This weekend, the US Women’s National Team won the World Cup for a record fourth time. On the heels of Independence Day, the victory brought with it a rousing political debate about equal pay and gender discrimination. In March, 28 members of the USWNT sued the U.S. Soccer Federation for discrimination. The athletes claim to generate more revenue than the men’s team while garnering higher TV ratings, but say they are paid less simply because they are women. The prize …

  I’ve been making mixtapes for as long as I can remember. It’s how I first fell in love with music. My friends in high school would slide me custom mixtapes to bump after school and, eventually, romantic interests would do the same. It was a glorious time for self-discovery and shared experiences. As time passed, and audio formats evolved, my love affair with mixes only grew stronger. But with more music available than ever before, how do you make …

  Hats off to Lil Nas X. Cowboy hats, that is. With his debut EP, the Atlanta native let the world know that “Old Town Road” was not a one-hit wonder. Yes, the smash of all smashes remains #1 for its 12th week straight, but there is some solid stuff on this release! “Old Town Road” is undoubtedly the song of the summer. It’s a lot of fun. It’s different and it blurs lines. Lil Nas X had a vision …

A$AP Ferg is everywhere, but ain’t nothin’ new. It’s been that way for years. His non-stop hustle has resulted in tremendous growth and he’s now bigger than ever. Ferg is borrowing a page from the Busta Rhymes playbook, staying on top by guest performing on every hot stage imaginable. He’s pretty much the best stage feature going. He has high energy, songs that slap, and a great attitude. Whether he’s lighting up the NBA Finals at Scotiabank Arena or lifting …

Are the Jonas Brothers the biggest band in the world right now? In a market run by mainstream niches, it’s tough to say. But it sure feels like they’re crossing over better than anyone else. Their new album, Happiness Begins, came out Friday and while the music isn’t making a quantum splash save the singles, the band is literally EVERYWHERE. The SNL appearance, the CBS Sunday Morning show, the steady flow of staying top of mind during crucial cultural moments; …

On Friday, we co-hosted a stellar event in Southampton called Pot or Not. The Or Not Experience is the proprietary conference collaboration between Loeb.nyc and Bonin Ventures. Geared towards brand marketers and focused on consumer trends, the event is designed to separate the hype from the facts. Each year introduces a new theme but the result is always the same: conversation, education, information, and empowerment around elusive marketing tactics. Last year’s theme was blockchain and the inaugural conference centered chatbots …

As the Summer wind blew in this weekend, I got excited. Not just to pull out the white linens and seersucker suits, but because it’s festival season in New York again. We’re fortunate to kick things off with the standard-bearer, Governor’s Ball. “Gov Ball,” launched in 2011 by three ambitious young gentlemen from Founders Entertainment, is a multi-day music festival held on Randall’s Island. It’s not bound by genre or style. If it’s hot, it’s there. The festival business has …

What a week it was in NYC. With Frieze, Social Media Week, and the Tribeca Film Festival happening simultaneously, the creative conversations flowed in every direction, everywhere you looked. I may see through a biased lens, but the red threads that wove it all together were music and brands. Once decimated by the digital revolution, the music business reinvented itself, adapted to the seismic market shift and, in many ways, bounced back better than ever. Brand collaborations, long a sign …

  New York loves a good comeback, or in the case of Webster Hall’s grand re-opening on Wednesday night, two comebacks. Not only did the legendary venue open its newly renovated doors, but it was also christened by the king of NYC, Jay-Z, and the return of his “B-Sides” concept. It was nothing short of awesome. We’re all familiar with Jay’s motivation and ambition. He’s always been more than just a business, man. I mean, he’s the richest musician in the …

  There was a time not long ago when “thinking globally” was boardroom gospel. Every marketing idea was an overarching, 30,000-foot strategy designed to attract attention to the world over. But the times have changed (again). Now, instead of setting global strategies that activate locally, the marketing world has identified a clear customer desire for brands to design local strategies that resonate globally. The Gucci store in Soho is a great example. It stocks items exclusively available at this location, …

Growing up, this week always featured one of my favorite holidays. No, I’m not talking about Passover. I’m talking about 4/20. The Cannabis business is one of the “Nue frontiers” we are most focused on. I pinch myself when I think about how much we’re working in this amazing sector. There is so much opportunity for impact and growth, both socially and financially. There are a lot of solid companies and smart players at the table already, even though the …

In the early days of the social media boom, musicians were at the forefront of utilizing digital media to amplify their appearances and build awareness around their shows. Now as the quest for likes becomes a way of life, more and more companies are getting in on the act by creating equally enticing standalone events that attract attendees and are stimulating for the gram. A couple of close colleagues and I want to kill the term experiential as we believe …

We lost an icon this week. It’s so sad to hear about the sudden passing of Nispey Hussle, an artist, entrepreneur, and motivator in the truest sense of the word. Nispey transcended music. He transcended coasts. He was indie. He was classy. He crossed over. He was everywhere, always on point. His loss is downright maddening. When people say, “be the change you want to see in the world,” they mean be more like Nipsey Hussle. He stood for so …

If I had to write a two-word marketing mantra for the digital age, it would be this: Be everywhere. Meeting your customers “where they are” is nothing new, but social media has taken it to new heights. If you aren’t everywhere, you aren’t anyone. And brand extensions are increasingly the leading way to accomplish this. We no longer promote a brand, we embed it. The most anticipated TV event of 2019 is, without a doubt, the final season of Game …

Wandering around New York this weekend, I realized how much the city continues to change. I’m typically a champion of change, but I catch myself worrying about the Big Apple losing its character and, more precisely, its ability to move at the speed of culture. I stopped by opening weekend at Hudson Yards, the new playground for tourists and the uber-rich. On the surface, it’s exciting to get (even more) hot-button restaurants. And yes, the honeycomb vessel installation is pretty …