Joining the Trapital hip hop business podcast is Charlie Kaplan — the VP of Product at Audiomack streaming platform. He’s been at Audiomack since 2018 and helped grow the user base by the millions. Both Audiomack and Charlie want to change not just the hip hop music business, but the entire industry and the very nature of streaming online.

Unlike Apple Music or Spotify, Audiomack truly puts artists at the center of the equation. They don’t charge artists a single penny. Not one dollar to upload music, to monetize their listener base, or for in-depth listening analytics. Instead, Audiomack wants to help artists find new revenue streams to support their creative pursuits.

Listeners also get a fair shake at Audiomack. It’s one of the few platforms where listeners can stream-for-free, whether online and offline, via an ad-supported model. Removing barriers to entry for both artists and listeners is at the core of Audiomack’s mission.

Audiomack’s latest innovation is its Supporters initiative. This brand-new feature allows listeners to directly support artists monetarily on the platform. But unlike “tips jars” found on social media sites, fans who support an artist’s work will have their name/account associated with that artistic piece on the platform FOREVER.

Charlie and I covered a slew of topics in this 45-minute conversation. See below for video chapters:

0:00 Audiomack’s Recent Trajectory
1:24 What Makes Audiomack Different From Other Streaming Services
3:37 Why Audiomack Is Free For Artists
8:10 Building Trust Between Artists, Fans, & Audiomack
9:19 $10-Per-Month Subscription Model Is Being Challenged
11:51 Music Recording Revenue Over Time
14:54 Audiomack’s Next Revolution — Supporters Initiative
18:41 Fairest Way To Support Artists
19:45 Future Of Artists Reaching Fans Directly
23:28 How Crypto Token Fits Into The Equation
26:32 Audiomack’s Pitch To Artists
31:50 The Rise Of Tipping On Social Media And Why Audiomack Is Doing It Differently
37:31 Why Access Is So Important To Audiomack
38:33 Measuring Success For Supporters Initiative
41:15 Growing Audience vs. Retaining Audience
46:00 The Irony Of Corporations & Creator Economy

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