America Is Growing
After another crazy week in America, the world is beginning to transform. The Democrats won both seats in Georgia and took the Senate, so the direction of the country is becoming clearer. Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but having a little stability is exciting, especially as we business plan 2021 and look for new, cutting […]
Read MoreNew Year, New Goals for Beats + Bytes
I’m excited to leave last year in the past. 2020 is truly just hindsight now. Although there aren’t any surefire signs of rapid change, all roads point to the return of events, parties, conferences, and live music by the end of the year. At worst we will be back on by 2022. Will we ever […]
Read MoreJesse Kirshbaum’s 2021 Music Business’s Predictions & Rising Trends
It goes without saying that the music business started the year in a very different spot than it finished. After serious declines in recorded music for most of my career, the business was seeing unprecedented, double-digit growth going into 2020. The live business was booming and more artists were touring, resulting in higher ticket sales. […]
Read MoreBeats, Bytes, and Brands: The Series
In this time of quarantine and hardship, music is more important than ever. It’s the universal language and the great connector. In a world where there is so much noise online, music is also an undervalued asset when it comes to marketing products and embedding them in culture. Brands often have social media and sports […]
Read MorePost MusicGamingCon Glow
Hot off the back of MusicGamingCon, we’re finishing the year as strong as possible. The next few weeks will be about reflection, insight, and making the most of the holidays in Covid times. That said, a lot of things are taking shape for 2021, which we’ll touch on in the coming weeks. Today, though, I’m […]
Read MoreIs Holiday Season Cancelled?
Is the holiday season cancelled? Thanksgiving weekend is my favorite weekend of the year. Although turkey day itself is based on an idea I’m questioning more than ever, the weekend is always filled with the people and things we love the most. Sure, it’s tough to embrace the holiday spirit with the pandemic’s second wave […]
Read MoreBeats, Bytes and Brands at Social Media Week
When Crowdcentric Media — the company behind Social Media Week and the recently launched streaming platform, SMW+ — approached me about hosting and executive producing a series, I was excited about the idea. Now, the final product has me even more hype. Beats, Bytes and Brands is an eight-part series about the future of music […]
Read MoreGaming X Music Explosion
As we head into the final stretch of what has been a truly insane year, things are certainly busy. I prefer the term productive, of course. But it’s tough not to feel busy in a fully digital, plugged-in world where emails, texts, DM’s, and manic news cycles run 24/7. Now that we have more clarity […]
Read MoreHeavy Days
This election is weighing on me. It’s weighing on the industry, the country, and the world. We’re all ready for it to be over. Fortunately, the ending may finally be in sight. There will be frivolous legal battles in the weeks to come, but battle is what we’re going to keep doing regardless of who […]
Read More2020 Vibes
It’s hard to think about anything but the election these days. The fate of our country feels like it’s up in the air. I’m praying for clarity. I’m praying for peace. I’m praying for the high tensions to calm. By the time Beats & Bytes goes out next week, we’ll (hopefully) have a clearer picture […]
Read MoreDon’t Miss “Pull Up & Vote” Tonight! 🇺🇸
This year’s election is the most important of our lifetime. In many ways, the country is at a fork in the road and our leadership will be key in determining the path we take. The next few weeks are going to be a wild ride and it can’t be stressed enough how important it is […]
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