It’s fascinating to see Hollywood’s latest obsession with fallen CEOs and con artists. There’s a barrage of hit shows, ranging from The Tinder Swindler to Inventing Anna, that are dominating the TV discourse. Do we really need docuseries on Elizabeth Holmes, Travis’ Super Pumped days at Uber, and Adam Nueman’s We Work rise and golden parachute fall?Need ‘em or not, all of these shows are out this month on major streaming platforms with major marketing campaigns behind them. They’re being covered in abundance, rating well, and becoming more relevant than the original capers and crooks they portray.Take the Fyre Fest movies. You could argue they made Billy McFarland more famous than infamous. And did you see the SNL skit on Anna Delvey this week? As someone that has met Anna Delvey IRL, I can’t help but say it was hilarious.What’s making these “business” stories so hot right now? Is it our inate fascination with underdogs, disruptors, and villains? Do we need that narrative this badly?In the case of big tech, the gold rush combined with internet fame to pour gasoline on the fire and accelerate many hero stories and companies too soon. This brought a slew of problems and opened the floodgates for voyeur moments in these worlds.In culture marketing, we put everything through a lens of trends and phenomena, assess what people gravitate toward, and get our brand partners front and center during these moments of evolution. The frauds and cons aside, people love to see creation in all facets of life. We love to champion the creators and companies that support sea changes.I understand the “fake it ‘til you make it” mentality and the mystic positivity needed to pave the roads of the future. But if we’re turning these anti-heros into stars, it opens the door for more and more fraudulent behavior. In the brave new world of Web3 and crypto – where everything is being built in real-time; adoption is the hope; and utility is the dream – there’s huge potential for rug-pulling villains. That will be problematic.Put it this way: when Richard Brandson was in high school, his principal told him he wasn’t sure if he would end up in jail or as president. Heavy is the head, I guess.Branson is goated, but that doesn’t mean others shouldn’t be gutted. Let’s hold the criminals accountable and focus our collective energy on empowering the good people leading the charge for change.
BEATS
With $15BN In Revenue, 2021 Was The Us Record Industry’s Biggest Ever Year (Kind Of…)Here’s the headline, folks: The US recorded music industry generated USD $14.99 billion in 2021 – its biggest annual tally in history. That stat, revealed today by MBW, comes from RIAA annual year-end data, and was up by a whopping 23% (or by $2.85 billion) on the equivalent figure from 2020 ($12.14bn). (Music Business Worldwide)
How Memes Changed the Rap GameNot only did the craze promote Gunna’s “Pushin P” single, it also helped his DS4Ever album achieve a No. 1 Billboard spot over The Weeknd. Brands like Nike and IHOP also tapped into the phenomenon, letting the world know how P they were (or how eager they were to appear cool to young consumers). (Complex)
The State of Music DAOsThe music industry’s mental models for what is possible with Web3 are changing rapidly in real-time. Music NFTs continue to gain steam with backing from major celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Steve Aoki, even as the ecosystem suffers from rampant scams and accusations of fraud. (Water and Music)
The 10 Most Innovative Music Companies of 2022Many of the businesses that we recognize on this year’s list of the Most Innovative Companies in music have made it a priority to ensure smaller artists have the tools and resources to get their fair share. (Fast Company)
Amazon Launches a Clubhouse Competitor That Turns Everyone Into a DJAmazon is launching its long-rumored Clubhouse competitor today: a new app called Amp that’s more about listening to music than sitting around and chatting. (The Verge)
Musicians Are Hooking Up Synthesizers To Plants For New Sonic PossibilitiesStereotype or not, there is a growing community of people who use various sensors connected to plants and mushrooms as inspiration for synthesized music. The results range from scatterings of notes in a strange tempo to fully composed ambient music. (The Verge)
Downtown Launches $200m Fund To Invest In Independent Artists And EntrepreneursDowntown Music Holdings has established a new multi-million dollar fund to support independent artists and entrepreneurial business owners. The fund will be supported by a new credit facility with Bank of America, and will see Downtown invest over $200 million. (Music Business Worldwide)
TikTok Just Launched Its Own Music Distribution Platform, SoundonTikTok is officially a music distributor now.The ByteDance-owned viral video app has just launched its own promotion and music distribution platform, called SoundOn.SoundOn is already Live in the UK, US, Brazil and Indonesia, and it lets artists upload their music directly to TikTok and RESSO. (Music Business Worldwide)
Is Snoop Dogg Becoming a Member of FaZe Clan? Fo Shizzle.As it turns out, the FaZe chain around Snoop’s neck was an easter egg. The iconic rapper has signed a deal with FaZe Clan that will see him create content under the name FaZe Snoop. When FaZe becomes a publicly-traded company, Snoop will join its board of directors. (Tube Filter)
An NFT Collection for The Notorious B.I.G. Is ComingThe digital blockchains will mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of Biggie’s tragic death from a drive-by shooting on March 9, 1997, as well as the release of his posthumous sophomore album Life After Death two weeks later. (Billboard)
Why Disco Music Is Making a ComebackToday, in 2022, disco is actually more relevant than ever, its influence all around us. And what if I told you that within disco’s rich history are lessons, not only for the rest of the music industry, but also for human connection? (QZ)
Live Nation Launches a Creator House for Music Fans; Q&A With Startup Founder Sophie GrayThe popularity of Hype House, a Los Angeles mansion that has housed TikTok stars Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae, has encouraged similar creator collectives where internet personalities make videos together and post to each other's fans. The latest of these focuses on music—and Miami. (The Information)
LimeWire Is Making a Comeback, But Not As You Know ItA pair of serial entrepreneurs in Austria has bought the rights to defunct music platform LimeWire with plans to revamp its image for the internet’s next generation by selling nonfungible tokens attached to music, content and artworks. (Bloomberg)
What’s Next For Travis Scott?Facing lawsuits from attendees who are reportedly seeking billions of dollars in damages, Travis is at an uncertain juncture when it comes to the rest of his career. When and how will he return to the stage? When will he start releasing music again? (Complex)
8 Things We Learned From Tyler, the Creator’s Wide-Ranging ‘All Star Series’ InterviewTyler, the Creator—complete with some hilariously spot-on observations about NFTs—gifted fans with footage of a wide-ranging 70-minute conversation on Wednesday. The discussion, hosted by Bimma Williams as part of Converse’s 2022 All Star Series, was recorded in February and sees Tyler being joined by L.A.-based members of the brand’s global All Stars community. (Complex)
BYTES
The current generation of reggaeton superstars — J Balvin, Rauw Alejandro, Farruko and more — find themselves in constant dialogue with pop, EDM and hip-hop, and have become ambitious ambassadors of cultural exchange. As the genre is growing in global popularity, it is also stratifying into subsets, some leaning toward the synthetic and some returning to roots. (NY Times Popcast)
In LeBron James' words..."Everything happens in The Shop". The Sports Emmy Award winning series UNINTERRUPTED The Shop is back for Season 5. Join multi-hyphenate Donald Glover, actor/writer Quinta Brunson, artist J Balvin, quarterback Lamar Jackson, marketing executive Paul Rivera, entrepreneur Maverick Carter, and NBA superstar LeBron James.
LimeWire is relaunching as a digital collectibles marketplace for art and entertainment, initially focused on music. Using LimeWire, you'll be able to create, buy and trade NFT collectibles with ease. Join the waitlist here.
Fike appeared in the new season of the HBO show as Rue and Jules’ “homie” and provided the musical accompaniment for its final scene. The new track, performed by Fike, was actually written by Labrinth and Muzhda Zemar-McKenzie, and features backing vocals from the show’s star, Zendaya. (NME)
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!