Ian Hogarth

Hogarth says entertainment startups face powerful rights holders, and most creators depend on them for financial stability. He points to Universal Music Group's acquisition of EMI and Live Nation's merger with the world's largest ticket vendor as examples of growing consolidation. He advises startups to understand industry players' problems and find a reason for them to embrace the product.

Hogarth argues that consumer startups involve substantial randomness, so building one is not a reliable path to financial success. He says a strong builder might earn more by joining a successful company or spreading risk across multiple ventures. For him, the strongest reason to start is being deeply motivated to solve a specific problem.

Hogarth describes a startup's success in terms of user gratification, growth, and economics, with the team affecting all three. Songkick learned through user surveys that personalized concert alerts delighted some fans, but its signup process made that experience hard to reach. Improving access to listening data and the quality and completeness of concert listings helped build trust; partnerships, search, and mobile word of mouth then supported growth.

Hogarth recalls Songkick's bleak period in December 2010, when new features failed to improve usage and cash was limited. He says persistence can carry a company to a better market moment, pointing to the shift from desktop to mobile and its effect on Songkick, Shazam, and Pandora. He recommends writing down why the work matters, spending time with users, and building with trusted co-founders.