Thoughts

An assortment of news, articles, artists & music you need to know about and outstanding work from like-minded professionals


PROUDLY PRESENTING O.

O., consisting of the baritone saxophonist Joe Henwood and drummer Tash Keary, have announced their debut album WeirdOs, out on June 21st. Ahead of the album release, O. have also shared their new single ‘Green Shirt’.    Honing their fearless sound through a residency at Brixton’s iconic venue The Windmill, as well as on support slots across […]

7 Believe artists and bands to watch out for in spring 2024

From France to the Philippines, with a side trip to Brazil and India, we present a selection of seven Believe and TuneCore artists who will be making a lot of noise in their respective countries – and even beyond – over the coming weeks!   With over 1.3 million artists represented, choosing a selection of […]

KOBALT UPS SPENDING POWER TO OVER $1BN

Just four months ago, Kobalt announced a partnership with investment funds managed by Morgan Stanley Tactical Value to invest more than USD $700 million to acquire music copyrights over the next few years. As part of its joint venture with Morgan Stanley, Kobalt will manage the creative, synch, licensing, administration, and investment services for these […]

REINVENTING THE RECORD INDUSTRY

““People now understand the value of being an indie artist. Building sustainable careers with no ceiling has been a huge driver of wanting to be part of AWAL.” Music distributor AWAL says that “hundreds” of its artists now earn more than $100k a year from streaming, and that this number (of artists) has grown by […]

TIKTOK LAUNCHES ADVERTISING PLATFORM

TikTok has launched a global marketing platform for brands as it seeks to capitalise on its surge in user growth with greater ad revenue and more clients. The TikTok for Business platform advises brands: “Don’t make ads. Make TikToks.” It acts as a self-serve system that provides marketers tools to be “creative storytellers” and “meaningfully […]

IS THIS THE FUTURE OF ENTERTAINMENT?

“The most exciting prospect for us lies in the fact that both the Travis Scott and the Marshmello gigs on Fortnite are completely redefining what a live experience can be today and will be in a post Covid-19 world – from the design of the performance to the physical and digital swag that helps keep […]

CREATING ADS IN ISOLATION

Voxi, the Vodafone network aimed at people aged 25 and under, has created its first ad produced and shot completely remotely as the UK coronavirus lockdown continues. The ad by Ogilvy UK, “I am endless (even in isolation)”, was shot using the 4K front and rear cameras on the Samsung Galaxy S20 phone, as well […]

CREATIVES AND MUSIC: MARK BERNATH

Check out the outstanding thinkers understanding the importance of music in advertising. EPISODE #1: Mark Bernath (Wieden + Kennedy, Amsterdam)

#DUAFORPEPE

Pepe Jeans Spring Summer 2019 Campaign The gorgeous Dua Lipa is the new Patrizia Pepe Jeans Icon.

MACKLEMORE AT DUCATI IN SEATTLE

After licensing “Can’t Hold Us” for the Scrambler Desert Sled campaign, Seattle Music Icons Macklemore and Ryan Lewis just picked up two Ducati Scrambler Icons built exclusively for them. Then they went downtown. It was glorious.

THE WONDERFUL DIOR JOY AD

JOY by Dior Featuring Jennifer Lawrence, music by The Rolling Stones

SAM FENDER: A STAR IN THE MAKING

Very little has stood in the way of young North Shields artist Sam Fender and his rapid ascent throughout 2018. Having toured the UK and Europe relentlessly, building himself a loyal, passionate army of fans, Sam writes honestly and candidly about subjects of social and generational significance, broadly drawn from his experiences growing up in […]

GENERATION Z: BRANDED CONTENT ROCKS!

Generation Z may be the first in three generations to not know what an ad break is. But that doesn’t mean they won’t know an ad, even if they aren’t aware they know that. New research shows that Generation Z (aka teenagers, those born after 2000) are fully immersed and comfortable with brand-produced content such […]

MARSHMELLO HOLDS FIRST EVER FORTNITE VIRTUAL CONCERT

Move over Adam Levine! While the Maroon 5 singer was courting controversy for his Super Bowl half-time show on Sunday, video game fans were revelling in the afterglow of a different live performance. “Millions attended” a concert on Saturday starring masked DJ Marshmello, who played a set including 2018 hits Everyday and Happier. The twist? […]

LANDMRK: PUTTING THE SCALABLE INTO EXPERIENTIAL

Beyond our own shortcomings of imagination, this may be down to the variety of projects that have been activated on Landmrk. When you have music acts as diverse as Keith Richards and nascent Latino boyband CNCO using the platform to launch new albums, retailers as different as CeX and Tesco’s thinking up smart ways to […]

KOBALT IS A MAJOR LABEL WAITING TO HAPPEN

News has emerged of Kobalt potentially looking to raise an additional $100 million of investment, following a 2017 round of $89 million and a 2015 $60-million round led by Google Ventures. Kobalt has been the poster child for the changing of the guard in the music business, helping set the industry agenda by pursuing a […]