Snapple Elements is launching its newest line of beverages in an unexpected and refreshing way: with an NFT series.Snapple has partnered with Billboard music artist-to-watch, Tierra Whack; renowned street artist, Bradley Theodore; and digital artist extraordinaire, Glassface, to make the impossible possible. Each artist summoned their personal style to create NFTs tied to one of the three Snapple Elements flavors: FIRE, AIR, and RAIN. The collection will be known as Snapple ElemeNFTs.The NFT market is a groundbreaking landscape, so it’s exciting to see a household favorite like Snapple be bold enough to experiment with NFTs. This campaign is particularly novel because it’s bringing a lot of firsts into the market.This will be Whack and Theodore’s genesis drop. These pieces of digital art are free, and there’s no question they’ll be gone like a Snapple on a hot day. The campaign honors the brand’s superfans by giving them early access to these collectibles. Following the window of exclusivity, the remaining inventory will be offered to all NFT-curious consumers, bringing more folks into the world of token ownership.I commend Snapple for doing this the right way. They’re supporting artists in the space, using a fantastic platform, OneOf, and taking a chance on something that will hopefully open the doors of Web3 to the entire company and set an example for other brands.As the NFT market shifts and the crypto market reaches some scary lows, it’s all about creating worthwhile use cases. There are amazing, intricate projects out there that won’t get the traction they deserve if the general public doesn’t catch on. Snapple is leveraging its immense consumer base and resources to launch a project, for free, that brings new energy into Web3.It takes a village to release an NFT and we are so proud to play a part in bringing this to fruition. Snapple ElemeNFTs will leave a lasting impression as many people’s first NFTs. Sign up here for a chance to own a piece of history. Which element do you hope to collect? Fire, Air, or Rain? The final drawing will be next Tuesday. Wishing you all best of luck and happy minting!
BEATS
Kendrick Lamar and the Future of pgLangKendrick Lamar always seemed more interested in the art than the business. He earned a Pulitzer Prize before he ever topped a Forbes list. You’ll learn more about him from the Library of Congress than from a Bloomberg Terminal. He respects hip-hop’s moguls but has never been about that life himself. (Trapital)
Coldplay to Harness Audience Electricity to Power New TourBesides traveling eco-friendly and bringing biodegradable products to their Music of the Spheres tour, Coldplay plans to literally power their concerts (partly) with kinetic energy created by their fans dancing or riding stationary bikes. (Future Party)
Exclusive: Spotify Tests Letting Artists Promote NFTs on Their ProfilesArtists can already promote merch and tickets on their Spotify profiles. Now the streaming service is testing a feature that will let them also promote their NFTs. (Musically)
Jon Wexler: From Kicks to CardsHow Wex went from constructing Yeezy with Kanye to creating the future of cards through culture at zerocool. Few people in any industry can be recognized by one name, let alone three letters. (Boardroom)
Dolly Parton’s starring in a TikTok musical about Taco Bell’s Mexican PizzaParton shared the news about her leading role in "Mexican Pizza: The Musical" on Monday: "I'm making #MexicanPizzaTheMusical with @TacoBell," she wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo of the musical’s screenplay. (Input Mag)
Diana Ross & Tame Impala Collab Coming on ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ SoundtrackDecca Records revealed the new original motion picture soundtrack for the upcoming animated film. It will release on July 1 and is set in the 1970s. It tells the origin story of Gru first met his iconic Minions. (Digital Music News)
Describing Major Music NFT Platforms as Music Products — Part 1: The Rise of Curators + The Push for Product MetadataWhat are the Major Music NFT Platforms offering music fans, buyers, and the musicians creating the content. (Music Data Pro)
TDE Played the Long GameThis week, Kendrick Lamar released Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, his first record in more than five years. It’s also the final one he issued through Top Dawg Entertainment, the label he has been with since 2005. (Vulture)
Napster Joins Limewire and Winamp by Jumping on the Web3 BandwagonThey say you can’t keep a good brand down. More accurately, you can’t stop it being opportunistically mined by business types for lingering name-recognition and nostalgia. (The Verge)
Charli XCX Roblox Live Concert to Promote Samsung’s Latest PhonesCharli XCX is heading to Roblox for a live concert to promote Samsung’s latest foldable smartphones. The Samsung Superstar Galaxy experience is now live in Roblox for all users. For a limited time, players can live their dreams as a pop-star by performing, dancing, and creating in the Roblox world. (Digital Music News)
Joe Budden Puts Music Where His Mouth Is With New Amazon Amp Show: It’s ‘Radio Reimagined’Joe Budden’s “Music Lovers Only With Joe Budden,” which launches today on Amazon’s live radio app Amp, is the latest entry to a deep resume that includes the super successful, 100% independent “Joe Budden Podcast.” (Variety)
Apple Music’s Live-Streaming Concert Series Is Launching With Harry Styles — More Artists AheadThe series kicks off on May 20th with a live stream of Harry Styles’ “One Night Only in New York” performance. The concert will be available to stream exclusively for Apple Music subscribers. This is just one of Apple’s latest movies in its bid to set Apple Music apart from rival services like Spotify. (Digital Music News)
Netflix Is Considering Adding Live Content, Report Says — Possibly Including Concerts and Music FestivalsThe film and television giant’s rumored plans to begin supporting live media came to light in a recent report from Deadline. At the time of this piece’s writing, however, Netflix higher-ups hadn’t commented publicly on the possibility. (Digital Music News)
The Problems of “Owning Music Discovery”The main problem of trying of being a company (and service and app) that wants to “own” discovery and demand is that the company/service/app must permanently stand between the users and the real “thing” that makes the discovery possible, whatever the “thing” is. (G.C. Stein)
BYTES
A$AP Rocky joins us as he shares his journey in hip-hop and the A$AP Mob. Rocky shares stories of JAY Z, Fabolous, his own whiskey “Mercer + Prince” and much much more. A$AP also talks about directing his own music videos, fashion, his relationship with Rihanna and the upcoming birth of their child.
From 2000-2015, peer-to-peer file sharing took off and revenue from recorded music fell dramatically. However, revenues rebounded in 2016 and continue to climb, largely driven by streaming. Spotify played a central role. Find out how in this case study by Section4
It's no secret Cheez-It® will go to absurd lengths to bring the world new ways to enjoy its snacks made with 100% real cheese. So, when the brand came across an obscure Swiss study* that found aging cheese to hip-hop music could strengthen the taste and smell, Cheez-It couldn't help but put its own spin on the findings with the release of new, limited-edition Cheez-It x Pandora® Aged by Audio crackers.
This new Kendrick Lamar album feels so meticulous, so detailed, so star-core dense, you’re going to need to clear some space in your head for it. (Washington Post)
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!