Roman Tagoe: Class, NOT Race, is Music’s Biggest Gatekeeper

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.

They explore:
⬛ “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?

⏱ Episode Timestamps:
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:
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