I’m not one to succumb to existential dread or worry about a quarantined, dystopian planet, but it’s a scary time in the world right now. It’s clear that based on fear, fact, or a combination of both, things are going to change for a while.One of the primary areas of impact will be large social gatherings. There are increasing calls for the NCAA to host March Madness in empty arenas, while mammoth sponsors such as Twitter, Facebook, and Intel have announced they’re dropping out of SXSW. The assumption is that other companies and individuals will follow suit, and that countless events will be canceled.Given the current state of affairs, our main topic of conversation with clients and colleagues has become the reconfiguration of spring and summer culture strategies. Peloton, Netflix, and Zoom Video Communication stocks are soaring in response to the idea of an isolated lifestyle, and our guess is the same will be true for music content. Without the direct access provided by live events and festivals, how are brands going to super-serve their music-loving consumers?As we wait to see how things unfold, I want to open this forum up and ask Beats & Bytes readers what they think. Are you still comfortable attending events? If so, what would need to happen to make you change your perspective? Lastly, how would you like to see live event marketing dollars reallocated in the foreseeable future?The latter might seem cavalier, but it is not intended as such. A new, hopefully short-term reality is setting in and we want to address it head on by meaningfully engaging with the brilliant and undoubtedly anxious minds in our community. Let’s all stay safe and in tune with what’s going on, and keep those already impacted or lacking the resources to stay out of harm’s way in our thoughts.
BEATS
Songs for Screens: Orangetheory Fitness Does Licensing Right With Krewella Single, SXSW EventOrangetheory Fitness, a company that hosts high-impact workouts in over 1,300 studio locations around the world, has been proactively spending the past two years on a rights-compliant music strategy that fairly compensates creators — and, more recently, includes its first foray into original music with dance-music duo Krewella, who will headline the brand’s “HypOThesis” activation at South By Southwest on March 14. (Variety)
The Story Behind Clorox’s Mystery Recording Artist CLRXAt first glance, CLRX looks a lot like any other relatively unknown musical artist trying to make it big on the internet. (AdWeek)
Revolt’s Study on Gen Hip Hop - Power in NumbersThis month, REVOLT’s Audience Insights team will be launching “GEN HIP HOP,” the first research study of its kind on hip hop’s youth audience. Covering topics such as politics, gender identity, and self-expression as the New American Dream, the report traces hip hop’s rise to become a global phenomenon, connecting all corners of the world and embracing all walks of life. (Revolt TV)
Startup Sets Out to Put Money in Artists’ Hands Without Taking Their MusicRecord labels started calling rapper Lil Donald as soon as his song, “Do Better,” found an audience online.A trap-music hit released in 2018, “Do Better” has been streamed tens of million of times. But when Lil Donald needed about $150,000 to fund a full marketing campaign for his new music, he had a problem. (Bloomberg)
From Tiny Clubs To Packed Arenas, Musicians Of All Stripes Are Rocking The Vote For Bernie SandersTwo days ahead of California’s Democratic presidential primary, the 78-year-old Sanders, after taking the stage to the thump of John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band’s “Power to the People,” introduced Chuck D as someone “who has spoken truth to power for decades.” (LA Times)
How Do You Get a Hit Song? Spotify Says to Pitch ItOn any given day, according to Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek, around 40,000 new tracks are uploaded to the music-streaming service — be it from major labels, independent outlets, unknown new artists going the DIY route, or a madcap mix of all. The deluge drives artists to try anything to make their songs stand out, from enacting social media gimmicks to hounding the individual curators of popular playlists. (Rolling Stone)
How The Brain Teases Apart A Song's Words And MusicA song fuses words and music. Yet the human brain can instantly separate a song's lyrics from its melody.And now scientists think they know how this happens.A team led by researchers at McGill University reported in Science Thursday that song sounds are processed simultaneously by two separate brain areas – one in the left hemisphere and one in the right. (NPR)
Branding SnoopPartnering with brand is a necessity in today’s landscape of media and entertainment. When used correctly, the right brand can be an amazing vehicle to elevate your career to new levels, as countless artists have proven. Just like an investment portfolio, a successful brand partnership is diverse but sticks to what is natural and authentic to the person. (Nick Adler via Medium)
Halsey & Tayla Parx Joining Taylor Swift for All-Female Final Four Weekend ConcertTaylor Swift, Halsey and Tayla Parx will make history during the 2020 NCAA March Madness Championship weekend: With Halsey and Parx joining previously announced headliner Swift, the trio will mark Capital One JamFest's first-ever all-female lineup on Sunday, April 5, as part of the March Madness Music Festival in Atlanta. (Billboard)
David Byrne Returns to ‘SNL’ With ‘American Utopia’ Songs, ‘Airport Sushi’ SketchByrne opened his SNL musical guest spot — his first since 1989 — with the American Utopia rendition of Talking Heads’ classic “Once in a Lifetime,” with the singer and his barefoot troupe delivered a joyous take on the Remain in Light single.
Music Publishers And Peloton Reach Settlement Over Copyright Infringement LawsuitThe National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) and luxury exercise bike maker Peloton have fully settled litigation brought last year by 14 NMPA members. In addition, according to the release announcing the settlement, Peloton and the trade association have entered into “a joint collaboration agreement” and will work together to “further optimize” Peloton’s music licensing systems and processes. (Music Business Worldwide)
Ikea pushes Swedish dreams in National Sleep Awareness Month promotion Furniture retailer Ikea is extending its "Save Our Sleep" campaign into National Sleep Awareness Month this March, according to details shared with Marketing Dive. The effort includes videos, influencer partnerships, in-store activations and Giphy social media elements. (Marketing Dive)
BYTES
From Manchester United fans rewriting a Joy Division song to celebrate one of their favorite players, to college football crowds singing the wordless chorus of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army,” music is everywhere in sports -- you just have to know where to listen. But has it always been this way? (Not really). And what changed to make music an inescapable part of experiencing sports (a whole lot).
You'll see Taylor Swift in a whole new light in her video for "The Man." Literally.
NTWRK offers shoppable shows featuring the best names in pop culture. Download our app or visit our web store to secure sneakers, streetwear, collectibles, and more during each episode. Don’t miss out—culture moves fast, and our drops move even faster.
From its juxtaposition of country music with hip-hop aesthetics (Lil Nas X, Post Malone) to the anonymous artist arriving seemingly out of nowhere (The Weeknd, H.E.R.), “Rascal” seemed engineered for viral success. (Rolling Stone)
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!