This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending the ultimate throwback.PROM!It all started when my friends, The Sapra Bro’s (who are brand, music and culture connoisseurs), had a crazy idea: “What if we recreated one of our most enduring childhood memories for one night only?”Then they organized an adult prom for our friends. The planning included all of the trappings that you would expect at a typical prom: ticket sales, fancy outfits, limousines, and, of course, the hottest music of the day.Aside from being an incredibly good time (and, by the way, much less awkward than my original prom), the event was a reminder of the incredible power of nostalgia—and, more specifically, the role music plays in driving nostalgia.The feeling of being in a group of people, free of the stresses of life and adulthood if only for a few hours, brought me back to being a teenager, when things were simpler. (Or, at least they seemed that way.) I couldn’t help but think that this must be part of the appeal of live music experiences in general. They’re at once an escape and a release.While every element of our adult prom felt just like the real thing—from the vintage dresses to the cheesy rides—what really brought us back was the music. We sang together, we danced together, and we re-lived our individual pasts ... together.It’s instances like these that remind me of why I believe so firmly in music’s role in marketing today. If a brand’s ultimate goal is to align with the ebbs and flows of culture and have real meaning in consumers’ lives, then music, one of the most emotive forces in the world, must be central to that aim.High school was cool and all, but with the knowledge and experience I have now, the real world actually feels way better. Especially when it’s filled with so much incredible music and opportunities to help brands connect with artists to future-proof their businesses.Here’s to the past—and the future,
BEATS
Lino, A Blockchain-Powered YouTube Competitor, Raises $20 MillionWill blockchain technology finally enable artists to earn the right amount for their content? YouTube competitor Lino believes so. Late last year, The Times published a report that set off a firestorm. The British newspaper found that YouTube had monetized hate-filled, racist, and extremist videos. Advertisements for AT&T, Verizon, and the British Navy would appear before videos denouncing Jews and promoting terrorism. (Daniel Sanchez – Digital Music News)
How Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan Program Toys With The Passions of FandomBeing a fan is a matter of life and death. The day of Ticketmaster’s presale for Taylor Swift’s upcoming Reputation tour, one fan wrote on Tumblr, “When I die[,] I want Ticketmaster Verified Fan to lower me into my grave so they can let me down one last time.” It’s a sentiment that was liked or reblogged by more than 1,000 others. (Kaitlyn Tiffany – The Verge)
Slaves To The Algorithm: How Facebook Is Throttling Underground Culture We turn to the art in times of political strife - it helps us to navigate, and alleviate, our troubles. So what happens when one of the causes of that political strife is absorbing more and more of our arts and culture? Facebook has been affecting our political landscape for some time, and of course it's affecting our art too - how we create it, how we discover it, and who can survive financially as an artist. Recently, we’ve also witnessed a number of Silicon Valley’s own disown the technologies they are responsible for. (Mollie Zhang – The Quietus)
Jay Z lead management, publishing and entertainment company Roc Nation's investment division Arrive is taking a stake in Robinhood. Launched in 2015 by Vlad Tenev and Baiju Bhatt, Robinhood’s investment platform allows trade of U.S. stocks, ETFs, options, and soon, cryptocurrencies. Unlike many other online trading platforms, Robinhood does not charge a fee on trades but instead makes money by collecting interest on cash left in a user’s brokerage account that is not invested. (HypeBot)
Fullscreen’s ‘Direct’ E-Commerce Division Inks Deals With Justin Timberlake, Trace Adkins, MoreFullscreen Direct, a division of the digital network formed in 2016 following its acquisition of audience engagement platform StageBloc, has just inked deals with a slew of bold-faced musicians. The ecommerce platform creates online stores and fan clubs while also equipping clients — which include traditional stars, influencers, and brands — with social optimization and analytics tools. As of today, its roster has grown to include Justin Timberlake, country crooner Trace Adkins, psychic John Edward, and rock band Good Charlotte. At the same time, the actor Channing Tatum — whose Magic Mike Live show in Las Vegas already runs on Fullscreen Direct — is bringing his Born And Bred vodka brand onto the platform. (Geoff Weiss – Tubefilter)
Let's Talk: How Apple's Homepod, Amazon's Echo And Voice Recognition Are Changing The Music Industry As We Know It2017 was in many ways an amazing year for the music industry. We finally saw a return to growth fuelled almost entirely by the uptake in streaming. We also saw the continuation of a significant move to mobile first with consumption levels of music scaling heights we’ve never seen before that will undoubtedly only grow further. But where next? (Music Business Worldwide)
Tech Giants Are Creating Their Own Labels To Conquer China's Digital Music MarketLike their American counterparts, China’s younger generations have developed diverse music tastes and want something fresher than simply following better-known celebrities, prompting digital music services to create their own labels and set aside funds to support new independent artists. (Yue Wang, Forbes)
BYTES
In a year filled with terrorist attacks and natural disasters, Scooter Braun is pushed to get the most out of himself.
Two decades after the album’s critically acclaimed release, Nas teamed up with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, to stage a symphonic rendition of “Illmatic,” one of the most revered albums in hip-hop history. Great Performances — Nas Live From the Kennedy Center: Classical Hip-Hop premieres Friday, February 2 at 9PM on PBS.
ElliottGarage presents EGDR808, a drum machine that emulates the vintage hardware from the 80's.
Genre-bending artist snny releases new track "Let’s Not Pretend" out via Glassnote Records.snny notes, "I wrote Let’s Not Pretend after this woman I had been dating over the summer moved back to Paris. When reality hit that she was gone, I was a lowkey sadboy and in my feels. My good friend and collaborator LEFTI is so amazing at capturing special moments with his production, as soon as he played that bass line it just all unraveled and progressed naturally."
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!