This week marks a notable day that was vitality important to me back in the day. Now all of these years later, it’s back on my radar in spades. The holiday is 420.Nue keeps its eyes and ears open to some extremely BIG growth areas. We have always been on the mark when it comes to spotting hot trends, discovering artists, maximizing new platforms, breaking brands. What is coming down the pike now may be some of the greatest opportunities of our lifetime.As of today, the cannabis industry is legal in only 7 of the 50 states. As cannabis moves towards nationwide/Federal legalization, the race for the creation of a coveted brand identity becomes paramount. Stage 1 of the “green rush” was more about cultivation and distribution. Now, we see branding and retail becoming the biggest growth segments.Breaking brands through entertainment marketing is what we do at Nue! Having the opportunity to help establish iconic cannabis brands in the US market is very cool and has explosive potential. From a marketing perspective, there are several brands established overseas with rich histories and well known within the 420/cannabis culture community. Our task is to make them more of a mainstream household name in North America.There's obviously challenges associated with creating mainstream awareness with cannabis brands and products, but we are embracing those challenges and deploying tactics that will help differentiate them from the pack such as celebrity/influencer/entertainment marketing, cultural marketing, experiential activations, content development/capture, tech platform integration and partnerships with more mainstream brands that once upon a time you never expected to play in this space. As my business partner and brother Alex so eloquently put it in Adweek, “We look forward to the day that “This Buds For You” is no longer solely ABI’s classic tagline for an alcoholic beverage ;)"What shouldn’t be overlooked, is that there is not a tremendous difference between marketing or breaking a more traditional product in culture and a cannabis brand in this new frontier. The same tactics apply. Of course, there are nuances to the space and each brand has its own identity that needs to be showcased and challenges to address. But because it is so early on in the industries growth and the space is characterized by a wild west quality, we feel this is a huge growth sector and one of the biggest opportunities to capitalize on of this generation.In many ways, it feels like the final days of Prohibition with a lot of relevant cannabis brands still under the radar. As the industry matures and cannabis becomes more accessible, we believe branding and marketing will play an increasingly important role . So building those brands in an organic and authentic way that resonates with the consumer is everything. From this point of view, we look at the wine and spirit business and can draw parallels…The Pappy Van Winkle’s of the cannabis space are the ones that will be highly coveted, highly in demand and will survive the test of time. With that said, we don’t only think you need to be a luxury or limited edition brand to succeed here. Once the floodgates open, there will be something for everyone…from the Taco Bell’s to Sweet Greens to Peter Lugers’ of cannabis!Alex and I will be in Denver this weekend for our client’s first annual Mile High 420 Festival.P.S.: With 4/20, Record Store Day, Earth Day, and Tribeca Film Festival coinciding, there's a lot to celebrate this weekend.
BEATS
As Coachella Passes on Pot, Coran Capshaw and Others Make a Play For Cannabis EventsSorry bro, but there’s probably going to be more cannabis smoked, eaten and vaporized at this year’s Coachella festival in Southern California than ever before - and there are more pot-centric festivals ahead for those who don't want to deal with paranoia of breaking the rules. (Dave Brooks – Billboard)
Boehner's ‘Bombshell’ Weed Reversal ‘Monumental’ For MarijuanaThe pot industry panicked when U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions ended the government’s hands-off policy on weed. Today, it can breathe a bit easier as former Republican House Speaker John Boehner joins the advisory board of U.S. cannabis producer Acreage Holdings. (Kristine Owram – Bloomberg)
More Music Tech Companies Mulling IPO After Spotify's Smooth Debut -- But Is It Really a Good Idea?After a relatively smooth debut on the New York Stock Exchange, Spotify is inspiring a handful of other music tech companies to consider launching their own IPOs. But is this nudge grounded in substantial evidence of the music industry’s newfound financial strength -- or just another instance of unfounded hype? (Cherie Hu – Billboard)
Mixcloud, The Audio Streaming Platform for Long-form Content, Raises $11.5M from WndrCoMixcloud, the London startup that offers an audio streaming platform designed for long-form content, has closed its first-ever funding round, TechCrunch has learned. According to a regulatory filing and since confirmed by co-founder Nico Perez, the ten-year old company has raised approximately $11.5 million led by WndrCo, the media and technology holding company based in Los Angeles and San Francisco. (Steve O'Hear – Techcrunch)
It isn’t obvious until the song plays in the last episode of “Wild Wild Country,” but the Netflix documentary series actually gets its title from Bill Callahan’s “Drover.” As the Feds track the getaway of controversial mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh from his Oregon commune, the weathered baritone formerly known as Smog proclaims, “One thing about this wild, wild country/It takes a strong, strong—it breaks a strong, strong—mind.” (Kish Lal – RedBull)
Amazon Music Gains Millions Of Subscribers Under RadarAlthough not always recognized as one of the frontrunners in the streaming world, Amazon Music is truly gaining in popularity; reportedly having as many as hundred million active users, double it's count from just six months ago. (Bobby Owsinski – Hypebot)
Raekwon Says his Social Radio App Stationhead Will Change The WorldIn the deluge of music apps that appear every day, it's rare to find something that actually feels innovative, but Stationhead is a rare exception. It's an app where anyone from fans to popular artists can be the DJ of their own 24/7 radio station and connect with their listeners. An added bonus is that the platform is run through music streaming sites, so artists get paid for their work for every spin. Station hosts can also call up their listeners or fans through the app and host interviews. (Myles Tanzer – FADER)
Instead of Stealing Instruments, Musicians Turn to Splice“The percentage of Top 40 music made with our platform blows my mind,” says Splice co-founder Steve Martocci. He tells me about some bedroom music producers who were “working at Olive Garden until they put sounds on Splice .” Soon they quit their jobs because they were earning enough from artists downloading those sounds to use in their songs. That led them to collaborate with famous DJ Zedd, resulting in the Billboard No. 12 hit “Starving.” (Josh Constine – TechCrunch)
High Definition Vinyl” Is Happening, Possibly as Early as Next Year“High Definition Vinyl” has moved closer to a turntable near you. In 2016, a European patent filing described a way of manufacturing records that the inventors claimed would have higher audio fidelity, louder volume, and longer playing times than conventional LPs. Now, the Austrian-based startup Rebeat Innovation has received $4.8 million in funding for the initiative, founder and CEO Günter Loibl told Pitchfork. Thanks to the investment, the first “HD vinyl” albums could hit stores as early as 2019, Loibl said. (Marc Hogan – Pitchfork )
Qobuz Names Yann Miossec CEO Ahead of US LaunchWarner Music France exec Yann Miossec has joined Paris-based streaming service Qobuz as CEO. The exec leaves behind 12 years at Warner Music France where he was Executive Vice President. News arrives soon after the company, which specializes in high definition streaming and downloads, told MBW it would consider its very own IPO over the next two years. (Rhian Jones – Music Business Worldwide)
BYTES
In this episode, Amanda Thurston, Marketing Services Leader at IBM iX, sits with Ben Hindman, CEO, Splash, they discuss the data that drives great experiences, connecting most effectively with your customer, and how thoughtful event strategy can empower CRM and drive ROI.
Beyonce makes history as the first black woman to headline Coachella in its 19-year run – doing a career defining performance #Beychella.
SkyView brings stargazing to everyone. Simply point your iPhone, iPad, or iPod at the sky to identify stars, constellations, planets, satellites, and more.
King Combs, born Christian Combs, and son of producer extraordinaire, Diddy, drops his debut mixtape, 90’s Baby, a dedication to the hip-hop and R&B era that inspired his sound. The 20-year-old spitta has been buzzing recently, with big singles such as “F*ck the Summer Up” and “Type Different.” 90’s Baby is a 12-track tape that features Puff Daddy, RJ and members of CYN, a collective composed of Combs and other young creatives from all walks of life.
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!