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

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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/

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⬛ Subscribe on YouTube - @BlindingTalent

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⚠️ WARNING: The music industry is chasing TikTok virality and it’s killing real artistry. Jacob Rickard reveals why labels are panicking, how Gen Z really discovers music, and why forcing artists to make content could destroy careers before they start.

Jacob Rickard is one of the most influential figures in music discovery today. Formerly a Music lead at Radio 1 and now a Gen Z strategist, he has worked with the biggest artists in the world and has been at the centre of how radio, streaming, and social media shape the charts.

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:

⬛ Why virality isn’t a strategy (and why TikTok is breaking bad music into the charts)

⬛ How Gen Z treat all music as “new music” no matter when it was made

⬛ Why labels are failing by ignoring their youngest staff

⬛ How followers are not the same as fans and why community beats clout

⬛ Why forcing artists to post daily content is killing creativity

⬛ How radio still breaks artists but doesn’t make them cool anymore

⬛ Why the next big artist will break every formula you think you know

⏱ Episode Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:11 Why “going viral” is NOT a strategy

06:42 The rise of bad music through TikTok

11:20 Why labels should listen to young people in the room

16:45 Followers vs. fans — what really matters

22:05 Why daily TikTok posting is killing artistry

28:19 How Gen Z discover music differently

35:10 Radio’s role in 2025 and beyond

42:17 Why every new artist needs a fresh formula

49:02 Community vs. clout, the future of fandom

54:48 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

Follow Jacob Rickard:

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

Lemontank - https://www.lemontank.com/

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