NICK
Nick Raphael is the kind of exec who trusted his ear before the internet gave you permission. While running Capitol Records UK, he signed Sam Smith and even earlier, he was one of the first to take a real chance on Roc-A-Fella (Jay-Z, Dame Dash, Kareem "Biggs" Burke) before most U.S. execs did. Nick shows how real A&R happens before the dashboards: train your ear, test songs in rooms, and trust the gut that's been built through 10,000 reps. This episode is a masterclass in betting on taste, not dashboards.
BETTING ON TASTE