The Record Business Podcast

Evan Bogart went from Interscope intern in the 90s that helped Eminem get signed, to a songwriter in the 2000s that penned hits for Rihanna and Beyonce, to the co-founder of a publishing company in the 2020s. He's currently the CEO of Seeker Music, which owns catalogs from artists like Run The Jewel, Jon Bellion, and Mark Morrison. I had a chat with Evan about his progression in the music industry and the kind of work Seeker is doing to carve out a space for itself in the business.

As one of the few Western executives with both work experience and language fluency in China and Japan, Gabe Bloch occupies a unique space in bridging the Asian and American music industries. He’s currently the Cheif Strategy officer for Pony Canyon USA, one of most well-known indie labels in Japan, and is helping to break their artists.

Gabe and I covered his background in Asia, his thoughts on the Japanese music industry and how their artists are gaining traction abroad. We also looked at how labels like Pony Canyon is using anime to fuel the popularity of their artists.

After a successful radio career in the 90s, Rick Barker became one of Taylor Swift's radio promoters in 2004 and then her manager from 2006 - 2008. He played an instrumental role in the success of her first album as well as her transition to a star. Since departing that role, he's worked as independent consultant for artists and labels, showing them how to maximize their careers.

Rick and I covered his time working with Taylor, and also talked about his consultancy, Music Industry Blueprint where he helps artists with their careers.

For the last thirty years, Tab Nkhereanye has made the journey from aspiring songwriter to hitmaker and now senior A&R. As a writer in the first decade of his career, he wrote for the likes of Mya, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber and Mary J Blige. From there he became an A&R at places like Sony/ATV, Republic and Def Jam. Some of his notable feats were signing Frank Ocean and Alessia Cara. He's now SVP of A&R at BMG and works with a slew of talented artists to help them craft hits.

I talked to Tab about his 30-year journey, how he accomplished his biggest signings as an A&R and how the publishing business works.

During the 2010s, blogs were the dominant form of online music discovery and very few had the industry-wide prestige of Hillydilly. Formed in 2007 by Chad Hillard, it gained traction in 2012 as one of the most well-curated places to find new music and helped to break artists like Lorde and Halsey. By 2016, it was directly responsible for helping to launch Billie Eilish's career, among others.

I had a chat with Chad about how Hillydilly came to be, what it was like running the blog, and why things came to an end in May of 2020.

Joe D'Ambrosio started off as a ball boy for the New York Yankees in the 70s and was soon hired as an assistant by legendary music producer, Phil Ramone. After years by his side, Joe went on to hold various music-related roles within marketing, sales and live events, but eventually returned to work with Phil in the 90s and later became his manager. He thereafter set up Joe D'Ambrosio Management in 2002 and currently has a roster of acclaimed producers and mixers. I spoke with Joe about his 5 decades in entertainment, and what his job as a producer-manager entails.

Though he started off as a drummer in the 70s, Pelle Lidell went on to become one of most well-known Swedish A&Rs of the last few decades, having a hand in countless records for artists like Christina Aguilera, Celine Dione, Christina Milian, Sugababes and more. He spent time at both indie and major label publishers, first in Sweden and then in the UK. He followed up by contributing to the K-Pop explosion of the 2010s, with several of his writers getting cuts with the biggest stars in the genre.

I had a chat with Pelle about his career from the 70s till now, covering most of what he's done, some of the people he's worked with, and what being an A&R means to him.

Klas Begling is the father of the late Swedish DJ, Avicii, who passed away in 2018. Having handled the business side of his son's affairs for over a decade, he set up the Tim Bergling Foundation to honor his memory in 2020. I had the chance to sit and speak with him about his son's career, as well as the work the foundation is doing.

Wojtek Goral is a Stockholm-based musician who's risen to fame as one of the go-tos in Max Martin's network of musicians, and he's contributed sax parts to songs by Pink, Carly Rae Jepsen, Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande and more. We crossed paths at a live show, and he was kind of enought to sit down with me some weeks later to talk about his career and how he got the point he's at now.

Henrik Frisk is a saxophonist, composer, and vice principal at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (KMH). When I visited the school to learn more about their programs, he was kind enough to show me around and do a walkthrough of their facilities. In return, I invited him on the podcast to talk about his music history, his tenure at KMH and the kind of academic setup that school has.

Alfons Karabuda got his start as a composer in the 90s and later became a well-known figure in the world of music advocacy. Whether as a head of Swedish organizations like SKAP and STIM, or international ones like the International Music Council, he's become a recurring voice in the conversation about musicians rights, especially in Europe. I had a talk with Alfons about his early composer and what his last 20 years of advocacy work has entailed.

Born in San Diego, California, Michael Blair is an American drummer and producer who's contributed to breakthrough records with Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Lou Reed, poet Allen Ginsberg, and many more. He also presents workshops and events focused on unlocking creativity and promoting music collaboration. I was able to sit down with Michael and ask him some questions about his career, his relocation to Sweden, and his wider work.

Peter Åstedt has been working in the music industry for over 30 years, having started his own label, Dead Frog Records, at the age of fifteen in 1990.  He was an early protagonist of the digital revolution and uploaded his first mp3 in 1995, plus he worked on one of the first legal mp3 stores, Vitaminic. He's also been active in distribution, publishing and live shows, and is currently known for his Future Echoes music festival that takes place in Sweden. I had a chat with him about his long-running career, covering how he went from a teenager label owner to a current-day festival owner.

Having existed for five years as a Q&A website, The Record Business has transitioned into a podcast in 2024. With Sam Freeman as the host, the inaugural episode sees him speak with Swedish songwriter Andreas Carlsson. Famous for his work with the legendary Cheiron crew of the late 90s and early 2000s, Andreas was one of the most successful songwriters of that period, and went on to become a judge on Swedish Idol, a motivational speaker, and start his own schools, all of which was covered in the conversation.