I love live music. I cut my teeth as a booking agent helping to develop live music strategy for artists to break through. For most of my career, I was going to at least 2-3 shows a week. It’s a major perk of being in the music business. But I'm feeling disenchanted by the same, old live music experience, and big acts are starting to struggle.Post-Covid, I was dying to be outside enjoying concerts with my friends, colleagues, and other adoring fans. With high grossing tours from Drake, Bad Bunny, Beyonce, and Taylor Swift, the industry was soaring to new heights.Now, halfway through 2024, the live business is settling down and I’ve noticed that going to shows is feeling like a drag. Maybe it’s because of the influx of social content and the ways we can get all of the alpha from the comfort of our phones. Maybe it’s because I value my sleep score more than ever. But maybe, just maybe, it’s that the live space is in need of innovation.I just saw Taylor Swift in Milan. Don’t get me wrong, it was a stellar, well-produced, family-friendly show. She played all of the hits from each of her eras and she customized the experience, which she does nightly, by playing two surprise songs. In Milan (a place she hadn’t played in 12 years) she switched to Italian for key punchlines during her banter. She was the consummate professional, starting the set on time and filling the full 3.5 hours with non-stop action. She over-delivered, if that’s possible. To all the Swifties out there, I totally get the allure of The Eras Tour!But unlike sports – which feels like a one-of-a-kind, high-stakes event – going to a big tour stop doesn’t feel worth it in terms of time and money. I left the show asking myself, did I really need that? It was the same empty feeling I had after other big shows in the past year. It’s not that the performance is bad, it’s that the experience is stale. The video on my phone is essentially the souvenir. That’s the memory, and everyone’s seen it already.As a music lover and self-proclaimed cultural anthropologist, I’m fiending for more. I don’t want to go to the same music festival or concert just with a different logo. Prices keep going up but the experiences are staying the same, if not weakening.I want something new. I want something fresh beyond a cookie cutter arena date. I want to go to a show where you can’t use your phone to film the show but still can have a social experience. My personal mantra is, “Go big or stay home…and I like staying home,” so I need something to really rattle my cage. We need to make going out worth it when everything from home is already customized to our liking.Maybe we need smaller, more intimate shows. Not only would this support the venues that grow and take chances on developing artists, but it would provide more memorable, intimate moments with fans. Let’s look at Charli XCX’s Boiler Room set in NYC. 25,000 people tried to get tickets for a room capped at 2,000. This created a frenzy of young New Yorkers plotting to get into this once in a lifetime event. Everyone was talking about it because no one could get in.I think we are seeing this across the board. People want a different experience, like a day rave in an airport, an intimate experience at a smaller venue, or a unique collaboration.The Sphere is definitely a venue that intrigues me. The experience uses technology to take the medium to another level. Cosm recently announced they are doing this model and moving it to scale. I’d like more. I’m into intimate experiences with awesome acts. I’m into nice giveaways. I’m into experimental shows. I’m into stages that use technology. I love the excitement of a world premiere of new music. How about a decent looking ticket stub, for goodness sake? I’m hearing about shows where you can get your shirt cut up at the venue. That’s a way to create a need-to-be-there feeling at a show. That feels fresh.Looking beyond the stage can be key as well. For instance, Kanye was really smart about the merch at the TLOP and Sunday Service shows, which started a trend of merch rarities. Medium Rare is doing a great job taking unique stars and creating amazing, one-of-a-kind experiences with the Knicks stars’ podcast and The Roommates Show, turning it into a block party. That feels like a not-to-be-missed experience. And Eeeeeatscon has panels, performances, and of course a smattering of great local food, which becomes the star of the show. I’m also into the FWB Fest format, which dives deep into the culture of bringing their online DAO together for an IRL experience.I realize the live music experience has changed. In the CD and big release era, artists would go on tour to support an album. But in the streaming era, artists put out albums to support their tour. In 2024, do we really want to travel to see the show when all of the content and connection points are online?I think the answer is yes! But it’s time to level up the traditional live experience.Also a heads up, I’m speaking at Digital Hollywood’s AI Summit next Wednesday. The panel is focused on creating music videos using AI. It’s going to be a fun conversation. It’s free to attend and all virtual. Check it out here if you want to learn more and join. There are a lot of great talks.
BEATS
Spotify Is No Longer Just A Streaming App, It’s A Social NetworkWith Spotify’s recent launch of comments on podcasts, the streamer is taking yet another step toward building a social networking experience in an app primarily known for music. With comments, podcasters can now engage with their listeners directly within Spotify, as they can with other interactive features like Polls and Q&As (TechCrunch).
Luminate Releases 2024 Midyear Music Report2.29 TRILLION – that’s the number of Global On-Demand Audio music streams so far this year, according to Luminate’s 2024 Midyear Music Report. Who are the listeners behind this number, and what do they care about? How are streams distributed? Do top artists dominate this streaming share? Are mid-tier artists growing in number and streams? The 2024 Midyear Music Report uncovers the answers to these questions while providing insight into growing genres, DSP features that increase audience engagement and the impact of live music on streaming (Luminate Data).
Snoop Dogg Opens First Pot Shop And Launches 2Pac Cannabis LineHip-hop icon Snoop Dogg opened his first licensed cannabis dispensary over the weekend, offering Los Angeles residents and visitors a glimpse into the rapper’s world and a new option for legal marijuana purchases (420 Intel).
YouTube Tests AI Generated Radio Stations for YouTube MusicYouTube is trying out another way to utilize AI, this time within YouTube Music, with Music Premium subscribers now able to try out a new “AI-generated radio” option, which enables you to personalize what you want to hear by describing it (Social Media Today).
Cirque du Soleil Makes a Surprising Debut Into Country MusicCirque du Soleil and Universal Music Group Nashville debuted their celebratory debut into country music with Songblazers on July 10, in Nashville. The trailblazing theater production, directed and written by Amy Tinkham, paid homage to legendary icons of country music, taking audiences on a journey of the past with aerial acrobatics and singalongs, featuring hits like “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”, “Never Gonna Give You Up,” and “Friends In Low Places,” (Digital Music News).
Tame Impala Brings Psychedelic Visions to Life in New Fashion Collaboration With A.P.CKevin Parker, who for years has brought psychedelic vibes and hippie sensibilities to the psych-rock music of Tame Impala, is finally venturing into the apparel space with a brand new collaboration with the Parisian fashion brand A.P.C (Variety).
Are Live Concerts Fueling the Next Acquisition Bubble? Dice Reportedly Explores Sale That Would Value It At ‘Hundreds of Millions of Dollars’Are live concerts fueling the next acquisition bubble? The question is taking center stage amid strong crowd-based entertainment revenue and the massive price tag associated with Dice’s possible sale (Digital Music News).
Beabadoobee’s Tokyo Travel DiaryChilling with deers in Nara Park, singing karaoke in a faux fur coat, riding on pedalos and eating immaculately presented sushi: these are just a few of the activities that were on Beabadoobee’s agenda for her recent trip to Tokyo, where she filmed the music video for her euphoric summer track Ever Seen (The Face).
Major League Soccer Wants To Be The Sport—And The Sound—Of SummerDon Elektron, a Latin Grammy-award winner, and Gotopo, an up-and-coming Afro-Indigenous-Venezuelan singer and producer, aren’t playing for the league—they’re playing music for it. MLS first worked with the duo when the league used their song “Sacúdete” for the campaign promoting the 2024 season, which kicked off in February. Now, MLS is running the summer edition of that campaign with an original track that Don Elektron and Gotopo created just for the league (Marketing Brew).
Instagram Now Lets You Add Up To 20 Songs To Your ReelsInstagram will now let you add up to 20 audio tracks to your Reels, according to an update spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra. When you add different tracks to a reel, Instagram will label the audio mix as belonging to you, allowing other users to share and reuse it (The Verge).
How Uproxx Studios Is Connecting Brands With Music CultureThe trio behind newly launched Uproxx Studios is counting on digital media’s current shaky outlook to prelude a period of progress. In April, FYI (Focus Your Ideas) founder and CEO and multi-award-winning global music artist will.i.am, Uproxx Media co-founder and Rawkus Records co-founder Jarret Myer and former CEO of Complex Networks Rich Antoniello announced the formation of Uproxx Studios (Ad Week).
I Love This T-Shirt. Now, Would You Please Cut It?In fashion, what goes around comes around, and crop tops are no exception. Cropping stations have become a new event activity, offering participants a chance to customize merchandise they eitherreceived on the spot or brought from home (New York Times).
Mike Luba Turned Forest Hills Stadium Into a Destination for Top Acts — Then Got Sued for ItThe revitalized venue, now approaching its 11th anniversary, just hosted a historic run by Hozier and is looking ahead to shows from The National, The War on Drugs, IDLES and more (Billboard).
Record Labels Sue Verizon for $2.6BVerizon is facing a new lawsuit from the major record labels over its handling of music pirates. Universal, Sony and Warner claim the Internet provider broke copyright law by allowing customers to use its service to illegally download music — even after they'd been issued copyright infringement notices. The three companies say they've sent more than 340,000 such notices to Verizon since the beginning of 2020, including 4,450 about a single customer. They want Verizon to pay up to $150,000 per work infringed, which could add up to damages of over $2.6 billion (Emma W. Thorne)
Music and the AI OpportunityThe past two years have seen the artificial intelligence hype cycle continue to pick up steam. The public launch of popular generative AI models – like OpenAI’s ChatGPT (chatbot), Midjourney (text-to-image), and Stability AI’s Stable Diffusion (text-to-image) – has driven much of the recent excitement over AI’s potential. Depending upon which firm you ask, the generative AI market is forecasted to be anywhere between $50 billion to $400 billion by 2033 (Leveling Up).
BYTES
Ariel Emanuel is the CEO of Endeavor and TKO Group Holdings. Emanuel co-founded the Endeavor talent agency in 1995 and has grown it into one of the most influential sports and entertainment companies in the world. Known for his dynamic and direct dealmaking style, Ariel has played a vital role in shaping the careers of high-profile clients and the entertainment industry as a whole.
Andre discusses the early days of Outkast and the Dungeon Family, the legacy of Rico Wade, his love for the flute and a lot more. LeBron talked about aspiring to be something greater when growing up, his favorite Andre verses ever and having out-of-body experiences on the court on The Shop
Kendrick Lamar‘s diss track “Not Like Us” has quickly become the song of the summer. While it distinctively pinpoints the rapper’s feud with Drake, it has become an anthem for fans, topping streaming charts and racking up hundreds of millions of views for its music video on YouTube (HypeBeast).
The Death of Slim Shady arrived July 12, a full four years after Eminem’s last album, 2020’s Billboard 200-topping Music to Be Murdered By. His latest project also features lead single “Houdini,” which dropped in May alongside a superhero-themed music video that featured 50 as well as Snoop Dogg, Pete Davidson and more of the “Not Afraid” artist’s famous friends (Billboard).
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!