Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by legendary punk rock executive, Louis Posen, founder of Hopeless Records.

This week, Mark catches up with Louis in Los Angeles during Musexpo week to reflect on 30 years of independent label life, how Hopeless started as a dare, the realities of the modern streaming economy, and what it really means to stay punk in a changing industry.

Louis also shares how losing his eyesight at 19 shaped his approach to life and business, why he still believes in artist-first models, and how Hopeless is giving back through its Hopeless Foundation and Hopeless Music Academy. There’s also chat about superfan tiers, ticket scalping, being called the “Paul Newman of Punk Rock”, and a few war stories from the early days of the label.

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