Welcome to the Blinding Talent Music Industry Podcast – Best of 2025 🎧

This episode rewinds the biggest “did they really just say that?” moments of the year—raw confessions, wild stories, honest truths and practical insights that shaped conversations across the industry.

A full year of legends, disruptors and future-shapers dropping their guard and revealing how the business actually works.

Hosted by Mark Adams, CEO of Blinding Talent, brand expert and industry leader with 20+ years at Bauer, Emap and Channel 4, working with major artists and global platforms including YouTube and Spotify.

This Best Of explores:

⬛ Kurt Cobain’s death, empathy in journalism & Eddie Vedder’s most emotional interview

⬛ MTV, Seattle & the bands who held each other—and the media—together

⬛ Spice Girls, Debbie Harry & Alanis: how 90s women rewired confidence and expression

⬛ “Queen of Metal”: women in heavy music and the OGs today’s presenters stand on

⬛ Sleep Token: anonymity, branding and why great songs come first

⬛ From broken arm → Metallica’s stage: fandom turning into career moments

⬛ AI as drum machine 2.0: tool vs threat in mixing, mastering & Atmos

⬛ Duty of care: managers, mental health and confidence wobbles

⬛ “Put your phone down”: social media as dangerously brilliant and toxic

⬛ Direct-to-fan 2.0: Open Stage, data capture & owning your audience

⬛ ChatGPT & sheets: predicting ticket sales and supporting artists, not replacing them

⬛ AI artists & virtual stars: switching talent “off” and the ethics of synthetic personalities

⬛ Sync 101: why supervisors search YouTube and how tags/moods get you placed

⬛ 100+ syncs later: discovery, cross-pollination & why TV beats big-budget ads

⬛ Streaming fraud & bot farms: fake plays, stolen royalties & why education matters

⬛ Adele, Lady Gaga, Girls Aloud & Boyzone: showcases, risk-taking & “Top Trumps 10s”

⬛ Heritage vs relevant: ageism, longevity & why great songs still cut through

⬛ Kylie, Padam & queer fandom: authenticity, identity & loyalty

⬛ TikTok, Gen Z & storytelling: why emotion beats trends

⏱ Episode Timestamps:

00:00 Intro – Why a Best of 2025

01:02 Kurt Cobain, Eddie Vedder & the interview that changed everything

04:25 Band support & fan loyalty

06:02 Spice Girls, Debbie Harry & 90s empowerment

09:05 Queen of Metal & women in heavy music

11:10 The phone call that led to MTV

13:22 Discovering Sleep Token

17:05 Metallica cassettes → stage moments

20:18 AI as tool, not replacement

24:05 AI vs human engineers

27:16 Sobriety & industry addiction

31:10 Duty of care & check-ins

34:02 Social media & mental health

37:40 Direct-to-fan & Open Stage

41:03 ChatGPT & revenue projections

45:00 Virtual AI talent ethics

48:15 Sync basics & YouTube

52:02 100 syncs later

55:30 Streaming fraud

59:05 Adele, Gaga & Girls Aloud

1:03:12 Boyzone & solo success

1:07:25 Kylie, Padam & ageism

1:10:40 Queer fandom & authenticity

1:14:22 TikTok & emotion-led storytelling

1:18:05 Young voices in the room

1:21:00 Closing thoughts & community

Follow Mark Adams:

LinkedIn – /markadamsai

Follow Blinding Talent:

⬛ Learn more – www.blindingtalent.com

⬛ LinkedIn – /blindingtalent

⬛ Instagram – /blindingtalentinsta

⬛ TikTok – /blindingtalent

⬛ YouTube – @BlindingTalent

Please rate, like and subscribe it really helps us get bigger and better guests.

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Class, NOT Race, is Music’s Biggest Gatekeeper

In this episode, Roman Tagoe - radio producer turned Director of Streaming at Chrysalis - pulls back the curtain on what actually moves the needle in music: audience-first storytelling over vanity metrics, intent over raw streams, and patient community-building over playlist sugar rushes.

From producing shows at BBC Radio 1 & 6 Music, to leading DSP strategy at Deezer and Napster, and now steering streaming for one of the UK’s most storied indie labels, Roman Tagoe shares how class, access, curation, and AI are reshaping the music industry (for better and worse).

Hosted by Mark Adams, CEO of Blinding Talent, brand expert, and industry leader with 20 years’ experience at Radio and TV (Channel 4) - working with global artists and brands including YouTube and Spotify.

⬛ “It’s class, not race” - access, privilege & getting in the room

⬛ MiniDiscs, Mr. Brightside & the student-radio break that changed everything

⬛ 6 Music to Radio 1 - how broadcast crafts story, pace & audience-first thinking

⬛ Playlists ≠ careers - building heat and community outside DSPs

⬛ Independent vs major - access, advantage & why the race isn’t fair

⬛ Catalog that converts - Clash, Kate Bush, Paul Hardcastle & TikTok funnels

⬛ Content that works - authenticity, consistency & native storytelling

⬛ Label culture in 2025 - artist freedom, RAYE’s reset & hot takes

⬛ AI futures - bots, deepfakes & “Velvet Sundown”: make or ruin streaming?

00:49 Meet Roman & his 20-year journey across radio, DSPs & labels

01:17 Tape decks to Zane Lowe — falling in love with curation

03:58 Mr. Brightside & the MiniDisc that led to the first UK Killers interview

06:24 Early 6 Music - learning story, pace & audience-first formats

09:55 Broadcast lessons for TikTok & Reels (hooks, narrative, payoff)

13:05 Radio 1 handover from Zane Lowe - pinch-me moments

16:20 Race, class & the room - being “the only Black person” and why class bites harder

27:36 Case study: songwriter Gia Ford - in-studio moments that land

30:06 What great artists share - work ethic, songs, and vulnerability

36:33 How streaming teams really work now (and why NMF isn’t the win you think)

41:59 Build heat off-platform - socials, live, press → then streaming follows

44:49 Metrics that matter - saves, streams/listener, 28-day engagement

51:01 Catalog prompts to fandom - Stranger Things, The Clash & conversion

53:33 “New music” that’s old - how trends resurface (Paul Hardcastle’s Rainforest)

57:27 Label culture - RAYE’s blueprint & independence done right

59:46 If Roman had a magic wand - unbundling power & backing the art

1:01:04 AI’s fork in the road - bots, fake bands & the future of streaming

Follow Mark Adams:

🔗 LinkedIn

Follow Blinding Talent:

🌐 Website

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📸 Instagram

🎵 TikTok

📺 YouTube

🎧 Please rate, like & subscribe

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The music business loves a shortcut—but real careers are built, not hacked. In this episode, award-winning publicist and manager Simon pulls back the curtain on how pop stars are actually broken: persistence over “promo stunts,” ruthless focus over doing “everything,” and authenticity over algorithm-chasing.

From being a teenage major-label signing to running PR for SMTV/CD:UK, stewarding Ant & Dec for decades, riding the One Direction juggernaut, relaunching Louise into the Top 10, championing RAYE, and elevating queer culture through Mighty Hoopla and Drag Race UK stars The Vivienne, Bimini and Tia Kofi—Simon shares the playbook (and the pitfalls) of modern fame.

This conversation is hosted by Mark Adams, CEO of Blinding Talent, brand expert, and music industry leader with 20 years’ experience at Bauer, Emap, and Channel 4, working with major artists and global brands including YouTube and Spotify.

Together they explore:

⬛ From “flop pop star” to powerhouse PR: using early failure as fuel

⬛ The SMTV/CD:UK effect—why rooms, not emails, build careers

⬛ Ant & Dec: how trust, time and team culture create national treasures

⬛ One Direction’s Leicester Square takeover—what scale really feels like

⬛ Singles vs albums: why bodies of work still build fanbases

⬛ Louise’s return: beating ageism, ditching the “heritage act” box

⬛ RAYE’s rise: the public roots for authenticity (and album freedom)

⬛ Labels, risk and reality—why “more PR” ≠ “more streams”

⬛ Queer fandom = credibility: Mighty Hoopla and the pop ecosystem

⬛ Drag Race to mainstream: pick a lane, then kick down the door

⬛ Hot takes hurt: why pausing before posting is a superpower

⬛ AI futures: deepfakes, dead icons and the lines Simon won’t cross

⏱ Episode Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:37 From Norfolk kid to major-label teen act

04:59 Freuds, SMTV/CD:UK & winning the room

07:21 Building lifelong trust with Ant & Dec

13:06 The 1D movie premiere—organising mayhem

16:45 Albums matter: how fanbases actually form

22:03 Louise’s comeback and industry snobbery

26:02 Breaking solo careers post-group: authenticity first

31:24 What PR really does (and doesn’t) do

37:04 Mighty Hoopla, queer credibility & community

39:10 Managing The Vivienne, Bimini & Tia Kofi—find your lane

45:02 Advocacy that moves the needle

50:27 Fans, hot takes & avoiding PR own-goals

55:03 The next 10 years: streaming shifts & AI red lines

59:00 Closing thoughts

Follow Mark Adams:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/markadamsai/

Blinding Talent:

⬛ Learn more here - www.blindingtalent.com

⬛ Follow on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blindingtalent

⬛ Follow on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/blindingtalentinsta/

⬛ Follow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@blindingtalent

⬛ Subscribe on YouTube - @BlindingTalent

Please rate, like and subscribe — it really helps us bring you bigger and better guests.

Please rate, like and subscribe it really helps us get bigger and better guests.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.