For four decades, Martin Goldschmidt has operated by a simple but radical conviction: the artist is the brand, not the label. Acting on that belief, he built Cooking Vinyl into one of Europe's premier independent labels—home to The Prodigy, Billy Bragg, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and more—and in doing so, pioneered the Artist Services model that has since reshaped the industry's relationship with its talent.
But Goldschmidt's story is not only about music business innovation. In 2017, he co-founded Palestine Music Expo, staging festivals in the West Bank and later in Gaza—using music as a tool for resilience, connection, and joy in some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable. He reflects on forty years of building, selling, and protecting what matters—from near-bankruptcy to landmark deals, digital disruption, and the question that has driven him throughout: what does it actually mean to put the artist first.
Interviewer: Ruth Daniel, CEO and Artistic Director of In Place of War