This weekend is the music industry’s biggest weekend. Or is it? Do people really care about The Grammys right now? They certainly didn’t care about the Golden Globes.All of the typical tentpole moments in cultural marketing (NBA All-Star Weekend, SXSW) feel like one long Blurrrrrrrsday. It’s almost impossible to make these events connect without a physical presence.On the other hand, you have an interview with Megan Markle and Prince Harry cutting through the mainstream like a knife to dominate culture. This was truly a watercooler moment and it shows the world will still gravitate to something, especially if it has a social justice component.In my opinion, the reasons the Grammy’s won’t resonate this year are manifold:
Digital fatigue: I’m on screens all day. Watching more screens doesn’t feel that exciting.
Grammys lack of innovation: Same old show with new variables. I wish this format was changed. I don’t care so much about celebrating old albums when there is so much new music dropping.
The delay: Pushing things back a month and a half makes the albums in question even older. The Grammys are not moving at the speed of culture.
Grammys are out of touch: Are these really the leaders in music? With the death of genres and the world shifting, it feels like the Grammys are still categorizing music in an older school mentality without a holistic view of the music industry of today.
Lack of networking: Part of the magic of Grammy weekend is the chance to see friends and colleagues -- to move an agenda forward -- and the serendipity of all of these folks in the same city at the same time. Without that, the awards show holds much less gravitas.
New music is more interesting: Every day, 60,000 new tracks are released on Spotify, with even more on YouTube. At this point, I’m much more connected to my algorithm-generated Release Radar playlist than what the academy votes on. I’m barely able to keep up, so it’s tough to focus on the stars of 2019.
There is of course room to innovate. There’s a call from within to reinvent the show; to base it more on data; to be more inclusive and cutting edge; to include the platforms and players that drive the industry beyond the household names and old boys n’ girls club. If it wasn’t clear before, Covid has made it clearer. This is a transformational time.I think that’s why the NFT market is so exciting. There’s a chance to re-write the industry’s DNA, to put the power in the artist’s and fan’s hands. Maybe the same can be done with The Grammys?But who are we kidding? It’s a Sunday night in semi-lockdown. I’m gonna watch, and so are you :)
BEATS
Genre Is Disappearing. What Comes Next?It’s difficult to imagine a Grammy ceremony that doesn’t rely on genre as its organizing principle—I suppose that would entail the bestowing of just one award, Best Music—yet genre feels increasingly irrelevant to the way we think about, create, and consume art. (New Yorker)
‘The Death Of The Artist’? Why Big Hit And BTS Just Raised The Alarm On The Record Industry’s Future.A couple of weeks ago, MBW reported that Big Hit Entertainment, the company behind K-Pop megastars BTS, had invested 4 billion KRW (approximately $3.6m) into Korea-based Artificial Intelligence company Supertone – which claims that its AI tech can create “a hyper-realistic and expressive voice [not] distinguishable from real humans”. (Music Business Worldwide)
Innovator Interviews: The Recording Academy’s Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer Lisa FarrisWhen Lisa Farris was first approached to join The Recording Academy in 2019 as its chief digital officer, the veteran digital executive and entrepreneur saw it as “an excellent way to give back and really represent the voice of creators,” she says. (Brand Innovators)
The Music Business In 2021: Joining The DotsIt has been one of those weeks, with impactful music business announcements coming thick and fast. As is often the case, a succession of apparently unrelated events actually have a connecting thread. In this instance there are three: the (continued) astronomic rise of the independent artist, the growth of creator tools, and streaming’s growing pains. (Music Industry Blog)
Verzuz Acquired by Triller’s Parent CompanyVerzuz, the popular livestream music platform created by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, has been acquired by Triller Network, the parent company of the app. The agreement marks the end of Verzuz’s relationship with Apple Music. (Variety)
Beyonce, Rihanna, Kanye: How Much Do Tidal’s Artist Partners Stand to Make?After the eclipse of exclusives, Tidal’s main differentiation from its competitors has been its high-fidelity option — which is indeed excellent, and rivals dedicated hi-fidelity streaming service Qobuz — and, to a lesser degree, its extensive liner notes.
The 10 Most Innovative Music Companies of 2021The COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a catalyst for the music industry to enhance live-streaming capabilities and create frictionless payment options for artists. Companies also found dynamic ways to amplify Black and Latin cultures and expanded streaming to overlooked countries. (Fast Company)
LiveXLive Launches Auditions to Find the Next 'Self Made' Music Star“Our partnership with Self Made provides independent artists a singular digital platform and community to showcase their talent, jump-start their careers, and dramatically increase visibility among established artists and loyal fans,” said Robert Ellin, CEO and chairman of LiveXLive in a press statement. (Billboard)
Back After 10 Years, Turntable.fm Reminds Me How Much Fun The Web Can BeMusic, as it became digital, also became lonely. The tradeoff in having all the world’s recorded tunes up in the cloud was that a communal experience transformed into a lonely one. Single player mode. (Hunter Walk via Medium)
More Images Of The Bad Bunny Adidas Forum CollaborationKanye West, Pharrell, Childish Gambino, Kid Cudi, Beyonce, and now Bad Bunny. Adidas has gathered a full lineup of superstars over the years and now the Puerto Rican singer looks to be releasing his very own adidas Forum silhouette which will be coveted all around the world. (Just Fresh Kicks)
What Is Bardcore? A Look at the Latest Pandemic-Inspired Musical TrendLast year during the lockdown in Germany, Singaporean engineer Stanley Yong decided to have some fun. He set Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” to medieval instruments, which sounds surprisingly fresh. The song became a viral hit, setting off a new trend the internet has collectively dubbed ‘bardcore.’ Digital Music News)
Tuma Basa Changed Spotify With a Playlist. YouTube’s Next.The music business has invested more money in Black artists. They know Black artists’ value at the crossover level with the mainstream audience way more now than they did before. Before, [success] was dependent upon gatekeepers, especially at radio stations. Now it’s all measurable. They can’t deny it. Numbers don’t lie. (Vulture)
Listen to Gucci Mane Read Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis’ and Other ClassicsGigantic digital library Project Gutenberg needs to step aside for a second. Welcome Project Gucciberg, a humorous spin on the former’s name. The work of viral content creator MSCHF, Project Gucciberg "features" trap legend Gucci Mane's voice reading classical literature, including Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis, thanks to the capabilities of machine learning. (Input Mag)
BYTES
How does one get from bedroom pop covers on YouTube to headlining this weekend’s Grammy Awards? On this Business Casual podcast, founder and president of Visionary Music Group Chris Zarou will explore the role of the modern record label in a music industry in flux.
Chase Cohl’s latest release of “Take It Like A Man” is bringing nostalgic vibes of the 60’s, mixed with country and pop elements. Following the release of her last single “Still Crying” this one is sure to give audiences a quarantine earworm.
Life has felt anything but cinematic lately. But a new app from art-house movie streaming service Mubi lets cinephiles bring the movies to them. The app, designed by Pentagram partner Yuri Suzuki and his team at Pentagram’s London office, remixes your text messages into custom movie montages set to music. Users simply type their message into the app, and out comes a custom clip remix that pulls from Mubi’s movie collections, ready to send.
Hip-Hop R&B icon Anderson Paak and pop/funk/dance mogul Bruno Mars delivered a truly special release this past week as #LetSilkSonicThrive continues to trend on twitter. See how their 70’s themed original collaboration is making waves across the board.
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!