We like to think of ourselves as cultural anthropologists: always in the mix, digging deep for what’s relevant now, and scouring the landscape for what’s next. One of the pluses of Nue’s agency model is that we get to shape shift depending on our clients’ needs and where we see the market heading. The more touchpoints we uncover, the more we connect across various cultural verticals.One of the purest joys is finding new talent and shining a light on it. My experience with artists and musicians helped me understand that they are the early adopters of everything from art to fashion to tech. Their boldness and penchant for experimentation, combined with the herd mentality of their fans, is one of the main reasons why artists are so adept at changing culture.One weekend this summer I had an exploratory experience of this very kind. I was visiting Hudson, New York during the Level Up retreat and I came across a new artist. This wasn’t your typical 2018 discovery with Release Radar on shuffle or Twitter on scroll. This was an old fashioned, IRL experience (on foot!), the kind I wish I had more often. The artist, who had the town buzzing that weekend, was Young Paris. He was performing alongside his sister so I stumbled into the gig without knowing what to expect.There’s no other way to put it: the kid blew me away. His sound, rooted in Afrobeat, was like nothing I’d heard before and his style was equally attention grabbing. Post-show, I wound up at a nearby spot where, lo and behold, Paris was hanging with his crew. I took the second random encounter as a sign and struck up a conversation. I knew this was something for Nue.Paris grew up in Hudson, so this was a local show. He was already being managed by Roc Nation. We exchanged contact info and have met up several times since. I love his energy. He has a true vision for global expansion and the ways in which he wants to permeate music and fashion, and he’s the focus of our latest Soho House Showcase taking place this Wednesday at 9pm in the Meatpacking District. Stumble in and feel the same excitement that I did that day. RSVP to me and I’ll add you to the list.P.S. This Sunday night we’re bringing our hit web series, CRWN, back to NYC with Meek Mill as the guest. Free tickets are still available on a first come, first serve basis. If you’re not in New York, tune in for the live stream on Tidal.
BEATS
Lyor's Letter: What Article 13 Could Really MeanI recently met with artists, policy makers and partners in Europe to find a better way forward on Article 13 of the European copyright directive. In my conversations, there was one question that never came up: what will happen to artists if the European Parliament version of Article 13 is implemented as law? The answer is, the music industry will make less money from YouTube, not more. Emerging artists will find it harder to be discovered and heard on a global stage. In short, the Parliament’s version of Article 13 will harm the very creative industry it seeks to protect. (Lyor Cohen, Youtube)
Tencent Music Could Still IPO This YearDespite speculation last week that Tencent might push back the IPO of its music division into the new year, sources have told the Financial Times that the company still hopes to go through with the listing this side of Christmas. ( Chris Cooke – Complete Music Update)
Can AI Create Better Music Than Humans? AI technology could be harnessed to generate an even more immersive listening experience by linking music to the other senses, creating visuals and smells to heighten the emotional impact of a song. A flash of color during cresting high notes or the scent of a listener’s childhood home during reflective moments could trigger full-body waves of euphoria and nostalgia. (Nir Livneh – Forbes)
Why Did Warner Just Spend $180M To Buy A Merchandising Company?Album sales might be in decline and ad-funded YouTube might be the world’s biggest music streaming platform – but selling $45 T-Shirts and $65 hoodies with a free (non-existent) album is evidently becoming big business for today’s superstar artists. (Murray Stassen – MBW)
5 Music Copyright Cases Every Songwriter Should Know About After the watershed “Blurred Lines” case in 2016, there has been an influx of music copyright infringement cases bringing songwriters, performers, and publishers to court. More than ever, it is crucial for any modern musician to have a basic knowledge of music copyright law, and at least a grasp of the legal avenues that exist when using another artist’s material. whether by covering or sampling. (Soundfly)
Why Image Matters In The Spotify Age, As Explained By A Creative DirectorIf you hear a band on Spotify, it comes with an image sitting right alongside it. So it's more and more important for that image to be the best representation of your artistry. It's the first thing listeners will see. There are no rules to what makes a good cover. You don't want to put out a bright, flashy image just to catch somebody's eye. But there has to be a certain immediacy of voice — not an immediacy of aesthetics. (Danny Ross – Forbes)
A$AP Rocky, Offset, Chainsmokers, and 50 Cent Invest In A $10 Million Round for GeniesGenies have raised $10 million more in funding from a wide range of investors. A$AP Rocky, Offset, The Chainsmokers, and 50 Cent have all contributed to the round. Offset from Migos has even used his official Genie as a stand-in for brand sponsorships. Genies CEO says he believes this is the next wave of communication. (Ashley King – Digital Music News)
From Kacey Musgraves body glitter to a Wilco-themed wood chopper to a Sheck Wes basketball, here are 17 gift ideas for the die-hard music fan in your life. (Pitchfork)
A&R Exec Ericka Coulter On Creating TheBasement, A Local Artist Showcase in LAEarly 2017, Ericka Coulter, entrepreneur and VP, A&R at Epic Records came up with the idea to produce a live event series in Los Angeles titled TheBasement via her Instor3 management company. The event would center around giving signed and unsigned artists an opportunity to perform in front of a curated crowd of industry executives, influencers, tastemakers, and brands. (Ashley Lyle – Billboard)
Oreo Just Released A Mini Record Player That Plays ACTUAL Music From Your CookieOnce you place your Oreo on the table, it plays fun, prerecorded tunes, and every time you take a bite of the cookie and set it down again, the song changes. According to the product description, you can also record your own message or song. (Erin Cullum – Popsugar)
BYTES
Mai opens up about her legendary race car driving father, simplifying your career, and the 3 F’s — Fun, Fame and Fortune.
Gary Vee discusses attention shifts and how to adapt to marketing changes.
Facebook has released a new app to challenge TikTok. Lasso makes it easy for anyone to create and share short videos with fun effects. Follow creators, discover popular video trends and join in by putting your own spin on them. Once you've found a type of video that's trending, whether it's #comedy or #fail, you can use the in-app camera to put your own spin on it with special effects, music and editing tools.
A$AP Rocky shares new, Tame Impala-sampling song “Sundress.”
This week's newsletter was carefully curated by the Nue Agency staff and our editor Maria Tejada If you think we missed something this week or have any suggestions/comments for next week's newsletter, let us know!