Dan Runcie — The Future of Music | Episode 172

Dan Runcie is the Founder of Trapital, a company focused on music, media, and entertainment. Trapital’s output includes a podcast, weekly newsletter, and deep-dive essays breaking down trends in the music industry.

Dan joins us for his second appearance on the show to discuss how AI will transform the music industry, whether the age of the superstar is over, how artists become billionaires, and MUCH more!

Important Links:

- Dan’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/RuncieDan?s=20
- Trapital - https://trapital.co/
- Dan’s first appearance on the show - https://www.infiniteloopspodcast.com/dan-runcie-the-business-of-hip-hop-music-ep30/

Show Notes:
0:00:00 Intro
0:01:09 Main podcast
0:01:50 Can the music industry embrace AI?
0:07:16 What will happen to music when AI gets better?
0:11:06 Will some genres be quicker to adapt than others?
0:15:31 How streaming algorithms are improving
0:19:17 Are AI playlists the death of DJs?
0:23:44 How artists can game the algorithm
0:30:14 How artists can use the music industry’s Pareto distribution
0:38:06 Artists become millionaires selling music, and billionaires selling product
0:45:27 Will we see the end of record companies?
0:49:48 Will Bowie Bonds die?
0:52:45 Are we going to see the end of the superstar?
0:56:52 Ads & audiences
0:59:02 Spotify vs YouTube vs TikTok
1:11:30 Can newcomers displace the incumbents?
1:17:41 Will the streamers dominate podcasting?
1:22:46 What’s next?
1:25:22 Dan as Emperor of the World