"If I have a dollar and you have a dollar and we exchange dollars,” Kanye West once mused, “we’d each have one dollar. But if I have an idea and you have an idea and we exchange ideas, we’d each have two ideas.”I love a good idea exchange. Brainstorms are where clarity comes and the fires of the future are lit. But you can’t always put a proper idea exchange into a timed box or expect to schedule and plan them. Even in NYC, where time is money and every minute counts, you have to be willing to get caught up in a worthwhile conversation, to be late to your next appointment, to let things happen when they happen. When ideas are flowing, you have take them in.As festival season officially ends, conference season kicks off. Conferences are a great way to meet new people, gain new perspectives, and exchange ideas at scale. But it’s not only what you know that matters, it’s what you do with the information once you have it. What do you apply to your work? What do you share with others? What do you store for a project down the road? As dealmakers, dot connectors, and cultural archeologists, it’s important for us to parse what’s on the pulse today, and what goes in the tank for tomorrow.Different conferences provide different value, offer different viewpoints, and feature different attendees. Here’s a list of what I’m looking forward to most in the coming months:Brandweek: September 23rd-25th in Palm Springs Inaugural relaunch of this event. Low-key but boasts a stellar lineup of attendees and speakers including Kevin Hard, Tony Robbins, and Boz, with a performance by Lauryn Hill (who we booked!) Dreamforce: September 25th-28th in San Francisco One of the biggest conferences in the world because, seriously, who doesn’t use Salesforce in some way, shape, or form? Learn about the latest and greatest in sales and connect with other superusers of the platform. With Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, buying TIME magazine, clearly there are bigger ambitions here. I’m there opening night to check out the Splash.fm party. If you’re in town, let me know.Advertising Week: October 1st-5th in NYC A smörgåsbord of NYC events, parties, dinners, panels, cocktails, and showcases. Mondo NYC: October 2nd-5th in NYC Igniting music and technology. Put on by the same folks behind CMJ (R.I.P.), Mondo is a great mix of showcases and talks. I’m leading one on brands and music on Thursday, October 4th, at 11AM.Digital Music Forum: October 4th in NYC A staple in the NYC innovation scene. A smart mix of speakers and innovators. I’m moderating a talk on branding in a digital world, talking about content and storytelling at 430PM. A3C: October 3rd-7th in Atlanta The #1 hip-hop conference and festival in the game. The lineup is stacked across the board. Growth Stories presents How To Make It In The Music Business: October 9th in NYCA live taping of a one-on-one interview with me at our old office, WeWork at 222 Broadway.WORDLZ: October 17th-18th in Long Beach, CA Dubbed “the Harvard of culture marketing,” this is the place to be for brands and marketing executives looking to get close to the culture. I’m running a master class for the second year on October 18th. My pal Jake Udell and the extremely talented sisters of Krewella will join me. Fast Company Innovation: October 22nd-26th in NYC The annual Fast Company Innovation Festival brings together thousands of forward-thinking creators, makers, inventors, entrepreneurs, and emerging leaders from across the country and globe who are embracing change, blazing new trails, and moving our world forward. The Lead Summit: October 24th in Brooklyn NY Visionaries, rule-breakers, and leaders unite the fashion and retail industries with a global Silicon Valley. Summit Series: November 2nd-5th in Los Angeles This is the ultimate gathering of cool kids that care about social good, innovation, and culture. I owe so much to the old days of Summit Series. It changed my life and so many of my friends today are “summiteers.” Complex Con: November 3rd-4th in Long Beach, CA The Internet comes to life at this convention. Exclusive drops and one-of-a-kind collaborations. This is the ultimate meeting of commerce and culture. Fall is here. Let’s expand our minds and build great connections…
BEATS
Live Nation – Global Live Music Fan Study This groundbreaking and expansive study covers the global power of live, tested through biometrics, qualitative and quantitative methods. We’re excited to share why the emotions of live music experiences are so unique and important – to fans and to brands. We hope this study inspires you to connect with audiences we now know to be the most receptive and influential in the world—when they are truly listening. (Live Nation)
Spotify To Launch In Middle East, North AfricaSpotify will launch across the Middle East and North Africa this upcoming November. According to a leaked internal email, the streaming service, which joins rivals Anghami, Deezer and Apple Music who are already operating in these markets, will be headquartered in Dubai. (Hypebot)
How To Use Instagram Stories To Promote MusicCreating awareness for your music is a delicate balance between promotion and authentic, genuine connection. On one hand, you need to wear the marketing hat — you need to be sharing your work and encouraging fans to support you in some way. And on the other hand, you need to relate to fans on the human level — you need to show your personality, be real with them, and share enough to get them into your world. (Hypebot)
The World's Highest-Paid Hip-Hop Acts 2018Months-long tours and endorsement deals with companies such as Sprite and Hennessy enabled the highest-earning hip-hop artists on our annual list to bring in an average $44 million over the past year. (Zack O'Malley Greenburg – Forbes)
Pandora is taking on Spotify with the launch of a new personalized playlist, The Drop, announced this morning. Similar to Spotify’s Release Radar, The Drop will also focus on new releases from artists its listeners care about. New tracks are added to the playlist on the day they’re released, the company says – that means Fridays, as with Release Radar. (Sarach Perez – TechCrunch)
Spotify Partners With Nielsen To Provide Deeper Ad Analytics For BrandsSpotify has partnered with data company Nielsen to provide advertisers with more information about how their ads are performing on its free tier. The Nielsen Brand Effect — a platform that provides tools that measure and optimize brand-relevant metrics in real-time — will be adopted across Spotify in the US, Germany, Canada, Mexico, UK, Spain, France, Netherlands, Japan, and Australia. (Rhian Jones – MBW)
A-Z of Artist Brand Building We're observing a cool time in a music where the good ol' album cycle has been shot to shite. This is excellent because it breeds creativity through new platforms and ideas. (Amber Horsburgh – Linkedin)
Fans Are Spoofing Spotify With "Fake Plays," And That's A Problem For Music Charts The spoofing could erode the veracity of widely respected Billboard chart metrics, especially since the fan campaigns appear to be getting more sophisticated. (Blake Montgomery – Buzzfeed News)
Amazon Is Recording And Releasing Exclusive New Music (but labels keep the rights)Amazon is making its own recordings – and nailing down the exclusive on them – through its new Produced By… series. (Rhian Jones – MBW)
BYTES
No shortage of stories from one of the hottest managers in the dance music scene, Moe Shalizi, of Red Light Management. From deejaying night clubs in a shady part of town early in his career to getting Jauz signed by Diplo at Burning Man and urging Marshmello to call Skrillex only to find Katie Couric on the other end of the phone, Shalizi shares his behind the scenes experiences managing some of the top music acts in the world today.
On the eve of the release of her new film, "A Star Is Born," Lady Gaga invites Vogue to her LA home and answers 73 intriguing questions. While sitting outside, amongst perfectly placed potted plants and flowering ivy, Lady Gaga talks about her songwriting process, working with actor-turned-director Bradley Cooper, and her upcoming Vegas residency.
Musixmatch is the world’s largest lyrics catalog, giving you synchronized song lyrics with multilingual translations for all your music.
Little Simz is officially back with her new single “Offence.” It’s been nearly a year since the release of Stillness in Wonderland. This week the English rapper/ singer premiered the new track on Beats Radio as Zane’s World Record.
This week's newsletter was carefully curated by the Nue Agency staff and our editor Maria Tejada If you think we missed something this week or have any suggestions/comments for next week's newsletter, let us know!