After putting out some fires that forced me to give two days back to the grind gods, I finally made it to my favorite place in the world, Martha’s Vineyard. Starting today, I’m switching to vacation mode for *at least* a week. We’ll see how long I last ;)Every year around this time, I choose the vineyard over la playa. One day I'll make it to Burning Man, but what can I say? MV is my happy place. This is where I reset for the fall, where I heal and nurture my soul. I’m blessed to have the down time. This is true vacation, one where I’m not connected to social media, scouring the net and zines for trends and insights, where the only thing I’m reading is books (Alan B. Krueger’s Rockonomics, Owen Rogers’ The Pot Apocalypse, and Paul J. Silva’s How To Write A Lot, to name a few). I’ll sneak in the local MV paper and maybe the Sunday Times because it makes me feel normal. But I’m going to spend time with family, my lovely girlfriend, and the ocean. Hopefully I’ll learn some new tennis tips, reboot my system, and be ready for the fall! I’ll be back for Afropunk, the U.S. Open, and the VMA’s, plus more tricks up out sleeve. See you soon! Stay wavy...- Jesse K.
BEATS
How Rihanna Established Herself as an Institution in the Makeup and Apparel WorldsBrands that stand the test of time share one distinct characteristic: seamless positioning. A successful brand identifies a niche population of consumers, serves them a product they can’t get elsewhere, and creates a buyer experience that remains unique. (Adweek)
Bacardi Has ‘Hacked’ YouTube’s Fast-Forward Feature to Create a DJing Platform Bacardi kicked off the summer with a branded music video featuring Major Lazer and Brazilian singer Anitta for their song “Make It Hot.” Now, the brand is back with an innovation (if you can call it that) that has some fun with the song. (Adweek)
Outside Lands Will Allow Marijuana Consumption & Sales For The First Time Outside Lands returns to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park this weekend (8/9-8/11), and for its 2019 edition, the festival will for the first time allow on-site marijuana sales and consumption to attendees 21 and over in a designated “Grass Lands” area. (Brooklyn Vegan)
Snap Announces Spectacles 3: $380 With New Design And 3D CaptureIn an official blog post today, Snap unveiled the third-generation of its Augmented Reality sunglasses line: Spectacles 3. The glasses are available for pre-order for $380, and will ship in November.(Forbes)
Migos’ Quavo Is Getting His Own Animated Kids ShowMigos are making a move into TV. It was confirmed on Thursday that Quavo is to develop a new animated franchise series for kids age 8-12. The show will be "rooted in the world of Atlanta's hip hop music and culture scene," according to a statement. (Fader)
Entercom Drops Nearly $70 Million on Two Podcasting AcquisitionsWho says Spotify gets to have all the fun?Entercom, a Pennsylvania-based broadcasting company and radio network, has acquired two prominent podcast companies, Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Media. The companies cost Entercom a total of $70 million. The deals were confirmed to Digital Music News early this morning. (Digital Music News)
How Hidden Likes on Instagram Could Change the Music Industry “Having your amount of likes on display for the world to see and judge is like showing how much money you have in the bank or having to write the size of your dick on your t-shirt,” Kanye West tweeted in September 2018. (Complex)
Sony Music Bulks Up Merchandising Unit With Araca Group AcquisitionSony Music’s merchandising unit has acquired The Araca Group, a New York-based entertainment company and merchandise-production agency.The Araca Group’s resources (and some employees) will be absorbed by Sony Music’s merchandise brand, The Thread Shop. Moreover, these acquired resources encompass merchandising contracts with several well-known musicians, including Led Zeppelin, P!nk, and Sugarland, whose Araca Group contracts will be fulfilled by Sony Music. (Digital Music News)
These Roland TR-808 Adidas Are Fully FunctionalNYC based creative marketing agency Neely & Daughters have developed TR-808 inspired Adidas sneakers that are fully functional.Designed and constructed as part of the “Just for Kicks” creative challenge, the custom Mi Adidas are called the Neely Air Roland TR-808: Disturb the Peace.Inspired by Roland’s iconic drum machine as well as break dance culture and the police code for disturbing the peace, “808”, the shoes feature volume control and six different pre-programmed settings. (Mix Mag)
NFL Partners With JAY-Z and Roc NationAccording to the New York Times, the NFL has inked a partnership with the Jigga Man and Roc Nation, which will become the league's new "live music entertainment strategist." With this position, JAY-Z and his team will be asked to consult on the Super Bowl halftime show and bring in high-level talent to perform at league events. Roc Nation will also be involved in the league's key social initiatives. (Complex)
Why Spotify’s RapCaviar Playlist Can’t Be MatchedBoth Apple Music and Amazon have recently upped their playlist games. ‘Rap Life’—formerly ‘A-List: Hip Hop’—is Apple’s rebranded flagship playlist. It’s led by Ebro Darden, head of global hip-hop and r&b at Apple Music, host on Hot 97, and creator of this suspect top 50 rappers list. Apple’s playlist debuted with a photo of J. Cole rockin’ a classic Nas shirt. (Trapital)
Christian Combs Stunts in the Colorful PUMA LQDCELL OpticPUMA’s latest futro release, the , is a unisex sneaker aimed at those with unique style sensibilities. The transparent overlays on the shoes’ uppers give them a futuristic, multi-dimensional look while the LQDCELL cushioning tech is wrapped in a chunky, retro-inspired midsole. (High Snobiety)
Bad Bunny To Perform At This Year’s Pornhub AwardsBad Bunny has been confirmed as the first musical artist to perform at the 2019 Pornhub Awards. The adult entertainment awards ceremony takes place at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles on October 11. "Don't miss my performance. It's going to be wild," said Bad Bunny in a statement. (Fader)
How Video Game Music Is Driving A Vinyl Record ResurgenceCuphead. Persona 5. Undertale. Sunset Riders. The Legend of Zelda. Fans know these titles first and foremost as video games, but they all have something else in common, too: each of them has inspired a vinyl record that has charted on the Billboard 200. (Forbes)
What Pitbull and Horizon Media Hope to Achieve in Their New PartnershipLast week, Horizon Media, one of the largest media agencies in the country, announced a partnership with pop icon and entrepreneur Armando Christian Pérez, better known as Pitbull, designed to address content in the multicultural space better. The agency, 305 Worldwide, a mashup of two of Pérez’s best-known nicknames (Mr. 305 and Mr. Worldwide) will start with offices in Miami and New York, and the star will have a minority stake in the new endeavor. (Adweek)
The Big Shift: Why Record Companies Need to Pivot From a B2B to a B2C Model (Column)It’s no secret that record companies haven’t historically been very good at consumer marketing. True, many once supported direct-to-consumer (DTC) or direct-to-fan (DTF) initiatives in which they sold albums and CDs directly to music buyers, but those sales rarely amounted to a significant revenue stream. (Variety)
4 Music Industry Trends and PredictionsIn just 20 years or so the internet has completely reshaped the music industry, and we’re still only in the early stages of this transformation. Democratization and collaboration will become the order of the day: artists will be able to create professional-quality music on the spot. (Sound Charts)
BYTES
Troy Carter can’t leave the game alone. After taking a hiatus from music, the Philly native spearheaded Prince’s posthumous album, Originals. Outside of music, Carter’s expanding his portfolio in the venture capital world. Here, Carter talks about work on the project, music, finances and more.
Foot Locker and Nike have partnered for years on promoting footwear to mass audiences and establishing a "sneakerhead" culture, and the latest "We Live Sneakers" campaign appears to be a nod to that historic partnership and the iconic role Nike shoes have played in pop culture.
Audible, an Amazon company, has the world’s largest selection of audiobooks and original ad-free audio shows. Whatever your passion, your interests, or favorite authors, there’s a perfect listen for you.
The beautiful thing about a playlist is it is living and breathing. We added a bunch more heat for these Summer 2019 streets. Enjoy the updates as the Summer progresses. The last update will be Labor Day. Until then stay in tune & make a splash with Nue Songs That Slap.
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!