🎧⚽️ From Beats to Barça: How Spotify Turned a Shirt Sponsorship Into a Cultural Power Play

Spotify's front-of-shirt partnership with FC Barcelona has become one of sport's most ambitious and effective branding strategies in recent memory. As outlined in Daniel-Yaw Miller’s May 2025 piece for SportsVerse, “How Spotify Built Its FC Barcelona Sponsorship Into a Music-Fashion-Culture Goldmine,” the streaming giant has rewritten the playbook on how brands can activate cultural relevance through sport. By trading traditional logo exposure for timely, artist-led takeovers during global moments like El Clásico, Spotify isn’t just sponsoring football – it’s shaping the future of fan engagement across music, fashion, and sport.

In a rare, behind-the-scenes interview, Marc Hazan, Spotify’s global VP of marketing and partnerships, described this strategy as “hitting the zeitgeist” - and by all measures, it’s working.

🚀 Pros - What’s Working?

Cultural Synergy That Resonates
Spotify’s yearly El Clásico jersey takeovers - featuring artists like Drake, Rosalía, The Rolling Stones and most recently Travis Scott - blend the emotional pull of football with the cultural weight of global music icons. These collaborations transcend fandom, creating mass desirability and tapping into fashion, resale and hype culture.

Record-Breaking Merchandising
The Travis Scott x Cactus Jack x Barcelona jersey set a new benchmark for demand, reportedly reselling for over $2,200 on StockX within days of its release. Earlier drops, like the Barcelona x Rosalía jersey, have also held strong resale value, cementing these pieces as cultural artefacts, not just merchandise.

Innovative Brand Integration
Unlike passive logo placements, Spotify’s activation strategy includes curated matchday playlists by players like Jules Koundé and exclusive artist performances (such as Travis Scott’s first-ever Barcelona concert). These deepen brand affinity while delivering unique experiences to fans.

⚠️ Cons - What Are the Risks?

Lost Traditional Visibility
By removing its logo from the most visible moment of the football calendar - the El Clásico - Spotify forfeits billions of global impressions. This is a high-risk move in a media environment where visibility often equates to value.

Dependence on Artist Relevance
The impact of the partnership is tightly linked to the cultural capital of the artists involved. A misstep in artist selection or backlash around a collaborator could quickly turn a cultural win into a PR problem.

Exclusivity vs Accessibility
While exclusivity drives hype, it may alienate loyal fans unable to afford or access these high-ticket items. Balancing aspirational branding with broad fan inclusion remains a challenge.

🔍 Opportunities - Where Brands Should Pay Attention

The Rise of Football as Fashion
Football kits are no longer just for match days. As Daniel-Yaw Miller notes, they're now fashion items worn by non-fans for style and status. Brands in music, fashion and sport should be exploring how to enter this crossover space authentically.

Reimagining Sponsorship Models
Spotify’s approach redefines what a sports sponsorship can be. Rather than visibility alone, it focuses on cultural currency, storytelling and digital content. This signals a shift in how partnerships should be structured in the age of fandoms and niche culture.

Localisation Meets Globalisation
Artist-led jerseys tap into global pop culture, but Spotify is also leveraging local fan communities with intimate concerts and regional engagement. This hybrid model of global reach with local resonance is an emerging best practice.

🧱 Challenges - What's in the Way?

Maintaining Authenticity
As Hazan emphasised, “staying respectful and authentic to football culture” is key. Over-commercialisation or tone-deaf activations risk alienating hardcore fans and eroding credibility.

Saturation and Imitation
Now that Spotify’s success is evident, copycat models are inevitable. Brands must innovate beyond the initial idea and evolve their execution to maintain originality and impact.

Scalability Beyond Barcelona
The unique cultural cachet of FC Barcelona, combined with Spotify’s artist relationships, makes this model effective. But can it be replicated with other teams or in other sports? Not every partnership offers the same cultural access point.

📌 Key Takeouts

• Spotify’s Barcelona deal is redefining the role of sponsorships in culture.

• Artist-led jersey swaps create scarcity, hype and commercial returns.

• The strategy’s strength lies in merging music, fashion and football authentically.

• Risks include visibility trade-offs, artist controversies and pricing exclusivity.

• Cultural capital is the new media currency - and brands must invest accordingly.

🔮 Next Steps for Brand Marketers

• Rethink ROI: Move beyond impressions and CPMs - ask how your brand can influence culture through partnerships.

• Get Embedded: Work with cultural insiders - not just agencies - to ensure brand activations feel real, not reactive.

• Design for Desire: Co-create limited products that fans want, not just ones that tick brand boxes.

• Embrace Cross-Pollination: Consider how sport, music, fashion, gaming and nightlife intersect – and build at those crossroads.

• Plan for Longevity: Don’t chase virality. Build long-term partnerships that allow for evolving, layered storytelling over seasons.

Spotify’s FC Barcelona playbook isn’t just a win for the brand. It’s a signal to the industry: the next era of sponsorship will be led by those who dare to blend creativity, culture and commerce.

🎧 Why Gen Z Is Streaming Oasis - and What That Tells Us About Culture in 2025

In July 2025, Oasis returned to the stage after 16 years apart - and reignited far more than just their fanbase.

The numbers were instant and staggering:

• Oasis streams surged by over 400% in the UK and nearly 320% globally over their reunion weekend.

• They gained 16.6 million new listeners this year alone.

• And perhaps most significantly: Gen Z now accounts for over 50% of those new fans.

No new album. No modern marketing campaign. Just a band from the 90s re-entering culture with precision and force. So what’s really going on?

It’s Bigger Than Nostalgia

On the surface, this looks like a textbook nostalgia boom. But dig deeper, and it reveals something more strategic - and more culturally telling.

We’re in an era of infinite choice and limited connection. Music, like much of media, is increasingly hyper-personalised and algorithmically fed. While discovery has never been easier, shared experience has never been harder to find.

A 2024 Ipsos study found that only 1 in 5 Gen Z listeners regularly share new music preferences with their friends, compared to 3 in 5 in 2004. Everyone’s listening to something—but often, no one’s listening together.

That fragmentation has created a cultural vacuum. And legacy music is filling the gap.

The Emotional Pull of Legacy Acts

The rise of Oasis in 2025 is far from an isolated case. According to MRC Data, older songs now account for over 70% of music consumption in markets like the US. Vinyl sales are up 11% year-on-year in the UK. Legacy albums like Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? continue to chart, bolstered by limited-edition pressings, pop-up merch stores, and festival placements.

And far from resisting the past, Gen Z is embracing it.

• A 2023 Deloitte Digital report found that 68% of Gen Z actively seek out music “from before their time.”

• Spotify Culture Next data shows they describe older tracks as “comforting,” “identity-forming,” and “shared.”

This isn’t nostalgia—it’s emotional utility.

Shared Culture Is the True Commodity

What Oasis represent in this moment is more than Britpop. They represent shared cultural memory in a landscape of digital disconnection.

In a streaming era where “niche” dominates, legacy acts offer scale, cohesion and shorthand. They stand for something recognisable, communal, and often familial. Whether it’s singing “Don’t Look Back in Anger” in a stadium or buying the same £30 Lidl x Oasis-inspired parka, people want common cultural ground - and legacy music is delivering it.

It’s why Google embedded Oasis Easter eggs in its search UX. It’s why bucket hat sales spiked 89% in the weeks leading up to their first 2025 gig. And it’s why brands from Adidas to Lidl didn’t just ride the wave - they helped shape it.

What It Means for Brand Marketers

There’s a powerful lesson here for anyone trying to build meaningful connections in a fragmented market:

• Relevance doesn’t always mean newness. It means resonance.

• Legacy can outperform novelty - if it’s reactivated in the right way.

• Cultural equity isn’t about time passed. It’s about emotional shorthand.

For Gen Z, music from the past isn’t old. It’s shared. And in a culture defined by endless choice, shared experience is more valuable than ever.

Key Takeouts

• Oasis gained 16.6M new listeners in 2025, with Gen Z making up over 50%

• 400%+ surge in UK streams shows explosive re-entry

• Nostalgia isn’t passive - it’s a strategic tool for emotional commerce

• Brands that activated around Oasis - like Lidl and Adidas - tapped into cultural cohesion, not just content

• The future of marketing isn’t just innovation. It’s reconnection

🎸 Black Sabbath's Final Bow Was a £140M Power Chord for Charity.

Here’s what happened when metal legends, cultural memory, and real purpose collided in Birmingham:

👇
✅ £140 million raised for three UK charities: Birmingham Children's Hospital, Cure Parkinson’s, and Acorns Children's Hospice.
✅ Thousands packed Villa Park to witness the final Sabbath moment - joined by Metallica, Slayer, and a wave of global fans.
✅ Ozzy Osbourne - seated on a gothic black throne crowned with a bat - delivered a dramatic farewell performance, gold cane in hand.
✅ Musical director Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) said it took over a year of planning - calling it “a labour of love.”

✅ Donations will fund:
- A giant aquarium and new cinema for young patients at Birmingham Children’s.
- Support for children’s palliative care amid rising demand at Acorns.
- Research and patient support at Cure Parkinson’s - a cause close to Ozzy, who revealed his diagnosis in 2020.

This was cultural legacy with purpose.

Even the loudest genres can deliver quiet power when mobilised for good.

Read more via BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-68843728

🗞️ For more cultural deep dives across music, sport, fashion and fandom, subscribe to On The Record: https://lnkd.in/eczFBS_4

🧹 Cleaning House: YouTube Tightens Rules on AI-Generated ‘Slop’ Content

YouTube’s crackdown on “inauthentic” content marks a strategic shift in the platform’s fight against low-effort, AI-generated media. As of 15 July, the company will update its YouTube Partner Program (YPP) monetisation policies, targeting mass-produced and repetitive content - much of it now made possible by generative AI tools.

For brand marketers, recruiters, and content strategists, this policy update is more than a tweak to platform guidelines. It signals a growing platform-wide push to preserve quality, trust, and authenticity in the age of synthetic content.

📊 Supporting Stats

• AI content is booming: According to Goldman Sachs, generative AI could automate up to 25% of content creation across industries by 2025.

• Low-quality content is on the rise: A 2024 report from 404 Media uncovered that a viral YouTube true crime channel was entirely AI-generated, sparking user backlash and wider platform scrutiny.

• Trust is fragile: Research from Edelman’s Trust Barometer shows that 61% of global consumers say they would lose trust in a platform if it profits from misleading or fake content.

✅ Pros - What’s Working?

• Clarification, not overreach: YouTube insists this is a “minor update” designed to provide clearer examples of inauthentic content. This could help creators better navigate what’s monetisable.

• Spam deterrence: Cracking down on mass-produced AI content helps reduce spam-like experiences for users, which could increase watch time for high-quality content.

• Brand protection: For advertisers, clearer boundaries help ensure their ads don’t appear alongside deepfakes, misinformation, or AI-generated “slop.”

⚠️ Cons - What Are the Limitations?

• Unclear enforcement: The actual policy language hasn’t been released, which creates uncertainty for creators and agencies alike.

• Reaction and remix grey areas: While YouTube says reaction videos and clip commentary are safe, the subjective nature of what counts as “original” could lead to over-moderation.

• Risk of over-correction: Without nuance, some small creators using AI ethically could be penalised alongside bad actors.

🔍 Opportunities - What Should Brands Focus On?

• Authenticity as currency: This policy shift reinforces that audiences (and platforms) value originality. Brands investing in distinctive, human-led content will stand out.

• Human-AI hybrids: AI isn’t banned - but lazy automation is. Brands can explore ethical, creative AI integration (e.g. voice cloning with disclosure, AI-enhanced scripting) that complements rather than replaces human input.

• Content audits: Now is a smart time to evaluate brand channels and partnerships for content integrity and alignment with evolving YPP standards.

🚧 Challenges - What Barriers Persist?

• Platform inconsistency: YouTube’s track record of enforcement is mixed. Scams, deepfakes, and AI spam still surface despite tools for reporting them.

• Speed of AI innovation: AI video creation is advancing faster than moderation systems can adapt. This creates whack-a-mole enforcement challenges.

• Monetisation anxiety: For creators and agencies managing influencer talent, these updates raise fears of sudden demonetisation without clear recourse.

📌 Key Takeouts

• YouTube is updating monetisation rules to combat AI-generated, repetitive, or spammy content.

• The update, while framed as minor, reflects growing concerns about platform quality and user trust.

• Ethical AI use is still allowed, but originality and value-add are critical.

• Brands must reassess content strategies, especially where AI tools are involved.

🎯 Next Steps for Brand Marketers

• Audit creator partnerships for content originality and compliance with YouTube’s evolving standards.

• Avoid full automation: Refrain from publishing fully AI-generated content without significant human input or editorial oversight.

• Prioritise disclosure: Where AI is used, make it transparent to viewers.

• Explore quality signals: Invest in creators and content that demonstrate thought leadership, creativity, and audience trust - all of which are likely to be favoured by future algorithms.

YouTube’s tightening grip on AI slop isn’t just policy housekeeping. It’s a cultural signal: originality still pays.

🕶️ Meta’s Smart Bet: Why Its €3B Stake in EssilorLuxottica Matters for Brand Marketers

Meta has reportedly acquired a 3% stake in EssilorLuxottica, the eyewear giant behind Ray-Ban and Oakley. The €3 billion ($3.5 billion) investment signals more than a financial move - it’s a strategic deepening of Meta’s long-term push into AI-powered hardware, particularly smart glasses. For brand marketers, this signals a growing convergence of fashion, tech, and augmented experiences - and a new frontier for branded interaction.

Smart Glasses Are Becoming Mainstream

Smart glasses are no longer novelty gadgets. Ray-Ban Meta glasses, launched in 2021, have seen stronger-than-expected uptake, prompting deeper collaboration between the two companies. The addition of Oakley-branded glasses in 2025 further expands Meta’s footprint.

According to Counterpoint Research, smart wearable shipments are expected to reach 600 million units globally by 2027, with smart glasses making up an increasing share thanks to their blend of function and style.

What’s Working: Pros

• Blending Style and Tech: Unlike bulky headsets, smart glasses from Meta x EssilorLuxottica integrate cameras, AI assistants, and voice commands into traditional eyewear styles.

• Brand Equity Built-In: Ray-Ban and Oakley bring decades of cultural cachet, helping smart glasses sidestep the “gadget” stigma that plagued earlier wearables.

• Direct-to-Consumer Ecosystem: Meta’s ownership of the hardware enables control over user data, interface, and services - bypassing gatekeepers like Apple or Samsung.

Limitations and Risks: Cons

• Privacy Backlash: Always-on cameras and voice assistants raise surveillance concerns, especially in public spaces.

• Fragmented Market: Many players - from Amazon to Snap - are competing, with no clear standard or dominant form factor yet.

• Battery and Tech Constraints: Miniaturisation of sensors and batteries remains a technical challenge, limiting extended use.

Opportunities for Brands

• Immersive Advertising: Smart glasses open the door for context-aware branded overlays - from virtual product try-ons to real-world-triggered content.

• Hands-Free Search and Commerce: AI-powered voice interfaces can enable seamless product discovery and voice shopping.

• Location-Based Activations: Brands could build activations where digital layers appear in physical spaces - offering exclusive content, offers, or narratives.

Challenges Ahead

• Platform Dependency: Early brand integration may hinge on Meta’s ecosystem, creating reliance on its APIs and data policies.

• User Adoption Curve: While growing, smart glasses adoption is still niche relative to smartphones or smartwatches.

• Creative Format Limitations: The screenless nature of some models means brands need to rethink UX beyond visuals.

Key Takeouts

• Meta’s €3B stake cements smart glasses as a core hardware pillar, not an experimental side project.

• The fusion of fashion and function (Ray-Ban, Oakley) gives smart glasses cultural traction.

• Brand experiences must evolve to fit AI-driven, screenless, voice-first interfaces.

• Smart glasses offer a glimpse into the future of ambient, always-available branded interaction.

Next Steps for Brand Marketers

• Start Prototyping: Develop voice-first or audio-based branded content for wearable interfaces.

• Monitor Smart Wearables: Track consumer sentiment and behaviour around emerging smart glasses platforms.

• Engage Early: Partner with Meta or other platforms for early branded beta activations - to learn, iterate, and lead.

• Think Beyond the Screen: Rethink your brand’s identity in an ambient, visual-light, context-heavy future.

Meta’s investment in EssilorLuxottica is not just a bet on smart glasses - it’s a signpost toward the next major shift in how people experience digital content in the real world. For marketers, the time to explore is now.

📱 TikTok's US Reinvention: What It Means for Brands, Creators and Culture Marketers

TikTok is preparing to split. According to The Information (July 7, 2025), the platform is developing a U.S.-specific version of its app ahead of a possible sale to American investors. The redesigned app could hit U.S. app stores by 5 September, with users expected to migrate fully by March 2026.

This development is driven by U.S. political pressure: former President Donald Trump confirmed discussions with China are set to resume, stating a deal is “pretty much” in place. But Beijing’s stance on ByteDance divestment remains unclear, especially following tariff escalations earlier this year.

For brand and creator marketers, this is more than a policy story. It’s a shift in the infrastructure behind the most culturally potent social platform in the U.S., home to over 135 million monthly active users, and a key engine for youth trends, creator commerce, and real-time content discovery.

✅ Pros: What Could Work in Marketers’ Favour

Platform continuity, with political cover
If a U.S. version helps TikTok avoid a ban, the platform gets a new lease on life with less regulatory uncertainty. That brings much-needed stability to brands and creators who’ve held back due to legal ambiguity.

Opportunity for region-specific innovation
A U.S.-operated version could develop custom tools, formats and features tailored to domestic user behaviour and commercial needs. Think: better brand safety controls, integrated commerce, or enhanced first-party data access.

Potential return of cautious advertisers
TikTok’s U.S. ad revenue is expected to grow from around $10 billion in 2024 to over $14 billion in 2025. A U.S.-sanctioned version could trigger budget reallocation in Q4 and beyond, especially among marketers seeking a stable, scalable alternative to Meta or YouTube.

First-mover advantage during relaunch
If TikTok reframes itself publicly around the U.S. launch, early brand partners could benefit from increased visibility, promotional support, and platform favouritism.

❌ Cons: Risks and Limitations to Monitor

Fragmentation across markets
Two versions of TikTok could mean diverging algorithms, user interfaces, or product roadmaps. Global campaigns may require localisation not just in message, but in platform mechanics.

Friction in user migration
Users will need to download a new app by March 2026. That opens up a window of churn, confusion, and content drop-off - especially among less tech-savvy or casually engaged users.

Creator monetisation could stall
If monetisation tools (Creator Fund, gifts, brand collabs) lag during the transition, top creators may diversify to other platforms. That threatens TikTok’s cultural edge and brand reach.

Continued political exposure
Even if the app relaunches under U.S. ownership, regulatory scrutiny won’t vanish. Data practices, content moderation, and youth safety remain open targets for legislation.

⚠️ Watchouts for Brand, Creator and Influencer Marketers

• API and data access may change. Campaign measurement tools and analytics platforms could experience lags or require re-integration with the new U.S. app.

• Influencer performance benchmarks may reset. If engagement metrics shift due to user drop-off or algorithm tweaks, influencer rates and ROI models may need recalibration.

• Paid media planning needs agility. Paid placements might face a brief pause or changes in approval processes. Flexibility in budget allocation will be key.

• Creator contracts may need updating. Usage rights, timelines, and KPIs tied to TikTok activations should account for app migration scenarios and audience volatility.

📌 Key Takeouts

• TikTok is developing a new U.S.-specific app, reportedly launching 5 September 2025, with full user migration expected by March 2026.

• 135M+ U.S. monthly users and 1.6B+ globally are affected—core audiences for creator-led campaigns.

• Global ad revenue exceeded $23B in 2024, with U.S. revenue expected to hit $14B+ by end of 2025.

• If TikTok is pulled from the U.S., up to $8.6B in ad spend could migrate to competitors like Instagram and YouTube.

• This shift is both a risk and an opportunity for brands ready to move quickly and creatively.

🎯 Next Steps for Brand Marketers

1. Map exposure to TikTok U.S.
   Audit current spend, creator partnerships, and campaign dependencies. Identify key risks and backup plans.

2. Scenario-plan for split platforms.
   Develop strategies for U.S.-only TikTok operations, especially if global features diverge or if content must be localised for performance.

3. Engage creators early.
   Proactively brief creator partners on what’s known, plan long-term relationships, and be ready to support their transition between versions.

4. Monitor platform announcements closely.
   Watch for updates to commercial policies, new ad tools, and the timeline of deprecation for the old app.

5. Stay agile across your short-form mix.
   Invest in creative flexibility that can move between TikTok, Reels, Shorts, and emerging formats as needed.

TikTok’s U.S. reboot marks a new phase in the platform’s evolution - from global disruptor to regional battleground. For marketers, it’s not just about brand presence. It’s about preparedness, speed of response, and having the right creators in your corner as the next version of TikTok takes shape.

How TikTok's ‘Add To Music’ App Is Reshaping Streaming: What Marketers Need To Know

As music marketers, we’ve long known that TikTok is a top-of-funnel cultural engine for hits. But now, with its ‘Add To Music’ app integration, the platform is closing the loop between discovery and streaming in a way that’s both frictionless and powerful - with major implications for campaigns, fan strategy, and ROI.

After a full global rollout in 2024, TikTok’s Add To Music App feature is officially making waves. It’s earned the Music Consumer Innovation Award at the 2025 Music Week Awards and is already responsible for over one billion track saves to streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and - most recently - SoundCloud.

This is a behavioural shift.

📊 High-Impact Stats Marketers Shouldn’t Ignore

• 1+ billion tracks saved via Add To Music – TikTok

• SoundOn-released Show Me Love by WizTheMC hit No.3 in the UK and has clocked 446,009 units in consumption (Official Charts Company)

• TikTok has driven "many billions" of off-platform streams via the feature (TikTok internal data)

• Spotify’s Viral 50 Global charts are increasingly filled with tracks going viral on TikTok first

💡 Key Takeouts

• Discovery is now directly measurable: TikTok has gone from being a vibes-based virality machine to a performance marketing tool for music.

• Frictionless conversion: Fans can now move from swipe to stream with one tap, turning hype into habit.

• Full-funnel strategy is essential: From creation on TikTok to streaming platform performance, marketers now need to map and optimise the entire user journey.

• Platform loyalty is changing: SoundCloud’s integration signals TikTok’s ambition to stay platform-agnostic and support all music ecosystems - not just the majors.

✅ Pros for Music Marketers

• Direct attribution: For the first time, you can more confidently track TikTok virality to streaming spikes.

• Increased artist independence: With SoundOn and integrated streaming, TikTok offers a start-to-scale solution for unsigned acts.

• Cross-platform amplification: TikTok becomes a launchpad, not a silo. This creates a more sustainable post-viral trajectory.

⚠️ Considerations and Watchouts

• Short attention spans still rule: Saving a track doesn’t guarantee full streams or long-term fandom. Retention strategies are critical.

• Data visibility may be limited: Brands and marketers might not always have access to platform-level data unless integrated with label or platform partners.

• Over-reliance risk: Building campaigns too TikTok-heavy could limit audience diversity across age and genre lines.

⏭️ Next Steps for Music Marketers

1. Integrate Add To Music prompts into campaign storytelling. Highlight where fans can save or stream.

2. Build artist funnel strategies that account for TikTok virality and how to retain fans beyond the platform.

3. Use SoundOn smartly: Independent artists should explore how to tap TikTok’s in-house label services to maximise early traction.

4. Collaborate across DSPs: Use TikTok as the ignition point, but build out broader playlist and editorial support with platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube Music.

🎯 What This Means for Brand Marketers

TikTok’s Add To Music feature isn’t just a win for artists - it’s a cultural leverage point for brands that want to tap into music-driven moments with sharper conversion and cultural impact.

Music has always been a brand’s shortcut to emotion. Now, it’s also a shortcut to action.

Whether you're launching a campaign, activating talent, or building a branded content series, TikTok’s integration with DSPs creates a new bridge between brand affinity and measurable behaviour.

💡 Key Opportunities for Brands:

• Drive deeper storytelling through sound: Branded content that uses emerging tracks can now help push them onto streaming platforms, giving your brand a role in music’s success story.

• Tap into music discovery culture: Partner with artists who are rising via TikTok and use the Add To Music feature to create a trackable journey from content to conversion.

• Use music as a campaign trigger: Think beyond sync - the right track placement in a brand moment can now translate directly into saves, shares, and streams.

• Enhance creator partnerships: Collaborate with creators who can integrate music authentically into their content and encourage followers to save tracks, linking fandom with action.

🚀 Bottom Line

TikTok’s Add To Music feature is more than a button: it’s a strategic shift in how music is marketed, discovered, and consumed. For artists and marketers alike, it’s time to rethink release strategies through the lens of TikTok-enabled streaming pathways.

This is music marketing in motion – and we’re just getting started.

🎬🎵 Why a Netflix x Spotify Deal Could Be the Next Big Power Play in Streaming Culture

In the ever-evolving landscape of entertainment and partnerships, the rumoured collaboration between Netflix and Spotify is one to watch closely. If confirmed, this deal could see the two streaming giants package music-related content that blends live events, award shows, and original programming. Think: Spotify-powered soundtracks fuelling Netflix docuseries, or live concerts and artist interviews delivered via dual-platform drops.

It’s more than a distribution deal. It’s a strategic alignment that speaks to where culture is heading: multiformat, music-driven, and fan-first.

Why Now?

Both platforms are navigating saturation in their core offerings. Netflix’s pivot into unscripted sports and music series - like “Rhythm & Flow,” the upcoming reboot of “Star Search,” and Beyoncé’s 2024 NFL Christmas Day performance - signals a move toward content with built-in fandoms. Meanwhile, Spotify is seeking new ways to monetise and expand beyond audio, especially as it competes with TikTok, YouTube and Apple for artist relationships and attention.

Together, they can create ecosystems around artist moments, rather than one-off plays.

What This Means for Brands and Fans

For brands, this opens up layered opportunities across media placement, co-branded experiences, and interactive fan engagement. Imagine a Spotify Wrapped x Netflix docu-special, or shoppable soundtracks from live shows. For artists and fans, it means deeper storytelling: from the studio to the stage to the screen.

The Bigger Picture

This partnership would be about creating cultural universes, not just content. It taps into how fans already behave - streaming an album, watching a behind-the-scenes series, attending the livestreamed tour finale. It also reflects a broader trend: streaming platforms aren’t just delivery systems - they're brand-builders and cultural curators.

In a world where fandom equals equity, expect more platforms to follow suit - blurring the lines between formats, moments, and media.

🎧 And if they pull it off right? It could be music to the entire industry’s ears.

Want more analysis on brand, entertainment and cultural strategy? Subscribe to the On The Record newsletter here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/on-the-record-weekly-round-up-7339260441459654657/

The New Creative Frontier: Apple Music’s LA Studio

Opening this summer, Apple’s new three-storey, 15,000-square-foot studio in Culver City is designed to be more than just a recording space. It’s a physical manifestation of Apple Music’s artist-first strategy - combining Spatial Audio tech, a 4,000-square-foot live performance stage, and an integrated social content lab.

Rachel Newman, co-head of Apple Music, describes the space as “a place for artists to create, connect, and share their vision”. It reflects a broader industry trend: moving beyond passive streaming to become an engine for live experience, audience engagement, and original storytelling.

Pros - What’s Working?

An Artist-First Environment
Apple Music’s physical and digital platforms are built with artist experience at the core. From private booths for songwriting to high-end Spatial Audio production rooms, the infrastructure enables more direct artist expression and control.

Live, Immersive Content
With multicam shoots, live fan events, and real-time editing facilities, the studio supports high-value, multi-format content creation that can feed Apple Music, social platforms, and beyond.

Global Network, Local Roots
The LA space adds to Apple’s network of creative hubs in cities like Berlin, Paris, and Tokyo, showing a scalable model for culturally grounded innovation.

Cons - What Are the Limitations?

Exclusive by Design
Despite its ambition, the LA studio model is inherently selective. Access will likely be limited to top-tier or Apple-partnered artists, leaving emerging acts outside this elite circle.

Geographic Centralisation
Though described as global, the flagship hub is based in Los Angeles - reinforcing the dominance of the US music industry and potentially overlooking regional scenes and underground cultures elsewhere.

Limited Public-Facing Value
While immersive for artists, the behind-the-scenes nature of the space may offer less immediate value to casual listeners unless content is cleverly distributed across channels.

Opportunities - What Should Brands Watch?

Partnership Potential
The new studio offers fertile ground for brand partnerships - from live events and artist collaborations to integrated content that aligns with Apple’s values of creativity, quality, and innovation.

High-Fidelity Storytelling
The rise of Spatial Audio and multicam formats opens the door for brand narratives that go beyond conventional audio ads. There’s a chance to co-create immersive, artist-led content that resonates culturally.

Fan Experience Design
As platforms build richer ecosystems, brand marketers can learn from Apple’s seamless integration of tech, space, and narrative. How might physical and digital experiences converge in your own campaigns?

Challenges - What Could Undermine Success?

Streaming Saturation
With Spotify, Amazon, and TikTok also building out audio strategies, Apple’s success depends on maintaining its reputation for curation, exclusivity, and technical quality - not just catalogue size.

Monetisation Pressure
For brands, the question remains: how measurable is the ROI of audio storytelling and live music partnerships? Without clear pathways to attribution, it can be hard to justify spend.

Cultural Relevance
Apple must stay attuned to the shifting sounds of Gen Z and emerging subcultures. Without fresh, diverse representation, its artist-first vision risks becoming mainstream-first instead.

Key Takeouts

• Apple’s new LA studio exemplifies a decade-long shift toward artist-led content ecosystems.

• Spatial Audio and immersive production are shaping the future of music experience and storytelling.

• There’s growing space for brands to collaborate in culturally credible, high-quality ways.

• Access and diversity remain key tensions as elite platforms scale.

• Streaming services are evolving into full creative platforms - not just distributors.

Next Steps for Brand Marketers

• Explore Spatial Audio: Invest in understanding how immersive formats can elevate your brand’s sonic identity.

• Build Artist Partnerships: Look beyond endorsements to co-create meaningful, narrative-led experiences.

• Activate Global Hubs: Identify opportunities in other Apple Music markets where brand–music collaboration can localise global strategies.

• Design for Cross-Channel: Ensure content created in premium environments like Apple’s studio is amplified across social, retail, and experiential touchpoints.

• Benchmark Against Apple’s Model: Use Apple’s approach as a blueprint for how to integrate creativity, culture, and technology with credibility.

If the past decade was about access, the next will be about intimacy, immersion, and identity - and Apple is already soundtracking that future.

Can This New Survey Save UK Live Music?

The UK’s live music culture is on the brink.

Between 2020 and 2023, nearly a third of grassroots music venues - 31% - shut their doors. In 2023 alone, 125 venues closed, a record-breaking blow. The situation is especially dire in London, where 35% of grassroots spaces have vanished since 2007. Festivals aren’t faring any better: 36 disappeared in 2023, followed by a staggering 78 more in 2024.

This is more than a cultural loss - it’s an economic one.

Live music contributes £5.2 billion to the UK economy and supports over 200,000 jobs. Yet the very venues that incubate new talent and power this ecosystem are being squeezed to the edge of extinction.

🔺 Security costs have surged 300% since 2019.
🔺 Nearly half of all venues now operate at a loss.
🔺 Collectively, they’re subsidising live music to the tune of £115 million.

All while navigating hostile planning laws, extreme licensing conditions, and an unsupportive policy environment.

This is a cultural emergency - and an economic one.

But amid the wreckage, there’s a flicker of hope. In a rare move, the UK Government has launched a full review of the grassroots sector, alongside a fan-led survey aimed at understanding the challenges faced by venues, artists, and fans alike.

It’s a welcome step. But let’s be clear: a review is only meaningful if it leads to urgent, tangible action.

What the UK’s music sector needs - now:

✅ Stronger legal protections for venues against noise complaints and third-party liability
✅ Planning reform to keep cultural spaces from being priced out or shuttered
✅ Targeted funding that reflects the vital role of live music in our creative economy

We’re not talking about handouts. We’re talking about investment in a national asset—one that fosters innovation, supports communities, and fuels global influence.

As Lord Kevin Brennan said in Parliament:

“Glastonbury is simply the apex of the great pyramid of the UK’s live and electronic music sector... The base of that pyramid is in danger of crumbling without due care and attention.”

He’s right. And if we want that pyramid to stand, we all need to act.

🎧 Take part in the UK Government’s survey (open until autumn):
https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/378/culture-media-and-sport-committee/news/208026/new-survey-invites-fans-to-help-shape-future-of-live-and-electronic-music/

🎤 Support the frontline with Music Venue Trust:
👉 musicvenuetrust.com

📣 Share this post. Talk to your MP. Stand with the people fighting to keep UK music alive.

This is about more than saving venues. It’s about saving culture.

The future of live music starts now - let’s not lose it.

Home Never Tasted So Good: Bold Bean Co's Budget-Genius Post-Glasto Brand Play

Picture this: It’s 8:30am at Paddington and Victoria Station. The scent of festival fatigue is in the air. And right there, among the commuters and crusty wellies, stands the Bold Bean Co team - B Corp certified and armed with usherette trays packed with 10,000 jars of Smoky Chilli Baked Beans.

Not your average Monday morning.

Their mission? Pure brand alchemy: intercepting the Glastonbury exodus with the promise of real food, real fast. No gimmicks. Just damn good beans.

This was less about scale and more about smarts. No flashy trucks or six-figure production. Just strategic timing, cultural intuition, and confidence in a product that speaks for itself. Because when your consumer has survived five days of pot noodles and 2am “mystery meat,” a jar of premium beans becomes emotional. One man even asked for a spoon to eat them cold on his second train. We respect the hustle.

This activation nailed the golden formula:

Right moment. Right message. Right medium.

Beans in usherette trays. Nostalgic, ridiculous, brilliant.

It also tapped the social tension beautifully: Glasto-goers were grateful. Regular commuters were suspicious. “Baked beans… in a jar?”, “I didn’t go to Glasto - can I still have one?” That pause? That curiosity? That’s where a challenger brand lives and thrives.

In a world of paid media saturation, this moment was human, low-fi and high-impact. It created stories, selfies, word-of-mouth and conversions. From confused commuters to hungover festival heads - Bold Bean met them where they were, and reminded them what real food tastes like.

And that tagline?
Home never tasted so good.
Chef’s kiss.

Takeaways for brands:

• You don’t need a mega-budget to create emotional resonance

• Knowing your audience’s emotional state is half the strategy

• Disruption can be delightful when it’s done with heart and timing

• People crave real - not just in food, but in brand experiences

And finally: a big shout out to Amelia Christie-Miller, Founder of Bold Bean Co - building a brand with soul (and serious hustle). 🫘 This is what clever, culture-savvy founder-led marketing looks like. Vision, timing, and a product that does the talking. Bravo.

Mission accomplished, Bold Bean. You made baked beans feel like a hug from home.

The Rise of the Sober Rave: Why Festivals Are Embracing Moderation

Festival culture is sobering up - literally.

In 2025, a new kind of headliner is taking the stage: moderation.

Long tied to indulgence and excess, festivals have traditionally been synonymous with alcohol. But for a growing number of Gen Z and Millennial audiences, that link is starting to fray. Instead, a cultural shift is gaining ground - one that prioritises presence, connection, and personal autonomy over default behaviours.

Whether driven by mental wellness, a desire to stay sharp, or simply shifting social norms, today’s festivalgoers are showing up differently. For many, the decision to go alcohol-free isn’t about missing out - it’s about showing up fully.

📉 The Stats Tell the Story

• In the US, alcohol consumption among 18–34s has fallen from 72% to 62% over the last two decades (Gallup).

• Gen Z drinks 20% less than Millennials at the same life stage (Berenberg/WSJ).

• 58% of Gen Z plan to drink even less in 2025, citing mental health and productivity (NCSolutions).

• The no/low alcohol market is growing at +10% CAGR globally (IWSR).

This shift isn’t hypothetical - it’s playing out across real spaces and live events. At Coachella 2025, Heineken® 0.0 reported a 125.5% increase in sales compared to the previous year. In the Netherlands, consumption of 0.0 beers at festivals rose by 35%. Globally, Heineken 0.0 is now available in over 120 markets.

But this is bigger than a single brand. It’s a cultural reset.

🍺 The Brands Moving With the Beat

Lucky Saint, the UK-based alcohol-free beer brand, has become a fixture at mass-participation events like the Hackney Half and the AJ Bell Great Manchester Run, serving on-tap 0.5% beer to thousands of runners. These aren’t sober-only spaces - these are mainstream, high-energy cultural moments where moderation isn’t marginal. With its new Lemon Lager and branded experiences, Lucky Saint is proving that 0.0 doesn’t mean compromise - it means choice.

Meanwhile, CleanCo, co-founded by Spencer Matthews, is expanding the no-alcohol spirits category with a growing portfolio of gin, rum, tequila and whiskey alternatives. Positioned as “beyond mocktails,” the brand sold 8.8 million drinks in 2024 and is backed by figures like England cricket captain Ben Stokes. It’s not just sober - it's serious. And it’s fast becoming a staple in both wellness spaces and premium nightlife.

Together, these brands reflect a growing truth: non-alcoholic isn’t niche anymore - it’s a domain with its own credibility, creativity and commercial weight.

🎯 What This Means for Festivals, Brands and Marketers

For Festival Organisers
Moderation isn’t the opposite of partying - it’s a new way to engage. Forward-thinking festivals are no longer hiding 0.0 options behind a side bar. Instead, they’re investing in premium non-alc experiences: curated menus, dedicated spaces, and credible partners that reflect the values of their audience. These additions aren’t just inclusive - they're commercial, experiential, and increasingly expected.

For Alcohol Brands
Zero-alc is no longer a side hustle. It’s a central pillar of future-facing portfolios. Brands need to move beyond “offering an option” and start positioning 0.0 products as relevant lifestyle choices with taste, branding, and storytelling to match. This is about expanding the category - not shrinking expectations.

For Brand Marketers
The shift towards moderation is an opportunity to rethink how joy, identity and connection are expressed. Campaigns that centre presence, confidence and clarity are landing harder than those tied to consumption. This generation doesn’t need alcohol to participate - they need to feel seen.

🎵 The New Festival Beat

The result? A cultural remix of the live experience. Less about numbing out, more about tuning in. As the sober-curious movement continues to grow, festivals are becoming more intentional spaces - where people can celebrate on their own terms.

Moderation is no longer a side note. It’s a headliner in its own right.

Doechii’s Glastonbury Looks Prove Fashion References Still Matter

In an era where cultural capital is currency, Doechii’s Glastonbury debut proved she’s already fluent. When the rising star stormed the West Holts stage in not one but three Vivienne Westwood looks – including a faithful nod to that Kate Moss micro mini - she wasn’t just performing. She was rewriting the brand x talent playbook through the lens of cultural fluency.

The move was more than stylistic synergy: it was a deliberate, layered message about legacy, rebellion, and creative alignment. Styled by Sam Woolf, Doechii’s “School of Hip-Hop” concept merged seamlessly with Westwood’s anarchic British heritage - think punk prep meets fashion archives, decoded for Gen Z.

What made it click? Timing and relevance. Glastonbury is synonymous with Moss, mud, and moment-making. Doechii channelled all three, referencing Westwood’s SS94 Café Society collection and paying homage to fashion’s rebellious godmothers - Kate and Naomi. But this was no nostalgia trip. The execution was sharp, contemporary, and thoroughly Doechii. Each look balanced homage with innovation, a skill that separates aesthetic mimicry from true cultural authorship.

This wasn’t about wearing vintage for the sake of retro cool. It was about placing Doechii in a lineage of powerful, genre-defining women - and staking a claim in British fashion history while doing it. The fact that Gen Z fans clocked the references and reposted them across TikTok? That’s cultural relevance in action.

Brand marketers take note: this is how you turn a headline performance into a long-tail cultural play. Through shared storytelling, stylistic credibility, and a sharp understanding of context, Doechii and Westwood reminded us that great collaborations aren’t about borrowing clout - they’re about amplifying narrative.

Because in 2025, it’s not just about showing up. It’s about showing up with intention.

AI Hitmakers and Algorithmic Hype: How Tech Took the Wheel in Culture

Meet The Velvet Sundown - a psychedelic rock “band” with over 400,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, two albums released in June, and zero confirmed human members. Their Spotify profile is verified, their bios are gibberish, and their band photos look like they were dreamt up by a machine. That’s because they probably were.

No one asked for an AI psych-rock band. But platforms made space for one. That’s the story.

Streaming services like Deezer report that nearly 20 percent of daily uploads are now fully AI-generated. No disclosure required. Spotify’s algorithms surface tracks based on predictive engagement patterns, not provenance or intent. For most users, that’s invisible. For brands, artists and culture strategists - it’s existential.

What we’re witnessing isn’t just the rise of AI in music. It’s the wider transformation of cultural influence from a human-led ecosystem to a machine-optimised economy. Tech isn’t just the stage anymore. It’s the writer, the producer and - most powerfully - the recommender.

This shift matters. Because for decades, cultural influence came from the margins. It started with subcultures, underground movements, niche tastemakers. But today, cultural moments increasingly start with algorithmic visibility: TikTok virality, FYP formatting, playlist placement.

Generative tools like AI image-makers or text-to-music models might still feel novel - but they’re scaling fast, and so are the incentives to use them. For platforms, synthetic content is cheap, controllable, and doesn’t argue about royalties. For brands chasing ‘always-on’ presence, it's tempting too.

But there’s a cost. When cultural relevance is reduced to performance metrics and recommendation logic, we risk losing the depth, risk-taking and community-first thinking that actually makes culture stick.

For brands and creators that care about legacy, not just visibility, this is the moment to double down on intent. The best strategy now isn’t to ignore tech - it’s to use it critically. To understand how it’s shaping taste and attention, yes - but to invest even harder in human insight, creative bravery and cultural point of view.

Because in this new era, the question isn’t can you scale content with AI. It’s: should you?

And if your brand wants to lead culture - not just fill the feed - you’ll need more than tools. You’ll need taste.

Protest, Platforms and the Politics of Performance: Who Decides What Belongs on Stage?

This year’s Glastonbury sparked a national conversation far beyond music, with performances by Bob Vylan and Kneecap now under police review and political scrutiny. Their sets included explicit political commentary, chants around the Israel-Palestine conflict, and criticism of political leaders - prompting questions about the role of artists, the responsibilities of broadcasters and festivals, and the place of government in shaping cultural spaces.

🔍 The Case for Responsibility and Oversight

Some argue that with freedom of expression comes responsibility - particularly when messages may be interpreted as inciting violence. When phrases like “Death to the IDF” or “start a riot” are broadcast to thousands, organisers and broadcasters face legitimate questions about where to draw the line. For critics, this isn't about silencing dissent, but about upholding public safety and ensuring platforms aren't used - intentionally or otherwise - to legitimise hate.

With events like Glastonbury carrying global reach, there’s pressure on institutions like the BBC to apply due diligence. Publicly funded organisations have accountability to a diverse audience, and it's argued that they must weigh the potential harm of broadcasting extreme or emotionally charged content without sufficient context.

🎙 The Case for Artistic Freedom and Cultural Space

On the other hand, protest has always had a place in art. Many see performances like these as part of a long tradition of artists using the stage to confront uncomfortable truths, provoke thought, and speak to lived experiences. To investigate or suppress those performances risks criminalising artistic expression and setting dangerous precedents for creative freedom.

Supporters of the artists argue that context matters: punk, satire, character performance and cultural commentary are often provocative by nature. Calls for censorship can flatten the complexity of these performances and disproportionately target marginalised or politically critical voices.

There is also concern around selective outrage - why are some forms of political speech tolerated while others face backlash? And at what point does state involvement in curating cultural content become interference?

🤝 A Shared Challenge

Ultimately, this is a complex issue with no easy answers. Festivals and broadcasters have a responsibility to ensure safe, inclusive spaces, but also to protect artistic expression. Governments, too, must tread carefully - upholding law and public order without encroaching on the creative freedoms that are vital to a healthy, democratic society.

These questions aren’t new, but they are urgent. As the lines between art, protest, and politics become increasingly blurred, institutions, audiences, and artists will need to navigate these tensions with nuance, empathy, and accountability.

🎗️ Amid all of this, it’s important to remember that the conversations sparked on stage reflect a backdrop of real human suffering. Whatever your views, humanitarian aid remains critical in Gaza and across conflict zones. If you’re able, consider donating to relief organisations delivering medical and essential support on the ground.

This is about more than what happens on stage - it’s about how we hold space for culture, conflict, and compassion at the same time.

Most Brands Get Fandom Wrong. Here’s Why.

Fandom is having a moment. Again.

There are endless headlines about the rise of the “new” fan - hyper-engaged, platform-native, born into meme culture and fluent in niche. Reports churn out taxonomies and traits: the Gen Z sports obsessive, the K-pop stan, the streaming superfan. The message is clear: fans are a powerful cohort, and brands need to figure them out.

But here's the problem: most of the conversation still treats fandom like a fixed attribute - a type of person to be targeted, instead of a context-dependent behaviour to be earned.

Let’s be clear: fandom is not a personality type. It’s a response.
It emerges when the right conditions exist - when people find cultural meaning, community, emotional return or creative agency in the worlds they connect with.

Some of those conditions are designed. Others are accidental. But none of them are guaranteed.

Fandom is a system, not a segment

Brands love segmentation: who are these fans, where do they live, what’s their disposable income? Useful in some ways. But it misses the deeper point.

Two people with the same music taste or media habits might engage in wildly different ways depending on what the cultural system around them offers:

• One fan watches passively. Another edits tour footage into narrative arcs with fan theories, inside jokes and timeline canon.

• One buys a jersey. Another crowdfunds a documentary to preserve the club’s grassroots story.

• One streams the album. Another builds a Discord server that outlives the release cycle.

Same interest. Different conditions. Different behaviour.

Fandom is shaped by access, expectation, community design, and the level of creative or emotional input the world around it allows. It’s not a thing people bring. It’s a thing they build - often in response to how a brand, artist or platform sets the tone.

Behaviour > Belonging

Want to understand the future of fandom? Don’t ask “Who are these people?” Ask “What are they able (or invited) to do?”

• Are they given tools to remix and reframe stories?

• Is there frictionless access to the source or mystique to unravel?

• Is it reciprocal, performative, devotional, communal?

• Does the platform enable connection or gatekeep it?

Some of the most successful fandoms didn’t scale because of who the fans were, but because of what the ecosystem allowed:

• The NBA’s growth among Gen Z isn’t about youth appeal alone. It’s about its embrace of player-as-creator culture - from TikTok to League Fits to podcasting.

• Coachella’s branded relevance isn’t rooted in legacy. It’s powered by the annual ritual of fashion, identity play, livestream hype, and digital presence far beyond the desert.

• Dungeons & Dragons’ renaissance didn’t come from rebranding the game. It came from opening the gates, letting players become performers, creators and communities.

Numbers to know

• 63% of Gen Z say they connect more deeply with brands that help them express or create, not just consume (GWI, 2024).

• The top 10% of artist superfans drive over 40% of digital music revenue - not just through streaming, but through ticketing, merch, and premium content (MIDiA Research).

• Fandom-first platforms like Discord, AO3 and Letterboxd are growing faster than social platforms in active engagement metrics year-on-year (WARC, 2024).

So what does this mean for brands?

If you want to build real fandom, stop treating it like a demographic to court.

Instead:

• Design for behaviour. Enable rituals, remixing, self-expression. Create the tools and signals that allow fans to act.

• Respect the tempo. Not all engagement is always-on. Some fandoms thrive on drops, delays, suspense.

• Map the inputs. Fandom isn’t output. It’s what happens when the cultural inputs - intimacy, relevance, recognition - align.

Because you don’t own fandom. You don’t get to define it.

You only get to design the conditions where it can emerge - or not.

Sources:

• GWI “Future of the Creator Economy” Report, 2024

• MIDiA Research: “Superfans & Monetisation” 2023

• WARC: “Fandom Platforms 2024 Benchmark”

Music Deserves More Than a Moment: Why One-Second Hacks Hurt Culture and Brand Integrity

At the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity - a global stage meant to celebrate creative excellence - a campaign was awarded the industry’s highest honour: a Grand Prix. Its hook? Using one-second snippets of popular songs to trigger recognition, while reportedly dodging music licensing fees.

That headline should make anyone in music and brand marketing sit up.

It did for me. And it clearly did for many others, thanks to Shez Mehra, who highlighted the campaign, and Dave Chase, whose sharp commentary gave this issue the platform it deserves. Their reflections have pushed an uncomfortable but crucial conversation into the mainstream - and it’s one we all need to reckon with.

Because this moment says something deeper about how the industry values culture, and by extension, the creators who build it.

One Second of Sound, a Lifetime of Impact

The campaign’s conceit was clever: one second is just long enough to trigger your brain’s emotional connection to a hit song - and just short enough to (allegedly) avoid paying for it. But while the execution may have been slick, the signal it sent was anything but.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t about tearing down the brand or the creatives behind the work. It’s about what we, as an industry, choose to celebrate - and the wider consequences of those choices.

Because if the creative benchmark becomes “how cleverly can you not pay artists?”, we’ve got a serious problem.

Culture Can’t Be Borrowed Without Permission

Music isn’t just a marketing tool. It’s a memory. A movement. A way for brands - especially those in lifestyle spaces like alcohol - to build lasting emotional connections.

But those connections must be earned. Not extracted.

Authentic music partnerships build credibility, loyalty, and resonance. Shortcuts, on the other hand, erode trust - both with creators and with audiences who see through it faster than ever.

In a world where every deck says “authenticity” and “equity”, celebrating a workaround that avoids paying musicians is more than a contradiction. It’s a warning sign.

What Can Brands Do Better?

If you work in brand or campaign strategy - especially in alcohol or FMCG, where music and lifestyle go hand in hand - here are some ways to raise the standard, not lower it:

1. Invest in the Relationship, Not Just the Track

Approach music as a long-term creative partner, not a one-off asset. Think campaigns that build with artists, not just feature them.

2. Don’t Mistake Cleverness for Creativity

Real creativity doesn’t avoid the value chain - it uplifts it. If a tactic feels like a loophole, it probably is.

3. Embed Music Early in the Brief

Don’t retrofit music as a post-production bolt-on. Co-create with artists and rights holders from day one.

4. Measure Cultural Impact, Not Just Efficiency

Ask whether your campaign is building brand legacy - or borrowing from someone else’s.

Advice for Artists Working With Brands

The best partnerships are reciprocal. Here’s how artists and teams can approach brand work with clarity and confidence:

1. Protect Your IP and Story

Even one second of your work has value. Make sure usage rights are clear and fair.

2. Get Involved Creatively

Push to be part of the process - not just the final cut. The more collaborative the partnership, the more authentic the result.

3. Align With Brands That Share Your Values

If a brand wants to licence your sound but not your story, think twice.

4. Know When to Say No

Not every opportunity is worth it. If it feels off, it probably is.

Final Word

This wasn’t just a Cannes case study. It was a test. And it revealed some uncomfortable truths about how we still treat creators in advertising.

So, to Shez Mehra and Dave Chase: thank you for raising the profile of this moment. For reminding the industry that if we truly care about creativity, culture, and equity - we need to prove it.

Let’s stop applauding the workaround and start rewarding the work. Music isn’t a hack. It’s heritage.

Creativity pays off. But only if we pay in.

From Merch to Meaning: How Oasis Are Monetising Cultural Nostalgia with adidas and Burberry

Two high-impact collabs, a pop-up store, and a sold-out reunion tour - Oasis are writing the playbook on music-led brand strategy in 2025.

Oasis aren’t just getting back together - they’re cashing in on the cultural capital they built across three decades. As Liam Gallagher gears up to front the Oasis Live ‘25 tour celebrating Definitely Maybe, the band is making strategic moves offstage too, with not one but two brand collaborations: adidas Originals and Burberry.

Both partnerships go beyond standard artist merch - they’re part of a 360° commercial and cultural strategy to monetise nostalgia, drive new revenue streams, and anchor Oasis as a multi-generational brand.

And the smart move? They’ve opened a limited-run Oasis pop-up retail store in Manchester, selling exclusive pieces from the adidas collab alongside music memorabilia and archive content. It’s not just a store — it’s a destination, designed to convert fandom into footfall and sales into story.

Oasis x adidas: Terracewear Meets Timeless Relevance

The “Original Forever” campaign with adidas is a full-circle moment. The collection revives 90s Oasis staples - Firebird tracksuits, bucket hats, coach jackets - for a new generation. But this isn’t just retro flair. It’s a way of hardwiring Oasis into the current Gen Z/Y2K fashion boom, while keeping their roots in terrace culture and Britpop style.

🔗 Watch the promo video:

Available online, in flagship stores, and at live tour venues, the apparel line is embedded directly into the Oasis Live ‘25 experience. For adidas, it strengthens Originals’ long-standing presence in music. For Oasis, it’s a profitable, credible way to align with cultural authenticity - and a fanbase who still see adidas as their generational uniform.

Oasis x Burberry: From Tracksuits to Trench Coats

If adidas is the sound of the people, Burberry brings the polish. Teased via Liam Gallagher’s trench-clad turn in Burberry’s new campaign, this partnership repositions Oasis within a more elevated narrative — still British, still rebellious, but reimagined through luxury tailoring.

🔗 Watch the campaign teaser:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Liam Gallagher Daily (@liamgallagher.daily)

Burberry has been doubling down on its Britishness under Daniel Lee, and Oasis are a strategic fit. Their music defined an era of working-class aspiration and attitude - a mood that fashion now actively seeks out to feel relevant. The collab hints at a creative capsule dropping later this year, with rumours of limited outerwear and exclusive tour-inspired pieces.

The Pop-Up: Turning Fandom into Footfall

Running for a limited time in the band’s hometown of Manchester, the Oasis x adidas pop-up isn’t just a store - it’s a love letter to fandom. Featuring the new collection, rare band archive items, and curated playlists, it bridges commerce and culture. For fans, it’s a pilgrimage. For the band, it’s another layer of monetisation around the reunion moment - direct-to-consumer, high-margin, and fully immersive.

Why This Strategy Matters

This is brand-building through music, not merch. Oasis are showing how legacy artists can use cultural storytelling to reignite commercial fire - especially when aligned with brands who get it. In 2025, nostalgia isn't just sentiment - it's strategy.

Fashion and music partnerships have always made noise, but this model is a masterclass in revenue diversification. It blends emotion and execution. Relevance and retail. And it proves that bands with cultural equity can still convert cool into cash - on their own terms.

🧠 Bose Puts Paid Search Under the Microscope: Are Brand Terms Really Worth the Spend?

At the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Bose CMO Jim Mollica made headlines with a deceptively simple but industry-shaking question:

“How incremental is paid Google Search, particularly for branded terms?”

To find out, Bose has done what few major brands dare to do - it has paused its paid search activity in half of its U.S. markets. The aim? To determine whether paid ads on brand-related queries like “Bose Ultra Open Earbuds” are genuinely driving incremental sales, or simply claiming credit for purchases that were going to happen anyway.

This isn't just a strategic test - it’s a challenge to one of digital marketing’s longest-standing assumptions.

Brand Search vs. Generic Search: Understanding Intent

Mollica articulated a point many performance marketers acknowledge privately but rarely act on publicly: not all search traffic is equally valuable.

• A generic search like “headphones” reflects a consumer in discovery mode — open to influence, comparison and brand persuasion.

• A branded search like “Bose QuietComfort Ultra”, however, often signals that a consumer has already made up their mind.

Paid search tends to perform well on paper in both cases. But in the latter, it may simply intercept intent that organic results or direct navigation would have captured anyway.

And this is a broader industry issue. According to a 2023 study by the UK’s Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), up to 40% of paid search clicks on brand terms are “non-incremental” - meaning they do not drive new business, only accelerate or claim credit for what would have occurred organically.

Similarly, Analytic Partners reported in their ROI Genome 2024 findings that generic search delivers 2–3 times the ROI of branded search on average, precisely because it reaches consumers higher in the funnel.

A Data-Driven Reckoning for Digital Attribution

The marketing industry’s dependency on last-click attribution models has long been under scrutiny. These models disproportionately credit the final interaction before purchase - often a brand’s own paid ad - without recognising the influence of prior brand-building efforts, social content, or even physical retail exposure.

Mollica’s move to pause search activity is a rare real-world holdout test at scale - a true A/B comparison across markets. It’s the sort of experiment that could finally put hard numbers to long-standing assumptions.

Bose also plans to build an AI-powered incrementality model, combining search data, conversion patterns and offline signals to understand which types of search spend genuinely move the needle.

Marketing Efficiency in a Post-Performance Era

As marketing budgets come under increasing scrutiny, this type of experimentation could soon become the norm.

• A 2024 Gartner survey found that 74% of CMOs feel pressured to prove ROI more clearly across all digital channels, with paid search under particular examination.

• Despite this, nearly 65% of paid search budgets in the U.S. go toward branded terms, according to Tinuiti’s Q1 2025 Performance Benchmark Report.

If Bose’s test validates Mollica’s hypothesis, it may open the door for a widespread shift in paid media investment — prioritising discovery-based search and upper-funnel brand marketing over what Mollica describes as "advertising to people already in line to pay."

The Implications: Courage, Clarity and Calibration

By asking a provocative but data-led question — and backing it with a meaningful test - Bose is doing what more brands should: questioning the efficiency of entrenched practices. In a digital ecosystem flooded with dashboards and attribution models, true marketing intelligence comes not from more data, but from better-designed experiments.

For marketers, this is a wake-up call: it may be time to stop paying for the illusion of performance and start investing in actual impact.

Final Thought

As the Bose experiment unfolds, the results could redefine how brands worldwide view search investment - especially in an era where every marketing pound must pull its weight.

Sometimes, progress in marketing doesn’t come from adding more tech or spend - but from pausing, observing, and asking the uncomfortable question:

“What if we’ve been measuring it all wrong?”

🎉 Why the Notting Hill Carnival Must Be Saved: A Cultural Beacon in Peril

The Notting Hill Carnival is not just an event; it is a vital cultural institution, a living tapestry of history, community resilience, and multicultural celebration. As the largest street festival in Europe - second only to Rio’s Carnival in size - its survival is under serious threat without urgent government funding, a reality brought to light by a recent leaked letter from the carnival’s organisers. But why does this carnival matter so much, and why must it be preserved at all costs?

🌍 A Historical and Cultural Legacy

The roots of the Notting Hill Carnival stretch back to the late 1950s and early 1960s, a period marked by racial tension and social upheaval in London. In 1959, Claudia Jones, a Trinidadian-born activist and journalist, hosted an indoor Caribbean carnival at St Pancras Town Hall. Her event was designed as a joyful response to the racial violence and social exclusion faced by the West Indian community. Jones’s vision planted the seed for what would become the outdoor Notting Hill Carnival, first held in 1966.

That inaugural outdoor carnival was organised by Rhaune Laslett, a community worker committed to bridging divides in a neighborhood scarred by race riots. What began as a modest gathering aimed at local children quickly evolved into a vibrant celebration of Caribbean culture, music, and heritage, drawing hundreds of thousands of revellers over the years.

🎶 Subcultures and Community Spirit

Notting Hill Carnival is a unique cultural melting pot that showcases diverse subcultures within the Caribbean diaspora and beyond. From the pulsating rhythms of calypso, soca, and reggae to the intricate artistry of steelpan bands and flamboyant masquerade costumes, the carnival is a living archive of Caribbean expression.

It is also a space where Afro-Caribbean identities assert their place in British society, creating a sense of belonging and pride. The carnival fosters community cohesion, economic opportunities for local vendors, and a platform for emerging artists and musicians.

📊 The Scale and Significance

The carnival draws approximately 2 million attendees over the August bank holiday weekend, transforming West London into an open-air festival of sound, colour, and life. Last year, nearly 7,000 Metropolitan Police officers were deployed to manage crowd safety and public order.

This scale underscores not just the carnival’s popularity but also its logistical complexity and the critical need for adequate funding and resources to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all participants.

⚠️ The Crisis: Urgent Funding Needed

Despite its immense cultural and economic value, the Notting Hill Carnival is now facing an existential threat. Ian Comfort, the carnival chair, has revealed in a leaked letter to the UK Culture Secretary that urgent government funding is essential to safeguard the event’s future.

An independent safety review highlighted “critical public safety concerns” requiring immediate action, including enhanced stewarding and crowd management. With operational demands escalating and police resources stretched thin, the risk of a “mass casualty event,” as warned by the Met Police’s Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist, is a grave concern.

The carnival’s traditional supporters - the Greater London Authority and local councils - can no longer meet these growing needs alone, placing this iconic cultural institution at serious risk.

❤️ Why Saving Notting Hill Carnival Matters

To lose Notting Hill Carnival would mean more than losing a party. It would mean erasing a vital symbol of Black British culture, community resilience, and multicultural celebration. It would silence a powerful platform for cultural education and identity affirmation.

The carnival also contributes significantly to the local and national economy, supporting hundreds of jobs and small businesses, and drawing tourism revenue.

🚀 Moving Forward: A Call to Action

Protecting Notting Hill Carnival requires immediate and sustained investment from government bodies, alongside community and private sector support. Funding must prioritize safety improvements while preserving the authentic spirit of the event.

This moment is a crossroads. The carnival’s survival is not guaranteed, but with urgent action, it can continue to flourish as a beacon of cultural relevance and communal joy.

The Notting Hill Carnival is far more than a festival - it is a testament to the power of culture to build bridges, celebrate identity, and transform communities. Saving it is not just about preserving a tradition; it is about honoring the past and empowering future generations.