What’s happening in the world is very disturbing.It’s horrific to think we’ve gone from a pandemic to the most devastating European ground war since WWII.Ukraine has shown tremendous resolve in the early days of the invasion, and world powers have stepped up. This is now a global war that will be determined not only by militaries, but by economics, the Internet, and the power grid.It feels like a shot to the heart. Like the characters in A Fiddler On The Roof, my ancestors are from Ukraine. They left during the Russian pogroms. We can’t help but view this conflict through a historical lens.It’s not a new fight, but it’s being fought in new ways. Social media has been both revealing and misleading, while traditional news coverage struggles to find balance between responsible journalism and hysterics. Talking heads pontificate and build hype, but hard facts are harder to come by.Don’t get me wrong: I’m grateful for social media and outlets like the New York Times putting their people on the front lines. It’s wonderful to see people around the world unifying for humanity, despite the glaring difference in response to similar tragedies in the Middle East.But the interconnectivity of social media, global economics, and cyber warfare is giving me major pause. I’m thinking deeply about America’s role in the world; our exports and imports; our opinions and biases; the fragility of it all. The information age, in all its glory, has also done damage to our country and our collective spirit.Take TikTok, the number one app in the world. It dominates the music business and drives youth culture in the U.S. and abroad. But the Chinese government took a stake in TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, last summer. That should make us all uneasy.TikTok is the posterchild of unscrupulous tech – it has facial recognition software, the ability to read your phone’s notes, access to screen grabs and stored photos, and an algorithm that seems supercharged for sensationalism. That’s upsetting regardless of who’s in control. Now, factor in a dictatorship having three seats on TikTok’s board of directors. I’m not sure what the algorithm is feeding America versus other markets, but I do know how powerful that algorithm is.I’d be less concerned if American social media exports like Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and Twitter were allowed in China. Then, at least we’d have a side of fairness to go along with our surveillance state feast. This is an issue we need to push harder on.I’m proud of America’s response to Russia thus far. We’re taking a tough stance without resorting to unnecessary physical aggression. I’d like to see similar resolve online – and strict regulatory considerations with respect to TikTok – where imbalances in culture and access are having a long-term effect on everyone’s well-being.
BEATS
How TikTok Creators are Redefining “Success” in the Music IndustryThe rise of TikTok is fundamentally changing how music is created and distributed. TikTok totally obliterates the financial barriers to the distribution of music—thereby changing how it is created. How does TikTok do this? (Yash Bagal)
Kanye West Fans Create Emulator to Pirate Donda 2 Album Instead of Buying $200 Stem PlayerKanye West wants people to buy his $200 Stem Player in order to listen to Donda 2, but some of his fans have other plans. On Wednesday (Feb. 23), Ye uploaded four tracks from the album onto the Stem Player website, but only users with the device could access them. (XXL Mag)
Amazon Music To Overtake Pandora As No. 2 Us Music Streamer This YearAccording to estimates from Insider Intelligence (previously eMarketer), Amazon Music will surpass Pandora this year to become the music streamer with the second most number of users in the U.S. (Tech Crunch)
We Still Don’t Know How to Talk About KanyeAfter years of Kanye’s eccentric behavior being treated like a joke in the media, many have raised concerns that some of his recent actions appear abusive, or even dangerous. (The Cut)
Why DraftKings Is Embedding Its Brand in Original Rap SongsIn a freaky, futuristic video created with DraftKings for his latest single, Harlem rapper Dave East labors in a lab with mutants and aliens to build a bionic hoops player. Streetball legend "The Professor," aka Grayson Scott Boucher, takes a starring role in "Bet It," as East ignites a slow-burn groove, tracing his rise and name-dropping DK. (Muse by Clio)
Jim Jones Believes His New Software Company Quarantine Studios Is A $1B Idea To Advance Artists' CareersJim Jones is a rap veteran who’s continued to drop new music, but also still has his eye on more ways to build his stature when off the mic. AfroTech previously shared a story about his digital coin, Capo Coin, which was minted in partnership with blockchain platform Zaptheory in 2021. (AfroTech)
Hip-Hop's Highest-Paid Artists Of 2021Though Hip-Hop now accounts for 27.7% of U.S. music consumption—more than any other genre, according to MRC Data, and roughly equal to rock and country combined—its highest-paid acts are successful because of their diversified portfolios. (Zack O’Malley Greenburg)
How New Balance Became DopeA lot can change in 10 years. And, so, here we are, wracking our brains to imagine a world where New Balance is going toe-to-toe with Nike to claim its position as a culturally dialed-in brand in the sneaker business. This is the world we live in. (Sprezza)
Why The Streaming Revolution Is Unfinished BusinessIt’s a truism that revolutions happen both more slowly and more quickly than anyone ever expects. At the point when a revolutionary new technology comes along, the pioneers who can see the future are understandably impatient for that future to arrive. Time seems to drag as they wait for what they see as inevitable to come to pass. (Music Business Worldwide)
Pussy Riot Spearhead NFT Sale to Help Raise Funds for UkraineRussian punk band/activists Pussy Riot have teamed with several cryptocurrency groups to mint an NFT that will be sold this weekend to raise funds for Ukrainian civilian groups. (Rolling Stone)
Doja Cat Joins Forces With Eek! Games & Epik to Star in Raunchy Comedy Adventure Game, House Party – Character RevealedEek! Games have teamed up with award-winning music star Doja Cat to deliver a wild all-new branching of the single-player video game, House Party. (Yahoo Entertainment)
20 Questions: An Artist’s Checklist for a NFT PitchIf you’ve been pitched to lend your name to an NFT platform or promotion, or if you are an NFT promoter who wants to attract artists to your program, there are some issues that should get addressed. (Music Tech)
BYTES
It’s no secret that touring is the lifeblood of most modern-day musical artists. But while most fans only see the finished product — a head-bobbing performance at Coachella or a sold-out nightclub — few get a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes work being done by professionals like Kevin Shivers, a partner in WME’s music division.
Wallo267 sits down with legendary music exec Lyor Cohen to discuss his career, developing talent, and how brands fit into hip-hop culture.
Mint Songs is helping music artists build Web3 communities, one NFT at a time. The site has tools that enables music artists to turn their core creative assets into NFTs that they can sell and giveaway to their community.
As Ukraine tries to repel an invasion from Russia, the country's defiant national anthem is being sung around the world in protest of the Kremlin-lead aggression.The anthem originates from a 19th century Ukrainian poem titled "Ukraine Is Not Dead Yet," which was set to music, according to the National Anthems Info website.
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!