My focus is the intersection of entertainment, brand partnerships, and technology. I’ve been running an indie boutique called Nue Agency for nearly two decades. It started as a talent agency finding and developing artists with the belief that we had to think differently to help our artists break. I had tremendous success representing talent such as Pusha T, Wale, MIMS, Big Sean, Mike Posner, J. Cole, Logic, Action Bronson, White Panda (which spawned Gryffin), 2AM Club (which launched Marc E. Bassey), and many more.When the internet was decimating the music business of the past – and CD’s that cost pennies to make were no longer selling by the millions for $20 a pop – I could see the writing on the wall. I believed that tech was going to be the savior of the music industry. At that point, we began whole-heartedly encouraging our artists to embrace technology companies and be open to partnerships with these new platforms.Almost a decade into representing artists, I changed my business model then, too, and began using a similar creative mindset to help break brands and launch campaigns that leveraged the power of music and its creators.As an indie you have to be crafty and stay on your toes. That’s part of the reason I was so attracted to SPIN. SPIN is an iconic music magazine that encapsulates the spirit of indie culture. The impresarios and indies are the lifeblood of the music business, and independent artists are on the rise again, eating more and more of the majors’ market share. SPIN embodies what is cool about music.When I met the CEO, Jimmy Hutcheson a few years ago, I knew I wanted to work with him. He was a big thinker that loved music to the core. Like me, he was a talent booker in college and deeply understood digital media. He had a vision for how to bring SPIN back to its turn-of-the-century glory and beyond.Since purchasing the company at the beginning of these roaring 2020’s, he’s put together a rockstar team, even bringing back the original founder of SPIN, Bob Guccione Jr., to tap into the nostalgia of the print form of the magazine. I’m honored and excited to be collaborating with him and the team on my new column, Beats + Bytes on SPIN. This is issue number 1!So, what can you expect from me? I’m moving at the speed of culture. I see through an artist’s lens, but I understand what it takes to service the biggest brands in the world. I’m an indie at heart that’s a big-thinking entrepreneur. I love to make predictions, forecast trends, have off the record, real world conversation, chase art and connect dots. I’m a techno-optimist.In many ways, we are in a golden era of music. Despite concerns about ‘devaluation’ of music, its new-found ubiquity has proven incredibly powerful. There are more artists creating (and owning their material), and more fans consuming and connecting with music than at any point in history. The red tape has finally been cut and new tools have helped grow the long tail as catalog material is given new life and amateurs join the fun.The live business is healthy, with festival culture staying strong (Coachella already sold out next year) and plenty of room for boutique and niche events. Venture capital and tech investments are flowing, helping musicians build better fan experiences, while brand dollars and the creator economy provide a mechanism for financial support to reach artists big and small. Music is the #1 passion point and the top identity driver with teens, more than fashion and more than sports. All that, and the space remains ripe for innovation.Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Is it getting harder to cut through the noise, or for a new song to stay top of mind? Absolutely yes. There was no “song of the summer” and some say this marks the end of the mainstream popularity era. I’m not sure about that, although my attention is being gobbled up by something different every week, since so much inspiring music is being released.Looking up, there is a lot of blue sky for our industry. My personal mission is to find innovative ways to bring more brand dollars to artists, storytellers, and the music business as a whole. I couldn’t be more psyched to be here, working with SPIN to get this message out to a bigger audience of music fans.Peace,Jesse K.
BEATS
Latin Music In US Is Still Growing Faster Than Overall MarketAnyone grumbling about Bad Bunny playing the Super Bowl half-time show, look away now. Latin music is still outperforming the overall recorded-music market in the US. That’s official from labels body the RIAA’s latest mid-year Latin revenue report. (Music Ally)
Olivia Rodrigo Plays Final 'Guts' Era Show, Rocks Out At Intimate Secret NYC ConcertThe singer-songwriter played her "final" concert following her 102-show, arena-filling Guts World Tour with an intimate "secret" concert in New York City, hosted Thursday night by American Express at the Park Avenue Armory. (USA Today)
Justin Bieber Joins Twitch, Shoots Hoops, Teases Coachella Set: ‘Gonna Be Putting on a Hell of a Show’Justin Bieber has been on our screens for more than half of his life. But starting Wednesday (Oct. 22) the “Daisies” singer promised that we’re about to see even more of him. Bieber made his debut on Twitch yesterday with a stream that included footage of the singer playing basketball, shooting pool with friends and teasing his upcoming Coachella dates. (Billboard)
Stars Turn Out For Ceremonial Activities for Games One and Two of the 2025 World Series Presented by Capital OneGame Two will Feature Alessia Cara and Bebe Rexha as Anthem Singers and the Jonas Brothers in a Mastercard® Supported Special Stand Up To Cancer Performance; First Pitch Ceremonies to Include Blue Jays World Series Champions Joe Carter and Cito Gaston. (MLB)
Here Are The Finalists In The Music Ally SI:X 2025 Startups ContestThis year’s Music Ally SI:X is in association with Amazon Music, Ascap Lab, Push Entertainment, Reed Smith, Rock Paper Scissors and Universal Music Group Digital Innovation. The panel of judges from these partners will now narrow the list down to this year’s winners, who will be presenting at our Music Ally Connect conference in January 2026. (Music Ally)!
BYTES
Are we on the edge of a music industry revolution? Top investor and founder of SONGS and MUSIC, Matt Pincus, joins host Kristin Robinson this week to discuss how the landscape of music catalog investing has evolved.
The historic Cherry Lane Theatre has recently reopened its doors and is launching a new live video series titled “Sound Check at Cherry Lane Theatre,” with a premiere performance from Tame Impala. (Hypebeast)
Music-streaming service Audiomack has launched a new feature in its mobile app, but it’s not for listeners: it’s for playlist curators. Specifically the 350-plus people who are part of its ‘Tastemakers’ program. (Music Ally)
During the offseason, Edwards stepped into a DJ Khaled-type role to coordinate the songs that became Legend In My Hood, a bombastic album that he co-produced with his brother, bdifferent, who also raps on four of the songs. (GQ)
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!