It’s an exciting time at the intersection of brands and music. Before the pandemic, brand partnerships were an under-utilized tool in the music industry. In early 2020, before the paradigm shift, the music business was seeing double-digit growth in all areas except brand partnerships. Sure, brand partnerships were on the rise, but not at the pace that the rest of the industry was setting.Nue has been highlighting this growth opportunity for nearly a decade and the pandemic finally brought it to the fore. When the music industry came to halt and over 75% of artist revenue (i.e. shows) dried up indefinitely, everyone became more open to brand partnerships because they bring in revenue and boost marketing profile. The world finally saw what we saw: a win-win.Many life ropes were thrown – from the galvanizing of the indies with NIVA; to the publishing boom; to the rise of livestreaming and the explosion of NFTs and the Metaverse – but one thing that doesn’t get enough credit were the brand partnerships and the people that made those happen. It was a brand bonanza that has stuck even as other revenue streams have opened back up.Brand partnerships are very exciting and can create truly meaningful outcomes. Of course, there is a lot to think about when structuring these deals. That’s why I’m excited to be headed to Advertising Week tomorrow in NYC to talk my talk!This is the conf’s second year back post-pandemic. They have a new venue, new owners, and a scaled back in-person offering with a greater focus on the hybrid component. Panels are available to stream and one of my favorite rappers, Jadakiss, will be presenting. He launched a coffee brand with his father and son called Kiss Cafe.I love that Diddy is back, too. He performed his new single last night with YouTube at Webster Hall.The reason I’m in town though is to close out the show on the main stage, I’m interviewing the hilarious Impractical Jokers (Thursday @ 450P). These guys have a global hit TV show, a brand new season featuring awesome celebrity guests, and a huge live Live Nation tour set for 2023. Have you heard of them? The session is called Hiding In Plain Sight and we’re introducing the endless marketing possibilities of their genius to the brand world. They are rockstars that are building an empire and becoming NY icons. These guys appeal to every generation and it will be a good time. If you’re around, come check it out. If you’re not, hit the livestreams on-demand.
BEATS
Why Artists Need to Collaborate to Stay RelevantHip-hop collaborations are nothing new. Rappers have long come together, whether to remix a track, partner on a song or introduce a newer artist to the masses. (Trapital)
Vinyl Now Matters Even More To The Music IndustryVinyl is not in the same mighty position as physical books, having been supplanted in the mainstream by other formats decades ago – yet it is the fastest-growing format in music today. (Midias Research)
Welcome To The Year Of Indie SleazeIt’s been a decade since this cultural phenomenon ended, but it’s left an enormous footprint on music and fashion. (Spin)
Santigold Goes Deep About Why She Canceled Her Tour, and the Steep Challenges Facing Independent ArtistsThe post struck a nerve with fellow musicians. “I feel you and I feel exactly the same,” Swedish singer Lykke Li responded. “Fucking hell, it’s so brutal out there,” British singer Lily Allen replied, adding, “You’re right, we don’t talk about it enough.” (Variety)
Four Challenges Record Labels Face In Web3Here are four challenges record labels face in web3 which slows their adoption of NFTs as a music format. (The Lab)
SoundCloud Takes a Page out of MySpace’s PlaybookThe first phase of “SoundCloud for Artists,” as the rebrand is called, is a new creator dashboard. The new version allows artists to see all those stats at a glance. While that may be easier, it doesn’t offer anything new yet. (The Verge)
TikTok Tunes Up a Music Streaming ServiceTikTok parent company ByteDance is looking to expand its music streaming service, Resso, globally. (Future Party)
Are Chief Music Officers The Next CMOs?Did you know there was a new kind of CMO stealing the spotlight? One that is decidedly more 'rock star' than your average chief marketing officer? (Campaign Asia)
How the Luxury Industry Finally Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Hip-HopThe genre's rappers and other artists were once turned away by leading lifestyle brands. Here's how they—and their stylists—made it to fashion's front row. (Robb Report)
Amazon launches weekly livestream concert series ‘Amazon Music Live’ on Prime VideoAs more streaming services explore the livestreaming space, Amazon Prime Video is branching out beyond live sports and introducing a new weekly livestreamed concert series called “Amazon Music Live.” (Tech Crunch)
Record Labels Struggle To Craft A New Generation Of Pop StarsThe business of turning musicians into superstars is harder than ever, according to industry insiders. That’s thanks to a fractured culture, an overwhelming number of artists, and few outlets that actually guarantee success. (Future Party)
Simon Cowell Teams With Tiktok, Universal Music Group To Launch Music-Making Online ‘Talent Show’We’ve had televised talent shows where contestants write and sing their favorite songs… and get a record contract at the end. Arguably, both formats have been pioneered and globally amplified by one individual more than any other: Simon Cowell. (Music Business Worldwide)
BYTES
Joe Rogan's podcast The Joe Rogan Experience hosts legendary music producer Rick Rubin.
blink-182 is back and they're in fine form in the video for their new song, "Edging," the first new music blink-182 has put out with the original lineup of Tom, Mark and Travis since 2012.
Whether you’re an artist or a producer, use Charta to negotiate and sign a custom producer agreement all in plain English. No more confusing templates, messy handshake deals or expensive lawyers.
Lil Yachty is having one of the best weeks of his career thanks to an 83-second song called “Poland,” in which he croons about bringing lean to the Central European country. (GQ)
This week's newsletter was carefully curated by the Nue Agency staff and our editor Rachel Meisner. If you think we missed something this week or have any suggestions/comments for next week's newsletter, let us know!