That’s what Nas’ manager, Anthony Saleh, told me late last week as I packing my bag for a weekend in Austin. Even though this sentiment was coming from the team behind the hit song, “Hip Hop Is Dead,” his comment rocked me a bit. Was SXSW “over” as so many people have recently declared?Nah. Here’s the truth: SXSW isn’t what it used to be, but it still matters.I write this to you from the plane home to NYC, a shell of my former self. I’ve spent the last 72 hours in back to back meetings, events, panels, and parties. I am exhausted, but eager to get back to work and apply everything that has inspired me over the past several days.One of my favorite highlights was the Sound Ventures event, led by legendary talent manager Guy Oseary, which featured a “Shark Tank”-style pitch session with guest panelists Matthew McConaughey, Gary V., Ashton Kutcher, Marc Benioff (CEO of SalesForce), and Melody McCloskey (CEO of StyleSeat). The five collectively invested $400K (!!!) in the education startup LearnLux.The subsequent party brought together leaders from tech, music, and entertainment—a real SXSW moment in the making. Snoop Dogg warmed up the crowd as our designated DJ. Elon Musk, fresh off his mainstage keynote, showed up and stayed late to mingle with the crowd. Ashton Kutcher even held a private “jam session,” sponsored by Audi, that ran past 4 a.m.For all of the commentary around SXSW becoming a boondoggle of brand-sponsored parties and self-aggrandizing thought leadership, I found hope in the content dedicated to blockchain and the major challenges facing technology today. The future may be uncertain, but at least we’re facing it head-on.SXSW is more commercial than ever, but that didn’t stop attendees from showing up to challenge each other on their viewpoints and forge new bonds in the process. With important questions still looming—Can we fix social media? Can blockchain bring true disintermediation into the world?—I leave Austin with a refreshed perspective to accompany my staggering sleep-deprivation.Until next time SXSW,
BEATS
OP-ED: SXSW Isn't OverThe only thing cooler than knowing what's big before other people do is being the first to say it's not cool anymore. I find this tedious. The chorus of "SXSW is over" has been growing, especially in the past couple years. And I get it, 2016's Obama keynote is pretty hard to beat. But since then attendance numbers look pretty solid, economic impact in Austin is up and talent keeps signing on. Only industry snobs look at top tier acts, big cultural moments, and nearly half a million attendees and say "meh." (Topher Burns – AdAge)
Why Apple's Eddy Cue Thinks the App Store Is the Next Popularity Benchmark for Music StreamingMinutes after Apple announced its acquisition of magazine subscription service Texture on Monday morning (March 12), the company's senior vp, internet software and services Eddy Cue took to the stage at South by Southwest to share his vision for media curation across music, TV, film, sports and even healthcare. (Cherie Hu – Billboard)
Bose is Carving Out $50 Million for Startups Using its New Audio-Focused AR TechThe high-end audio technology company Bose is getting into the augmented reality game with a new product and a $50 million fund devoted to startups that will develop services for its new platform. (Jonathan Shieber – TechCrunch)
Listening Party – Artists Reinvent Album Releases with Interactive EnvironmentsIn the era of epic entertainment, Gens Y and Z want to be wowed by the entertainment industry and keep their expectations high for something new and different. The music industry is going big with album release events that engage listeners and create hype around new musical projects. Whether it’s an album, collaborative project, or even just a single, creators are adding an interactive aspect that youth are gravitating towards. (Cassandra Daily)
A Former Ad Agency CEO Has Built What He Calls The Siri for Marketers, and Brands Including TD Bank and Kenneth Cole Are Already Using ItMatt Britton, the former CEO of the Publicis-owned ad agency MRY, is unveiling a new tech platform called Suzy — which he says marketers will be able to use to collect a wide array of digital ad intelligence in real-time. (Tanya Dua – Business Insider)
Spotify Enlists Its Users to Add Music Metadata (EXCLUSIVE) Spotify has found a new way to beef up its knowledge about music: The company has begun to solicit music metadata suggestions from its users, asking them to describe genres of albums or moods of songs. (Janko Roettgers – Variety)
Kobalt has combined its recording business under the AWAL brand, as it commits $150m in funding to spend on marketing and advances for artists. (Tim Ingham – Music Business Worldwide)
BYTES
This 28-year old phenom of a manager guiding Logic & Jon Bellion to greatness, Chris Zarou talks about abandoning his soccer career to pursue his love of music and the industry that drives it. He talks about growing up in New York, and how he broke through by finding unique and fresh ways to connect and grow audience for talent.
Jesse K. Stopped by the Ethereal Lounge at SXSW to speak on the future of music and blockchain technology with ConsenSys Systems.
HOOCH is the first ever members-only cocktail app. HOOCH members get One Drink Every Day at 450+ top bars and restaurants around the world.Marie Claire calls HOOCH "ClassPass for Drinks", and LA Times says "HOOCH App is the Greatest Deal".
Performing as IDER, Megan Markwick and Lily Somerville weave their vocals together to produce a dense, almost hypnotic effect. In "Body Love," the drama only builds as the song's patterns grow more complex, transforming the song from a featherlight bit of electro-pop prettiness to something more entrancing.
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!