A missed CD delivery exposed a gap in India's music industry. That moment led Vijay to build OKListen, an independent music platform that spent more than a decade growing alongside a market that wasn't yet ready for it before ultimately being acquired by AWAL.

In this episode of Sound Connections, Vijay shares what it was like to build a music tech company in one of the world's largest music markets while streaming, independent music, and consumer willingness to pay were still evolving. He reflects on bootstrapping the business, spending five years balancing a corporate career while keeping the company alive, and why patience became a competitive advantage.

The conversation explores the realities of building music businesses in emerging markets, from raising capital and competing against global platforms to understanding when market timing matters more than execution. Vijay also discusses India's evolving independent music ecosystem, the economics behind music tech, and why founders often need conviction long before the market validates their ideas.

If you're interested in music technology, entrepreneurship, emerging markets, or the business of music, this episode offers a thoughtful look at what it takes to build for the long term.

Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

Are traditional music production tools entering their last era?

Noam Levinberg, founder of Safari Audio, believes the future of music creation may look very different from the world producers know today.

In this episode, we explore the rapid impact of AI on music software, why traditional plugin businesses are being challenged, and how the next generation of creators may never adopt the workflows that defined the last 30 years of music production.

Noam shares the story behind Safari Audio, a bootstrapped company that has grown to more than 170,000 users by building creative, unconventional tools for music producers.

We discuss startup building, product-market fit, software distribution, customer loyalty, and the difficult challenge of staying relevant in a market changing faster than ever before.

Whether you're a music producer, founder, engineer, or music technology enthusiast, this episode offers valuable insight into the future of creative tools and entrepreneurship.

Subscribe for more real conversations on music, startups, and innovation.

What happens when creators make music, but the industry does not know who to pay?

In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob Wredstrøm sits down with Niclas Molinder, songwriter, producer, founder of Session, and one of the music industry's leading advocates for creator rights.

Niclas shares how missing rights data continues to cost creators credits, royalties, and recognition, and why solving this problem has become his life's work. He explains how Session was built to capture metadata directly during the creative process, why industry legends Björn Ulvaeus and Max Martin joined the mission, and what it takes to build a company around one of music's least glamorous but most important challenges.

The conversation also explores Session's journey into Salt, the realities of founder-led innovation, and the broader education efforts behind the Music Rights Awareness Foundation and Clip.

If you're curious about how the music business really works, this episode offers valuable insights into the systems that determine who gets credited, who gets paid, and why that still matters more than ever.

Listen now and join the conversation.

If you want to learn more about Session visit here:

- Website: https://www.sessionstudio.com/

- Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/SessionCredit?_rdc=1&_rdr#

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sessioncredit/

Streaming changed music, but it did not solve the business problem for most independent artists.

In this episode of Sound Connections, we welcome Thierry Ascarez, Chief Business Officer at Winamp, to discuss how the company is reimagining its role in the music industry after nearly three decades of history.

From its origins as the iconic MP3 player that helped define the early internet music era, Winamp is now building a platform designed to help artists monetize, manage, and control their careers beyond streaming. Thierry walks through the company’s journey across audio streaming, radio technology, advertising, acquisitions, public markets, and the decision to return Winamp to the center of the group’s strategy.

Together, Jakob and Thierry explore why independent artists increasingly need to think like entrepreneurs, how direct fan relationships can create new revenue, and why owning data, websites, and monetization tools matters in today’s music economy.

The episode also takes a candid look at music tech as a difficult but necessary space to build in. Thierry reflects on patience, resilience, investor expectations, and the belief that meaningful innovation in music still needs people willing to stay the course.

Tune in for insight into the future of artist tools, music business infrastructure, and the next chapter of Winamp.

If you want to learn more about Winamp, visit here:

• www.winamp.com
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/winamp/
• https://www.facebook.com/Winamp
• https://www.instagram.com/winampforcreators/

Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

Most music platforms are built for listeners. This one is built for creators.

In this episode of Sound Connections, Jakob Wredstrøm sits down with John Lister, Head of Community at Rap Fame, to explore how a global rap platform is reshaping music creation, discovery, and artist communities.

From recording directly on a phone to joining crews, entering competitions, and exchanging real-time feedback, Rap Fame turns music creation into a shared process. Artists don’t just upload music; they grow through each other.

What we cover in this episode:

• How peer feedback influences modern music creation
• Why artist-to-artist communities drive deeper engagement
• The role of competitions and recognition in creator growth
• How platforms like Rap Fame support independent artists

At its core, this conversation explores a shift: when artists support, challenge, and learn from each other, entirely new paths for growth, monetization, and creativity begin to emerge.

If you're building in music, working on a creator platform, or thinking about the future of music technology, this episode offers a grounded look at what’s actually working today.

Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

If you want to learn more about Rap Fame visit:

Website: https://www.raptech.co/

Linkedin: / rap-tech-studios-ltd-rap-fame-app

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rapfame_app...

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rapfame_app?_...

What does it take to build a music streaming service around culture, access, and long-term value?

In this episode of Sound Connections, we sit down with Faraan Irfan, Founder and CEO of Saarey Music, to unpack how he’s solving one of music’s biggest access problems.

Saarey is a streaming platform dedicated to South Asian classical music, built on exclusive rights, deep cultural metadata, and a business model that challenges traditional streaming economics. With strong engagement and global users, the platform is proving that underserved genres can become powerful digital businesses.

Faraan shares his journey from personal frustration as a listener to building a company that works directly with artists, preserves rare recordings, and creates meaningful access for a global audience.

A grounded, honest conversation on building in music tech beyond the mainstream.

If you want to learn more about Saarey music:

Socials:

Saarey website: https://www.saareymusic.com

Saarey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/saarey/

Saarey Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saareymusic

Saarey Insta: https://www.instagram.com/saareymusic

Freddie Moross, founder of Myndstream, joins Sound Connections to unpack the growing role of functional music in wellness, hospitality, and care environments.

This conversation explores how intentional audio can shape experiences inside spas, hotels, and treatment spaces, and why music should be treated as infrastructure rather than background noise. Freddie explains how soundtracks can guide guest journeys, influence emotional outcomes, and help wellness spaces create more meaningful environments.

We also discuss the economics behind the global wellness industry and why wellness-focused consumers represent one of the fastest growing and most engaged segments in hospitality.

Along the way, Freddie shares lessons from building a music technology startup in a niche category, including the advantages of starting with owned assets, the challenges of licensing and distribution, and what it takes to scale a focused product in a complex industry.

Now live on Sound Connections Podcast.

[Links in bio]

Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.

Mark Bamford joins Sound Connections for an open discussion on startup building, video monetization, and the hard truth about innovating in music. As the founder of Viktrs, Mark is working on a new model for video that aims to unlock more value from every view by focusing on engagement, discovery, and data rather than the traditional advertising-driven approach used by major platforms.

Mark unpacks his path from a career in construction, consulting, and strategy into the world of founders and music technology. He reflects on what surprised him most about entering the music space, why innovation often struggles inside established systems, and how founders are forced to make difficult choices when a meaningful vision meets a difficult market.

This episode dives into the economics of music startups, the limits of pure storytelling when fundraising, and the importance of reaching tangible results with as little capital as possible. Mark also shares why Viktrs has expanded into non-music categories such as food and politics while keeping music as a long-term mission, using those adjacent markets to build leverage, revenue, and proof before coming back stronger.

For anyone working at the intersection of technology, media, and culture, this episode brings a sharp and honest perspective.

Watch the full episode on your preferred podcast platforms!

[Links in bio]

If you want to know more about Viktrs visit: https://viktrs.com/

Produced by Amplitude Ventures AS.