This weekend I had the privilege of seeing Gary Clark Jr. perform on SNL, one of the most coveted milestones for a musician. The SNL stage is not only historically iconic, it also feels more relevant than it’s been in a decade.I first met Gary when he signed to Warner Brothers in 2013. Even though he is a low key guy, his vibe was contagious! I could immediately tell I liked him as a person, but it wasn’t until I saw him perform at Soho House a few days later that I truly grasped what he is capable of.Gary is a modern-day “rock god.” He’s as gifted with his instrument as you can be, but he’s not relying solely on his guitar skills to get ahead. He is a mega-talent that stands for something. He’s remained relevant not only because of his ability but because he’s always gotten the right looks, in part because his manager, Scooter Weintraub, is a master. Still, until recently, that hasn't translated into a broad audience.Gary rocked SNL. Don Cheadle, the host, clearly had an affinity for him despite his own limitless gifts. Gary performed his new track, “Pearl Cadillac,” which dropped Friday. He also performed his new album’s title track, “The Land,” which we featured in the newsletter a few weeks back. It speaks to the current state of American affairs and reveals Gary’s strong POV. Gary is a rarity in that he has a message and major appeal.So why isn’t Gary as big as he should be? We know “guitar music” doesn’t do as well on Spotify as other genres. His biggest track is “Bright Lights Big City,” an anthem for me personally, but one that benefited largely from being licensed by the NBA and remixed with a Nas feature. There’s no MTV, VH1, BET, Fuse, or Revolt playing his videos, which would help convey his powerful message. And his sound doesn’t necessarily fit on mainstream radio in the current environment either.What’s the spark that could help him cross over?I rapped with my friend, music aficionado Sean Glass, about this over the weekend. He sees it simply as “mindshare vs. market share.” Because of the systemic hurdles to a broader audience that Gary faces, he can either collaborate with more artists and position himself to pull their audiences in (mindshare) or attempt to ‘blur the lanes’ and move into ancillary markets (market share). The former might mean more hip-hop heads fuck with him (little-known fact: Gary can rap!) while the latter might mean a greater emphasis on merchandise, film, TV, IP, and tech to grow his brand.At the end of the day, the path has to fit with Gary’s identity. And all that said, the Gary Clark Jr. live experience is so bonkers that, frankly, he’ll never be at risk of falling off. I’m just dying to see one of the greatest rock and soul musicians of our generation appreciated the way I believe he deserves to be. With a milestone show this weekend and a new album dropping next week, maybe his time is coming sooner than later.
BEATS
Travis Scott's Saint Laurent-Produced Video Is What Happens When Sponsorships Actually Work Travis Scott released the video for his single "Can't Say" this week, and the whole damn thing is stylish as hell. It's full of skinny jeans and statement-making jackets and razor-sharp tailoring of the kind you'd expect from a guy who's constantly draped in Saint Laurent. (Esquire)
BrainRap Could Change How We See Hip-Hop and Neuroscience Micah Brown is using brain research to understand what makes rappers–and rap fans–tick. And that’s just the beginning of his ambitious neuroscience plans. (Fast Company)
Richard Branson’s ‘Venezuela Live Aid’ Aims to Raise $100 Million for Desperate Venezuelans Billionaire Richard Branson has announced a benefit concert to be held at the Venezuelan border to place pressure on ‘President’ Nicolas Maduro. (Digital Music News)
How All-Star Weekend Became the Most Important Sneaker Event of the YearNot only do players take center stage, sneaker brands put their best foot forward in order to wow consumers with products, parties, and more. The whole weekend is as important as it gets in the footwear world. (Complex)
Complex is licensing 16 shows to Netflix and Hulu in 2019This year is shaping up to be a big year for Complex’s video licensing and development business, which is a “high eight-figure” business, according to Christian Baesler, president of Complex Networks. (Digiday)
‘Spotify Teardown’ Is the Book Spotify Didn’t Want PublishedSpotify Teardown, subtitled Inside the Black Box of Streaming Music and on sale this week from publisher MIT Press that closely examined the company’s operations via interviews, data observations and, most controversially, what the team refers to as “back-end investigation.” (Rolling Stone)
How Taylor Swift Showed Us the Scary Future of Facial RecognitionTaylor Swift raised eyebrows late last year when Rolling Stone magazine revealed her security team had deployed facial recognition recognition technology during her Reputation tour to root out stalkers. (Guardian)
The Record Label of The Future is No Label At All Spotify has been doubling down on the podcast space long before this acquisition by signing exclusive deals with podcasts (i.e The Joe Budden Podcast, Amy Schumer’s 3 Girls, 1 Keith) and by being vocal about the increased time podcast listeners spend on the app. (Medium)
Virgin Voyages unveils plans for lavish Bahamas beach club for cruise holidays Virgin Voyages has seriously upped the glamour on its upcoming cruise holidays , as it unveils plans for a lavish beach club in the Bahamas. (Mirror)
SoundCloud Is Now a Distributer: Platform Launches Tool For Users To Upload Music SoundCloud has launched a new distribution feature in open beta which enables artists to spread their music to a range of rival streaming services. (Music Business Worldwide)
Five Music Startup Trends You Should Follow in 2019. As many of you may know firsthand, so much of growth and success in the entertainment business is about the right timing. (Cherie Hu)
BYTES
From AI to to the EP, Portia Sabin discusses trends and innovation in the music industry. First, journalist Cherie Hu shares a few music tech developments to look out for in 2019. Then, Jon Chattman explains his recent article "How the EP Killed the LP Star." Finally, Eric "Skippy" Mueller of Pirate’s Press updates us on what’s happening in vinyl.
Saturday Night Live musical guest Gary Clark Jr. – who was introduced by host Don Cheadle sporting a “Protect Trans Kids” t-shirt – delivered an electric performance of “Pearl Cadillac,” the third single from his forthcoming album This Land.
French music-streaming service Qobuz, an audiophile favorite, made its American debut on Thursday. Qobuz, pronounced “co buzz,” offers both downloads and music-streaming subscriptions at CD quality and high-res quality, and its unique hybrid service will be available on all U.S. app stores.
Cardi B and Bruno Mars have released a new collaborative single. Earlier this week, Cardi returned to Instagram to announce the new song after deleting her account following the Grammys.
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!