Category Archive

Summer 2023 is being defined by women’s empowerment. From Queen Bey and Tay-Tay’s biggest tours in the history of the world, to Greta’s Barbie owning the box office (and the charts), women are running show business with remarkable results. Did Taylor’s fans cause a minor earthquake in Seattle this week? Clickbait or not, her impact is undeniable and her tour balance sheet can hardly be put into words. Beyonce’s is no different as her stage show and revenue continue to inspire awe. …

America’s two biggest exporters are culture and tech. Hip-Hop has been the dominant culture in America since the late 90’s when Hip-Hop went mainstream, and next month kicks off the official 50th anniversary of its birth. It’s beautiful to see this occasion celebrated by so many brands, artists, and fans. I see so many similarities between Hip-Hop and tech. They are truly interconnected. Hip-Hop has historically used social media more effectively and leveraged the streaming economy more successfully than any …

We are in the club, not online. That’s a mantra of Dimes Square, one of the hotbeds of culture in NYC right now. It suggests an ethos of not only being where it’s “happening,” but also not posting about it. The aesthetic is lo-fi and refreshing. The sound is punk rock and downtown. The people are definitely outside! Social media used to be a way to amplify events. Then, events were created for social media. Now, we want to have …

We had quite a European adventure these past few weeks, but it’s good to be back in the US of A. Like a cutting edge chef, a great cultural marketer should be in the field sampling and tasting to allow different environments and approaches to expand horizons and further the craft. Travel gets the ideas flowing and makes my dreams more vivid. Things come up that I haven’t thought about for decades. I’ve only recently come to understand the importance …

June is New York Music Month, which features a series of events sponsored by the City of New York, and on the 7th I’m leading a talk titled, The Intersection of Madison Avenue and New York’s Music Scene. There are free passes to attend. My panel will feature distinguished peers adding unique, high-level perspective on brand partnerships in music. Guests will include Jennifer Frommer, Head of Brand Partnerships at Columbia Records (Rosalía, Harry Styles, Tyler The Creator, et al); Mike Ladman, who runs music …

This weekend I was in Maykoba, Mexico for a very special wedding. When they started developing this region in the 90s, there were 200 species. Now, the ecosystem boasts over 500. It felt like a safari outside my hotel window and it was only 2 short hours away from Miami. I’ve been enamored with Mexico for some time and I can feel my curiosity turning into a minor obsession. I know I’m not alone in this feeling. According to the …

This is an exciting year for hip-hop. On August 11th, it turns 50. I fell in love with it back in high school. It was the first music that spoke to me and it’s had my heart ever since. Hip-hop is a culture, a mindset, and a lifestyle. It’s made up of our generation’s greatest storytellers. It’s a crucial element of our collective historiography, not pulled from history books but written by the hip-hop community itself. Hip-hop changed the world …

Three of our generation’s most culturally relevant news outlets shut down this month. MTV News is kaput, Vice News is going bankrupt, and BuzzFeed News let their whole staff go. Complex is hanging on by a thread. In different eras of my life, these channels meant the world to me and were trusted sources of valuable cultural information. Their collective closure has me reflecting. Maybe 2023 really is the year of great consolidation or, as Zuckerberg nimbly spun it, “the …

There are countless “big baller” weekends in Miami each year, but none are as high roller as when F1 comes to town. The second annual Miami Grand Prix made it clear that this event is going to be a staple down here. It was great to have so many friends in town for the event. There were high profile activations all over town and everyone from Diddy, to Diana Ross, to Lauryn Hill was in the mix touching stages, rocking …

I love working with colleges. I’ve spent a lot of my career with students, whether it was bringing talent to campuses, having a versatile and vibrant intern program, mentoring alums at University of Wisconsin or, as of this week, wrapping up my first college course, “The Streaming Revolution” at American University’s Kogod School of Business. When we started Nue, we built a competitive edge around the college market. We signed and developed artists in colleges, and nurtured student-promoter relationships. It’s …

My trip to Israel has been postponed, so I’m back in the other motherland for NFT.NYC. It’s crazy to think that the first NFT.NYC was three years ago and I’m already feeling nostalgic for an event that once was. I’m seeing a lot of the same people – almost like a traveling circus of the early innovators on the adoption graph – but the energy isn’t quite the same. Some people got lucky and hit it big on the bull run, but …

Music is the universal language. It’s the great connector and the lowest barrier to shifting culture. When you shift culture, all of your long-term KPI’s have the best shot at being realized. Music is extremely dynamic. It’s the trojan horse that travels fast across multiple airwaves. It cuts through the clutter. Music is where tastemakers live. It’s a reflection of the times. If you want to know what’s hot and relevant regionally, find out what young people are listening to …

SXSW isn’t back, but it’s still fun. I’m still rooting for it. It’s still worth going. Considering how distracted we all were by the looming banking collapse, SX’s opening weekend was pretty inspiring. Austin is still rad and being back in deep conversation with so many friends and colleagues at the scale that this event provides is irreplaceable. The serendipitous conversations that SXSW fosters are so valuable. They renew relationships for years to come. The festival is overwhelming by nature, …

Greetings from D.C., where I’m teaching The Streaming Revolution at American University’s Kogod School of Business. We’re past the halfway point this semester and I’m happy with how things have turned out so far. This week, we’re diving into short-form video and the “Tiktokification” of content. We’ll cover everything from Vine, to Snapchat, to Musicl.ly, to Instagram Reels. We’ll even get into Triller and YouTube Shorts’ history to date. The point of the class is to help students understand the …

Yesterday, I had the honor of delivering the closing keynote at the Music Managers Forum in Miami. I was interviewed by the Miami Chapter leader, Matt Limones. The event was an invite-only gathering of managers and movers in Miami’s music scene. It took place at META. Miami is an up and coming market that is building for the future, and the fact that META hosted a music management event at their beautiful Miami HQ is a testament to the interdependence of music and …