Here at Nue one of the emerging sectors in culture that we are most bullish on is the utilization of voice recognition technology and digital audio. Everyone knows about smart speakers at this point. Over 40 million people in the US now have them and quite clearly it’s an arms race with Google, Apple and many more allocating a lot of resources to support the new technology. However, the content created specifically for this new platform is a long way off from having significant impact. I use my Amazon Alexa every day for basic things but the skills applications leave me desiring more. We made a skill last year called Recipe Remix. The premise was simple - your favorite artist walking you through how to cook their favorite dishes step by step all using voice recognition technology. In theory, when Snoop Dogg would chop the tomatoes on his Lasagna or put the dish in the oven, he would play his new single or favorite song timed perfectly to match the cooking task at hand. We created a few episodes (thanks to the support of Ritz and Betaworks) and then uploaded our pilot featuring Spencer Ludwig. We learned a lot of lessons from creating this show, specifically, how to make content for this new era. However, some of the challenges we faced demonstrated the need for voice recognition specific content and we were clearly ahead of our time and let's face it, timing is everything in making things pop.That said, we do believe this wave is coming. It’s clear as crystal to me that in the near future we won’t be “Googling” directions to bars or restaurants nearby but utilizing voice technology. Whoever owns these type of search queries will most certainly be crowned the new Google and of course, might be even be Google. So the moral of this story? The more energy, innovation, awareness, artists, producers and content creators we can encourage to build on voice recognition technology, the better it is for the culture overall.I’ve got to give props to Gary V and Vayner Media. Today they are hosting the first ever VoiceCon in NYC. This should be a one of a kind gathering of some of the best and brightest innovators in the space with interesting conversations about sonic branding and defining your music strategy. Hats off to Gary for staying on the pulse and trying to push culture forward. After this story dropped last week in the LA Times, looks like Cannabis is also up next for him. Puff-Puff-Pass.
BEATS
This Musical Agency Leverages Data and Taste to Find the Perfect Bands for BrandsOne surefire way to ensure a successful partnership between a brand and a musical artist is by embedding the latter into the creative process. That’s something Nue Agency learned through its seven years managing and working closely with musicians. (Katie Richards – AdWeek)
Youtube Just Added Songwriter, Label and Publisher Credits to Millions of Songs More than half a billion videos on YouTube will, from today, carry credits covering songwriter, label and publisher data – and that’s just the start. The Google/Alphabet platform has just announced that it is adding ‘credits and music discovery information’ to both premium music videos and – for the first time ever – to fan-uploaded content that features recorded music. (Tim Ingham – MBW)
YouTube Taps Cardi B To Promote Its Revamped Music ServiceAs YouTube prepares for the launch of its new music service, the video platform is gearing up for its “biggest marketing spend…to date.” That’s according to what T. Jay Fowler, a YouTube Music product director, told Bloomberg News. Though Fowler wouldn’t say how much the company is spending, it’s enough to pay for lip service from hip-hop artist Cardi B and procure TV advertisements. (Jessica Klein – TubeFilter)
The amplified consumer awareness of identifying a brand, and what it actually means to be a brand, is here to stay. Celebrity as an industry is nothing new, and for many years an industry endorsement deal cut by said celebrity’s team resulting in a spokesperson role was easily digestible and understood by the consumer. Now, a celebrity as a mere spokesperson is not enough for the consumer unless the celebrity is tangibly authentic and generates content to prove his or her affinity for a brand. (Ceslie Armstrong – Rivard Report )
Holograms Hit The Road: Will Fans of Frank Zappa, Ronnie James Dio and Others Show Up for Their Virtual Versions?The estates of deceased musical legends have been sending holographic versions on tour, while living artists mull having holograms tour in their stead. (Cortney Harding – Billboard)
YouTube’s New Artist On The Rise Program To Spotlight Singer Jessie ReyezYouTube has expanded its Artist on the Rise program to spotlight a new musician every month. The program will start by promoting singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez. (Jessica Klein – TubeFilter)
Live Nation Launches Women Nation Fund To Promote Female-Led Music CompaniesLive Nation Entertainment has established the Women Nation Fund, an early-stage investment fund focused on female-led live music businesses. Live Nation is setting up the fund and will provide access to the company’s resources and capital for underrepresented female entrepreneurs in the concert promotions, events and festival spaces. (Jessica Nicholson – Music Row)
TIDAL Denies Streaming Fraud, But Not Late PaymentsJust days after it was reported that Beyoncé and Kanye West's TIDAL streaming stats had been manipulated with hundreds of millions of false plays, the music streamer denied the claim and launched an investigation into the data breach. TIDAL did not, however, address multiple reports that it was months behind in payments to record labels and rights holders. (HypeBot)
Troy Carter on Rumors of a Spotify Exit and The Company's Controversial 'hateful conduct' Policy"I don't think it's a secret that everybody didn't agree," Carter told The Times before hosting a private company dinner at his home Thursday. "Spotify is one of those companies where we debate about everything just because it's such a diverse company," he continued. "Everybody has different point of views. Everybody has different backgrounds." While Carter admits the policy is "still a work in progress," he dismissed the "rumor mill" and growing whispers about an impending exit. (Gerrick D. Kennedy – LA Times)
Deep Focus Founder Schafer Moves Into Wearable Tech As CMO of MuzikIan Schafer, founder of Deep Focus, is the new CMO and president at Muzik.The company, which describes itself as a "connected hardware, software and content platform" seeks to offer products with feet in both high-tech and high-fashion, such as stylish headphones with the same capabilities as a smartphone. The company believes those types of products could help people be more engaged in the world instead of constantly looking at their phones. (Megan Graham – AdAge)
Song Of the Summer Showdown: Drake, Ariana Grande, Cardi B and More Battle For the 2018 TitleThe annual Song of the Summer chart tracks the 20 biggest hits on the Billboard Hot 100 -- based on airplay, streams and digital sales -- in a race that spans Memorial Day to Labor Day. Despite Drake’s “Nice for What” losing its No. 1 spot to Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” on the May 19 chart, “Nice” remains a contender among other standouts -- and some dark horses. (Trevor Anderson , Lyndsey Havens – Billboard)
Music Payments Startup Exactuals Debuts R.AI, a ‘Palantir for Music Royalties’Exactuals, a software service offering payments management for the music industry, is debuting R.AI, a new tool that it’s dubbed the “Palantir for music.” It’s a service that can track songwriting information and rights across different platforms to ensure attribution for music distributors. (Jonathan Shieber – TechCrunch)
BYTES
Over the course of two seasons, Spotify’s award-winning Dissect podcast broke down Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly with the hopes to develop a deeper understanding of the artists and what their music conveys about the human experience. Accordingly, Frank Ocean’s Blonde is the new subject for Dissect’s third season. Season three of Dissect will see the host, Cole Cuchna, spending hundreds of hours breaking the lyrical and musical detail of Ocean with a six-episode mini-series on Channel Orange, followed by eleven episodes on Blonde. With an analytical, All Songs Considered NPR-style, and a deep love and appreciation for his music, Cuchna surpasses all previous delves into Ocean’s life work.
After a chance encounter with an ATM that never stops spitting out cash, Anderson .Paak takes on the lifestyle of the super rich and famous in his latest video for "Bubblin." Paak’s newest single is a high-energy banger that explores aspects of the come-up, and the Calmatic-directed video is just as animated. – Billboard
Vota automatically records your credit card purchases and the places you visit so you can share them with friends or family, or view them privately for your own reference. As a byproduct of this data collection, you may spot credit card fraud or other errant charges, too, or just get a handle on your spending.
The royal wedding may have come and gone over the past weekend, but its impact will be felt for months and years to come. Or, in the case of its influence on some Spotify playlists, in just the two days following Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s May 19 nuptials.
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!