The Blinding Talent Music Industry Podcast with Mark Adams cover art

The Blinding Talent Music Industry Podcast with Mark Adams

The Blinding Talent Music Industry Podcast with Mark Adams

Written by: Mark Adams
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The Blinding Talent Music Industry Podcast, hosted by 28-year music industry veteran Mark Adams, dives into the essential strategies for success in today's music business - with guests including musicians, artist managers, producers, record label executives, and entertainment industry legends.


Past guests have included Vanessa Warwick, Simon Jones, Sol Parker, Colin Barlow, and Rich Castillo.


Mark Adams is the founder of Blinding Talent, a UK-based artist management and digital marketing consultancy, and a former Director of Music Programming across Channel 4 and Bauer Media, where he worked with brands including 4Music, Kerrang!, Kiss, Q, and Magic. He launched Kerrang TV and The Hits on Freeview, and led Box Network to become the UK's number one music TV network beating MTV in market share. He also created industry-first chart formats with Spotify and YouTube, launching the Official YouTube Chart (2015) and the first ever Spotify-data streaming chart, Box+ (2016).


Across his career, Mark has played a pivotal role in breaking and amplifying A-list artists including Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber, Pink, and Ed Sheeran - whose first ever TV appearance he gave on 4Music. He is a certified Artist Manager (MMF, 2026) and has judged the BRIT Awards, BBC Sound Poll, and Music Week Awards.


Find out more about Blinding Talent:

Website: www.blindingtalent.com

Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blindingtalent

Mark's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markadamsai/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BlindingTalent

Podcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blindingtalentpod

Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blindingtalentpod

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blindingtalent

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

Mark Adams Music
Episodes
  • Austin Daboh OBE: He Backed Stormzy. Then Central Cee. Then Burna Boy.

    Austin Daboh OBE: He Backed Stormzy. Then Central Cee. Then Burna Boy.
    Oct 3 2026
    Before Stormzy was Stormzy, Austin Daboh backed him. Before Central Cee went global, Austin was already in the room. Before Burna Boy's supernova, Austin played a key part in making it happen from the UK.Austin Daboh OBE is one of the most significant figures in the modern UK music industry - former Head of Music at BBC 1Xtra, Global Head of Editorial at Spotify and President of Black Music and EVP at Atlantic Records UK. He received an OBE for services to music. He is now co-founder of Titan Music, a publishing joint venture with Kobalt and One Song.In this episode he tells the full story. From a South London council estate to OBE. Managing a rapper friend at school without realising it was management. The job interview where one question on the way out the door changed everything. The freedom to fail at 1Xtra and what he built with it. Joining Spotify when it still ran on Gmail. Walking into Atlantic Records UK one week after the murder of George Floyd. Why data is a lagging indicator. Whether virality is the most dangerous thing that can happen to an artist. What he would do with £100 million. And what he sees coming for the music industry in the next ten years.Hosted by Mark Adams - founder of Blinding Talent, former Director of Music Programming at Channel 4 and previously supported and helped to break global A list talent.IN THIS EPISODE:Growing up in South London, an older sister in media, and the fascination with what happens behind the cameraManaging a rapper friend at school without realising it was managementThe job interview where one question on the way out the door changed everything"Store information. You never know when you'll need to pull it out of your pocket.BBC 1Xtra, the freedom to fail, and backing Stormzy, Dave and AJ Tracey before the world caught upBeing the first person on the planet to playlist Ed Sheeran before anyone in the media industry had decided he was going to be a superstarRunning The Hub Entertainment — artists, BBC presenters, two London 2012 Olympic medallists, and the cash flow lesson every entrepreneur needs to hearGeorge Ergatoudis poaching Austin from the BBC to a Spotify start-up still running on Gmail accountPre-GDPR data that was almost household-level specific — and why it felt like a cheat codeJoining Atlantic Records UK one week after the murder of George Floyd — as the most senior Black executive in the UK Warner businessCentral Cee, Burna Boy, Mahalia and Kojey Radical — what it means to truly back an artistThe Christmas tree of corporate structures and why diversity dilutes as you climbWhy data is a lagging indicator — and what humans should be worrying about insteadIs virality the most dangerous thing that can happen to an artist?AI, royalties, blockchain and where Austin is investing nowTitan Music, Kobalt and what is coming next"You win by creating the atmosphere and environment that allows talent to flourish."What does the music industry look like in ten years?🔗 LINKS:Apply to work with Blinding Talent → https://blindingtalent.com/applyArtist Management → https://blindingtalent.com/services/artist-managementDigital Marketing → https://blindingtalent.com/services/digital-marketingAll episodes → https://blindingtalent.com/podcast📲 FOLLOW BLINDING TALENT:Instagram → https://instagram.com/blindingtalentinstaPodcast & Playlists → https://instagram.com/blindingtalentpodTikTok → https://tiktok.com/@blindingtalentYouTube → https://youtube.com/@blindingtalent Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    55 mins
  • Dr Jo Twist (BPI CEO): AI, the BRITs & Breaking British Talent Globally

    Dr Jo Twist (BPI CEO): AI, the BRITs & Breaking British Talent Globally
    Aug 29 2026

    This episode, Mark Adams talks to Dr Jo Twist - recognised in the Computer Weekly Hall of Fame, Billboard's Women in Music Power List, and the Top 1000 Most Influential People, with over 25 years across the BBC, Channel 4, and now the BPI.


    Jo shares her journey from a 1970s Hong Kong childhood and a PhD in online communities, through pioneering digital roles at BBC Newsround and Channel 4, to leading the trade body behind the BRIT Awards and the Mercury Prize.


    They dig into why British artists like Sam Fender, Olivia Dean, RAYE and YUNGBLUD are breaking globally, what makes an artist genuinely exportable, the real purpose of industry showcases like South by Southwest, moving the BRITs to Manchester and the Mercury Prize to Newcastle, and an unflinching conversation about generative AI - the threat it poses to creators, the industry's Make It Fair campaign, and why human creativity can't be replaced.


    The Blinding Talent Music Industry Podcast is hosted by Mark Adams - a 28-year music industry veteran, former Director of Music Programming across Channel 4 and Bauer Media, and founder of Blinding Talent, a UK artist management and marketing consultancy. Mark has helped break and amplify A-list artists including Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran.


    Company

    Website: www.blindingtalent.com

    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/blindingtalent

    YouTube: youtube.com/@BlindingTalent

    TikTok: tiktok.com/@blindingtalent

    Instagram: instagram.com/blindingtalentinsta


    Podcast

    TikTok: tiktok.com/@blindingtalentpod

    Instagram: instagram.com/blindingtalentpod


    Subscribe and leave a review - it really helps the show reach more of the music industry.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • The Man Who Named The O2: Inside AEG's Global Live Music Empire

    The Man Who Named The O2: Inside AEG's Global Live Music Empire
    Jul 30 2026

    Before it was the world's busiest music venue, it was Britain's biggest public embarrassment. In this episode, Blinding Talent sits down with Paul Samuels, President of AEG Global Partnerships, for the untold story of how the Millennium Dome, a government-funded flop written off by the press, became The O2, now the highest-grossing arena on the planet.


    Paul takes us inside the boardroom battles, the naming rights negotiation that almost never happened, and the moment a rejected pitch turned into a 25-year partnership that redefined live entertainment in the UK. From Beyoncé requesting O2's ad footage for her own stage show, to the data strategy behind priority ticketing, to AEG's next frontier, new arenas in Tokyo, Bangkok, and beyond, this conversation goes deep into the brand partnerships, live experience economics, and career risk-taking that built one of the most powerful companies in global live music.


    Hosted by Mark Adams, Founder and CEO of Blinding Talent, with 28 years of music industry experience including a former role as Director of Music Programming at Channel 4, where he launched the Official YouTube Chart (2015) and Spotify's first Streaming Chart (2016). Mark brings an insider's perspective to every conversation on the podcast.


    Whether you're an artist, manager, promoter, or brand strategist, this episode reveals what actually happens behind the biggest stages in the world, and why the live music boom isn't slowing down.


    Topics covered: naming rights strategy, brand sponsorship in live music, The O2's origin story, AEG's global venue expansion (Tokyo, Bangkok, LA), priority ticketing and fan data, festival economics, and career lessons from 30 years in entertainment.


    Blinding Talent Music Industry Podcast is produced by Blinding Talent, a UK-based artist development and digital marketing consultancy working with artists across the UK, North America, Europe, and Australia.


    Website: https://www.blindingtalent.com

    LinkedIn (Company): https://www.linkedin.com/company/blindingtalent/

    LinkedIn (Mark Adams): https://uk.linkedin.com/in/markadamsai

    Email: industry@blindingtalent.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    55 mins
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