It’s the world vs. COVID-19 and as of now there is no winner. I’m confident, as most of us are, that humankind will prevail, but that doesn’t make it any easies to watch the crisis unfold.Events large and small are cancelled as they should be. The Nue family is at home, self-quarantined, trying to cope and make this time productive while managing the instability. For the foreseeable future, the new normal is four walls and a digital porthole to the outside world.I, like many others, am already embracing quarantine culture. I attended an online St. Patrick's Day cheers last night, I hit up some virtual shows this weekend, and I intend to catch a Social DJistance dance party soon. With festivals like Ultra taking their whole show online, there should be a great deal to watch over the next few months. Now more than ever we need music to feed our souls.Musicians move at the speed at culture and are the greatest storytellers. With the news cycle hooked on Corona, I’m relieved to see artists in the studio using this time to make the next classic and connect with fans. The soundtrack to the revolution still needs to be tracked and we still need new ways to stay sane. Our desires will bring forth new opportunities for innovation. And Mother Nature, honestly, might have just needed this pause.But it’s early in what is increasingly looking like a long game. First and foremost we need to come together and be there for one another. Let's keep the positive conversations flowing about what the new world order will look like and what part we all want to play. Selflessness and creation can and will shine through.
BEATS
How Livestreaming Is Bridging the Gap Between Bands and Fans During the Coronavirus OutbreakThere’s nothing quite like the tribal experience of going out to a venue and singing your favorite song alongside thousands of strangers. But as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to spread globally, it will quickly become more common for music fans around the world to stay in for shows. In a matter of weeks, the global concert industry has all but come to a standstill, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of ticket-sales losses. (Pitchfork)
8 Big Takeaways From Donald Glover’s Surprise Collection of New MusicBut in the middle of these bleak, unprecedented times, one thing that we can stay positive about is new music. In the past 48 hours alone, we’ve been blessed with a second collection of songs from Lil Uzi Vert in as many weeks, an exceptional debut album from Don Toliver, Jay Electronica’s long-fabled debut album (featuring JAY-Z!) and more. (Complex)
How Coronavirus Is Destroying the Livelihood of Music’s Behind-the-Scenes WorkforceTouring work is seasonal. Things slow down in the winter, and spring typically marks the start of a busy period. By the time festival season starts in March and April, wallets are light and workers are eager to get going. “This is right when things are supposed to be ramping back up after the lean months,” says Bryan Scheckel, a production manager who’s worked with Childish Gambino, Passion Pit, and Vampire Weekend. “People expect the cash flow to start again right about now.” (Rolling Stone)
25 Songs That Matter Right NowFor more than a decade, Taylor Swift has been pop’s top bellyacher, turning a now-familiar set of grievances into great songs. In “The Man,” she channels that indignation into a broader protest against the sexism and skepticism that all women face. (NY Times)
Live Nation, AEG, Major Touring Agencies Form Coronavirus Response CoalitionLive Nation and AEG took safety-minded steps even before the task force’s statement was issued. All Live Nation events have been postponed indefinitely, and on Monday, AEG made the undoubtedly difficult decision to push Coachella and Stagecoach back to late October. Equally as significant, state and federal governments from California to Australia have instituted bans on mass gatherings. (Digital Music News)
TIDAL, Brain.fm Partner For Scientifically Tested Sleep and Focus PlaylistsThe Brain.fm playlists, which normally require a paid subscription access, are comprised of exclusive music created by human composers with the help of artificial intelligence and tested to enhance focus and sleep. Each Tidal Brain.fm playlist starts with a voiceover introducing the partnership and explaining how to use the music they are going to be listening to. (Hypebot)
A List Of Live Virtual Concerts To Watch During The Coronavirus ShutdownNPR Music is compiling a list of live audio and video streams from around the world, categorized by date and genre, with links out to streaming platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Some will require registration or a subscription, but most will be free, often with digital tip jars and opportunities to directly support artists by buying music and merchandise. (NPR)
Coronavirus Is Giving Livestreaming the Chance to Prove ItselfWhile paid livestreaming has historically been looked down upon by the booming live-music business, it’s being taken much more seriously now that it’s the industry’s best path forward. Karen Allen, a tech consultant and author of the guide Twitch for Musicians, tells Rolling Stone that passive, two-dimensional streams have drawn yawns in the past — but community-based streaming platforms that encourage artists to interact with fans are newly gaining steam. (Rolling Stone)
The 20 Artists We Most Wanted to See at SXSW 2020This is the first time SXSW has ever been cancelled in its 34 years of existence, and it has caused a ripple effect across the music industry. This is nothing short of a massive loss for independent music. However, just because we won’t be officially gathering in Austin this year doesn’t mean we can’t support the independent artists who were scheduled to perform. (Paste Magazine)
Spotify Patents A Voice Assistant That Can Read Your Emotions“Spotify’s patent... claims to interpret the emotion conveyed in human voice commands as part of the input, within the utterance itself, and apply intelligence to infer a logical outcome that may not have been explicitly requested,” said Simon Forrest, principal technology analyst at Futuresource Consulting. (Forbes)
Glastonbury’s Gender Equal Line-up Is The Best Thing To Happen In 2020 So FarAn unexpected glimmer of positive news arrived yesterday (March 12) among all the coronavirus fear-mongering and panic buying – the first chunk of the Glastonbury line-up. Here was something to get excited about, something to look forward to; a sweet escape from the current dystopia we’re existing in. (NME)
How To Support Artists, Performers, And Service Industry Folks During CoronavirusLet’s get real: the American system of “Fuck you, I got mine!” has been proven to be woefully unprepared for the coronavirus pandemic. What a surprise! This plague is laying bare the fact that not having Universal Healthcare or other social safety nets is terrible for society. (Broke Ass Stuart)
BYTES
A man in California is haunted by the memory of a pop song from his youth. He can remember the lyrics and the melody. But the song itself has vanished, completely scrubbed from the internet. PJ takes on the Super Tech Support case.
Encouraging her fans to find some calm in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic, the singer led a meditation, complete with crystals and smoking incense. Lizzo captioned a video of herself playing the flute while seated in front of a collection of crystals and smoking incense, “A meditation and mantra to promote healing during this global crisis.” (NME)
Netflix Party is a new way to watch Netflix with your friends online. Netflix Party synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to your favorite Netflix shows.
Reddit for the win. Childish Gambino dropped and album right on time (just when we needed it) and then pulled it down. Follow the digital breadcrumbs to the music.
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!