The Glaucoma Surgeon Who Built a Stoner Rock Empire | Todd Severin, CEO of Ripple Music

What does it take to run a global heavy rock label — while also performing eye surgery? Todd Severin, CEO of Ripple Music and author of Deadly Vision, joins The Sonic Road to tell one of the most unlikely stories in the history of independent music. 🎸 Full episode out now → https://linktr.ee/thesonicroad ───────────────────────────── IN THIS CLIP: ───────────────────────────── ✦ How Ripple Music evolved from a review blog to a leader in stoner rock, doom, and heavy psych ✦ The vinyl boom in 2026 — navigating a booming market as an independent label ✦ The "Love & Affection" contract clause and what artist-first deal-making really looks like ✦ Why Todd has never taken a paycheck from Ripple Music — and how the label survives on passion ✦ The 30-year road to publishing Deadly Vision — a medical thriller where VR, AI, and political corruption collide ✦ How his life as an ophthalmologist informs the world of the "Virtual Heart Project" ───────────────────────────── SHOW CHAPTERS ───────────────────────────── 00:00 Reissuing a Cleveland Classic 00:10 Music as Escape: A Turbulent Childhood 00:50 Starting a Label in Chaos: Unpredictable Revenue 01:04 Vinyl Boom & Swifties: The 2026 Landscape 01:24 Collecting First Pressings: Kill 'Em All Lore 01:34 From Comic Pitch to Novel: The Creative Pivot 02:04 VR and AI Ahead of Time: 1994 Concepts 02:29 Inside the Virtual Heart: High-Tech Medical Thrills 02:53 Hospital Politics and Broken Care: A Surgeon's Critique 03:29 Community Hugs and Heavy Music: The Ripple Ethos 03:48 Love and Affection Contract Clause: Artist-First Deals 04:09 The Hard Truth About Label Money 04:15 Never Taking a Paycheck: Funding the Dream ───────────────────────────── SUPPORT TODD & RIPPLE MUSIC ───────────────────────────── ✅ Ripple Music Bandcamp: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com 📖 Read Deadly Vision: https://a.co/d/08C0jWSw ───────────────────────────── ABOUT THE SONIC ROAD PODCAST ───────────────────────────── The Sonic Road is your destination for deep conversations with the musicians, producers, engineers, and creatives behind rock and metal's greatest records. New episodes every week on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode → https://linktr.ee/thesonicroad ───────────────────────────── FOLLOW THE SONIC ROAD ───────────────────────────── 📷 Instagram: @thesonicroad 🎵 TikTok: @thesonicroad 📘 Facebook: @thesonicroad 🐦 X: @thesonicroad #TheSonicRoad #RippleMusic #ToddSeverin #StonerRock #DeadlyVision #HeavyMetal #RecordLabel #IndependentMusic #MusicPodcast #RockPodcast #VinylRevival #DoomMetal #HeavyPsych