We talked about this Spotify Music Pro tier in depth in our latest episode of Trapital.

We had A LOT to say about it. open.spotify.com/episode/20md...

Music streaming is a very inexpensive product. But is 'Music Pro' what superfans really want?

If the end goal is to add more value and charge more, are there better ways to achieve that?

The record labels have been eager to find ways for music lovers to pay more for music.

They see Netflix's $25 per month premium tier, (more than double Spotify's $12 per month in the U.S.) and want similar.

4. The impact of relationships

Rihanna once declined the halftime show after the Kaepernick’s protest. But time has passed, and then it was Jay Z asking her to perform.

He signed her to Def Jam, Roc Nation, and made hit songs with her. It’s a different conversation.

3. There is more representation from genres and races

The halftime show had never lead with hip-hop as the primary acts. Now it has been done twice. The stage is no longer solely reserved for legacy rock and pop acts.

2. Themed shows

Before Roc Nation, there were missed opportunities to celebrate a city’s music culture, like Atlanta in 2019. Or unusual pairings, like Katy Perry and Missy Elliott.

Since then, we’ve had J.Lo and Shakira in Miami for Latino culture. LA hip-hop, and Atlanta artists for Usher.

1. A better selection process for performers

Before Roc Nation, the NFL talked to 3-4 artists at once. Then they waited to hear who was interested, then made a choice, and sometimes combined them in awkward medleys.

It’s a quick way to get it done, but it's a quicker way to burn bridges!

For context, here are the six Roc Nation shows:

2020 - Jennifer Lopez and Shakira (Miami)
2021 - The Weeknd (Tampa)
2022 - Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, Anderson .Paak (LA)
2023 - Rihanna (Phoenix)
2024 - Usher (Las Vegas)
2025 - Kendrick Lamar (New Orleans)

A few weeks ago, we did a deep dive episode on Spotify and all the moves it made to get to this point. Listen here!

On Trapital, we did a deep dive on the business of podcasting with Ashley Carman from Bloomberg News.

You can listen to us on Trapital here or wherever you get podcasts! open.spotify.com/episode/5jan...

As a podcast listener, you have your starting lineup, then you have your bench.

A new show in the rotation needs to be better than the existing shows in the lineup, even for a bench spot!

It's why SiriusXM, Spotify, and Wondery pay $100M+ to partner with popular shows.

You can listen to me and Sleepwell Capital break it down here or wherever you get podcasts: open.spotify.com/episode/4XE6...

But that only accounts for part of it.

For our first Trapital episode of the year, we discussed Spotify's road to $100 billion and profitability.

The smart moves, the controversial moves, its relationship with business partners, and its role in the future of streaming.

To be fair, some of Spotify’s growth tracked with many publicly-traded tech companies that experienced:

• Sky-high growth during COVID-19 lockdowns
• Growth decline once lockdowns ended and interest rates rose
• Cost-reducing layoffs which
• A bull run in 2024 (Nasdaq up nearly 30%)