Music is a force of nature. The moment we are first born, our heart starts beating, catching a rhythm with the universe. That is how we know we are alive!Music is also math. There is a fascinating physics to how musical sounds are produced.Both physicists and composers are in the everyday business of dealing with complex, abstract patterns. Nikola Tesla said it best: “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.” Music has been an integral part of human life since the dawn of civilization, with ancient roots extending back at least 40,000 years.At Nue, we understand the power of music. Music is not just an extremely effective marketing vehicle – on a physiological level, it’s a vehicle to better physical and mental health, better performance, and a better life.Like many supplements and painkillers, music and its frequencies have true powers that can impact your heart, mind, and soul. The most amazing musicians of our time are like scientists creating potions that help us connect more deeply to ourselves and the universe.After various studies and through proper sound design, we have discovered powerful ways music can make us better, and the science goes deep. When utilized correctly, music’s impact can enhance a range of human experiences and basic functions, such as:
There is data to back each of these up. Music can even:
From a marketing perspective, music's ability to evoke emotions is a complex interplay of biological, psychological, cultural, and structural factors that resonate deeply with our humanness. This emotional power makes music a potent tool in various contexts, including storytelling, communication, and marketing.Brand marketers want consumers to fall in love with their brand. We know that first they need their customers to learn to like the brand. How do we tap into that? Music, because it is the #1 passion point of consumers across the board on a global scale.If you want to understand somebody, look at what they are listening to. Harnessing the emotional power of music to tell the brand story through culture is what we do at NUE Agency. We recognize the emotional power of music, we understand how music drives culture and human sentiment, and we help brands tap into it in a way that will best serve their objectives. Navigating the industry can be tricky, but understanding why music works and how it works, while keeping it authentic to the brand’s mission, is the ideal starting point. The best deals position for a win-win-win: Brand, Artist, Fans! Remember, in these partnerships, authenticity is the highest frequency of all.This week at PTTOW NXT at the Four Seasons just outside Los Angeles, my friend, Dana Droppo (Chief Brand Officer at Billboard) and I, led a session on this very topic. It was followed by a sound healing journey by Bianca Harris, renowned Holistic Breath Coach, Nike Trainer, and Founder of Holistic Breath Academy.It was amazing to see music’s impact on such a diverse, accomplished group of people who all came together to tune their internal pitch forks. We were connected by the healing nature of the sound bowls (that, too, has a lot of great science behind it!). The way the conversation flowed into a sound journey was one of the coolest music & brand conversations I’ve ever had the chance to be a part of. Thank you for the inspiration PTTOW family, and thanks especially to organizers Sammy Rabenstien, Ryan Brenner, Roman Tsunder, Ryan Boughan & Nicole Rosofsky.All in a day's work. 🙏🏽
BEATS
Tate McRae Plans to Show You All Sides of Herself Pop music is in the midst of a generation shift with a group of young artists, ranging from Carole King-adjacent songstresses to Madonna-like performance powerhouses, taking over. Tate McRae stands at the front of that pack, using her songwriting prowess and extensive dance training to stand out (W Magazine).
Tierra Whack Teams Up with Venmo to Host Season 2 of “Money Talks” on Financial LiteracyPhiladelphia’s own Tierra Whack, the groundbreaking rapper behind World Wide Whack, is hitting the road for a new kind of tour—this time in partnership with Venmo to co-host Season 2 of their financial education series, Money Talks. Through candid conversations with artists, entrepreneurs, and small business owners, Whack dives into topics that go beyond her music, focusing on financial literacy, a subject she’s passionate about sharing with her fans and community (The Source).
Subcultures: The Ground Floor of Culture and Creativity for BrandsGenres like hip-hop, punk, and grunge all started as niche movements but have evolved into mainstream cultural powerhouses, influencing everything from today’s fashion, music, art, language, and more. While acts from the U.S. and U.K. once dominated global culture, today, we’re seeing subgenres like Afrobeats, Latin, and K-pop explode beyond their origins (Live Nation).
The Legend of the Wu-Tang Clan Nike DunkThe Wu-Tang Clan Nike Dunk was not meant for public consumption. For most of the shoe’s life, the RZA, the producer and leader behind the seminal New York rap group, was fine keeping it that way (Complex).
Noah Kahan and L.L. Bean debut New England-inspired fall collectionThe “Northern Attitude Collection,” named for a song on Kahan’s 2022 album “Stick Season,” includes a hoodie, zip pouch, bean boots, an anorak, a cap, a beanie, a chamois shirt, and a tote. Each piece celebrates Kahan’s Vermont origins with neutral and muted tans, browns, and greens with cyan accents (Boston).
Google Launches New Interface for MusicFX DJ AI Tool with Jacob CollierGoogle has partnered with Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer Jacob Collier on its latest AI project, MusicFX DJ. It’s a generative music creation tool that can mix prompts for instruments, genres, and even emotions to steer the flow of a continuous live music stream (Digital Music News).
Lil’ WeezyCon Officially On Tap — Live Nation, Amazon Music, SoundExchange, Udio Among ParticipantsLive Nation Urban announces a new partnership with the Culture Creators Foundation to launch Lil’ WeezyCon, a dynamic addition to Lil’ WeezyAna Fest in New Orleans. Lil’ WeezyCon will kick off on November 2 at The Fillmore from 10 AM to 5 PM, offering a unique platform for thought leaders, creators, artists, and young professionals to come together for a day of panels, networking, and community engagement (Digital Music News).
The Future of Music Festivals Is Niche and Artist-LedBig music festivals are going through a major transformation - instead of the massive catch-all events of the past, superstars like Morgan Wallen and Karol G are now creating their own intimate, branded festivals complete with ferris wheels and themed experiences, while genre-specific events like the emo-focused When We Were Young festival are finding success by catering to dedicated fan communities rather than trying to please everyone (Bloomberg).
Navigating the Future Through Music and TechIn a shift away from venture capital-driven innovation, the future of music technology needs to be guided by artists' visions - particularly from the indie scene - while balancing the tension between AI-driven mainstream consolidation and the nurturing of diverse musical micro-communities (Music X).
Instagram Now Lets Users Add Songs To Their Spotify Playlists, Taking A Page From Tiktok’s PlaybookInstagram has rolled out a Spotify integration, enabling users to save songs they discover on the social media platform directly to their Spotify accounts. “We know that music is all around you and sometimes that means right on your social media feed. That’s why beginning today, Spotify is excited to unveil a new integration with Instagram that makes it even easier to capture and instantly add songs to Spotify from Instagram with just one simple tap,” Spotify said in a note to 9to5Mac (Music Business Worldwide).
Report Predicts Slowing Growth For Global Music-Merch SalesThe global music-merchandise market will be worth $16.3bn a year by 2023 according to Midia Research’s latest report. But the company warns that growth in this market is slowing, and predicts that by the end of the decade its annual rise will be just 1.6% (Musically).
6 Social Media Accounts That Changed How I Rediscover MusicThis New York Times article highlights six influential social media accounts that are reshaping how people discover and rediscover music, ranging from Drumeo's expert drum breakdowns to Ryley Walker's candid stories about rock music, showcasing how social platforms have become unique spaces for music appreciation and education beyond traditional listening (New York Times).
Lily Allen Says Her OnlyFans Feet Pictures Make More Money Than Spotify Streams: ‘Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the Game’Singer Lily Allen has revealed that she makes more money each month by selling pictures of her feet on OnlyFans than she does through her Spotify streams. Allen started her OnlyFans account over the summer after her pedicurist told her she had nice feet and could make some cash off of them, she revealed on an episode of her podcast “Miss Me,” (Variety).
If You Want To Create A Monocultural Event, Start A WarNick Susi reveals a surprising truth about modern culture: despite claims that we've lost our ability to share mass cultural experiences, "wars" - whether hip-hop battles, celebrity feuds, or sports rivalries - continue to unite massive audiences (Objects Of).
Universal Music Strikes Strategic Deal With “Ethical AI Music Company” Klay VisionUniversal Music Group, led by chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge, is teaming up with L.A.-based AI music company Klay Vision on what they described as “a pioneering commercial ethical foundational model for AI-generated music that works in collaboration with the music industry and its creators,” (Hollywood).
Adele’s Munich Residency and the Power of ScarcityAdele In Munich is a true anomaly. It was a first-of-its-kind, custom-built venue for the 36-year-old singer’s ten-concert residency. In August, she welcomed over 730,000 fans into her temporary home. It’s a $130 million build that’s portable and can be used again for another artist. But is there anyone else quite like Adele? (Trapital)
Snoop Dogg and STEPN GO Team Up for Limited-Edition Web3 SneakersThe social-lifestyle platform STEPN GO, developed by Find Satoshi Lab (FSL), has announced a collaboration with cultural icon Snoop Dogg, unveiling a limited edition of co-branded Genesis Sneakers. This partnership combines Snoop Dogg’s influence in culture and his affinity for new technologies with STEPN GO’s mission to promote social fitness through a Web3-powered experience (Coin Trust).
Method Man Teams Up with PLL on 'Five Boroughs Collection'Method Man is the face of a new capsule by the Premier Lacrosse League that celebrates New York City's deep connection with the sport. The Five Boroughs Collection is “made to highlight and give back to the players and organizations who continue to do the work for the love of the game,” per the website (Boardroom)..
Charli XCX Inks Deal with ConverseAs her North American “Sweat Tour” winds down, Charli XCX unveiled a new collab. The British pop star is the new face of Converse, she confirmed via Instagram. In a statement obtained by Hypebeast, Charli XCX said she wears her Converse sneakers so much they have holes in them and called the company “iconic.” She joins a star-studded roster that includes Billie Eilish, Tyler, the Creator, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Boardroom)..
Timbaland Becomes Strategic Advisor for AI Music Company SunoGrammy-winning producer Timbaland has taken on a new role as a strategic advisor to Suno, an AI music company that can generate full songs at the click of a button. News of the deal comes four months after the three major music companies collectively sued Suno (and competitor Udio) for alleged infringement of their copyrighted sound recordings “at an almost unimaginable scale,” (Billboard).
BYTES
In celebration of his new album, Warriors, Lin-Manuel Miranda sits down with Mike for a wide ranging talk about writing musicals, riding the subway, and taking big creative risks. Lin explains why you need so many ideas to write a musical, and he shares the important lessons he learns from writing and performing in school plays as a student. Plus, Lin recalls the origins of Hamilton and some of the more chaotic performances in the show’s run.
Digital Music News reports on a webinar examining the rising importance of "superfans" in the music industry, as major labels and platforms pivot toward these highly engaged followers who spend more than double what regular fans do, with the superfan market projected to reach $4.5 billion (Digital Music News).
The nightlife safety app ‘Where You At‘ (WYA) recently raised £2.5 million in pre-seed funding to help keep people connected and safe when they go out. Founded by Tamzin Lent, the app was inspired by her own experience of losing track of friends at a nightclub, which left her vulnerable to harassment. The app uses clever technology like indoor mapping and offline mesh networks, so even if there’s no phone signal, users can stay in touch with their friends (We Rave You).
Canadian-American duo Somewhere in Between (Deena Robertson and Austin Bisnow) has released their debut album "Stories Untold," which began when the couple sang their wedding vows to each other and continued through Deena's cancer diagnosis. The album weaves together intimate songwriting with themes of love, resilience, and imperfection, culminating in their wedding vows song "Mr & Mrs," showcasing their journey from a personal crisis to finding their shared musical voice (Happy Mag).
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!