With the exception of a few “quarantine culture” memes, there is absolutely nothing funny about what’s happening right now. The world as we know it has drastically changed and focus has shifted entirely to two major issues: public safety and health, and the economy.We all agree that the main action items are to stay home and stay diligent about personal hygiene, but what is not being discussed as frequently is our personal responsibility in regards to information hygiene. In a world of disinformation and fake news, you have to question everything before you share it. The news cycle is moving so fast right now that it’s more important than ever to stay on the pulse. Sticking to trusted news sources is vital. We don’t want bad info spreading like the virus itself.As the global conversation centers around one topic to a degree not seen stateside since 9/11, the content landscape is being forced to adapt. Suddenly, nobody cares about selfies or clout-chasing influencers. People are scared, hurting, and living in uncertainty, turning to their screens to connect with one another in more real ways than social media is known for. Stories of originality, empathy, and humanity are becoming our glue.The pressing desire for true connection while in isolation is already breeding innovation and creativity. For example, this weekend signaled the golden age of IG Live when club-hopping with friends became popping into the D-Nice IG live DJ set before heading to the Questlove afterparty (on his feed, of course).Hats off to D-Nice for setting things off with this new format. His success can be attributed to the perfect combination of positivity, ability to draw both common folks and celebrities, a captive Saturday night audience, and being a great DJ with a trusted brand and history. It was truly the place to be. I mean, I was bumping into friends from all over the country in the comments!!!The numbers peaked at 100K concurrent viewers, but his follower count grew in 24 hours from 280K to 1.3 Million. That’s a million followers in 24 hours. Talk about resonating.Brands are taking a stab at newfound connections as well. Nike nailed their latest tagline: “If you ever dreamed of playing for a million around the world, now is your chance. Play inside, play for the world.” And I love the new social distancing logos from MasterCard and McDonald’s.This is just the beginning of what the new (hopefully temporary) world will look like. Is it scary? In many ways, yes. But it’s also an exciting challenge. The changing landscape, exploration of new methodologies, and mass mobilization is inspiring. Conversations with friends and colleagues are flowing and music continues to be the great connector, with musicians as the sherpas of culture. So turn up the volume, ZOOM dance with all your friends, and band together like your life depends on it....because it does.Stay safe, happy, connected, and empowered everyone!
BEATS
Live Industry Resource Guide: COVID-19While our industry copes with the hardships of postponed/canceled shows and lost revenue because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pollstar is keeping track of resources to assist those in need. (Pollstar)
Struggling Amid Coronavirus, Music Companies Ask Congress for AidSome of the largest companies and organizations across the music and entertainment industries have issued a letter to Congress asking for financial relief in light of the economic impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. (Rolling Stone)
Raine Group Forecasts that Independent Artist Sector Will Earn Over $2bn This YearRaine Group is a US-based merchant bank that offers acquisitive guidance to companies in the music business, as well as investing in assets itself. Over the past 18 months, Raine has completed over $600 million in music-related transactions — following its own $75m investment in SoundCloud (2017), as well as its funding of Stockholm-born distribution and label services company Amuse. (Music Business Worldwide)
Are You The Next Lil Pump? These Youtubers Will Tell You — For A PriceNo Jumper (the name comes from a Gucci Mane lyric) had no rules — artists were encouraged to say or do anything they pleased, whether it was discussing explicit tour exploits or rolling blunts on Grandmaison’s desk. (Input Mag)
A Love Letter To Glastonbury – And Why Next Year’s Festival Will Be Sweeter Than EverDearest Glastonbury, now more than ever, we want you to know how much we truly, truly love you. Sure, there have been fallow years before – Glastonbury isn’t a total cert every summer – but never has the festival been cancelled just three months before the gates of Worthy Farm were set to swing open once again. (NME)
Musicians Ask Spotify To Triple Payments To Cover Lost Concert RevenueMusicians are calling on Spotify to triple its royalty rates following the coronavirus pandemic. Due to government guidance, many venues have closed and tours have been cancelled, removing what has become a key revenue stream for the majority of artists. (The Guardian)
Is Triller Music’s Next Big Launchpad?Triller has been growing sharply in recent months and is starting to break tracks and acts in its own way. For now, the audience skews towards both the US and hip-hop, but the app has global ambitions and wants to go deeper into different styles of music. (Musically)
The Definitive Guide To Spotify RoyaltiesThe complexity of Spotify royalties is, frankly, insane. So insane that it took me over a month and 40 pages (before including diagrams) to explain it all. No artist, label, songwriter, distributor or musician should be required to have a depth of knowledge of this complexity to understand a very simple question: “How much do I earn when my music streams on Spotify?” (Jeff Price)
Twitch Numbers Are Exploding as People Stay Home — They’re Not the Only OneNow that most people are sheltering in place, it created a huge boost to live streaming. While Twitch is primarily for gamers, many indie musicians are tuning in. YouTube Gaming also saw a 15% increase in streaming traffic over the last week. (Digital Music News)
BYTES
The global spread of the coronavirus has been seismic, overburdening health care systems, torpedoing stock markets and requiring millions of people to submit to severe restrictions on their personal movement. The world has changed drastically in the last few weeks, and will continue to be disrupted for some time.
The singer, songwriter and producer Claire Boucher breaks down how the opioid crisis and comic books inspired one of her most vulnerable songs yet. (NY Times)
On Cash App Fridays, the mobile payment app users can log on Twitter and reply to @CashApp with their $cashtag for a chance to win prizes that range from $100 to $500. Later that weekend, Cash App matched some of the giveaways from Shea Serrano –The Ringer staff writer and Trapital Podcast guest— who had already made it a habit to give money to those in need. (Trapital)
The 23-year-old Alabama native, née Jane Chika Oranika, had been uploading covers and freestyling over familiar beats since 2016. But it wasn’t until she stormed Twitter in 2018 with a poetic admonishment of Kanye West supporting Donald Trump that people truly sat up and listened. (Fast Company)
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!