Every once in a while, a new player jumps on the scene with a fresh perspective that excites me. For the past six months, that player has been Trapital. I haven’t been this juiced about a hip-hop news platform since Nah Right.The Trapital name has continuously popped up online with detailed, entertaining, informative articles. With each story I read and podcast I peep, I became more intrigued. Who is behind this? What is it? I had to find the person behind the product.My deep dive led me to a San Francisco-based writer with a vibe somewhere between Silicon Valley and The Source. So when I saw a man in a Trapital tee speak at a Ben Horowitz book party hosted by Steve Stoute, I instantly recognized the distinctive voice from the other end of my air pods. It was the mysterious media maven himself, Trapital founder, Dan Runcie.Long story short: we connected, stayed in touch, and he invited me to be on his podcast. I was nervous about this one. I respect this guy’s work tremendously and doing a podcast over the phone can be challenging. But we had a good time and definitely dropped some gems.Hope you enjoy it...
BEATS
AI-Powered Record Label Snafu Records Secures $2.9 Million In FinancingFounder and CEO Ankit Desai describes the LA-based startup as “the first full-service, AI-enabled record label.” Desai spent the past five years heading digital and streaming strategy at Capital Records and Universal Music Group. (Digital Music News)
KFC ‘Hacking’ Spotify Premium Is An Arrogant Middle Finger To All Of UsTo launch the new Kentucky Burger in the Middle East, the UAE-based agency Memac Ogilvy & Mather partnered with three popular artists in the region—Flipperachi, Moh Flow, and Shébani—who transformed their profile pages into de facto KFC ads. (Fast Company)
How Music Must Construct New Narratives Around Environmental ProtectionThere is a lot of concern about artists and brands jumping on sustainability, because it’s trending. Even if so, it’s a trend that won’t go away, and will only intensify as the symptoms of our changing climate do the same. (Music x Tech x Future)
Meet the Tech World’s 10 Newest Bets on the Future of Music Everyone flush with cash in the music industry is looking for the next Spotify; Techstars Music wants to help build it. The mentorship-based, music-focused startup program — which spawned out of general technology startup accelerator Techstars four years ago, has since raised $75 million in follow-on capital, and now boasts a combined portfolio value of almost $350 million — announced its 2020 class today, trumpeting 10 music-tech ideas it believes will be key to the industry’s future. (Rolling Stone)
How Booking Agents Use (And Don't Use) DataFor all the buzz about the live music industry — from its multibillion-dollar market size, to its increasingly influential role in artists’ careers — there’s surprisingly little discussion about the people who make sure artists get to play these shows in the first place: booking agents. (Patreon)
New Wolf Moon Bourbon Drops As Latest Celebrity Whiskey In what appears to be the second celebrity whiskey tie up in the last week, country singers Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line have collaborated on a new bourbon. This follows on the heels of the recent announcement of a new bourbon with legendary quarterback Terry Bradshaw’s name on it. (The Whiskey Wash)
SoundCloud Secures $75m Investment From Pandora Owner SiriusxmSoundCloud has just announced that it has secured $75 million investment from SiriusXM – which, remember, acquired another leading music streaming platform, Pandora, last year in a $3.5bn all-stock transaction. (Music Business Worldwide)
How A Single Video Can Change EverythingIn an oversaturated market like the music business, even innovative and incredibly talented bands can often work for years without getting any kind of traction, until that special something clicks. Here we look at how a one video kicked a band from obscurity to notoriety. (Hypebot)
Not Just Blowing in the Wind – Politics in MusicMusic has always been political, and rightly so. In recent years this has been present around the world as protests have erupted and spread through social media and the internet – the same vector by which music has become more available than ever. But the music itself has become increasingly angled towards the political. Not content for their work to act as an escape from the present, artists are attempting to effect political change through their songs. (Varsity)
1,000 True Fans? Try 100As the Passion Economy grows, more people are monetizing what they love. The global adoption of social platforms like Facebook and YouTube, the mainstreaming of the influencer model, and the rise of new creator tools has shifted the threshold for success. (Andreessen Horowitz)
Nipsey Hussle Doc From Ava DuVernay Lands at NetflixOn Jan. 26, Ava DuVernay introduced a tribute to the late Nipsey Hussle at the 2020 Grammy Awards that included performances by Meek Mill, DJ Khaled and John Legend — but the Emmy-winning director has much more planned. (Hollywood Reporter)
BYTES
Nue Agency Founder and CEO Jesse Kirshbaum talked about his company’s transition from talent to brand partnerships. We also talked about his brand activation deals with Sour Patch Kids and Tidal, The Grammys, the Super Bowl Halftime Show, upcoming awards shows, and more.
The opening musical number of the Oscars on Sunday had all the glitz and glam associated with the biggest night in Hollywood: the singer-songwriter Janelle Monáe in a tuxedo top, a large cast of backup dancers and sparks flying from the back of the stage. (NY Times)
Founded in 2017, Cameo is a platform where users pay celebrities to make personalized video messages. Celebrities on the platform—including Snoop Dogg (who’s also an investor), Tituss Burgess, and Stormy Daniels—set their own rates, which can range anywhere from $25 per video to Caitlyn Jenner’s exorbitant fee of $2,500. (Fast Company)
Meek Mill has recruited Justin Timberlake for his new song and video, “Believe.” The uplifting anthem soundtracks the story of a father and daughter whose relationship is affected by the latter’s time spent in prison. (Rolling Stone)
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!