The Real Guitar Hero
The Real Guitar Hero

This weekend I had the privilege of seeing Gary Clark Jr. perform on SNL, one of the most coveted milestones for a musician. The SNL stage is not only historically iconic, it also feels more relevant than it’s been in a decade. I first met Gary when he signed to Warner Brothers in 2013. Even […]

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No More Parties In L.A.
No More Parties In L.A.

Last night we partied on Mulholland Drive for Khalid’s 21st birthday, and we did it in 21st century fashion. The Nue family provided an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the bash for our client, Live.me, and their global audience of 20 million active users. The self-described “best social platform for creating and viewing live videos” requires […]

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GRAMMY Weekend 2019
GRAMMY Weekend 2019

Now that the Super Bowl is over, industry focus shifts from Atlanta to the Grammys this weekend in L.A. Although the awards themselves don’t feel particularly relevant, “Grammy week” is always a big moment for the music business as the stars and their camps align in one place. It’s fun when a client is nominated […]

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No Biz Like CannaBiz
No Biz Like CannaBiz

The largest growth opportunity in my world right now is the Cannabiz, so much so that I’m willing to bet on New York and New Jersey being recreationally legal in 2019. My gut tells me that by 2021, the whole country will follow suit. The word is “revolution.” It’s like watching prohibition get rewritten for […]

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Super Bowl Halftime Thoughts
Super Bowl Halftime Thoughts

I’m taking the newsletter in a different direction this week. Typically I focus on what’s happening with Nue but there’s something I’ve been grappling with lately and I want to start a dialogue about it. I love Colin Kaepernick and have even had the privilege of working out next to him regularly at the gym. […]

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Hotels as Music Businesses?
Hotels as Music Businesses?

I had the privilege of attending the W Music Summit last week in Austin, TX. The Summit, lead by Pablo Henderson, shed light on how W intends to enhance its brand through music. From a newly minted record label (W Records) to on-site music studios (Sound Suites, to a music festival concept (Wake Up Call) […]

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Happy Nue Year 💥
Happy Nue Year 💥

  All signs point to this being a great era for the music business. More music is being created and consumed than ever before. More artists are touring and the live business as a whole is very healthy. Just look at the biggest player, Live Nation, and their continual growth.The streaming business, although beginning to […]

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Nue Year, New Business
Nue Year, New Business

I love the optimism at the top of the year. It lasts through January and even into Spring. I probably say this every 365 days, but I’m as excited and passionate about the music business as I’ve ever been. Growth is inevitable as artists take greater control of their careers and brands continue to crack […]

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Last Beats & Bytes of 2018!
Last Beats & Bytes of 2018!

What December lacks in nice weather and sunlight, it makes up for in reflection. Ripping out that twelfth calendar page always brings a boost of optimism and an eye-opening outlook, what I call “New Year’s magic.” When you do the internal work leading up to the ball drop — the introspection and internalizing, the goal […]

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The Curativity Economy
The Curativity Economy

As the year comes to a close, year-end recaps are everywhere you look. With so much content about so much content, how do you know what to pay attention to? One of the top curators of our generation, Tuma Basa, Rap Caviar’s own and now Youtube Music’s finest answers that question with new thinking, using a […]

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Nostalgia and Music
Nostalgia and Music

As the year wraps up, it’s exciting to peruse various trend reports and year-end outlook posts. They give you an understanding of what thought leaders and institutions think is slated to make the biggest impact in 2019. We combine this data and discussion with our own research to arrive at a fully formulated idea of […]

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