Brands Should Pay Attention to the Music Culture

With Nue Agency and its accompanying weekly newsletter Beats + Bytes, music marketer and talent agent Jesse Kirshbaum explores the intersection of music, technology, and brand marketing.

Kirshbaum released the agency’s first Beats + Bytes 2024 Trend Recap on Tuesday Dec. 17, comprising the newsletter’s archives and top cultural trends at the center of those sectors.

“Understanding trends and what’s happening in music is valuable for all marketers,” he said.

Founded in 2007 by Kirshbaum, Nue Agency is a creative music agency that forges brand partnerships in the music and entertainment industries. It also executive produces CRWN, a live interview series hosted by hip-hop journalist Elliott Wilson.

Kirshbaum shared with ADWEEK his findings from the past year and what brands can take away as we look ahead.

“It’s a different era”

In his report, Kirshbaum pointed to the creator economy as a primary driver of cultural trends this past year.

He identified macro trends like the election and inflation as well as micro trends like Charli XCX’s Brat and “very demure, very mindful” that saw brands like Hellman’s, Duolingo, H&M, and Verizon tailoring marketing campaigns around each cultural moment.

“There’s so much opportunity in this creator economy,” he said. “That’s where the new brands are spawning.

When it comes to marketing, content, and commerce, Kirshbaum believes that creator-driven platforms like newsletters, podcasts, and TikTok are where brands have the most traction. 

Chaos marketing was also popular, he said, as “every brand is unique [and] personalized” with new AI and tech tools facilitating brand messaging.