Happy LimeWire launch week! But don’t get it twisted: this is not the LimeWire from the turn of the century.Since the early aughts, LimeWire has evolved with new ownership, a new team, and a new brand vision built as a digital collectible marketplace (NFTs). The fresh faces of the platform are brothers Julian & Paul Zehetmayr, two incredibly smart guys with exciting ideas. Together, they realized that LimeWire’s brand equity – built on the promise of peer-to-peer sharing back in 2000 – remains strong enough to make a positive impact on the music business of today by focusing on the missing monetary component. They want to “right this wrong” by helping to create the next generation of great music (and broader entertainment) companies.LimeWire is uniquely positioned in this burgeoning marketplace. It is not directed at “crypto maxis,” instead opening up Web3 music for the masses through a focus on digital collectibles for mainstream fans and superfans of artists on the platform. Using the best of what Web3 has to offer – creator-direct-to-community sales; ownership of digital goods; utility; provenance and the ability for creators to collect royalties on secondary market sales (via built in smart contracts) – and a strong Web 2 sensibility in terms of UX/UI, and user friendliness, LimeWire plans to provide what other companies have not. It more closely resembles the iTunes store than OpenSea and has a blockchain partnership with Alogrand (which is currently doubling down on music), but also takes virtually every currency including credit cards and have also built cross-chain bridges, so if you desire you can still transfer to ETH or Polygon.Though not completely a strictly DeFi/Web 3 play, I think we can alll get behind the idea of making NFTs more accessible to more and more people, opening up the funnel.LimeWire is not an NFT platform, per se. It is simply a place to collect digital goods. One of the great Web3 debates is about whether art itself is the “utility,” or whether more is required for millions of fans to make their value judgments and jump in. LimeWire hopes to turn the experiential goodies – the Hypebeast-worthy exclusives, the behind-the-scenes content, the early access, the one of a kind items/experiences and limited edition collectibles, etc – into stronger emotional connections and heightened engagement.Best practices are heading in this direction. Over time, surrounding music NFTs with these types of experiences and this type of utility will become required to make an impact. That’s the philosophy of LimeWire 3.0Welcome to the music NFT space, LimeWire. We are honored to be trusted advisors and to see your vision come to life!In other news, I’ll be speaking at the National Independent Venues Association’s inaugural conference on Monday in Cleveland. This is an important meeting of independent minds at a crossroads moment for live performance.Then, on July 20th, I’ll be doing an Ocean Side Chat at the first ever Hamptons Tech Week.And in the vein of oversharing, today is my birthday! A beautiful day to reflect and rejoice. Apologies in advance for any delayed replies. I appreciate this community so much.
BEATS
Anuel AA and UFC Expand ‘Groundbreaking Marketing Partnership’ to Cover Licensing, Merch, and Live PerformancesAnuel AA has officially expanded his “groundbreaking marketing partnership” with Endeavor’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which is now poised to use the Carolina, Puerto Rico-born artist’s music “during key moments of UFC live events.” (Digital Music News)
ABCs of NFTsIntroducing the ABCs of NFTs Playbook. In true Web3 fashion, it took a community to build. We compiled data from Reddit’s passionate crypto community, surveying thousands of Redditors for their raw perspective.(Reddit)
French Streaming Service Deezer’s Stock Plunges in Public Debut on Paris ExchangeThe French audio streaming service Deezer made its debut on the Paris Euronext market Tuesday and immediately plunged 35% from its €8.5 opening, rising slightly to level off at around €6.2 by late in the afternoon. (Variety)
This Week in Music NFTs - July 4Minting behaviors are changing. High stigmas around “dropping” Music NFTs are shifting as more artists are minting with less pressure. (Coopahtroopa)
How Pusha T Positioned Himself for Longevity“I am the Martin Scorsese of street raps.” Even just creatively, Scorsese gives you The Departed, Goodfellas, and a host of other joints. You never say, ‘Hey, I want him to make a love story.’ That’s how I want you to look at me rap-wise.” (Trapital)
Inside the Fight to Fix Economic Inequality in DJ CultureThe economic realities of the club scene are causing some to rethink those assumptions—and now, a growing number of people are attempting to do something about it. (Pitchfork)
How Apple Music’s Spatial Audio Is Changing the Way People Listen to (and Make) MusicIt’s only been one year since Spatial Audio introduced by Apple Music, but early believers in the technology are already converted diehards. They’re people who have seen the world in technicolor and refuse to go back to the boring palette of our day to day lives. (Complex)
The Ledger: There’s Still Room for Consolidation in the Festival MarketFour large promoters have a third of Billboard's top 50 music festivals. That leaves many potential acquisition targets. (Billboard)
Why It’s Crucial To Amplify Women’s Voices In MusicHere Sinéad explains why the process of collecting stories from women, what she learnt from the process, and why sharing them with the world is so important. (Sinéad Gleeson)
RadioShack is “Horny On Main”After decades of financial decline, the retailer is back with a vengeance. As it gets harder and harder to stand out online, being “horny on main” seems to be a surefire way to hold people’s attention and maybe a strategy other businesses will adopt. (Future Party)
BYTES
Michael Lynton has worn many hats, having served as CEO of Sony Entertainment and Sony Pictures as well as CEO of AOL Europe. Now, as the Chairman of both Snap, Inc. and Warner Music Group, he's in a unique position to understand how the consumer mindset is evolving.
This weekend Drake welcomed the Backstreet Boys to Toronto, joining the iconic ’90s boyband on stage for their recent DNA World Tour stop. Proving he’s the 6 God, the artist took to the Budweiser Stage in Toronto to introduce the group to a sold-out crowd.
Yuka deciphers product labels and analyzes the health impact of food products and cosmetics so you really know what you’re buying.
Jack Antonoff curates a ’70s fever dream featuring everyone from Diana Ross and Tame Impala to Brockhampton and Phoebe Bridgers. What’s not to love? (The Daily Beast)
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!