I’m starting to get obsessed with this year’s Summer Olympics. Normally, I’m not as into it, but this year, I’m really feeling the excitement.Maybe it's an escape that lets me set aside the speculation and unpredictableness of our current political landscape. The Olympics are a chance to take pride in your country without caveat.I’m looking forward to the national and global camaraderie. Few things are as universal and inspirational as athletes’ stories. This is a time-honored tradition we can all connect to and experience live, all across the world. It’s not a water cooler moment, it’s an Olympic sized pool moment, and we can all appreciate the beauty of the games.As a marketer, I also see so much opportunity!Last Summer, Barbie was the biggest thing in pop culture and it was an epic case study on brand partnerships. This year’s Olympics in Paris are going to be an even bigger brand marketing masterclass on so many levels.Even though the 2022 Winter Olympics performed the lowest of any games in the history of television, I feel like the stars are aligning this time. These games are going to blow Beijing out of the water.Why?Paris is doing so many things to incorporate the games into French life, showing city pride, and using the platform to create positive transformation in the city of lights. I’m really impressed with how they are approaching this undertaking and I think it could help Paris in many ways. The Olympic Village plans deserve an award if they can stick that landing, although no A/C sounds downright dicey in the Summer!NBC’s Peacock is playing a whole new game, too, with a fun, diverse host of commentators including Kevin Hart, Snoop Dogg, Alex Cooper (Call Her Daddy), Kelly Clarkson, Jimmy Fallon, Michael Phelps, Kenan Thompson, and more. It’s going to feel very new. There’s a reason NBC sold out all of the ad inventory months in advance.On top of that, influencers and creators are going to be tapped for social content like never before, so I’m expecting the Olympics to dominate the feed.I’m still shocked (and overjoyed) to see new sports added, including Surfing, Skateboarding, Climbing, and Breakdancing. Breakdancing? What! We better win breakdancing, for goodness sake. USA has a star on the team named Sunny Choi. She has about 12K followers as of today, but I bet she hits a million by the end of this thing.I’m siked. The Dream Team is looking great, so I had to get some gear to support. We’ll just ignore that near-loss to the Luol Deng-led South Sudanese team last week.With over 700 U.S. athletes participating in 329 events across 39 sports, there will be plenty to take in over 19 days. USA Soccer is in the running; our boxing is strong; our track & field and swim teams always show up; and both the men’s and women’s tennis teams should be interesting to watch.Some of the uniforms look incredible, too, especially Mongolia and Nigeria. I’ll give Japan their flowers for these Breakdancing kits, though. How do I get my hands on these here, I wonder? I think this is the coolest merch of the year. There are honestly so many great looks across the globe for this year’s games.From a brand marketing standpoint, there are the parties, the clothing drops, the tech partnerships, the brand commercials, the marketing stunts, the athlete appearances, the endorsement opportunities, and millions of viewers globally. Real stars will be born at these games who are unknown today (although some are already doing unboxings). Brands that want new life and understand the importance of moving at the speed of culture will keep an eye on these athletes as there will be chances to strike. See how not to do it here, and how to definitely do it here. It’s all highly nuanced.Everywhere I look, there are brand-affiliated call-outs and activations, and I’m here for it. Some of them are terrible (who wants this, Nike?), but so many of them are fresh, like Ralph’s closing ceremony jacket. From Kith to Pacsun; Google’s AI deal to Petsmart (because dogs watch, too); and AirBnB’s official Olympics partnership, brands are going to show up in many savvy ways. Even Coinbase is in on the action with their Daniel Arsham-designed Olympic Ball. In this week’s Crypto Bull Run fever haze I almost bought one. Nice try, Coinbase! For a digital collectible, it does look cool.But the real question is, with all of these things going simultaneously, how do you really break through?I love the way LVMH has positioned itself in this year's games. From designing the uniforms for the volunteers, to the custom medal cases, there are going to be collectables for many lifetimes. They are playing to their home court advantage.I just wish there was a better theme song. This one doesn’t do it for me, but hopefully a great brand will solve that problem. I don’t see music showing up the way it could and should. If you need ideas, let me know!One thing is certain: watershed moments are coming. The Olympics this year are the event of the Summer and it all kicks off on Friday. For the first time in the history of the Olympic Summer Games, the Opening Ceremony will not take place in a stadium. It’s set to be held in the heart of the city along its main artery, the Seine, and somehow, some way, they got it clean enough to swim. Some memes and conspiracy theorists claim this will be the last “normal” Summer of our lives, but nothing’s felt normal for a decade plus, if you ask me. Four years from now, the world will keep on turning and we’ll be charged up again for this Summer tradition: 2028 in Los Angeles!
BEATS
Techno's New EraIn recent years, techno has undergone significant growth and transformation. It’s been a long time since Kraftwerk, Giorgio Moroder and Yellow Magic Orchestra’s synth-pop experimentations inspired the genre’s Detroit forefathers (Derrick May, Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson) to fuse elements of soul, funk, disco and electro into a distinct, rhythmic sound (Soundcloud).
Timbaland’s Music Marketplace Beatclub Expands To China Via Partnership With Netease Cloud MusicBeatclub is a music platform and marketplace for artists, producers, and songwriters that connects the creative community with record labels, music publishers, licensing companies and independent artists. The platform’s paid service for creators costs $179.88 per year (Music Business Worldwide).
Charli XCX Fans Are All In for Kamala HarrisVice President Kamala Harris’ declaration that she’s running for president on July 21 was met by tons of mostly positive reactions from musicians and celebrities who want to see her beat Donald Trump in November. But none hit with quite the culture-shaking force of three words from Charli XCX: “kamala IS brat,” (Rolling Stone).
Eagles Add Four Sphere Shows, Vegas Run Now At 20 Overwhelming demand continues for the Eagles’ residency at Las Vegas’ Sphere and the legendary band has added four more weekend shows at the immersive venue in January 2025 (Pollstar News).
A Missy Elliott Song Travels to Venus at the Speed of LightMissy Elliott has broken lots of boundaries, but until recently they were all Earth-based. Last week, giant radio towers transmitted her song “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” to Venus for the benefit of whatever life-forms might have been around, or not, to listen (New York Times).
Jack White Surprise-Releases New Solo Album, Available Only at Third Man Record StoresJack White has stealth-released a new solo album that is only available at retail outlets of his Third Man Records in Detroit, Nashville and London. The album, which comes in an otherwise blank sleeve stamped with the letters “NO NAME” in White’s signature shade of blue and bears the catalog number TMR-1000, is being given for free with any purchase, as reported by Detroit’s Metro Times (Variety).
Is This J.D. Vance’s Spotify?There is a public Spotify profile under the username “JD Vance” that potentially gives a small but surprisingly intimate snapshot into the Republican senator’s music tastes (Slate).
Creators Should Be Able To License Music From Major Artists. Lickd Lets Them Do It For As Little As $8 A Song.Most of the time, if you hear a song in a long-form YouTube video, it’s not the latest radio hit from a super pop star. That’s because getting clearance to use mainstream music is tough and often expensive, so creators generally opt for using royalty-free tracks or pay to license music made specifically for use in digital content (Tube Filter).
Was the iPod Killed Too Soon? — New Music Player EmergesWas the iPod killed too soon? The allure of a music player without the phone attached remains a compelling mirage even in 2024 for many people. Astell&Kern is building an oasis with its P1 Digital Audio Player (Digital Music News).
BYTES
Donald Glover reflects on the significance of endings and shares his belief in crafting true and empowering conclusions to different chapters in his life. For him, closing the chapter of “Childish Gambino” with this album and accompanying film is a heartfelt thank you to his fans, and he hopes to bring the experience of this album to arenas during his upcoming tour, The New World.
On this episode of Gold Minds, Kevin is joined by rapper, actor and writer Vince Staples! Vince talks about his unique experience making music in LA. And how it ultimately influenced his hit Netflix show, The Vince Staples Show.
Whether you're in Paris or watching from home, this app has all the information you need to experience the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024. In this new app, we have reinvented the user experience to bring you closer to the Games than ever before.
Inspired by an ever-changing new documentary about the musician and producer, listen to songs he helped construct by David Bowie, T alking Heads, U2 and more (New York Times).
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!