Oliver Schusser on Apple’s Strategy in Music, AI’s Potential, and the Super Bowl Halftime Show

At the Trapital Summit, we were joined by the CEO of VERZUZ, Steve Pamon. His career is all about turning events into big moments, from his time at McKinsey, HBO, NFL, WWE, IMAX, and more. We discussed how major shows scale into franchises, covering team execution, fan value, storytelling, and lessons from Beyoncé, Roger Goodell, and more. 03:50 Story and Execution in Live Events 09:49 Music Industry Challenges 16:23 WWE and IMAX Takeaways 24:02 What’s Next for Verzuz This episode is brought to you by Laylo, a platform built for artists, creators, and live-event teams that helps turn shows into fandom. Laylo powers drops, tour campaigns, fan lists, SMS & DM outreach, and more to grow engagement and enable deeper connections. Listen in for our Chartmetric Stat of the Week.

We’re continuing our Trapital Summit series with TuneCore CEO Andreea Gleeson. You’ll hear her and Billboard’s Taylor Mims discuss how TuneCore empowers artists worldwide, how indie artists break through the noise, successes, challenges, and more. 03:48 Wins and Milestones 09:55 Superfans Opportunities 12:57 Future Tools for TuneCore Artists 15:33 Indie Artist Trends This episode is brought to you by beatBread a music funding platform that empowers independent artists to access advances on their streaming income while keeping 100% ownership of their music. Listen in for our Chartmetric Stat of the Week.

We’re continuing our Trapital Summit series. In this episode, we’re with Kakul Srivastava, CEO of Splice, to discuss how technology is reshaping music. From Splice’s acquisition of Spitfire Audio to the rise of AI-powered tools, we explore innovation, M&A lessons learned, and more. 03:51 Acquiring Spitfire Audio 10:24 Product and Data-Driven Growth 16:47 Royalty-Free Tradeoffs 20:22 Future of AI This episode is brought to you by Splice, a cloud-based music creation platform offering millions of royalty-free samples, plugins (via rent-to-own), and AI-powered tools to inspire creators everywhere Listen in for our Chartmetric Stat of the Week.

We’re continuing our Trapital Summit recap series. In today’s episode, you’ll hear my conversation with Oliver Schusser, VP of Apple Music and International Content, to explore Apple’s journey in music. We dive into the state of music streaming, AI ‘s impact , and Apple’s partnerships in sports and live content. 02:46 From iTunes to Apple Music 01:39 Focusing on Music 08:41 Apple Music Growth and Subscribers 11:40 AI 14:49 Halftime Show, MLB, MLS and more This episode is presented by TooLost, a platform empowering artists with tools to manage, distribute, and grow their music independently. Listen in for our Chartmetric Stat of the Week.

We’re kicking off our Trapital Summit recap series. In today’s episode, you’ll hear my conversation with Elliot Grainge, CEO of Atlantic Music Group. This was Elliot’s first public talk since becoming CEO in October 2024. We discuss his response to the fanfare around the Warner Music Group transition, Elliot’s experience selling 10K Projects, and adapting the 10K playbook for superstars like Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran. We dig into Elliot’s view on leadership, entrepreneurship, and the future of AI. 02:41 The New CEO 03:44 Selling 10K Projects 09:35 Adapting 10K Playbook to Established Stars 14:08 The AI Generation Listen in for our Chartmetric Stat of the Week.

In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of last week’s second annual Trapital Summit. Listen to me and Tati Cirisano from MIDiA Research break down what went into the event. From the NeueHouse bankruptcy to speaker selection, key moments, feedback from guests, curating the right room, and plenty more. 01:13 A Last-Minute Surprise 09:40 Curating the Room 12:05 Programming Decisions 25:45 AI and Industry Trends 36:43 2026 Summit Listen in for our Chartmetric Stat of the Week.

Our Trapital Summit is Wednesday, September 10 in Los Angeles! Get your tickets here. Today's mini-episode is a breakdown on The Weeknd's $1 billion music rights financing goals and whether it is worth that massive price tag. I also share a few words on the late Peter Sinclair, CEO and co-founder of beatBread. How Much Is The Weeknd's Music Really Worth? - Trapital Trapital Summit 2025

Trapital Summit is on Sep 10 in LA. Join us! Get your tickets here. The major record labels are adapting for the modern era. Lately, that shift has them looking less like RCA and more like KKR. These companies have invested less in signing new artists and more in acquiring the legendary back catalog of music. With streaming driving steady royalties, the music rights of proven hits are valuable. Music companies have teamed up with private equity firms to cash in. I also break down how this changes artist deals, lowers risk-taking, and opens the door for global investors and even artists to buy in. 00:33 The Shift to Private Equity 03:45 The Back Catalog Boom 09:24 A&R Reductions 12:14 What The Future Holds This episode is presented by State Farm, the home for your small business needs. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Listen in for our Chartmetric Stat of the Week. Trapital Summit is on Wednesday September 10 in LA. Join us!

In this solo episode, we dive into the most valuable music catalogs in the world, and what makes them stand out. From Queen and Michael Jackson’s deals and more, we explore why the top catalogs fetch massive multiples and how they operate at unique financial and cultural assets. 03:19 Iconic Catalogs 07:07 Music Biopics 08:32 How Genres Imoact Catalog Value 13:07 Future of Music Rights Trapital Summit is on Wednesday September 10 in LA. Join us! This episode is presented by State Farm, the home for your small business needs. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Listen in for our Chartmetric Stat of the Week.

In this episode, we’re revisiting our deep dive on James Dolan’s Sphere in Las Vegas. The Backstreet Boys residency at the Sphere. As we predicted on our 2025 Live Music Draft, the boy band’s apperance at the Vgas spectacle would exceed expectations. So I talk about that before I jump into the episode. Then I’m joined by MIDiA Research’s Tati Cirisano for our deep dive on the mult-billion dollar vision and future of The Sphere. 04:05 Sphere’s Backstory 10:33 Business Model 19:21 Financial Hurdles 28:40 Expansion Plans 33:11 Future Prospects Early bird ticket sales to the Trapital Summit end on Thursday July 24! Get your tickets today before prices go up! Join us on Wednesday September 10 in LA. This episode is presented by State Farm, the home for your small business needs. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Listen in for our Chartmetric Stat of the Week.