We’re right in the heart of Hispanic Heritage Month, which traditionally runs from September 15th to October 15th. But being engaged to a Latina and living in Miami, every month is Hispanic Heritage month in my house.On a national scale, Hispanic culture and its many miracles have clearly entered the American mainstream. The Latino community is unquestionably a prime demographic for music and brands.We see this with the biggest superstar in the world, Bad Bunny, continuing to soar in popularity despite his music being entirely in Spanish. But the Latino music world is so much bigger than Bad Bunny, as massive as he is.Billboard’s Latin Music Week in Miami was a fantastic display of artists, brands, and industry insiders in this explosive space. Brands like Urban Outfitters, Burger King, Cheetos, AT&T, and Smirnoff partnered with Billboard on various activations throughout the week’s festivities. Billboard launched its newest digitally native title, Billboard Español, which it hopes will become a premiere in-language global destination for Latin music.The conversations highlighted the top managers in the space, the new Mexican revolution, and how tech platforms like Meta & TikTok can help break artists. Interviews with big-name talent – from Nicky Jam and Maluma, to Ivy Queen and Romeo Santos – were chock full of gems and inspo. Santos, for his part, donated $100,000 on stage to the Billboard Puerto Rico Hurricane relief fund. Bravo!Tonight is the Billboard Latin Music Awards on Telemundo, live from Miami. I’m excited to be on site and checking out all of the talent and activations as I work toward a more in-depth piece to drop next week.
BEATS
Latin Music Is Changing the Way Brands CommunicateThis Hispanic Heritage Month, SoStereo co-founders Salo Sterental and Beto Azout break down why - now more than ever - the world of advertising is dancing to a Latin beat
Lil Baby Partners with Budweiser to Release, “The World Is Yours To Take”Grammy Award-winning rapper, mogul, and philanthropist Lil Baby is partnering with Budweiser to release “The World Is Yours To Take,” a new single that will be featured on the first-ever Official FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Soundtrack and in campaign content from Budweiser, The Official Beer of the FIFA World Cup™.
Spotify's New 'get Ready With Music' Playlist Recommends Music Based On What You're WearingIf you open up the Spotify app right now, you might see a banner inviting you to make your Get Ready With Music playlist. (Business Insider)
Angelbaby Owner Hume Lands $11.7 Million To Create, Promote Virtual Music ‘Metastars’Hume, the tech and music company behind virtual “metastar” angelbaby, raised $11.7 million in a Series A round to create and finance more Web3-based musical artists. (Forbes)
Santigold Tour CanceledSantigold took to social media on Tuesday to announce that she is canceling her North American tour this fall in support of her Spirituals album. In a note shared to Twitter, the singer-songwriter shared that she was excited to get back on the road.
Introducing Sound ProtocolWhen we built Sound, the vision and mission was to create a world where any artist has complete creative control of their art and career without compromising the ability to own the relationship with their audience. (Sound Protocol)
Why Apple Music Paid to Sponsor the Super Bowl Halftime ShowA few months ago, Pepsi declined to continue its 10-year deal as the halftime show’s presenting sponsor. It plans to shift that $40 – 50 million annual cost to digital marketing. Ironically, this isn’t the first time Pepsi cut its Super Bowl budget for the Internet (only to return to the Super Bowl a few years later). (Trapital)
Garden State of MindThe fact that the band knew in advance that they would break curfew in NYC and planned accordingly is exactly the kind of mischievous resourcefulness I want out of a rock band. It also underscores what it means to play a show at Madison Square Garden. (Justin Tejada)
It’s Never Been Easier To Be An Artist — Or Harder To Become A StarErica Lubman, an indie artist who goes by the moniker Boy Jr., is objectively good at TikTok. She has amassed more than 300,000 followers with her tongue-in-cheek songs and videos spoofing indie rock culture. (The Verge)
Former Roblox Music Chief Joins Napster As CEO To Steward Its Evolution Into Web3Napster, the company whose initial platform for free peer-to-peer file sharing nearly toppled the music industry at the turn of the millennium, has named Jon Vlassopulos, former vice president and global head of music at Roblox, as CEO to steward its next evolution into Web3. (Forbes)
Taylor Swift Turns Down Offer to Play 2023 Super Bowl Halftime ShowAccording to TMZ, Swift was asked to perform at the NFL’s show, but declined the opportunity so that she can continue the process of re-recording her back catalog. (Pitchfork)
BYTES
The business of hip hop is often overlooked, even though it's a massive business with outsized cultural influence. Dan Runcie saw this as an opportunity, starting Trapital in 2018. I wanted to talk to Dan about his approach to building an independent media brand.
From Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, Tiny Desk is celebrating Latinx Heritage Month with an "El Tiny" takeover, featuring Jessie Reyez, Susana Baca and more musicians from all corners of Latinidad.
Aphex Twin is finally ready to offer his mutation-driven music software to the world. Pitchfork notes Aphex Twin (aka Richard James) and engineer Dave Griffiths have released Samplebrain, a free "sample mashing" app that turns audio files from your computer into sample blocks you can use for projects. (Engadget)
Being gifted a collab album from A-Trak and Cam'ron was not on the bingo card for 2022. What is the hardest record?
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!