Who’s ready for a little industry gossip mixed with a marketing case study? Grab your coffee and stay with me for a second – we’re trying something different this week.28-year-old country singer-songwriter, Zach Bryan, was dating 25-year-old influencer and podcaster, Brianna ChickenFry LaPaglia. They met at the Country Music Awards in May 2023.It felt like a perfect pairing. The singer had just released his new album, The Great American Bar Scene, and Brianna was signed to Barstool Media. They hit the Golden Globes and the concert scene and were generating some good attention beyond their respective creative output. She went on tour with him. They were an Americana match made in college marketing heaven and taking the world by storm.Then, last month after a year of dating, Zach broke up with Brianna and then the next day, blindsided her and the rest of the world on Instagram.This week is when things started getting interesting as the story hit the mainstream media, podcasts, and even the music charts.Brianna and her boss, David Portnoy of Barstool sports fame (who I apparently still have beef with from back in the day), did a tell-all podcast and livestream.Meanwhile Portnoy, a master of internet marketing, dropped an inarguably funny “diss track” aimed at Zach that is going viral. His echo chamber keeps reverberating around it. It helps that he has 10K accounts to push whatever content he wants.The tune experienced some takedowns over copyright infringement but, undeterred, he dropped another one to make up for it.Zach came back with a big track called “High Road” that landed atop Spotify’s New Music Friday, and then quickly followed it up with a second song just as Dave had.Why It Matters:It will be interesting to see how the sonic barbs propel these two stars further into the mainstream. Zach’s music will grow, as will his allure. Brianna will become a much bigger star, too. This is a great example of how successful marketing happens in 2024.They did a good job of tying together their stories, their art, non-traditional media, the mainstream media, and real time marketing. We saw something similar, albeit on a larger scale, with the Kendrick/Drake beef. It’s all happening so fast these days as the main characters peer into the Fourth Wall for all the world to comment and cringe.This differs from music feuds of the past. Zach’s lore reminds me a bit of a young Taylor Swift. However, when she put her stories to music back then, we didn’t actually know the gory details or get to hear from the other party.Zach Bryan & Brianna ChickenFry have our attention now. They’re putting on a masterclass in contemporary media’s ability to build (or destroy!) a career.
BEATS
Music's Marketing Power: Thoughts On Politics and Celebrity InfluenceIn today's digital landscape, musical artists remain golden for brand partnerships and product endorsements, dominating as the number one global passion point for authentic consumer connections. Yet the days of "Vote or Die" are dead, with celebrity political messaging actually backfiring, as audiences increasingly gravitate toward unfiltered "True Media" voices over traditional celebrity influence (Jesse Kirshbaum).
Emirates and Spotify Partner To Take Inflight Entertainment to New HeightsEmirates is taking inflight entertainment to new heights by partnering with Spotify, the world’s most popular audio-streaming subscription service. Starting today, Emirates customers can now immerse themselves in a world of Spotify’s expertly curated playlists and podcasts directly through ice, the airline’s award-winning inflight entertainment system (Spotify).
Lil Wayne Joins NFL Network's 'NFL GameDay Morning'Lil Wayne is taking his talents from the recording booth to the television studio, joining the NFL Network’s NFL GameDay Morning show. The long-time Packers fan will assume his spot on the desk beginning this Sunday as a regular weekly guest. The veteran rapper will appear alongside co-hosts Rich Eisen, Kurt Warner, Steve Mariucci, and Gerald McCoy. The news was originally shared on Sunday during halftime of the New York Giants game against the Carolina Panthers in Munich and confirmed by the league on Monday (Boardroom).
How Sprite Remixed ‘The Night Before Christmas’ For Its Holiday Campaign’Tis the season for seasonal drinks like eggnog, cocoa, apple cider and, according to The Coca-Cola Company, Sprite Winter Spiced Cranberry and Sprite Zero Sugar Winter Spiced Cranberry — a popular limited-time flavor that has delivered year-over-year growth and usually sells out due to high demand (Marketing Dive).
The Making Of A Modern Hit FactoryUnder Janick's quiet but empathetic leadership style, which contrasts with his predecessor Jimmy Iovine's more bombastic approach, Interscope has become one of the largest US record labels, leading to speculation that Janick could eventually succeed Lucian Grainge as head of Universal Music Group (Financial Times).
SoundCloud Powers Programmatic Display, Video Ads With PubMaticUsing PubMatic’s platform, advertisers will have access to global programmatic video and display inventory across SoundCloud’s desktop and mobile app. PubMatic will also provide “expertise, unique monetization opportunities and access to differentiated demand,” per the release (Marketing Dive).
Two Years Into The AI Craze, Where Does It Go Next?The AI boom has prompted massive investments ($60+ billion) and extreme measures like tech giants buying nuclear power plants, yet LLMs struggle with basic accuracy and commercial viability while consuming enormous resources. With costs reaching tens of millions and limited practical applications beyond basic content generation, the industry faces a critical moment where companies may need to either dramatically raise prices, watch quality deteriorate, or pivot entirely away from AI (Midias Research).
It’s That L.A. Espresso: A Short N’ Sweet Sabrina Carpenter Pop Up Café Is Coming To Los AngelesThis pop-up is part of a special promotion with a fintech app, and it’s going to be all kinds of adorable. On November 15, 16, and 17, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day, the café will take on a whole new look inspired by Sabrina’s latest album. This is will be the perfect spot for fans to enjoy a little coffee magic and a whole lot of heart before heading out to her concert in Inglewood (Secret Los Angeles)
Live Nation Stock Spikes Following Q3 2024 Earnings Release — Execs Anticipate ‘A Return to the More Traditional Antitrust Approach’ Amid DOJ Legal BattleLive Nation (NYSE: LYV) has posted a slight YoY revenue decrease for Q3 2024 – including due to a 17% falloff in ticketing. However, execs appear optimistic that the DOJ’s antitrust suit could soon be in the rearview, and LYV jumped during after-hours trading (Digital Music News).
Like Their Dance Moves, Marketing With K-Pop Stars Is Not as Easy as It SeemsOn Oct. 17, L.A.-based athleisure brand Alo Yoga created an Instagram post featuring Kim Seok-jin, 31, a member of the blockbuster K-pop boy band BTS, modeling a $158 Make Waves Hoodie in heather gray (AdWeek).
Bill Ackman’s Influence on Universal Music GroupBill Ackman's Pershing Square Holdings, which owns 10.25% of Universal Music Group, is pushing for a U.S. stock exchange listing amid mixed market performance, while his influence has already shaped UMG's strategic decisions around pricing, streaming thresholds, and social media revenue (Trapital).
TikTok’s latest feature lets music fans ‘Share to TikTok’ from Spotify and Apple MusicTikTok on Thursday debuted a new feature that will more closely connect its app, which already influences which songs top the charts, to the streaming services where users discover and play their favorite music (TechCrunch).
Bob Dylan Is on X. Is He Messing With Us?The iconic folk singer seemingly appeared out of nowhere when he started tweeting back in September. Now fans are trying to figure out what he’s trying to say (Wall Street Journal).
The Beatles’ ‘Now and Then’ Makes History As First AI-Assisted Song to Earn Grammy NominationWhen “Now and Then” first came out in late 2023, the disclosure that it was finalized utilizing AI caused an uproar. At the time, many fans assumed that the remaining Fab Four members — Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr — must have used generative AI to deepfake the late John Lennon (Billboard).
Hit-Boy Joins D'USSÉ As It Embarks On Its 'Biggest Investment In Tech Experiences'According to a press release, the pair have partnered on the D’USSÉ VSOP Holiday Gift Box, which will include a 750 mL bottle of VSOP. Customers can look forward to more than just a sip of the spirit. They can also expect a direct experience from Hit-Boy, enabled through augmented reality (AR) integration. This will provide an AR-powered DJ performance, branded as “The Set,” (Afrotech).
Why Sonos is StrugglingSpeaker-maker SonosSONO $14.29 (-1.83%) has had a rough several months. Following a botched app revamp this spring, the company has faced a massive consumer backlash that tanked its stock price, forced it to delay the introduction of multiple new products, and contributed to a $200 million revenue shortfall and layoffs (Sherwood).
BYTES
Jon Cohen, co-founder of Cornerstone Agency and The Fader, describes transforming his music industry experience into a multi-faceted company that revolutionized how brands connect with music culture, while simultaneously building influential media and record label divisions.
On this episode, Good Charlotte’s Joel & Benji Madden give a tour of their recording studios and reveal how taking a break from touring helped them to launch an artist management company, MDDN. Plus, best friends Cameron Diaz and Katherine Power explain how they joined forces to uncork their mega-successful organic wine brand, Avaline (Veeps).
It’s clear that Gen Z has an influence on app consumption. Known as the “mobile-first generation,” they make up about 40% of all mobile users worldwide. Curious about their preferences, we recently contacted the app intelligence firm Appfigures, which provided an overview of the 50 most downloaded apps by Gen Z this year (TechCrunch).
At this year’s Jameson Sound Distillery led by Anderson .Paak, 11 musicians came together to enrich their musical repertoires through workshops, performances, and discussions, all of which they took part in with their designated collaborators. The collective has since blended their unique sounds and styles to put out new tracks in the brand’s dedicated live sessions on YouTube (Hypebeast).
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!