“Because the Internet,” there are more cons than ever.I’m not referring to the many tech companies going public before their balance books are profitable (we’re looking at you, Netflix). I’m talking about the good cons: VidCon, ComplexCon, and RapCon. What’s the red thread? They’re all helping the Internet come to life through real-world experiences.The 10th anniversary of VidCon was in Anaheim over the weekend and boasted a massive 75,000 attendees. Perhaps the hottest topic this year was TikTok, which reportedly spent nearly $1 billion on advertising last year and has aggressively courted YouTube’s biggest creators. According to The Wall Street Journal, TikTok paid one influencer a million dollars for a single 15-second video. The Atlantic agrees that Tik Tok was the star of the convention this year."VidCon is the first time TikTok has asserted its dominance in the wider creator culture. It is also the first time top U.S. influencers on the platform have all come together in one space. The next Con is up in Chicago, where ComplexCon, a catalyst for creative collaboration between the culture’s most influential people and brands, will be held this weekend. The groundbreaking festival and exhibitions bring together pop culture, music, art, food, sports, innovation, activism, and education. Performers and speakers range from Schoolboy Q and Juice WRLD to Allen Iverson and Killer Mike. I’m especially enticed by Complex Community Week, a calendar of events leading up to the festival -- including a sneaker drive, a soup kitchen, leadership panels, and anti-gun violence rallies -- that help raise awareness and support in Chicago communities.As it happens, though, the event I’m most excited about is taking place in my backyard: the first-ever RapCon. This is a VIP think tank for first movers in hip-hop to discuss the state of rap and cross-industry collaboration.The organizers did a great job of curating a best-in-class roster of speakers across various sectors, industries, and disciplines. There will be unscripted fireside chats and engaging keynotes from fearless marketers and influencers, as well as highly curated, limited access events that allow for the exchange of ideas among key movers in the music business and beyond. It features panelists from SoundCloud, Genius, VICE, Audiomack, A3C Festival & Conference, Billboard, and TIDAL.Yours truly will also be gracing the stage (!!!) so come through July 25th at National Sawdust. RapCon is hosted by indie distributor, Symphonic Distribution.See you there. Or, you know, online ;)
BEATS
Jay-Z Joins Cannabis Company as Chief Brand Strategist Billionaire rapper Jay-Z is entering the fast-growing cannabis industry, taking a role with California company Caliva as a strategist.Privately-owned Caliva, formed in San Jose in 2015, said on Tuesday that Jay-Z had entered a long-term partnership in which he will focus on outreach and the creative direction of the company. (Guardian)
Billboard Partners With Bandsintown to Power Global Tour Date CatalogBillboard has announced a multifacted partnership with concert discovery site Bandsintown to power a global tour date catalog, strengthening fan engagement on both platforms while helping artists sell more tickets. (Billboard)
Lady Gaga Is Launching Her Makeup Brand On Amazon: Wednesday Wake-Up CallLady Gaga is launching a beauty line, which seems inevitable given all the celebs with their own brands, from Rihanna to Gwyneth Paltrow. The surprise is that Gaga’s line, called Haus Laboratories, will be sold exclusively on Amazon. (Ad Age)
EA's Longtime Music Chief on the Power and Legacy of Songs and Scores in Video GamesSince 1983, when he arrived in the media-sphere at MTV, Steve Schnur has helped orchestrate huge changes across the entertainment landscape. For parts of four decades, he's called the tune, fusing art and commerce with an unerring ear for the next addition to the soundtrack of our lives. (Muse)
Slingshot City Scenes: 10 New York City Artists To WatchNew York isn't the easiest home base for musicians. Rents for apartments and rehearsal space are ridiculously high (to put it mildly), the competition for a club booking is ruthless and day jobs are necessary. (NPR)
How Rappers Are Helping to Break the Stigma of Mental IllnessFor the longest time, white women were the face of mental health struggles even though they’re the demographic most likely to talk about their feelings and seek help. (High Snobiety)
What’s Scooter Braun Doing?Imagine for a second that the Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun drama played out in the music business last week was an orchestrated PR campaign. I don’t say that because I believe that it was one, you understand. (Rolling Stone)
Spotify Draws Fire For 'Tone Deaf' Ad Campaign: 'Dance As If No One Is Paying"Spotify is under fire from artist advocates and music fans over a new ad campaign that offers 4o day free trials of its Premium service. "WTF @Spotify!?! How did anyone in your company think this was a good idea?? #FAIL," tweeted ECR Music pr executive Amy Gardner. (Hypebot)
How To Turn A $147 Song Into a $79 Million TourThe following op/ed comes from Los Angeles-based Chris Dampier, Head of Publishing at TuneCore, where he oversees both publishing and sync for the company. (Music Business Worldwide)
Live Music Business Slumps in First Half of 2019Is the live music industry getting its ticketing strategy wrong – or are there simply not enough megastars touring right now?These are the big questions the concerts business will be asking itself today, as MBW reveals a significant slump in global touring revenues in the first half of 2019. (Music Business Worldwide)
Sean 'Diddy' Combs And 'Making The Band' Returning To MTV — With A Social-Heavy TwistOne of the original hits of the early 2000s-reality TV era is coming back to television with a social media twist.A berobed Sean "Diddy" Combs announced on Instagram that he's bringing "Making the Band" back to MTV — with the contestants for the group coming from open casting calls on social media.
Hollywood Docket: Music Industry Antitrust; Video Game Humvees; Paul Haggis DNAA roundup of recent developments in entertainment and media law, including a long-dormant case about copyright law's anti-hacking provisions. (Hollywood Reporter)
OVO Fest 2019: Drake, Ying Yang Twins, Lloyd, MoreDrake’s OVO Fest will make its return to Toronto, Ontario later this year. Two days of music will take place August 4-5 at the Budweiser Stage (previously known as the Molson Amphitheatre). August 4 will feature performances by B2K, Mario, Pretty Ricky, Lloyd, Ying Yang Twins, Chingy, and Bobby V, while Drake will headline the venue on August 5. (Pitchfork)
Revenue For Unsigned Artists Grew 35% Last YearA new study from MIDiA Research and indie distributor Amuse shows that independent artists are the fastest-growing segment of the global recorded music business, the beginning of what may be the biggest paradigm shift within the music business in decades. (Hypebot)
Kanye’s Second Coming: Inside The Billion-Dollar Yeezy EmpireYou know when Kanye West is coming. His matte-black Lamborghini SUV rumbles up his gated driveway on the outskirts of Los Angeles like an earthquake, and when he steps out, in a white T-shirt and dark sweats, the obsessiveness kicks in immediately. (Forbes)
BYTES
Since it dropped in April, Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" has been an inescapable hit. The song's massive blow-up is at least partially thanks to TikTok: the social media platform that launches viral stars 15 seconds at a time, and what writer Alyssa Bereznak called the "future of the music industry" in a recent article for The Ringer.
Ed Sheeran‘s newest music video is full of costume changes, movie references — oh, and Travis Scott.On Friday, the 28-year-old singer and Scott dropped their music video for “Antisocial,” one of the tracks on Sheeran’s new album, No.6 Collaborations Project.
UnitedMasters distributes your music, connects you with fans, and unites you with the world's biggest brands.
The official soundtrack to the upcoming reboot of The Lion King hit streaming services on Thursday (July 11), giving fans of the beloved Disney classic their first taste of the songs from the anticipated Jon Favreau-directed re-imagining, out in theaters on July 19.
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!