It’s the return of Advertising Week in New York City, so I’m in the mix for a few days. It’s great to be back at an in-person conference connecting with old friends and meeting new players in the space.Last night, Mary J. Blige performed at the Apollo, which I missed because I was at the Brand Innovators dinner. Tonight, Anderson .Paak is performing at the Vessel in Hudson Yards, where the conference is taking place. The venue for the actual show is inside the old Neiman Marcus. Neimans was a proud launch partner of Hudson Yards just a few years ago, but now it’s completely gone; an eerie reminder of the changing times post-pandemic.The conference itself is definitely not firing on all cylinders. There doesn't seem to be any fresh, big-name keynotes or a large brand presence. Lots of folks are enjoying the virtual lives they adopted over the past year and a half. For the 50-or-so people in the room per session, there are apparently 10,000 (!) that will stream the VOD over the next 30 days. I have some streaming passes still, so let me know if you want to check out any sessions. I highly recommend this one.Most excitement is around new frontier industries like crypto, NFTs, The Metaverse, mobile gaming, and the future of music livestreaming. These are all areas where brands and marketers are trying to figure out the best ways to integrate. It’s exciting to see consensus about “what’s next” and to connect with other people who are building these new worlds. Brands will be a big part of Web3 and those that get in early will yield great attention when their campaigns connect with culture.Impactful conversations are happening. Now is the time to collaborate and experiment as Web3 takes shape. The winners will win big!It’s not the citywide Advertising Week extravaganza I’m used to, but it’s still New York City. After a couple weeks of the beautiful Miami heat, the crisp, fall air is cozy as can be. Hit me while I’m here.
BEATS
Why Cash App Launched Cash App Studios and What to ExpectLast week, Cash App announced Cash App Studios, a new program to bankroll artists and other creatives. It’s an invite-only initiative where artists maintain ownership and don’t have to pay back any funds. (Trapital)
Jazz Venues Have Been Hit Particularly Hard By The PandemicThe closures are part of a decades-long trend exacerbated by the pandemic. Although many have triumphantly reopened their doors in recent weeks and months, jazz clubs were the hardest hit of all types of music venues. (Washington Post)
BTS and Casetify’s New ‘Butter’ Collab Celebrates the Band’s Chart-Topping Single“BTS’s” chart-topping single “Butter” came out in May but fans of the mega-popular K-Pop band can still celebrate the summer bop with a brand new ” Butter”-themed collaboration with Casetify. (Variety)
Blackstone Is Investing $1 Billion In Music Rights Via Merck Mercuriadis And Hipgnosis… And There Could Be Billions More On The Way.MBW has confirmed that this money will be poured into a new private fund, Hipgnosis Songs Capital. Hipgnosis Songs Capital is a separate entity to the Mercuriadis-led Hipgnosis Songs Fund (SONG), which trades on the London Stock Exchange and has invested around $2 billion in music rights to date. (Music Business Worldwide)
You Have to Move to Unlock Mike Posner's New Track, via Clif BarTo unlock Mike Posner's latest single, "Amor Fati" ("Love of Fate"), on your phone, you'll have to bust some moves.That's the deal from Clif Bar, which engaged Edelman agencies Edible and UEG to create a platform, "Clif Remix in Motion," that syncs with your handset's motion detection tech. (Muse by Clio)
The Promise, Pitfalls & Possibilities Of Web3: Case Study MusicOn the one hand, Web3 is going through its own decades-long development and adoption cycle. On the other hand, we see fast-moving changes in the way artists and their fans, or broader communities, interact. By taking a look at the intersection of these two developments we can take stock on where we’ve come from, and what we can do to push for good growth. (Music X)
Justin Bieber Tells the Story of ESPN's Iconic NHL Theme SongThat's Justin Bieber's assessment of ESPN's iconic NHL theme song as he narrates a mini-doc focusing on Bob Christianson, who wrote the tune 29 years ago. The six-minute film aired on the network before Tuesday night's contest between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins. (Muse by Clio)
Fast Forward: A Vision of Inclusion in Music for 2025While it’s challenging for career artists to emerge in the midst of this overwhelming competition for ears, there is an ever-expanding DIY financial ecosystem: supported by the blockchain, which has bridged gaps in rights management especially in emerging markets. (Variety)
How The Metaverse Promises To Transform How We Interact With Music OnlineThe metaverse is here, and it promises a new world in which our online lives mirror our reality. This new world – infused with virtual ‘real’ experiences – is a new reality where ‘online’ becomes an extension of our real lives. (Musically)
How Emerging Djs Are Using Tiktok To Reach MillionsWhile TikTok’s prevalence has been undeniable over the last eighteen months for everyone, the popularity of the platform within the music industry has been especially noteable. A report in July showed 75% of the app’s users (recently surpassing 1 billion in number) say they discover new artists on the platform, a sizable number of artists breaking on the platform sign to majors, and labels are pouring marketing money into the platform and its influential user base. (Mix Mag)
What Do Blackstone’s Billions Mean For Merck Mercuriadis’ Mission For Songwriters?With the $2 billion-backed Hipgnosis Songs Fund, Mercuriadis has consistently admitted to two motives: (i) Getting his shareholders a nice return while growing the value of music rights; and (ii) Changing, as he always puts it, “where the songwriter sits in the economic equation”. (Music Business Worldwide)
CAA To Acquire ICM Partners: What Major Agency Consolidation Means For LiveCAA announced its intention to acquire ICM Partners on Sept. 27, after a weekend of negotiations that reportedly concluded only hours before the news became public. Described in the press in such apocalyptic terms as “bombshell,” “an earthquake” creating a “juggernaut” or “monolith,” the “mammoth” deal will, according to some, create “aftershocks” for years to come. (Pollstar)
Popeyes and Megan Thee Stallion Turn Up the Heat, Y'AllHer Self-Proclaimed Hotness has partnered with the chicken chain on a "Hottie Sauce" seasoned with honey, cider vinegar and Aleppo pepper, plus co-branded bikinis, shirts, sweaters, hats and other merchandise. The sauce hits restaurants next week, available for a limited time, while the merch rolls out over the coming months. (Muse by Clio)
Metaverse-Focused ‘Music Experience Startup’ Stage11 Announces $5.8 Million Funding RoundStage11, which debuted last year and has inked partnerships with Martin Garrix, Snoop Dogg, Akon, Paris-born David Guetta, and others, unveiled the multimillion-dollar funding round via a formal release this morning. (Digital Music News)
Paul Simon Reveals New Music Project in Upcoming Audiobook From Malcolm GladwellPaul Simon, who celebrates his 80th birthday on Wednesday, hasn’t written the last chapter in his epic singer-songwriter career. The musician’s life and career are the subject of an upcoming audiobook biography, “Miracle and Wonder: Conversations With Paul Simon,” from Malcolm Gladwell and New York Times journalist Bruce Headlam. (Variety)
BYTES
Mike Tyson sat down with world-renown chef & rapper Action Bronson in the #Hotboxin studio. In this episode, the two spoke up about old-school boxing, the power of psychedelics, dealing with bullying, Mike's famous white tiger, the capability of the subconscious mind, exotic animals living in New York City apartments, and so much more.
"Every conversation has the potential to open up and reveal all the layers and layers within it, all those rooms within rooms," says podcaster and musician Hrishikesh Hirway. In this profoundly moving talk, he offers a guide to deep conversations and explores what you learn when you stop to listen closely.
DREAMSTAGE is revolutionizing the live concert experience. We are a new streaming platform where musicians of all genres perform and interact with fans worldwide. Our shows beam amazing live music and entertainment right to your living room with a beautiful high definition signal that transports you there, in the moment, as it happens!
English New wave band Duran Duran has released a new single, Invisible and is getting read to release their album, Future Past on October 22! Take a look at the Invisible music video and their upcoming shows in 2021-2022.
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!