The Next Great Companies are coming!Nue Agency has worked at the intersection of entertainment, tech, and brand marketing since its inception. We think about entertainment as key to storytelling, and music and entertainers as the driving force in the creator economy. More than other influencers, musicians bring art that spans genres and communities, and have the most meaningful impact.When it comes to the intersection of technology and brands, Web3 is in many ways a culmination of all of our work to date. Web3 is the next evolution of the internet. Put simply, it’s anything with a connection to Crypto or the Metaverse. It evolved rapidly during the pandemic when we were all forced to think about new business models, especially those which are digitally focused. We are still in the early days of Web3, and where it’s going is both exciting and potentially dystopian. I think part of the optimism among its constituents is that we know it’s on us to build it.And a bear market is a time for the builders! It cleans out the clutter, gets rid of some scammers, exposes inefficiencies, and centers us all on the core problems being solved by our innovations. Do you remember the crash of 2008? Paradigm-shifting businesses such as Airbnb, Uber, Venmo, Pinterest, and Slack all launched in 2009.Right now, the use cases for blockchain technology are few. Art is certainly leading the charge with the NFT market and, as always, music is a leader in experimentation. Now, an artist can track the ownership of their work on chain and see fair upside on sales in perpetuity. Gone are the days of the starving artist selling their work for cheap and not reaping the benefits of their work. We are seeing benefits in terms of digital merchandise, fan club experiences, fractional ownership of masters, the rebalance of power, new revenue, ticketing, data, tipping, and the overall fan+artist relationship. Gaming is doing much of the same. Play-to-earn is a winning mentality.Although both are grouped under Web3, the Metaverse and Crypto are not the same. I believe that when the Metaverse and blockchain intersect in a real way, we will unlock the true power of Web3’s potential.Enter Metropolis. They have been incubating for a while as part of Outlier Ventures accelerator and today is their launch and support is rolling in. Metropolis World is a 360° curated universe that blends distinctive properties, e-commerce, gaming, art, and experiences that span both the digital and real world. Its aim is to capitalize on the intersection of its Metaverse and NFTs. They already have some great partners and high-profile ambassadors as early adopters, whom they refer to as Founding Citizens. Some of these include:Steve AokiGalantisDillon Francis FvckrenderDiploBobby HundredsThankYou XRichie HawtinFrieze Art FairBlond:ishTOKiMONSTA3lauMatt Medved / NFT NowThis is just one of the Next Great Companies that Nue is onto. If you need help thinking through your marketing strategy and how best to utilize entertainment & the next tech wave to help shape it, you know who to call.
BEATS
Stationhead Clinches $12 Million In Funding Round Led By Diplo, Label Execs and More The money will be used to expand the global Stationhead platform and invest in engineering and user experience. (Billboard)
Quincy Jones-Backed NFT Platform OneOf Closes $8M Funding RoundWeb3 company and NFT marketplace OneOf has raised over $8 million in new strategic funding. The firm says the round will accelerate the development of what it calls its “environmentally sustainable NFT marketplace”. (Music Business Worldwide)
Spotify Thrived Where Facebook, Snap and Roku All SlippedSpotify avoided the sales slowdown crippling many of its peers, and is one of the few digital media companies in a stronger position than it was a few weeks ago. (Bloomberg)
Legendary New Jersey Native Ice T Awarded Cannabis License, Partners with Long Time Friend and Cannabis Authority Charis B of The Medicine WomanLegendary actor, rapper and New Jersey native Ice T is awarded approval for a recreational cannabis dispensary from the Jersey City board. Ice T has partnered with longtime friend and cannabis expert Charis B, founder of The Medicine Woman, a leading cannabis brand and dispensary. (PR Newswire)
What’s Going on with All Those Music SPACs?Hello, hello. I started this newsletter nearly five years ago and at two different points offered a paid subscription to help offset the costs of sending out emails and paying my copy editors. (Penny Fractions)
Are We Headed Towards Subscription Fatigue?When streaming first made headway in the entertainment world, it shifted the very dynamic of consumption. Ownership became a status symbol of yester-year; access to everything, at all times, was the new value driver. (Midia Research)
From Elvis to Madonna, Here Are All the Musical Biopics in the WorksMovie musical biopics are a beloved Hollywood tradition and one that — unlike erotic thrillers — shows no signs of slowing down. (indie Wire)
A Brief History of More Than 30 Formats Music Has Officially Been Released OnWhat way do you listen to music? Because, as we all know, it currently exists in multiple recorded formats and has been available on myriad others. (Loud Wire)
RapCaviar Video Podcast to Launch on SpotifyRapCaviar, the popular and influential Spotify playlist that boasts more than 14 million followers, is adding a video podcast to its brand offerings. (Variety)
Snap’s New Creator Fund Will Award Independent Musicians Up To $100,000 Per MonthSnap is launching a new Sounds Creator Fund to financially support independent artists who are distributing music on Snapchat via DistroKid. (Tech Crunch)
Mixing & Mastering Dolby Atmos Music — Here’s What You Should KnowDolby Atmos and Spatial Audio tech offers an entirely new listening experience for music fans. Here’s what you should know about the format and the impact it can have on your music. (Digital Music News)
Usher x Rémy Martin Launch Exclusive Cognac and Luxury NFTMusic legend Usher is teaming up with Rémy Martin, the Cognac brandy company, for a luxury multi-sensory immersive NFT collection. The ‘Usher x Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal’ NFTs are an A.I. powered, limited edition NFT. (NFT Evening)
Managers Of Bad Bunny, The Killers Join $3 Million Fundraising For ‘The LegalZoom For The Music Business’New York-based Creative Intell, which describes itself as an artificial intelligence-powered dealmaking platform for the music industry, has raised USD $3 million in its seed funding round. (Music Business Worldwide)
Creators on Facebook Can Now Earn Money Through Videos That Use Licensed MusicMeta announced today that creators on Facebook can now earn money through their Facebook videos that use licensed music. (Tech Crunch)
Will TikTok Music Be The Next Big Podcast Platform?Radio giant Audacy has acquired podcast discovery app Moonbeam, according to the app’s founder, Paul English. Discovery has been a massive challenge for the industry, and Moonbeam addresses it by operating less like a traditional podcast player and more like a social platform. (The Verge)
BYTES
In this special edition of All Songs Considered, Sidney Madden guest-hosts a conversation with Ann Powers of NPR Music and Ayana Contreras of WBEZ Chicago to discuss where Bey has been, where she might be going and what a new album from the superstar means for pop music and beyond.
On the latest episode of “MetaMoney,” host Stockz talks about the “many different metaverses” that are currently being built and the reasons people are down to live in a virtual world. Watch!
Bring your crowd together by sharing music and art expression. Come join us as we make history with mixtapes of the future.
Some of Barack Obama's favorite songs of the summer. A mix of genres & eras made with everyone in mind!
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!