Trapital

KevOnStage has millions of followers, a growing production company, and the largest creator deal Tubi has signed to date. But live touring still drives roughly 60% of his revenue, while his TV shows are more about building his long-term business.

Kev and I sat down at the Trapital Summit to break down his business model, why he can sometimes make more money selling 300 tickets at a church than 1,000 tickets at a traditional venue, and his frustrations with Live Nation and Ticketmaster fees. We also discussed his Tubi deal, the importance of ownership, lessons from Tyler Perry and Issa Rae, and how he's building an audience across platforms.

CHAPTERS

02:00 Tubi Deal and Ownership

07:29 KevOnStage's Revenue Breakdown

12:23 Live Nation and Ticketmaster Economics

17:23 Why Kev Prefers to Tour in Churches

20:11 Tyler Perry and Issa Rae

25:53 The Creator Business Flywheel

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Chartmetric Flow: Flow is Chartmetric's new AI-powered music intelligence tool that helps music professionals turn complex data into actionable insights. Ask questions in plain language, discover trends, and get the information you need to make smarter decisions, all without digging through dashboards.

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TRAPITAL

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I sat down with Primary Wave CEO Larry at the Trapital Summit.

When Larry started Primary Wave in 2006, the company had roughly $60 million to invest. Twenty years later, Primary Wave raised a record $2.2 billion fund dedicated. It has partnered with the estates and catalogs of Whitney Houston, Prince, Bob Marley, James Brown, Luther Vandross, and more.Larry and I talked about how Primary Wave evaluates music rights, recent acquisitions, the rise of capital in the space, the criticism that the firm has given, and more.

CHAPTERS

07:53 What makes a music catalog valuable11:38 Active vs. passive management12:16 Whitney Houston, Prince, and other estates16:36 Why Primary Wave acquired Kobalt23:09 The future of music rights valuations

This conversation was recorded live at Trapital Summit 2026 in Los Angeles.

Listen here: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Overcast

Links mentioned:

Primary Wave Music

Primary Wave’s acquisition of Kobalt

Primary Wave’s $2.2 billion Music IP Fund IV

Trapital Summit 2026

Why Investors Are Looking Beyond Iconic Music Catalogs — Trapital’s conversation with Flexpoint Ford’s Mike Morris

Presented by Chartmetric

The third annual Trapital Summit is officially in the books.

We are joined by MIdiA Research's Tati Cirisano to look back on what happened in Los Angeles, from the standout moments on stage to the conversations that continued throughout the room.

We break down the ideas that sparked the most discussion, the biggest takeaways from the day, and what the Summit revealed about where music, media, entertainment, and finance are headed next.

We also reflect on how the event has grown over the past three years and preview the Summit conversations coming soon to the podcast.

CHAPTERS

01:51 Entertainment Convergence04:15 Platforms vs. Artists06:14 Suno’s Major Label Deals08:56 Netflix and Music14:40 Finance vs. Artist Development16:53 Merch and Fandom18:19 KevOnStage’s Business Model

SPONSORSChartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week.

Symphonic: Distribute your music to one of the largest networks in the industry. Symphonic delivers your music to over 200 digital service providers ensuring that you’re monetizing every stream and use of your music on Spotify, TikTok, YouTube, and more

TRAPITAL

Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

In our final bold prediction before Trapital Summit, Guillaume de Chalendar, Executive Vice President and Head of Media and Entertainment Banking at Banc of California, joins us to discuss the growing wave of capital entering the music industry.

Guillaume explains why artists and rights holders may borrow against their catalogs instead of selling them, along with the risks of overleveraging valuable music assets. We break down lender rights, foreclosure risk, capital stacks, rising loan-to-value ratios, and why choosing the right lender and advisors matters more than ever.

Join us at Trapital Summit on September 15:https://www.trapital.com/summit/2026

CHAPTERS

02:22 Capital Influx02:43 Catalog Loans03:22 Foreclosure Risk06:12 Banks vs. New Lenders06:40 Sell, Borrow, or Stack?08:23 Music ABS Growth11:08Trapital Summit

SPONSORS

Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week

Symphonic: Distribute your music to one of the largest networks in the industry. Symphonic delivers your music to over 200 digital service providers ensuring that you’re monetizing every stream and use of your music on Spotify, TikTok, YouTube, and more

TRAPITAL

Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.

AI music’s legal landscape is getting more complicated. We break down three questions at the center of the debate: whether AI can learn from copyrighted work, how companies obtain training data, and whether AI-generated outputs compete with original music.

Then, Vydia co-president Jenna Gaudio and NVIDIA’s Shari Reich share bold predictions about context-aware listening and how AI could unlock the value of existing music catalogs.

Trapital Summit 2026 is happening on Tuesday, September 15 in Los Angeles. Get your tickets here: https://www.trapital.com/summit/2026

CHAPTERS

02:52 Three Copyright Questions

08:12 Why AI Firms Still License

10:54 Trapital Summit

13:24 Jenna Gaudio’s Prediction

18:45 Context-Aware Listening

21:57 Rights and Infrastructure

23:44 Shari Reich’s Prediction

25:27 Unlocking Music Catalogs

27:12 AI as a Tool

30:49 Catalog Is the New Content

SPONSORSChartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week.

TRAPITAL

Where technology shapes culture. New episodes and memos every week. Sign up here for free.