The world of content has changed.What didn’t work pre-covid might be a smash success in 2020.Live stream concerts, virtual world conferences, zoom salons, XR happy hours… it’s a new world and many of the changes will stick around post-pandemic.One of the breakouts of this era has been VERZUZ. Huge salute to Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, and the team powering this monster platform. It’s crazy to think that before the pandemic they were shopping this idea to the streaming channels and getting no serious interest!But Swizz and Timbo had the foresight. In late March when everyone was quarantined and confused about how things were taking shape, they pulled the lever. There were no sporting events or concerts, and Instagram Live was exploding in the culture. There’s a fantastic VERZUZ cover story in Billboard this week and a lot to learn from this amazing case study.I have to hand it to Swizz. I brought him in to do a keynote and DJ set at BrandWeek in November. He was featured on the cover of the magazine, which was the first photo shoot at his beautiful home in San Diego that would become the backdrop for so many of his pre- and post-VERZUZ interviews. At the conference, he dropped many gems about his vision for building brands.VERZUZ clearly works digitally but will also have unbelievable potential in the real world. I think the power of this brand is that it feels intimate but has the legs to go on the road and deliver an amazing live experience.It’s not the only game in town, of course. Kitty Cash’s IGTV series, Kitty’s World, is gaining major steam, too. We’re gearing up for a deep dive with her soon.The big challenge right now, in a creative commercial sense, is how to innovate around release strategies. Sitting on content isn’t going to work. The streaming platforms need to attract new subscribers with fresh material. But it’s tough to make high-grade content with production more or less halted.I say go, go, go. Hamilton dropped early on Disney+ rather than waiting for a theatrical release and scored a huge win. But Lin-Manuel Miranda holding off on "In The Heights” might have been a mistake. We’ll see. People are starving for fresh albums, movies, and shows. Who will keep the content pipelines from freezing over the winter?
P.S. Tune in to Beats & Bytes Live on my LinkedIn at 9pm EST tonight with Nick Cianfaglion, CEO of Artist Republik!
BEATS
Megan Thee Stallion on Being the New Face of RevlonIt only took a year for Megan Thee Stallion to go from buzzy rap artist to one of the most obsessed-over and sought-after women in hip-hop. She ruled over the months of May to August 2019 with "Hot Girl Summer." The phrase (and later, the song) became the theme of the season, which was subsequently co-opted into oblivion by brands and corporations in a desperate appeal to youth culture. (Allure)
Radio’s Roadmap To Gen Z Listenership Audio consumers in “Gen Z” — those between the ages of 13 and 24 — prefer listening on their smartphones, which should be no surprise because they have grown up with the devices, but AM/FM radio’s reach among Gen Z is high (55%), according to Share of Ear® information from Edison Research. (Edison)
Selena Gomez’s ‘Selena + Chef’ is the Quarantine Comedy You’ve Been Dying ForForty seconds into Selena Gomez’s quarantine cooking show, Selena + Chef (debuting on HBO Max today), she opens the door to her house, finds two perfect trendy burlap and canvas grocery bags of food, and as she picks them up to bring them inside, deadpans, “So this is what I’m burning today.”(Fast Company)
Kesha to perform exclusive intimate virtual concert on MelodyVRKesha has confirmed she will be delivering an exclusive 360° performance on virtual reality platform MelodyVR as part of its Live From LA series.Broadcasting on August 13 (3pm PT, 6pm ET and 11pm BST), the set will be made available for free via the MelodyVR app on smartphones and VR headsets, and will also be free to watch for the first week. (Music Week)
Twitter’s Potential Subscription Features Include Undo Send, Auto Response, Custom Emojis, No AdsFollowing CEO Jack Dorsey’s comments about adding subscription revenue to supplement the advertising income that’s always made up the bulk of its earnings, Twitter has sent out surveys to some users to gauge their interest in a range of possible paid add-ons. (Tube Filter)
Google Play Will Bite the Dust in December As Migration to YouTube Music ContinuesGoogle Play will be replaced by the Google-owned YouTube Music by December, the company announced today (Aug. 4), and users will have until then to transfer their music libraries, personal taste preferences and playlists to the latter streaming service. The news comes nearly three years since YouTube's global head of music, Lyor Cohen, first divulged plans to merge the two platforms in July 2017. (Billboard)
Tailor Your Music Marketing Campaigns For Different Types Of MediaTo boost the effectiveness of your marketing, you need to understand the four different types of media channels. Each requires a different approach and, in this article, we explain how to use the first two to get the message out about your music. (Hypebot)
4 Ways To Promote Music On Twitch (Besides The Obvious)Twitch is one of the fastest growing platforms for musicians. Long before the pandemic lockdowns began, musicians were broadcasting live shows and activities from their homes and studio spaces; but nowadays, it’s on a whole new level. (Hypebot)
Majority Of U.S. House Says Musicians Should Not Be Paid When Their Song Is On The RadioTwelve more members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed on to The Local Radio Freedom Act, which continues the practice of not paying performers when their song is played on broadcast radio. (Hypebot)
Here Are Vital, Easy & Impactful Ways Artists Can Be Involved in the 2020 Election: Guest CommentaryA changing of the guard is upon us. Or should be. Millennials and Gen Z make up 37% of our electorate, according to Pew Research Center. Gen Z is the most diverse voting bloc in the history of our country. The last two months of Black Lives Matter protests have made it clear that young Americans are ready to engage. If we are able to harness this energy from the streets and into election booths our political system will be transformed. (Billboard)
Amazon Music Launches New Global Brand To Promote Artist Catalogs[RE]DISCOVER, according to Amazon Music, “showcases carefully-curated artist playlists across various genres and takes listeners on a career-spanning journey of musical discovery, or re-discovery, through the featured artist’s entire body of work” (Music Business Worldwide)
Music Became Even More Valuable On Youtube In 2019In 2020, new social platforms like TikTok may be dominating headlines, but good old platforms like YouTube are still the trusted sources of views and revenue for most creators. We’ve analyzed the state of YouTube for 2019, as we did last year, and are sharing the data on its content, category performance, uploads, and more. (Pex)
Former Guns N’ Roses Manager Merck Mercuriadis Raises $260 Million for Hipgnosis Songs IPOMerck Mercuriadis, former manager of Elton John, Beyonce and Guns N’ Roses, has raised $260 million in investment capital for Hipgnosis Songs that will acquire hit songs and copyrights. The business will launch an IPO on the London stock exchange in the coming weeks, according to Music Business Worldwide. (Variety)
25 Years After Jerry Garcia’s Death, the Grateful Dead Is Bigger Than EverIt’s been 25 years since the Grateful Dead played their last show at Chicago’s Soldier Field on July 9, 1995. A month later, on Aug. 9, founding member and idolized frontman Jerry Garcia was dead of a heart attack. But the music never stopped, and in the decades since, Garcia’s legend has grown. (Variety)
The Big Payback: How Pharrell Williams Is Breaking the Chains of the Music Industry’s Troubled PastBack in 2015, songwriter, producer and artist Pharrell Williams had all the reasons in the world to be smiling. His infectious hit song “Happy” was the previous year’s top seller in the U.S., an international smash and soon to be a major Grammy moment. But backstage during the rehearsals that February at Staples Center, Williams was bothered. (Variety)
Sports Team Launch Summer Beer With Signature BrewSignature Brew co-founder Sam McGregor said: “We’re super pleased to have brewed this beer with Sports Team, they got really involved with the concept and brewing process. They put as much thought and work into the beer as they do with their music. It’s been a strange summer of cancelled gigs and festivals so everyone needs a pint right now and Long Hot Summer might just be the perfect beer for the season.” (Music Week)
BYTES
Legendary manager and entertainment mogul Rich Kleiman launches his new podcast "The Boardroom: Out of Office" which covers all the aspects of the sports business that fans have come to expect from the platform...and then some. Check out episode 1 here.
Co-directed by Jack Begert and the rapper himself, the visual takes inspiration from Wes Anderson flicks and sees Aminé and his friends enjoying an opulent French style mansion in Bel Air. Making the most of the home’s amenities, he enjoys the tennis court, the luxurious bathtub and the stunning view. (Hypebeast)
TikTok’s future uncertain, Instagram is hoping to lure some creators away with the rollout of a direct competitor, Reels, which is launching in more than 50 countries today, including the US, UK, Japan, and Australia, on both iOS and Android.
By now, we’ve all heard stories about songs blowing up after getting placed on the right playlist at the right time. But there is still a lot of mystery about how these big playlists actually work, how they impact music experiences, and who even comes up with concepts and aesthetics. As we enter a new decade, the art of playlist-making is changing, and new methods are becoming more effective.
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!