It’s been 22 years since Bill Gates famously framed online marketing in royal terms with three words of wisdom: content is king. The 2010’s clarified this further, with the kings and, more frequently, the queens of content coalescing around one medium in particular: video. But the landscape of the last couple years has proven even more specific. Video alone no longer leads. “Short form video” is the new telephone call. We operate in bursts now, and people use short form video in previously unimaginable ways: a final conversation with a dying relative; a group chat, between airports even, for work; a global superstar letting millions of fans know (at once!) what kind of day they’re having. Video is everything and everywhere because nothing is more convincing than seeing it for yourself. Video or it didn’t happen. This intimacy equals currency. We want to find the people maximizing this medium to foster real dialogue. We want to get out of the vacuum of “traditional” social media and into the video vortex. So, if you or someone around you has their finger on the pulse of this insurgent form of communication -- shaping, shifting, and disrupting culture with video content -- Nue needs to know! I don’t mean people being paid to play or simply selling their single. I mean game changers, thought leaders, and groundbreakers. Reply to this email. Point us in your direction. We have something exciting cooking over here... - Jesse K.
BEATS
25 Songs That Matter Right NowIt usually takes a while — a decade or two — before we can look back at a particular era of American life and see it as something coherent, something whose every aspect is marked by one overarching mood.(New York Times)
Amazon Unveils Song ID, Telling Listeners What Song is Playing — Every Time Amazon has made a brand-new innovative feature – Song ID – available for Prime Music/Unlimited subscribers. (Digital Music News)
MyMusicTokens Keeps Tabs On Blockchain-Music StartupsAudioCoin, Musicoin, Opus, Aventus, Musiconomi and more… Music Ally has written about a variety of startups exploring the crossover between blockchain technology and the music industry, with several of these companies having launched their own ‘tokens’. (Musically)
Inside Marshmello's $60 Million Las Vegas MegadealTraditionally, dessert is the last part of a delicious meal. For the freshly renovated Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, it’s the starter: Marshmello will open the hotel’s new Kaos Dayclub and Nightclub with a performance on April 4. (Forbes)
China’s Music Scene Is Booming, But Labels Risk Getting Left Behind Don Diablo doesn’t want record labels messing up his business in China. The world’s No. 7 DJ considers the market one of his three biggest, alongside the U.S. and Europe. He tours there six or seven times a year, and in 2018 scored his first major Chinese endorsement deal with Budweiser. (Bloomberg)
The 11 Buzziest Movies at SXSW South by Southwest is that rare thing, a film festival that caters to both the art-house crowd and the masses. Just take last year’s gathering in Austin, Texas. It launched one of the biggest movies of 2018 with “A Quiet Place,” put Kay Cannon on the map as a director with “Blockers,” and discovered the indie gem “Thunder Road.” (Variety)
South Korea Has 8.5 Million Paying Music Subscribers — But Physical Is Growing, TooA new report focusing on the music industry in South Korea has revealed that not only is streaming on the rise, but physical sales are up, too. In a recent interview, Clayton Jin, CEO of Warner Music Asia, attributes this rise purely to K-pop fans. (Digital Music News)
How A Talent Buyer Approaches SXSWDespite all the big-name artists, speakers and sponsors expected at this year’s South by Southwest Music Festival (March 8-17), along with subsequent grousing and think-pieces debating the impact of the Austin event, artist discovery still remains at the heart and soul of every SXSW. (Pollstar)
Grammys Generate More Social Impact Than Oscars, According to Nielsen The Oscars may be the most-watched awards show on TV — but when it comes to social media, it’s the Grammys that garners the most attention. That’s according to Nielsen, which has finished calculating its Social Content Ratings for the just-ended awards season. (Variety)
Kobalt is a Major Label Waiting to HappenNews has emerged of Kobalt potentially looking to raise an additional $100 million of investment, following a 2017 round of $89 million and a 2015 $60-million round led by Google Ventures. (Music Industry Blog)
6 Analytics Tools: How To Change Future of Music MarketingAfter a tough few years during which the sale of physical albums declined precipitously, the music industry seems to be making a relatively speedy recovery. (Hypebot)
Taylor Swift on 30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30 According to my birth certificate, I turn 30 this year. It's weird because part of me still feels 18 and part of me feels 283, but the actual age I currently am is 29. I've heard people say that your thirties are "the most fun!" So I'll definitely keep you posted on my findings on that when I know. But until then, I thought I'd share some lessons I've learned before reaching 30, because it's 2019 and sharing is caring. (Elle)
BYTES
Join Marriott Bonvoy Traveler and some of the world's top influencers who divulge how travel has shaped them.In this episode, we check in with Anthony Demekhin, Jesse Kirshbaum, and Courtney Phillips Spoehr at the W Music International Summit in Austin, Texas.
Hozier busking in the New York City subway. Check out his performance of ‘Almost (Sweet Music)’ off his newest album ‘Wasteland, Baby!’
MuzArcade’s proprietary technology generates gameplay on the fly based on the lyrics and music of any song. Get ready to unleash the games inside your favorite music!
On Friday (March 8), Def Jam released the first episode of their eight-part Undisputed docuseries. They also dropped off the docuseries' accompanying album, which is also titled Undisputed. The docuseries highlights the six-day rap camp Def Jam execs Steven Victor and Alexander "AE" Edwards put together earlier this year.
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!