As we look back, there are some key trends that will define 2025 at the intersection of music, technology and brand marketing.Although 2025 isn’t over yet, it’s headed into the archives. It’s crazy to think a quarter of this century has now passed.I love Wrap Season. It’s a reminder of who we actually are. The data is astounding as YouTube and Amazon jumped in this year to join Apple and Spotify. Although there are lingering questions about the transparency and legitimacy of the algorithms that got us here, there are always interesting insights. I was expecting more wraps from the likes of Oura Ring, Uber, and Door Dash. Even credit card companies could do amazing wraps, IMO.I looked back at what I thought would Thrive in 2025 and I feel pretty good about where my head was at this time last year. Predicting and forecasting keeps the mind sharp. The trends are really your friend and if you’re willing to dive deep in understanding them, it pays off.I try to keep people on the pulse with Beats + Bytes and our consistent hits of monthly trend reports with Campaign US, Half Time Report, and the Summer Festival Preview, as well as culture reports on Coffee, The US Open, and deep dives on Sports, Conferences & Music Festivals.You read the newsletter, so there’s no need to rehash any of that. Here’s a rundown of the key 2025 themes that we’re seeing outside of the box in our Beats + Bytes Wrap Up:Genre Isn’t Dead; It’s Mutating: There’s no single music industry anymore. There are hundreds of parallel ones, each with their own rules and rhythms. It’s all fragmenting so fast, and it’s not just music. Netflix now has 36,000 micro genres. It can feel noisy, tired, overwhelming, and blurred together, but if you really dig in, you see that it’s all highly nuanced and specialized, paving the way for new rules of engagement.Storms Are Bigger Than Hits: Hit-making in 2025 is less “lightning in a bottle” and more a “weather system you model” in real time. Instead of one undeniable “Song of the Summer,” we’re in a world where blockbuster records are forged at the intersection of predictive data science, short-form video, and AI that versions every hook for every micro-tribe. The new formula blends familiarity (samples or IP audiences already trust) with surprise (a left-field meme, unexpected feature, perfectly timed trend or sonic glitch that triggers share-impulse). Hits today are built for the remix economy and their lifespan depends less on radio and more on how fast a track can be re-skinned, reinterpreted, and re-owned by the communities that sent it viral in the first place.Artist Building Dimensions: Artists are showing up in new ways to create new touch points with their art, establishing critical outlets for fan connection and the new playbook for artist development and sustainability. Some of my favorite examples are the Diplo Run Club, Charli XCX’s Substack, FERG’s art creations, and Dua Lipa’s media platform and podcast. The flattening of music in general is leading to the need for more experiences. People aren't listening to just songs anymore. Instead, they're either scanning them or experiencing them with every one of their senses. Headphone culture is isolating us and creating an inferior collective music experience. The algorithm is failing us and flattening the feel of each artist and song. Fans need the entire experience in order for it to connect. It’s happening in movies, too. What’s emotionally resonant and physical can’t be as easily forgotten. That’s why you see Netflix opening physical stores and A24 operating a theatre in NYC.Artist & Creator-Led Agencies: In order to properly service brands, artists and managers need to be thinking like agencies. Better yet, they should have their own in-house creative arm that understands how to service these brands, like Kendrick is doing with pgLang. In the era of the niche, creator-led agencies are flourishing.Dynamic Pricing: This is a key theme that is happening across all of commerce, following the lead of Ubers, airlines, and concert tickets With Gen AI, “Personalized Pricing” is taking off, which I believe will help artists not only when it comes to ticketing prices and streaming revenue, but to combat AI music flooding the streaming services.Podcasts Eat Books’, TV’s, and Film’s Lunch: Counterculture became mainstream. Podcasts will be awarded at the Golden Globes. Podcasts are launching on Netflix. These are huge cultural shifts. Podcasts are in everyone’s ears, release frequently cutting edge information with low lift production and have become the most powerful medium of the moment.Fan Clips: We’ve addressed this and will continue to. New formats and stars are on the rise across the cultural scroll. The bottom line: YouTube is King. Twitch may be Prince and TikTok Shop is the wild card. X is where you want to spread a rumor and Meta is where you show off your swag. The key to staying on top of it all (as a consumer or creator) is….clips. In this game, an idea is only valuable if it’s worth sharing. The clips are the key and you want to empower your ideas to be shared and let the power of social media move it for you. If you can empower an army of fans to share your clips, your message is exponential. Those who control the memes, control the universe.Music x Movies: The year will be defined by music-infused blockbusters – such as KPop Demon Hunters, Wicked, and Sinners – each with unique storytelling and deep musical tie-ins. Then there’s The Bruce Springsteen biopic, which shows that only a short story in an artist’s career can come to life in a big way. This is gold for publishing companies who can turn out multiple stories for fans around a single artist. The buzziest story, though, is 50 Cent’s documentary about Diddy. The footage and storytelling is outrageous and makes this a must-see. The ability to pull up dirt and unreleased footage is getting more and more unbelievable. This documentary opened my eyes to what’s possible in terms of revealing a scandal. With AI and biopic dramatizations, the lines can get blurred and nothing is off the table. Everyone better remember to take care of their videographers.No Phones: Is terminally online giving way to unplugged? Not exactly. According to a study published in Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, more than half of Gen Z is now spending 9+ hours a day on screens, which equals 4.5 months of the year. Enter phone bans. Restaurants, night clubs, and concerts are banning phones, which I find freaking awesome. To be fully present with the people around you creates a whole new (old?) dynamic for experiential buzz, where serendipity is bliss. Talkability is the new viral.In 2026, I’m expecting the unexpected and betting on more cultural shifts, but more on that next month when we return to the office. I love our niche, I’m grateful for the Beats + Bytes community of collaborators and I love to watch our industries grow. Wishing you all a truly, happy holiday.Beats + Bytes goes out each week to a capacity larger than the Jingle Ball at MSG. Packing out arenas is one thing, but even more so, I hope this information can inform your job, feed your passion for music, and inspire you in one way or another. It’s a music industry love letter each week. Sharing is caring. If you feel inclined, please send it to some friends and colleagues by clicking here.
BEATS
Red Light, Atlantic, Wasserman & Warner Chappell Top 2025’s Most Viewed Companies on ROSTRWRAPD is a year-in-review series analyzing data collected on ROSTR over the past 12 months. Now an industry staple used by tens of thousands of industry professionals, usage trends on ROSTR are an increasingly accurate proxy for who the music industry is paying attention to. The first installment of the series - ranking the most viewed company profiles - landed today. Here are some of the highlights. (New Industry Focus)
Why Justin Bieber’s SKYLRK Popup in Tokyo Is a Masterclass in Sneaker HypeYou want to cement your status in global fashion? You head to Tokyo. It’s the undisputed capital of sneaker and street culture. The temporary shop, running from 4th to the 8th December, is a five day masterclass in scarcity. (The Sole Supplier)
YouTube’s 2025 Trending Topics and Creators Include Netflix Shows, Charlie Kirk and Joe RoganYouTube on Tuesday released its trending lists for 2025, which highlight the topics, creators and podcasts that people were watching on the video platform this year. The lists matter because they give a sense of the cultural moment, and the creators leading it. (Hollywood Reporter)
Year in Search 2025: What and How We Searched This Year2025 was the year an American became pope, 'KPop Demon Hunters' topped the charts and new AI breakthroughs captured people's imaginations. These moments and many others inspired people around the world to follow their curiosity in new ways. (Google)
The 9 Biggest Wellness Travel Trends of 2026Prioritizing your health on holiday has never been easier. Bring the kids. Go solo. Socialize with strangers in the sauna. Have a glass of green juice, or champagne. Wellness your way is the new mantra. Here are the trends, resorts, retreats, and destinations that promise to make wellness travel less like a doctor’s visit, and more like a vacation in 2026. (Conde Nast Traveler)
The State of Brand 2026You can enter your email to download Red Anter’s 2026 State of Brand and get the scoop on how brands can thrive in today's Dichotomy Economy. (Red Antler)
How MAC Signed Chappell Roan, the Anti-Brand AmbassadorDespite setting a monumentally high bar for brand collaborations, Roan has committed a long-term, global deal with the Lauder-owned cosmetics label. (Business of Fashion)
BYTES
Last year, Scott Galloway called it: 2025 would be the year of the AI power couple (OpenAI and Nvidia) and he nailed it. He also predicted the rise of “Service-as-a-Software,” a shift that’s only just beginning. Predictions may be a terrible business, but that’s never stopped him.
Tyler, The Creator turned Camp Flog Gnaw into a full-blown movie with “Ring Ring Ring,” staging a chaotic subway-love storyline that had the crowd hanging on every missed call. A performance, a plot twist, a moment.
Your year in audio is waiting. Head to the mobile app to join the celebration.
Dijon turned the SNL stage into a living, breathing room with amazing vocals, crazy harmonies, and a 12-person ensemble that wrapped “Another Baby!” in pure warmth.
SPIN IT BACK
LAST WEEK'S BEATS + BYTES: The Art of Sound These tentpole moments are important for creating touchpoints with brands and fans. Events like this create momentum around premieres and previews, generate conversations around projects, and hijack the airwaves. Miami Art Week is bombing everyone’s social feeds.
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!