Today, Clayton and I are bringing our Beats, Bytes & Brands concept from URL to IRL, doing a masterclass on livestreaming on the stage at Social Media Week. Together we designed a power-packed class with tons of insights, how-to’s, and actionable takeaways. (Clayton is also graduating this month with a master's from the NYU Music Business program, and I’m so proud of him.)I’ve been working as a Social Media Week collaborator for over a decade. SMW might sound a bit “ok boomer,” but during the pandemic the platform sold to the advertising industry’s top publication, Adweek, and this is their first time presenting the event live in NY. The lineup is stacked and I’m looking forward to seeing founder Toby Daniels, who is quietly incubating his next chapter in Web 3 (check out his newsletter This Week in Web3). Rachel Webber, CMO of Playboy, The Fat Jew, and Steve Aoki will all grace the stage, too.Our class focuses on the following:
Livestream concerts may have not been born during the pandemic, but their growing importance and adoption among artists and consumers alike make the livestream one of the most formidable forces in marketing today. Great livestreams not only provide unforgettable memories to fans, but also give brands an opportunity to create unique and intimate relationships at scale.
A successfully branded livestream is all about purposeful strategy and high-level execution in four key areas. This includes how the event is produced, what music is licensed, the analytical and strategic reasoning for selecting an artist partner, and the rationale for choosing a livestreaming partner(s).
Livestreaming is not only a great tool to engage with audiences but can be used as a catalyst to build your brand’s presence in new mediums such as the Metaverse and Web3 (i.e., NFTs, etc.).
Successful livestreams build a clear pathway to move your brand to become a real influencer in culture, creating a deeper and more connected bond between the brand and its consumers.
With nearly every platform adopting livestreaming capabilities, a brand's influencer and social strategy must have a livestreaming component and budget to reach consumers who want that intimate level of digital interaction.
If you’re in NYC, come check out the talk, and if not, join the hybrid movement and enjoy the digital experience that SMW is offering. You can attend online today or watch it on-demand for another month or so.The Adweek Creative Visionary Awards are tonight, where Steve Aoki will be rightfully recognized as visionary of the year. I love what Steve is doing these days, from Chief Brand Officer at Orangetheory to his A01kverse. He’s really leading on brand and artist culture.I’m hanging around NYC for a few more days, playing in the annual Silicon Alley Sports Tennis Invitational. This year, organizer Darren Herman is renting The U.S. Open court for us to play on (!!!), which is a bucket list item for this tennis lover. It’s a great group of friends and I’m a big fan of the organization.On Monday, May 16th we have our latest – and dare I say day greatest! – edition of NFTalks in LES from 630-9pm. It’s the start of Frieze Art Week in NY, so we’re diving into curatorial practices in art & culture. We have curator extraordinaire, Afrodet Zuri, the wonderfully talented NFT artist, Diana Sinclair, and CEO of Matte Projects, Max Pollack. Hit [email protected] if you want to attend as the guest list will be tight.
BEATS
Wings, Sweat, and TearsIf you’ve never seen the hit YouTube show, now in its 17th season, the premise is deceptively simple. All celebrities have to do is eat 10 hot wings, each doused in a progressively hotter sauce, while Evans eats along with them and asks them questions. (Eater)
Danyel Smith’s ‘Very Personal History’ Gives Black Women of Pop Music Their DueIn this Washington Post Live conversation from May 4, author Danyel Smith explains why she wanted to give Black women their due in “Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop.” (Washington Post)
Beyoncé Invests in Lemon-Flavored Water Brand: ‘It Was an Easy Decision’Beyoncé wants you to stay hydrated, and if anyone knows about the power of lemons, it’s Mrs. Carter. The multiplatinum-selling superstar became a key investor in the Atlanta-based flavored water brand Lemon Perfect, the company announced last week. (Billboard)
iPod Commercials Defined an Era for Music in Marketing: The 10 Most Iconic AdsIn honor of the announcement that Apple is discontinuing the iPod after 20 years, here are the 10 ads that most stick with us, featuring music from Daft Punk, Feist, Bob Dylan and more. (Billboard)
TSX Entertainment Chief Metaverse Officer DJ Skee on His Vision for the Future of MetaverseThis shift in the experience space is similar to how video content- namely film and television- can be consumed anywhere, including mobile, TV, or in a theater. (TXS Entertainment)
T Bone Burnett Says Vinyl, CD Hybrid is a ‘Breakthrough’ in Recorded SoundT Bone Burnett, a music producer who rose to prominence as the guitarist in Bob Dylan’s band, unveiled what he describes as a new breakthrough in analogue recording technology called Ionic Originals. (Input Mag)
Kanye West’s “Life of the Party” Video Uses Deepfake Technology On Childhood PhotosKanye West has shared the video for his Donda track "Life of the Party." The video utilises deepfake technology with the rapper animating photos from his childhood to sync up with the track. (The Fader)
Bad Bunny is King if Spotify, Setting New All-Time Record for Streams in a Single DayBad Bunny celebrated the end of 2021 by becoming the most-streamed artist in the world on Spotify for the second year in a row. Now, the Puerto Rican star is breaking yet more streaming records on Daniel Ek‘s platform. (Music Business Worldwide)
Kendrick Lamar's New Video Deepfakes Him into Kanye, Kobe, and O.J.Kendrick Lamar’s fifth album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, is set for release on Friday, and to prepare everyone, he dropped a new music video over the weekend featuring a sizable roster of uncanny, deepfake cameos. (Input Mag)
Entertainment Museums Among Clients Leveraging Collections Into NFT MarketplaceA few entertainment museums are climbing aboad the non-fungible tokens (NFT) train, using their images as a fundraising tool.Hammered financially by the drop in attendance during the pandemic, such venues as The Universal Hip-Hop Museum, the Museum of Broadcast Communications, and the Norman Rockwell Museum are leveraging their collections through a company called Iconic Moments. (Deadline)
Apple Officially Discontinues the iPod After 20 Years — ‘End of an Era’The iPhone and Apple Watch developer revealed the final hurrah of its iPod Touch via a brief blog post (entitled “The Music Lives On”) today. (Digital Music News)
BYTES
The traditional record label model isn’t artist-friendly. That’s not a secret to anyone by now. Deals are notoriously long and feature a revenue split heavily tilted toward the label — not the artist. But an ambitious alternative has arisen in the last few years. Meet indify, a start-up co-founded by musician prettyboyshav and his two childhood best friends, Matthew Pavia and Connor Lawrence.
Say what you want about A$AP Rocky – I'm of the mind that the TESTING backlash was a bit overwrought – but the man knows how to make a music video. The visuals for his new single "D.M.B." (an acronym for Dat's My Bitch, not Dave Matthews Band) is one for the books even in the context of Rocky's impressive resumé. (Fader)
The A0K1VERSE, a new ecosystem bridging the metaverse with the real world. Web3, meets Web 2.0 meets IRL.
As one of the most popular musicians on Earth, Bad Bunny could collaborate with just about anyone, but he’s consistently chosen to spotlight local talent from his native island instead. “Putting the whole world onto underground from Puerto Rico... makes me feel proud of what I represent,” he recently told The New York Times. (Pitchfork)
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!