UPRAWR Podcast

From 1600s opera houses to stadium tours, Live Nation and billion-dollar concerts, we look at how the live music industry was built. Turns out, promoters have been using the same tricks for hundreds of years: tiered tickets, overpriced drinks, manufactured hype, venue monopolies and huge financial gambles. This is the 400-year story of concert promoting. 

Fueled By Ramen went from a tiny DIY label with basically nomoney to becoming the home of some of the biggest alternative bands of the last 20 years.In this episode, we get into the story behind the label, howthey found bands like Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, Paramore, fun. and Twenty One Pilots, the risks they took along the way, and how John Janick went from starting the label as a teenager to eventually running Interscope Records.Some of the stories behind these bands are insane, lets get into it

David Savereux has spent his career at the heart of UK nightlife, taking on the running of Sheffield’s legendary Corporation nightclub at just 21 years old.In this episode, we get into what’s really happening to British nightclubs, why young people aren’t going out like they used to, the true cost of a night out, and how phones, dating apps and changing drinking habits have completely reshaped club culture.David also explains why simply opening the doors isn’t enough anymore, why club nights constantly need new themes and reasons for people to turn up, how alternative culture has changed with a new generation, and what it actually takes to keep an independent nightclub alive.

AEG is one of the most powerful companies in live entertainment, but the story behind it starts far away from concerts, festivals and arenas.In this episode, we look at how billionaire Philip Anschutzbuilt a fortune through oil, railways and telecommunications before turning his attention to sport and live music, creating the company that would become Live Nation’s biggest global rival.We break down the rise of AEG, its ownership of some of theworld’s biggest venues, its acquisition of Goldenvoice, the growth of Coachella, the transformation of the Millennium Dome into The O2, its involvement in Michael Jackson’s This Is It shows, and the creation of AXSThis is the story of AEG, the billionaire behind it, and thebattle to control live music.

Live Nation has grown from a concert promoter into one of the most powerful companies in the global music industryIn this episode, we look back at how it became so dominant, its merger with Ticketmaster, its influence over venues, tours and ticketing, and ask the big question: does Live Nation now have too much control over live music?

Korda Marshall has spent more than 40 years at the heart of the music industry, helping shape the careers of some of the biggest artists ofthe last few decades. From signing Take That and backing Muse, to working withThe Darkness, James Blunt, Green Day and many more, his career has been built on spotting the potential that other people often missedIn this episode, Korda talks about being fired before Take That became huge, using the payout to launch Infectious Records, discovering Muse while they were still teenagers, passing on Radiohead, and hearing American Idiot before it was releasedHe also breaks down what A&R actually does, why great artists still get overlooked, and what it really takes to recognise a hit before the rest of the world catches up.

This week on the UPRAWR Podcast, we sit down with MarkSutherland, former editor of NME, Melody Maker, Billboard and Music Week, andnow co-host of The Money Trench.Mark takes us inside the 90s music press, when magazinescould make or break bands, NME covers changed careers, and Britpop ruled the UKbefore the bubble burst.We talk Napster, illegal downloads, the collapse of the oldmusic industry, and how he started the money music trench podcast which is just about to celebrate it’s 100th episode!Just search UPRAWR podcast wherever you listen. Follow us to see Behind The Scenes:  Jack - https://www.instagram.com/jack_uprawr/  Joe - https://www.instagram.com/joe_davis77/ 

Pearce Macca from The Clause joins us to talk about the reality of being in a UK indie band.From getting signed by Universal at 19 and being dropped during Covid, to selling out the O2 Academy independently, Macca breaks down the highs, lows and brutal financial truth of chasing the band dream.We talk major labels, Spotify, touring, selling 16,000 tickets, the Birmingham music scene, Oasis, and why The Clause kept going when everything fell apart. Follow us tosee Behind The Scenes: Jack - https://www.instagram.com/jack_uprawr/ Joe - https://www.instagram.com/joe_davis77/

In this episode we sit down with Sue Buckler who has spentdecades inside the music industry, helping promote records from Britney Spears,Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Justin Timberlake, Steps, Prince, The Stone Roses andmore!we talk about how songs became hits before TikTok, whatradio pluggers actually did, how Jive Records became one of the biggestindependent labels in the world worth over 2 billion!, and the wildbehind-the-scenes stories from 90s pop artistsFrom Prince beating Warner Brothers to Simon Cowellreleasing a barking dog single, Sue’s got some wild story’s so lets get into itJust search UPRAWR podcast wherever you listen. 

In this episode we sit down with Jayler, the young UK rock band being compared to Led Zeppelin who are blowing up before they’ve even released an album We talk about how they went from open mics and pub gigs to playing huge stages, touring with legendary bands, building a classic rock image in a modern scene, and dealing with the pressure of releasing their debut album while people are already calling them the next big thing. They also open up about going viral, being called industry plants, why they refuse to rely on backing tracks, and whether rock music can truly go mainstream again.