Drake, AI, Sneakers, Web3, DOJ, Phones. Click Now For Your Cultural Intel Brief!

Happy Tuesday! Hope your week is off to a good start. As always, here is a quick look at a few things I'm tracking at the intersection of power, deals, trends in emerging tech, and media/entertainment through a pop culture/hip hop lens. This is fuel for your insights and strategy to better reach GenZ and Millennials. Here we go!

1) Ok, so I normally give a quick peek at my latest podcast in the weekly block below, but this one touches on something so hot that I decided to pull it out as an item and kick off this week's issue with it. Though not given nearly enough credit, hip hop continues its reign at the forefront of emerging tech. The latest evidence? While many have been debating and discussing the intersection of AI and music, hip hop is the first genre to actually create a legal framework for man/machine-created work used as a sample in a recorded work. You read correctly. This is all tied to Drake, Sexyy Redd, and "BBL Drizzy." The precedent starts here. Find out what led to the framework and what's next. This is about answering the question: if a sample is co-created by AI, do you still need to clear it? Listen to my analysis and forecast on my latest episode either on Apple or Spotify.

2) For those in NYC, NY Tech Week and Tribeca Festival are in full swing with everyone running around hitting cocktail events, panels, screenings, meetings, and more. The pace is non-stop but so energizing! Buzz terms so far are family-office investing, large language models, global, authentic. Will be bringing you more next issue!

3) The CEO of Revolt has said that he plans to make Revolt even bigger in the wake of Diddy's departure. Thing is, there was nothing said about leveraging emerging technology as the company moves forward, and zero transparency about who, exactly, is on this board. Who bought Diddy's shares? How/if this is still a "Black-owned" company to satisfy the DOJ approval of the Comcast - NBCUni merger from back in the day? Essentially it's a yawn piece. But see what you think, right here.

*** Quick Note: if you are someone who wants to learn more about this powerful space of youth culture and how you can use it to better connect with Gen Z and Millennials and/or become part of the cultural narrative, connect with celebrated recording artists/notables in the space, and/or creates brand?strategy,?DM me to discuss further.

I provide strategy and consulting for demystifying relevant emerging tech, defining the cultural opportunity, and defining a roadmap for the new era.

Learn about my Innovation Strategy agency right here.

Not ready for a full strategy but definitely looking for insights to better plan for 2024 and beyond? Book?me to speak. From Keynotes to corporate leadership workshops, I provide competitive advantage through powerful insights, cultural intelligence, and emerging tech forecasts.

Don't forget to check out my weekly podcast. Season 4 of "Beats & Bytes" is back !!! **** Latest episode (synopsis is up top this week) **** I mix it up between an interview with an industry figure and an analysis of the latest deals and news to help you make sense of the opportunities. Think of it as an extension of your weekly brief here. Click now to get the scoop. Apple or Spotify. Please rate and follow!

4) Of course you knew I could not let this issue go by without mentioning the LiveNation DOJ situation. But how crazy is it that they got hacked within days of the announcement that the company was being investigated? Hmmm... Guess it's a good thing they hadn't advanced to Web3 ticketing methods yet or even more private info would have been leaked. Naturally, AEG CEO is predicting a DOJ win over LiveNation. Doubt this company will go down without a fight, though. The thing is, the entire concert game is broken. This latest move is only the first chink in the armor. A new way is being formed that will enable new players with new mindsets around fairness and tech should start to peek through in time. Will be tracking this one for ya. In the meantime, see what AEG has to say about it right here.

5) Ok, so this item is not directly pop culture, but we all know phones and pop culture go hand-in-hand. I happened to run across this piece about what to expect from an entirely new generation of phones as AI matures. Some of the features are exciting, while others, not so much. Peep the part here about "music haptics" and think about implications way, way beyond disabilities. (this is both thrilling and terrifying all at the same time). Read the full story right here.

6) I also found this piece on a few places to put your bets when it comes to music-tech startups. See which ones you think are hot, right here.

7) Finally, if you are along this route, don't miss this Sneaker Story pop-up exhibit produced by the Museum of Graffiti. All the sneaker headz out here will be more than salivating. See what to expect right here.

I'll be back with more next Tuesday. Have a great rest of the week!