This week marks not only America’s birthday, but the anniversary of my 45th trip around the sun. I was greeted by a call from one of my oldest, closest friends yesterday, who was whispering the opening lines of “Living on a Prayer.” I guess I am halfway there.Beyond the stigmas, joint aches, and sadness of losing more people as we age, I am enjoying getting older, mostly because I’m more focused on making each day a little better than the day before. I continue to unlock new levels of gratitude and appreciation for life.As it’s my 45th birthday and I’ve recently rediscovered hardcore record collecting, if you want to send me a gift, send a 45!Jesse KirshbaumNue Agency3250 NE 1st Ave, Ste. 305Miami, FL, 33137Today I’m looking back in order to look forward. Here are 45 career lessons I pulled from my personal archives:
Music makes everything better. It’s the universal language, the great connector, and adding the right song to an experience is sure to add value, even if it’s just in the background.
Compounding is key to success (and not only in investments!) Knowledge is best accompanied by wisdom; relationships are made better by experience; and so on.
Develop a platform and a POV. Today, your point of view is your number one asset for cultural relevance, and having a platform is crucial for getting your voice heard. Authenticity has the highest frequency over love, empathy, and happiness. Find your voice and beat it like a drum.
Relationships matter. Decks are a necessary evil, but not what close deals. “Drinks over decks” every day (and night!) of the week.
Content is king and distribution is queen. But context is who matters most. Context is relevancy, and without it no one cares.
Reinvent yourself. Time erodes every advantage. I like Black Thought’s philosophy of reinventing yourself every 7 years, the same way your body does on a cellular level. Evolve or die.
The best coaches and CEOs aren’t the ones who succeed only on the field or in the boardroom. The true greats are measured by their coaching tree – what the people who worked for them and who they mentored go on to do.
It’s not about who you know, but who knows you. Your personal brand is your reputation and your reputation is the foundation of your career in perpetuity.
Forget the losses. Nobody cares about them. Like a VC or an A&R, you can miss 7 out of 10 swings as long as one is a home run.
Be culturally curious. Think beyond your industry or specific service and examine who is offering experiences similar to your customer’s expectation.
If you’re going to be a bear, be a grizzly. This one came from Wale, who got it from his football coach, and we all still live by it.
It takes a village to break a band or to launch a successful campaign.
Being surrounded by diversity of thought is extremely important in all facets of business and life.
How to level up in life: help other people. Eventually, someone will help you back 1000x.
The serendipity muscle Is extremely important. Keep it primed because the universe will come knocking. Parties and conferences are portals to a new world. Every event you step into could change your life. Live everyday like it’s a job interview. Being in the right room, with the right people, is priceless.
Set and setting make a big difference. Vibe check is important for every meeting, dinner, or hang.
Process > Results. If you want better results, forget about setting goals and focus on your systems instead. If you generally care about your goal, you’ll focus on the system.
Self interest and incentives are the way to achieve great change. Sell what it can do for them. That’s the best way to get everyone to agree and come together. If you show me the incentives, I’ll show you the outcome.
Critical thinking is key: I no longer want to stay on top of things. I want to get to the bottom of them!
The most important form of intelligence is anticipatory intelligence.
Your time is better spent championing good ideas than tearing down bad ones. The best thing that can happen to a bad idea is that it is forgotten. The best thing that can happen to a good idea is that it is shared. Feed the good ideas and let bad ideas die of starvation.
Data + taste is the best algorithm for successful curation. If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.
Capitalize on trends and tech by first applying relevance to your world and community.
Information without emotion will not be retained. When it comes to storytelling, there is no story without agony and villains.
The best partnerships create a flywheel. They help you grow faster over time with the same amount of effort.
The power of the multi-hyphenate: by combining your skills, you reduce a level of competition and make it easier to stand out. Owning your niche increases your value and solidifies your position.
You don’t burn out if you incorporate a growth mindset. Stop one rep short so you can come back the next day without burnout. You’ll grow more long term.
When someone is very creative, even if their work doesn’t seem complete or clear yet, follow them, they are opening a new way.
Think small and execute, but dream big and lofty.
How we phrase the questions we ask ourselves determines the answers that eventually become our life.
The single most important decision you make is where you live. It drives your business opportunities, relationships, food, water supply, and politics. Big up, Miami!
Show, don’t tell. If you announce that something is elegant or classy, it probably isn’t. There’s a humility to hospitality and sophistication that evaporates when we name it.
Timing and momentum are more important than talent.
Life rewards action, not intelligence. Many brilliant people talk themselves out of getting started, and being smart doesn't help very much without the courage to act.
The test of a first-rate intellect is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in your head at the same time while retaining the ability to function.
Don't think in absolutes, think in probabilities. And Invert. Always invert. Many hard problems are best solved when they are addressed backward.
Don’t chase the money, chase the dream and let the money chase you. If you spend your time chasing butterflies, they'll fly away. But if you spend your time making a beautiful garden, the butterflies will come. Don't chase, attract.
The secret to waking up is to wake up way earlier than you have to. When you have 1-2 hours to just sit calmly without being rushed, you’ll feel ten times better. Only then can you work on being productive in the morning too, if you please.
With chaos come ladders. A changing landscape offers lots of opportunity!
You're more likely to unlock a big leap in performance by trying differently than by trying harder. You might be able to work 10% harder, but a different approach might work 10x better. Remain focused on the core problem, but explore a new line of attack. Persistence is not just about effort, but also strategy. Don't merely try harder, try differently.
Be in the trenches with people you love and admire. Create an orbit of people you want to be around. Give good return to people on their time.
The difference between sounding smart and being smart is admitting what you don’t know.
Be excited for people when they succeed. When a friend or family member reaches an important milestone, celebrate it. Buy them a drink. Send them a card. Tell them you're proud to know them. Being thrilled on someone's behalf is a lovely way to be. Winning is better when it’s shared.
Leave this place better than you found it. That is the meaning of life in things big and small (but mostly small).
Don’t predict, react. Better to build Noah’s Ark than say there’s a flood coming.
Enjoy the 4th and the holiday!
BYTES
TikTok Wants To Acquire Music RightsTikTok is wading further into music by creating a new team focused solely on buying up music rights. If it’s successful in acquiring some catalogs, expect those artists to start getting a boost in discovery from the platform’s algorithm… literally engineering viral hits (Future Party).
Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo Producer Daniel Nigro On The Secret To ‘Overnight’ SuccessThe success of “Good Luck Babe!” has tipped the scales of Roan’s slow but steady ascent into main pop girl stardom alongside performances at Coachella and NPR’s Tiny Desk. Her album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, peaked at No. 8 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart. It’s her moment — and her success has helped cement Nigro’s status as a producer with a golden touch (Fast Company)
The Top 100 Festivals of 2024, As Voted By DJ Mag ReadersTop 100 Festivals launched back in 2019, when the poll was voted for by a number of top DJs, before moving a public vote for the first time in 2022. Last year, in 2023, Tomorrowland topped the poll, boasting a brand new stage and the return of its One World Radio station. Below you can find this year’s Top 100 Festivals list (DJ Mag).
Kygo’s Palm Tree Crew To Open A Music-Based Experiential Hotel And Restaurant ConceptPalm Tree Crew, the company best known for its live music experiences, is venturing into hospitality with The Palm Tree Club, opening this December. As the brand’s first foray in the industry, the Palm Tree Club will make a mark with its “music-based” experiential approach, bringing music lovers, Miami locals and global travelers together for connection, creativity and inspiration (Forbes).
Spotify and Acne Studios Announce New PartnershipSwedish fashion brand Acne Studios is joining forces with music giant Spotify to create exciting new ways for artists and fans to connect. This partnership will expand Acne Studios “Acne People” talent program, which has previously featured collaborations with stars like Rosalía, Caroline Polachek and K-Pop sensation ILLIT (Hypebeast).
MIT Forms An Advisory Committee Of More Than 50 Music Industry Experts To Consult On Live Entertainment & Climate ChangeThe Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Environmental Solutions Initiative (MIT ESI), with backing from across the music industry, announced the launch of an advisory committee as it prepares for the next phase of its Assessment Report of Live Music and Climate Change in the US and the UK (Celebrity Access).
Music Ally Quarterly Report: International Focus 2024Last year DSPs sought aggressive expansion into new territories, explored platform differentiation, and crept towards new forms of engagement with fans. They were rewarded with growing revenues and subscriber numbers – so is the full story simply a happy one of wealth and success, or are there still challenges ahead? (Musically)
KKR Buys Live-Music Firm Superstruct Entertainment For €1.3BNKKR has acquired Superstruct Entertainment, which runs more than 80 festivals in Europe and Australia. Boardmasters, Sónar and Wacken Open Air are among its events. Although terms of the deal were not announced, the Financial Times reported that the price was €1.3bn ($1.39bn at current exchange rates) (Musically).
Philadelphia Cream Cheese Spreads Original Song Across Streaming, TikTokPhiladelphia is celebrating the Fourth of July with an original country song that plays up patriotism and Americans’ propensity for putting cream cheese — as the lyrics say — on bagels; in pasta, coffee, Crock Pots and cheesecakes; with veggies; and for breakfast or dinner. The campaign comes as consumers, put off by rising prices at the grocery store, are cooking more at home (Marketing Dive).
The New Model For Building Crazy FandomRob Abelow is diving into one of the best recent examples of fan-building in music & what we can learn from it. Take a look (Where Music’s Going).
Bulgogi Tacos, Fire Pits and Tequila Bars: Concertgoers Shell Out for VIP TreatmentWhile tickets to see Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen and Olivia Rodrigo continue to trade for well over face value on the secondary market, a spate of cancellations from big-name artists including Jennifer Lopez, Justin Timberlake, Bad Bunny and the Black Keys indicates some saturation in the market, both in show volume and ticket pricing (Wall Street Journal).
Anderson .Paak Hits the Road for Lexus and Amazon MusicFor World Music Day 2024, Lexus and Amazon Music teamed with Anderson .Paak to create “Destination .Paak – The Lexus GX Remix.” Promoting the GX Luxury SUV, the launch intends to inspire the outdoor adventures such a vehicle might enable. The campaign features outdoor shows, behind-the-scenes footage, and an all-new music video, among other assets (AdWeek).
What Tech Startups And K-pop Have In CommonIf Hybe can push forward, K-pop will remain a growing business into the foreseeable future: “In 2023, we estimate roughly $5B direct revenue for K-pop companies,” Bernstein analyst Bokyung Suh said via email, adding that he expects the market to “overall double up in 2030,” (Fortune).
Niles Luther, the Brooklyn Museum’s composer in residence, learned early in his training as a classical cellist that technique is meant to serve a story. Ideally, it serves many stories, including those of the music, its cultural context, the ensemble bringing it to life, and the composer whose voice rings through it (Brooklyn Museum).
Part of Sprite’s Limelight series, which invites artists to give unique takes on a single “core hook” created by Take A Daytrip (with co-credit here from Oh Gosh Leotus), the song is meant to highlight a moment from each artist’s life in which they’ve “prevailed over a moment of heat,” (Uproxx).
Unsurprisingly, Berlin’s musos have been out in front when it comes to AI. There’s Holly Herndon with her ground-breaking Holly+ vocal model, Hildur Guonadottir with her AI-inflected soundtrack to Battlefield 2024, Endel’s adaptive music engine, and DADABOTS’ infinite death metal generator. Something is clearly happening here (MusicTech).
Renowned producer and 2X GRAMMY-nominated artist Steve Aoki has unveiled his 9th studio album, ‘Paragon.’ The story of ‘Paragon’ builds off of the expansive Hiroquest universe Aoki has established through his music, trading cards, and a newly released graphic novel. The album showcases the contemporary global dance sounds Aoki encounters during his 200+ concerts each year (Shorefire).
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!