead but I disagree. Today there’s more uniformity in what rises to the top. Algorithms incentivize sameness. There are more niches but they’re less unique.
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So many of the big hip-hop songs from the 2010s are collabs from artists who no longer like each other.
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UMG declines Bill Ackman’s proposal. “It fundamentally and materially undervalues UMG and will not deliver superior value creation.”
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One of Nike’s big mistakes: Assuming most consumers were loyal enough to buy Nike from the website and not from retail stores. A lot of retail customers just bought something else if Nike’s weren’t there.
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They got “blue dot fever” for movie theaters. No one is safe.
We are now living in a reality where, on a holiday, at one of the most popular theaters in the nation, people would rather see a low budget horror like Obsession than the new Star Wars movie - even if it’s in a premium format.
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This is the CPG version of Kendrick Lamar and Drake both being signed to Universal Music Group.
As Coke Zero gets bigger, and threatens to dethrone Diet Coke as the most important diet soda property in the Coca-Cola extended universe, the feud between Diet Coke fans and Coke Zero drinkers is getting pretty fizzy. on.wsj.com/4wKhvI5
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Diet Coke vs Coke Zero is more divided with fans. If you drink one, you don’t mess with the other. Drake and Kendrick may hate each other but a lot of fans listen to both. Much more overlap.
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"Sweater Weather" might become Spotify's most streamed song ever by the end of 2028. That song peaked at #14 on the Hot 100 in 2014. It may soon be Spotify's top streamed song, more than any other song that's ever been made. Wild.
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A lot of speculation that Drake’s 3 albums will end his Universal deal. If that’s true, this conflict is unique. Most artists want off labels due to money, masters, ownership. But Drake's deal had all that and more. The dispute isn't financial. It's about the relationship.
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Dan Runcie retweeted
The 2026 song of the summer will be 1982’s “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson.
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