Every time I turn around, I see another story about “robots” taking over the music business.I usually look to Asia to see where trends are going. So it’s wild seeing Japan, Korea, and China all very focused on creating virtual stars.This week, Sony Japan announced the launch of the largest virtual talent development and management project in history.And, of course, the talk of the town is Capitol Records’ signing of AI-guided, virtual rapper, FN Meka. His single “Florida Water” was shooting up the charts, already amassing a million streams, before intense blowback regarding Meka’s use of the n-word — despite his being created by white executives — tanked the project. Yesterday, the “artist” was “dropped” from the label.Grand opening, grand closing.Clearly, labels are interested in these experiments because of how easily they can gain traction. I mean…these virtual artists are getting endorsement deals, too. Pac Sun (whose creative director is A$AP Rocky) just announced a campaign with digital influencer, Lil Miquela – the brainchild of FWB’s Trevor McFedries – to be the face of their new campaign.As you know, at Nue, we are big believers in the galaxy of metaverses that are being built. And I’m an even bigger believer in the power of Web3 and how it will revolutionize the culture of the world wide web. I also realize this is nothing new. In many ways, the music business pioneered the virtual persona with stars like Daft Punk & The Gorillaz.And who could forget hologram 2Pac?! We’ve all tried ;)I realize it’s the dawn of a new day. But when these are the only stories of the week, combined with a growing narrative of new music struggling to break through, there is an issue. It’s beginning to feel like overcorrection and it might be time for the pendulum to swing back toward artist development. New artists are the lifeblood of this industry. Is it easier today to profit off of a virtual artist, one you can send to an online meet and greet with a click? Maybe. But I don’t think that’s what we want the future of our industry to look like.I understand more than most the power of livestreams, but this feels like short-term thinking. The metaverse and internet are tools to connect people. And people are what connect.New artists need love and attention too. What new artists are you rocking with?
BEATS
Welcome to Jimmie Allen, Inc.: “You Really Need To Be the CEO of Your Own Company”Country star Jimmie Allen continues to make waves in music and business. But before he was playing for massive crowds, winning awards, and discovering emerging talent, the singer-songwriter received critical support that laid the groundwork for his future achievements. (Digital Music News)
Virtual influencer Lil Miquela is now the face of PacSunPacSun’s latest spokesperson has started calling herself “the queen of the metaverse.” For all the competition that’s suddenly appeared in the space, she does boast an advantage: She already lives online. (Input Mag)
Shazam Turns 20Shazam turns 20 today, and as of this week, it has officially surpassed 70 billion song recognitions. A mainstay in popular culture, the platform has changed the way people engage with music by making song identification accessible to everyone. (Apple)
MSCHF'S Got Rihanna Selling Ketchup As MakeupKetchup or makeup? That is the question, according to MSCHF and Rihanna's Fenty Beauty.The prankster art collective and beauty giant are inviting ready, willing, and able customers to play a sort of Russian Roulette, one that won't leave anyone dead or injured but might have you ingesting more ketchup than you bargained for. (High Snobiety)
Roar Of The Live Music Crowd Drowns Out Stadium Income From SportThe UK’s live industry has never been so hit-heavy — where the spoils go to so few events. The reasons why gig-goers would rather splash out on a big night are threefold: pandemic, streaming and disposable income. (Financial Times)
Sony Music Japan Is Building ‘The Largest Virtual Talent Development And Management Project In History’One of MBW’s most talked about stories of the summer has been the signing of ‘virtual artist’ FN Meka to Capitol Records in the US. But the phenomenon of un-human (or part-human) artists gaining traction certainly isn’t limited to the States. (Music Business Worldwide)
Mood Board: How Spotify Built a ‘House of Audio’ in Lower Manhattan“Spotify is everywhere,” said the company’s host and storyteller of its owned editorial channels, Lea Palmieri, during an Instagram Live promoting its latest experiential campaign. Spotify is even in Manhattan, where it’s near impossible to rent an apartment these days. (Marketing Brew)
Live Nation Brings Its Ones To Watch Artist Discovery Platform To Hong Kong Following the successful launch of Live Nation’s Ones To Watch artist discovery platform in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year, the promoter-giant is now expanding the program to Hong Kong. (Celebrity Access)
Inside Pandora's High-Tech 3-D Billboard for Black Music MonthBCN Visuals' solution was to create the world's first fully choreographed motion capture (MoCap)-based anamorphic billboard and time travel back to the '80s, '90s and 2000s. MoCap was chosen because it's the technology that allows for the most accurate possible 3-D recreations of IRL movement. (Muse By Clio)
The Top Music NFT Moments of All TimeFor the uninitiated, NFTs are a new kind of digital asset. They offer a new way for creators to market and sell their content, expanding the possibilities of how art, music, literature, and more can be disseminated and consumed. (NFT Now)
OneOf Breaks New ‘Phygital’ NFT: A New Frontier For The IndustryNon-fungible tokens (NFTs) have received heavy criticism that they are driven by pure speculation and low-value art. But even if these critics are right, blockchain experts explain that digital art is only the tip of the iceberg. (Forbes)
Pop Stars Stay Put With Extended ResidenciesPop superstars are playing more shows in select venues, making the residency (or extended stay or long run) in major cities a modern music trend. While residencies have typically been reserved for prominent artists in the last act of their careers, these artists are instead locking down the most popular venues in the US… which may leave everywhere else free for those not already at the top of the music food chain. (Future Party)
Welcome to the NFT Era of MusicIn just a few years, NFTs have gone from niche to mainstream. Now, they’re beginning to transform the music industry by providing artists with new revenue streams and new ways to connect with fans, as we explore as part of The Drum’s Audio Deep Dive. (The Drum)
The Music Industry Really Did Pioneer the Virtual PersonaWith all the buzzwords flying around about digital worlds superimposed onto our own, metaverses where we'll be able to buy digital goods that mirror our own, and personal avatars that express our own personalities … we're well on our way to that digital utopia in the sky. (Muse by Clio)
Is NFT Star Daniel Allan Web3’s First Breakout Music Act?Fourteen-hour days on Discord, failures and massive risks: what it takes to be successful in Web3. (Billboard)
Deezer Taps Dua Lipa to Kick Off Gen Z-Focused Marketing Pivot After Forecasting 2025 Revenue of €1 BillionFour months back, Deezer revealed that it had about 9.6 million subscribers and disclosed plans to generate €1 billion in 2025. Now, in an effort to grow the former figure and meet the latter goal, the French streaming service “is repositioning its brand to attract younger users.” (Digital Music News)
For Andre 3000’s Supreme DebutWhenever Andre 3000 makes a rare appearance, you know it’s going to be good. Boardroom reports that the Hip-Hop icon is set to be the face of Supreme’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection. (AfroTech)
BYTES
Bored Ape Yacht Club creators explain how Steph Curry and Justin Bieber got their NFT and how BAYC is worth $4B.
Cardboard Sessions is a group of studio jams where talented musicians come together to play instruments made out of cardboard. This idea was conceived by the ever-creative company Signal Snowboards, the folks who partnered with Fender to build a cardboard Stratocaster, along with Ernest Packaging.
Chptr - A Place for Communities to Remember Lost Loved OnesFrom the co-founder of Life Is Beautiful Festival in Las Vegas. When someone dies, people that love them come together. Chptr is a place for communities to gather, share memories, and create lasting tributes to their loved ones. Vote for it here on Product Hunt.
The New York TImes has a big, uplifting song list to add (even more) sunshine to your weekend. Check it!
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!