Though he started off as a drummer in the 70s, Pelle Lidell went on to become one of most well-known Swedish A&Rs of the last few decades, having a hand in countless records for artists like Christina Aguilera, Celine Dione, Christina Milian, Sugababes and more. He spent time at both indie and major label publishers, first in Sweden and then in the UK. He followed up by contributing to the K-Pop explosion of the 2010s, with several of his writers getting cuts with the biggest stars in the genre.

I had a chat with Pelle about his career from the 70s till now, covering most of what he's done, some of the people he's worked with, and what being an A&R means to him.

Klas Begling is the father of the late Swedish DJ, Avicii, who passed away in 2018. Having handled the business side of his son's affairs for over a decade, he set up the Tim Bergling Foundation to honor his memory in 2020. I had the chance to sit and speak with him about his son's career, as well as the work the foundation is doing.

Wojtek Goral is a Stockholm-based musician who's risen to fame as one of the go-tos in Max Martin's network of musicians, and he's contributed sax parts to songs by Pink, Carly Rae Jepsen, Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande and more. We crossed paths at a live show, and he was kind of enought to sit down with me some weeks later to talk about his career and how he got the point he's at now.

Henrik Frisk is a saxophonist, composer, and vice principal at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (KMH). When I visited the school to learn more about their programs, he was kind enough to show me around and do a walkthrough of their facilities. In return, I invited him on the podcast to talk about his music history, his tenure at KMH and the kind of academic setup that school has.

Alfons Karabuda got his start as a composer in the 90s and later became a well-known figure in the world of music advocacy. Whether as a head of Swedish organizations like SKAP and STIM, or international ones like the International Music Council, he's become a recurring voice in the conversation about musicians rights, especially in Europe. I had a talk with Alfons about his early composer and what his last 20 years of advocacy work has entailed.

Born in San Diego, California, Michael Blair is an American drummer and producer who's contributed to breakthrough records with Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Lou Reed, poet Allen Ginsberg, and many more. He also presents workshops and events focused on unlocking creativity and promoting music collaboration. I was able to sit down with Michael and ask him some questions about his career, his relocation to Sweden, and his wider work.

Peter Åstedt has been working in the music industry for over 30 years, having started his own label, Dead Frog Records, at the age of fifteen in 1990. He was an early protagonist of the digital revolution and uploaded his first mp3 in 1995, plus he worked on one of the first legal mp3 stores, Vitaminic. He's also been active in distribution, publishing and live shows, and is currently known for his Future Echoes music festival that takes place in Sweden. I had a chat with him about his long-running career, covering how he went from a teenager label owner to a current-day festival owner.

Having existed for five years as a Q&A website, The Record Business has transitioned into a podcast in 2024. With Sam Freeman as the host, the inaugural episode sees him speak with Swedish songwriter Andreas Carlsson. Famous for his work with the legendary Cheiron crew of the late 90s and early 2000s, Andreas was one of the most successful songwriters of that period, and went on to become a judge on Swedish Idol, a motivational speaker, and start his own schools, all of which was covered in the conversation.