Newsfeed Nose Up

If you’ve been accustomed to catching up on your daily news scroll through Facebook and Instagram, get ready for a shake-up.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has been paying Australian news outlets for their content for the past few years, pumping around $70 million annually into the industry. But the tech giant has decided to pull the plug on this arrangement, leaving many local publishers in a state of uncertainty.

This move has stirred controversy, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasising the importance of fair compensation for journalistic work. Meta’s decision to halt payments and shut down Facebook’s news tab features in Australia and the United States has sparked concerns about the future of news dissemination on social media platforms.

Our thoughts? This development could impact digital marketing strategies – especially those that tend to disseminate a lot of content or are deemed as news platforms. If their content does become less visible on Facebook, businesses might need to reassess their social media marketing approaches and explore alternative platforms or methods to reach their target audiences effectively. Additionally, the debate surrounding fair compensation for news content underscores the importance of ethical considerations and transparency in digital advertising practices. Adaptation and innovation will be key for marketers navigating this evolving landscape.

You can read the story here.

Red Rock Pnau Collab

Red Rock Deli has unveiled its boldest flavour experiment yet: a song crafted entirely from their unique ingredients. Teaming up with the renowned music group Pnau the collaboration marks a groundbreaking moment where the realms of food and music converge within the brand’s innovative Awaken Your Senses campaign.

Inspired by the trend of incorporating unconventional sounds into music production (like Billie Eilish’s use of pedestrian crossing sounds), Pnau and Red Rock Deli have taken this concept to new heights. They’ve composed an entire track using remixed samples like a chilli ‘clap’, lime ‘synth’, sour cream ‘tambourine’, and chip crunch ‘hi-hats’. The process was documented in partnership with Revolver / Glue Society, Rumble, and Level Two Music, with the campaign set to launch in March across various platforms including Meta, TikTok, YouTube, OOH, and Spotify.

It’s hard to ignore the commercial aspect of this collaboration. Red Rock Deli must have offered Pnau a pretty sweet deal – maybe a truckload of cash or even a lifetime supply of chips? But hey, who can blame them? In today’s music industry landscape, artists need to find innovative ways to fund their projects, and if partnering with a brand like Red Rock Deli allows Pnau to continue making the music we love, then more power to them.

If anything, we think it’s a testament to Pnau’s versatility as artists, being able to take inspiration from unexpected sources and turn it into something pretty cool. Plus, it’s refreshing to see brands like Red Rock Deli pushing the envelope and embracing creativity in their marketing efforts.

Read more here.

Print Revival

ELLE Australia magazine has been resurrected, 4 years after the last issue went to print.

This follows a bit of a global trend, where magazines are having a major moment – in fact “132 magazines came back into print or launched in America over the last 12 months, and the same is happening in Australia”, according to Are Media general manager of fashion and beauty, Nicky Briger.

New figures released by Roy Morgan showed magazine readership had increased readership across the board in the year to December 2023. Women’s fashion magazines enjoyed some of the largest growth, up 16 per cent to 1.02 million readers.

The reason? Well, ELLE Australia editor Grace O’Neill reckons it’s due to a “total digital overload” and the yearning for a physical experience that allows you to completely disconnect from your phone.

And we agree. Overall, the revival of Elle Magazine and the broader magazine industry signals a promising renaissance for print media. It’s a testament to the timeless appeal of storytelling, curation, and the tangible experience of flipping through the pages of a beautifully crafted publication in an increasingly digital world.

Moreover, it serves as a poignant reminder that traditional media retains a cherished spot in our hearts. For brands and businesses alike, it underscores print’s enduring relevance as a medium capable of cutting through the noise of digital distractions in our increasingly wired world.

You can read more here.

TikTok v UMG

Unless you’ve been living under a rock – or perhaps just older than 40 – you’re probably aware that Universal Music Group (UMG) has pulled the majority, if not all, of its music catalogue from TikTok.

This decision has sparked a clash between the leading music label globally and TikTok, which has held the reins as the most influential platform for music promotion over the last five years.

Universal justifies its actions as a move aimed at aiding its artists and songwriters in reaching their maximum creative and commercial heights, as articulated in an open letter released recently.

UMG believe that TikTok is “using platform power to hurt vulnerable artists and try to intimidate us into conceding to a bad deal that undervalues music and shortchanges artists and songwriters as well as their fans.”

The move has intensified in the last week – with the platform removing songs by artists with even a small association with Universal Music Publishing Group. That means even independent artists who have collaborated with a songwriter who is affiliated with UMG, may have had their whole catalogue removed.

TikTok believes UMG has prioritised its own greed above the interests of its artists.

So, what do the artists think?

Many seem to feel that UMG is protecting their bigger artists, while causing issues for smaller artists (and anyone affiliated with them).

As one artist BLÜ EYES (who has 335,000 followers on TikTok, and whose music was removed laments:

“I know you don’t care, but you are absolutely screwing everyone. This completely holds us hostage to be able to make any money. It’s one thing to do this in the name of ‘protecting your artists’ and standing up for their rights. It’s another thing to do this out of pride. And that’s absolutely how it feels right now. It feels like [Universal] made a bluff, and TikTok called [their] bluff. It’s time to admit [your] mistakes and give everyone their music back.”

Some commentators like Jonathan Taplin believe that the stand against TikTok is fair.

“If important companies like Universal Music don’t say “Stop,” there will be no one to defend the rights of artists in this critical battle. As Universal artist Kim Petras told the BBC, “It feels like it’s a really good fight.”

As a platform that relies heavily on music to propel trends and draw in viewers, and as a go-to platform for people to discover new music, the stoush can’t last forever. It will be intriguing to see who will be the first to lower their guard.

You can read more here.

Keen To Dive In?

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