Influencer marketing has become an integral part of the promotional mix these days. However, I’ve noticed that some of the influencers are losing the plot. Having striking eye lashes or the most ripped shoulders on Earth doesn’t make you a health and wellness guru. I’m being harsh, but I’m also saying that it feels like a reckoning is coming.I was at the FoundersMade Innovation Summit in NYC this week and heard a panel on “Influencers and Brands.” The panelists suggested that to get a story written, the starting point is less important than the staying power. Which is to say, it doesn’t matter how you get the story out there, as long as it sticks.I understand that marketing is a game of sorts, but this made me think hard about the influencer’s M.O.What I like about influencer agencies is they can guarantee media impressions. Through a vast network of creators, they can ensure that a brand or platform is given the exact number of impressions it needs. That’s different than music partnerships, which are less reliable in terms of direct stats but more impactful, authentic, culturally relevant, and trustworthy than the typical influencer campaigns. If it shifts culture, I'm willing to bet that you surpass your goals for the project. Sure, it’s a bit more of a gamble than buying on social media or influencers, but as they say, with greater risk comes greater reward.In a perfect world, both influencer marketing and music partnerships would be part of a brand’s marketing campaign. We’re living in the creator economy and that’s a driving force in culture.I believe trusted human based marketing (H2H) is a big part of the next evolution of the Internet. There’s a fine line between real value and B.S. – and the consumer can smell the B.S. – so every partnership must be wrapped in authenticity in order to win. That’s why so many influencer campaigns don’t hit the mark for me, and it’s also why I’m more bullish on real creators than ever.
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Nesquik Partners with Brand Fan and Megastar DJ Khaled, Kicks Off Extended Collaboration with National AdThe #1 flavored milk brand is returning to television, featuring GRAMMY Award-winning, global megastar DJ Khaled. The ad spot drops today, kicking off an exciting year of collaboration between the brand and musical icon. Not only is DJ Khaled a proud Nesquik drinker, but his expansive audience also overlaps with the Nesquik consumer – from sneakerheads to music lovers to sports fanatics – making him the ideal brand partner (PR Newswire).
Chappell Roan Is The Biggest Story Out Of Gov Ball—And Possibly Of The Whole SummerRoan emerged, to much fanfare, out of a giant apple bong dressed in drag as “the biggest queen of all,” the Statue of Liberty. By her 4:45 PM slot, the anticipation was already palpable, and the energy from the crowd was unlike any other show of the entire three-day event (AV Club).
Sabrina Carpenter Announces ‘Espresso’ Ice Cream — Just in Time for SummerStill hot off the success of her hit single, “Espresso,” Sabrina Carpenter revealed on her Instagram Stories on June 8 that she has a collaboration with Van Leeuwen in the works — an espresso-flavored ice cream hitting Van Leeuwen shops for a limited time starting June 28 (Digital Music News).
25,000 People RSVP'd For Charli XCX's Boiler Room DJ Set. 400 People Got In. Here's What It Was Like InsideRumor had it 25,000 people RSVPed. Around 400 got in. Some people, like Jenna, 21, had been waiting since 5:30 pm in the rain. It was 8:30 now and the line sprawled blocks. Jenna shivered: “My toes are froze, but my spirit is lit (GQ).
The Biggest Musical Acts Face Muted Concert DemandDespite Live Nation reporting record revenues and ticket sales this year, some tours that you would expect to be hits have turned out to be flops… leading some tours to cancel before they even begin. With so much competition for fans’ attention, some big acts may choose to play in venues much smaller than they typically would to ensure that they can have the optics of a sold-out tour (The Future Party).
Twitch DJs Will Now Have To Pay Music Labels To Play Songs In LivestreamsTwitch has come up with a solution for the ongoing copyright issues that DJs encounter on the platform. The company announced Thursday a new program that enables DJs to stream millions of tracks in a new DJ Category, giving them more clarity on which songs are safe to use in their streams (Tech Crunch).
Discord Adds Live-Radio Features Via Partnership With TuneInDiscord’s latest move into audio is a partnership with radio platform TuneIn. It will see the latter bring a “curated selection of music, news, sport and podcasts” to Discord via one of the latter’s ‘activity’ add-ons (Musically).
The State Of The Attention Economy: Why Don’t Fan-First Platforms Work?The music industry is increasingly looking to fan-first solutions to drive its next era of growth (and solve artists’ financial woes), with all eyes towards the Taylor Swift model of fan frenzy (Midias).
The Great Concert Ticket Bust"Concert promotion is a betting business. You don't always win. And sometimes, you can be humbled," said Jarred Arfa, the head of global music at Independent Artist Group, whose client roster includes Billy Joel, 50 Cent, and Metallica (Business Insider)
Spotify Boss Responds To ‘Content’ Controversy: ‘that’s On Me’If there’s one thing guaranteed to boil the blood of musicians, journalists, visual artists or, well, pretty much any creative person, it’s having their work described as “content”. If you need proof, look at the responses to one of Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s recent tweets: the unrest was such that he has already posted a follow-up clarifying his remarks (Musically).
Streaming's New EraThere was no concern about fandom or segmentation or squeezing out every dollar. All that mattered was getting as many people in the system as possible. And that worked pretty damn well. We’re up to over 2B global users & 740M paying subscribers. But, times have changed (Where Music’s Going).
'Detroit, We Love You': Eminem Caps Memorable Night At Michigan Central StationWhat a housewarming party at Michigan Central Station. The historic Detroit train depot's six-year makeover is complete, and Ford Motor Co. marked the occasion with an all-Detroit concert, produced by Eminem, that drew thousands to the Corktown landmark (Detroit Free Press).
Closet Constructor: Think Merch Is Dead? Okay, Boomer.Don’t pack away your band tees just yet. Wear your heart on your sleeve. Be excellent to each other. Shop this week’s closet constructor below, and enjoy your weekend (Inside Hook).
Billie Eilish Delivered A Superfan MasterclassRecognising the diversity of superfan personas was a primary contributor to the effectiveness of the release. It is no longer practical to look at superfans as a monolith. Instead, they must be viewed through the lens of each persona (Midias Research).
Musician Don Toliver Is Launching His Own Game Within FortniteEpic Games has been working hard to make Fortnite not just a game, but a platform for other developers and brands to create and launch games too. We’ve written about its ‘Creator Economy 2.0’ before and suggested it could be an opportunity for musicians. The latest example of one giving that a spin is American artist Don Toliver (Musically).
52 Musicians, 24 Judges: Inside New York’s Subway Performance AuditionsThe musicians, Adrian Jusdanis and Alan Zavodsky, who make up the band New Thousand, were performing at Grand Central Madison on a recent morning as part of an audition for theMetropolitan Transportation Authority’s Music Under New York program, which brings talented musicians across genres to dozens of locations within the city’s subway system (NY Times).
Pharrell Williams Debuts Trailer for His Lego Animated Biopic ‘Piece by Piece’ — and Teases Two New TracksThe trailer for Focus Features’ upcoming movie “Piece by Piece” begins with a Lego-fied Pharrell Williams sitting down for an interview about his life (Variety).
This interview delves into the mind of one of the music industry's most innovative executives to discuss the ever changing landscape of digital distribution. Larry opens up about his childhood, early start into the industry, working his way up the ladder, pioneering Apple Music, and launching Gamma in the present day (Joe Budden TV).
This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk is giving the ladies their flowers. We’re releasing nine Tiny Desk concerts from Black women artists, from veterans who’ve paved the way for what we hear today in Black music, to those who are carving out their own paths (NPR).
Taylor's most searched songs, lyrics, vault tracks, music videos, and more— organized by era (according to Google Trends).
Bad Boys: Ride or Die continues the franchise tradition of including a soundtrack filled with memorable songs. The Bad Boys movies have always had a close relationship with music thanks to the frequent use of Inner Circle's song "Bad Boys,” (Screen Rant).
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!