“Culture” is one of the most overused buzzwords of the decade. By definition, culture is “the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively; the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group.” Colloquially, however, the word has become a catch-all for anything relevant or hip.So on Monday night, when I attended a fireside chat with one of the top culture marketers in the world, Steve Stoute, interviewing the legendary VC, Ben Horowitz, I was interested to hear their definition of this star of modern language.The well-produced event celebrated the release of Ben’s new book, What You Do Is Who You Are, in a room packed with some of my favorite brand marketers, tech entrepreneurs, hip-hop and fashion icons, and, for lack of a better term, culture heads.It was fascinating to hear Ben and Steve riff on some of the book’s key points, such as company culture and its relationship to the boss. Ben defines “who you are” not by the values you list on the wall, what you say at an all-hands, your marketing campaign, or even what you believe. It’s simply “what you do,” and what you do is, therefore, the north star for your company’s culture: how you make it, how you keep it, and how your behavior impacts it.To explain this, Ben tells the story of four different leaders who established a culture through who they were:
The leader of the only successful slave revolt, Haiti’s Toussaint Louverture
The Samurai, who ruled Japan for seven hundred years and shaped modern Japanese culture
Genghis Khan, who built the world’s largest empire
Shaka Senghor, a man convicted of murder who ran a formidable prison gang and ultimately transformed prison culture
I love Ben’s personal company culture. For every minute a VC is late to a meeting with an entrepreneur, that person owes $10. This shows the respect for hard work that Ben wants to instill in his team as well as his acknowledgment that entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of their business.This book makes it clear how you can establish and maintain your company culture. It provides a clear understanding of how your actions determine the culture of your company.At Nue Agency, we focus on the importance of consumer-facing culture. But as Ben points out, everything starts inside the four walls of your organization.
BEATS
Will Podcast Playlists Elevate the Microcast?Spotify officially launched Your Daily Drive back in June. For the uninitiated, the feature is a hybrid music-slash-podcast playlist designed to be consumed within the context of a commute. (Hot Pod News)
What COLORS and RCA Records Can Teach Us About Music Merch CampaignsAt its best, merch serves as a platform for artists and fans to express themselves visually and identify collectively with a musical aesthetic, social movement and/or general way of life, while directly funding said artists' performing and touring careers. At its worst, or perhaps just most annoying, it becomes just another manipulative marketing checkbox to drive up sales and chart rankings. (Water and Music)
The 10 Most Influential Hip-Hop Business Moves of the 2010s There are no hot takes here designed to drive traffic. If I get fewer page views because I didn’t troll you by saying “Soulja Boy’s bootleg video game console is the second-most influential move of the decade,” I’m fine with that. (Trapital)
Music Video Platform Triller Reaises $28M With ‘Sights Set On Overtaking TikTok’The funding round is worth $28 million in total, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, with the Series B raise potentially valuing Triller at $130 million. As a result of recently-renewed licensing agreements with all three companies, say sources, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group each own a minority piece of Triller. (Music Business Worldwide)
Changing The Way The Music Industry Interacts With Data: Q&A With Entertainment Intelligence Founder Greg Delaney Entertainment Intelligence is on a mission to provide the music industry with useful and actionable data. While other data service providers offer surface level data, Ei plugs directly into the top digital platforms to go deep into listener trends and behaviours. We recently sat down with founder Greg Delaney to learn more. (Synchtank)
Beyond The Video: Engaging With Your Fans On YouTubeWith the launch of Official Artist Channels and YouTube Music, it can be easy to forget that there’s an entire world of YouTube beyond delivering your music and videos. Whether you’re operating as a label, an artist, or a vlogger, using the in-platform interactive features can be an invaluable resource in keeping your fanbase updated on your next moves. (Daily Grind Blog)
10 Stats That Prove You Need To Be on TikTokTikTok played a pivotal role in the rise of the record-breaking hit “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X, Blanco Brown’s “The Git Up” and Sueco the Child, whose track “Fast” garnered 17 million Spotify plays after he seeded a clip from the song on the video app. But just how big is TikTok, who uses it and how often? (Hypebot)
Lyor Cohen On His Plans For Youtube Music — ‘Whip Spotify’s Ass? The Answer Is Emphatically Yes’ Even on two hours’ sleep, Lyor Cohen is a force of nature: towering, thunderously voiced and another vigorous rebuttal to F Scott Fitzgerald’s dodgy maxim about there being only one act in American lives. (The Times)
TMZ Emailed The Secret Service About Eminem’s Trump Lyrics. Agents Then Investigated The Rapper Kamikaze’s lead track, “The Ringer,” immediately attracted attention on social media due to lyrics in which Eminem, a fierce critic of President Donald Trump, claimed he was visited by the Secret Service: "‘Cause Agent Orange just sent the Secret Service / To meet in person to see if I really think of hurtin’ him / Or ask if I’m linked to terrorists / I said, ‘Only when it comes to ink and lyricists.'" (Buzzfeed News)
Zane Lowe On Apple Music And Beats 1’s Commitment To Artists And Being The No.1 Service For Hip-hop In The WorldLowe, Apple Music’s Global Creative Director, says 24/7 radio station Beats 1 sets out to create a “club room” environment for artists; a place where they can hang out and express themselves – whether “on cycle” with a record or not. (Music Business Worldwide)
How the Intersect Music Festival Demonstrates the Risks of the Band/Brand RelationshipMany brands try to create enduring emotional ties with people by being culturally relevant. Cultural relevance is about connecting with an audience through their beliefs, interests, and behaviors. Forming marketing relatinships with musicians is a way for businesses to achieve cultural relevance. (Super Hype Blog)
Britney Spears Is A Genius: Max Martin, The Powerhouse Of Pure Pop The man behind two decades of hits for Britney, Ariana, Taylor and more is ‘thankful’ singers still put themselves out there. Now, 30 of his songs are getting a second life from Shakespeare. (The Guardian)
'Rhythm + Flow' Remixes The Rules For Reality TVRhythm + Flow is Netflix's new music-competition reality show. The name is a thinly-veiled reference to the 2005 film Hustle & Flow (different enough, we hope, to avoid a lawsuit). It's a solid association, as over the course of its season, each contestant battled for their own version of the glory that Terrence Howard's character DJay achieved as a rapper in that film. (NPR)
Caffeine Hopes Celebrities And Entertainment Can Help It Beat TwitchThe streaming wars are heating up: corporate content giants like Netflix, Amazon, and Disney are all playing their positions, strengthening their value propositions. (The Verge)
What’s Facebook’s Game Plan In Music?Little under two years ago, Facebook announced a global licensing deal with Universal Music Group – covering the use of music on FB, Instagram and VR platform Oculus. Over the following few months, we learned of similar agreements involving the likes of Warner Music Group, Sony/ATV (and Sony Music) and a host of independent labels via Merlin and others. (Music Business Worldwide)
Check Out the Full Credits for Kanye West's New Album 'Jesus Is King'Kanye West‘s latest studio album Jesus Is King has arrived and is available for streaming. Billed as Ye’s take interpretation of a “gospel album,” Jesus Is King delivers 11 new tracks to fans, including collaborations with Pusha T, Mike Dean, No Malice, Ronny J, Ty Dolla $ign, Kenny G and more. (Hypebeast)
BYTES
From managing members of The Wu-Tang Clan and A Tribe Called Quest to training the next generation of entrepreneurs, Sophia Chang chats with Recode’s Peter Kafka to discuss her new audiobook-only memoir, The Baddest Bitch In The Room.
FACT talks to Vicky Clarke, Lee Gamble, Venus Ex Machina, digital selves and queer club collective Tremors to find out how contemporary UK artists are looking to the past, present and future to create new sounds and utopian spaces.
Triller is an entertainment platform built for creators. A social video community where you can show the world who you are by capturing flawless videos and sharing them in seconds. Express yourself and connect with the content you love. Create amazing music videos for trending challenges such as the Drake #InMyFeelings challenge and many more.
As West sells it, figuratively and literally, Jesus Is King is a repudiation of his past sin, an absolution, a blank slate from which to spread the word of a very specific God, one whose blessings rain down on a cul-de-sac in Calabasas and a ranch in Jackson Hole. (Pitchfork)
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!