Greetings from my new hometown of…. Miami!You read that right: after a solid run as a pandemic nomad, I’ve planted my roots in the Magic City.This is not the Miami of the past — the Will Smith, “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” Miami. This is the Miami of…ok fine, it’s still Will’s.But Miami has truly changed. It’s the capital of Web3, the epicenter of the metaverse, and the hotbed of blockchain & NFT culture. New York Magazine is calling it the new Silicon Valley.Sounds scary, right?Miami is one of the greatest social experiments of modern times. An immersive mix of cultures, “the Capital of Latin America” is a melting pot not unlike the one I’m leaving behind in NYC. Only it’s gorgeous year-round.There’s influential art and culture (Basel!), and fantastic culinary experiences that bend rich traditions. There’s capital-O opportunity (and no state taxes). And, most importantly, there’s community. Friends old and new are building new lives down here. With the bright colors and ocean sparkles, anyone can make Miami their muse.Art Basel is right around the corner, so I know I’ll see some of you come December. By then I’ll have learned the ropes. But it’s just week one, so I’m gonna soak up the sun (safely, of course).See you soon.
BEATS
The Jonas Brothers Launch A Popcorn Brand Inspired By Their Favorite Backstage SnackRob’s Backstage Popcorn, a specialty popcorn brand, is the result of a collaboration between the Jonas Brothers and The Naked Market, a next-gen food and beverage company that creates and launches new brands. Rob’s Backstage Popcorn marks the Jonas Brothers’ first joint venture in the CPG space. (Forbes)
Justin Bieber Partners With Palms for ‘Peaches’-Inspired Cannabis LineJustin Bieber is expanding his reach into the cannabis market with a new limited edition line of pre-rolls inspired by his hit song “Peaches.” Partnered with California-based company Palms, co-founded by Noah Annes and Tyler Breton, the collaboration aims to “create a brand that destigmatizes recreational cannabis consumption once and for all,” according to an announcement. (Variety)
Lil Nas X Will Be First Artist to Drop Official TikTok NFTsTikTok’s first officially minted in NFT collection, “TikTok Top Moments,” will roll out this fall — starting with digital collectibles from Lil Nas X next month. (Variety)
Quincy Jones-Backed Emotional AI Startup Musimap Acquired By Utopia MusicThe firm, which music industry sources tell us has raised tens of millions in investor capital to date, has acquired Quincy Jones-backed emotional data enrichment company, Musimap.Musimap’s automated engines that power music discovery, emotional profiling and metadata enrichment. (Music Business Worldwide)
Fox’s Alter Ego Is Weird—But Not Weird EnoughThe long-prophesied future in which holographic performers replace real ones is here, according to Alter Ego, a singing competition that has amateurs inhabit CGI avatars. But the viewing experience is not as bizarre or dystopian as you might expect. (The Atlantic)
One Billion Music Creators: What Does That Look Like?Making a tune is now as easy as taking a photo and uploading it to Instagram. With its 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram has made photographers out of all us. As phone cameras improved, the Instagram filters did the rest. (Music Tech Future)
Iterative Music Culture, Generative AI And The Web3A recent project called Tunes used AI to generate 5,000 unique NFTs. They’re songs, or rather, shells of songs – missing artwork, audio and an artist. That’s intentional. They serve as prompts for people to iterate on, tapping into a recent trend in the NFT space popularized by another project called Loot. (Music Tech Future)
Deezer Buys Minority Stake In Livestream Company DriiftDriift says that the new funding will help it accelerate its growth, while Deezer plans to leverage its technology and expertise to support the livestreaming platform’s future growth, including the roll-out of new products and offerings. (Music Business Worldwide)
The Nature of Complex SystemsThe problem facing the music industry can be framed into two potential solution paths. The first is how to create a new framework for artists to monetize and activate their craft without friction and without paying parties that add limited value. The second is how to initially apply that framework to smaller segments of the current system to bring those artists into a new realm of music administration and monetization. (Jeremy Gilbertson)
BYTES
This is a great listen if you want to know what’s happening in the touring business from a true legend. This week’s podcast from Bob Lefsetz featuring the CEO of Artist Group International, Dennis Afra. The two discuss Afra’s incredible career, company, as well as the role of the music agent.
Kuddos to Jay Z and team for another great lineup. NFL and Roc Nation announced last Thursday Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar will be performing at the Pepsi Superbowl Halftime Show at SoFi Stadium on Feb 13, 2022. The legendary artists combined have 43 Grammys and have had 22 No.1 Billboard albums.
After living through the global upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers are re-evaluating their career path. Stefan Heinrich Henriquez, a former head of Global Marketing at TikTok and chief marketing officer at Cameo, is one of them. (Tech Crunch)
99 Neighbors are a new rap crew emerging into the limelight. Hailing from Vermont, the six-piece collective have been bringing their own personal influences into their group's work which merges hip-hop with elements of R&B and pop. This week, they slid through with their latest body of work, Wherever You're Going I Hope It's Great. (HotNewHipHop)
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!