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.

Sound Connections is a music podcast hosted by Amplitude Ventures, with 182 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Amplitude Ventures hosts Sound Connections, a music show with 182 episodes published.

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  Episode #163

  #163: FOUNDER: Rethinking Music Education Through AI and Personalized Learning: Raul Rodrigues

  Sep 27, 202659 min

  Learning an instrument has never been more accessible, but keeping people motivated remains one of music education’s hardest problems. Raul Rodrigues , founder and CEO of Upbeat Studio , joins Sound Connections to unpack the business and technology behind modern music education. Starting with drummers, Upbeat is building educational tools designed to move beyond libraries of content and toward a more personalized learning experience. Raul breaks down the challenging economics of music education, why distribution can matter as much as product quality, and how Upbeat approaches retention in a market where keeping people engaged over the long term remains difficult. Raul also explores how AI could bring the most valuable parts of a great teacher into digital products, why learning music is ultimately about more than becoming a great musician, and how instruments themselves could eventually become part of the learning experience. Tune in for a grounded conversation about building in music education and preparing for a future where AI may reshape how people learn. Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

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  Episode #162

  #162: FOUNDER: The New Economics of Music Fandom: Jacquelle Amankonah Horton

  Sep 21, 202655 min

  What happens when superfans stop being treated as the end of the music experience and become part of building it? Jacquelle Amankonah Horton, founder of Fave, returns to Sound Connections to explore how fandom has evolved since our first conversation. Drawing on her background at YouTube and Google and years spent building tools around creators and fans, Jacquelle explains why the next opportunity in music may sit beyond traditional artist-to-fan relationships. We explore how fan-to-fan communities create their own products, events, experiences, and economies, why conventional merchandise can miss what fans actually want, and how artist teams can identify and support the people already shaping their communities. Jacquelle also shares how Fave is evolving from a place for superfans to connect into infrastructure that helps fans bring ideas to life, while giving artists new insights and potential revenue opportunities without requiring them to constantly create more content. It’s a closer look at fandom as culture, community, and an emerging layer of the creator economy. Listen in and join the conversation. [Link in bio] Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS. #SoundConnections #Fave #Superfans #MusicIndustry #MusicTech #FanEngagement #CreatorEconomy #MusicBusiness

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  Episode #161

  #161: EXPERT: The Business of Turning Music Royalties into Growth Capital: Michael Bizenov

  Sep 14, 202659 min

  Music rights generate value, but turning that income into capital can still be difficult for many creators. In this episode of Sound Connections, Michael Bizenov, Managing Partner and President of Sound Royalties , joins Jakob Wredstrøm to unpack the business of financing music royalties and how alternative financing can give creators access to capital without giving up ownership of their work. Michael shares how his background in banking and entrepreneurship shaped his approach to the music industry, from evaluating royalty streams and managing risk to building financing solutions around the individual creative. They discuss why ownership matters, the role of financial literacy, and how Sound Royalties has built its business by focusing specifically on financing rather than becoming a label, distributor, manager, or publisher. The conversation also explores how the company evaluates royalty income, uses data and technology alongside human judgment, and grows with creators as their businesses develop. Tune in for a conversation on music finance, rights, trust, and the business behind creative careers. [Link in bio] Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS. #SoundConnections #MusicFinance #MusicRights #CreatorEconomy #MusicBusiness

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  Episode #160

  #160: FOUNDER: Exporting African Music: Rights, Revenue, and Global Growth: Yoel Kenan

  Sep 7, 20261h 3m

  African music is growing globally, but the business behind that growth is still catching up. In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob Wredstrøm speaks with Yoel Kenan, a longtime music executive and entrepreneur whose career has taken him from major-label roles at Universal and BMG to building businesses focused specifically on African music. After founding Africori and helping develop it into a significant distribution business, Yoel is now returning his attention to African music rights, catalog investment, and the wider opportunity around cultural entrepreneurship. Together, they unpack why the growth story of Sub-Saharan African music is more complicated than the headline numbers suggest. Yoel discusses the gap between huge levels of music consumption and comparatively low monetization, the role of telecom companies and streaming platforms, challenges around publishing and rights registration, and why missing contracts and unclear ownership can make catalog investment particularly difficult. From exporting African artists and songs to building stronger marketing systems, investing in catalogs whose audiences are still moving toward streaming, and supporting the next generation of cultural entrepreneurs, Yoel sees significant opportunity, but on a longer timeline than many investors expect. This is a candid conversation about patience, infrastructure, ownership, and what it will actually take for African music’s global momentum to become a stronger and more sustainable business. Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

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  Episode #159

  #159: FOUNDER: Building the Infrastructure for Scalable Music Licensing: Chantal Epp

  Aug 31, 202647 min

  Music is everywhere, but the systems for licensing it at scale are still remarkably fragmented. In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob Wredstrøm sits down with Chantal Epp, founder of ClicknClear, to explore the hidden challenges and opportunities within music licensing. Chantal shares how her background in music and cheerleading led her to identify a licensing gap in choreographed sports, and how that insight evolved into a technology platform connecting music rights holders with businesses that want to use music legally. They discuss why licensing thousands of songs for a single sporting event cannot be handled one deal at a time, the complexity of securing rights for video-on-demand content, and why the music industry has struggled to monetize many of the markets already using its music. Chantal also opens up about the realities of building a music tech company over seven years, securing deals with every major record label and music publisher, raising capital as a sole founder, and staying lean while waiting for the market and licensing ecosystem to catch up. A conversation about music rights, technology, entrepreneurship, and the infrastructure needed to unlock new revenue across the music industry. If you want to learn more about ClicknClear: Website: https://www.clicknclear.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clicknclearmusic/ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/clicknclearmusic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clicknclear_ Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

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