2/10/24 - Weekend Listening from Intercontinental Exchange

Heading into Super Bowl weekend, Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) has had a super week.?

The Atlanta-based company’s shares rose for three consecutive trading days, sandwiching ICE’s Q4 earnings announcement on Thursday, closing Friday at $135.49. ICE ’s full-year numbers reflect its?18th consecutive year of record revenues and continued earnings-per-share growth.

In his note to investors, Deutsche Bank analyst Brian Bedell upped his price target to $150 from $140, writing, “we now see annual EPS growth approaching a double-digit pace across our forecast horizon.”

Attention can now turn to the Big Game. Kickoff tomorrow between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.

Atlanta claims a major player in the game’s lineup. Usher Raymond IV, known to those who’ve bought 80 million of his albums as “Usher,” is headlining the halftime show. Seeking more musical opportunity during his formative years, Usher’s family moved to Atlanta where the future “King of R&B” attended North Springs High School. Local kid makes good.

Now, at 45, after 100 consecutive sold-out performances of his blockbuster “My Way” Las Vegas residency, Usher is on the biggest performance stage of all.?

About 119 million people tuned into last year’s halftime show, the most viewers in the event’s history. “It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list,” the artist said. “I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before.”

To get a sense of what goes into producing such an extravaganza, I spoke to Paul Blair (A.K.A. DJ White Shadow) for this week’s episode of “Inside the ICE House.” A frequent collaborator with Lady Gaga and a Grammy winner in his own right, Paul has helped produce the music for seven different Super Bowl commercials, including those for AB InBev (NYSE: BUD).

“He’s an incredible performer,” Paul told me, referring to Usher. “It’s so great that he’s getting this moment because he deserves it tremendously.”

Whatever happens between San Francisco and Kansas City, Atlanta can claim a victory tomorrow night.

The view from behind the turntable: ?

• DJ White Shadow's Star is Born: From Dorm Room Turntables to Lady Gaga Chart-Toppers When fans tune into the Super Bowl this week, they come for the football, but stay for the ads. Those million-dollar spots are often much more intricate than a nickel defense and require the best in the business to help make them. An artist who regularly gets the call is Paul Blair, a.k.a DJ White Shadow. Paul takes us behind the scenes of his music-making journey, from the discotheques of Japan to the sound studios working with Lady Gaga and her collaborators.

If you’re on a smart phone, all of our Inside the ICE House podcast episodes are available wherever you get your podcasts, including the Apple Podcast App, Spotify, and Stitcher, and other audio platforms. Feel free to reach out to me with any feedback about our show, or suggest any guests for future episodes.