Flavor Flav famously screamed out, “Don’t believe the hype!” Despite being recently and repeatedly referred to as the Jewish, marketing version of Flava Flav by some of your favorite stars and editors, I’d have to disagree with him here.The job of the artist is not just to create the work, but to position it for the world to see. People need to be able to experience your output. You are a vessel for your art. After you create it, you need to ship it.The same goes for brands. It’s not just a brand’s job to make products, but to market them, too.In a changing landscape where people are dealing with a down economy, tariffs, inflation, and vast uncertainty, we need new music to uplift and help us cope. In many cases, the same goes for new products.Artists need to think like brands and brand marketers need to think like artists. But how?Well, the core of the endeavor is to find your consumers, find your tribe, and give your people what they want. They will remember you this way and your market will grow. The only way to build your brand is to put your work out.Anonymity feels like a hip trend right now, but as an artist or brand, you need to get your work in front of folks, and it’s tough to do that behind an iron curtain of coyness and cool.There are seasoned tricks of the trade when it comes to making deep connections with your consumers at scale, and I’m not saying that content marketing is easy, either on the brand or the artist side. But there are experts sharing gratuitously on the daily who you can tap in with, and there are agents you can bring in to help you. The methodologies for breaking artists and brands are similar. Hype men and women can help set the stage and accentuate your points.They say it’s the author’s job to sell the first 10,000 books, and it’s the book’s job to sell the rest. Artists need to think the same way. Getting from 0 to 1 is tough in a market saturated with synthetic content. But authenticity is the frequency that will cut through the noise.As we head into Memorial Day weekend with the whole summer in front of us, I ask: What do you want to create? Who do you want to receive it? You must be prepared to ship, because it’s go time!
BEATS
Yamaha Launches $50m Fund to Power Music and Media StartupsJapan-headquartered music instrument and audio equipment maker Yamaha has announced a $50 million corporate venture capital fund to invest in music and media startups (Music Business Worldwide).
Kid Cudi Kicks Off Snapchat’s New Music Performance SeriesSnap has launched Under The Ghost, a new music performance series that will air within its Snapchat app.
25 Ways to Get in on Dance Music’s RenaissanceDance music is experiencing another boom period, and this time the music is traveling faster and farther than ever, thanks to new streaming platforms and more fans getting access to making (and vibing to) an even broader slate of sounds. Here’s how to get involved (New York Times).
G Herbo: No Spotify, just 13M direct to fan streams via MySeatIndie rapper G Herbo is bypassing streaming-first releases to bring his music directly to fans with impressive results. G Herbo released his two most recent mixtapes, Welcome to Fazoland 2 and Greatest Rapper Alive, exclusively through his superfan “G Herbo” app powered by MySeat Media (Hypebot).
SoundCloud ‘Fixes’ AI Policy Following Backlash; CEO Eliah Seton Says ‘AI Should Support Artists, Not Replace Them’The company’s choice of language drew fierce criticism from artists and prominent AI experts alike, such as Ed Newton-Rex, founder of the non-profit Fairly Trained. You can see why folks who are protective of music rights are getting increasingly concerned about this subject (Music Business Worldwide).
Megan Thee Stallion Drops Hot Girl Swim Line With WalmartMegan Thee Stallion is expanding her cultural footprint beyond music as the Grammy-winning rapper unveils her highly anticipated Hot Girl Summer swimwear line in collaboration with retail giant Walmart (Rolling Out).
The Culture Builder: How Brandon Pankey Went From Producing The Roots Picnic To Building A New Era Of Artist-Led StorytellingWith APEX, the longtime Live Nation Urban executive is creating space for artists to share their stories on their own terms—while staying rooted in community and culture (Essence).
J Dilla Honored With Watch That Tracks Both Regular and Dilla TimeShinola honored the late J Dilla with his own watch. The Detroit company unveiled two versions of its Dilla-inspired timepieces, created in partnership with Dilla’s estate (Complex).
The Importance Of Rejection – And Being Told ‘that’s Impossible’: 5 Things We Learned From Elliot Grainge’s Commencement SpeechAtlantic Music Group CEO Elliot Grainge offered rare insights during a refreshingly candid commencement speech at Boston’s Northeastern University on Sunday (May 11), giving graduates a glimpse into the mindset of one of music’s most successful young executives (Music Business Worldwide).
A Letter to 2025 Music Business Majors: DIY Isn’t Just for Artists—It’s for Music Industry Careers TooGraduation season brings a kind of energy that’s hard to replicate—equal parts pride, nostalgia, and anticipation for what’s next (Clayton Durant).
Urban Outfitters Deepens Gen Z Experiential Strategy For Back To School“UO Haul” commenced May 19 with a Manhattan scavenger hunt that led participants to a fleet of glass-walled trucks themed around dorm room aesthetics. Select winners later attended an event with live music from Katseye and a preview of the brand’s back-to-school assortment (Retail Dive).
How Rob49 Became Rap's Most Viral HitmakerThe mastermind behind the inescapable “WTHelly” on the art of the viral rap song, the travails of the New Orleans Pelicans, getting Justin Bieber on a remix, and his new album Let Me Fly (GQ).
BYTES
Concert tickets are more expensive than ever, and according to Live Nation, 2023 was the biggest year ever for concert turnout and ticket sales. So why are indie artists turning to OnlyFans to pay the bills? (NPR)
Riot Games’ recent Linkin Park Anthem release broke streaming records in the first five hours. In an interview with Downtown Music, Maria Egan, the Global Head of Music at Riot Games, reframes the idea of how music impacts audiences: “Music primarily serves as a community-building tool. It’s a memory machine. Where there’s music, there’s memories,” (Digital Music News).
The fast-food chain recently named 100 artists that have been chosen for the 2025 Feed the Beat Class from around the world, including the Beaches from Canada, Caleb Calloway from Puerto Rico, and Skeggs from Australia (Parade).
To celebrate the ‘remixed’ classic, Lunchables reunites hip hop legends, Lil Jon and Twista, to drop a new “Peanut Butter Jelly Time” song, more than 20 years after the viral hit’s original debut
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!