Photo Credit: TC Restaurant Group (Post Malone)

Post Malone has partnered with TC Restaurant Group to open a Nashville entertainment venue under his name. The new venue will be designed around honky tonk grit and country soul with 26,000 square feet featuring six bars, three stages, and a full-service dining room and rooftop.

The venue will be located at 305 Broadway, right down the road from Morgan Wallen’s This Tennessee Bar & Kitchen (also a TC Restaurant Group property). Right now the building is undergoing construction to remaster the spaces, while preserving historical architecture and combining them into one cohesive experience. Posty’s venue will be Broadway’s largest ground floor blueprint.

“We’ve created a space where everyone can come together and kick some ass,” Post Malone said about the announcement. “Nashville has really become a second home for me so I can’t wait to invite y’all over to my house.”

“Post Malone is one of the most influential and gravitational artists of our time, and we’re thrilled to partner with him on this exciting concept,” adds Adam Hesler, President & CEO of TC Restaurant Group. “We’re honored to work with someone as dynamic as he is and create a venue that embodies his spirit and brings a new experience to Nashville’s Entertainment District.”

“There’s only one reason we would consider expanding our artist partnerships. That’s to have the ability to partner with someone of this caliber, innovation, and authenticity as Post. His talent and ability to transcend multiple genres is one of a kind, and we look forward to creating a venue that resonates with his global fanbase.”

TC Restaurant Group is well known across the United States for its successful management and operations of celebrity branded restaurant venues. Those include Morgan Wallen’s This Bar & Tennessee Kitchen, Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar, Luke Combs’ 32 Bridge, Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa, and Lainey Wilson’s Bell Bottoms Up.

Most recently, Post Malone released his debut country album F-1 Trillion, which landed at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. This spring, Posty headlined Coachella before hitting the road on his ‘Big Ass Stadium’ tour, following his record-breaking F-1 Trillion Tour last fall.

Photo Credit: Sony

Sony has tapped Post Malone to launch its WH-1000XM6 noise canceling headphones. Posty is now a big face in Sony’s ‘For the Music’ campaign.

“Great sound is essential for me when I’m making and listening to music,” says Post Malone. “These new noise canceling headphones make you feel completely inside the music.” And so the well-priced sponsorship pitch begins.

Apparently there’s lots of room for improvement in headphone tech. Sony has enhanced the adaptive noise cancellation optimizer on this refresh of its popular ANC headphones—covering a broader range of frequencies to minimize ambient noise.

The WH-1000XM6 headphones are powered by Sony’s new HD Noise Canceling Processor QN3, which the electronics giant says is seven times faster than its predecessor. It also works in tandem with a 12-microphone array—up from eight in the previous model.

This updated system delivers real-time adaptive noise cancellation, precisely tuning out distractions from a bustling street, noisy office, or the hum of the airplane while in flight. The headphones also feature a new driver unit for richer detail, clearer vocals, and improved balance.

The WH-1000XM6 offers up to 30 days of battery life with ANC enabled and a quick-charge feature that provides three hours of playback with just three minutes of charge time. At launch, this new model is available in three colorways including Black, Midnight Blue, and Platinum Silver. The design is also more compact and portable, featuring a foldable structure and a newly designed, asymmetrical headband for improved comfort during long listening sessions. With foldable earcups, the XM6 is already improved as part of an everyday carry kit compared to the XM5’s fixed design.

Sony also refined the shape of the buttons on the side of the earcup based on user feedback. The power button is now round, which helps distinguish it from other buttons by feel alone. One common complaint about the XM5 series is that the similarly shaped buttons were not easy to tell apart when wearing them. The XM6 refresh also includes physical + and – buttons for volume control, rather than relying on touch swipes as previous models did.

Photo Credit: Taco Bell

Taco Bell announces the launch of the Feed the Beat Record Club, bringing vinyl records from Feed the Beat artists to 300 Taco Bell Loyalty Members.

On the heels of announcing its Feed the Beat Class of 2025 artists—100 artists across the globe whose content will be featured in Taco Bell content—Taco Bell unveils the launch of its Feed the Beat Record Club. The program provides 300 Loyalty Members with the opportunity to claim a package that includes a vinyl from one of three Feed the Beat artists and more goodies.

Featured Feed the Beat artists for the inaugural Record Club drop include Anxious, Magdalena Bay, and Frankie and the Witch Fingers. Packages in the first drop include a vinyl from one of the aforementioned artists, a Feed the Beat vinyl slipmat, a unique insert with artist information, and Feed the Beat stickers. The Record Club launches as a Tuesday Drop in the Taco Bell app, on a first come, first serve basis, next Tuesday, May 20 at 2 PM PST.

“Since its start in 2006, Feed the Beat has been Taco Bell’s driving force for artist discovery,” reads Taco Bell’s announcement. “The program has backed over 2,000 artists, feeding them on the road and in the studio, so they can focus on what’s post important to them: their music.”

Taco Bell gives Feed the Beat artists the chance to have their music featured in Taco Bell content and provides amplification through Taco Bell’s social presence. Music enthusiasts may have already discovered previous artists to join the program, such as Tanner Adell, who picked up the Breakthrough Feed the Beat Artist Award at Taco Bell’s Live Mas Live event in New York back in March.

This year’s Feed the Beat class highlights a wide array of musicians and musical genres, including The Altons, Die Spitz, Tanner Usrey, Tiny Habits, and End It.

Feed the Beat Class of 2025

54 Ultra

Abby Anderson

Aidan Bissett

Alexandra Savior

ALEXSUCKS

Ally Evenson

Archetypes Collide

Arts Fishing Club

The Altons

Anella

ARIEL

The Beaches

Been Stellar

BEL

Caleb Calloway

CARLIAN

Certainly So

CHESCA

Clover County

Common Sage

Courting

The Criticals

Damaris Bojor

Daya

Deante Hitchcock

Debbii Dawson

Die Spitz

Dizzy Fae

The Droptines

End It

Evann McIntosh

Famous Friend

Felly

Frost Children

Getdown Services

Good Neighbours

Gouge Away

Gridiron

half-alive

Hannah Bahng

hemlocke springs

Improvement Movement

J Verse

Joe P

Jojo Lorenzo

Juan Wauters

judith

Julia Wolf

Kasey Tyndall

King Isis

L.S. Dunes

Lauren Sanderson

Levity

Little Image

Luke Tyler Shelton

Lyn Lapid

Magnolia Park

Mamalarky

Man/Woman/Chainsaw

Master Peace

Medium Build

mmeadows

Momma

Naked Giants

Noah Floersch

Pain of Truth

People R Ugly

PUNCHING BAG

Rae Khalil

Ray Bull

Restraining Order

Rocket

SAILORR

Shallow Alcove

Sheer Mag

Shuba

Sitting on Saturn

Skegss

South Arcade

Spaced

Stacey Ryan

Stateside

Stray View

Sub Urban

Tanner Usrey

Teen Mortgage

Teenage Priest

Telescreens

Tiny Habits

TEED

Trousdale

Um, Jennifer?

VALÉ

Water From Your Eyes

Wavedash

Wine Lips

Wishy

Photo Credit: Nathana Rebouças

TikTok is making a concerted effort to calm advertisers’ nerves as the platform faces its third extension of the looming U.S. ban. If the platform is ultimately banned in the United States—nearly $12 billion in ad revenue is at risk.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the platform, TikTok sales team members have been proactively reaching out to agencies and brands. The sales team projects unwavering confidence that the app will remain operational in the U.S. and the team seeks greater investment from advertisers in the platform.

The latest 75-day ban extension was announced by President Trump in early May and follows previous extensions and ongoing negotiations between ByteDance and U.S. officials. The repeated postponements of the ban have left many advertisers in limbo, with some hedging their bets and shifting ad budget dollars to more stable platforms like Instagram and YouTube. A recent report suggests eight of the top ten advertiser categories reduced their spending in Q1 2025 on TikTok compared to the previous years. U.S. ad rates have seen double digit declines amid the uncertainty.

A TikTok sales presentation to advertisers in New York City this week aimed to project confidence despite those declining numbers. “If there’s one thing I want you to take away, it is that we are absolutely confident in our platform and confident in the future of this platform, so we’re going to continue to invest in it,” Khartoon Weiss, Vice President of Global Business Solutions at TikTok said. “Thank you for sticking with us, because our advertising business will not change.”

TikTok’s ad revenue business in the United States is expected to grow 20.3% in 2025 to reach $14.8 billion, according to Emarketer. Both Meta and Google are watching closely what happens with TikTok, since those advertising dollars will be free to flow into other platforms. Both companies have been improving their short-form video products to match or exceed TikTok—especially amid the platform’s uncertainty in the United States.

Photo Credit: 7-Eleven

7-Eleven has just teamed up with Green Day’s Punk Bunny for a new, exclusive Slurpee flavor: Kerplunk Kandy Grape, an ode to the band’s 1992 album, Kerplunk! The tie-in closely follows a high-profile When We Were Young branding deal.

The Kerplunk Kandy Grape Slurpee drink mashes up cotton candy sweetness with juicy grape tartness — or at least that’s the pitch. It’s a sweet and “slightly twisted treat” meant to taste like the cotton candy grapes Green Day keeps as a staple backstage. The new flavor is available now for a limited time at participating 7-Eleven, Speedway, and Stripes stores nationwide.

But the collaboration doesn’t end there. After the exclusive debut of Green Day’s Punk Bunny Coffee at 7-Eleven last year, the convenience chain is rolling out three new exclusive Punk Bunny coffee varieties at participating stores: Mike Dirnt’s Turn Up the Bass Medium Roast, Punk Bunny Cold Brew Caramel Latte, and Chocolate Almond Specialty Latte.

“Our first launch with Green Day and Punk Bunny was so exciting for customers because they loved seeing music and coffee culture collide in such a unique way,” said Marissa Jarratt, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing & Sustainability Officer at 7-Eleven. “Now, we’re channeling that same punk spirit into our iconic Slurpee drink. Kerplunk Kandy Grape is rooted in the band’s story, and we can’t wait for fans to experience this one-of-a-kind flavor.”

To commemorate the new Slurpee flavor, fans can head to select stores to score drink accessories like limited-edition collectible cups and custom straws with built-in Bluetooth speakers. Each collectible cup features a QR code linking to a Spotify playlist specially crafted by Green Day to create the ultimate “sippin’ into summer” experience.

“I have great memories of getting Slurpee drinks with my friends. It’s always perfect on a good day or even a bad one. Being able to create our own custom Punk Bunny flavor and bring it to everyone across the country has been an amazing moment,” says Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong.

Finally, to honor Green Day’s legacy in Hollywood, fans in Los Angeles who purchase the Kerplunk Kandy Grape Slurpee drink can use their cup or receipt as a ticket to visit the Kerplunk Kandy Speakeasy. The exclusive 7-Eleven x Punk Bunny pop-up experience kicked off over the weekend on Hollywood Blvd., offering guests a chance to sample the new products and score some limited-edition merch.

News of 7-Eleven’s collaboration with Green Day comes on the heels of the convenience chain’s Live Nation deal, making the brand an official festival sponsor for Las Vegas’ When We Were Young event.

Myke Towers puts his racing skills to the test while attending a Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix activation in support of F1 The Album. Photo Credit: Warner Music Group

The F1 marketing wheels – and the soundtrack-promotion wheels – are already in motion. Days removed from the F1 The Album lineup announcement, several of the involved artists attended the Miami Grand Prix over the weekend.

Formula 1 emphasized as much on social media, and Warner Music Latina took the opportunity to put out a formal release about Myke Towers’ attendance. The Puerto Rican artist has recorded a new track, “Baja California,” for the Apple Studios-produced film, which stars Brad Pitt and is set to hit North American theaters on June 27th.

Among different things, the Miami Grand Prix yesterday featured an “experiential activation” tied specifically to the F1 soundtrack. On cue, invited influencers took to social media to provide looks at the activation – including not just racing simulators, but an Apple Music-branded DJ booth focusing on F1 The Album.

Debuting in tandem with the movie, said album will release on streaming, vinyl, CD, and cassette alike. On the streaming side, Apple Music is plugging the project with a pre-release page; Spotify has taken things a step further by adding a release countdown.

When it comes to vinyl, the likes of Target and Amazon have teed up limited-edition products; Amazon settled on $27.98 a pop here, with a $14.98 price point for the cassette version.

Meanwhile, the Miami Grand Prix also went ahead and (by Warner Music’s description) “replaced drivers’ names above the garages with those of the artists featured on the official soundtrack.” Additionally, Towers participated in a pre-race grid walk.

In other words, the music and artists behind F1 are receiving quite a promotional push, and it’ll be interesting to see how much of a boost they ultimately enjoy from the movie.

Keeping the focus on racing blockbusters, the Fast & Furious franchise has certainly helped propel tracks into the commercial stratosphere. And with a hefty 150-minute runtime, F1 definitely has room for songs, 17 of which are featured on the soundtrack album.

That includes efforts from Atlantic acts Don Toliver, Ed Sheeran, Roddy Ricch, and Rosé – with Raye, Chris Stapleton, Doja Cat, Tate McRae, and more on board as well.

Back to the Miami Grand Prix, Toliver, Ricch, and Rosé (besides fellow Blackpink member Lisa) were likewise in attendance. On the performance side – live music factored prominently into the event to boot – Hard Rock’s “trackside stage” welcomed Kygo, Cedric Gervais, Kaskade, Steve Aoki, Sofi Tukker, and Pitbull.

7-Eleven has finalized a Live Nation sponsorship deal, including When We Were Young naming rights. Photo Credit: 7-Eleven

Introducing 7-Eleven the music festival sponsor: The convenience chain has scored When We Were Young naming rights and more under a Live Nation partnership.

That newly announced partnership is already in full swing; When We Were Young’s poster has been updated to clarify that the festival is “Presented by 7-Eleven.” This marks the first time that the Las Vegas event “has welcomed a naming rights partner,” the companies emphasized.

Said naming rights will place 7-Eleven front and center on one of When We Were Young’s five stages. Additionally, the October happening is expected to feature “a quick-stop destination” powered by the chain, referring in part to a Slurpee-equipped “Hangout activation.”

(Side note: 7-Eleven ultimately belongs to Tokyo-headquartered Seven & I Holdings, which owns a major piece of the still-independent Tower Records Japan and a whole lot else. Perhaps not coincidentally, today’s tie-up has arrived as Live Nation is aggressively expanding in the Asian nation, most recently with the purchase of Hayashi International Promotions.)

Beyond When We Were Young, 7-Eleven is also set to have a presence at The Governors Ball in June.

Though Rakuten has dibs on a VIP offering, and Verizon is poised to present the festival’s “Cabanas” attendance option, 7-Eleven’s “Slurpee Street” will provide free beverage samples in Peace Tea and Fanta Zero Sugar Hibiscus Berry, the chain indicated.

Later yet in 2025, Rolling Loud Miami attendees will have access to “an amplified version” of Slurpee Street, complete with an “immersive activation” offering “a visually rich, music-infused experience,” 7-Eleven relayed.

“Live music is where culture and connection come alive, and that’s exactly where we want to be,” 7-Eleven chief marketing and sustainability officer Marissa Jarratt elaborated of the sponsorship. “By teaming up with Live Nation, we’re bringing the 7-Eleven brand to the heart of unforgettable fan moments.

“We’re eager to recreate the fun and excitement that comes with visiting a 7-Eleven store in an immersive music experience for the next generation of brand fans,” Jarratt finished.

In the bigger picture, a few main things stand out about the Live Nation/7-Eleven deal.

For organizers, against the backdrop of attendance woes in the wider festival space, there’s evidently a little-discussed option of bringing fresh sponsors into the fold – at least for certain happenings.

Adjacent to the point, potential sponsors are presumably focused on audience demographics as opposed to sell-through status. And at the intersection of those ideas, logic suggests that even comparatively small sponsorships like ticket pre-sales carry hefty price tags.

For companies without a clear-cut sponsorship upside, then, it might make more sense to explore cost-effective alternatives to multimillion-dollar agreements.

Photo Credit: Spotify

Spotify has doubled down on its advertising expansion by launching several new features, chief among them a fresh ad exchange and a collection of AI tools.

The profit-minded platform formally disclosed these features (and touted multiple already-confirmed offerings) during its annual Advance event. First up, the Spotify Ad Exchange, which we covered back in October 2024, has officially launched in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, all of Europe, India, Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia.

As described by the video-crazed company, advertisers can use this exchange to access the relevant userbase “via real-time auction,” benefiting from “full addressability and measurement capabilities” in the process.

At present, the Spotify Ad Exchange is available through The Trade Desk, Google Display & Video 360, and Magnite (which bills itself as “the world’s largest independent sell-side advertising platform”).

But Spotify intends to add support for Yahoo DSP, Adform, and “many” others “soon.” Also on the horizon is an exchange expansion into podcasts; for now, it only deals in music adverts, higher-ups indicated.

Beyond this especially noteworthy feature, Spotify’s Ads Manager is said to be benefiting from “more advanced targeting capabilities” as well as “new outcome-based objectives.”

Next, the service (which isn’t a stranger to artificial-intelligence advertising) is leaning into AI-generated ads by offering “scripts and voiceovers at no additional cost.”

These machine-made spots, which Spotify demonstrated in a brief video, are currently live for advertisers in the States and Canada via the Ads Manager. Rounding out the multifaceted announcements’ key takeaways, Spotify debuted bolstered measurement tools designed to help connect adverts with specific users.

The latter include listeners who are likely to download particular apps and/or visit certain websites, the platform explained in more words.

Additionally, Spotify reiterated different marketing offerings (like its AUX consultancy and Creative Lab agency, which debuted last year) and tapped Lainey Wilson to cap off Advance with a performance.

Meanwhile, the aggressive pitch is also extending well beyond the music world and to the New York Times, advertising trades, and elsewhere. To state the obvious, it’ll be interesting to see how effective the pivot is in driving streaming ad growth.

Though there isn’t a hard (public) deadline for results on this front, it’s not a secret that paid streaming’s growth is slowing in the States and different established markets. And this plateau is certainly factoring into the financials of (among others) the major labels.

Furthermore, the RIAA identified a 1.8% YoY slip in ad-supported revenue on the recorded side for 2024. At the intersection of all these points, Sony Music head Rob Stringer last year floated the possibility of charging “a modest fee” for ad-supported streaming in “mature markets.”

Given its success with the freemium funnel – and the fact that Apple Music doesn’t have an ad-supported tier – Spotify would presumably prefer not to do so.

Photo Credit: Liquid Death

The Madison Square Garden family of companies have announced a marketing partnership with Liquid Death, promoting the beverage company as an official partner across the brand’s live entertainment venues.

Madison Square Garden Entertainment, Madison Square Garden Sports Corp, and Sphere Entertainment Co. will all promote the non-alcoholic brand as the official Sparkling Water Partner. That promotion will include New York’s Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, and the Beacon Theatre in NYC; the Sphere in Las Vegas; and the New York Rangers.

The brand will also be the Official Iced Tea partner of the Theater at MSG, Radio City, the Beacon Theatre, the Christmas Spectacular, and Sphere. As part of the partnership, Liquid Death’s sparkling water and iced tea products will be available at select concession stands across MSG companies’ venues.

“Liquid Death is a disruptor and innovator,” says Jamaal Lesane, Chief Operating Officer, MSG Sports. “We look forward to working with their team across high-profile assets to introduce bold campaigns and interactive initiatives that exemplify our shared vision for this dynamic partnership, including Sphere’s Exosphere.”

As part of the partnership, Liquid Death will have significant brand presence for its sparkling water and iced tea products across the Companies’ assets—including on the Exosphere—the fully-customizable exterior of Sphere and the largest LED screen in the world. Liquid Death will also be featured on GardenVision during New York Rangers home games and will appear on the Rangers website.

The deal is similar to one Live Nation struck with the brand in 2021, announcing over 120 venue and festivals would serve up Liquid Death. The multi-year agreement covers major venues including the Hollywood Palladium and Shoreline Amphitheater. That partnership co-incided with Liquid Death’s $15 million Series C round in May 2021—which included Live Nation as an investor alongside celebrities including Tony Hawk, Wiz Khalifa, and Steve Aoki. Live Nation later participated in a $75 million follow-on investment in January 2022.

Liquid Death’s valuation has reportedly reached $700 million since those early funding days—thanks to its focus on sustainability at music festivals and reducing plastics. The brand is now expanding into flavored seltzers.

Photo Credit: Lana Del Rey / Instagram

Lana Del Rey is getting taken to task by the national Advertising Division (NAD) over undisclosed ads for Kim Kardashian’s Skims brand on Instagram.

Both Lana Del Rey and Brittany Mahomes both were asked to provide their followers with greater disclosures around paid promotions for the brand—or discontinue making the posts. The NAD is a non-profit organization that oversees independent industry self-regulation initiatives in the United States. Skims was also investigated to ensure its partnerships with these two women complied with the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) endorsement guidelines.

Those guidelines call for clear disclosure of any ‘material connection’ a creator has with a brand—including personal, family, employment, or financial relationships. Influencers who post for brands online are required to clearly indicate whether the post is sponsored or part of a brand’s campaign. They’re also required to disclose if the product featured as gifted or discounted in return for their endorsement.

The NAD reviewed three Instagram posts from Lana Del Rey, which she shared with her 20.6 million followers in January 2024. The posts were part of a Valentine’s Day collaboration with Skims, featuring Del Rey wearing Skims lingerie and pajamas. The caption on the post stated “Good morning Skims, excited to be your Valentine.”

As part of the probe, the NAD asked Del Rey to discontinue or modify three posts tagging the posts as #ad or #sponsored as her contract with the brand requires. In 2017, the FTC took several celebrities to task for not disclosing relationships with brands including Naomi Campbell, Victoria Beckham, and Kourtney Kardashian.

“As a supporter of voluntary industry self-regulation, Skims welcomes the opportunity to work with NAD in upholding high standards of truth and accuracy and appreciates NAD’s recognition of the steps Skims has taken to ensure its contracted influencers comply with the FTC endorsement guidelines,” Skims said in a statement to AdWeek about the regulatory action.

Photo Credit: SoundCloud

SoundCloud showcases the future of Latin experimental electronic music with a Toyota Corolla sponsorship.

SoundCloud’s music discovery docu-series, SCENES, returns with an electrifying new season, presented by Toyota Corolla. This season, SCENES dives deep into the underground and avant-garde movements reshaping Latin American and US electronic music, where traditional rhythms collide with futuristic soundscapes. The series spotlights emerging artists who are reshaping the global electronic landscape through their experimental approaches, featuring pioneering creators Sinego, ZDEEP, Bianca Oblivion, and Nick León.

From Mexico City’s pulsating clubs to Miami’s bass-heavy experimentation, from LA’s hybrid underground to global platforms like SoundCloud, Latin artists are at the forefront of a movement that defies categorization. Using SoundCloud’s proprietary data, including early charting trends, community interactions, and play growth metrics, SCENES tracks how these pioneers are evolving the sound of electronic music through their unique artistic visions.

“This episode of ‘SCENES’ is about breaking boundaries and celebrating the bold experimentation Latin artists are making in electronic music,” says Andrea Ropp, US Brand Partnerships Director at SoundCloud. “These artists are shaping a genre that refuses to be boxed in, and SoundCloud is proud to be the platform amplifying their voices.”

“We’re thrilled to join SoundCloud once again for a captivating series highlighting young Latin artists at the forefront of the Latin electronic music movement,” says Andrew George, Sr., Analyst, Media, Model & Series, Integrated Marketing Operations, Toyota Motor North America. “Toyota continues committed to championing music discovery and providing audiences an opportunity to see and hear talented artists who reflect their strong drive to forge ahead to the beat of their own song.”

The series highlights four influential artists who are defining this movement:

Sinego: The face of a new generation of Latin dance music, blurring the lines between deep house, organic electronica, and traditional Latin sounds, Sinego is at the forefront of Mexico City’s electronic renaissance.

2DEEP: An Ecuadorian/Colombian DJ and producer, born in the Bronx, NY, and a transplant to Los Angeles, 2DEEP has been pushing a distinct electronic Latin sound. 2DEEP creates innovative and seamless fusions between a variety of genres — Urban Latin, Reggaeton, Latin Electronic, Guaracha, and EDM.

Bianca Oblivion: The Los Angeles native is a globe-trotting, genre-hopping, hard-hustling artist, named by Mixmag as one of 2023’s breakthrough DJs of the year. Bianca is unbound by dance music orthodoxy, opting instead for an “anything goes as long as it bangs” approach that reflects the unique cultural palette of her hometown.

Nick León: Creating dystopian club music that samples the sounds of Florida’s diverse ecosystem, his style has varied fearlessly along the way. Making his way into the rap world at a young age, he collaborated with some of the biggest underground rappers in South Florida. A self-taught producer and DJ, gravitating toward the Latin sounds coming out of Puerto Rico and Colombia, he felt compelled to shift his focus to his own work.

SCENES: Latin Experimental Electronic is a testament to the fearless creativity shaping Latin music’s future. The latest installment is available now for viewers to experience the next wave of Latin electronic evolution.

Photo Credit: TNT Sports

The NCAA and TNT Sports Live Events have announced Pitbull, Jelly Roll, and Chris Stapleton will headline the upcoming March Madness Music Festival. The three-day festival will take place April 4-6 at Tower Park at Hemisfair in San Antonio in conjunction with the 2025 Division I Men’s Final Four.

On Friday April 4, Pitbull will headline the AT&T Block Party with an opening night performance. Also taking the stage that night is Doechii and Ravyn Lenae. On Saturday, April 5, Jelly Roll will headline the day of breakout performances. T-Pain and Willow Avalon will also perform that day. Then on Sunday, April 6, Chris Stapleton will headline, with performances from Benson Boone, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, and the Brothers Osborne.

The March Madness Music Festival celebrates spectacular performers, bringing them to the stage for music lovers each year. Performers who have helped celebrate the Final Four weekend in past years include Mumford and Sons, Jonas Bros, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Lil Nas X, Imagine Dragons, Katy Perry, Keith Urban, Zac Brown Band, Lady A, Weezer, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, fun., Tim McGraw, The Killers, LL Cool J, Sting, Dave Matthews Band, Muse, Kings of Leon, Jimmy Buffett, KISS, Kenny Chesney, Fall Out Boy, and Twenty-One Pilots.

The NCAA March Madness Music Festival is an activation extension of the NCAA’s corporate champions and partners marketing program. TNT Sports and CBS Sports license and collaborate on the festival as part of an agreement with the NCAA through 2032.

NCAA March Madness Music Festival Times

Friday, April 5 — AT&T Block Party

• Performance start at 4:30 pm CST until 10 pm

Saturday, April 6 — Coca-Cola Live!

• Performances start at 3 pm CST until 9 pm

Sunday, April 7 — Capital One JamFest

• Performances start 2:30 pm CST until 10:30 pm

CBS Sports and TNT Sports will provide live coverage of all 67 games from the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across four national television networks—TBS, CBS, TNT, and truTV. The NCAA March Madness live games airing on CBS will also stream live on Paramount+. Games airing on TBS, TNT, and truTV will also stream live on Max. CBS will televise the Final Four, beginning with the National Semifinals on April 5 and the National Championship on April 7.

Photo Credit: General Motors

General Motors has announced that Dolby Atmos will be a supported feature across Cadillac’s entire 2026 vehicle line-up.

The line-up includes the 2026 Escalade IQL, Escalade IQ, Lyriq-V, Optiq, Vistiq, and more. Select 2025 models will also receive Dolby Atmos support through over-the-air software updates—though GM does not mention which models. Dolby Atmos delivers a listening experience that puts fans inside their favorite song, revealing every detail with unparalleled clarity and depth.

“Whether you are listening to music to pass the time on a long commute or sharing a special moment on a family road trip, music has the power to transform mundane moments into something remarkable,” says John Couling, Senior Vice President of Entertainment at Dolby Laboratories. “Cadillac’s line-up of Dolby Atmos equipped vehicles is re-imagining the driving experience, ensuring every journey is unforgettable no matter where it takes you.”

“Innovation is at the core of the Cadillac brand, and our collaboration with Dolby marks a transformative shift in how in-car entertainment elevates the driving experience,” adds John Cockburn, Chief Engineer at Cadillac. “Together, we are taking audio to new heights by ensuring the music experience stays true to the artist’s original vision, delivering a sound experience that makes customers feel like they are in the music studio with them.”

Recent reports from the Federal Highway Administration suggest people are spending more time in their cars than ever. Drivers in the United States collectively drive over three trillion miles a year. This vast amount of time on the road coincides with growing demand among consumers for high-quality, immersive experiences. Dolby says a recent study conducted found that 90% of respondents said enhanced audio quality was a ‘must-have’ feature in their vehicles.

Apple’s embracing of Dolby Atmos has ensured the format has become a popular one. 93% of Billboard’s 2024 Top 100 Artists are releasing their music in Dolby Atmos—and now that music can be heard the way it was intended in Cadillac vehicles.

Photo Credit: Pierre Mouton (Xin Liu)

Dior has announced Chinese female solo star Xin Liu is joining the brand as a global ambassador. She’s in good company with Blackpink’s Jisoo, Angelababy, BTS’s Jimin, and Rosalía.

Fresh off the heels of this week’s Dior’s Fall/Winter 2025 show at Paris Fashion Week, the artist made her first major public appearance wearing the brand and her first of many to come. Dior says Xin Liu has captivated the fashion world with her bold, trendsetting style, making her a natural fit for the brand’s legacy of elegance and innovation.

Xin Lui recently attended the prestigious British Fashion Awards as an honored guest and graced the December 2024 cover of L’OFFICIEL China. Her portfolio includes covers for Harper’s Bazaar, GRAZIA, VOGUE, Cosmopolitan, and GQ, alongisde her roles as ambassador for Dior China, Crocs, Sisley, and New Era.

Having skyrocketed to fame in China, the international star is now set on making her mark on the global music scene. After winning first place on the second season of the Chinese reality survival show, “Youth With You 2,” she quickly established her status as one of China’s most influential artists. Her album Xanadu shattered sales records, selling over 54 million copies worldwide and becoming the best-selling Chinese physical album. She brought the album to life through her sold-out arena tour in 2023.

Beyond music, Xin Liu is recognized for her dynamic presence as a dancer and was the first female captain of these Chinese dance competition show, “Street Dance of China.” She made history as the first female Chinese solo artist to perform at Coachella in 2024 and is set to take the stage at 88rising’s Head in the Clouds Festival 2025 in Los Angeles on May 31. Her single “Take A Sip” from her most recent album O recently entered the Top 40 in the U.S. Pop Radio Weekly Chart at #40, making her the first Chinese female solo artist to achieve this milestone.

Photo Credit: David Lezcano

Adidas reports all remaining inventory associated with their collaboration with Kanye West has been sold. “That episode is behind us.”

Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, launched a deal with Adidas back in 2013, valued at $1 billion at the time. But that partnership quickly dissolved when Adidas severed ties with Ye in late 2022 after his antisemitic tirade on social media. Now, the company has finally offloaded the rest of its Yeezy stock, putting the chapter behind them.

Even though ending that collaboration dramatically impacted the company’s bottom line, “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” said Adidas. “[West’s] recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful, and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect, and fairness.”

Since then, while West’s problematic behavior rages on, Adidas has been hard at work to offload what remains of their Yeezy stock. That’s despite the company losing revenue in the US throughout all of 2023 and most of 2024, when sales declined in the region by 2% “solely due to significantly lower Yeezy sales.” The sportswear brand began liquidating its remaining Yeezy stock in mid 2023, with a pledge to donate part of the proceeds to organizations like the Anti-Defamation League to combat antisemitism.

But now, the excess Yeezy stock has been sold, putting a final nail in the collaboration that once made Kanye West a billionaire. “There is not one Yeezy shoe left,” said Adidas Chief Financial Officer Harm Ohlmeyer. “It has all been sold, and that episode is behind us.”

Forbes reports around $1.5 billion of West’s net worth was due to his partnership with Adidas. He continues to use the Yeezy brand name for his own merch, including an ad that ran in select markets during the Super Bowl. The strange spot, filmed on West’s iPhone, caused outrage for linking to his website, where only a white t-shirt with a swastika remained for sale.

West has since gone on more antisemitic rants, regularly posting hate on his social media accounts and proclaiming himself to be a nazi—before backtracking and apologizing yet again.

Photo Credit: Megan Thee Stallion for Chicas Divertidas Tequila

Megan Thee Stallion launches a new tequila brand, Chicas Divertidas, available now for preorder. The release is timed to coincide with the star’s 30th birthday.

Megan Thee Stallion has been diversifying her portfolio. In a bid to further strengthen her entrepreneurial muscle, Meg has introduced her new tequila brand, Chicas Divertidas. The brand launches with two premium offerings: Blanco and Reposado.

Chicas Divertidas is available now for preorder, both on its own website and Reserve Bar, timed to coincide with Megan’s 30th birthday on February 15. The brand is described as refined tequila crafted from single-source, 100% Blue Weber agave, harvested at peak maturity from the red volcanic highlands of Jalisco, Mexico.

Meg’s tequila is produced at Casa Centinela, a distillery preserving tradition since 1904. It benefits from the region’s rich volcanic soil and a cooler climate, leading to a naturally sweeter agave. The piñas are cooked in traditional masonry ovens and distilled in premium copper stills, resulting in an authentic and flavorful juice.

“As someone who values good vibes and great memories, I knew I wanted to create a tequila that was designed to be shared and savored with my Hotties,” said Megan, referring to her fanbase.

“Smooth, sultry, and premium. This process has been years in the making, and I’m so proud to take this next step in my journey as an entrepreneur and launch this brand. I know the Hotties are ready; it’s time to give them a drink made by me! I’m excited to share this labor of love with you all and hope you are inspired to enter your Chicas Era!”

Chicas Divertidas features a slender and curvaceous bottle, a design inspired by the “seductive yet deadly” Angel’s Trumpet — a flower known for both its bold colors and striking appearance. Each bottle features cuts and grooves inspired by the agave plant and gradient hues of orange, pink, red, and purple. The bottle is crowned with a dagger-pierced heart, representing the brand’s essence: keep it cute, classy, and cut-throat.

The Blanco edition features a pure and delicately sweet liquid with citrus notes and herbal hints of rosemary and green tea, resulting in a silky-smooth finish. Reposado is meant to be savored, with a richly balanced profile of caramelized agave, American oak, and cooking spices with an elegant finish.

Both versions are sold in 750ml bottles at 40% ABV. They are available for preorder now, and will be offered in limited quantities at select US retailers at a suggested retail price of $70 (Blanco) and $80 (Reposado).

Tequila and other liquor imprints can spell big bucks for artists like Megan. Though Diddy’s long-standing venture with Diageo’s Cîroc went south, many others have done well for themselves.

Carlos Santana launched Casa Noble in 2015, while Adam Levine and Sammy Hagar launched their joint venture, Santo Mezquila, in 2017. Rita Ora’s Prospero debuted in 2019, E-40’s E. Cuarenta in 2018, and Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Tequila has been available in various expressions since the early 2000s. Other brands launched around 2020 include The Chainsmokers’ JAJA Tequila, AC/DC’s Thunderstruck Tequila, and Rammstein’s aptly named Rammstein Tequila.

Photo Credit: Talib Kweli by The Come Up Show / CC by 2.0

Talib Kweli confirms that Amazon Christmas ad isn’t him, despite people congratulating him on it every year.

If you think you’ve been hearing rapper Talib Kweli on that catchy Amazon Prime Christmas ad, you’re not alone. But Kweli recently confirmed it isn’t him, even though people congratulate him on it every year.

Staunch fans of the rapper were convinced it couldn’t be Talib, despite sounding very much like him — anyone who knows him knows he supports the Amazon workers’ strike currently in progress. But the voice sounds so remarkably like him that some fans have suggested he send a cease and desist over the song.

“Every holiday season people congratulate me on having my song used in an Amazon ad, except for this season… because the people I’m around support the strike,” he wrote on Bluesky, the new social media platform that aims to recreate the feel of the pre-Elon Musk-owned Twitter. “Here’s the thing tho… I’ve never had a song used in an Amazon ad. That’s not me. That’s just someone who sounds like me.”

The song in question is actually “A Good Time Coming (March of the Nutcracker)” by Tez Tez featuring Black Prez, released in 2022. According to YouTube channel BLUX, “Blending the timeless charm of ‘The Nutcracker’ with modern rap vibes, [“A Good Time Coming”] is set to be your new holiday anthem.”

“The song masterfully samples themes from ‘The Nutcracker,’ infusing them with a fresh and catchy hip-hop rhythm that’s sure to get you moving,” they continue.

“Cease & desist for [Tez Tez] too,” a fan commented on Talib’s post, with a link to the song featured in the Amazon ad. “Sue Amazon for ‘Right of Publicity,’ ‘Defamation,’ ‘Intentional Misrepresentation,’ etc. You’ll win.”

But whether Talib’s right of publicity has actually been violated by someone whose voice sounds remarkably like his remains to be seen.

Blossoms delivering the headline performance at Spotify’s Budweiser-sponsored AUX event in Manchester. Photo Credit: Spotify

Spotify has officially expanded its live initiative into the UK with a Budweiser-sponsored concert in Manchester.

The streaming platform just recently hosted that event, which arrived about 10 months after the launch of Spotify’s brand-focused music consultancy, AUX. One component of a wider advertising and marketing push, this consultancy’s rollout preceded the June debut of an in-house “Creative Lab” agency.

Keeping the focus on AUX, Spotify dubbed its first UK installment “Music Depot.” Having taken place at Manchester’s Diecast venue (which per the appropriate website has a maximum capacity of 5,000), the multifaceted happening attracted “more than 500 fans” in total, according to Spotify.

Said fans saw performances from Good Neighbours and Manchester-based headliner Blossoms, besides several DJ sets to boot, WPP-partnered Spotify summed up. And while it perhaps goes without saying, Budweiser factored prominently into the “fully immersive experience” as well.

That refers to the expected elements (branded cups, customizable apparel, and posters) along with “Budweiser-inspired add-ons” for a “street-food-style menu” and a well-stocked Budweiser bar.

Though the latter wouldn’t normally stand out, it enabled attendees to print messages and Spotify codes “directly onto the foam of their pints.” And for those inclined to spend a chunk of the night under the needle, local tattoo artists were on hand to provide “permanent or temporary ink.”

(The artists evidently found a number of takers for their complimentary tattoos. Per a series of posts from one attendee, the tattoo professionals couldn’t squeeze her in during the event but provided the sought ink at their main business free of charge the following day.)

“Spotify is committed to deepening the connections between artists, brands, and fans,” Spotify UK and Northern Europe sales head Ed Couchman elaborated in part. “With AUX Live Experiences, we’ve seen that our branded live events are cultural moments that get people talking and deliver results for advertisers.”

With FanDuel and Samsung among the other companies that have already partnered with Spotify “to build cultural relevance” and “cultivate fresh fandoms,” time will tell which AUX events 2025 brings. However, besides hardly lacking access to music talent, Spotify is continuing to diversify into other entertainment areas.

Podcasting stands out here, but amid an intensifying video battle with YouTube, the platform is also spearheading an aggressive expansion into visual media. At the points’ intersection, there’ll presumably be room to host “crossover” live events, harnessing music and more to plug brands, down the line.

WPP and Universal Music Group have inked a partnership deal extending to AI and more. Photo Credit: UMG

Universal Music Group (UMG) and WPP have inked a partnership deal that they say will help brands reach new audiences with music-powered campaigns.

The major label and the London-headquartered ad company reached out with word of the tie-up today, after WPP finalized a seemingly far-reaching Roblox pact in October. As described by the relevant parties, the newer of the agreements will see WPP clients receive access to “some of the world’s most popular artists and their music.”

On the other side of the table, UMG acts may benefit from sizable paydays and potentially significant exposure via sync opportunities in straight adverts, broader marketing campaigns, and more.

With that said, it remains to be seen which placements the union will deliver. WPP and UMG opted against diving into the deal’s particulars, instead noting the possibility that the latter’s catalog could “unlock additional areas of amplification through data-driven and technological innovation.”

Execs also abstained from divulging details in their official statements. UMG chief digital officer Michael Nash reiterated the “benefits to stakeholders of each company,” and WPP CTO Stephan Pretorius underscored plans “to leverage emerging technologies and data insights to create truly innovative music-driven campaigns.”

Running with the mention of emerging technologies, the companies per their announcement intend to “work together to responsibly explore new ways that AI can better help brands and artists connect and create authentic cultural moments.”

Like with the specifics of the wider union, only time will tell exactly what the AI undertakings – and the “authentic cultural moments” – entail. But it’s worth noting that WPP has closed AI-focused agreements involving IBM, Google Gemini, and even Anthropic (which is still facing sweeping music industry infringement litigation) during 2024 alone.

(Amazon last month invested another $4 billion in Anthropic, thereby elevating the overall total to $8 billion. And a discovery sub-dispute is ongoing in music publishers’ plodding copyright complaint against the AI giant.)

In any event, UMG isn’t alone in looking to make waves in advertising; Spotify partnered with WPP back in August 2023, launched an in-house “Creative Lab” marketing agency this past June, and is leveraging AI on multiple fronts to boot.

Heading into the new year, the streaming platform doesn’t appear to be letting up in the advert department. The past week alone has seen Spotify set out to make several related sales hires (including a sales insights analyst for music) and bring on a senior product designer for advertising.

Unhurd founder and CEO Alex Brees. Photo Credit: Unhurd

AI-powered music promotion platform Unhurd has acquired IndieKnow, a release-focused education and marketing app.

London-headquartered Unhurd (stylized as “un:hurd”) officially revealed its buyout of Bangkok-based IndieKnow today. Founded in 2021 by Music Concierge higher-up Andy Haggerstone, IndieKnow is billed specifically as a service for “helping musicians get from zero to one when releasing music.”

According to the appropriate website, the app features a checklist-equipped “release planner” designed to help artists cover all promotional bases before their works debut. IndieKnow, which costs £7 monthly and £60 annually, also includes access to “a press release writing wizard,” “a database of over 1,000 PR & radio contacts,” and other tools.

Now, Unhurd says it intends to integrate the newly acquired company’s “educational resources and step-by-step learning guides” – thereby taking another step towards bridging “the all-important knowledge gap for artists in getting release ready.”

Though the purchaser opted against disclosing the buyout’s precise financials – each side is “very happy” with the terms, per Unhurd – it did note that the deal extends to seemingly all IndieKnow’s holdings but not personnel.

Existing subscribers will be onboarded to Willard Ahdritz-backed Unhurd, which expects to complete the addition of IndieKnow’s assets early next year.

Unhurd founder and CEO Alex Brees, currently en route to Riyadh to pitch prospective investors, in a statement described the deal as “a natural alignment” and a means of enhancing value for his business’s own subscribers.

“IndieKnow is a cornerstone of knowledge and empowerment for artists,” the former Universal Music exec Brees continued in part, “and un:hurd has always been about helping artists cut through the noise more effectively.

“…When I saw what IndieKnow had built,” the Unhurd head concluded, “I knew this solution would not only solve this specific challenge for artists, but also saw how beautifully the solution would fit into our new workflows which are launching early 2025. This is very exciting for artists on the un:hurd platform!”

Unhurd’s newest expansion initiative follows a seven-figure seed round in Q1 2023 – and, closer to the present, multimillion-dollar raises for several music promotion startups.

This past February, SongTools scored $3 million in funding before rolling out its SongFly “one-click advertising tool” in April. Also in February, Groover finalized an $8 million Series A and eyed a global expansion as well as the launch of fresh features.

TikTok and Nielsen have finalized an advert-measurement deal. Photo Credit: Solen Feyissa

Exactly how effective are TikTok advertising campaigns? Amid the app’s continued push to drive music discovery, a measurement-centered Nielsen deal could provide concrete answers.

TikTok and Nielsen unveiled that agreement today, just one day after the ByteDance-owned platform touted its perceived role in elevating tracks to the top of the U.S. charts.

Behind this bold claim – and following an early 2024 licensing dispute with Universal Music – TikTok has also hosted a number of artist features on the year.

Those largely major-label-focused initiatives have coincided with the rollout of a bolstered “Add to Music App” feature and the newer “Share to TikTok” counterpart.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Nielsen-TikTok union, the former has looked to diversify via ONE (a “cross-media measurement solution” that debuted in October 2023) as well as the Media Distributor Gauge (a cross-platform TV-consumption measurer that launched in May 2024).

At the intersection of these points, Nielsen is now expected to provide a “cross-media view of ad campaign performance” on TikTok, “inclusive of” U.S. usage.

Said cross-media view, the audience-measurement firm spelled out, will enable TikTok ad performance comparisons “across all screens, including digital, CTV, and linear.”

On the methodology front, the TikTok tie-up will utilize “cleanroom technology” along with “industry-leading panels and data assets to provide independent and verified reporting of demographic data,” Nielsen relayed.

Enthusiastic descriptors aside, it’ll be interesting to get a better idea of the hard numbers behind marketing efforts on TikTok. Closer to the present, it’s hardly uncommon to hear of the platform’s role in driving consumption on Spotify, Apple Music, and elsewhere.

And commercially prominent acts, from Taylor Swift (who opted to rejoin TikTok even before the Universal Music licensing dispute had ended) to Coldplay and Jin to Rauw, are definitely capitalizing on the app.

But some have suggested successful TikTok music-campaign results could be a byproduct, not the core cause, of diehard fans’ listening habits. In this way, as superfan-monetization moves keep on ramping up, the Nielsen figures will prove insightful on multiple levels.

More immediately, it goes without saying that measurements of TikTok’s ad-campaign performances – and the ad campaigns themselves – hinge on the platform’s remaining available in the world’s largest economy.

With a long list of competitors (Reels, Shorts, a revamped Triller, and lesser-discussed players) still working to attract additional users, TikTok’s domestic future, despite an ongoing legal challenge, is hanging in the balance. Plus, regulatory obstacles are continuing to affect the app’s international operations.

Photo Credit: Matthew Hamilton

Adidas reaches an out-of-court settlement with rapper Ye to put an end to legal proceedings between the two entities.

Adidas has reached an out-of-court settlement with rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, to end all legal proceedings between the two. The company confirmed the news today, Tuesday, October 29. Adidas added that no money changed hands in the agreement.

The sportswear brand and the rapper had been locked in legal battle across multiple lawsuits over the past couple of years, since Adidas terminated its partnership with Ye over antisemitic comments he made on social media and in interviews.

CEO Bjorn Gulden told reporters on a conference call, “There isn’t any more open issues, and there is no money going either way, and we both move on.” Further details of the deal were not provided.

“There were tensions on many issues, and […] when you put the claims on the right side and you put the claims on the left side, both parties said, ‘we don’t need to fight anymore,’ and withdrew all the claims,” Gulden continued.

That said, Financial Times reported Adidas received over $108 million (€100 million) from the settlement with Ye, which involved unwinding a previous provision relating to outstanding legal issues that are now resolved.

This money, along with another €150 million, is earmarked for charity, the company confirmed. Last year, Adidas set up an independent non-profit foundation to oversee the distribution of those funds to “promote social and environmental progress.”

Gulden also confirmed that Adidas will sell the remainder of its leftover Yeezy stock by the end of this year, in what it calls the final chapter of the relationship. Afterward, “there are no open issues between us.”

The news comes as Adidas reports robust sales growth in China and the US in the three months ending in September. This number accounts for Yeezy sales made in the prior year being stripped out for comparison. “The third quarter was a very strong quarter for us and again, better than expected,” says Gulden.

If you’re not obsessively thinking about the music inside your store, Activaire is. The behind-the-scenes science is impressive – as told by Adesh Deosaran, CEO and Co-Founder of Activaire.

The following comes from Activaire, a company DMN is partnered with.

It’s 7:00 AM, and I’m waiting to collect my oat latte in a dimly lit cafe in London’s Shoreditch neighborhood. I got in just moments before the rush, and as I waited, a line formed. A vintage uptempo soul song I didn’t recognize is fading out on the cafe’s bigger-than-necessary sound system. 

Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” follows with its soft opening. For a moment, the energy level drops until the pre-chorus, and the three baristas belt out the lyrics, “God, what have you done? You’re a pink pony girl” in unison. Smiles and giggles emerge from the people in line. 

Suddenly, we all forget that we’re dreading our commute or that 9 AM meeting we’re not ready for, and the baristas I overheard talking about snoozing a 5 AM alarm this morning are having a much better day.

The feeling I and this group of strangers shared is the magic of background music, and I’ve dedicated the last twenty-plus years of my life to making moments like this happen in thousands of business establishments.

I’m not fond of the term “background music” as it feels relatively inconsequential, which is far from true. 

If you look at what happened in the cafe when Chappell Roan played, there were many consequences:

A royalty payment gets paid to the rightsholders of “Pink Pony Club.” 

As a result, the people responsible for this moment of bliss are fairly compensated for making our day a bit brighter.

The cafe makes a simple but powerful statement about its brand and customer demographics. 

Customers immediately know they are in a fun, youthful, inclusive, and vibrant space. Within nanoseconds of entering the cafe, “Pink Pony Club” delivers these messages about the brand. Music is the fastest way to tell a customer “you’re in the right place” while their brains assess the additional indicators like visuals, finishes, colors, and other customers. Think about the times you’ve opened a door, heard a few seconds of a song, and thought, “Hmm, this isn’t for me.”

Aside from letting customers know they’re in the right place, the music psychologically affects them and, in this case, soothes them as they wait. 

We want to calm people down in a cafe setting and lighten their load, especially when waiting for their coffee order. If this were a busy retail store on a Friday evening, a more energized selection would be in order.

The baristas woke up at 5 AM to be ready to serve these customers, and music, based on their sing-along, kept them motivated on this busy morning.

Now, this last point may come as a surprise, but even though “Pink Pony Club” has over 237 million plays on Spotify, there’s still a good chance that a few customers may be listening to the song for the first time.

I can say this confidently because one of the features of my company’s product, Activaire Curator, is that it gives users the ability to submit emoji-based feedback on songs, and letting us know that a song is a new discovery is one of the choices. 

I love it when users discover emerging artists through us, but it’s those times when someone hears a classic song for the first time that gets me, and it happens much more often than you think. It gives me great pleasure to know that someone heard Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” for the first time through Activaire Curator (True story).

I returned for an oat latte several more times during my stay in Shoreditch.

I like starting my day with a bit of unexpected joy and was eager to see what the following morning would bring. So there I was at 7:00 AM for my jolt of caffeine with a side of karaoke. 

This time, something felt off right away. The mood was somber, the lights seemed dimmer, and everything felt sluggish. Most customers haven’t fully woken up yet. We wander into the cafe like zombies, hoping to be brought back to life. 

The music is different today; “LoFi beats” softly play against the backdrop of hissing steam. The slow tempo matches my resting heart rate and keeps me in a sleepy state. The J Dilla-inspired drum patterns and Fender Rhodes melodies are all too familiar and immediately feel generic. I could be anywhere, but where I want to be is in this fun local cafe in Shoreditch, where I can feel the artsy energy of the creatives that live there. From what I can see, this specific playlist’s uninspiring monotony and facelessness are dragging me and everyone else down.

LoFi beats are actual background music. Playlists like this are great if you want a steady beat that slowly keeps pace in the background while you focus on work, but it’s 7:00 AM, and the workday hasn’t started yet.

As I whispered my order, I noticed Spotify glowing on an iPad just behind the counter. Do they know that using Spotify in a business establishment is illegal? I wonder. I assume they do, but they either refuse to pay for a licensed service or don’t feel they can trust a provider with their brand.

The consequences now are different.

They aren’t using a licensed music provider, so they risk legal action from rights holders and performance rights societies. 

A licensed business music provider like Activaire includes all required licensing in its monthly subscription fee. Businesses can acquire each license needed independently, but it will cost much more annually than our fees.

Relying on their baristas to select from an infinite library designed for personal use opens the doors to an equally endless number of issues. 

Today, for example, the barista selected a pre-made Spotify playlist with the word “Cafe” in the title, which led to the generic vibe I stepped into. Do they really want to sound like a generic cafe, or is there more to their brand? Judging by the thoughtful consideration of everything from the typefaces to the tile in the bathroom, it’s safe to say they are going for a distinct experience. 

And what about other businesses I’ve visited where staff are playing uber-explicit Hip Hop or club bangers on a sleepy afternoon simply because that’s what they’re into that day? Every brand, no matter how small, has a unique message, and it’s one of its most vital assets. If music communicates that brand message within nanoseconds (and it does), then music should never be arbitrary.

Having worked in retail during my college years, I know how vital in-store music is in motivating staff. 

I remember wanting to find the Muzak box and tearing it from the wall after hearing Jennifer Warnes’s cover of “Whole of the Moon” for the 95th time in a week at the upscale housewares store I worked in. But, 19-year-old me was deeply obsessed with Joy Division at the time, and if I had it my way, that’s what we would have been listening to.

Trust usually plays a major role in the decision to go with a provider or go rogue. 

For many emerging brands, music feels too personal and meaningful to entrust to a background music provider. This hesitation is understandable. In the past few weeks, I’ve spoken with two brands that have voiced their frustration with having to hand-select every song in their in-store playlists because their providers cannot get it right.

The background music space has a bit of an identity crisis, and I believe it keeps many providers from getting the music right. The push toward technology has diverted the attention away from what really matters: music. Do our customers want a tech company or a team of people who understand how to make music an exciting part of their brand?

We’re here to create thoughtfully curated musical experiences for branded spaces, and honestly, the technology behind the music is relatively inconsequential.

Music curation is fundamental to what we do. Whether we deliver that music via cassette on a vintage Walkman or stream it over the internet, it doesn’t matter if we haven’t gotten the curation right.

In the age of algorithms and AI, where streaming numbers and follower counts can easily influence the media on offer, it’s hard not to feel like everything is starting to feel the same. I understand why many brands are wary of working with background music service providers and instead opt for doing it themselves. The tech that’s supposed to improve everything is actually making things worse, and customers are very aware of it.

This fear can quickly turn into a nightmare for store staff and customers. 

I was recently browsing the racks at a major fashion retailer when I was struck by how perfect the last three tracks that played were for the brand. I complimented the salesperson on the selections, and he agreed they were spot on. He admitted that he had been hearing them for the past three years. The playlist contained just thirty songs and was curated by a DJ for the brand’s Fall/Winter campaign three years prior.

It’s hard to overlook that this 30-song playlist was so on-point that the brand would rather play it for three years than have a background music provider handle their music. The fact that I was in the shop three years later trying to discreetly Shazam one of the songs also says a lot about how powerful this selection is.

One of my KPIs for a music program is Shazamability. 

Is this music going to get people thrusting their phones in the air with the Shazam APP pulsating on their screens? In 2022, Apple announced that Shazam had surpassed 70 billion song recognitions. How many of those Shazams are happening inside of businesses? 

Chartmetric updates a list of the top 200 Shazamed songs every week. Sade’s 40-year-old hit “Smooth Operator” is currently locked in at 196, while Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars are number one with their new song. Last week, I heard “Smooth Operator” at a supermarket and a vintage clothing store. These musical blips we hear daily keep songs alive in our memory. A Shazam means we will listen to that song again and make it a part of our personal experience. When we associate a song with a place, we create a more robust and longer-lasting bond with that place.

Occasionally, I’ll tell someone what I do for a living, and they’ll be shocked to learn that my profession exists. “I just never thought about it.” Or, “So, you get to listen to cool music all day?” It’s much more than that, but yes, I do get to listen to really cool music. Sometimes, the challenge of music that I don’t like at all is the most rewarding. This job is less about personal taste and more about understanding how the culture of music applies to the day-to-day realities of brands and their customers.

Music curation is a multidisciplinary endeavor requiring a high level of education and fieldwork that cannot be described or planned for.

As curators, we have placed music in situations for our entire lives. We are hypersensitive to our listeners’ responses and have diligently figured out what works for them through trial and error. We are driven by discovery and cannot wait to share our new finds. We are infinitely curious about music and the people that make it, listen to it, the cultural climate from which it was born, and most importantly, how it fits into today’s world. 

We know too much, and we never feel like we know enough. 

As it pursues continued video expansions, Spotify is reportedly building its own ad exchange. Photo Credit: Thibault Penin

Spotify is reportedly building its own automated ad exchange, with an initial focus on video as opposed to audio.

That’s according to Axios, though Digital Music News has shed light on all manner of adjacent developments throughout 2024. Just in passing, that includes WPP-partnered Spotify’s apparent embrace of video (referring to podcasts, film/TV, and other content yet) as well as more than a few related hires.

Since October’s beginning alone, the company has posted job listings for advertising legal counsel, a senior manager for advertising FP&A, an advertising performance lead specializing in marketing research and intelligence, an advertising senior product designer, and an advertising backend engineer, to name some.

And it’s against this backdrop, on top of Spotify’s continued push for operational efficiency and profitability, that the mentioned outlet says the self-serve “Spotify Ad Exchange” is rolling out.

Per the same source, the Exchange can be integrated directly with certain demand-side offerings to afford clients access to available advert space. First up under the initiative is a pact with The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD), the self-described “media buying platform built for what matters” that ranked Spotify fifth on its “Best of the Open Internet” list in May.

A Spotify-advertising plugin pilot reportedly kicked off on Trade Desk last week, with an early aim of connecting North American advertisers to openings on the service’s videos. Though it perhaps goes without saying given Spotify’s foundation in audio, higher-ups reportedly intend to expand the undertaking to cover music, non-video podcasts, and audiobooks sometime down the line.

Also reportedly in the cards are automated pacts with different ad-tech operations, but concrete details about the plans are few and far between at present. Zeroing in on what we do know, however, besides reportedly moving to attract content creators, Spotify in mid-October expanded its music videos beta to 85 more countries.

The move (as well as the reported emphasis on video advertising) arrived amid a well-documented subscription-growth slowdown in established markets – and following May calls from Sony Music head Rob Stringer to begin charging for ad-supported listening in the same markets.

Logic, evidence, and competitors’ business models suggest Spotify, having now leveraged its longstanding freemium funnel to surpass 626 million monthly users (including 246 million paid subscribers), isn’t wild about this potential change.

But that’s not to say we won’t see further efforts to squeeze additional revenue from ad-supported listening. (Incidentally, Trade Desk itself is optimistic about the possibility of capitalizing on advertising to unlock new revenue in emerging markets like India.)

While time will reveal the results delivered by these efforts, the market still seems decidedly bullish on Spotify (NYSE: SPOT), shares in which cracked yet another 52-week high, $389.48 apiece, on Tuesday.

Songtradr CEO Paul Wiltshire. Photo Credit: Songtradr

Songtradr and Vinyl Group have announced an advertising-focused partnership agreement that they say will unlock “significant value” moving forward.

The Santa Monica-headquartered music licensing platform and Melbourne-based Vinyl Group (formally Jaxsta) unveiled their bolstered tie-up today. Traded as VNL on the Australian Securities Exchange, Vinyl Group counts Songtradr as its largest shareholder and operates Vinyl.com, networking-focused Vampr, credits database Jaxsta, The Brag Media, and, in its most recent purchase, Web3 platform Serenade.

Bearing in mind those varied holdings, Vinyl Group is now poised to “represent the digital advertising inventory of Songtradr and its brands on a global scale,” according to the involved parties.

That will specifically see the Mediaweek owner “manage and sell advertising across Songtradr’s portfolio of digital properties,” with the opportunity to bundle its own services as well, the companies communicated.

Particularly when it comes to Vampr, the businesses are anticipating a U.S. advertising-scale increase of “up to 20x” under the union. Meanwhile, the Funkified Entertainment parent Vinyl Group will “retain 50% of the net proceeds for any business procured under the agreement” with Songtradr, the two also noted.

Addressing the advertising pact, Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons said: “We are thrilled to be deepening our commercial relationship with Songtradr, accelerating our growth in digital advertising. This agreement broadens our capabilities and establishes the Vampr Ad Network’s position as a key player in the global music advertising ecosystem.”

And in comments of his own, Songtradr CEO Paul Wiltshire, whose company acquired Bandcamp in late 2023, communicated: “Songtradr sees a distinct opportunity for our digital properties to benefit from Vinyl Group’s existing and growing advertising network. We are confident this collaboration will drive significant value for our brands and audiences.”

Closing with a look at the figures behind Vinyl Group’s Mediaweek, Serenade, and Funkified buyouts, higher-ups eliminated all doubt in a late-September presentation by acknowledging a cumulative A$2.3 million cash component for the purchases.

However, that A$2.3 million payment doesn’t extend to music-NFT platform Serenade, for which Vinyl Group put up A$800,000 worth of stock and could pay another A$1,500,000 in shares if certain revenue and EBIT benchmarks are realized after one year, the presentation shows.

During today’s trading, Vinyl Group stock (ASX: VNL) turned in a 4.76% price improvement to finish at A$0.11 per share. Despite marking a dip from May of 2024, the day-end price is more than double that attributable to VNL as of late October of 2023.

Photo Credit: Macy’s Herald Square by Ajay Suresh / CC by 2.0

Macy’s has been accused of covering up a sexual assault by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in the latest lawsuit against the disgraced music mogul.

In the latest of the seemingly endless lawsuits against Sean “Diddy” Combs, Macy’s is accused of covering of one of the disgraced rapper and music mogul’s alleged sexual assaults in order to protect its interests in a lucrative deal with his clothing brand.

Filed by a John Doe in Ohio this week, the lawsuit alleges that Combs orally raped a man in 2008 while he was working in the stockroom of Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square in Manhattan. The man, who says he worked as an advisor for Combs’ rival clothing company, Ecko Unltd, claims he was “violently attacked” by Combs’ bodyguards, who threatened his life. Combs then allegedly forced him to perform oral sex on him while he called him “Ecko.”

The John Doe says he reported the assault to Macy’s security, but received no follow up and was later “barred from the store.”

“Approximately three weeks later, Terry Lundgren, CEO of Macy’s, pressured Ecko Unltd executives to fire plaintiff because Macy’s had just signed a multi-billion-dollar deal with Sean John Clothing,” the lawsuit reads.

The plaintiff says he “believes that the report of the assault was destroyed or otherwise purged from Macy’s records, and no action was ever taken as a result of the report.”

The allegations are the latest against Combs, who was arrested in September after he was indicted by a grand jury on federal charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. Since then, at least six anonymous lawsuits against Combs have been filed in Manhattan, some of which allege molestation of minors as early as 1995.

Meanwhile, a group of over 100 alleged victims are in the process of formalizing legal action against Combs, who has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges against him. He has been held without bail at a federal jail in Brooklyn since his arrest in September.

Photo Credit: Levi’s

Levi’s has released a new ad campaign featuring Queen Bey and her song “Levii’s Jeans” in a classic re-imagining of a commercial from 1985.

The 30-second ad spot features Beyoncé washing her jeans at a laundromat with the song playing in the background. The ad is the first of several campaign spots to feature the pop star and Levi’s jeans. The campaign was directed by Melina Matsoukas.

“We have a history of outfitting the world’s change makers — we like to say we’re the unofficial uniform for progress — and this felt like it made a whole lot of sense,” says Kenny Mitchell, Levi’s Chief Marketing Officer. Beyoncé celebrated Levi’s, calling it the ultimate “Americana uniform.”

“Denim on denim has often been seen through a male lens, so this reimagining campaign, which celebrates the iconic female perspective, is important to me,” Beyoncé says about the ad campaign. She says she looks forward to “exploring innovative ways for our visions to align in empowering women and honoring their strength.”

The original 1985 Launderette ad spot featured British singer Nick Kamen walking into a laundromat and stripping down to boxer shorts. Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” plays in the background. The new campaign includes TV, out-of-home, digital, social media, print, and brand activations. Levi’s will also promote exclusive products coming out in 2025 through the activation, with other guest appearances. These other guest appearances have not been revealed yet.

Levis’ teased the new collaboration last week with social media posts, one of which showcased a billboard with the words, “Reimagined with Beyoncé.” Levi’s last quarterly report revealed $1.4 billion in revenue for the quarter ending May 26. The denim company’s direct-to-consumer business and wholesale businesses were up 8% and 7% respectively. Levi’s is hoping this brand collab with Beyoncé will push its direct-to-consumer business to new heights.

Photo Credit: Jason Aldean

Jason Aldean’s ‘Kitchen + Bar’ expands into Las Vegas, making it the fourth location of the franchise following Nashville, Gatlinburg, and Pittsburgh.

Jason Aldean is franchising his Kitchen + Bar, opening a fourth location in the Las Vegas Strip this fall. The 22,500-square-foot, two-story venue marks the newest from Aldean, following the premier Kitchen + Bar in Nashville, as well as Gatlinburg, and Pittsburgh.

The Las Vegas location at 63 CityCenter on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue will feature two stages with regular live performances. The venue will feature a 250+ seat main dining area, seven bars, and a 4,000-square-foot outdoor elliptical patio providing views of the Strip, as well as a 15,000-square-foot second floor with resident DJs, another stage, and an elevated VIP bottle service section.

“Join us in Fall 2024 for the newest addition to the family: Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Bar at 63 CityCenter on the Last Vegas Strip!” reads a post on the brand’s Facebook, signed by Aldean himself.

To establish a home for country music on the Las Vegas Strip, the new venue will also feature a live on-air iHeartRadio studio on location to record daily interviews with various musicians and celebrities who “will often take to the stage for impromptu performances,” creating an ever-changing lineup. Listeners can hear the programming on iHeartRadio’s KWNR 95.5, and on the iHeartRadio app.

“To open our fourth Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Bar and the first West Coast location in iconic Las Vegas is thrilling,” says Adam Hesler, TC Restaurant Group CEO. “We will be right on the Las Vegas Strip, at the epicenter of the excitement and look forward to hosting not only incoming visitors from around the world but also giving Las Vegas residents a unique experience and inviting atmosphere to unwind and have a great time.”

Further grand opening information at the location will be revealed at a later date.

Jason Aldean is currently climbing the country charts with his newest single, “Whiskey Drink,” from his latest album, Highway Desperado, for which he is currently on tour.

Photo Credit: FIU Athletics

Pitbull has become the first artist to secure naming rights for a stadium through a deal with Florida International University (FIU). The 10-year agreement will see FIU Stadium rebranded as Pitbull Stadium.

The rapper kicked off his career in South Florida in 2004, skyrocketing to global stardom and becoming one of the most successful recording artists worldwide. His hits like “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)” and “Give Me Everything” have dominated charts and united fans across the globe.

The collaboration will include multi-faceted marketing and promotional opportunities between Pitbull, a Miami native, and FIU—the only public Division-I institution in Miami. When he steps on the stage at Pitbull Stadium, he will become the first entertainer in history to perform in an athletics facility bearing his name.

“This partnership with FIU is a true honor and testament to what we can achieve when we work hard,” says Armando Christian Perez (Pitbull). “Renaming the stadium isn’t just about a name change. It’s about inspiring the community, creating opportunities and showing the world that with determination and a clear vision, anything is possible. We’re making history together, and we’re just getting started. Why dream when you can live it?”

The partnership marks Pitbull’s participation in FIU football’s Vice Night, featuring Miami-style colors and merchandise, with the Panthers donning their nationally acclaimed Vice uniform. This year’s game will take place on October 22 at 7:30 pm against Sam Houston State and will be broadcast across the country on ESPNU.

“Pitbull’s career trajectory mirror’s FIU’s ascent as one of the nation’s top public research universities,” adds FIU President Kenneth A. Jessell. “Like FIU, he started out very 305 and became worldwide.”

Pitbull has been a longstanding advocate for education, especially in his home state. He founded the first SLAM! (Sports Leadership, Arts, and Management) tuition-free public charter school in Miami in 2012. The K-12 schools leverage universal themes such as sports, science, technology, and media to engage its students. SLAM! serves nearly 10,000 students across 14 schools in Florida, Nevada, Georgia, Texas, and Arizona.

Photo Credit: Pawel Czerwinski

Google is stunned by a federal judge’s ruling that the company has violated US antitrust law with its search business.

On Monday, August 5, Judge Amit Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled against Google in a massive federal antitrust lawsuit over its dominance in the search business. Google has violated US antitrust law, according to the ruling.

“Google [has] a major, largely unseen advantage over its rivals: default distribution,” the ruling explains. “Most users access a general search engine through a browser (like Apple’s Safari) or a search widget that comes preloaded on a mobile device. Those search access points are preset with a ‘default’ search engine. The default is extremely valuable real estate.”

“For years, Google has secured default placements through distribution contracts. It has entered into such agreements with browser developers, mobile device manufacturers, and wireless carriers. These partners agree to install Google as the search engine that is delivered to the user right out of the box at key search access points,” the decision asserts. “Google pays huge sums to secure these preloaded defaults.”

“After having carefully considered and weighed the witness testimony and evidence, the court reaches the following conclusion: Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly,” writes US District Judge Amit Mehta. “It has violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act.”

The court’s decision is an enormous rebuke of Google’s oldest and most significant business. The Alphabet Inc.-owned company has spent in the tens of billions of dollars on exclusive contracts in order to secure a dominant position as the default search engine provider worldwide.

Namely, Google’s exclusive deals with key players in the mobile ecosystem, like Apple, have helped it achieved a powerful position that has led to anticompetitive behavior. Google has also charged high prices in search advertising that reflect its monopoly in the search engine game, said Mehta. Those contracts have meant for years that when users want to find information, Google has typically been the easiest and quickest platform to do that, which has fueled the company’s vast online advertising business.

It’s important to note that the court did not find Google to be a monopoly in search ads; this case is separate from an antitrust lawsuit filed against Google by the Biden administration in 2023, which was related to the company’s advertising technology business. But Judge Mehta’s ruling on Monday stands as the first major federal decision in a series of US government-led antitrust lawsuits against tech companies, described as the biggest tech antitrust case since U.S. v. Microsoft nearly 25 years ago.

In December, a federal jury in California ruled that Google operates an illegal monopoly with its proprietary app store. The court is still deliberating potential solutions in that case. Meanwhile, Mehta’s decision is expected to trigger a separate proceeding to determine what penalties the company will face. Google is likely to file an appeal at that point — which means it could ultimately take months or potentially years for the consequences to fully play out. Google is also expected to face a monetary fine.

Photo Credit: One Plus x Lordi

Finnish heavy metal band Lordi makes a song about the latest OnePlus phone, the Nord 4 — like the phone, it’s ‘Made of Metal.’

OnePlus teams up with Finnish heavy metal band Lordi for its latest collaboration — a song inspired by the recently launched OnePlus Nord 4, aptly named, “Made of Metal.” The chorus even features OnePlus’ tagline, Never Settle, making for an easy rhyme: “Never Settle, Made of Metal.”

If you don’t have your finger on the pulse of the metal zeitgeist, Lordi is best known for its members’ monster costumes and a surprise win at the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest. The track can be heard on YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify — but the decidedly wild promo video is also worth a watch.

Unfortunately, the collaboration does not include a Lordi-specific version of the OnePlus Nord 4 phone, which seems like a missed opportunity. But the phone is quite literally made of metal; the first phone in a long time to make use of a fully metal unibody. And it’s scoring well among smartphone aficionados, serving as a solid recommendation to anyone looking for a reasonably priced, capable, and unique looking new phone.

The Nord 4 is the only 5G metal unibody phone currently on the market. To maximize their collaboration, Lordi has also been spotted posing with a number of other OnePlus devices, including the OnePlus Pad 2. The tablet, which also features a metal body, serves as another device to which the band could serenade in their new song.

OnePlus first emerged on the scene offering a single smartphone model, but its range of devices has steadily grown over the years. Its latest offering, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G, is another budget-friendly CE range phone which promises a bevy of features for a reasonable price. Notably, this phone features a 6.67-inch Samsung AMOLED display, a significant upgrade compared to previous models, and closer in technology to the company’s OnePlus 11 model than most Nord CE devices.

Photo Credit: Merch Cat

Live shows are where some of the greatest opportunities lie to capitalize on the artist/fan connection and drive home merch sales.

The following was created in partnership with Merch Cat.

Most of us inherently know that in today’s music landscape, artist merch is an important revenue stream, a great way to market and promote an artist’s brand, and a way to unite and engage fans. But something that no one seems to talk much about is merch strategy. 

We hear a lot of talk about music release strategy, booking strategy, tour planning, marketing strategy, rights protection and overall strategy for an artist, but what about merch strategy as a matter of course? As in approaching merch in an intentional way, with the goal of maximizing artist merch income and return on investment while taking a holistic approach and factoring in all of the pieces that go into the whole – i.e. building an actionable plan and then executing it, measuring results, and making go forward adjustments where needed. 

It may sound rudimentary, and I’m sure it gets discussed in some artist camps behind the scenes, but doesn’t this very fundamental and potentially very lucrative revenue stream deserve the attention to strategy that the other streams get?  After all, it is probably the lowest hanging fruit of revenue streams as far as getting real time cash in hand, especially for touring artists. Live shows are where some of the greatest opportunities lie to capitalize on the artist/fan connection and drive home merch sales.  

Artist merch strategy is needed because not strategizing results in lost revenue, lost data for future revenue generation, lost inventory control and lost opportunities. 

As fundamental a revenue stream as merch is, there often seems to be an undertone of afterthought or notion that it will somehow get done. And it may very well get done, but likely not with the optimal outcome. In fact, it’s probably not an overstatement to say merch is all over the place and super fragmented. 

From the way merch is sourced to the way it is sold, everyone has a different process. And a lot of merch out there lately seems like it’s a check the box item, and feels either disconnected from the artist’s brand or out of touch with what fans might actually want. Strategizing can help. Like other facets of an artist’s business, an overall merch strategy is necessary to provide an outline or game plan of how the desired objectives, namely profitability and marketing, can be achieved given all of the factors that go into it.

Speaking of factors, it’s not surprising that merch can be somewhat daunting. Merch can be super complex because there are multiple disciplines at play and not everyone is an expert at each one. Merch is a combination of: 

1) Branding/Logo/Design 

2) Physical Merch Purchasing (product selection, costs & shipping considerations) 

3) Product Decoration (printing/embroidery/imprinting) 

4) Touring & Logistics (if for live shows) 

5) E-Commerce (for online) 

6) Shipping to fans, venues, etc. 

7) Marketing; and 

8) Financial Planning/Budgeting. 

Sure, some of these factors might be out of our control, but rather than viewing them as stand-alone components aka “it’s not our focus”, “we don’t have time for that” or “the merch company is handling it”, we’d be better positioned if we took control by investing a little time into considering all of the pieces that go into the big merch puzzle, and how they work together as part of the whole picture. 

When we do that, things can become a little more cohesive. When things are cohesive, they are measurable. When they are measurable, they are able to be analyzed and improved. 

A merch strategy should consider the above factors and answer “What products and designs do we want to offer? Are they on brand? Are they items fans will want? How/where are we going to obtain them? What are we willing to pay for them and what prices can we sell them at to achieve targeted revenue? What is our target revenue and profit? Where will we sell these items? How will we use the merch to fuel relationships with fans? What platform/tools will we use to sell the merch and retain the data and information related to fans and sales? How will we use this data going forward?

By laying out a merch strategy this way, a few things will happen – 1) You will be able to determine if the merch you are planning to make is feasible. 2)You will be able to be thoughtful about products 3) You will be able to take time to consider whether or not fans are being served 4) There will be structure, organization, and a blueprint to follow which will remove some of the pain points involved in the merch process 5) There will be an accountability factor where you can and should check in and see what is working and what is not, re-evaluate and adjust accordingly. 

Merch is a journey not a destination, and needs to be evaluated in an ongoing manner to ensure the proper exploitation of this revenue stream. 

There may not be a one size fits all answer to the many challenges of merch, but putting strategy at the forefront can certainly help us get closer to clarity, organization, a game plan to follow, accountability, transparency, data insights, and ultimately increased revenue.

Merch is a fan connector and touches every part of an artist’s business either directly or indirectly. A merch strategy should be considered along with the other components of an artist’s business to create synergy so that all facets are working together to maximize the outcomes. Strategizing will help ensure that the main objectives of merch – revenue, marketing and fan engagement – don’t get buried in the process shuffle leading to lost time, money, and opportunity. 

Vanessa Ferrer is the founder of Merch Cat, a company that provides a user friendly live show merch management platform for artists and their teams, with a connected direct to fan app that enables fans to pick merch up at the show or ship to home. Merch Cat also provides merch strategy and sourcing services to help artists maximize the merch revenue stream.

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore / CC by 3.0

Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA has partnered with Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group and LL Cool J’s Rock the Bells to ‘expand and expound’ on the hip-hop collective’s music, brand, and lifestyle.

The new partnership encompasses all of Wu-Tang Clan’s music, designed to create more partnership opportunities in television, merchandising, brand partnerships, and film. Wu-Tang Clan has teased a partnership with Nike, which is fruit from the deal. Variety reports that beyond branding partnerships and collaborations, the partnership “seeks to bring together Wu-Tang Clan’s global communities through a singular online destination.”

Wu-Tang Clan released its debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in 1993 and has dropped six studio albums since. Once of those is the fabled Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, which ended up in the hands of convicted felon and Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli. Shkreli paid $2 million for the album in 2015 and surrendered ownership after the government seized it. PleasrDAO purchased the album for $4.75 million at auction in 2021. Shkreli recently received a ban on streaming the legendary album—meaning he kept copies of the musical works.

Wu-Tang Clan has also taken over Las Vegas with its “Wu-Tang Clan: The Saga Continues” residency kicking off Super Bowl weekend in February, followed by more dates in March. The group has added two additional shows scheduled for September 27 & 28.

“As we evolve from ‘Legendary Status’ to ‘Iconic Status’ it’s only fitting and serendipitous that we join the team at Iconic Artists Group and Rock the Bells,” says RZA in a statement. “This partnership will help us continue to expound and expand the Wu-Tang Clan’s legacy.”

“Wu-Tang Clan’s influence on hip-hop—and the way the world views hip-hop—is undeniable,” adds Susan Genco, Co-President of the Azoff Company. “The partnership with RZA and Iconic is committed to ensuring that the importance of WTC’s music and their message is celebrated now and for generations to come.”

Ticketmaster has announced a tie-up with Shazam and launched a ‘Music Finds You’ ad campaign featuring NIKI, Meghan Trainor, and the Peach Tree Rascals (pictured). Photo Credit: Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster has officially inked an integration tie-up with Shazam and launched a discoverability-focused ad campaign featuring Meghan Trainor and others.

The Live Nation subsidiary disclosed this latest integration in a brief release, emphasizing off the bat its existing presence on Snapchat (that deal was inked in May of 2021 and bolstered in May of 2024) and TikTok (the union was expanded late last year).

Plugging upcoming concerts directly in the appropriate apps, the partnerships are presumably driving discovery results given the sizable userbases at hand – especially when it comes to connecting casual fans with live events.

Running with that idea, there’s a clear-cut promotional upside associated with informing fans of forthcoming shows when they’re identifying the relevant artists’ music via Shazam. While time will reveal the exact commercial results of that upside, the feature is already live.

Not stopping there, Ticketmaster has rolled out a “Music Finds You” campaign as well, enlisting Meghan Trainor, NIKI, and the Peach Tree Rascals to demonstrate “how easy it is to find Ticketmaster events using Shazam, TikTok and Snapchat.”

(Spotify also displays concert tickets from platforms including Ticketmaster, which opted against reiterating as much in the formal announcement of its pact with Apple-owned Shazam.)

Each mentioned artist’s Ticketmaster spot runs 30 seconds, with Trainor touting the perks of the Shazam integration, NIKI pointing to Ticketmaster shows’ discoverability on TikTok, and the Peach Tree Rascals exploring the usefulness of the “Snap Map” when it comes to live music.

Regarding the broader significance of today’s news for Ticketmaster, the Shazam agreement and the discoverability-focused ad campaign are generating relatively positive headlines following a torrent of negative publicity.

That refers in part to a far-from-ideal Ticketmaster data breach and hackers’ ongoing ransom demands (besides threats to leak sensitive customer data).

Meanwhile, the DOJ is suing to separate Ticketmaster and Live Nation, which reportedly benefited from a $5.4 million subsidy for two Coldplay concerts in Australia amid struggles throughout the wider live-entertainment sector.

Notwithstanding those well-documented struggles, some are proving immune to the downturn; Tate McRae just recently kicked off the sold-out North American leg of her tour. And in many instances, what’s good for high-profile acts is also good for Ticketmaster and Live Nation, which continues to bank on turning in a record 2024.

Photo Credit: Louis Vuitton

Pusha T is joining Pharrell Williams as a brand ambassador for luxury brand Louis Vuitton. Pusha T made his debut at two fashion shows in Paris over the weekend.

Louis Vuitton says Pusha T joining the brand continues the fashion house’s commitment to the musical arts and artists with a distinctive style. The announcement follows Pusha T’s appearance at the Men’s Spring-Summer 2025 show in Paris. Longtime friend and creative collaborator Pharrell Williams invited the rapper to the show. Williams serves as Men’s Creative Director at Louis Vuitton.

The “Nosetalgia” rapper has been linked with Pharrell Williams since making his debut with Clipse in the late 90s. Both men grew up in Virginia Beach, VA and are frequent collaborators in their work, so a partnership here makes sense. Pharrell Williams was appointed creative director of menswear last year and has since brought out the stars to celebrate the brand at fashion shows. Both Beyoncé and Rihanna attended his debut show, which ended with a set by Jay-Z.

Rihanna appeared in the first ad campaign directed by Williams, while Tyler, the Creator was tapped to design a capsule collection for the fashion brand.

Pusha T attended the Louis Vuitton western-themed fall fashion show in January, while he and Clipse group mate No Malice were front row guests for the spring 2025 show. “Their shared history promises dynamic future avenues of expression and further affirms the maison’s ambassadorial circle to be those forging today’s contemporary landscape across industries and fields,” Louis Vuitton said in a statement about the new brand ambassadorship.

Louis Vuitton offered praise of Pusha T’s unique “razor-sharp lyrical storytelling” and for his influence on the music scene. Pusha T has collaborated with some of the biggest names in hip hop including Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Tyga, and Future. Of course, Louis Vuitton isn’t the only brand to strike a partnership with the iconic rapper. He has also partnered with Adidas, BAPE, and Marcelo Burlon.

Photo Credit: Meghan Trainor for Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean announces Meghan Trainor as the ‘Godmother’ of their latest vacation cruise, Utopia of the Seas. The three-night celebration starts July 15, with 52 fans winning the chance to join the party.

Royal Caribbean and Meghan Trainor are hosting the ultimate summer party and concert, replete with a celebratory three-night concert event leading up to its debut. The world’s largest cruise line has named the singer-songwriter as the “Godmother” of the new Utopia of the Seas cruise, “the ultimate short getaway bringing weekend energy to every day of the week.” To celebrate, a three-night event kicks off July 15.

The three-night party cruise features one event after the next, including a live performance from Trainor at Royal Caribbean’s private island destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas. The bash kicks off just days before the new vacation’s official July 19 debut in Port Canaveral in Orlando, Florida.

“It’s an incredible honor to join the Royal Caribbean family as godmother of Utopia of the Seas and set the tone for the parties to come,” said Meghan Trainor. “The best part is that we get to bring that weekend energy to the stage with my family and fans. What’s better than being on vacation with the people you love and dancing to your favorite music? Let’s make some beautiful memories and get this party started!”

To start the festivities, Royal Caribbean and Trainor will officially name the cruise ship in the company of special guests, the ship’s crew members, media, partners, and 52 fans (one for every weekend of the year, chosen from a contest held on Instagram) and their guests. As godmother, Trainor will join a longstanding maritime tradition, bestowing safekeeping onto the cruise ship, its crew, and the millions who will vacation on Utopia of the Seas for years to come.

Keeping the party going, Trainor will perform an exclusive show in the open-air AquaTheater, and fans will also be able to “slip behind the velvet ropes” to meet the singer in person.

“Utopia of the Seas is where making the most of the weekend and every moment are more than a state of mind, they’re a reality any day of the week. This is the short getaway that’s all about celebrations, celebrating friends, family, and the memories you make together,” said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “Meghan embodies that in every way, from who she is to how she shares her music with the world, making her the perfect godmother to match Utopia’s big weekend energy. We’re thrilled to welcome her to the family and host a party of epic proportions fit for the ultimate short getaway.”

The celebration will set the tone of the Utopia’s vacations, offering a first-of-its-kind three-night weekend and four-night weekday vacationers. Friends and families can celebrate any occasion or just get away with a lineup of experiences intended to bring “unmatched weekend energy” to the table. These include over 40 ways to dine, drink, and party, featuring a lineup of parties only on Utopia, two casinos, and Royal Railway – Utopia Station — a new immersive train car dining experience.

A live performance from Pharrell Williams, who, along with Louis Vuitton, is facing a trademark infringement suit from Pocket Socks. Photo Credit: Shawn Ahmed

Louis Vuitton and Pharrell Williams can’t be “Happy” about the trademark infringement lawsuit they’re now facing over their $565-per-pair “pocket socks.”

Pocket Socks – the Carlsbad-headquartered company that sells the official namesake product, that is – just recently submitted the concise complaint to a California federal court. Founded in 2012 and taken into high gear with a “significant investment” in 2019, the plaintiff business bills itself as the creator of “the original sock with a pocket.”

Running with that description as well as the specific nature of its operations, Pocket Socks in 2012 secured a trademark (No. 4,200,363) for the brand name. And the following years saw the company apply for and receive a design patent (No. D965,284) along with several similar trademarks, one covering its “distinctive trade dress,” according to the legal text and the appropriate registrations.

Unsurprisingly, then, the proper-noun Pocket Socks entity was far from thrilled when Louis Vuitton, “in collaboration” with Pharrell Williams, allegedly began marketing and selling its own pocket socks at 2023’s Paris Fashion Week. (Williams started as Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director back in February of 2023.)

In offering the allegedly infringing product, complete with the initially mentioned eye-watering $565 price tag, Louis Vuitton allegedly uses “the same font and size as” on the Pocket Socks registrations.

To eliminate all doubt about the item’s availability – at the time of this writing, the Louis Vuitton website said there could be a two-week delay in shipping the in-stock socks due to high demand – the plaintiff went ahead and made the purchase at a brick-and-mortar store in San Diego.

Bigger picture, the media coverage surrounding the allegedly infringing socks “irreparably injures Pocket Socks” proper, the suit maintains. Additionally, purported Louis Vuitton advertising involving the trademark allegedly “further irreparably injures Pocket Socks’ longstanding brand and trademark rights.”

Once again at the time of this writing, Williams, whose social media accounts feature all manner of posts about Louis Vuitton products, didn’t appear to have addressed the complaint on Instagram. On the other side of the confrontation, hardly shying away from the media spotlight, Pocket Socks, repped in the case by SML Avvocati, elaborated on the motivation behind the litigation with a formal release.

“It’s a real David and Goliath story,” said Pocket Socks CEO Evan Papel. “This massive luxury brand and their designer Pharrell Williams should know better and behave within the law. I feel like a small business owner representing others, standing strong as David in this classic David versus Goliath situation.”

Photo Credit: Amazon

Amazon partners with Megan Thee Stallion for a Prime Day blowout ad, complete with an original song and music video for the sale’s tenth anniversary.

On Tuesday, June 25, Megan Thee Stallion unveiled an original song and accompanying music video, “It’s Prime Day,” in a partnership with Amazon for their tenth annual Prime Day sales bonanza. The video shows Megan purchasing fake eyelashes, cosplay and gaming items, kitchen supplies, pet supplies, and more from Amazon during the retailer’s two-day discount event.

“The music video was inspired by how customers use Prime Day deals to get closer to what they care about,” says Amazon. “We partnered with Megan and directors Dave Meyers and Mia Barnes from Radical Media to imagine how specific Prime Day deals could inspire all the different ‘Megans’ she could become.”

Notably, Megan Thee Stallion’s Prime song is also a bonus track from her forthcoming album MEGAN, dropping on June 28, and will be available for fans listening exclusively on Amazon Music.

Prime members can also shop Megan Thee Stallion’s Prime Day Picks inspired by her different interests featured in the music video. Amazon says it will also offer early deals on merch from Megan’s newest tour collection, Hot Girl Summer.

Amazon’s Prime Day two-day sales event offers discounts to Prime members who pay $14.99 a month (or $139 yearly) for access to perks like free shipping. This year, Prime Day will take place on July 16 and 17 — just after a four-day sales event from Walmart, which announced on Monday its intention to offer its “largest deals” in history between July 8 and July 11.

Amazon reports that Prime members in two dozen countries will take part in the summer discount event, which also marks the beginning of the back-to-school shopping season and rakes in beaucoup bucks for the company (albeit an undisclosed amount).

The online retailer has been hosting increasingly more sales events in recent years to attract customers in peak shopping seasons amid continued competition from low-cost retailers like Temu and Shein. In October, the company kicked off an October Prime event to ring in the holiday shopping season, and in March it held its first spring sales event for all customers.

Spotify has officially launched a ‘Creative Lab’ in-house marketing agency, and Aperol is said to have signed on as a client. Photo Credit: Jannis Lucas

Spotify has officially launched “Creative Lab,” an in-house marketing agency designed to drive revenue by developing custom audio, video, and interactive campaigns for brands.

Creative Lab’s debut entered the media spotlight in reports from outlets including TechCrunch. The newly minted unit has arrived not only as Spotify is working to optimize its financial performance, but amid a growing emphasis on personalization. That includes the “My Spotify” ad campaign, which Spotify reportedly developed in-house.

Running with those points, Creative Lab will reportedly look to attract brands to the platform, which had 615 million monthly users as of Q1, with custom marketing campaigns.

While time will tell precisely what those tailored initiatives encompass, video and audio ads, in-app experiences, and more are said to be on the table for Spotify, which is quietly continuing to bolster its advertising team.

Since the start of June alone, that buildout has included job listings for a senior manager of advertising financial planning and analysis, an advertising backend engineer, a manager for advertising creative partnerships, an executive assistant for the global ad sales head, and a director of sales, to name just a few.

The latter professional “will help define the go to market strategy and drive execution for some of the world’s top brands and agencies,” WPP-partnered Spotify spelled out.

Returning to Creative Lab’s specifics, a Spotify spokesperson drove home that each of the involved campaigns will be “‘highly customized to each specific brand and business need.’”

Thus far, Creative Lab clients have included Rockstar Energy (which last year rolled out an “in-app concert experience on Spotify”), and Aperol is said to be teeing up projects with Creative Lab.

Also set for a near-term launch is an enhanced suite of AI advertising tools on Spotify, which has for some time been testing AI-powered soundalike spots for podcasters. Per TechCrunch, that includes “Quick Audio,” which will seemingly put the power of AI script generation and voiceovers in the hands of brands when it goes live “soon.”

Especially with Spotify continuing to tout its ability to provide personalized experiences based on unique preferences, it’ll be interesting to see where the ongoing advertising focus leads. Of course, even with all the planning and preparation in the world, a marketing campaign cannot succeed unless it resonates with a target audience – which, in this case, will consist of various Spotify users.

And on that front, the comparatively low revenue of ad-supported listening remains a key concern for the majors; Sony Music head Rob Stringer recently encouraged the implementation of a fee for unpaid streaming accounts in select markets. Meanwhile, even paid users, to their apparent frustration, have been unable to avoid Spotify ads entirely.

According to this New York City advert, ‘My Spotify’ knows longtime user Bella better than her therapist does. Photo Credit: Spotify

Buckle up for a serious “My Spotify” marketing initiative. As it reportedly preps an add-on with more robust playlist options, the streaming giant is now leaning heavily into an ad campaign for the personalization-centered offering.

That’s according to Spotify’s own announcement as well as Adweek, which just recently shed light on the specifics of the My Spotify “global marketing campaign.” Per the outlet, this campaign, developed in-house, encompasses spots on digital platforms, social media adverts, and physical marketing like billboards.

Already live in five English-speaking nations – the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, and Australia – the promotional undertaking is poised to hit additional markets yet “in the coming months,” per Adweek. (Spotify’s official release further mentions bringing the underlying My Spotify to New Zealand in-app.)

At present, the campaign features several celebrities: FC Barcelona player Alejandro Balde (of course, Spotify has an expensive sponsorship deal with the club), visual artist Carly Mark, soccer player Lauren James (previously with the Arsenal women’s team; Daniel Ek was for a time looking to buy Arsenal Football Club), actor Ewen Bremner, and publicist Gia Kuan.

Some of these individuals, like Lauren James, have already taken to social media to plug My Spotify, which itself directs users to personalized listening options such as AI DJ and Daylist.

“My Spotify keeps up with me,” the 22-year-old athlete says in one clip. “I could go from Afrobeats to – next one could be a country song. I just keep playing it.”

From there, the short video shows the Chelsea star demonstrating her skills on an unbranded soccer ball before wrapping with a to-the-point plug for Daylist, Spotify’s well-received auto-generated playlist capability.

Also involved in the campaign are non-celebrity Spotify users; one physical advert outside the Toronto Eaton Center includes a photo of a customer named Gia, who, according to the poster, joined the platform back in 2011 and believes that “My Spotify is a mood.”

Looking to the bigger picture, time will reveal the effectiveness of My Spotify in underscoring the service’s perceived role as a hub for carefully tailored audio-entertainment experiences – not solely a platform through which one accesses music.

Said role is evidently factoring into Spotify’s aggressive pricing strategy; with 2024 U.S. and U.K. price increases in the books, the company now charges more than Apple Music in the key markets.

Furthermore, a fee could potentially be on the way for ad-supported users in the nations, and reports are indicating that the initially mentioned add-on is set to hit Spotify sometime later this year. Besides enhanced playlisting and mixing options, the package will reportedly make the long-awaited Spotify HiFi a reality.

Photo Credit: Sabrina Carpenter

Sabrina Carpenter announces a sweet collaboration with Van Leeuwen on June 8 following the success of her hit summer jam, ‘Espresso.’

Still hot off the success of her hit single, “Espresso,” Sabrina Carpenter revealed on her Instagram Stories on June 8 that she has a collaboration with Van Leeuwen in the works — an espresso-flavored ice cream hitting Van Leeuwen shops for a limited time starting June 28.

“It is that sweet,” wrote the 25-year-old singer in her photo caption, playing off of the song’s lyrics as she showed off the carton of chocolate-swirled ice cream. “Available starting June 28!”

Van Leeuwen described the limited-time ice cream as featuring espresso flavor (of course), alongside chewy brownies, chocolate chips, and swirls of fudge. The ice cream will be available in all Van Leeuwen shops by the pint and by the scoop, as well as on its website. Portions of the proceeds will be donated to charity, though representatives for Van Leeuwen did not provide clarity in time for publication as to how much will be donated and to what organizations.

An exclusive sneak peek tasting of the flavor took place at the Governors Ball on June 8, the day Carpenter announced the collaboration on her Instagram Stories. The singer performed the hit that inspired the collab, as well as her new single, “Please Please Please.” Listeners were treated to the new Espresso flavor at the Van Leeuwen ice cream truck.

“Doing a flavor collab with a genuine Van Leeuwen super fan is always a lot of fun,” said co-founder and CEO Ben Van Leeuwen. “We’re so excited to celebrate Sabrina and her newest hit with this extremely delicious ice cream.”

“Espresso” first released in April, quickly becoming a platinum certified hit, and Carpenter’s highest charting song to date. The track is her first top five on the Billboard Hot 100, sitting pretty at No. 4. It’s also clocked the No. 1 spot on the Spotify Global and UK charts, and No. 2 on Spotify’s US chart, just behind her newer hit “Please Please Please.”

Sabrina Carpenter’s ice cream collaboration was revealed just days after she announced her upcoming album, Short n’ Sweet, will release on August 23.

Photo Credit: kowarski / CC by 2.0

In May 2024, seafood chain Red Lobster announced it was filing for bankruptcy. Upon hearing the news, Flavor Flav bought the entire menu. Now the rapper is featuring prominently in their Crabfest promos in an attempt to draw in crowds.

Last week, the Public Enemy rapper took to X/Twitter and posted a picture of a table full of food. “Ya boy meant it when I said I was gonna do anything and everything to help Red Lobster and save the cheddar bay biscuits—ordered the whole menu!” with several thumbs up emojis following the effluent praise. Red Lobster noticed and after responding, It’s flavor time boyeeeeeee!,” corporate decided to have the rapper feature in their Crabfest promos.

While the promo is certainly clever branding for both Red Lobster and Flavor Flav, the restaurant chain is in dire straights with a potential 228 locations on the chopping block as part of its bankruptcy proceedings. Recent filings revealed the company employs around 36,000 people—though most of them are part-time.

The chain lost $76 million and has moved to reorganize its finances under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. CEO Johnathan Tibus writes that the company has a “bloated and underperforming restaurant footprint” in those May 19 bankruptcy filings. Part of the problem is having so many underperforming locations across the country and paying the leases for those restaurants that are not turning a profit. Tibus also notes that Red Lobster has seen its guest count drop 30% since 2019—before the pandemic.

After news of the bankruptcy went viral on social media, hashtags like #SaveTheBiscuits trended and prompted responses. “We love seeing our fans show up and rally for us, so when Flavor Flav reached out, we answered the call and invited him to join us in reminding fans we’re here to stay,” adds Sara Bittorf Chief Experience Officer at Red Lobster.

“Crabfest has been a guest-favorite event for years and we’re excited to bring the flavor, along with a variety of wild-caught crab for our guests to enjoy, now and for generations to come.”

Photo Credit: Emily Dorio

Dolly Parton introduces Dolly Wines, her first ever collection of wines in collaboration with Parton Family Cellars and Accolade Wines.

At her press conference from Fan Fair X at CMA Fest yesterday (June 6), Dolly Parton kicked off her Dolly! All Access pop-up experience by unveiling her first collection of wines, Dolly Wines, a collaboration with her Parton Family Cellars and one of the largest wine companies, Accolade Wines. Like its namesake, Dolly Wines “will resonate beyond the surface, magnifying the rare and gentle things.”

The first wine to be released from the collection, Dolly Wines California Chardonnay 2023, will hit leading retailers’ shelves in the United States in July. The crisp chardonnay promises a blend of white peach, sweet cream, and toasty oak. Starting now, it is exclusively available for pre-sale through Vivino and the Dolly Wines website.

US consumers who pre-order Dolly Wines California Chardonnay 2023 through Vivino can also take advantage of the limited time “$1 Dolly Days” at checkout. For $1, consumers can sign up for a month of Vivino Plus to receive free shipping on their order. Pre-sale orders begin shipping on June 25, and will go on sale in the United States to leading retailers in July.

“We are beyond excited to bring Dolly Wines to the world,” said Accolade Wines Chief Marketing Officer, Sandy Mayo. “Dolly herself was involved in all aspects of each wine, and we think they capture her captivating sense of fun and sparkle perfectly. Like the lady herself, we think everyone everywhere will love it. Go ahead, pour yourself a cup of ambition!”

Like most everything in Dolly’s world, the superstar was involved in every step of the winemaking process, offering her input on taste, look, and feel to ensure each bottle perfectly represents Dolly’s vision and magic. In a deal brokered by IMG, the initial Dolly Wines range will feature three varieties, including Chardonnay, Rosé, and Prosecco, with a fourth Sparkling variety launching in Australia in September.

More information and full retailer availability will be available on Dolly Wines’ social accounts on Instagram and Facebook, and their website.

Photo Credit: Amazon Music

Amazon Music and Canadian rapper and producer Nav teamed up to reveal a custom-made helmet for BWT Alpine F1 Team driver, Pierre Gasly.

Pierre Gasly unboxed the helmet in Montreal ahead of this weekend’s Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix. The helmet features artwork inspired by the platinum-selling rapper’s highly anticipated upcoming album, On My Way 2 Rexdale—set for release this summer on XO and Republic Records.

The artwork on the helmet pays tribute to Nav’s Toronto neighborhood of Rexdale; fans can watch the official album trailer for the project today. Pierre Gasly will wear the helmet throughout this weekend’s Grand Prix.

“I love watching Formula 1, and being able to support the race while it’s in Canada goes right back to what my album is all about—remembering and being proud of where you came from,” says Nav about the collaboration. “Having Pierre Gasly, one of the best to do it, wearing my art is so dope. Collaborating on it with Amazon Music, one of the places where ‘On My Way 2 Rexdale’ will live when it comes out this summer, was a great way to tie the idea together.”

Ahead of this weekend, Pierre Gasly has also curated an “Official BWT Alpine F1 Playlist” with his face music for the Canadian Grand Prix. The playlist is available exclusively on Amazon Music and features songs like Internet Money and Nav’s “Lemonade,” Jungle’s “MHD,” and 2Pac’s “Hail Mary.” Amazon Music is the official streaming partner of the BWT Alpine F1 Team and the brand has been featured on the team’s cars and helmets of race drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly since 2023.

“I’m really interested in collaborating with Amazon Music. I’ve been convinced for a long time that music streaming platforms and Formula 1 racing share very similar audiences and that crossover between the two can genuinely be very engaging and fun for fans,” adds BWT Alpine F1 Team driver Pierre Gasly. “Launching Nav’s new album on my helmet and having him design it is a first cool activation, and I’m sure we’ll have fun this week when he visits us at the track.”

Photo Credit: Adidas

After their successful collaborative collection late last year, Adidas Originals teams up once again with California alt metal band Korn for a selection of footwear, apparel, and accessories.

Drawing on the band’s style and love for sporting the classic Three Stripes Adidas tracksuits, this year’s collection is highlighted by a green sequined tracksuit with co-branded details exclusive to the Korn web store. The tracksuit is reminiscent of singer Jonathan Davis’ look in the band’s 1998 “Got the Life” music video.

The collection is completed with a long sleeve graphic tee with the iconic three stripes on the sleeves, three pairs of socks, and a cap bearing the Korn logo and more three stripes detailing.

Unsurprisingly, fans were quick to snatch up last year’s exclusive purple sequined tracksuit, so this year’s green version is sure to be a hit — and sneakerheads will undoubtedly enjoy the Korn-themed kicks.

The collaboration drops May 15 online and in select Adidas stores. Fans can sign up on the Adidas Confirmed app through May 14 to both preorder the collection and enter the related raffle.

“The second round of the Adidas Originals x Korn collaboration is here, merging fearless aesthetics with classic Three Stripe vibes,” says Adidas.

“The full collection, including our web store-exclusive green sequin tracksuit and supermodified shoes, will be available [on the Korn web store] next Wednesday,” Korn shared on social media.

Korn, who rose to fame in 1994 with their debut album, has often dressed in Adidas clothing, and even released a track called “A.D.I.D.A.S.” in 1996. But the relationship between the band and the brand became formalized last year when they teamed up for last year’s collection.

And Adidas has been eager for a successful celebrity collaboration after parting ways with Ye, the disgraced rapper formerly known as Kanye West. That extremely lucrative partnership ended abruptly once Ye embarked on an antisemitic tirade on his social accounts and the interviews that followed.

The company has been unloading the remainder of its Yeezy stock under the premise of donating the proceeds to anti-hate groups,. These include the Anti-Defamation League and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change — donations to support organizations that work to combat discrimination and hate, including racism and antisemitism.

Korn is gearing up to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their debut with a series of concerts starting this summer with a European tour in July and August. The band will then tour North America from September to October, with support from metal bands Gojira and Spiritbox, and a guest appearance by Evanescence at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

Budweiser Brazil is sponsoring Spotify playlists by making adverts with songs featuring its brand name in their lyrics. Photo Credit: Budweiser Brazil

Why develop new Spotify promos when your brand is already being plugged in music? Budweiser Brazil is officially integrating targeted ads – or songs with lyrics that mention it by name – into playlists.

Budweiser Brazil reached out about the new and “completely innovative” project, which the Africa Creative Agency conceived. According to the AB InBev brand, the campaign, dubbed UninterruptAds, identified song-lyric mentions of “Budweiser” in north of 500 tracks available through Spotify.

Those works include but certainly aren’t limited to “My Luv” by Kafé. Far from being added at random, though, adverts based on the relevant tracks were carefully incorporated into Spotify playlists by genre, Budweiser Brazil indicated.

As a result, ad-supported users enjoying these playlists can now listen without encountering non-music commercials unrelated to the experience, the brand signaled. While it’s unclear exactly how many playlists are equipped with the songs that are doubling as adverts, it’s worth noting that the lion’s share of Brazil’s quick-increasing music industry revenue derives from streaming.

Furthermore, in terms of the decision to spearhead the promotion in the South American nation, Spotify has for some time been experiencing user growth outside North America and Europe.

Latin America accounted for 22% of the platform’s 615 million monthly active users during Q1 2024, and according to reports as well as its recent earnings breakdowns, AB InBev has a large and expanding presence in Brazil, population 215 million.

“With this strategy,” summed up Ambev chief marketing officer Daniel Wakswaser, “Budweiser shows that, beyond supporting, it is also part of music. The brand authentically inserts itself into the music scene, promoting a deeper connection with fans and artists.”

Meanwhile, Spotify account director and beverage client partner Thais Altschuller noted the decidedly unique nature of the marketing undertaking.

“This project used audio format as a form of content,” relayed Altschuller, “completely innovative in the segment. In addition we segment the campaign for specific audiences and rhythms, making the ad super organic for users.”

Especially because Spotify is developing AI-powered playlists, it’ll be worth closely monitoring the advertising approach moving forward – even if the vast majority of other brands will for obvious reasons be unable to replicate the campaign exactly.

More generally, however, the unprecedented capabilities of AI and Spotify’s growing focus on monetization could render similar methods of capitalizing on playlists increasingly popular. Within that broad framework, tailored promotions could seek to optimize listening experiences around UGC, locations, and/or events themselves in the long run.

Emerging artists could be hardest hit by a TikTok ban. The United States produces the most emerging artists globally, according to Chartmetric data.

TikTok is battling its greatest regulatory threat to date in the U.S., where the ByteDance-developed app’s shutdown would affect a multitude of individuals, companies, and spaces. But what does this mean for the music industry — and all of its complicated sub-sectors?

In this white paper, DMN Pro takes an exhaustive look at the post-TikTok music industry’s winners and losers, from the major labels to DSPs and artists to UGC competitors.

REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction: The Post-TikTok Music Landscape Could Give Rise to Unprecedented Changes – With Implications for Fans, Artists, and Companies Alike

Record Labels: Majors and Indies Stand to Lose in Several Areas (and Win in Others) With TikTok’s Ban

Graph: A Breakdown of Global Recorded Music Revenue from UGC and Ancillary Licensing Sources
Graph: 2023 Global Recorded Music Revenue by Segment

Publishers: Short-Term Losses, Particularly for Smaller Indies, Could Make Way for Long-Term Improvements

Songwriters: A Possible Licensing Revenue Upside Won’t Offset Immediate Discovery Setbacks, Especially for DIY Professionals

Artists: Post-TikTok, Artists At All Career Stages Will Suffer Varied Near-Term Professional Consequences

Graph: Selected Artists’ Social Media Followers, YouTube Subscribers, and Spotify Monthly Listeners
Superstar and Legendary Artists
Mid-Level Artists With Substantial Followings
Developing and Emerging Artists
Pre-Traction Artists
Graph: A 2023 Breakdown of Emerging Artists by Home Country

Competing UGC Platforms: Reels, Shorts, and Others Will Be the Clear Winners

Overall Licensing Revenue: Ancillary Setbacks Aside, TikTok’s Ban Will Have a Minimal Licensing Revenue Impact

Graph: Universal Music’s Estimated TikTok Revenue Versus Permanent Downloads Revenue, 2020 – 2023

Non-Label Sync Platforms: The Post-TikTok Industry May Look Different for Sync Platforms and Music Libraries

The Fans: More Than a Letdown for Fans, TikTok’s Ban Will Dramatically Affect Music Discovery

DSPs: What Does a TikTok Ban Mean for Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music?

Promoters and Venues: The TikTok Ban’s Significance for Live Music

Report Summary: The Post-TikTok Music Landscape’s Many Changes

By the Dates: A Timeline of TikTok Regulatory Scrutiny, December 2022 – April 2024

One-Sheet Infographic: The Post-TikTok Winners & Losers

Join the DMN Pro subscriber-only discussion below.

Also please note that any authorized redistribution of this report is prohibited — thank you.

Photo Credit: Bandzoogle

Music website platform Bandzoogle announced that in 2023, musicians made over $16.4 million in commission-free revenue using the platform’s direct-to-fan sales tools. For Bandzoogle and its members, the number represents significant year-on-year growth — a 21% increase from 2022.

The following was created in collaboration with Bandzoogle, a company DMN is proud to be partnering with.

Stacey Bedford, CEO of Bandzoogle, commented that it was ‘rewarding’ to see artists make an incredible amount of commission-free sales via Bandzoogle websites. “One of our main goals is to help make it easier for musicians to make money from their music by selling directly to their fans.”

Breaking down the $16.4 million artist revenue, musicians sold over $8.8 million worth of merchandise — including apparel, CDs, and vinyl. Digital music generated over $1.7 million in 2023, representing an increase of 28% compared to 2022.

However, ticket sales were the most significant area of growth for Bandzoogle’s members.

The platform reports that artists sold $4.1 million worth of tickets — commission-free — via Bandzoogle-powered websites, representing an impressive 102% increase from 2022.

Bedford pointed out that artists are better off selling tickets to events ‘directly to their fans, with no commission taken and no hidden fees,’ adding, “It’s another example of how savvy musicians can use our built-in tools to keep more of their hard-earned money while moving their careers forward.”

Acquired by DistroKid in 2023, 20-year-old Bandzoogle views fan engagement as a core strategy for musicians to generate revenue from their music online.

The platform allows artists and bands to build a commission-free store to sell music, merchandise, and tickets. Artists can manage their physical inventory, offer discount pricing or product bundling, connect with Printful to sell customized print–on-demand products to their fans, choose from multiple shipping and payment integrations, and more.

Bandzoogle’s built-in fan subscriptions feature also represented a significant revenue stream for artists, generating over $800,000 in 2023.

Fans also supported their favorite artists via Bandzoogle’s virtual tip jar feature, donating nearly $1 million to Bandzoogle members.

News of the revenue generated by Bandzoogle members in 2023 comes after the platform recently announced a new EPK Plan, which allows musicians to craft an impactful, single-page electronic press kit in minutes.

Bandzoogle powers over 65,000 websites for musicians, allowing them to earn over $121 million in commission-free revenue to date.

Plans start at just $6.95/month. Artists can try it for free at Bandzoogle’s website here.

All over the map: selected artists’ social media followers, YouTube subscribers, and Spotify monthly listeners.

TikTok is facing its greatest regulatory threat to date in the U.S., where lawmakers are rallying behind forced-sale legislation. TikTok says this would effectively amount to a ban in the app’s biggest market, with ripple effects impacting dozens of industries. But what exactly would a ban look like for the music industry?

TikTok’s possible U.S. shutdown would bring music-specific consequences affecting licensing, supplemental artist income, promotion, discovery, fan interaction, and more. Though nothing to scoff at, the lost licensing revenue would pale in comparison to the absence of what has quietly become a go-to promotional tool for artists and labels of all sizes.

In this DMN Pro Weekly Report, we attempt to pick apart a post-TikTok world.

Report Table of Contents:

I. A Recap of the TikTok Forced-Sale Bill’s Legislative Progress 

II. The Music Industry Without TikTok: How a U.S. Ban Could Affect Labels’ Revenue and Artists’ Income

A. Graph: Selected Artists’ Social Media Followers, YouTube Subscribers, and Spotify Monthly Listeners

III. TikTok As a Music Marketing Tool – Will a Viable Replacement Emerge in the Event of a U.S. Shutdown? 

IV. TikTok and the Future of Music: Should We Expect Fundamental Industry Changes Post-Ban? 

V. By the Dates: Key Music Industry Revenue- and Promotion-Related TikTok Developments, 2022-2024

New! Join the DMN Pro subscriber-only discussion below.

Also please note that any authorized redistribution of this report is prohibited — thank you.

Photo Credit: TikTok

TikTok adds voice clips from its most influential channels for advertisers to use in its Sounds for Business library.

Six of TikTok’s most influential channels — Anania, Devin Halbal, Good Children, Matt Buechele, Sani Sisters, and Very Gay Paint — are taking part in a new offering for the platform’s advertisers, recording quotable lines as soundbites for use in TikTok’s Sounds for Business library. These clips are pre-cleared, allowing anyone who uses Sounds for Business to utilize the influencers’ audio without first getting additional permission.

At a pivotal point for the social video platform, TikTok is doubling down on its most marketable asset — creator audio. Ironically, amid the company’s ongoing battle with the music industry over song licensing rights, TikTok says that 88% of its users feel that audio is integral to their experience on the platform. More importantly to advertisers, 73% of users say that sound will prompt them to stop scrolling to watch an ad.

“Our all new Sounds for Business – Voice Clips were developed to help brands of all sizes easily create a diverse range of sound-rich content with 18 custom voiceover audio templates you can use in all of your TikTok videos,” says TikTok in their blog post. “These free tracks add some of the platform’s most recognizable voices to your videos and offer the perfect soundtrack for trend-ready content.”

“Our start on TikTok came from finding the right sound that inspired the right video,” said the Sani Sisters in a video about their audio clips in the Sounds for Business library, encouraging advertising partners to “use these voice clips to spotlight new products, engage with new audiences, or connect with your community.”

Even brands that aren’t interested in TikTok’s creator-recorded audio clips can find lots of other sounds to tickle their fancy in the Sounds for Business library, and even music in TikTok’s Commercial Music library. The ByteDance-owned app is pushing harder than ever to provide its advertising partners with the tools needed to secure hits on the platform — with or without the support of the broader music industry.

Music Merch Manager App by Merch Cat

What happens when merch stops being an afterthought and turns into an active revenue-generator? Merch Cat says its elevated focus on technology and analytics can boost artist merch revenue by as much as 20%, while strategically crafting a more reliable process for inventory management, sales tracking, and decision-making.

For artists and managers, merchandise typically takes a backseat to music creation, releases, and touring. As a result, merch presents itself as a chaotic afterthought — ridden with routine disruptions of procurement, quality checks, inventory issues, data tracking, and fulfillment challenges.

Vanessa Ferrer, founder of Merch Cat, recently sat down with DMN to discuss how a sophisticated system of inventory management and tracking allows artists to significantly expand their merch revenue stream. In a bid to ensure merch represents a refined and reliable revenue category, Merch Cat has monumentally expanded its focus on tech to amplify merch processes for artists, managers, and labels.

“It’s all about merch strategy,” says Ferrer while adding that the industry needs to adjust its approach to merchandise and ‘place merchandise strategy at the forefront since merch is a lucrative business component.’

The company dedicates comprehensive attention to merch metrics management ‘to optimize value for artists.’ “It’s an intuitive process and streamlined workflow, with tech that does the work behind the scenes to ensure an optimized data output consisting of usable reports and analytics,” says Ferrer. Just recently, Merch Cat joined forces with DMN to further expand its merch footprint.

Merch Cat’s continuously-expanding roster includes artists and bands like The Marshall Tucker Band, George Clinton, Parliament-Funkadelic, Noel and Ben Haggard, Jesse Dayton, Struggle Jennings, Britnee Kellogg, and others. Also on board are industry advisors Ted Cohen (TAG Strategic), Rich Stumpf (Hawkeye Music Group), and Lou Plaia (Sentric Music) — a trio that Ferrer says ‘aims to help expand the client base, extend industry reach, and consult on business strategy.’

Ferrer believes streamlining merchandising processes with technology can generate usable insights from sales data. With user-friendly tech aimed at tackling inventory management and metrics, Merch Cat is ‘helping change the game for live show merch sales, where a vast majority of sales happen.’

With a focus on that aspect, Merch Cat’s Music Merch Manager App offers an upgraded analytics dashboard with ‘Merch Metrics’ — packed with essential insights to enable artists and their teams to easily make merch decisions.

The app places the entire merch business on one mobile device, allowing artists to quickly and easily enter inventory, import shows from Bandsintown, track sales and profits at a glance, automatically generate settlement reports with the venues’ music and merch splits, and more. Merch Cat is also integrated with Square as its payment processor, making it a seamless transition for pre-existing accounts.

Ferrer explains that artists gain a complete snapshot of essential information such as what sizes, styles, and quantities fans are purchasing. It also shows which items generated the highest sales. “It keeps all the data centralized, and the analytics in one place.”

“It keeps all the data centralized, and the analytics in one place.”

This data is core to optimizing revenue, Ferrer believes, as it ‘further expands your merch strategy, offers central inventory, sales tracking, and analytics.’

On the other hand, Merch Cat’s FAN app is the artists’ virtual storefront, which Ferrer says ‘allows fans to buy merchandise before, during, or after the show.’

She adds, “Fans receive a code for their purchase and can pick it up at the table. Or they can choose to have it shipped to their home.”

Merch Cat FAN Band Merchandise App

With an ‘artist-friendly interface,’ Merch Cat is deepening the connection between artists, their merch, and fans. Apart from the integration of the web store via a widget, the app has also added a Spotify player to the artist’s profile.

To ensure that artists can offer merchandise that they’re proud to put their name on, Merch Cat also offers merchandise procurement as a value-added service, ensuring quality merch at artist-friendly prices.

Ferrer says this will allow artists to earn higher revenues with more competitive margins — and lead to happier fans.

New York-based rock band Hollis Brown can testify to that. On their summer tour, following a ‘merch strategy’ tie-up with Merch Cat, the band witnessed a 20% increase in merch sales. According to Hollis Brown’s management company, ‘Merch Cat helped strategize to revamp the merch line,’ and provided accurately-tracked information on inventory levels that optimized organization and revenue.

Other musicians and bands have also revealed the many ways in which Merch Cat has helped them achieve their merch goals. Via Merch Cat’s Merch Metrics, Hannah Wicklund’s vinyl and CDs became top-sellers at live shows. Melissa Menago found a means to sell merch before her record release show — also during the show and after it — via Merch Cat Fan. Rock band Broke City attribute their ‘biggest merch night ever’ to Merch Cat streamlining the merch table process. And metal and classical fusion band The Breathing Process say Merch Cat has been a ‘game changer,’ enabling them to solve their merch inventory problems.

So what exactly does Merch Cat bring to the table that enables artists to have a successful merch business? Ferrer believes that apart from its technology, it’s the ‘human aspect’ and ‘personalization’ that differentiates Merch Cat from its competitors.

“Merch Cat brings the whole gamut, Ferrer relayed. “We’ll develop your merch strategy, get you the merchandise at a targeted price point, put it on Merch Cat, use Merch Cat to sell, and then look at analyses and insights to optimize the strategy even further.”

Putting together an effective ‘merch mix’ Ferrer says, requires a focus on ‘understanding your fans, maximizing your profits, and reducing waste.’

“With a robust strategy backed by data, you ensure you capitalize on every opportunity of a sale. Our technology and insights bring you the information you need so you don’t lose sales because your fans arrived at the table and left because they had to wait too long, or you don’t have the style or size they want.”

According to Ferrer, one of Merch Cat’s most prominent upsides is that it doesn’t require days of set-up time — thanks to a user-friendly workflow and interface.

“If you know your merch inventory, you can use Merch Cat after you’ve arrived at the venue,” explains Ferrer, adding, “You can do it all on a mobile device — in a pinch.”

When artists embrace a more sophisticated system spanning inventory purchase, real-time reports, and payment tracking, Merch Cat promises they can ‘merch better, increase profits, make their fans happier, and spend more time doing what they love.’

Photo Credit: Adidas

Adidas quietly announces it will reintroduce ‘popular Yeezy designs’ alongside new models, following the termination of its partnership with Kanye West.

Sneaker and sportswear brand Adidas is once again shifting the way it handles with its Yeezy brand, after ending its partnership with the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, following his antisemitic tirade in 2022.

The company previously announced it would sell off the remaining Yeezy inventory, which involved donating the proceeds to select anti-hate organizations. Now, Adidas plans to reintroduce “popular Yeezy designs” alongside new models, beginning with the release of the Yeezy 350 Steel Grey on February 29.

But the rapper, who now goes by Ye, wasted no time in calling the company out for the decision. He took to Instagram on Thursday (February 29) to share a photo of a so-called corporate document with instructions for Adidas employees on how to talk to consumers about the decision to once again sell the Yeezy line.

Notably, it appears to ask employees not to “continue extensive conversations” with customers surrounding the Yeezy line, and instead direct them to a general email address to voice their concerns.

“Adidas is the sole owner of the product, including the design rights for existing products as well as previous colorways. The products are existing Yeezy designed initiated in 2022,” explains the document, dated February 26. “Adidas honored contractual obligations and discussed releasing products prior to the announcement with the former partner.”

“There is an overlap to Adidas and Kim [Kardashian] ignoring my opinion, or people ignoring my name change or the entire celebrity culture ostracizing me for my political opinion,” reads the caption of the rapper’s Instagram post. “It all comes down to human rights, which you sacrifice when you’re stigmatized with mental issues. All these situations are actually far crazier than what I’ve been branded to be.”

Adidas has not yet confirmed the authenticity of the document referred to in West’s post. Similarly, neither representatives for Adidas nor for Ye have responded to media requests for comment.

Recently, Ye also alleged that Adidas was suing him for $250 million, but there is as yet no evidence that this took place. However, the company did disclose filing a private arbitration case against West’s Yeezy LLC in December 2022, over the rapper’s “racist, antisemitic, and other offensive public statements and conduct,” which violated their partnership agreement and caused “considerable damage to its brand.” It’s possible that West was referring to this arbitration case when making claims that the company was suing him.

Photo Credit: Nohrlund

Pre-mixed cocktail brand Nohrlund announces a partnership with ASM Global following the success of their Live Nation UK deal last year.

Nohrlund, the Danish pre-mixed cocktail brand, has announced a long-term partnership with ASM Global, a world leader in producing entertainment experiences, venue management, and event strategy. The deal follows the success of Nohrlund’s partnership with Live Nation UK last year, which gave the cocktail brand a foothold in the region.

As part of the partnership, Nohrlund’s range of organic pre-mixed cocktails will be available in public concessions at ASM Global’s portfolio of UK venues, including OVO Arena Wembley, Manchester’s AO Arena, first direct Arena Leeds, P&J Live in Aberdeen, Utilita Arena in Newcastle, York Barbican, Connexin Live in Hull, and more. Exclusive marketing and promotional rights at ASM Global’s UK venues have been agreed as part of the deal.

The “Official Draught and Packaged, Bottled, Pre-Mixed Ready-to-Drink Cocktail Partner” has already gained some recognition in the UK through its Live Nation partnership last year.

The product is ideal in venues for its easy serves to customers without high wait times — the average serving time of a Nohrlund draught cocktail is just under ten seconds. Last year, Nohrlund’s partnership with Live Nation UK saw them as the exclusive pre-mixed cocktail partner at 22 Live Nation UK festivals and 21 gig venues across the region.

“We are thrilled about this partnership — ASM Global are worldwide leaders in venue management and live event experiences, so being chosen as the exclusive supply and pouring partners is a significant milestone for us,” commented Gareth Woodward, Senior National Account Manager at Nohrlund. “We can’t wait to introduce our pre-mixed cocktails to guests at some of the UK’s most prominent entertainment venues, with our easy serves that don’t compromise on flavor. Here’s to an exciting journey with ASM Global!”

“Nohrlund’s best-in-class offering is the perfect addition to our UK venues,” added Stephen Cooper, VP at Food & Beverage UK & Europe at ASM Global. “Their draught pre-mixed cocktails provide an innovative solution to delicious cocktails that streamline the serve process, reduce wait times, and make premium serves elegant with pace! We’re on a mission at ASM to reimagine the guest experience, including the drinks offering at our venues; we are delighted to be working alongside Nohrlund in doing just that.”

Super Bowl LVIII halftime show performers’ net Spotify monthly listener gains between February 10th and 18th (Source: Chartmetric)

The longest and most-viewed Super Bowl in history featured performances from a number of artists – chief among them Usher, who headlined a star-studded halftime show sponsored by Apple Music. But what kind of commercial results did the big game drive for the acts?

According to Nielsen, Super Bowl LVIII attracted a record 123.7 million average viewers, up markedly from LVII’s approximately 115 million watchers and over 20 percent higher than LVI’s viewership. Fueled by a competitive match-up that culminated in a nailbiter overtime ending – and, of course, the presence of Taylor Swift – LVIII, besides being the most-viewed Super Bowl to date, scored the “largest TV audience on record,” Nielsen noted.

With all that said, relatively little attention has been directed to the precise commercial impact of the Super Bowl – including streams and more – for the involved artists.

So how did the Super Bowl’s musical superstars fare?

Report Table of Contents

I. Super Bowl LVIII’s Halftime Show by the Numbers

Graph: Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show Performers’ Spotify Monthly Listener Growth

Graph: Selected Halftime Show Tracks’ Spotify Streams Growth

II. Did Super Bowl LVIII’s Ratings Magic Translate Into a Popularity Boost for Pregame Performers?

Graph: Super Bowl LVIII Non-Halftime Show Performers’ Spotify Monthly Listener Growth

III. Can Super Bowl Commercials Spur Career Growth for Artists?

IV. By the Dates: A Timeline of Super Bowl LVIII’s Music-Related Developments

Please note: Redistribution of this report is prohibited.

Photo Credit: Mert Alas / Calvin Klein

BTS’ Jungkook continues his brand ambassadorship for Calvin Klein with an early Spring 2024 Calvin Klein Jeans campaign in NYC’s Grand Central Station.

Spring has sprung early for Calvin Klein, and for fans of BTS’ Jungkook (the company’s global brand ambassador since last year), with a Spring 2024 Calvin Klein Jeans campaign featuring the superstar posing in New York City’s Grand Central Station. Naturally, the photos, shot by fashion photography mogul Mert Alas, have left fans drooling — oh yeah, and the jeans are there, too.

In the photos, Jungkook can be seen around Grand Central Station, as well as a studio, wearing Calvin Klein denim, leather, and cotton pieces. The pieces he models are part of a new series by Calvin Klein Jeans, including wardrobe essentials representing “the brand’s youthful energy and distinctive minimal design codes.”

Representatives for Calvin Klein reveal the campaign’s aim to “amplify [Jungkook’s] status as a global popstar” by showcasing his natural confidence and charisma. Jungkook was styled by Emmanuelle Alt for the photo shoot and accompanying videos for the ad campaign.

Calvin Klein has been teasing the Jungkook shoot to fans over the last week or so, with videos and photos on social media — but the campaign officially launched on Friday, February 16, to coincide with the collection drop on Calvin Klein’s website.

Jungkook is currently serving his mandatory military service in South Korea since December, so the photos were obviously shot before then; Calvin Klein released a Fall 2023 ad campaign in August, and may have shot the Spring campaign around the same time.

The Fall 2023 ad campaign featuring Jungkook also featured BLACKPINK’s Jennie, the two latest brand ambassadors for the company announced in March 2023. Alongside them in the campaign were Alexa Demie and Kid Cudi, also new to CK ambassadorship, as well as returning brand rep Kendall Jenner.

Like the Fall campaign before it, the Spring campaign is introducing a new swath of fans to K-pop stan culture — and it doesn’t take long for many to understand why fans love Jungkook.

Photo Credit: Morgan Wallen

Morgan Wallen is throwing his hat into the ring of new bars opening up in downtown Nashville. This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen will be a six-story live music venue, restaurant, and bar catering to the Nashville music scene.

Morgan Wallen partnered with TC Restaurant Group to spearhead the new venue, bringing his vision to life and delivering an authentic experience. “I sing about finding myself in ‘this bar’ and now it’s coming to life. This venue will hold true to everything I love and is inspired by my fans and the way they have embraced me and my music,” adds Morgan Wallen.

“We’re designing a menu around some of my family favorites, so it brings a piece of East Tennessee to Music City. I hope This Bar is a place you’ll want to find yourself in and make memories with your friends and family to celebrate the way country music has brought us all together,” he concludes.

Wallen says the new venue is an extension of his life from East Tennessee, incorporating pivotal moments from his life. Each level of the venue will showcase photos and memorabilia from his childhood and some of his most memorable performances to date. The building is located at 107th 4th Ave South, adjacent to the historic Ryman Auditorium just off Broadway. The venue is approximately 30,000 square feet and will feature three live music stages, six bars, and an open-air rooftop.

This Bar’s menu will be curated by Wallen with help from Chef Tomasz Wosiak. It will feature southern delectables, bar bites, Tennessee favorites, and some of Mama Wallen’s own recipes. The venue will also feature a gift shop with exclusive Morgan Wallen merchandise.

“Morgan Wallen is one of the most sought after stars in the music industry, and we are thrilled that he has trusted us to deliver a concept that will bring him closer to his fans, hold fast to his roots, and enshrine his name among an exclusive group of artists who can claim international stardom with a Lower Broadway destination fans all over the world can seek out,” adds Adam Hesler, President at TC Restaurant Group.

Photo Credit: Chartmetric (Crasianne Tirado)

From Bad Bunny’s chart-topping F1-inspired track “MONACO” to unexpected music video cameos by F1 drivers like Sergio Perez and Pierre Gasly, Formula 1’s influence is further cementing the bond between sports and music culture.

The following comes from Chartmetric, a company DMN is partnered with.

Music and sports have had a longstanding relationship on the global stage, from the world-famous Super Bowl halftime show to the FIFA World Cup anthems. But there’s one sport that has grown its fandom exponentially this past year, and at the same time, has become a bigger inspiration for music: Formula 1.

A sport that saw its first world championship in 1950 and was mostly catered to the old rich men has now become a Millenial and Gen Z favorite, thanks in part to the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive. One of the sport’s famous fans is Bad Bunny, who has used motorsport as inspiration for his music multiple times.

Last year, following the release of his album Un Verano Sin Ti, the Puerto Rican artist met up with three-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen, who’s mentioned in the song “Andrea.” The F1 references are back in Bad Bunny’s latest album, nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana, which was 2023’s most-streamed album in a single day on Spotify.

Directly inspired by F1, “MONACO” is the album’s most popular track by Chartmetric score and currently boasts more than 300 million Spotify streams.

The song talks about Bad Bunny’s rise to fame and luxurious lifestyle, so it makes sense that it’s named after a country that’s the epitome of wealth. Monaco is also synonymous with F1 since it is home to one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world, the Monaco Grand Prix.

Photo Credit: Sarah Kloboves

Bad Bunny’s lyrics once again mention Verstappen as well as Mexican Red Bull Racing driver Sergio “Checo” Pérez, who also made a cameo in the music video: “Primero llegó Verstappen, después llegó Checo [First Verstappen arrived, then Checo arrived]” and “Créeme, los carro’ de F1 son má’ rápido’ en persona [Trust me, F1 cars are faster in person].”

Used in more than 60k TikTok videos, the song has become a staple background for F1 content by young Latinos, a growing demographic in the sports’ fanbase.

@dailyblogs.monchis USGP weekend❤️ #usgp #f1 #fyp ♬ daay.lyricss – Day 🤍

F1 is also referenced in other tracks of the album, including “Los Pits” and “Nadie Sabe,” which mentions Brazilian F1 legend Ayrton Senna, who died racing in 1994: “Por eso están rezando que me estrelle, Ayrton Senna [That’s why they’re praying that I crash, Ayrton Senna].”

Soon after his Bad Bunny feature, Perez starred in the music video of “Por La Familia” by Regional Mexican singer Carin Leon. “I’m a very big fan of Checo. I feel like (to) every Mexican right now, he’s our biggest star in sports. We are proud of him for what he is doing for Mexican culture,” León told AP.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Checo Pérez (@schecoperez)

French Alpine driver Pierre Gasly also made a music video cameo, on TikTok singer Benson Boone’s “To Love Someone.” The unexpected pairing came to be thanks to Amazon Music, which has been Alpine’s official streaming partner since July 2023.

“Sport and music together play a key role in cultural influence,” said Karolina Joynathsing, Director of Business Development at Amazon Music, about the partnership. “We are delighted to widen our footprint in sport and bring artists and fans closer to the drivers, sport, and music they love with this global collaboration with Alpine around F1.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Amazon Music (@amazonmusic)

Revving Up and Reviving Old Tracks

TikTok is known for giving a new life to old tracks, especially when fandoms tie a song to a trend and make it go viral organically. Such was the case of the ’80s hit “Smooth Operator – Single Version” by English band Sade, which had a TikTok revival thanks to F1 fans and specifically, Spanish Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Carlos Sainz (@carlossainz55)

Sainz was first linked to the song in 2019 after he sang it during the British, Hungarian and Brazilian Grand Prix. He claims to have listened to the song multiple times during the British race and couldn’t get it off his head.

“After the race [at the Hungaroring] I sang this song, without knowing what a smooth operator was,” Sainz said back then when asked about it. “And then I realized, well, maybe I can attribute myself that and start creating a bit of a joke around me.”

Since then, Sainz has been nicknamed “Smooth Operator” and the song has become intricately linked to him among F1 fans. The track has been used on thousands of TikTok videos about Sainz, and as the F1 fan base keeps growing, so does the popularity of this kind of content.

Photo Credit: Sarah Kloboves

In May, DJ/Producer Enzo is Burning posted a House remix of the song on TikTok, which went viral as well and has been used roughly 450k videos to date.

The track was soon adopted by sports content creators to showcase impressive athletic feats, further popularizing the song beyond the F1 fandom. Thanks to the surge in virality, “Smooth Operator” now has over 368 million Spotify streams and 149 million YouTube views, and is featured on more than 76k Spotify playlists — many of which are dedicated to the Ferrari driver.

While there’s no footage of Sainz singing Sade’s hit in full, artificial intelligence has made the fans’ dream come true.

F1 Sings, an account dedicated to AI-generated song covers featuring F1 drivers’ voices, released a version of Sainz singing a complete verse of “Smooth Operator” which has amassed 3.4 million views and more than half a million likes in three months. TikTok users love to hear their favorite drivers sing all sorts of hits, from Rascal Flatts’ “Life is a Highway” to Fuerza Regida and Marshmello’s “HARLEY QUINN.” The search term “F1 AI song cover” has more than 13.6 million views and has even caught the attention of and positive reactions from the drivers themselves.

@redbullracing Replying to @m a r t i n s i t o Max’s reaction to the AI-generated song 😬 #F1 #maxverstappen #AI #hotsummernights ♬ original sound – Red Bull Racing

Melodies from the Paddock

While AI-generated song covers give fans a taste of what their favorite drivers would sound like singing their favorite tunes, some F1 drivers have actually dipped their toes into making music of their own. Monegasque Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc officially launched his music career in early 2023 with the release of “AUSS23 (1:1)” under the music management company Verdigris.

The track is a piano composition inspired by the driver’s experience in the 2023 Australian Grand Prix and boasts nearly 10 million Spotify streams. “It’s just something that I really enjoyed doing whenever I was coming back from the races,” Leclerc said in an interview with The Athletic. He later released “MIA23 (1:2)” and “MON(1:3),” which have racked up more than 5 million and 2 million Spotify streams respectively.

Leclerc currently ranks as the No.2 artist from Monaco on Chartmetric. While most of his popularity can be attributed to his racing career, he has seen positive changes in his Spotify listenership (226k monthly listeners) that correlate with major races and has appeared in multiple iTunes and SoundCloud country charts. He noted that his biggest obstacle to releasing music is lack of time but with the F1 winter break underway, perhaps fans will hear new material soon.

Photo Credit: Sarah Kloboves

British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton also enjoyed a brief stint as an artist in 2018 after he was featured on a Christina Aguilera song.

It took him two years to reveal that he was the voice behind the mysterious collaborator XNDA on the track “Pipe” but fans soon jumped to his support, stunned by the driver’s vocals. While Hamilton admitted that music has been “the most incredible outlet,” it’s unclear if he will ever release more tracks. “If he doesn’t release music after he’s retired from F1, I’m protesting,” a fan commented on a TikTok video with over 58k likes.

@rberacing #f1trends #fyp #foryoupage #leclerc #f1fans #trend #verstappen #lewishamilton #aarava #vettel #cars #f1edit #f1edits #scuderiaferrari #f1fans #f1fan ♬ Pipe (feat. XNDA) – Christina Aguilera

Head Over Wheels

On top of drivers becoming musicians, the motorsports and music industries have collided in more unexpected ways this past year. Hamilton made a fuss in the entertainment world thanks to a rumored romantic relationship with Shakira earlier in 2023. The Colombian singer was spotted at the Miami Grand Prix and in multiple social events next to the F1 driver, although neither confirmed the speculations. That didn’t stop fans from creating TikTok edits of Hamilton using Shakira’s hits “Addicted to You,” “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” and “Ojos Así,” among others.

But the most unforeseen rumored pairing was Taylor Swift and Spanish Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso.

At the beginning of the year, celebrity gossip page Deuxmoi started spreading unverified news about a possible romance between the two, taking F1 by storm. Not only did F1 commentators start using Swift lyric references in their race commentary, but Alonso himself posted multiple TikTok videos featuring her songs. His savvy song choices and playful take on the rumors might be part of why he was named TikTok Spain’s 2023 Public Figure of the Year.

@fernandoalonso Race week era😉 #F1 #F1TikTok #Formula1 ♬ karma sped up – ✨️j &lt3 ✨️

As the F1 fan base demographics become less male-dominated, the overlap between motorsports and Swifties is growing strong as shown by the increasing fan-made and official team social media content. With Swift’s boyfriend American football player Travis Kelce becoming an investor in Alpine, fans are hoping to see her at a Grand Prix this year.

While Swift wasn’t in attendance in 2023, this season saw a large number of artists as attendees and performers, especially at the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November.

Fans enjoyed performances by J Balvin, Steve Aoki, and will.i.am, among many other A-listers who are also fans of the sport. “I love Charles Leclerc. I just follow certain racers and am very familiar with the sport,” Aoki told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Beyond the passion for the sport, both J Balvin and will.i.am told AP that performing at a Grand Prix is a smart business decision. “Every producer, every DJ wants to play F1. Why? Because it’s a (expletive) of money they make,” will.i.am said. “Every band that’s any band wants to play the mainstage at F1.”

Could fans get to see Taylor headlining an F1 concert once again? Will there be more F1 cameos in music videos? Is Leclerc going to release more music soon? While we don’t have the answers to those questions, we are keeping an eye on F1 and its growing relationship with the music industry.

In the same way that the World Cup is known for producing chart-topping tracks, maybe F1 could become the next driver of worldwide hits.

Graphics by Sarah Kloboves and cover image by Crasianne Tirado; data as of Jan. 8, 2024.

Photo Credit: Rémy Martin x Usher

Hot on the heels of the Super Bowl, Usher teams up with Rémy Martin Cognac to debut a global campaign featuring a track from Usher’s new album.

After Usher swept up at the Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show, Rémy Martin brand cognac teams up with the superstar to debut a new global campaign, “Life is a Melody,” featuring a track off of Usher’s latest album. In a partnership conceived in July 2023, the campaign invites both music and spirit enthusiasts to “embark on a harmonious journey,” combining the notes of Rémy Martin cognac with the “melodies of life.”

The Rémy Martin x Usher collaboration teases fans with a preview of his new song, “Comin’ Home,” with Usher shown sitting at a piano, then at a restaurant booth, and center stage, accompanied by an old-fashioned whiskey glass, or enveloped by bottles of Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal and XO.

“As an artist, I’ve always drawn creative inspiration from different facets of life that are expressed through my music,” says Usher. “I’m incredibly excited to continue my partnership with Rémy Martin, representing their exceptional cognac expressions of 1738 Accord Royal, and now, for the first time, Rémy Martin XO, sharing an exclusive preview of my new music in a campaign that captures the breadth and endless possibilities of beautiful composition and marvelous melody.”

“Through this partnership, we continue to draw inspiration from music as a timeless source,” said Jean-Philippe Hecquet, Chief Executive Officer of the House of Rémy Martin. “The ‘Life is a Melody’ campaign, in collaboration with Usher, embodies the artistic synergy between cognac, music, and life itself. This harmony is reflected in the diverse range of tasting notes that blend together to create refined expressions.”

In an extension of the campaign, while Usher embarks on his North American tour this summer, Rémy Martin will join him across the US in embracing his love of skate culture. The “4 on the Floor” pop-up skate experiences in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Atlanta, will be accompanied by an immersive Rémy Après Skate speakeasy for a cocktail experience where Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal and XO take center stage.

“The ‘Life is a Melody’ campaign embodies the fusion of Rémy Martin’s exquisite cognac, the enchantment of music, and the art of roller skating,” adds Tina Reejsinghani, Vice President of Luxury Brands at Rémy Cointreau Americas. “This campaign, and the introduction of the Rémy Après Skate and cocktail experience underscores our timeless dedication to the culture of music and to our consumers who value exceptional experiences and the unparalleled craftsmanship of Rémy Martin.”

Photo Credit: Crasianne Tirado, Chartmetric

Following the release of his latest album Coming Home, Usher — arguably the ‘King of R&B’ — triumphantly took the stage at the Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show in Vegas on Sunday. That was a sudden ‘blast from the past’ for many, though this comeback has been brewing for years.

Written by contributor Jaelani Turner-Williams for Chartmetric’s How Music Charts, a proud partner of DMN.

Usher offered a medley of greatest hits during his halftime show performance at Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, February 11th. The now-45-year-old brought his bona fide showmanship to Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium with a heavy dose of nostalgia for longtime fans. But this comeback didn’t happen overnight: the R&B debonair, whose impact on the genre and music industry spans three decades, has been slowly reemerging for years.

Now on the media multi-platform and record label gamma., Usher is technically the first independent artist to headline a Super Bowl halftime show. Though much media attention has been given to superstar Taylor Swift and her beau Travis Kelce — not to mention the game itself — Usher stuffed his halftime gig with sidekicks like Alicia Keys, Lil Jon, Ludacris, and will.i.am.

Usher’s halftime performance comes just five days after announcing his upcoming “Past Present Future” tour and two days after he released his eagerly awaited ninth album, Coming Home. The bigger goal is to cement Usher as an r&b legend with evergreen superstar status.

Here’s a closer look at how this grand plan is coming together.

How R&B Re-Routed Back to Usher

Since 2022, Usher has been everywhere. His breakthrough 1997 album, My Way, celebrated its 25th anniversary with the R&B crooner remaking the front cover for record subscription club Vinyl Me, Please. The 8-time Grammy-winner appropriately timed his Las Vegas residency, “My Way,” for the LP’s silver jubilee, inviting legacy R&B acts like Keith Sweat, Keyshia Cole, Tevin Campbell, Faith Evans, Robin Thicke, and Teddy Riley to join him onstage.

While Usher’s Las Vegas run began in 2021, where he performed at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, recent mania for the artist originated from an unlikely place: NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts.

Clocking in at 21 million YouTube views since its Black Music Month premiere in June 2022, Usher’s resurgence was sealed five minutes into the special. In the video’s most played segment, Usher effortlessly floats through his 2004 deep cut “Superstar,” which saw prominence through the #SuperstarChallenge on TikTok, which now has 74.5 million views across 25k posts.

On the app, novice and established vocalists gave their best shot at Usher’s melisma, before he silenced the competition during his Tiny Desk set. Elsewhere in the performance, Usher brought the titular track of his RIAA diamond-certified album Confessions to life, turning the song’s “watch this” introduction into a meme.

Tiny Desk viewers rushed to catch the former The Voice co-judge’s Las Vegas residency the next month, although Usher hadn’t released a proper single since 2020’s “Bad Habits” (29.3 million Spotify streams), which came four years after his eighth studio album, Hard II Love.

The LP landed with a thud despite the clever Young Thug-assisted single “No Limit” (130.2 million Spotify streams), a nod to No Limit Records founder Master P (who was also on the song’s all-star remix). Two years later, Usher and trap producer Zaytoven connected for A, a love letter to their Atlanta origins. The 8-track project was helmed by the sultry lead single “Peace Sign.”

Apart from his solo work, Usher’s post-aughts granted him relevancy among late millennials and Gen Zers. On Summer Walker’s 2019 debut album Over It, the nostalgia play of her Usher-assisted single “Come Thru” reworked Ush’s hit “You Make Me Wanna…”, which was his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 back in 1997, peaking at No. 2.

Usher was a baby faced teenager when “You Make Me Wanna” dropped, but “Come Thru” made him fresh again, as he also lent his talents to songs with Ella Mai (“Don’t Waste My Time” in 2019), City Girls (“Good Love” in 2022), and more recently, Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz (“Transparency” in 2023).

As of late, Usher’s listenership relies on his material as a legacy act, with fans opting to spin his signature songs like “Yeah!,” “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love,” and his Alicia Keys duet “My Boo.” Even the recent Latin fusion single “Dientes” with J Balvin and DJ Khaled features Usher and a heavy "Yeah!" sample.

Usher might dabble in universal sounds, even giving selections from his catalog an Afrobeats twist at the Global Citizen Festival in Accra, Ghana in 2022 — but he’s still a purveyor of the genre that shaped him. “My music offering will always be routed in R&B,” he confessed to The New York Times in October.

Usher’s core fanbase has unflinchingly re-embraced him and the catalog he delivered in the nineties to early 2010s, with his performances and viral moments in 2023 pushing him back into the spotlight.

Usher’s Festival Season Takeover

In between Usher’s residency shows, the hitmaker made time to co-headline music festivals throughout the spring. In its most star-studded billing yet, Dreamville Festival tapped Drake and Usher as co-headliners for the two-day event, as Dreamville Records head honcho J. Cole closed out the weekend. Usher’s set marked his debut festival performance of his single "GLU,” released on March 17, 2023, after a 40-second Valentine’s Day teaser.

“GLU” was also a perfect storm of cultural cache since the teaser video starred Gen Z model and socialite Lori Harvey. The official lyric video garnered 4 million YouTube views and was followed by a Las Vegas rehearsal video, which dropped on April 18 and has 721k views.

By May, Usher was headed to Lovers & Friends, where he held down the Las Vegas Festival Grounds with co-headliners Mariah Carey and Missy Elliott. Joining Usher for his set (among others) were Summer Walker for their previously mentioned 2019 collaboration “Come Thru” and Muni Long for “Hrs & Hrs [Remix].”

Usher’s set was nearly derailed by allegations of Usher and Chris Brown getting into an altercation the night before. Still, the show went on, and Usher continued his Vegas residency afterward, later replacing Diddy as a co-headliner for Philadelphia’s Roots Picnic in June.

The Keke Palmer Situation: Viral Drama Brings Newfound Attention

In July, actress-singer Keke Palmer got the serenade of a lifetime from Usher at his Vegas residency. For the uninitiated, a part of Usher’s residency caters to a traditional sense of R&B, where male artist progenitors serenaded chosen audience members. Like he’s done with other female celebrity attendees, Usher graced Palmer’s VIP section with his 2010 ballad “There Goes My Baby,” which has 64 million Spotify streams.

The clip of Usher serenading Keke went viral — as did the reaction of her son's father — and led to discourse across social media about respectability politics.

Usher put the publicity to good use, dropping the breakup single "Good Good" featuring Summer Walker and 21 Savage and accompanying a music video. But the mid-tempo cut was no match for the show-stopping “Boyfriend,” a tongue-in-cheek dance jam aimed at Palmer’s ex — the casino-themed music video even has a cameo from the former child star herself.

Palmer was surely Usher’s muse, but instead of playing his love interest in “Boyfriend,” she transformed into the R&B extraordinaire, prepping for a girl’s night out to his residency (with Usher’s dancers, no less) and mimicking dance moves from his iconic 2001 “U Don’t Have to Call” video.

Along with a fun-filled single, the Palmer spectacle lionized Usher as a music icon who could still keep up with the times. “It was a pop moment, and it was fun to have at least [a] conversation going, and we just keep it light,” he told People days before “Boyfriend” was released.

From Paris to the Super Bowl Halftime Show

Kicking off the final part of 2023, in September, Usher was announced as the next artist to touch the Super Bowl halftime stage, succeeding Rihanna. While Usher won’t be debuting a baby bump for the occasion, he chatted with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe about potential guests, COMING HOME, and 2024 marking the 20th anniversary of Confessions.

In October, Usher took Vegas overseas for his Rendez-Vous Á Paris residency at La Seine Musicale during Paris Fashion Week. Usher made the City of Lights groove during the residency’s eight nights of shows, transforming it into a captivating Parisian affair after nearly two years in Sin City.

One night, Migos member Offset was a special guest and he and Usher brought their Dirty South simpatico to Paris. Returning to Vegas for the last streak of the My Way residency that same month, Usher was honored with his own day and a key to the city.

Usher IS the King of R&B After All

Usher is well ahead of the new class of R&B, continuing to outperform his successors. On TikTok, the singer has 5.7 million followers, despite the app launching over 20 years after his debut album was released. Among R&B/Soul acts, he’s unquestionably influential, as Chartmetric data shows that Usher ranks within the top 15 artists in the genre. The popularity of “Dientes” skyrocketed after its September release, with “Yeah!” only becoming more popular with Latin music and reggaeton fans in tandem.

Bumps in Usher’s music streaming and video plays will likely come following the 2024 Super Bowl, and the cross-promotion for Coming Home will regain interest in fans who’ve attended his residency and crave new music after nearly ten years of anticipation. If the electronic sounds on 2010’s Raymond v. Raymond weren't enough, Usher promised to diversify his musical palette with Coming Home having R&B and hip-hop, crossing over into amapiano and Afrobeats.

Usher spruced up R&B with enthusiasm throughout 2023, the stats complimenting his shows and hype for his upcoming album while on the road for the Super Bowl. He’s been teasing a tour which was just announced, where he’ll reportedly bring his Vegas act to international arenas. The last year has been filled with preparation priming fans for the next chapter in his career. It's as if he's still behind that Tiny Desk, saying "Watch this."

Graphics by Nicki Camberg and cover image by Crasianne Tirado; data as of Feb. 9, 2024.

Photo Credit: Instagram / Snoop Cereal

Snoop Dogg isn’t happy with the marketing efforts behind his Snoop Cereal—so he’s suing Walmart & Post. Here’s what we know.

Broadus Foods was founded by Calvin Broadus (Snoop Dogg) and Percy Miller (Master P) to make affordable breakfast cereal. The cereal line was originally supposed to be called Snoop Loopz, but Kellogg’s took issue with that and the brand ended up with the name Snoop Cereal. Broadus Foods entered into a partnership and promotion agreement with Post Foods to distribute the cereal to major retailers—with a focus on Walmart.

According to the lawsuit, Post offered to purchase Broadus Foods outright. The two rappers balked at the idea, but did enter into the distribution agreement with a profit-sharing agreement in place. But the lawsuit alleges that Post did not enter into this deal with good faith. “Unbeknownst to Broadus Foods, Post was not on board with their goals and dreams and had no intention of treating Snoop Cereal equally as its own brands,” the lawsuit alleges.

“In reality, Post ensured that Snoop Cereal would not be available to consumers or that it would incur exorbitant costs that would eliminate any profit to Broadus Foods,” the lawsuit continues. “Essentially, because Snoop Dogg and Master P refused to sell Snoop Cereal in totality—Post entered a false arrangement where they could choke Broadus Foods out of the network—thereby preventing Snoop Cereal from being sold or produced by a competitor.”

The lawsuit also points to several issues in keeping Snoop Cereal in stock at Walmart after its launch in July 2023. “Many Walmart stores showed online and in the employee’s in-store app that Snoop Cereal was sold out or out of stock,” the lawsuit says. “However, upon further investigation by store employees, each of these stores had several boxes of Snoop Cereal in their stockrooms that were coded not to be put out in the store shelves.”

“Post essentially worked with Walmart to ensure that none of the boxes of Snoop Cereal would ever appear on store shelves,” the rappers continue in their complaint. “This automatically resulted in losses to the product which cut until the profits that Broadus Foods was supposed to receive.” They allege that Snoop Cereal was a strong seller while it was available, but Post conspired to keep it unavailable.

“Walmart has furthered this arrangement by taking on a few of the products but not providing a location for those products on their shelves,” the rappers continue. “This has permitted Post to profit from their own cereal brands while keeping a competitor from having their products on the shelves.”

Another issue was the price per box, which reached over $10 once it was finally on store shelves. Broadus Foods says the high price per box goes against the company’s mission of providing affordable food to families.

The lawsuit accuses Post of breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and collusion and conspiracy. Walmart faces the collusion and conspiracy claim, with separate claims for aiding and abetting a breach of fiduciary duty and tortious interference with contract and business relations.

Photo Credit: Peloton

Timbaland teams up with Peloton and TikTok to premiere a new wellness music video, ahead of the release of the producer’s full album of wellness music later this year.

Peloton and TikTok recently announced an exclusive partnership to bring the former’s workout content to the latter’s ever-growing community with a celebrity collaboration. Timbaland, legendary producer and entrepreneur, will release an album of wellness music later this year in partnership with Myndstream to help promote wellbeing and improve the health of listeners. His new wellness music video premieres live on TikTok tonight (January 31) in partnership with Peloton, ahead of his full album’s release.

Timbaland will host the premiere on his TikTok account, live from his Miami studio, joined by Peloton Instructor Camila Ramón, who will lead the conversation and interview the producer on his storied career, the upcoming Producer Series on Peloton, and the intersection of health, wellness, and music. They will be joined by Peloton Instructor Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts to lead the live group through a “mindfulness moment” set to Timbaland’s new music.

As a passionate Peloton member, this isn’t the first time Timbaland has teamed up with the workout giant. Their first collaboration brought a series of Peloton Verzuz themed classes to life, celebrating artists like Swizz Beatz, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Monica, and Brandy. But this is the first time Peloton will offer this sort of social content outside of the Peloton platform, all live on TikTok.

“Music, like movement, has the power to heal and shift your mindset,” said Timbaland. “Partnering with Peloton to share my new music with some of my favorite instructors was the perfect fusion of movement, music, and mindfulness. This is my first release as part of a bigger partnership with Myndstream coming later this year, so my hope is that we can make this type of wellness content available to more people by creating access on platforms like TikTok.”

To honor Black History Month, the celebration of Timbaland’s catalog continues on the Peloton platform as the featured artist in the ongoing Producer Series, kicking off February 8. The class series offers programming set to TImbaland’s expansive catalog across cycling, row, tread & strength, and yoga, with no equipment necessary. Classes will be free for 60 days for new members on the Peloton app.

Music industry veterans (and identical twins) Jason Jordan and Joel T. Jordan originally founded earthprogram in 1996, relaunching it in 2020 with a guiding mantra to ‘give honest advice to everyone.’ The industry incubator offers expert consulting and business development services to artists, labels, startups, and ‘green’ investors.

For artists, earthprogram’s goal is to expand creative output and capture audience attention by strategically collaborating and marketing across multiple platforms. According to Jason, principal and cofounder of earthprogram, his team’s expertise and extensive network of music industry partnerships place it ‘at the tip of the spear’ with the right relationships.

In that vein, Jason revealed a collaboration with Virgin Music for distribution and IP protection, RoyFi for ‘no bulls—t funding options,’ and That Pitch ‘to supply music to sync and licensing companies.’

Apart from consulting and business development, other primary verticals include publishing and licensing via a joint venture with Empire, as well as sync and music distribution for qualified artists and labels. Just recently, earthprogram joined forces with DMN to further expand their footprint.

Earthprogram was born out of the realization that many artists are blatantly green about how the business actually works, with preconceived ideas causing them to make moves — early in their careers — that irreversibly destroy any chances of future success.

Jason relayed that multiple artists he met at Canadian Music Week were shocked that their tracks didn’t capture any attention on streaming platforms and that ‘no one cared about their music.’

What went wrong? “Playlisting is not a marketing strategy,” says Jason, explaining that musicians that had put their entire album online at once and ‘simply blew their investment when we could have strung that out over a year, and they could have built a story leading to a career on it.’

As for the potential of DIY platforms to kickstart artist careers, Jason agreed that it can be a great idea to do it yourself. However, artists shouldn’t ‘do it alone’ — because expert advice can help them ‘do it better.’

In an industry where a major label deal is considered a ticket to surefire success, Jason clarifies that the odds are not in favor of rising artists who want to build a career on the back of a viral track.

Jason dives into the practice of labels picking up successful or viral musicians with ‘predatory’ label deals. “Labels expect artists to arrive with an audience and team that’s ready to go,” he adds, explaining that on the contrary, earthprogram’s infrastructure and significant label knowledge cultivate an ecosystem where artists, musicians, writers, and producers can connect to the channels and resources they need to ‘produce high-quality content and distribute it commercially.’

“Rising artists have close to zero chance of ever being heard,” says Jason, adding, “Nobody is cheerleading for these artists, or going to a distribution company and saying ‘please put this on a playlist or get this to the right person at Spotify’.”

“That’s what we’re offering: the expertise and channel relationships to make all the difference,” relays Jason. The brothers forged these relationships over 30 years while holding key music industry leadership positions — but it all started in their parents’ basement.

After creating a ‘highly collectible hardcore punk label’ out of said basement — one that snowballed into a real business by the time they turned 18 — the duo experienced incredible success. As a result, Jason was only 20 years old when he became Director of A&R at Sony Music Entertainment’s Columbia Records.

From Columbia Records, Jason went on to serve as VP A&R at Disney’s Hollywood Records, President of Imagem Music Publishing, Senior VP A&R at Universal’s Republic Records — plus notable senior positions at ONErpm, Symphonic, and self-founded Watermark Records.

Creative director and cofounder of earthprogram, Joel T. Jordan — similarly driven from the pair’s basement punk label success — is also the founder and president of Synchtank, a cloud-based licensing and rights management platform launched in 2011 — with clients like NFL, ESPN, Vice Media, WMG, Disney, and more.

According to Mike Glaser, partner and General Manager of earthprogram, it’s essential to ‘bet on yourself’ and build something sustainable that can be embraced by multiple platforms — ‘instead of a shot up on TikTok and a quick 6-month burst of attention before you’re dead.’

Glaser calls earthprogram the ‘expert tour guide for the jungle of the music industry,’ helping artists strategize, create content that matters, and ‘figuring out exactly what is missing in the puzzle to get the results they’re looking for.’

The platform’s successfully incubated artists include Grace Gaustad, who was — not so long ago — barely scratching the surface of viral stardom. Today, Gaustad boasts over 25 million views on a 2018 cover song, released an album and multimedia experience titled BLKBX: What r u hiding?, has starred in a film of the same title, and was featured in 2021’s Stand Up For Heroes benefit alongside Bruce Springsteen and Brandi Carlile.

Then there’s earthprogram’s rising hard rock artist, Josh Lambert. Known for working with the likes of Sleeping With Sirens’ singer Kellin Quinn and North Ave Jax, Lambert has charted multiple times on iTunes in the Top 5, is rated among the top 50 artists on Chartmetric, and successfully toured twice with RIVALS. Lambert’s latest album, Escape from Alcatraz, released in October 2023 and gained critical acclaim for pushing forward the punk genre. Earthprogram continues to work alongside Josh on strategy and global distribution.

Jason emphasizes the importance of ‘having a plan,’ adding, “If there’s no strategy, nothing’s going to happen.”

Anyone considering diving into the music industry can leverage earthprogram’s network and experience to create a plan.

“We also like to say, ‘we have the map,’” Jason relays, adding that even though the consultancy runs the plan, ‘it’s the artists and creators helping create the plan, based on what they want strategically.’ Jason also reveals that earthprogram’s consultancy is ‘either high-touch or low-touch’ — depending on how much they want them involved.

“So we can be in their laps or at arm’s length; they can decide. If they don’t need anything beyond just a quick kick in the ass, we can do that too.”

Jason believes earthprogram’s strongest suit is its relationships with distributors ‘that make all the difference.’ “We have the same facilities as the majors. We know the same marketing people, techniques, and tactics. But we get the results faster.”

It’s common knowledge that rising artists rarely have the financial resources to invest in publishing and marketing — so paying for success consultancy seems like a stretch. On that front, Glaser reveals that earthprogram offers a hybrid of retainer fees or a percentage of earnings. “We have fair deals that are expedited though our funding partners without offering predatory record label deals.”

According to Glaser, artists who qualify for consultancy can advance their earnings without selling their rights, and earthprogram’s retainers are so small that anybody who’s serious about their career can benefit from the offering. “We offer packages that start at only a few hundred dollars all the way up — depending on what they need. We can provide something useful for everybody.”

Photo Credit: Primary Wave

Adidas, Malbon Golf, and Primary Wave are introducing a limited edition ‘Crosby Collection’ inspired by Bing Crosby’s Clambake—first started in 1937.

Adidas says it has taken design cues from the fashion present in the early days of the Bing Crosby Clambakes, creating a range of attire for men and women. For men, the special edition golf wear includes button-down polos, pleated trousers, and shorts, crewnecks, and lightweight sport coats. For women, the drop includes a color-blocked dress with an argyle print, polos with slightly wider and longer sleeves, and a form-fitting culotte pant.

“We wanted to create pieces based on the rich catalog that golf fashion gave us in the 30s and 40s along with what we saw in old photographs from Bing’s famous Clambakes,” adds Dylan Moore, Creative Director, Adidas Golf. “The entire collection is an ode to what golf and fashion became at that time in history but also celebrates how those same characteristics and fashion styles from that time still live on with golfers today.”

“With this collection, we wanted to pay tribute to the essence of golf and fashion by taking old silhouettes and modernizing them,” says Malbon Golf Co-Founder Stephen Malbon. “It was an honor to create a collection inspired by the legendary Bing Crosby. His iconic Crosby Clambake was a perfect celebration of the timeless connection between style, sport, and camaraderie that reflects our brand’s ethos.”

“The Crosby Family is so grateful to work with the Adidas and Malbon teams in developing this incredible line of sportswear,” adds Harry Crosby. “With the line’s casual performance wear being especially reminiscent of what dad wore, it truly sustains the recognition he had for sports and the golfing world.”

In addition to the key pieces of the collection, Adidas and Malbon will include a checkered anorak, a t-shirt in two colorways featuring the iconic clam decanters that were gifted to all amateur participants of the original Clambakes, and a 5-panel hat. Adidas is also including two limited-edition footwear offerings as part of the collection. The Crosby Collection will be available on January 29 in limited quantities.

Photo Credit: Bobo Boom / CC by 2.0

After a British advertising watchdog banned FKA Twigs’ Calvin Klein ad in the country, the singer is calling out double standards.

The British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned the ad saying the artist is depicted as a “stereotypical sexual object” in the advertisement. The ad features a picture of FKA Twigs in a denim shirt that’s draped across her body, which the ASA describes as “leaving the side of her buttocks and half of one breast exposed.” The text for the ad declares ‘Calvins or nothing.’

After the ASA made the decision to ban the ad, FKA Twigs took to Instagram to express her dismay at the ruling—especially considering past Calvin Klein ads.

“I do not see the ‘stereotypical sexual object’ that they have labelled me,” the artist begins. “I see a beautiful strong woman of color whose incredible body has overcome more pain than you can imagine. In light of reviewing other campaigns, past and current, of this nature, I can’t help but feel there are some double standards here.”

The artist cites some of the women who inspire her, including Josephine Baker, Eartha Kitt, and Grace Jones “who broke down barriers of what it looks like to be empowered and harness a unique embodied sensuality.” FKA Twigs also thanked the Calvin Klein photographers who worked on her ad campaign for capturing her beauty.

The ASA regulates advertising in Great Britain and says it received two complaints about the poster, and another separate Calvin Klein ad featuring Kendall Jenner. The complaints alleged the images are “offensive and irresponsible because they objectify women.” In response to the ban, Calvin Klein said the advertising is no different than ads it has run in the UK over the past several decades.

“The ad used nudity and centered on FKA Twigs’ physical features rather than the clothing, to the extend that it presented her as a stereotypical sexual object,” a statement from the ASA reads. The ASA says the ad’s composition “placed viewers’ focus on the model’s body rather than the clothes being advertised.” The Kendall Jenner ad was not found to violate ASA standards, while the FKA Twigs ad will have to be modified.

Photo Credit: Pepsi Co.

Pepsi re-branded its crystal soda rival to Coca-Cola’s Sprite last year. Now it’s tapping rapper Ice Spice to highlight its new star.

Ice Spice will star in a Super Bowl commercial for Starry, the new soda that Pepsi launched last year after discontinuing its Sierra Mist brand. The rising star is likely a good choice, considering her connection to Gen Z and her rise to fame as a TikTok rapper. She will star alongside mascots Lem and Lime. AdAge reports that VaynerMedia is the creative agency responsible for the ad.

Pepsi Co. rebranded Sierra Mist last year in an attempt to take on Coca-Cola’s market dominance in the lemon-lime soda category. Michael Smith, the head of marketing for the Starry brand, told AdAge that its target consumers are “irreverent optimists.”

Of course, Pepsi Co. isn’t the first brand partnership Ice Spice has landed in her trend upwards, either. Last year in September 2023, the rapper starred in a Dunkin’ Donuts commercial to celebrate the arrival of pumpkin spice season. The ad premiered at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, where Ice Spice won the Best New Artist category.

Expanding her horizons beyond just music, Ice Spice has become a keen brand-aware musician. She also has a sponsorship deal with Chia Pet, which offers a terracotta bust of the rapper that fans can grow a chia ‘fro on. Not too bad for something your grandma used to give as a gift to people who are hard to buy gifts for. (Sorry Chia, it’s true.)

Most recently, Ice Spice released a new song snippet featuring a creative take on J. Cole’s ‘fart’ lyric from his album, The Off-Season. “I let you feel like you the sh**, but boy, you can’t out-fart me. You think you the sh**? B*tch, you not even the fart,” the lyric goes.

For a long time, radio has been known to be a decisive platform for music discovery. In recent years, there has been more focus on vying for playlist adds and creating masses of content in hopes of going viral on TikTok. But despite these shifts, radio shouldn’t be ignored — here’s why.

Play MPE is a long-term partner of Digital Music News — we’re proud to jointly share this massive announcement.

The industry has changed a lot over the last couple of decades. Topping the list is music streaming, which has grown into a digital tsunami. Radio may no longer seem to be the MVP in the game, but it’s still very relevant for any development strategy.

Generating Real Organic Growth Through Radio

Artist development strategies are constantly getting more and more inventive. Radio should definitely be part of it. Finding success at radio (or at least getting regular spins) is an excellent strategy for artists to be more visible to music industry professionals. Major labels have yet to discount the impact an artist can have at radio. Getting played on the radio is a tangible vector of validation that still has a consequential impact.

Perhaps there is still a sense that radio is less accessible to independent artists and smaller labels. Or that radio requires large budgets only big companies can unlock. Well, that is where companies like Play MPE come in. In this case, the platform acts as a space for music promotion and discovery by music professionals worldwide. Artists are welcome to use these means, too.

“Programmers are now used to getting their music digitally with a bio, album credits, tour dates, etc. It is also great to see the reporting from Play MPE and see who has opened, streamed and downloaded the songs is definitely helpful.” observed Joel Habbeshaw, VP of radio promotion at New West Records. “I have been utilizing Play MPE for a long time and I have found it to be super easy to upload and create a blast to radio and not have to keep updating my own database of contacts. Their worldwide collection of stations continues to grow and I am thankful for their ability to make the delivery to radio one less thing I have to worry about.”

Play MPE is a two-sided platform:

• Caster addresses artists, promoters, record labels, and managers. They can promote releases to verified tastemakers in radio, media, music supervision, curation, and more. Promotions include email blasts and hosting on the discovery side of the platform, Player. Users can add broadcast-ready music files, metadata, promotional information, assets, etc.
• Player enables radio programmers, music supervisors, curators, and even A&R professionals to discover the latest releases. From artists and labels around the globe, Player displays all tracks, in all music formats, with all the needed information. Music professionals can go from there to get a song on the air, do a sync placement, or plan a review by a music magazine.

As for indie artists, their releases can benefit from the same visibility as any other top artist. By existing in this context, this provides even more credibility to a name yet to be discovered.

A Strong Presence Starts With Radio

So why focus on radio when everything seems about getting on playlists or trending on TikTok?

If a music director or radio programmer chooses to add a song to rotation, it’s a deliberate choice. There’s no guaranteed way to get on the radio. Of course, hiring a radio promoter can bring an artist closer to the goal. But ultimately, the choice relies on the radio station alone. Working with promotion companies helps target the right people and networks, making it a great choice, but it still requires a budget. Many professional radio promoters are users of Play MPE. But indie artists are also welcome to take control and promote themselves, which allows them to target the same key industry decision-makers.

Another key factor is that radio plays last longer. Today, placement strategies are mainly focused on streaming playlists. However, they change every week or so. Radio stations might spin a song for 3 to 4 months or even longer if it becomes an instant classic.

It’ll come as no surprise that any artist should aim to diversify their revenue. Streaming can’t be the only stream of income. Other possibilities for getting your music not only heard, but played, have to be taken into account.

“Ditch sending 1000-plus cold emails to radio stations and instead use Play MPE,” said indie artist Sally Dige. “It will save you so much time, money, and effort and be WAY more effective. I cannot recommend this platform enough for independent artists like myself.”

So You Got on the Radio, Now What?

The next step is tracking radio plays and learning more about the artist’s audience. Data can inform a global strategy by showing which territories a track is more appreciated. For instance, an artist may want to book live shows in these target markets. Knowing which stations are playing music means new ways to contact fans, including ticket giveaways, contests to win merchandise, and more. There could also be opportunities to set up on-air interviews or live sessions. Beyond the touring aspect, this is great intel for music marketing.

Data is critical to building an artist development strategy. For example, marketing campaigns informed by radio data can help complete social media stats. Radio stations involve people working daily at curation. Streaming and social data need to be more reliable when it comes to filling venues. All in all, radio seems to have more staying power. And retention leads to longevity.

Beyond facilitating music promotion and discovery, Play MPE supports accessibility to radio tracking. Currently, you can track radio airplay in Canada with their new platform MTR. The company also has plans to expand tracking very soon.  

On the one hand, Play MPE makes it easier for artists to reach radio stations by providing them with a promotion tool and massive distribution lists. On the other hand, they make discoverability easier for curators and industry professionals, creating a space for the latest releases with relevant information attached. Play MPE works across all music formats and genres in 6 continents. When promoting a release, considering radio can open many opportunities in the long term.

Learn more about Play MPE.

Does the ‘I do not own the rights to this music’ disclaimer actually work? Here’s a quick guide. Photo Credit: Javier Miranda

Is it a good idea to attach an “I do not own the rights to this music” disclaimer to content containing a protected song or songs? Here’s a quick answer to the often-asked question.

One needn’t look far to find social media posts about the much-seen “I do not own the rights to this music” descriptor, and especially whether it provides protection from copyright infringement claims. Meanwhile, actual videos with the notice are common on platforms including but certainly not limited to YouTube.

Unfortunately for those who’ve turned to the disclaimer in search of cover from potential copyright claims, in short, it doesn’t provide any protections for the unauthorized use of media by non-rightsholders.

Some platforms, TikTok and YouTube among them, enable individuals to feature licensed music in their videos sans ownership. In the interest of brevity, these allowances don’t cover commercial uses even when tracks are available via on-platform song libraries. Disclaimer or not, high-profile lawsuits and massive judgements demonstrate that brands cannot add music to visual media with impunity.

Bringing the focus back to individuals, YouTube’s Content ID makes it easy for rightsholders to take one of several automatic actions when their works are detected in uploaded content without being licensed. Claims can both block videos altogether or monetize them for the claimant.

Thus, on YouTube, it’s often the fact that music rightsholders are generating ad revenue from third-party uploads – not the presence of the “I do not own the rights to this music” disclaimer – that results in the videos’ remaining available.

(For artists who are looking to cover tracks legally, avoid rights-related obstacles, and collect recording royalties, the process is relatively straightforward. As we’ve described, though, setting a cover to visual media like a music video brings with it other licensing considerations yet.)

Nevertheless, creators who wish to complement their content with high-quality tracks have options besides forgoing music, settling for on-platform royalty-free options, or forking over ad revenue.

Standalone providers of royalty-free music, including Epidemic Sound and Soundstripe, are decidedly popular, for instance. Others, like Pretzel, specialize in licensing music for use particularly during livestreams, while the company’s Songtradr parent offers pre-cleared music not only for brands’ visual-media projects, but for YouTube channels and more.

In summary, “I do not own the rights to this music” isn’t an effective way of protecting oneself from copyright claims. But one isn’t without options when it comes to including tracks in content, and a bit of planning at the outset can help prevent usage headaches down the line.

Photo Credit: Alex George

UnitedMasters and the National Basketball Association (NBA) have announced plans to expand their existing collaboration across Africa.

Both companies will leverage the popularity of music, basketball, and the NBA on the African continent—showcasing African musicians to positively impact African youth. The collaboration with NBA Africa will allow UnitedMasters to empower independent musicians by providing them with the opportunity to have their music featured across the league’s social media channels in Africa. The relationship will connect artists with NBA Africa, resulting in access to African audiences and the ability for artists to amplify their music to fans across the continent.

The announcement builds on the already established relationship between UnitedMasters and NBA Africa which began in 2018. It comes as UnitedMasters is expanding its platform into Nigeria, where NBA Africa also has dedicated offices to support the leagues’ business initiatives in the country.

“Our collaboration with the NBA has been since day one a great articulation of our company at its best—finding the shared value between sports and music to the benefit of both,” adds UnitedMasters CEO Steve Stoute. “As UnitedMasters expands into Africa, deepening our collaboration only makes sense: the audience appeal of each is a huge opportunity for the other. Together, we’re ensuring breakthrough Nigerian artists can access a global stage in an instant, while at the same time allowing the league to align directly with the tastes and ambitions of their next two billion fans.”

“We’re excited to expand our collaboration with United Masters, who share our commitment to inspiring and connecting youth across Africa and around the world,” adds NBA Vice President & Country Head of Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu. “As we continue to integrate the NBA into the key pillars of culture in Nigeria, we believe this relationship will enable us to showcase the tremendous passion for music and basketball on the continent and bring fans together around their shared love of both.”

NBA Africa held the second edition of its ‘NBA Meets Art’ in November 2023 in Lagos, Nigeria to celebrate basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture. NBA Africa collaborated with Nigerian artist Dennis Osadebe to curate an installation that focused on the essence of community and togetherness that basketball fosters. In February 2022, several Nigerian superstars including Burna Boy headlined the NBA All-Star Game halftime show.

Photo Credit: WFLA

Luke Combs is profusely apologizing for suing a disabled fan for $250,000, saying he was “completely and utterly unaware” of the lawsuit in his name — or the judgement that was issued in Illinois court — until he was shown a local news piece of the crying fan.

A Florida woman with congestive heart failure was making enough money to pay her bills by selling homemade drink tumblers and t-shirts through Amazon. As a big fan of country singer Luke Combs, Nicol Harness started offering a Combs-themed tumbler after going to his concert in Tampa over the summer. But now a federal court in Illinois is suing her on Combs’ behalf for selling counterfeit merchandise.

With ongoing health problems, the Amazon store was Harness’ only source of income. She bought artwork online and sold 18 Luke Combs-themed tumblers for $20 each — totaling $380. Unbeknownst to her, a federal court in Illinois sued several individuals for selling counterfeit Luke Combs merchandise, and now Harness finds herself ordered to pay Combs $250,000.

Harness had no idea anyone had even sued her until she returned home from a hospital stay to discover she had no access to the funds earned through her Amazon storefront. She finally discovered the notice of the lawsuit, dated back in October — in an email in her junk mail folder. That notice explained she had 21 days to respond to the allegations, but as she says she was in the hospital at the time, she hardly had the chance.

“It’s very stressful — I don’t have money to pay my bills. I just want this resolved. I didn’t mean any harm to Luke Combs. I quit selling the tumbler,” she said.

On Tuesday, Tampa-based news outlet WFLA told Harness’ story, with consumer investigator Shannon Behnken reaching out to the attorney representing Combs in the lawsuit, as it was unknown whether Combs was even aware of the lawsuit. As it turns out, he wasn’t.

Wednesday morning, Luke Combs took to social media after discovering he had won a $250,000 judgement against a Florida woman who had made $380 selling fan merchandise using his likeness. He says he was “completely and utterly unaware” of the lawsuit in his name, or the judgement that the Illinois court had handed down. He was only made aware of it when his attention was directed to a TV news interview with the distraught woman.

“We do have a company that goes after folks — only, supposedly, large corporations operating internationally that make millions and million of dollars — making counterfeit t-shirts, things of that nature, running illegal business,” said Combs. “Apparently this woman, Nicol, has somehow gotten wrapped into that, and that makes me absolutely sick to my stomach.”

Combs says he called Nicol Harness personally with plans to send her $11,000 to help meet her immediate needs, which is double the $5,500 she reported locked in her Amazon store account following the court ruling. The singer also said that he plans to sell his own tumbler through his official merch store and will direct all proceeds from the item to helping with Harness’ medical bills.

“I spoke to her this morning. She told me that (…) she was absolutely shocked by this. I’m so apologetic, talking to her. It makes me sick, honestly, that this would happen, especially at the holidays,” said Combs in his video posted to Instagram. “She was never supposed to be involved in anything like this. No fan should ever have to be involved in anything like this.”

WFLA reports that even though lawsuits in the state of Florida require a defendant to be served in person with physical paperwork, the law recently changed in Illinois and allows a defendant to be served via email — seemingly without any confirmation that the defendant received that email.

Photo Credit: SM Entertainment / RCA Records

Louis Vuitton names rising K-pop sensation RIIZE as the luxe fashion brand’s newest house ambassadors.

SM Entertainment, the leading K-pop management organization, has announced their recently debuted boy band, rising stars RIIZE, have been selected as the new house ambassadors for prestige fashion brand, Louis Vuitton. Chosen for their unmatched visual appeal and trendsetting style, RIIZE has been shown in such a short time to extend their influence beyond the realm of music, solidifying their status as 2023’s standout K-pop rookies.

While the group has already made its mark as a rising star in the advertising world, with numerous invitations from brands across diverse sectors, RIIZE was drawing in fans with their charisma and style prior to their official debut. Just three months since their debut, having been selected as brand ambassadors for Louis Vuitton has sent shockwaves of anticipation throughout the K-pop and fashion industries.

“RIIZE, through their emotionally charged pop music, aims to connect with audiences worldwide by highlighting the universal feelings of everyday life and shared experiences,” reads a statement from Louis Vuitton. “Their debut single album, ‘Get a Guitar,’ released in September of this year, made a significant impact by becoming a million-seller within a week and topping international charts.”

“The group has garnered significant attention for their trendsetting and confident fashion senses. Their liberating fashion choices have already generated immense interest within the fashion world. We look forward to embarking on this creative journey together with RIIZE.”

RIIZE’s debut in September swiftly ascended the iTunes Top Song Chart, ranking within the Top 10 in 20 regions worldwide. The group has been spotlighted on global media, including Billboard, the Grammy’s, Rolling Stone, Variety, NME, Clash, and more. In just over two months, the group’s official YouTube channel hit 100 million cumulative views on November 6 — not including their official music videos.

With a focus on authenticity and relatability, RIIZE forges a deep connection with their ever-growing fanbase by sharing their down-to-earth personalities and numerous fun and humble moments at the start of their journey as K-pop idols.

Photo Credit: Warners Group Publications

Pianist magazine from Warners Group Publications now has a digital version for subscribers—making it easier to access older copies.

The Pianist archive was created in partnership with Exact Editions and offers over 80 issues of fully searchable content dating back to 2010. The new service makes back editions of the magazine available seamlessly across the web, iOS, and Android. Pianist magazine was launched in October 2001 and is now heading into its third decade.

It offers a range of content for subscribers including over 38 pages of inspiring scores, informative articles and learning tips, in-depth education articles, interviews with renowed piano players, competitions, news about piano makers, sheet music, and album reviews.

The new digital issue of Pianist also allows for an interactive experience, including featuring video content of pianists in concert around the world and expert teachers giving in-depth masterclasses.

On the Exact Editions platform, navigation is intuitive and the advanced search function allows keywords to be located across the full archive, so specific content in the magazine can be found with just the click of a button. Pianist members benefit from unlimited access to the full digital archive and will receive the latest issues as soon as they are published.

“The new digital format of Pianist looks visually appealing and engaging,” adds pianist Erica Worth, who has served as Editor of Pianist magazine for 22 years. “We’re excited for our content to reach the new and international audiences that use the Exact Editions platform, particularly institutions.”

“We are pleased that Pianist have joined our platform and that we are part of bringing this renowned magazine to new digital audiences,” adds Managing Director of Exact Editions, Daryl Rayner. “Memberships are becoming a popular model for publishers who want to strengthen their digital offering whilst creating a sense of community amongst their readers—Exact Editions’ technology is the perfect fit for publications like Pianist that want to achieve this.”

Custom dark-themed Onesheet for Tate McRae, part of the Onesheet 2.0 rollout.

Acquired by Chartmetric in 2022, Onesheet is now zeroing in on advanced customization options, privacy sharing, and analytics. With improved dashboard navigation and file organization features, Onesheet 2.0 also offers the much-asked-for functionality that supports private Spotify links and custom widgets.

Chartmetric’s Onesheet is a tool for the music industry that allows the creation of data-backed artist summaries — or EPKs — in seconds. At its core, Onesheet is tailored to serve specific music data insights relevant to targeted goals — backed by Chartmetric’s robust datasets. Now, as Chartmetric releases Onesheet 2.0, we look at the latest updates to these dynamically updating one-sheet summaries.

As background, Andreas Katsambas, President and COO of Chartmetric, sat down with DMN to give us a closer look at how the ‘outward facing part of its dataset’ — Onesheet — brings value to artists, managers, labels — as well as the decision-makers ultimately receiving these one-sheets.

For artists and managers, these resumes are quick to create and pull data from Spotify and the web to streamline workflows. And for decision-makers at the receiving end of these one-sheets, one glance at the insights is enough to unearth the more expansive picture required to make informed decisions.

Taking it one step further, decision-makers can set standardized fields and requirements for the one-sheets coming their way and take charge of their valuable time and resources — quickly sifting through thousands of artist profiles to pick out the best fits.

Speaking to DMN once again, Katsambas highlighted how the latest Onesheet 2.0 resolves issues and pains for artists and managers while offering labels the ability to create something ‘exciting.’

Of the various new features, the platform launched a ‘dark’ theme for artist Onesheets. It will soon allow further customization of background color, font color and style, alongside a ‘light’ theme. Moreover, users can currently customize their Onesheet URL title via sheet settings.

With Onesheet 2.0, users can rename multiple one-sheets to target unique decision-makers.

As a standard, Onesheet 1.0 generated a random set of numbers for each URL. This numerical auto-generation made the sheets unique, though multiple Onesheet links in an email didn’t display identifying characteristics. 2.0 solves this problem by allowing artists and managers to add words or phrases to Onesheet URLs.

“You can rename any Onesheet URL. When you copy-paste the link, the artist’s name can be at the end of the URL, which helps you keep things organized and know which one-sheet you’re clicking for,” says Katsambas.

For Onesheet, it’s all about efficiency. Users can rename multiple one-sheets to target unique decision-makers. For example, customizing Onesheet URLs as drake, drake-radio, drake-spotify, or drake-rollingstone would help quickly identify which one is meant to go where.

Onesheet has also added the functionality to support private SoundCloud links, the ability to customize the demo track in the Spotify widget, and upgraded privacy sharing. Artists can now also export the entire Onesheet as a PDF.

“If an artist’s SoundCloud link were set in private, it wouldn’t play on our website, so we fixed that. That was a big one,” Katsambas says.

Speaking about creating a custom Spotify widget, Katsambas says it will display the most popular current track embedded by the artist.

With more secure sharing capabilities, artists can set their sheets to ‘Private’ and share them with select individuals. Katsambas explains, “You can take any Onesheet, add users via their email, type a specific message, and each receiver gains a unique access link only they can view.”

2.0’s improved analytics allows users to see which receivers clicked on the link to view the Onesheet, how frequently they accessed it, and when. “It gives you full analytics of the people you send it to, who was able to view it,” reveals Katsambas.

Improved analytics reveal how frequently a receiver viewed the Onesheet, and when.

Another key point, artists’ managers juggling hundreds of one-sheets found it ‘challenging to organize.’ So, Onesheet improved file organization capabilities by department, genre, or other requirement.

Katsambas says there’s another, more significant reason Onesheet 2.0 now facilitates the creation of highly organized folders. “Moving forward, when you’re going to have companies giving access to all their employees, they’ll be able to control who sees which folder. So now, it’s like a drive,” he said.

Does Onesheet have more updates and broader customization options in the pipeline? Katsambas says yes.

Management agencies and labels will soon be able to replace the term ‘Onesheet’ with their variants — such as company info — anywhere on the one-sheet.

Katsambas explains that the update offers the ability to ‘brand’ Onesheets — for artists and labels alike — and explains, “You can switch the Onesheet logo with your company logo, and have the ability to use your own subdomain, say www.universal.club. You can replace anything that says ‘Onesheet.’”

Other enterprise features in the works include the creation of multiple Onesheets on the fly — simply import a CSV and generate a hundred all at once.

Katsambas says Onesheet is underutilized, and it currently offers functionalities that could equip labels with a significant competitive advantage.

For example, labels could build customized Onesheets for Grammy nomination consideration blasts. “Make it compelling instead of putting the artist’s name next to their nomination. Maybe make it a bit more exciting,” he says.

Onesheet provides features far beyond just the creation of artist resumes for decision-makers. When it launched, the ‘living resume’ already offered integration with major platforms like Songkick to sync live shows and tour dates. Users can also embed videos, images, and links from YouTube, Audiomack, Soundcloud, and others.

Given Chartmetrics’s track record of data-powered insights, analytics, and privacy features, it’s interesting to explore how Onesheet will continue incorporating new ideas, trends, and even label requests to elevate its offerings.

In September, Chartmetric conducted an in-house study on Onesheet users to discover revealing insights about their geographical location, genre of music, and career stage.

Of the thousands of Onesheet summaries initiated this year, more than half were created in the US, followed by the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Brazil, Japan, and Mexico. The top five genres of those artists were Pop, Hip-hop/Rap, R&B/Soul, Rock, and Electronic. 34% of those who generated Onesheets were at the ‘developing’ stage of their career, 18% were mainstream, and 16% were undiscovered.

Photo Credit: Om Kamath

A new report reveals Kanye West’s antisemitism surfaced in some of the first meetings he had with Adidas execs when establishing the lucrative sneaker deal.

The latest Ye bombshell comes from New York Times reporter Megan Twohey, who traveled across the country to speak with current and former Adidas employees about the partnership. In 2013, the sportswear brand signed a partnership with Kanye, giving him a team meeting to discuss their first moves. An array of sneakers were lined up for the rapper to inspect. “To convey how offensive he considered the designs, he grabbed a sketch of a shoe and took a marker to the toe,” the report reveals. Kanye drew a swastika on the shoes.

The partnership forged ahead and became a $1 billion-dollar industry for Adidas, until October 2022 when he began making inflammatory antisemitic remarks online and during podcast appearances. He tweeted that he would go “deathcon three on Jewish people”,” and said he was worth too much to Adidas for them to end the partnership. While Adidas appeared to languish over the decision to part ways, it eventually came to a head.

“When [Kanye] exploded in bitter outbursts at Adidas managers, the company typically sought not to reign him in but to appease him,” the report reads. “In negotiations over the years, Adidas kept sweetening the deal, doubling down on its investments and tethering its fortunes more closely to him.”

Despite verbally abusing his Adidas handlers, the company did little to address employee complaints about his behavior. Many employees raised concerns that his behavior could tarnish the brand, but executives swept those concerns under the rug. Their eye was on catching up to Nike in sales, which has long dominated the sneaker market. One Adidas executive said working with Kanye was precisely the point, because he is a “master of spectacle.”

According to the report, West told a Jewish Adidas manager to kiss a photo of Hitler every day. In another meeting in 2019, he reportedly hurled shoes around the room. That didn’t stop Adidas from offering the rapper $100 million annually for ‘Yeezy marketing’ officially, but it appears to be little more than payment to keep Kanye happy. Ye also collected a 15% royalty payment on net sales with at least $3 million guaranteed, but the shoes far outsold that stipend.

In 2016, Adidas tried to protect itself with a morals clause to his new contract, which would allow the company to end the deal over reputation threatening behaviors.

Scooter Braun represented Kanye West in those negotiations arguing that only a criminal offense like shooting someone would be cause for Adidas to terminate its partnership with his client. But Adidas executives would not back down. Kanye finally conceded to the new contract terms for termination which included:

• felony conviction
• bankruptcy
• 30 consecutive days of mental health or substance abuse treatment
• anything that brings “disrepute, contempt, scandal” to Adidas

The contract signed in 2016 also offered Kanye a dedicated team of Adidas professionals at the Portland, Oregon headquarters. The contract stipulated that arrangement could be extended for up to a decade if the partnership met its financial targets.

Following the signing of that new contract, Kanye’s public appearances took a turn. He began publicly praising President-elect Donald Trump, insinuated Jay-Z sent killers after him, and began canceling public performances. His relationship with Kim Kardashian also unraveled alongside his bid for the 2020 Presidental election.

Photo Credit: Eminem / Mom’s Spaghetti

Eminem hinted that something new would drop soon, revealed to be ‘Mom’s Spaghetti’ sauce in a jar, leaving fans disappointed as they were expecting new music.

After teasing on social media that something new was in the works, Eminem unveiled the release of Mom’s Spaghetti sauce — in a jar, and not on a sweater, thankfully. The sauce, which will be available later this week, pays homage to his 2002 hit, “Lose Yourself,” and the “mom’s spaghetti” memes that permeated the internet in the years that followed.

But the rapper’s fans were disappointed that the new release wasn’t any new music, and they weren’t shy about letting him know in the comments: “Marshall, the sauce we really want is the album,” wrote one. “Bro dropping sauces instead of an album,” commented another. “Drop the bomb tracks tho, Marshall,” said a third.

The Rap God’s last release was “Music To Be Murdered By” in 2020, his eleventh studio album, which featured appearances by Royce da 5’9”, Don Toliver, Ed Sheeran, the late Juice WRLD, and many more. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, although it received mixed reviews from fans and critics.

Eminem became one of the highest-selling artists of all time, according to data from ChartMasters, surpassing Led Zeppelin after achieving over 207.26 million total sales, combining album sales, singles, and streaming data. He is the only rapper in the Top 40, with Drake coming the closest at No. 41, with over 120 million sales. Kanye and Tupac are the only other hip-hop artists in the Top 100, at No. 61 (98 million) and No. 73 (84 million) respectively.

Among his other recent accolades, the Detroit native became the most certified artist in RIAA history last year, with 227.5 million gold and platinum certifications, as well as the most diamond certifications in hip-hop.

Photo Credit: Beyonce on Instagram

Beyonce’s highly anticipated new fragrance releases just in time for the holiday season, as Zayn Malik joins the alcohol-free beverage business.

On Tuesday, two celebrity musicians took to Instagram to announce their latest individual branding endeavors: Zayn Malik and Beyonce. Beyonce unveiled her much-anticipated new fragrance, CÉ NOIR, available just in time for the holiday season for $160. One Direction alum Zayn Malik announced his new position as Chief Creative Officer and co-owner of the alcohol-free drink brand Mixoloshe, unveiling his first mocktail: a lychee martini.

“Proud to unveil my latest venture, Mixoloshe. A blend of passion, craft, and joy,” said Malik in his announcement. “The non-alcoholic beverage market is ready for disruption,” he added in a statement to People. “We see consumers already shifting preferences toward healthier and alcohol-free alternatives, which provides an opportunity for a brand like Mixoloshe to redefine this industry.”

The brand describes the lychee martini mocktail as “sweet, floral, and slightly tropical,” emphasizing a focus on real ingredients that Mixoloshe’s other drinks boast. Taste testers note a “sophisticated fruity flavor” and the sense of a “boozy” smelling drink without the presence of alcohol. The female-founded brand offers several other varieties of non-alcoholic cocktails and alcohol-free gin, tequila, and whiskey.

Meanwhile, Beyonce’s new perfume, created in France and designed by the superstar herself, is available for pre-order now in the US and Canada for $160, with shipping beginning in November. A “special gift” will be included with each purchase, while supplies last.

“Beyonce Parfums presents CÉ NOIR,” she wrote beneath her Instagram video, showcasing the reflective silver perfume bottle.

Her first fragrance since 2014’s “Rise,” “CÉ NOIR” features “top notes of clementine and golden honey, heart notes of rose absolute and jasmine sambac, and base notes of Namibian myrrh and golden amber.” Attendees of her RENAISSANCE tour concerts in select cities were treated to samples of the perfume.

Prior to “Rise,” the singer released “Pulse” in 2011, and “Heat” in 2010, which led to seven different spin-off scents as one of the best-selling celebrity fragrances of all time.

Announcement of the new perfume comes on the heels of her final Ivy Park x Adidas collection, “Ivy Park Noir,” an all-black clothing line inspired by the film noir genre. Beyonce announced the collection on Instagram as she wrapped up her RENAISSANCE world tour.

Photo Credit: Eva Rinaldi / CC by 2.0

Taylor Swift continues to cheer on Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs, drawing record ratings for the NFL on CBS.

Pop superstar Taylor Swift’s budding romance with Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end, Travis Kelce, continues to make headlines, leading to a noticeable spike in viewership for the NFL. Almost 24.4 million viewers watched as the Chiefs took down the Los Angeles Chargers 17-31 — the most-watched program of the week across all networks.

The game is also the most-watched regional week 7 game since 1998, when the NFL’s programming returned to CBS amid the buzz of the Bills-Patriots game, with nearly 16 million viewers. Comparatively, the Chiefs’ week 5 game against the New York Jets drew in around 27 million viewers on NBC across Peacock, NBC Sports Digital, and NFL Digital platforms.

The week 7 game was also Swift’s return to Arrowhead Stadium to support Kelce, cheering from the suite alongside his parents, Ed and Donna, and other NFL celebrity family like Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ wife Brittany and their infant son Bronze. Previously, the singer-songwriter attended the Chiefs-Broncos game on October 12 — only a day before the premiere of her Eras Tour concert film in LA.

As Taylor Swift’s continued support for Kelce is breaking viewership records for the NFL, so too is “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” concert film breaking records for AMC Theatres. Initially, Swifties broke the record for ticket pre-sales for a concert film — or any film — from AMC, followed by more record-breaking revenue in its opening weekend.

The film’s second week still raked in $34 million despite a 63% drop from its debut, even beating out the new Martin Scorsese film, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” with $23 million. Swift’s concert film became the first in history to bring in more than $100 million at the domestic box office, achieving that impressive feat in only five days of show times.

Going into Halloween, Swift’s film is expected to get bumped to No. 2 with the release of Universal’s “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” an aptly themed horror flick for the spooky season.

Photo Credit: Connor Houtman

The Yeezy sneaker re-releases planned for 2023 and into 2024 have been cancelled by Adidas, according to sources. Here’s the latest.

Earlier this year, the German sportswear company decided it would sell the remainder of its Yeezy stock. That’s following the implosion of its lucrative partnership with the rapper Ye, whose antisemitic rant and inappropriate behavior in public and on podcasts resulted in several social repercussions. Adidas dropped a $1.3 billion partnership with the rapper over a tweet promising to go “death con 3 on Jewish people.”

Adidas began offloading the stock of Yeezy shoes, revealing $440 million in sales for August 2023. 27% of that revenue was donated to charitable organizations including the Anti-Defamation League and the Philonise and the Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change. Now it appears those drops will stop entirely after Hamas terrorists attacked a peaceful music festival, leaving hundreds dead.

“As a brand we will not do a new drop for the remainder of the year both for our internal e-com and retail as well as wholesale,” an internal Adidas message seen by Complex reads. “We will not be shipping out any new stock, this direction was given at the board level.”

According to Complex, the upcoming Yeezy drop was set to feature ‘Bone,’ ‘Onyx,’ and ‘Zebra,’ colorways of the Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 design, and additional colorways for the Adidas Yeezy 500 and 700 models. Adidas formally ended its partnership with the rapper Ye in October 2022 following his antisemitic remarks on Twitter. Retailers speculate that Adidas put the hold on release to avoid any potential backlash from selling the sneakers while the Israel/Hamas conflict is ongoing.

Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden caught flak for saying on a podcast he didn’t believe that Ye meant what he said, in reference to his antisemitic remarks. Following intense backlash to that appearance, Gulden apologized for his misstatement and Adidas reaffirmed its decision to end its deal with Ye in the long run. “Our stance has not changed—hate of any kind has no place in sports or society, and we remain committed to fighting it.”

Photo Credit: Dot Hip Hop

Dot Hip Hop is a domain name registry with a seemingly simple tech proposition. But beyond its focus on .HipHop domain names and website addresses, Dot Hip Hop is honing in on IP ownership, empowering artists, and uplifting the community via financial literacy.

On its surface, Dot Hip Hop has a simple business model. The company facilitates the ownership of .HipHop domain names and website addresses for artists, labels, or anyone tied into the hip hop community or culture of hip hop. Dig a bit deeper, however, and this is a company that’s all about advancing hip hop culture and empowering its creators.

“There’s a lot to the story of our dedication to the community and the culture,” Managing Director Monte Cahn told Digital Music News, who noted that .HipHop domain names offer an opportunity to gain greater ownership over musical creativity. “We’re trying to re-educate people about the importance of having your own intellectual property, your own identity, utilizing it properly, and being able to monetize it.”

Cahn also points out how most people wrongly believe that they own intellectual property rights simply because they’re using Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter to post their content. “These platforms own everything that you do and say. You can be cut off and deleted and even hacked by others while using these platforms,” Cahn explains.

According to company CMO Scott Pruitt, “Artists with a .HipHop domain name gain a digital identity that aligns with hip hop.”

Speaking about the history of hip hop artists in general, Cahn highlighted how artists’ ownership was compromised by the original contracts signed with agents and record labels. “That’s what we’re about, giving ownership rights back to the hip hop community and culture. For artists, DJs, MCs, a record label, or even somebody that loves hip hop,” Cahn added. Just recently, Dot Hip Hop joined forces with DMN to accelerate their mission.

Ajene Watson, also a Managing Director of Dot Hip Hop, relayed that the company is aiming to elevate hip hop culture in three ways: provide ownership via equity, promote economic opportunity via financial literacy, and redistribute wealth through a corporate community investment program.

“We are creating an environment where the culture can own equity in Dot Hip Hop, LLC — the registry that holds the license to operate the .HipHop extension. Secondly, we’re promoting financial literacy and economic opportunity by teaching the community about digital real estate — researching, analyzing, buying, developing, and selling these domain names,” Watson explains.

Watson also highlighted how the third, equally important goal of wealth redistribution ties into what the company is doing, adding, “A portion of our revenue actually goes to the endeavors of the culture — whether it’s money going into financial initiatives like the Biz Markie’s Just A Friend Foundation, ‘For The Culture Fund’ by Beats, Rhymes & Relief, even diabetes associations, retirement funds for hip hop’s founders, and other actions that uplift the community, like education, et cetera.”

Watson further states how Dot Hip Hop is focused on continually developing this model and ‘anticipate that funds will ultimately go into a trust, and then be dispersed appropriately.’

“We’ve built this into our business process to ensure that the community is fed by their own efforts, and every registration increases community value and opportunity,” Watson concludes.

Pruitt believes many hip hop artists don’t fully grasp the concept of top-level domains, or the extent to which they allow artists to strengthen their brands.

“What’s on the right side of the ‘dot’ can actually relate to what’s on the left side of the ‘dot’ and that makes for a much better brand,” Pruitt explained.

Comparing .HipHop with other domains and domain extensions, Pruitt points out a notable distinction, saying, “.HipHop is an open extension so anybody can go and register a .HipHop domain name, but others may come with a few restrictions. You might have to provide articles of incorporation or fill out Nexus forms to attest that you’re a legitimate music business, or work within a specific industry.”

Pruitt also highlighted that the domain .HipHop is capable of representing a global community that isn’t limited to just music, but can also include dance, graffiti art, contemporary art, gaming, sports, fashion, attitude, general business, and a way of life.

“Hip hop is everyday life, and .HipHop can represent a global community of over 1 billion people, whereas most other internet extensions don’t represent any specific identity or inclination.”

It’s not everyday that branding decisions and domain name extensions are mentioned in the same sentence, but Pruitt sees an untapped connection. “This is a more meaningful domain. It gives everyone an opportunity to match what they represent — hip hop. The address will allow people to automatically make the hip hop association.”

Pruitt says Dot Hip Hop also aims to tackle the animosity that can exist between different rappers, camps, and groups. The company is also dedicated to supporting hip hop-related charities.

“We want to be the catalyst that brings people within the hip hop community together. We want to help encourage a camaraderie so they can start to lay aside all the beef and disagreements. With a .HipHop domain, they’re not saying that they’re East Coast or West Coast. They’re not saying that they’re Bronx or Queens, it’s their hip hop,” Pruitt claims.

An illustration of The Notorious B.I.G. at the Gracie Mansion, where the mayor of New York hosted a reception to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip hop (Photo Credit: Dot Hip Hop)

As part of the company’s mission, Dot Hip Hop aims to support charities ‘to help out people in the inner city.’ Pruitt says this ideology is built into the core philosophy of their business, adding, “We’re here to help strengthen the hip hop community and its founders and the people who really made hip hop happen.”

On August 11th, the Mayor of New York hosted a breakfast reception at Gracie Mansion to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of hip hop. The event was sponsored by Dot Hip Hop.

New York City mayor Eric Adams flanked by hip hop luminaries at the Gracie Mansion event (Photo: City of New York).

At Gracie Mansion, Mayor Eric Adams spoke passionately about how the last 50 years have changed the cultural landscape. “Hip hop was more than just music. It changed the attitude. From block parties to carrying crates of records, to music in the park, to having to draw your own flyers, to doing the $5 event, the $3 cups, to trying to be able to make your music real and having to deal with some of the contracts. Look at it 50 years later, and the mayor of the most powerful city on the globe is a hip hop mayor.”

Guests at Gracie Mansion included Sha-Rock, Kool Herc, Kool DJ Red Alert, Ralph McDaniels, and many others. As part of their tie-in, Dot Hip Hop gave .HipHop domain names to major hip hop artists that were being honored at the event.

Alongside several other celebratory events throughout August, Dot Hip Hop also sponsored Beats, Rhymes & Relief for a three-day event called The Battle Royale at Times Square on August 13-15th. Beats, Rhymes & Relief For The Culture Fund is a charity organization that utilizes the arts to raise awareness and support for global humanitarian relief projects.

Pruitt explains that the event featured a competition amongst various pillars of hip hop — beatboxing, DJing, MCing, graffiti artists, and breakdancing — adding, “It was the first time ever that the city of New York had a hip-hop-related event right in Times Square.”

Dot Hip Hop also sponsored Beats, Rhymes & Relief for a three-day event called The Battle Royale at Times Square (Photo: Dot Hip Hop)

Watson highlighted Dot Hip Hop’s plans to collaborate with schools to bring financial literacy and education to teenage students and their parents. “We spoke with an NYC police captain and have committed to doing this at least twice a month for this school year, all across the city,” Watson relayed, further adding that education, awareness, and financial literacy will help diminish crime.

“We’re getting a lot of opportunities to provide support. Not just with money, but with social support in the community,” stated Watson.

As a result of that ambition, Dot Hip Hop sponsored the GOAT Classic event on August 19th, featuring a basketball clinic for kids ‘to give back to the community with basketball games and music.’ Moreover, the domain registry company has aligned with the Biz Markie’s Just A Friend Foundation to sponsor the Pencils and Dreams school supply drive.

“We’re getting a lot of opportunities to provide support. Not just with money, but with social support in the community,” stated Watson. (Photo: Dot Hip Hop)

The company has also joined and offered support to other organizations such as the Hip Hop Alliance, headed by Kurtis Blow in collaboration with Chuck D, KRS-One, and other hip hop legends. Pruitt says the Hip Hop Alliance support is part of broader efforts by Dot Hip Hop to establish social benefit programs such as healthcare plans for some of the original hip hop artists that were misrepresented by record companies — with some still not owning their intellectual property.

At the end of the day, Dot Hip Hop is all about community, associations and partnerships, monetization, and seizing control over IP.

Focusing on that aspect, Pruitt recalled how Cahn, ‘a near-thirty-year domaining industry vet,’ reshaped the domain name game in the 90s. Cahn purchased and sold domain names — in a manner similar to physical real estate investing.

Cahn participated in the first million-dollar domain name sale by reselling wallstreet.com for $1.03 million. Later that same year, Cahn sold autos.com for $2.2 million. These historic sales positioned Cahn as a key figure in the early multi-billion-dollar industry involving the buying, brokering, auctioning, and sale of domain names.

Pruitt explains why a similar opportunity might be up for grabs again, and why this aftermarket for .HipHop domain names exists. “Every domain name is a unique piece of property. It’s digital real-estate driven by scarcity and value.”

To prevent potential squatters from registering artists’ names, Dot Hip Hop has reserved tens of thousands of .HipHop domain names to protect established hip hop artists, songs, and labels from profit-seeking flippers.

Jeff Neuman, Chief Operating and Legal Officer of Dot Hip Hop, says, “We want the person who buys the domain name to actually be the one using it, and have the right to profit from it.”

Neuman — like Cahn — has also been involved in the domain name industry since its early beginnings. Neuman used the domain name system to safeguard brand owners’ intellectual property rights. Dot Hip Hop also relayed that most of the intellectual property enforcement mechanisms used by brands today against domain name owners ‘were either created by Neuman directly, or through working groups that he either led or actively participated in.’

Neuman says, “We want .HipHop to grow responsibly.”

Pruitt added, “When .com came along, there was essentially a land grab and now around 200 million .com names are registered — and buying and selling .com domain names is a multi-million dollar business. Right now, .HipHop has just under 2,000 registrations.”

With an eye on the evolving future of domain names, art, branding, and the live music performance arena, Pruitt reveals that the company has launched Web2 and Web3 integrations.

“When someone registers their domain name in .HipHop, they also gain the functionality of Web3 without having to use a third-party website address,” Pruitt explains, adding, “You’ll be able to mint and create NFTs right from our website. Put in your .HipHop address and claim the blockchain or Web3 version of it.”

Hip hop artists that are keen to be early adopters of the .HipHop domain extension can register at www.Get.HipHop. Besides securing the domain as digital real estate, artists can personalize their website, create custom email addresses, and even set up a cryptocurrency wallet address through the new Web2 to Web3 bridge interface.

Most ICANN-accredited registrars now carry .HipHop domains. Now, the big opportunity is to broaden awareness of an asset that may become threaded into the future global footprint of hip hop culture.

Photo Credit: Stephen McCarthy / Collision Conf / CC by 2.0

Producer and DJ Steve Aoki has the most brand deals of any artist, even more than Snoop Dogg, according to new data from SponsorUnited.

With music festivals back in full swing, so too are the brand deals. According to a report from data analyst SponsorUnited, — using data spanning almost 30,000 posts and 13,000 brand deals across over 1,400 festivals and artists, and more than 8,300 brands last year — beverage brands embrace music festival sponsorships more than any other category. But in terms of artists with the most brand deals, it’s Steve Aoki leading the pack — even beating out Snoop Dogg.

The top 10 brands by deal volume all come from the beverage industry, with more than half coming from alcoholic-beverage companies like Bacardi, Bud Light, and White Claw. Coca-Cola is king at No. 1, with Red Bull at No. 2, and Coke competitor Pepsi came in at No. 5.

“They can be engaged with fans and serve whatever they’re serving over those multi-day experiences,” says SponsorUnited CMO Michelle Harmon-Madsen. “It’s the perfect match of reaching new audiences, reaching influential audiences, and being able to give them an experience that just can’t be beat in a digital or other environment.”

Beverage sponsorships may rule the music festival space, but they’re noticeably less active in terms of the sponsorship of individual artists. There, consumer products, technology, apparel, and accessories industries all surpass beverage brands when it comes to making deals with the artists themselves.

Producer and DJ Steve Aoki has more brand deals than any other artist, with 25. Snoop Dogg and T-Pain are tied for second place with 24 each. Three of the top 10 artists most endorsed by brands were women, and nine of the top 10 artists with the highest social media engagement were women — including Selena Gomez, Billie Eilish, and BLACKPINK singer Rosé.

Harmon-Madsen says a brand is more likely to choose to endorse an artist over a festival if they have a particular message to share with a specific demographic that overlaps with that of the artist. “If you can make your message align with the fan authentically, you’ve got a great deal,” she continues. “If there’s a mismatch there, that’s where I think brands make mistakes.”

Producer Boi-1da, who’s contributed unreleased projects to train a generative-AI system for Bacardi’s ‘Music Liberates Music’ program. Photo Credit: Bacardi

Bacardi has officially teed up the November release of The Concept A.I.bum, an EP that will attempt to demonstrate “how A.I. can be positively leveraged to provide emerging talent unprecedented opportunities.”

Bacardi rum, the namesake parent company of which also owns Grey Goose vodka, Patrón tequila, and a number of other brands, just recently announced the upcoming artificial intelligence effort. Of course, all manner of artists, among them Post Malone, Ellie Goulding, Halsey, Metro Boomin, and Jay-Z (who’s litigating against Bacardi), have inked sponsorship deals involving adult beverages and/or debuted alcoholic-drink companies of their own.

But Bacardi appears poised to become the first spirits company to incorporate AI into its music initiatives, with the much-publicized technology specifically set to drive an “evolution” of the Music Liberates Music program.

Now in its fifth year, the latter is described by Bacardi as a campaign “to champion underrepresented voices in the music industry.” Last year, Music Liberates Music rolled out “The Wearable Album,” billed as the “first QR-powered fashion capsule that rewards fans for promoting rising music artists.”

Back to the program’s newest project, the initially mentioned Concept A.I.bum centers on an ongoing partnership with Grammy-winning producer Boi-1da, who’s made available “a selection of beats from” his “unreleased catalogue” to train a generative-AI system.

Five acts, Adultsville artist Bellah, Position Music-signed rapper Blackway, U.S.-based R&B singers Floyd Fuji and Kyle Dion, and Canadian vocalist Savannah Ré, are expected to collaborate and ultimately release music with Boi-1da’s AI counterpart.

“Over several weeks,” Bacardi explained of the creative process, “each artist will feed their tracks into a state-of-the-art generative A.I. tool, which has been trained on a selection of beats from Boi-1da’s unreleased catalogue and will learn the sounds and cadence of his unique musical style.

“After submitting their demos to Boi-1da, each artist will work alongside him to refine their works, resulting in the EP’s final set of songs to be released this November,” continued the company.

On the compensation and rights fronts, “all proceeds from the project” – including streaming revenue and income from a limited-edition vinyl – “will directly benefit the participating artists,” who, along with Boi-1da, will retain “all copyright and subsequent revenue from the tracks,” per Bacardi.

Addressing the AI release in a statement, Bacardi rum marketing exec Laila Mignoni emphasized that “approaching this project with the utmost respect and protection for the artist was key in developing this new tool.” And Boi-1da, for his part, highlighted an ambitious vision for AI’s industry role so long as authorization and human contributions are prioritized.

“One of the most fulfilling responsibilities I have as a producer is to work with up-and-coming talent,” Boi-1da relayed in part. “Through the Concept A.I.bum, we’ve provided unprecedented access to my personal production style. I’m able to work with an international collective of artists simultaneously, while still honoring their creative autonomy.

“Music as an art has continually grown thanks to innovative technology, and with AI, I believe we can revolutionize the music industry for good if we view it as a way to provide opportunities that enhance music’s human element, rather than replace it,” he concluded.

Earlier this year, Grimes invited fans to create and release music with her AI soundalike, and the resulting Spotify artist page currently boasts over 105,000 monthly listeners. Meanwhile, logic and evidence suggest that the industry prevalence of artificial intelligence will spike dramatically during the remainder of 2023 and especially throughout 2024.

Photo Credit: Ryan Moraga

Celebrating the tenth anniversary of OneRepublic’s hit song ‘Counting Stars,’ frontman Ryan Tedder collaborates with Samsung to release a remastered version.

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the hit song “Counting Stars,” Grammy-winner and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder collaborated with Samsung, using the Galaxy Buds2 Pro to finalize a remastered version released on Friday.

“When I’m in the studio listening to songs like ‘Counting Stars,’ I’m hearing them on professional speakers. As soon as I began to reimagine this one, it was essential for me to get out of the studio and have the listener experience,” says Tedder. “Using my Galaxy Buds2 Pro, I was able to review every version of the song exactly as our fans would hear it, and I’m confident that listeners will love this reimagined version as much as I do.”

“Ryan Tedder’s remaster of ‘Counting Stars’ using Samsung’s Galaxy Buds2 Pro exemplifies Universal Music Group for Brands’ commitment to harnessing the power of music and culture to elevate brands,” says Naomi McMahon, EVP of Strategic Marketing & Global Partnerships at UMG. “This partnership demonstrates the boundless possibilities that arise when creativity meets cutting-edge technology.”

Three-time Grammy award-winning songwriter and producer Ryan Tedder has worked with everyone from Adele to Paul McCartney, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, U2, Miley Cyrus, and Lil Nas X, in addition to his position as the lead singer, writer, and producer of the multi-platinum selling band OneRepublic.

Most recently, Tedder was a writer on Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande’s No. 1 albums, as well as writing and producing the Billboard No. 1 hit “Sucker” for the Jonas Brothers – the most-played song in the world in 2019. Ryan also wrote and produced the title track for John Legend’s 2021 Grammy award-winning album “Bigger Love.” He is currently in the studio working with Machine Gun Kelly, Lil Nas X, The Jonas Brothers, and Miley Cyrus on their upcoming projects.

OneRepublic released their debut album, “Dreaming Out Loud,” in 2007, which included the smash hit single “Apologize.” The group’s sophomore album, 2009’s “Waking Up,” produced the hit singles “All the Right Moves,” “Secrets,” and “Good Life.” In 2013, the album “Native” featured the No. 1 hit, “Counting Stars.”

Photo Credit: Verizon

Verizon is enlisting the help of J Balvin to help it move iPhone 15 units this holiday season. Here’s the latest.

Apple debuted the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max last week, showcasing some powerful camera upgrades, new Apple Music features—and the long-awaited transition to USB-C. Welcome to the club, Apple! Having to buy all-new accessories as the lightning cable joins the Dodo bird on the list of extinct things isn’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea, though.

That’s why Verizon is hoping this new partnership with J Balvin will help convince people they should upgrade. The global collaboration features an iPhone AR experience to give customers a chance to win an iPhone 15 Pro.

The digital experience is dubbed ‘Catch My iPhone‘ and Verizon uses augmented reality to transform locations around the country. In the experience, a 300-foot tall J Balvin arrives at fans’ doors to give them a chance to catch their own iPhone 15 Pro. The partnership also features new music from J Balvin.

The AR game features J Balvin walking around the neighborhood making it rain iPhones, while showcasing many of Verizon’s add-ons. If users don’t actually catch the iPhone, the game prompts them to pre-order one.

Verizon is no stranger to partnering with musicians—Halsey, Shawn Mendes, and even Madonna have all worked with the company at some point. Halsey’s 2021 promotion also featured AR technology.

Meanwhile, on the music side of things, J Balvin, Usher, and DJ Khaled recently dropped their new track “Dientes.” The track was co-produced by Mura Masa, Tainy, and more and features Usher’s 2004 hit “Yeah!” interpolated through it.

The Colombian singer has not released a full-length studio album since 2021 when he dropped Jose. That album included singles like “Qué Más Pues?” featuring Maria Becerra, and “Un Día (One Day),” written by J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, and Tainy.

Photo Credit: Gilles Lambert

TikTok says click-based attribution methods can’t define its impact on purchase or discovery. Here’s the latest.

The company says the web’s traditional click-based attribution method doesn’t account for the platform’s role in discoverability because of the complex way in which users interact with content on TikTok. The platform says users interested in a brand or app delay their visit rather than disrupt their browsing—but that doesn’t mean TikTok wasn’t the originator of their interest.

TikTok says its a powerful channel for influencing users early in their purchase journey, but click attribution undervalues that discovery role. The platform estimates that 79% of purchases driven by TikTok content are not captured through common attribution methods used by web advertisers to monitor their campaigns. The company suggests using both click-through and view-through attributions in TikTok campaigns to understand how users are interacting with content.

It also suggests using longer attribution windows to discover the true impact of ads placed on the platform. “Our internal research has shown that the optimal view-through window differs greatly by industry (16 days for travel, 19 days for consumer packaged goods (CPG), 3 days for gaming),” the blog post with the study reads. TikTok says it currently offers a 7-day maximum view-through window and recommends using this for all advertising campaigns on the platform.

TikTok’s role in the music industry for discovery can’t be understated, either. The TikTok-to-Spotify pipeline is a very real phenomenon that occurs when a song goes viral on the platform—with that success directly translating to a boost in Spotify streams. While the virality of a TikTok song can fade as trends move like ocean waves, the boost provided to Spotify streaming can have a much longer tail.

It also creates a positive feedback loop in which Spotify’s algorithms notice an uptick in people streaming an artist and register the engagement. From there, its algorithms begin adding the viral song to editorial playlist placements as users add the song to their own personal playlists, boosting engagement across the board.

Showcase is set to place music adverts front and center on Spotify’s homepage. Photo Credit: Spotify

Another day, another step on Spotify’s journey towards $100 billion in annual revenue: The service has officially rolled out “Showcase,” a pay-per-click promotional tool that plugs music on the homepage.

Spotify emailed Digital Music News about its latest music-marketing offering today. According to the relevant resources – among them a formal release, an in-depth Spotify for Artists guide, and a minutes-long video for good measure – the program is currently open to stateside artists with 1,000 or more monthly streams during the last 28 days in at least one of the “target markets.”

On the latter front, eligible acts and their teams can customize Showcase campaigns to try and reach fans in 36 countries, among them the United States, a number of European nations, and many states in Central and South America.

Meanwhile, the Showcase promos themselves are simply banners situated prominently on the Spotify app homepage, as mentioned. Besides featuring a track or an entire album selected by the campaign organizer, of course, said banners attempt to draw fans in with titles such as “Releasing music soon,” “On tour,” “New music,” “Recently released,” “Release anniversary,” “Getting buzz,” and “Seasonal vibes.”

Showcase, which Spotify is billing as a worthwhile option for both catalog efforts and new projects, also allows for campaigns to be angled towards certain types of listeners. “By default,” Spotify communicated, “we’ll show your campaign to listeners across Spotify who are likely to stream your release.”

But for those who wish to exercise a bit more control over the potentially pricey process, campaigns can be made to zero in on “previously active audience” members, or “listeners who used to be in your active audience but haven’t intentionally streamed your music in at least 28 days.”

Shifting to the active-listener side, Spotify Showcase includes audience-customization campaign choices for super listeners (“your most dedicated active listeners in the last 28 days”), moderate listeners (“active listeners who intentionally streamed your music many times in the last 28 days, and could still develop into super listeners”), and light listeners (“active listeners who intentionally streamed your music once or a couple times in the last 28 days”).

With a minimum campaign budget of $100 and a per-click price tag beginning at 40 cents, Spotify also described as “billable” all “clicks – including saves.”

Regarding the possible results at hand, the platform further indicated that “people who see a Showcase are 6x more likely to stream the promoted release” – a seemingly feasible stat given that the involved music is plastered front and center on the app’s main page.

Showcase is the latest in a series of paid-promotional features debuted by Spotify since 2020. It’s now been nearly three years since the revenue-hungry business started allowing artists to influence listener recommendations in exchange for a lower royalty rate. And the adjacent “Marquee” marketing option’s beta began making headlines two years back.

As if the difficulty stemming from the monetization of promotion wasn’t enough, indie artists are likewise grappling with a tidal wave of AI music as well as a depressingly low average per-stream royalty rate and compensation proposals that effectively function as entry barriers.

Photo Credit: Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein releases their 2023 fall ad campaign, starring brand ambassadors Jungkook and Jennie, with Kendall Jenner, Alexa Demie, and Kid Cudi.

BTS’ Jungkook and BLACKPINK’s Jennie are the latest brand ambassadors for Calvin Klein, and the fashion house has released its Fall 2023 ad campaign featuring the two K-pop stars. Also starring in the new ad campaign are CK newcomers Alexa Demie and Kid Cudi and brand alumnus Kendall Jenner.

Jungkook was announced as a brand ambassador in March and was featured in the company’s spring campaign along with Jennie and Kendall. A couple of months later, Jennie unveiled the capsule collection on which she collaborated with Calvin Klein.

This year’s fall collections “reinforce Calvin Klein’s design codes of minimal, modern, and sensual” with “elevated, essential pieces, classic silhouettes with new fabrics and refreshed fits.”

The campaign has propelled Jungkook further into the cultural mainstream, as users took to social media to express their understanding of BTS’ popularity after seeing the photos, even those who previously disliked K-pop.

“It took 10 seconds for me to understand K-pop stan culture. I get it now,” wrote a user named Laura.

“Not into K-pop, but I swear this guy never fails to eat whenever he’s on my timeline,” said one Twitter user.

“Damn, I get why everyone (goes) crazy over the BTS boys,” admitted another.

But users looking to follow Jungkook on Instagram were surprised to discover what BTS fans already know — the star deleted his account long ago despite a massive following.

Still, new fans won’t have to look far to find Jungkook, as he continues to become a household name. His recent solo hit “Seven” featuring Latto has smashed records on Spotify and the Billboard charts, making him the first Korean artist to top the global charts and the first male artist from any country to surpass 15 million first-day streams.

Photo Credit: Dior

After dropping Travis Scott from its roster of brand ambassadors, Dior is adding K-pop quintet Tomorrow X Together.

Dior artistic director Kim Jones created a line-up of concert outfits for each member to wear during their Lollapalooza appearance celebrating the first K-pop group to headline the legendary Chicago music festival.

“Tomorrow X Together are the perfect ambassadors for Dior,” adds Kim Jones. “They have a great attitude and style and they look great in their custom stage outfits.” The look is inspired by Sci-Fi and utilitarian design principles, with this brand ambassadorship sealing their friendship with Dior and Kim Jones. “The South Korean singers now embody the spirit and singularity of Dior style, a modernity with a timeless signature.”

“Our headlining at Lollapalooza was one of the most significant performances of our career,” says Soobin. “It was truly an honor to share the stage with Dior, and we hope to continue to show Tomorrow X Together’s versatility through this partnership.”

“I”m thrilled to become an ambassador of Dior and represent a brand that I am personally fond of,” adds Yeonjun. “I loved being onstage and dressed in the special outfits that Kim Jones designed for us.”

“It is a great honor to share a milestone moment with Dior. I look forward to the synergy we will be creating together,” says Beomgyu.

“Collaborating with a major fashion house like Dior for a music festival as big as Lollapalooza was truly amazing. I also look forward to our journey ahead with Dior,” adds Taehyun.

“Lollapalooza marked the beginning of our journey as Dior ambassadors. Dressing in Dior stage outfits specially designed by Kim Jones that suited us perfectly added to the indescribable joy we felt on that big stage,” concludes Hueningkai.

Dior dropped Travis Scott as a brand ambassador back in 2021 following the Astroworld tragedy. But ultimately the brand finally released its Dior x Cactus Jack collection it held back in 2022.

Spotify has inked a global partnership agreement with advertising agency WPP. Photo Credit: WPP

Spotify has officially inked a partnership agreement with advertising and PR agency WPP (LON: WPP), which is poised to integrate the audio platform into its varied products and solutions.

London-headquartered WPP and Stockholm-based Spotify unveiled their tie-up in a formal release that was emailed to Digital Music News. Under the union, WPP – which today reported £7.22 billion (currently $9.02 billion) in H1 2023 revenue – intends “to offer its clients early access to Spotify’s innovative ad products,” per the businesses.

These same clients will likewise have early access to the Podsights and Chartable owner Spotify’s “first-party intelligence and creative ways to reach engaged audiences at scale,” WPP drove home, pointing specifically to “an exploration” with its Choreograph “global data company.” Choreograph arrived on the scene in April of 2021.

Also forthcoming are a joint effort to help WPP clients understand “listening patterns in order to inform more creative and effective digital audio advertising strategies” and “market-leading thought leadership and scaled training” programs focusing “on digital audio creativity and Spotify’s innovative ad products,” according to the multifaceted announcement message provided to DMN.

Similarly, the AKQA and Grey Group parent WPP expects to share with its clients “early access to Spotify’s neuro-insights research focused on audience trends and insights,” per the entities. In keeping with the latter, the involved parties have already put out “a WPP client-specific version” of the “Sonic Science” study published by Spotify years back.

Drawing from “participating listeners’ subconscious reactions to ads while engaging with Spotify playlists and podcasts,” the newer of the resources rather predictably touts the purported benefits of advertising on the music and podcast service.

Addressing the WPP pact in a statement, Spotify global head of advertising sales Brian Berner said in part: “We’ve long partnered with WPP to enable agency planners and buyers to make more informed decisions when planning for digital audio. With our new global partnership, we’re helping WPP clients modernise their strategy and planning.”

The Spotify-WPP deal has entered the media spotlight as the former business is continuing to capitalize upon artificial intelligence – including in advertising.

To be sure, the AI DJ developer Spotify has for some months been creating AI versions of its popular podcast hosts to read adverts. Meanwhile, WPP is also looking to take advantage of the unprecedented technology, according to CEO Mark Read.

“We have exciting future plans in AI that build on our acquisition of Satalia in 2021 and our use of AI across WPP. … We are delivering work powered by AI for many clients including Nestlé, Nike and Mondelēz. AI will be fundamental to WPP’s future success and we are committed to embracing it to drive long-term growth and value,” the WPP head spelled out when discussing his company’s earnings report.

Photo Credit: Amazon Music / Bandsintown

Amazon Music rolls out integrated merch for nearly 600,000 artists in collaboration with Bandsintown.

Amazon Music has announced a new merch integration with leading global concert-discovery platform Bandsintown. Over 590,000 artists registered with Bandsintown for Artists are now empowered to leverage its suite of free marketing tools to easily promote their merch and music to followers and followers of similar artists through in-app notifications, email, and social media.

Merchandise available on Bandsintown is drawn from the Amazon Music Artist Merch Shop, developed and curated by the Amazon Music team. A centralized hub of merchandise ranging from apparel to physical music, the Amazon Music Artist Merch Shop is a one-stop shop for fans to discover authentic merchandise from their favorite artists.

“Amazon Music and Bandsintown are coming together to make it even easier for fans to find merch from their favorite artists,” said Sean McMullan, director of artist services for Amazon Music. “Merchandise and touring are uniquely intertwined, and we’re making it easier than ever for artists and fans to connect.”

“Merch is an opportunity to demonstrate fandom and a critical source of revenue at times when touring costs are rising,” said Fabrice Sergent, Bandsintown co-founder and managing partner. “We’re proud to come together with Amazon Music to further our mutual goals of helping artists and their fans.”

Amazon Music continues to carve out a mark for itself in the merchandise space as a fan destination for one-of-a-kind merch. Recent collaborations include exclusive merch for Latin superstar Rauw Alejandro’s Saturno Tour, Fall Out Boy’s So Much For (Tour) Dust Tour, and unique online merch drops for the North American leg of Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour.

Bandsintown for Artists’ free platform empowers nearly 600,000 registered artists with marketing tools and insights to build audiences, engage fans, and promote music, merch, and tickets to 80 million registered fans on Bandsintown. An audience of passionate live music lovers, Bandsintown’s user base has grown by 10 million in the last year alone.

Photo Credit: Sun Diner

Primary Wave Music, Sun Records, and TC Restaurant Group announce a new partnership to expand Nashville’s famous Sun Diner.

Primary Wave Music, Sun Records, and TC Restaurant Group have announced a new partnership that will see the expansion of Nashville’s famed Sun Diner. The deal will see a second location open in the heart of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, with plans to open additional locations nationwide. 

The Sun Diner has been adored by Nashville residents for years, offering up southern hospitality daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The immersive and music-themed restaurant was inspired by the legendary label and its iconic artists, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and many more.

The new location will offer an identical menu to the Nashville location, including fan favorites like the Chicken N’ Waffles and the “Let’s Do the Twist” Creme Brûlée French Toast. The Gatlinburg location will also include new items on the menu and a “Late Risers” menu featuring options like the “Greatest Hits” burger melt and the “Cry Cry Cry” hot wings.

“We are beyond excited to begin expanding the footprint of Sun Diner, and there’s no better place for the second location than this landmark site on Gatlinburg’s downtown Parkway,” says TC Restaurant Group’s VP of Business Development, Brice Hall. “Finding such a phenomenal location was several years in the making, and it’s a perfect place to pay homage to Sun Records and the birth of Rock & Roll.”

“After acquiring the rights to the historic Sun Records many years ago, we inherited an amazing, sound partnership with one of the best in the restaurant and operation business through TC Restaurants Group,” adds Jeffrey Straughn, Chief Branding Officer at Primary Wave Music. 

“Working very closely with Brice and his team since the beginning has been a seamless process where we are fully aligned on vision and direction. We couldn’t be more excited to get additional Sun Diners up and running for all of America to enjoy and experience.”

Photo Credit: Samsung

Samsung is going all-in on a BTS advertising blitz for its latest Galaxy Z Flip & Fold smartphones. Here’s the latest. 

The Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event was held in Seoul yesterday, showcasing these new smartphones. BTS member SUGA was in attendance, though he did not perform. When asked for his feedback on the new Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the Galaxy Z Fold 5, SUGA looked at the camera and gave a thumbs-up. The Stray Kids were also in attendance, seen posing for photos in front of the Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event. 

Samsung also revealed its new advertising campaign, “Join the Flip Side” featuring Jimin from BTS. The ad has taken Korean social media by storm, with images of the singer and the phone both online and in physical stores across South Korea. Some of the online comments surrounding the campaign highlight why big advertising partnerships like this are important.

“He’s cute, sexy and cool,” writes one commenter. “I’m going to switch to Samsung,” writes another. That’s an important distinction since despite being on its home turf, Samsung is losing ground with the younger generation.

A recent survey of 1,001 people by Gallup Korea found that the younger generation (18-24) is more likely to be using an iPhone (60%) than Samsung (32%). That’s an astounding statistic in the home of Samsung and highlights how important re-capturing that younger demographic has become for the Korean tech giant. 

Samsung doesn’t start gaining an advantage over Apple in its home country until the 30-39 age bracket, which is firmly millennial. Even then, Samsung only takes 56% of that bracket, while 41% admit they use the iPhone over Samsung-branded devices. For everyone over 40, Samsung is the preferred device on the market (78%) compared to iPhone with just 10% of respondents in that age bracket saying they use Apple devices. It highlights how important partnerships with younger K-pop groups can be to turning tech into a fashion statement rather than just a device to access the internet. 

Photo Credit: Adidas

Bad Bunny continues his Adidas partnership with the launch of the newly reimagined ‘Campus Chalky Brown’ at $160 starting July 29.

Adidas has announced the latest in the Adidas Originals x Bad Bunny collaboration with the launch of the new Campus Chalky Brown on July 29. A simple, “timeless design, reimagined from the artist’s point of view,” the Campus Chalky Brown incorporates a warm palette of ochre and browns with a unique set of laces. 

The new shoe will be available in-store, online, on the Adidas CONFIRMED app, on Bad Bunny’s website, and in the Adidas flagship store starting July 29, with a price tag of $160.

“The latest iteration of Adidas Originals x Bad Bunny brings us one step closer to Benito’s personal style and musical influence, with all his spirit, inviting us to wear these shoes any time and any place,” says Adidas. 

“The shoe is a classic design with a padded collar, offering maximum comfort and reinforcements in the heel which together with a unique set of laces builds a premium silhouette, (featuring) a rubber sole and three stripes on the sides, the classic double set of tabs, and the characteristic eye symbol.”

Bad Bunny is currently on his first stadium tour in the United States and Latin America and is well on his way to setting more records. Thus far, he has set the record for the highest-grossing concert in each venue he has performed and the highest-grossing show by a Latin act. 

His fourth studio album, Un Verano Sin Ti, released in 2022, became the second all-Spanish album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Chart, behind another Bad Bunny release, El Último Tour del Mundo. Un Verano Sin Ti clocked the most significant streaming week ever for a Latin music album, with more than 356 million on-demand streams in its debut week. The album also set a record by having each of its 24 songs chart on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs.

Photo Credit: X

Elon Musk is rebranding Twitter into ‘X’ a mysterious addition that may seem spontaneous but has been a fascination for years for Twitter’s new owner.

Musk began tweeting about a possible rebrand late on July 24, saying X would be the new name. “Soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and gradually, all the birds,” his tweet reads. In another, he elaborates, “If a good enough X logo is posted tonight, we’ll make go live worldwide tomorrow.” He spent the next few hours engaging with people on Twitter who were suggesting ‘X’ logo alternatives for his rebrand.

According to a report from The Verge, Musk sent an email to Twitter employees announcing the change. He stated it would be the last time they received an email from the twitter.com domain. Musk has been fascinated with the letter X for decades, with it gracing several of his projects over the years. But the X.com domain has always been his white whale—the one that got away.

X.com was the original name for PayPal before he was ousted by Peter Thiel’s management team who thought a rebrand was a pretty stupid idea for a company that inspired people to use its name as a verb. “PayPal me the cash,” was as common in eBay exchanges as “did you see the latest tweet?”

Elon Musk re-purchased the X.com domain from PayPal in 2017 for an undisclosed sum. It sat unused until recently, where it now re-directs to Twitter.com. Musk has hinted that eventually, the Twitter.com domain will cease to exist and X.com will takeover—erasing the bluebird branding and one of the biggest social media presences on the web for good.

It’s unclear how this will impact promotions using the new site, if the twitter.com domain will continue to redirect or how that will be handled. It seems as though Musk is eager to kill the bird branding for good, as he told a series of Twitter Spaces listeners that he plans to burn the bird off the side of the building with blowtorches.

Photo Credit: Cartier

Cartier named BTS singer Kim ‘V’ Tae-hyung its news brand ambassador. Here’s the latest.

V will star in a campaign for Cartier’s Panthère de Cartier collection as part of the new deal. It’s a range of jewelry, watches, and accessories inspired by the grace of panthers. Cartier says V’s ‘magnetic gaze’ was the perfect partnership for its feline collection.

“V follows his trajectory with the same determination as a panther,” adds Arnaud Carrez, Cartier’s Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing. “A free spirit, both author and composer, he magnetizes an entire generation as a soloist and a member of the group BTS.”

Cartier isn’t the first luxury brand V has teamed up with, either. In March 2023, he accepted a brand ambassadorship from Heidi Slimane’s CELINE following his appearance at the runway show in Paris.

Of course, V isn’t the only member of BTS getting in on luxury goods promotion, either. RM signed a deal with Bottega Veneta as a brand ambassador, while SUGA joined Valentino, Jungkook signed with Calvin Klein, and Jimin partnered with Tiffany & Co. for a new campaign. J-Hope was officially named Louis Vuitton brand ambassador last year, with the fashion house lauding his “creative musical direction, choreography and upbeat energy.” BTS as a collective became brand ambassadors for Louis Vuitton in 2021 with that collection now available.

According to local reports, BTS fans crashed the Cartier website when the collection was announced in South Korea. The remaining stock of the $26,700 Cartier necklace sold out within minutes of being announced—so there’s plenty of enthusiasm around this collection thanks to the collaboration. V also graced the cover of Elle Korea in April 2023, lending well to his status as a fashion icon. Kim Tae-hyung joins BLACKPINK’s Lusa and South Korean actor Park Bo-gum as a brand ambassador for CELINE.

Photo Credit: Bastian Riccardi

Threads has achieved more than 150 million downloads in just a week—reaching one-fifth of Twitter’s weekly active user base in the process.

The app has been an overnight success for parent Meta, who saw an opportunity in the wake of Twitter’s newly Musk-induced floundering. These app insights provided by data.ai reveal that Threads has gained massive early traction despite not having core features like hashtags at launch.

While the growth has been tremendous for Threads, it seems as though the curiosity is waning. App analytics firm Sensor Tower reports that Threads’ daily active users have declined around 20% from its launch. Time spent on the app is also down 50% from 20 minutes to just 10 minutes. Despite the drop, the curiosity about a potential Twitter alternative highlights just how unstable the Twitter platform has become for anyone engaging in brand promotion.

Perhaps surprisingly, the leading country interested in Threads is not the United States, but India—where TikTok was banned. India accounted for 33% of those 150 million total downloads in the first week. Brazil (22%) is next, followed by the United States (16%), and Mexico (8%), and Japan (5%). Curious about the absence of any European countries on that list? That’s because Threads isn’t available in the EU due to data privacy regulations—and Meta is actively keeping Europeans out with VPNs.

European users complained about not being able to access the Threads app through VPN, and Meta confirmed this is intentional. “Threads is not currently available in most countries in Europe, and we’ve taken additional steps to prevent people based there from accessing it at this time,” reads a press statement from the company. “Europe continues to be an incredibly important market for Meta and we hope to make Threads available here in the future.”

Because the Threads app has extensive data tracking that includes a range of personal (health, financial, location, browsing history, contacts, and search history) it cannot legally be released in the EU. The Digital Markets Act gate keeps how tech giants like Meta can combine this harvested information for ad targeting purposes.

Photo Credit: Jason Persse / CC by 2.0

Dr. Dre reveals why he turned down the chance to work with his music heroes, such as Michael Jackson, Prince, and Stevie Wonder.

During a recent interview on Kevin Hart’s “Hart to Heart” talk show, Dr. Dre explained why he rejected the opportunity to work with late music icons Michael Jackson, Prince, and Stevie Wonder — the legendary producer didn’t know what he would do with them.

“They just asked me to work with them, and I just was like, ‘What the f*** am I going to do with them?’ Those are my f***ing heroes,” said Dre.

“I like the idea of what I grew up listening to, and I want to keep it like that. And I don’t want to f*** up that idea and that look,” Dre continues, explaining that he prefers working with new and upcoming artists as opposed to stars with already-established careers, gravitating toward artists like Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Eminem, all of whom he helped establish in their early days.

“My entire life and career has been dealing with and working with new artists. That’s what I like,” Dre said. “Nobody comes in with an agenda. It’s a ball of clay when they walk in the room. You can just form it and do what you want. That’s what I want.”

“Everybody else, especially my heroes, they’re coming in, and there’s a set plan as to how the sh*t should sound, you know? I can’t explore,” he added.

Dre expressed the same sentiment in a 2001 interview with MTV Radio about turning down the chance to produce Michael Jackson’s Invincible, at the time the artist’s first album in over a decade.

“Somebody approached me about working with Michael Jackson, and I did say no because I like working with new artists or people that I’ve worked with in the past,” he said. “I can develop them from the ground up. There’s no set standard that I have to live up to or anything like that.”

Dr. Dre is geared up to reunite with Snoop Dogg for a pair of shows at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in October, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Snoop’s debut album, Doggystyle. However, those shows are on hold while the WGA strike is on. 

Photo Credit: Technavio

The stock music niche is projected to grow by nearly $665 million by 2027 due to the expanding variety of stock music coupled with the increasing adoption of the subscription model.

The stock music market is set to grow by $664.36 million from 2022 to 2027, with the increasing adoption of the subscription model a significant factor driving growth. The subscription model in stock music is based on an application, and the integration of music streaming applications with social media platforms like YouTube has been a major aspect that has expanded the demand for music subscriptions.

Vendors that offer stock music provide audio tracks based on customers’ demand and charge prices according to the use of music. For example, Musicbed, a stock music vendor, offers plans based on the type of project, delivering various subscription plans based on Personal, Nonprofit, Wedding, Business, and Custom models. Adopting such subscription models is shown to fuel the growth of the global stock music market during the forecast period.

The expanding variety of stock music is an emerging trend driving the stock music niche growth. The demand for stock music is influenced by its widespread use as background music. Stock music tracks are commonly used in TV programs, corporate videos, on-hold production, and websites, while royalty-free music tracks are widely used in YouTube videos.

The extensive use of stock music for personal and business applications gives rise to the demand for a variety of stock music, which is likely to boost the market’s growth during the forecast period.

Digital music is a crucial part of stock music publishing, with the popularity of digital music a significant factor driving the growth of music streaming services. But the lack of ownership of streaming music (as opposed to downloading) and issues associated with integration may hinder the stock music market growth.

Digital content platforms that provide stock music require effective integration with different channels, such as mobile applications and social media. Business process issues and the demand for significant investments and time make it challenging for small vendors to deliver seamless service, hindering new vendors’ entry.

Photo Credit: Arkan Perdana

Google denies ad-fraud claims after a damning research report suggests it inflated video ad views, potentially misleading advertisers. The claim echoes the Facebook video ad scandal of 2018.

The report from Adalytics examines the performance of Google’s TrueView ads, which claim to allow advertisers to only pay for actual views rather than impressions. TrueView ads are served on YouTube videos and across the web—giving users the ability to skip after five seconds.

The report reveals that these skippable ads also appear in a muted auto-playing website on independent websites and mobile apps. Despite displaying as muted, the ads were marked as 100% viewable. It’s a similar scandal to Facebook’s claiming a view lasts three seconds. Great metrics for Google and Facebook on paper—but lacking in real-world results. 

The report also showcased how TrueView ads were placed on third-party sites that did not meet quality expectations from those buying the advertisements. Google says it’s the advertisers fault for not limiting the exposure to third-party websites. 

“When advertisers create video ad campaigns, they can clearly see that their ads may run on third-party sites via GVP during the campaign setup,” a Google spokesperson said. However, Dr. Augustine Fou says that’s not exactly true. “This is not true when running PMax campaigns. There is no way to opt out of ads running on GVP.”

Many advertisers are now re-examining the role of Big Tech in reaching audiences. Facebook’s video scandal from 2018 brought closer scrutiny to how ad dollars are spent online. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has seen an advertising drop of 59% as advertisers suspend or stop advertising on the platform entirely.

Reddit is having trouble of its own. “Between June 13 and June 23, the average daily visits to Reddit’s ad portal decreased about 20%,” reports TechCrunch on the impact of reddit’s protests and its advertising revenues.

Photo Credit: Diddy’s Facebook

Diddy responds to Diageo dissolving its partnership with him after he called the company out for what he called racial discrimination.

After calling out spirits brand Diageo with a lawsuit for what he called racially motivated favoritism of George Clooney’s Casamigos tequila over his own DeLeón brand, Sean “Diddy” Combs has been cut loose by the company. Diddy and his legal team have released a statement calling the London-based company’s abrupt action “cynical” and little more than a distraction.

“Diageo attempting to end its deals with Mr. Combs is like firing a whistleblower who calls out racism. It’s a cynical and transparent attempt to distract from multiple allegations of discrimination,” the statement reads. “Over the years, (Combs) has repeatedly raised concerns as senior executives uttered racially insensitive comments and made biased decisions based on that point of view.”

“Diageo even acknowledged the problem by agreeing in his contract to treat DeLeón the same way it treated their other tequila brands,” the statement continues. “He brought the lawsuit to force them to live up to that contract, and instead, they (responded) by trying to get rid of him. This lawsuit and Mr. Combs are not going away.”

Tarik Brooks, President of Combs Global, also asserted that the company’s behavior was “absurd,” stating that Diageo must correct the wrong of discriminating against Diddy and that the musician and businessman would not hesitate to continue fighting injustice.

“It’s absurd for Diageo to suggest that a Black person should be quiet and accept racism and discrimination because they earned a lot of money,” said Brooks. “Sean Combs is a spirits pioneer who has accomplished historic success with CIRÔC. He will always fight to be treated fairly.”

Following his success with CIRÔC, Diddy struck a deal with Diageo to work on his DeLeón tequila brand. However, the company’s perspective on the brand shifted, directly impacting its growth and revenue. Combs says he believes the issue is rooted in racism.

“Diageo has typecasted CIRÔC and DeLeón, apparently deciding they are ‘Black brands’ that should be targeted only to ‘urban’ consumers,” read court documents.

Diageo has asserted that the dispute was strictly business, categorically denying the allegations. Still, Combs says that Diageo executive Stephen Rust confirmed to him in 2019 that race was one of the reasons the company had limited its product distribution, allegedly saying that if Combs were Martha Stewart, they would make his brand widely available.

Diddy also blames Diageo’s redesign of his product’s label, which “made the product look cheap,” combined with the company’s lack of distribution of his tequila and the ingredients to produce it.

Photo Credit: Tommy Mottola, Cristina Arcay, Gerry Rojas, Lex Borreroa

Tommy Mottola and Lex Borrero’s Latin media powerhouse NEON16 acquires Cristina Arcay’s Arro Media in a merger rebranding the company as AM16.

NEON16, the Latin media powerhouse owned by moguls Tommy Mottola and Lex Borrero, has acquired Latina-owned and led Arro Media, a leading music marketing and social media agency founded by Cristina Arcay. The new combined company will be rebranded as AM16 Agency.

Renowned for their expertise in storytelling, NEON16 and Arro have long functioned as integral parts of the hub for Latin music and culture. AM16’s client roster includes Shark Ninja, Meta, Adidas, Red Bull, NFL, Xbox, Bacardi, and The Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation, as well as talent such as Thalia, Tainy, Danna Paola, and Juan Luis Guerra.

AM16 brings its entire client portfolio and team of creatives, designers, experts, and strategists to this new partnership. Cristina Arcay will serve as Co-President alongside NEON16’s newly appointed Chief Marketing Officer, Gerry Rojas, who has a vast background in entertainment marketing. Rojas’ work includes leading efforts for NBCUniversal, the Latin Recording Academy, and People en Español.

“We have built a growing agency that will redefine how brands connect their marketing and advertising to the Latin culture because we live it day in and day out,” said Lex Borrero, CEO, and Tommy Mottola, Chairman of NEON16 and NTERTAIN. 

“Our team has a finger on the pulse of trends, uniquely positioned to spot them before they happen across music, television, and film. Today’s announcement further differentiates our capabilities from competitors and will bring an even more comprehensive offering to our clients and partners.”

Among AM16’s capabilities are brand partnerships and strategy, product development, content production for all platforms, 360 creative design services, music marketing, social media management, digital marketing, public relations, and experiential events.

“Launching AM16 Agency represents an exhilarating new chapter in my career and the future of Arro,” said Cristina Arcay, co-President. “As a Latina entrepreneur, being able to lead and learn alongside our new partners represents a huge opportunity to reshape the industry by championing diversity, elevating ideas, and fostering cultural movements that resonate with audiences worldwide.”

“I feel empowered and excited to be working in a Latino-owned agency where we’re reimagining how brands and artists tell their stories authentically while raising the Latin cultural currency and creating a true, positive impact rooted in music and culture,” concluded Gerry Rojas, CMO.

Photo Credit: Johnny Such

Roc Nation and the Ryder Cup have officially inked a partnership deal under which acts including DJ Khaled will promote the golf competition’s forthcoming 2023 edition.

The nearly century-old golf event and the Sports International unit of Jay-Z-founded Roc Nation formally announced their “historic consultancy partnership” today. Ahead of the 44th Ryder Cup – the event takes place every two years, with the 2023 installment scheduled to kick off in Rome this September – Roc Nation will “use its extensive influence to showcase the drama and tension of” the happening, the involved parties said.

Said showcase is expected to consist specifically of “creative content” as well as “productions and strategic PR amplification,” with Roc Nation Sports International (RNSI) “utilising its best-in-class in-house resources as a 360 agency,” per the release from the Ryder Cup and the Duetti investor.

And as initially mentioned, the artist roster of Roc Nation (which celebrated the 10th anniversary of Roc Nation Sports earlier this year) is likewise poised to market the multiday event as part of the unique tie-up, creating and engaging “in Ryder Cup themed content for their followers.”

The initially noted DJ Khaled will be “front and center of the collaboration,” higher-ups relayed, communicating also that the 47-year-old, “who can’t get enough of the sport,” is set to “help tap into his audience and create a crossover moment.”

Addressing the deal and his affinity for golf in a statement, DJ Khaled, who appeared on the cover of Golf Digest last month, said: “Let’s go golfing! I’m super excited to be partnering with the Ryder Cup. I’ve been getting into my golf a lot more recently; it’s become a passion of mine. We’re about to take it up a gear. Believe that!”

In remarks of his own, Roc Nation president and chief of branding and strategy Michael Yormark, previously a Sunrise Sports and Entertainment/Florida Panthers exec, made clear that his current company intends to “help take the 2023 Ryder Cup to the next level as one of the biggest sporting events on the calendar.”

And Ryder Cup director Guy Kinnings, for his part, touted the perceived potential of “cross-over content that entices new, younger fans to watch and follow the event.”

In addition to the Ryder Cup partnership, Roc Nation (and PUMA) today unveiled “an exclusive mixtape project” that will feature “brand new music from the label’s hottest emerging rappers” as well as a second sneaker in the years-old Mixtape RS line.