Sound Connections

Hosted by Amplitude Ventures

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Episodes

179

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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About the show

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.

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60 recent

September 1, 2026Episode 15946 min

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

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.

August 25, 2026Episode 15848 min

#158: FOUNDER: The Business of Artist Analytics in the Age of AI: Oskar Eichler

Music is becoming increasingly data-driven, but having access to data is only the beginning. In this episode of Sound Connections, Oskar, founder of Songstats, joins Jakob to discuss the business of artist analytics, music technology, and the growing role of AI in how artists and music companies understand their data. Oskar shares his journey from building music-related tools as a young DJ and technologist to developing Songstats into a platform that brings data from streaming, social media, radio, playlists, and other sources together in one place. The conversation explores the challenges of turning music data into something artists can actually use, building a music tech company without outside investors, and developing a business model that combines artists with enterprise customers. Oskar also discusses the shift from dashboards and apps toward AI-powered interfaces, including Songstats' work allowing AI tools to interact directly with its data. The conversation looks at what this could mean for artist decision-making and the wider music ecosystem. Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS. If you want to learn more about Songstats: Website: https://songstats.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/songstats/

August 19, 2026Episode 1571 hr 7 min

#157: FOUNDER: The Reality of Building a Music Tech Business: Matt Urmy

Building music technology is often presented as a story of rapid growth. Matt’s journey with Artist Growth tells a very different story. In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob sits down with Matt Urmy , Founder of Artist Growth . He reflects on more than a decade of building software for the business side of music. What began as a product for independent artists eventually led him toward a deeper industry problem: management companies, labels, and agencies were still relying on spreadsheets, email, and disconnected systems to manage their operations. They explore the difficult shift from B2C to B2B, the challenges of raising capital before finding product-market fit, and what it takes to keep a company going through years of slow enterprise adoption. Matt also shares his perspective on building software in the age of AI, where developing products is becoming easier, but understanding customers, building reliable data infrastructure, and creating lasting value remain difficult. A grounded conversation about capital, technology, resilience, and the realities of building a company in music tech. Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

August 10, 2026Episode 15657 min

#156: FOUNDER: Reinventing the Tools Behind Music Creation: Casey Kolb

Can music software become more powerful without making creativity feel less human? Casey Kolb, founder of Lunacy, joins Sound Connections to explore the changing world of audio plugins and what it takes to build tools that feel as inspiring visually as they sound. From his years as a film composer in Los Angeles to spending a year and a half programming Lunacy’s first flagship product, Cube, Casey shares the persistence behind turning a side project into a growing music tech company. We discuss product design, pricing, seasonal revenue, community building, fundraising, and why Lunacy has been careful to protect its creative independence while scaling. The conversation looks ahead to Nova and a future where creators can build and share their own plugins with AI assisting the code rather than replacing human creativity. Tune in for a thoughtful conversation on sound, technology, and what the next generation of music tools could become.

July 13, 2026Episode 15555 min

#155: FOUNDER: Inside the Next Generation of Music Companies: Aidan Schechter

What happens when the future of the music business is built by small, agile companies instead of industry giants? In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob Wredstrøm sits down with Aidan, CEO of Patchbay and Partner at 1916 Enterprises, to explore how music, technology, investment, and entrepreneurship are reshaping the industry's future. Aidan explains why independent music businesses are becoming more powerful, how AI is accelerating product development, and why the next generation of music companies will rely on collaboration rather than scale. From artist management and publishing to software and venture investing, he shares how small teams can now accomplish what once required entire enterprises. The conversation also explores data infrastructure, the changing economics of music, and why relationships remain the industry's greatest competitive advantage. Rather than replacing people, technology should remove administrative complexity; giving artists, managers, and executives more time to discover talent, build relationships, and create meaningful careers. If you're interested in music technology, AI, entrepreneurship, independent music, or the future of the creative economy, this episode is for you. Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

June 26, 2026Episode 1541 hr 1 min

#154: EXIT: Building a Music Tech Company Before the Market Was Ready: Vijay Basrur

A missed CD delivery exposed a gap in India's music industry. That moment led Vijay to build OKListen, an independent music platform that spent more than a decade growing alongside a market that wasn't yet ready for it before ultimately being acquired by AWAL. In this episode of Sound Connections, Vijay shares what it was like to build a music tech company in one of the world's largest music markets while streaming, independent music, and consumer willingness to pay were still evolving. He reflects on bootstrapping the business, spending five years balancing a corporate career while keeping the company alive, and why patience became a competitive advantage. The conversation explores the realities of building music businesses in emerging markets, from raising capital and competing against global platforms to understanding when market timing matters more than execution. Vijay also discusses India's evolving independent music ecosystem, the economics behind music tech, and why founders often need conviction long before the market validates their ideas. If you're interested in music technology, entrepreneurship, emerging markets, or the business of music, this episode offers a thoughtful look at what it takes to build for the long term. Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

June 11, 2026Episode 15357 min

#153: FOUNDER: AI Is Rewriting the Business of Music Software: Noam Levinberg

Are traditional music production tools entering their last era? Noam Levinberg , founder of Safari Audio , believes the future of music creation may look very different from the world producers know today. In this episode, we explore the rapid impact of AI on music software, why traditional plugin businesses are being challenged, and how the next generation of creators may never adopt the workflows that defined the last 30 years of music production. Noam shares the story behind Safari Audio, a bootstrapped company that has grown to more than 170,000 users by building creative, unconventional tools for music producers. We discuss startup building, product-market fit, software distribution, customer loyalty, and the difficult challenge of staying relevant in a market changing faster than ever before. Whether you're a music producer, founder, engineer, or music technology enthusiast, this episode offers valuable insight into the future of creative tools and entrepreneurship. Subscribe for more real conversations on music, startups, and innovation.

June 1, 2026Episode 1521 hr 0 min

#152: FOUNDER: The Metadata Problem Costing Creators Millions: Niclas Molinder

What happens when creators make music, but the industry does not know who to pay? In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob Wredstrøm sits down with Niclas Molinder , songwriter, producer, founder of Session, and one of the music industry's leading advocates for creator rights. Niclas shares how missing rights data continues to cost creators credits, royalties, and recognition, and why solving this problem has become his life's work. He explains how Session was built to capture metadata directly during the creative process, why industry legends Björn Ulvaeus and Max Martin joined the mission, and what it takes to build a company around one of music's least glamorous but most important challenges. The conversation also explores Session's journey into Salt, the realities of founder-led innovation, and the broader education efforts behind the Music Rights Awareness Foundation and Clip. If you're curious about how the music business really works, this episode offers valuable insights into the systems that determine who gets credited, who gets paid, and why that still matters more than ever. Listen now and join the conversation. If you want to learn more about Session visit here: - Website: https://www.sessionstudio.com/ - Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/SessionCredit?_rdc=1&_rdr# - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sessioncredit/

May 11, 2026Episode 15144 min

#151: EXPERT: The Business Model Independent Music Is Missing: Thierry Ascarez

Streaming changed music, but it did not solve the business problem for most independent artists. In this episode of Sound Connections, we welcome Thierry Ascarez , Chief Business Officer at Winamp, to discuss how the company is reimagining its role in the music industry after nearly three decades of history. From its origins as the iconic MP3 player that helped define the early internet music era, Winamp is now building a platform designed to help artists monetize, manage, and control their careers beyond streaming. Thierry walks through the company’s journey across audio streaming, radio technology, advertising, acquisitions, public markets, and the decision to return Winamp to the center of the group’s strategy. Together, Jakob and Thierry explore why independent artists increasingly need to think like entrepreneurs, how direct fan relationships can create new revenue, and why owning data, websites, and monetization tools matters in today’s music economy. The episode also takes a candid look at music tech as a difficult but necessary space to build in. Thierry reflects on patience, resilience, investor expectations, and the belief that meaningful innovation in music still needs people willing to stay the course. Tune in for insight into the future of artist tools, music business infrastructure, and the next chapter of Winamp. If you want to learn more about Winamp, visit here: www.winamp.com https://www.linkedin.com/company/winamp/ https://www.facebook.com/Winamp https://www.instagram.com/winampforcreators/ Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

May 4, 2026Episode 15046 min

#150: EXPERT: From Fan Economy to Artist Economy: John Lister

Most music platforms are built for listeners. This one is built for creators. In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob Wredstrøm sits down with John Lister, Head of Community at Rap Fame, to explore how a global rap platform is reshaping music creation, discovery, and artist communities. From recording directly on a phone to joining crews, entering competitions, and exchanging real-time feedback, Rap Fame turns music creation into a shared process. Artists don’t just upload music; they grow through each other. What we cover in this episode: How peer feedback influences modern music creation Why artist-to-artist communities drive deeper engagement The role of competitions and recognition in creator growth How platforms like Rap Fame support independent artists At its core, this conversation explores a shift: when artists support, challenge, and learn from each other, entirely new paths for growth, monetization, and creativity begin to emerge. If you're building in music, working on a creator platform, or thinking about the future of music technology, this episode offers a grounded look at what’s actually working today. Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS. If you want to learn more about Rap Fame visit: Website: https://www.raptech.co/ Linkedin: / rap-tech-studios-ltd-rap-fame-app Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rapfame_app ... Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rapfame_app?_ ...