It’s my favorite time of the year again.No, not back to school, although I do love how certain brands make this their Super Bowl.No, not post-Burning Man photo dump week, although I do love a good Playa recap.And no, not Pumpkin Spice season, although I do enjoy all the pumpkin infusions.What I’m talking about is when the final week of the US Open collides with the start of Fashion Week in NYC.This year is going to be on another level thanks to the global tennis explosion. The US Open is the sport’s place to be.Big budget media has played a role in tennis’ rise. While the movie Challengers brought new popularity, the second season of Netflix’s “Breakpoint” is doing for tennis what “Drive To Survive” did for F1. These shows generate fandom and help audiences to connect deeper to the athletes and their stories. We now feel connected to the next generation of tennis stars while getting a chance to do slow goodbyes to Federer (his movie The Last 12 Days is highly recommended), Nadal (who will hopefully have a beautiful swan song), and Djokovic, who may be cementing himself as the actual GOAT and becoming more likable in the twilight of his career. Media helped us all move beyond the big 3. We now know so many great young players globally and from America. With 4 Americans in the quarter finals this year, the plan to build the next stars is working!I had a chance to attend the Open last week with some brand innovators. We saw both Osaka and Alcaraz lose on what is being dubbed Black Thursday. The stadium was alive with friends in every corner. IBM had a beautiful suite full of New York’s tech community. They always have an interesting spin on data and the game and are back at it with some fresh innovations. Moet, who signed on to be an official sponsor, had their own bar flowing. The grounds, as always, had great shops with great partners. I’m loving the tech integrations too. On top of that, this year the USTA debuted an immersive gaming space inside the Chase Center, where fans can indulge in 13 tennis-themed games and experiences on-site, including Fortnite, US Open: Champions of the Court on Roblox, TopSpin 2K25, and Tennis Clash.The players this year have so many interesting sponsorships and so much room for growth. As more brands come to recognize tennis as a global community and culture rather than a trend, more brands are trying to find their angle in, and there are a lot of opportunities to do so.I haven’t seen many straddle the line with fashion week as well as they could, but I’m on the lookout. Hit me up, maybe next year we can crack that egg together.
BEATS
Killer Mike Drops ‘Detonator’ For ‘Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6’Rapper Killer Mike has penned a new song, “Detonator,” for the highly anticipated Activision video game Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Fans attending the Call of Duty: NEXT event in Washington, D.C., got a sneak peek yesterday (Aug. 28) at the video, which is out widely now. The game itself won’t be released until Oct. 25 (Spin).
Post Malone Brings Crossover Appeal To Hard Rock Bet CampaignThings that have crossover appeal in culture: bucket hats, mullets and Post Malone. At some point, all three have meshed their way into different intersections of culture successfully. It’s only fitting, then, that Hard Rock Bet chose Post Malone as its ambassador for a new campaign that aims to demystify sports betting even for the most inexperienced gamblers (Ad Age).
Kid Cudi Unveils Nostalgic Mix Of American Funnel CakeKid Cudi is inspired by the fair and the feeling of euphoria it produces to create a cake mix and merchandising collection in collaboration with Bisquick. The festive theme thus runs from the inside to the outside of the packaging, transporting us back to the artist’s childhood summer with the making of these cakes, which he suggests combining with strawberries, whipped cream and powdered sugar (Tapas Magazine).
Analog Audio Tape Cassette NostalgiaTapedeck.org is a project of neckcns.com, built to showcase the amazing beauty and (sometimes) weirdness found in the designs of the common audio tape cassette. There's an amazing range of designs, starting from the early 60's functional cassette designs, moving through the colourful playfulness of the 70's audio tapes to amazing shape variations during the 80's and 90's (Tape Deck).
Levi's Releases Oasis Collaboration To Celebrate The Band's 30th AnniversaryLevi’s has released a collection of tees to celebrate the 90s rock/Britpop band Oasis’ debut album Definitely Maybe. The 1994 album had a significant impact on rock music, receiving critical and commercial success and helping revitalize the genre in Britain. Oasis has also teased a comeback after the band broke up in 2009 (Hypebeast).
You Can Spend A Night At Ludacris' Atlanta Mansion, Thanks To Booking.comThe Grammy Award-winning artist has partnered with Booking.com to open his sprawling Georgia mansion for a two-night stay. This partnership will allow lucky guests to live like a hip-hop mogul (Travel Noire).
Karol G is the Next Superstar to Arrive in Fortnite FestivalKarol G is the newest star to feature in Fortnite Festival for the fifth season of the online event, beginning August 16 and running through November 2 in Fortnite. The Colombian artist will headline the new season, featuring a premium reward track full of Karol G-themed in-game items and outfits (Digital Music News).
Sony Music strikes deal with Duolingo to bring tracks from stars like Hozier and Meghan Trainor to music coursesLess than a year after launching its Music course, language learning app Duolingo has teamed up with Sony Music to enhance its offering by adding over 60 tracks from Sony‘s artists (Music Business Worldwide)
‘Brat’ Summer Takes ChinaWith Charli XCX’s latest album spurring the greenest summer in history, Chinese Gen Z are dyeing their hair, painting their nails, posting in train stations, and raving in honor of ‘Brat summer,’ (Jing Daily).
De La Soul Offers ‘Pay-What-You-Want’ Ticket Prices for Upcoming New York ShowHip-hop group De La Soul is offering a choose-your-own-price ticketing model for their upcoming show at the Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall in New York City. The event is set to take place on January 17 next year (Digital Music News).
Charli XCX Finally Landed a Laneige PartnershipA few months ago, Charli XCX shared the top ten items she can't live without with British GQ. Included on that list was the beloved, fan-favorite Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask, which she said was one of her forever essentials and the item that is always in her bag — not to mention the product she brings up most frequently in interviews (Teen Vogue).
Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Kerry Washington and More Celebs Play ‘Influential’ Role in Voter Turnout, Says Harvard StudyWith just 80 days remaining until the 2024 election, the study — written by Ashley Spillane and published through The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and the Harvard Kennedy School — provides timely insights on how stars leverage their platforms to help get out the vote and encourage political dialogues in the U.S (Variety).
How One Pop Band Is Trying To Turn Concertgoers Into Climate ActivistsAlong the way [on their tour], the band has also been collaborating with local nonprofits in each city to inspire concertgoers to take local, policy-based action to help reduce the impacts of human-caused climate change — right there in the arena (NPR).
Spotify Says Anime Music Surged 400% Since 2021—New Deal with Crunchyroll AnnouncedSpotify says anime fans on the platform have generated 6.7 million user-generated anime playlists—proving fans love creating their own anime music mixes. Spotify has teamed up with Crunchyroll to deliver more music in its new Anime Hub, with new playlists curated by Crunchyroll (Digital Music News).
Alicia Keys' Broadway Sensation Hell’s Kitchen Teams Up with US Open, ESPN for Signature SongAhead of the US Open, the tournament and its broadcast partner, ESPN, have partnered with Broadway musical Hell’s Kitchen, which is built on the music and lyrics of Alicia Keys. As part of the partnership in conjunction with the USTA, music from the hit show will be featured across both ESPN and US Open platforms over the three weeks of play (Boardroom).
Beyoncé Partners with Moët Hennessy to Launch New Whisky, SirDavisThe success of COWBOY CARTER has driven Sony to a massive musical quarter. Now, Beyoncé is riding its success and diversifying her portfolio by teaming up with Moët Hennessy to launch a new whisky brand, SirDavis (Boardroom).
American Express is using Olivia Rodrigo concerts and F1 to attract Gen Z in EuropeFor many, the American Express card is seen as a badge of success. But, as many cardholders in Europe will know all too well, outside of the major cities, Amex is often rejected by retailers (Fortune).
Gap Gets Loose With Pop Star Troye Sivan in Latest Dance-Heavy AdsGap debuted its fall campaign, which stars pop artist Troye Sivan and focuses on a seasonal collection of loose-fit denim, per a press release. “Get loose” shows Sivan and the group CDK Company as they dance to the beat of “Funny Thing,” a Thundercat song made viral by social media. Choreography by Sergio Reis, a prior Sivan collaborator, emphasizes the flow of Gap’s baggy clothes (Marketing Dive)
Sony Pictures and Music to Help Launch Incubator for Web3 Push The company wants to "catalyze ecosystem growth and accelerate adoption by leveraging its vast global reach and technological expertise across entertainment, gaming, and consumer electronics," (Hollywood Reporter).
Liam Gallagher Stars in Stone Island’s Latest CampaignAs announced last week, the famously opinionated Mancunian Brit-pop tearaway will heal a famous 15-year rift with his brother Noel and go back on tour with Oasis in 2025. In the UK and around the world, news of an end to the most notorious sibling rivalry since records began is driving a positive meme storm as fans adjust to the new and unfamiliar reality (Esquire).
After School Summer 2024 Trend RecapPresenting the After School Summer 2024 Trend Recap: A curated compilation of Summer 2024 trending phenomena across multiple categories, derived from an extensive review of 500+ leading publications (Casey Lewis).
Rapper And Philly Native Tierra Whack Talks New Music, Projects And Mental HealthPhilly Live’s Aunyea Lachelle got the chance to catch up with Philadelphia native and Grammy-nominated rapper Tierra Whack about her mental health, NPR Tiny Desk performance, an upcoming collaboration with outdoor brand Cotopaxi, and more (NBC).
Danny Ocean Grateful And In Mourning: "I Still Would Exchange Justice For Peace In Venezuela" Daniel Morales, the young Venezuelan who was forced to leave his hometown of Caracas for political reasons, has taken over his life since the Maduro regime has refused to respect the results of the July 28 elections (Latin Times).
Win an Epic Backstage Experience with Lunay and McCafé at HomeMcCafé at Home is teaming up once again with Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Lunay to launch and brand new exciting sweepstakes called “Cafecito con Lunay.” This new contest will give fans a chance to win a VIP experience that includes backstage passes to Lunay’s upcoming performance in Miami (Snack Club).
BYTES
Michael Cohl is an internationally acclaimed Emmy and Tony Award-winning live entertainment producer and concert promoter. Cohl has notably overseen the tours and related merchandising for over 150 world-renowned artists, including David Gilmour, Barbra Streisand, Phil Collins, Genesis, and The Rolling Stones. One of the most prolific figures in his industry, Cohl has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and he is the subject of CBC’s 2006 documentary.
The lead singer and songwriter of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds joins Stephen for a discussion of his latest album and some of his most powerful artistic experiences, including recording a song with Johnny Cash as the legendary artist was near death (The Late Show).
Nearly a year ago, Spotify announced that it would be paying less royalties to white-noise creators, calling the music “functional.” A new iOS app, however, aims to recognize the art of noise. Fuzzzel, which launched Tuesday, comes loaded with music by Oscar–nominated composer Owen Pallett, ambient-music artist Eluvium, field recordist Chris Watson (who contributed sound to David Attenborough’s Life series) and classically trained harpist Mary Lattimore, among others (Rolling Stone).
Here are the five songs that defined summer 2024 for Spotify’s listeners around the world—from female pop breakthroughs to country’s global surge to instant hip-hop classics, as featured on our official Songs of Summer playlist (Spotify).
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!