Sound Connections
This is the intricate world of music entrepreneurship.
Hosted by Jakob Wredstrøm from Amplitude Ventures, this podcast offers listeners a unique blend of insightful interviews, industry expertise, and behind-the-scenes stories from the global music landscape.
From the challenges of breaking into the industry to the nuances of music tech innovations, each episode is a journey into the lives of music professionals, founders, artists, and innovators. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, an industry veteran, or just a music enthusiast, "Sound Connections" provides a fresh perspective on the ever-evolving world of music.
Listen and connect with the sounds and stories that shape the industry.
Episodes
162 episodes
#141: EXIT: The Startup Apple Music Had to Acquire: Simon M. Eder
From niche record label to Apple Music Classical Simon Eder shares the journey of building Primephonic, a specialized music tech startup acquired by Apple.We discuss the complexities of classical music streaming, from solving meta...
•
53:24
%20%23EP141.png)
ESNS 2026: Innovative Ticketing Strategies: Mike van Gaasbeek and Yannick Corbeau
Let's go behind the scenes of live music digitalization in this special Sound Connections session from the ESNS 2026 Conference.We examine the "red ocean" of ticketing with guests Mike van Gaasbeek of Stager and Yannick Corbeau of CM.co...
•
Season 1
•
57:25
%20ESNS%20X%20SC.png)
#140: EXPERT: A Quiet Path Through the Noise of Modern Algorithms: Gigi Johnson, PhD.
It's a new year and for our first episode, we welcome Dr. Gigi Johnson in this special partnership with BIME for a deep dive into the challenges and opportunities of music discovery today.From her decades at UCLA to her current work at ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 140
•
51:11
%20%23EP%20140%20(1).png)
#139: EXPERT: Independent Music Success: Distribution, Marketing & Ownership: JESSE FLORES
In this value-packed episode of Sound Connections, host Jakob Wredstrøm sits down with Jesse Flores, Head of Artist and Label Partnerships at Intercept Music, to explore what it really takes to succeed as an independent artist...
•
Episode 139
•
36:31
%20%23EP139.png)
#138: FOUNDER: Adapting E-commerce Strategies for Musicians: Jack McCarthy
Streaming isn’t enough. If you're an artist or manager looking to grow real revenue, this episode breaks down how to use merch, email, and digital sales to build a profitable artist business.Jakob Wredstrøm talks with Jack McCarthy, co-...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 138
•
48:56
%20%23EP138.png)
#137: FOUNDER: Music IP Rights — Valuing Catalogs, Due Diligence & The 10-Year Rule: Alan Wallis
Veteran catalog expert and CEO of Dynamite Songs, Alan Wallis joins Jakob to break down the real mechanics behind IP rights, music catalog sales, sync revenue, valuations, private equity, and long-term music investing.He s...
•
Episode 137
•
58:25
%20%23EP137.png)
#136: FOUNDER: Epidemic Sound: The Legal Model That Created a New Music Economy: Tom Höglund
Tom Höglund, a key figure from the founding team of Epidemic Sound, breaks down how they built a unicorn by disrupting the century-old music licensing industry.From his early days as a lawyer to creating an alternative model that pays m...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 136
•
1:05:50
#135: MTEA: Rethinking AI, Consciousness, and Creativity: Alex Braga
Discover how Alex Braga built an AI 'Instrument' a decade ago — not to replace musicians, but to rediscover what makes us human.In this episode of the Sound Connections Podcast, Alex Braga, award-winning artist, performer,...
•
Episode 135
•
42:32
%20%23EP135%20(2).png)
#134: EXPERT: The Mood Music Model: A New Way to Make a Living in Music: Niklas Brantberg
Who are the people behind the music that shapes how we listen?In this episode of Sound Connections, host Jakob Wredstrøm sits down with Overtone Studios CEO Niklas Brantberg, who shares how Epidemic Sound and his la...
•
Episode 134
•
56:48
%20%23EP134%20(1).png)
#133: FOUNDER: Democratizing Music Ownership Through Smarter Finance and Technology: Lior Tibon
Can finance make the music industry fairer?In this episode, Lior Tibon, CEO and Co-founder of Duetti, shares with host Jakob Wredstrøm how he’s building a platform that lets artists turn their catalogs into opportunity. Fro...
•
Episode 133
•
52:33
%20%23EP133%20(1).png)
#132: AI, Localization, and the New Music Economy: Ben Mendoza
Can AI and infrastructure finally make the music industry scalable?In this episode, Ben Mendoza, CEO and Co-Founder of Beatchain, joins host Jakob Wredstrøm to reveal how AI-driven infrastructure, data analytics, and local...
•
Episode 132
•
57:26
%20%23EP132%20(2).png)
#131: BIME: Why Audience Data Is the New Currency in Live Music || Lauriane Saint-Denis
What does it really mean to own your audience in today’s music industry?In this special partnership episode, host Jakob Wredstrøm joins Taj from The Sound of Startups and Lauriane Saint-Denis, a business developer connecting culture, in...
•
Episode 131
•
51:35
%20%23EP131.png)
#130: FOUNDER: The Business of Band Merchandise and Artist Branding || Seamus Menihane
If you’ve ever wondered how merch works behind the scenes?Seamus Menihane, CEO and co-founder of Armada, one of the fastest-growing merch companies in the music industry. From being a touring drummer to leading a 170-person team, he sha...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 130
•
40:17
#129: FOUNDER: Building Sustainable Music Tech Companies in a Resistant Industry || Edward Ginis
For over two decades, the music industry has struggled to answer three deceptively simple questions:What do we own? Where is it? Are we making money from it?Edward Ginis, co-founder of OpenPlay and Proto Hologram, shares how OpenPla...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 129
•
1:04:29
#128: FOUNDER: Building a Music Career Fans Can Emotionally Invest In || Vishal Ramakrishna
How do musicians break through in today’s noisy creator economy?In this episode with Vishal Ramakrishnan, co-founder of Round music marketing technology, to explore the future of music promotion and digital marketing for artists.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 128
•
52:17
#127: EXPERT: Building a Music Career Fans Can Emotionally Invest In
What does it really take to turn a viral moment into a lasting music career?Head of US Marketing at 1RPM and a music industry veteran with over 20 years of experience has played pivotal roles in the rise of artists like Shawn Mendes, El...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 127
•
55:06
#126: WALLIFORNIA: Music Tech Funding Is Broken – Who Might Fix It?
Reflecting back to Wallifornia Music Tech Conference 2025 July, in this fiery and data-driven conversation, Jakob and Taj challenge the illusions around music tech investment. They talked about why most music startups face poor exi...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 126
•
46:02
#125: FOUNDER: Changing the Music Industry’s Artist Revenue Model: Mag Rodriguez
It takes just one person to believe in the vision you are building. Using that mindset, Mag Rodriguez, the founder & CEO of EVEN, has been able to create a platform that helps artists sell music to fans before it hits streaming...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 125
•
57:12
#124: EXPERT: How Remote Work Benefits Creators || Adam Fine
Fiverr is one of the multi-national online marketplaces for freelance services and in this episode with Adam Fine, Head of Music and Audio, we had an eye-opening conversation on how remote collaboration and AI are transforming the music industr...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 124
•
55:33
#123: EXPERT: AI vs the Music Industry: What’s Actually Happening? || Becky Brook
In another episode with Rebecca Brook, she breaks down what’s really happening with Suno, Udio, and the major labels—who’s suing whom, why startups trying to “do the right thing” feel betrayed, and why the current legal landscape is making thin...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 123
•
1:01:32
#122: ARTIST: The Truth About Being a Professional Guitarist || Ryan Roxie
Strings, tours and faith.Legendary guitarist tells his story from rejection to global tours and AI innovation. The mindset and evolution of Ryan Roxie, the longtime guitarist for Alice Cooper and a true rock industry survivor s...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 122
•
59:25
#121: EXPERT: The Future of Physical Music Collectibles in a Digital World || Jennifer Sullivan
Can Physical Music Make a Comeback? Jennifer Sullivan, CMO and President of North America at KiTbetter discusses how KIT albums—a hybrid physical-digital format originating in K-pop—are transforming music monetization in the West. ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 121
•
52:37
#120: FOUNDER: What’s Really Going On With Lyrics and DSPs || Darryl Ballantyne
LyricFind CEO, Darryl Ballantyne, discusses the company's $1 billion antitrust lawsuit against Musixmatch and its parent company, TPG Growth. The lawsuit alleges that Musixmatch's exclusive licensing deal with Warner Chappell Music...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 120
•
36:50
#119: WALLIFORNIA: The Role of Community and Authenticity in Music Success: Rachel Young
Concluding the 3-day music tech conference 2025 at Belgium, we share one of our partnership episodes with Rachel Young as she shares her expert lens on how artists, founders, and music companies can leverage digital platforms to build sustainab...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 119
•
45:07
#118: FOUNDER: The Truth About AI Mixing, Mastering, and the Future of Music Tech || David Ronan
From his academic roots and work at AI Music to launching RoEx, Dr. David Ronan, founder and CEO, shares how his AI-powered platform is transforming music production by lowering the technical barriers in mixing and mastering. A rare look at the...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 118
•
50:29
