As the year wraps up, it’s exciting to peruse various trend reports and year-end outlook posts. They give you an understanding of what thought leaders and institutions think is slated to make the biggest impact in 2019. We combine this data and discussion with our own research to arrive at a fully formulated idea of what Nue thinks is next.One thing that is becoming surprisingly relevant in our future-focused world is nostalgia. That’s why when UTA’s Larry Vincent asked me to go on his podcast, "The Findings Report," to discuss nostalgia’s relationship to music, I jumped at the chance. Larry’s done a tremendous job producing TFR. The episode dropped this week.Most people inherently recognize the connection between nostalgia and music. During our teenage years, for instance, music plays a central role in soundtracking formative memories. Of course, that relationship doesn’t end after senior prom. Music is constantly helping us remember where we were, who we were with, and where we fit in society. Here are four reasons why I think nostalgia is so crucial right now in music & culture:1) We no longer chase youth in the abstract, we chase our own childhoods. The more new information we’re introduced to (now at an all-time high), the higher the premium on old information becomes. Whether it’s sampling a classic rap track for a new banger (the latest Meek Mill record is a great example) or remaking a movie (Mary Poppins, anyone?) turning the old new again is a way to stay in touch with where we came from.2) Nostalgia plays into meme culture, too. Take a piece of content, reinterpret it in a fresh way, and retain the reminiscent qualities from the original piece. It’s 2018, so the lifespan of a memory or what qualifies as nostalgic has definitely shortened. I call the short-term nostalgia phenomena “Net-stalgia.” I mean, #TBT can be as recent as last week!3) When times feel turbulent, people look to the past for comfort. Our environment (social, political, climate, etc.) is volatile right now and it’s often tough to tell if we’ll all be better off in the end. The good old days, if you can cling to them, are guaranteed.4) Lastly, nostalgia is a smart way to market. It gets young people prepped for future engagement (college students are enthusiastic, avid music lovers developing musical tastes that will stick with them for a lifetime) and it flatout sells tickets. Look at the biggest touring acts of the year: U2, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Guns ‘N Roses, Roger Waters, and Metallica. Notice a common theme?The nostalgia pendulum swings about every 20 years, which is why the 90’s are all the rage right now. People are dressing in 90’s fashion while late 80’s and 90’s acts like New Kids On The Block are headlining arenas. We’ll get another few years of the 90’s and then it’s on to the 2000’s. Remember Y2K? Drake, always ahead of the curve, styled his birthday party this year around the early 2000’s theme and I expect a lot more of that over the next few years. Hope you still have your throwback jerseys handy...
BEATS
Meek Mill Discusses Championships, Criminal Justice Reform and More in CRWN InterviewMeek Mill sat down with Elliott Wilson in New York for an interview following the release of his highly-anticipated album Championships. The rapper discussed everything from the new album to criminal justice reform and his relationships with other rappers, including Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Drake and more. (Jewel Wicker – The FADER)
Variety’s 2018 Hitmakers RevealedFrom Camila's producer to Post's manager, we salute those who contributed in no small part to the soundtrack of the last year. (Variety)
We’re All Drowning in Entertainment. Who’s Going to Rescue Us?What the avalanche of new music means – from overwhelmed listeners to algorithms that seek out unsigned talent for labels. (Tim Ingham – RollingStone)
What's The Actual Business Case for Virtual Reality in Music?At large, VR has already had a profound impact on sectors as diverse as filmmaking, healthcare, retail, Olympic sports training and automobile marketing—but it seems like many music professionals still aren't convinced about the tech's long-term staying power. (Cherie Hu – Forbes )
Back in September, 200 music fans gathered at the Bunkhouse Saloon in downtown Las Vegas for a private live concert with a unique twist: several of the fans were deaf. The concert served as a beta test for new wearable technology that allows deaf and hearing users alike to experience musical vibrations through their skin for a true "surround body" experience. (Jennifer Ouellette – ArsTechnica)
Will.i.am on The Weird Future of Entertainment and His Problems with Modern Hip-HopAnyone still thinking of Will.i.am as just a hitmaking producer-rapper is decidedly 2000-and-late, at least as far as Silicon Valley is concerned. Though his Puls smartwatch was far from a success back in 2015, he’s still taken seriously by venture capitalists, who have reportedly provided more than $100 million in funding to his company, I.am+ — which is working on a personalized artificial-intelligence assistant. Here, he shares his vision for the future of entertainment and more. (Brian Hiatt – RollingStone)
How Create Music Group Found $60M in Unclaimed Revenue for Artists and Labels in Three YearsIn just three years, Los Angeles-based Create Music Group has changed the online music streaming game. What started as a YouTube monetization company, collecting revenue on behalf of artists and labels, now monetizes more than nine billion streams per month. This year alone, CMG is on track to find $45 million for its clients, and in 2019 it’s predicted to find an additional $100 million. (Dana Feldmanm – Forbes)
The Music Industry Asks US Government to Make 'Unauthorized Streaming' a FelonySix years after massive online protests shuttered wide swaths of the internet, the music industry has renewed calls for internet filters in a bid to tackle copyright infringement. But experts say such filters not only don’t work, they tend to result in unintended censorship, a lesson the industry refuses to learn after years of controversy. (Karl Bode – Motherboard)
Live Nation Announces First-Ever Lawn Pass for Season-Long Entry to 29 Amphitheaters: ExclusiveLive Nation is offering a single pass to get fans into participating amphitheaters throughout the 2019 concert season. The first-ever Live Nation Lawn Pass is being offered at 29 amphitheaters owned and/or operated by the promoter starting from $99 to $399 depending on the venue. (Taylor Mims – Billboard)
TikTok, a Chinese Video App, Brings Fun Back to Social MediaTikTok — a quirky hybrid of Snapchat, the defunct video app Vine and the TV segment “Carpool Karaoke” — is a refreshing outlier in the social media universe. (Kevin Roose – The New York Times)
Apple's 30 Percent Transaction Fee For In-App Subscriptions Might Disappear. What Would That Mean For Music Streaming?The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to allow an antitrust lawsuit to move forward that could force Apple to cut its 30 percent transaction fee it charges software developers who sell apps through iTunes and its App Store. The final ruling could potentially impact the music and media streaming landscape as we know it -- and endanger Apple’s future plans to expand its services business. (Cherie Hu – Billboard)
SLANG Worldwide Files for IPO on CSESLANG Worldwide Inc., formerly Fire Cannabis Inc., has filed a preliminary prospectus for an initial public offering (IPO) by way of distribution of 43,998,590 units issuable upon the automatic conversion of 43,998,590 subscription receipts.(Ted Liu – Private Capital Journal)
10 Low-Cost, Low-Tech Promotion Ideas That Every Artist Should Know Promotion doesn’t have to cost money to be effective and it doesn’t have to be only online either. Here are some ideas that can be powerful tools that don’t even involve a computer. (Bobby Owsinski – Music 3.0)
BYTES
Music marketing maven Jesse K discusses the latest throwback trends and how many music artists are leveraging multiple media to amplify nostalgic effect. Researcher Rob Kozinets shares insights from his studies on retro subcultures and the boundaries of consumer tolerance for brands and beloved memories. And psychologist Petr Janata unpacks how nostalgia affects our brain and the scientific reasons behind its unique power to revive our memories and animate our bodies.
Gary Vee sats down with Cypress Hill to discuss hip hop’s impact on the cannabis industry.
A new app called Playlist aims to make music a more social experience than what’s offered today by the major music platforms like Apple Music, Pandora or Spotify, for example. In Playlist, you can find others who share your musical tastes and join group chats where you listen to playlists together in real time. You can collaborate on playlists, too.
Championships, Meek Mill’s first new album since his release from prison this past April, is out now. After a tough year of legal battles for the South Philly rapper, Championships is a victory lap on all fronts.
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!