The end of the year and the decade are in sight, and I know because I've got 20/20 vision (cue groans from live studio audience). So, in the spirit of a Nue season approaching, I'm focusing on dropping labels. And no, I don't mean record labels.It’s hard to put anybody in a box these days. Subcultures and cross-genres are where it's at. Take Post Malone. What do you call a track with rock, rap, and pop heavy hitters on it? I don't think there’s a name for that.This begs the question: are genres dead? And, more importantly, by categorizing our music for playlists, awards, and festivals, are we holding artists back? Are we stunting the culture instead of letting the culture stunt?Speaking of cultures, I have to say that “cancel culture” is getting a little out of control. I’m ready to see cancel culture get cancelled. Sure, we should be held accountable for our words and actions. But the Internet is so hyperbolic and so lacking in nuance. The social mediarati can’t be the arbiters of who deserves to be relevant and who’s worthy of having a voice. Careers shouldn’t end in a day. This is a much larger conversation, though. One that deserves more ink and discussion moving forward.I'm excited to see what Q4 brings and where things turn in 2020. Who’s got next?
BEATS
#Canceled: How Cancel Culture Is Affecting BrandsOutside an Equinox club on West 92nd Street in Manhattan, members heading over to work out on a weekend in August had to step over a bunch of words written in chalk on the pavement. “No kids in cages.” “Do better.” And above all of it, in bright red chalk: “Equinox is canceled.” (DigiDay)
Post Malone Smears All the Genres Into One (Emotions, Too)Post Malone is a melodically gifted misanthrope with a voice that always sounds like it’s running away. If Drake has been the architect of the last decade’s pop evolution, Post Malone has been its savviest adopter, making ethereal post-rap pop songs that sound inevitable, and also evanescent. (NY Times)
Billie Eilish to Donate Atlanta Festival Earnings to Planned ParenthoodBillie Eilish announced that she will donate a portion of her earnings from her Music Midtown Festival performance in Atlanta, to Planned Parenthood Southeast. In May, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed one of the country’s most restrictive abortion bills into law in his state, effectively banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. (Rolling Stone)
Rihanna’s Spectacular Sexy Underpants Variety Hour On Tuesday night in Brooklyn, Rihanna made her bid for global underwear domination.It took place in the Barclays Center, against a gigantic set that was part stairway to heaven, part Roman Colosseum, part “Chicago” (the Bob Fosse version) and part “Laugh-In,” with a reflecting pool in the middle. (NY Times)
Why 50 Cent Hasn’t Been CanceledCurtis Jackson had recently hit up Trey Songz to remix the theme song for Power—the Starz drama that 50 Cent produces and acts in. The R&B singer was reluctant to participate, but 50 convinced him it was a good idea. When the remix dropped, fans let 50 have it. The show’s passionate fanbase felt connected to the original “Big Rich Town” song by Joe. They weren’t ready for change. (Trapital)
How Green Day, Fall Out Boy & Weezer Teamed Up for the Biggest Rock Event of 2020Billie Joe Armstrong remembers when rock concerts could turn into real shitshows. Sometimes, quite literally: When Green Day performed at Woodstock ’94, torrential rain transformed the grounds into a lawless slush pit, as fans hurled fistfuls of grass, mud and who knows what else at the band. “ ‘This is only the beginning,’ I thought, so I just started throwing it back,” recalls Armstrong, 47. (Billboard)
Spotify Is Now A Music-Making Marketplace, AS It Buys New York-Based SoundbetterFor a long time, we’ve heard Spotify boss Daniel Ek discuss his ambitions for the service to become a true “two-sided marketplace” for artists. In layman’s terms, this means Spotify wants to provide tools for creators that improve the music they make (and the way they market it), as opposed to just giving fans the means to play their tracks. If Spotify can justifiably charge artists money to use these tools, Ek’s comments lead us to assume, then all the better. (MBW)
Announcing Acura x Genius: Precision Crafted PerformancesGenius is partnering with Acura for Precision Crafted Performances, a series of live showcases spotlighting emerging artists for tastemakers, influencers, and the music cognoscenti. The series of four showcases launches September 26 in Los Angeles before making additional stops in New York, Atlanta, and Miami. Details about the first showcase will be announced very soon. (Genius)
How Kobalt Is Simplifying The Killer Complexities Of The Music IndustryBacked by over $200 million in VC funding, Kobalt is changing the way the music industry does business and putting more money into musicians’ pockets in the process. In Part I of this series, I walked through the company’s founding story and its overall structure. There are two core theses that Kobalt bet on: 1) that the shift to digital music could transform the way royalties are tracked and paid, and 2) that music streaming will empower a growing middle class of DIY musicians who find success across countless niches. (Tech Crunch)
Exclusive: From CryptoKitties To Cardi B: Warner Music Joins $11 Million Investment In Ethereum ReplacementNow that Warner Music Group has mastered streaming, generating $2 billion in revenue from the technology, the music giant behind Cardi B, Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars has set its sights on blockchain, joining an $11.2 million investment in Dapper Labs, best known for making the viral blockchain game, CryptoKitties. (Forbes)
This Music Video Has Been Modified From Its Original Version (and Now It’s Vertical)Last fall, 28-year-old Chloe Johnson was going through a breakup when Billie Eilish dropped her mournful single “when the party’s over.” “That song just stuck,” the New York–based marketer told me. After that, Eilish’s music became the soundtrack to Johnson’s life: She played it on her phone during her commute on the train, at work on her desktop, and when she got home at night. She shared it with her dad. She made an Instagram fan account. “Then, one day, I went to switch a song, and all of a sudden I see this little thing moving on my screen,” Johnson said. “And I’m like, What is that?” (The Ringer)
Björk Made Music’s First “VR Pop Album”—She Opens Up About Its HeartbreakHer mix of Icelandic accent and audible excitement makes every word sound full and round as she describes her personal push-pull relationship with high-end gadgets. For decades, Björk has been renowned for layering synthesizers and electronic effects on top of her indelible singing voice to push pop music's boundaries (not to mention music videos full of cutting-edge CGI). (Arstechina)
Marshmello, Liquid Expectations, and The Obsolescence of Brand PositioningWhen Marshmello played a live show to nearly eleven million people in the virtual environs of Pleasant Park in Fortnite back in February, it reverberated throughout the music world. But the impact of this moment goes far beyond the music industry, as this was more definitive evidence that brand positioning as we’ve known it is perilously obsolete. (Medium)
What the Twitch? Why Artists Can and Should Use the Live-Streaming Platform (Guest Column) I’ve been talking about live-streaming to anyone within earshot for the last three years, and up to this point, I’ve been the weirdo at the party. I’d mention Twitch and people would ask me to tell them more, sometimes adding an asterisk — that they’ve heard of Twitch and their marketing department is looking into it, but they’re not sure what it is or what to do with it. (Variety)
Podcast Ad Spending Projected to Hit $1 Billion by 2022Spotify’s aggressive push into podcasting isn’t based on a hunch. According to the latest lofty projection, podcasting revenue is rapidly approaching $1 billion. That’s pretty good for a format that has already died once. According to The Podcasting Report by Magna, the research and marketplace intelligence unit of IPG Mediabrands, ad spending in podcasting will hit $960 million in 2020 and eclipse $1 billion in 2022. That’s part of a rapid ascent and surge of new programming, with fans increasingly shifting away from linear radio broadcasting. (Digital Music News)
How 7 Brands are Using TikTokAccording to HubSpot's social media team, the video-based social app TikTok is "leaking" with brand opportunities. The one-year-old platform, which allows users to make short, looping videos with special effects and musical overlays, is booming with more than 500 million monthly active users -- most of them young= adults. (HubSpot)
Spotify: The Future Is Content CreationSpotify’s (SPOT) current share price assumes that profitability will be limited as a result of an extremely concentrated supplier group. I believe Spotify can increase operating leverage and user loyalty by integrating backward through the industry value chain. This will be a difficult transition to manage without alienating record labels but if successful will greatly increase the value of Spotify. (Seeking Alpha)
Lost Rings Is The Record Label Prioritizing Women Gamers of Color Lost Rings is a new imprint of Columbia Records that’s focused on releasing music by and for the gaming community. Bunny was the first signing; then came Houston transplant BlackKrystel, a bubbly and telegenic ESPN esports commentator, cosplayer, and former YouTube vlogger who identifies as pansexual. A few months later, Lost Rings recruited SunZi (rhymes with “Chun-Li”), a DC-via-NJ editorial producer and cosplayer who recently moved closer to the DMV because the “Cons” (short for “comic convention,” where fans, creators and scholars gather) are better down there. (Fader)
BYTES
Ross Golan is no stranger to Switched on Pop. This week, the songwriter and host of the hit podcast And The Writer Is… joins Charlie for a BONUS episode (cue siren) about the surprising lessons learned from a collective seven years behind the interview mic. Ross and Charlie discuss the infinite shelf-life of classic songwriting techniques, the happy accidents behind some of your favorite hit songs, and the essential qualities of a good listener.
The Notorious B.I.G.‘s breakout album Ready To Die turned 25 earlier this week and to mark the occasion Amazon Music dropped a mini-documentary that explored the project’s legacy. Watch here.
Today, social networks Twenty and Mappen are joining together in a merger under the Twenty brand. From the beginning, Twenty’s goal has been to get young people off of their phones and out in the real world with their friends. Thus far, the combined Twenty has raised approximately $40 million from partners, including Accel, Maveron, 500 Startups and Sound Ventures, as well as Roc Nation, Live Nation, and Endeavor.
Summer may be (almost) over, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop the party! We’d like to invite you to Nue Sounds, featuring the ever-so-talented artist, Upsahl, on Thursday, September 19th.RSVP by Thursday at 10am to [email protected] Here’s a little bit about her:If there's one thing to say about UPSAHL, it's that she never seems to stop. She's currently on a two-week tour with PVRIS after touring alongside Tessa Violet earlier this year. She released the music video for "Wish You'd Make Me Cry" earlier this week. And today, she's dropping her new song, "Smile for the Camera." While it's only her ninth song to be released, the Phoenix native has written around 350 songs. Sometimes she forgets that only those in her inner circle exist in the world with those songs, but she likes to have them on the back burner—this way, she can pick and choose what songs represent her at any given time, and effectively curate the message she wants to get across. (L’Officiel)
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!