push the ego aside

​read in browser​

Hey! Last night’s Grammys were a reminder that this is the hardest award show to predict. Many people (including me) expected Olivia Rodrigo to win the four major awards, but she only won one of them, Best New Artist. The biggest award, Album of The Year, went to Jon Batiste’s WE ARE, which had 40 : 1 odds—the lowest of the 10 nominees! Betting markets were off worse than FiveThirtyEight predicting 2016 election results.

Here’s what we missed:

• Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, and Taylor Swift split the pop star vote. The Grammys has its voting blocs. Those three artists likely attracted similar voters.
• Fear of backlash if Rodrigo won the four major awards given the heat the Recording Academy received after Eilish won all four in 2020.
• The Grammys loves Bruno Mars. Silk Sonic “Leave The Door Open” won Record and Song of the Year. Bruno won those same awards, plus Album of the Year, in 2017 after 24K Magic. Shoutout to Anderson .Paak wig’s. He must have borrowed that wig from Laurence Fishburne when he played Ike Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It?
• Jon Batiste’s album stands out when pop music shifts to a singles market. Batiste made an album in its truest sense. His album spoke to the voting bloc that cares more about the body of work and less about sales numbers or mainstream impact.

Grammys are less predictable than the Oscars. The Oscars are preceded by a dozen award shows that indicate what will likely win on Oscars night. But in music, the American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards are all about pop music. Those shows loved The Weeknd’s After Hours album, which was famously dismissed by the 2021 Grammys.

But most importantly, shoutout to Jon Batiste. He had a great performance last night. He’s the first Black man to win Album of the Year in 14 years.

Today's memo breaks down Silk Sonic, why the duo works, and why we may see even more duos in the next few years. I also interviewed Broccoli City co-founders on the Trapital Podcast. Let's dive in."

Was this forwarded to you?

Want your company featured in Trapital?​
We are looking for a few more sponsors in Q2 who want to reach the artists, creators, and execs who read and listen to Trapital on a regular basis. Want to see how your brand can reach Trapital's audience? Reach out to us here.

New pod: Broccoli City

I interviewed the co-founders of the Broccoli City music festival, Brandon McEachern and Marcus Allen. They have a star-studded lineup with Gunna, Summer Walker, Ari Lennox, Lil’ Durk, Wale, and more. We talked about bringing their tour back after a two-year hiatus, negotiating rates with artists, dealing with artist complaints, and more. If you’re curious about festival are run, check this one out!

Listen to the Trapital Podcast here:

​

Why Silk Sonic Works Better Than Other Superduos

It’s been over a year since Silk Sonic first graced the stage together at the 2021 Grammys. The duo hasn’t missed since. “Leave The Door Open,” “Skate,” and “Smokin’ Out The Window” are all hits, they just won big at this year’s Grammys. Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have made their supergroup work in ways the few haven’t.

No ego chemistry

Anderson .Paak was Bruno Mars’ opening act on the 24K Magic World Tour. Bruno Mars is the Super Bowl headlining, Grammy-dominating superstar. Meanwhile, .Paak is immensely talented but has yet to reach the same mainstream success. On its surface, Silk Sonic does more to boost the less-popular artist. That distinction can often create a power imbalance between two collaborators, but that hasn’t been the case. The pair feel like they are on equal footing as Silk Sonic.

I rarely feel that way with other duos. I often thought about Jay Z’s past superduo collaborators. Jay and R. Kelly famously canceled their Best of Both Worlds Tour due to growing tensions. Jay Z and Kanye West’s issues on the Watch The Throne Tour were also well documented.

But even other frequent collaborators who get along fine, like the What A Time to Be Alive duo Drake and Future, never felt equal. I saw Drake and Future together on tour in 2016. It felt like Future “joined Drake on stage” at the Summer Sixteen Tour, not the other way around.

The desire to create something new

Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak approached this album, An Evening with SIlk Sonic, as a way to create a sound that they wouldn’t have created individually. Bruno Mars has had a funk and soul vibe before on “Uptown Funk” and “24K Magic,” but not to the level he has on this album. Meanwhile, Anderson .Paak has tapped into an alter-ego character persona in a way that he hasn’t on other albums.

Creating something truly unique takes work. Fans know when both artists bring their best work forward. We all know a throwaway verse or a leftover beat when we hear it!

The live performance advantage

Live shows are bouncing back after the pandemic shutdowns. But since many major artist wants to go on tour in the next 24 months, it creates a bind. There’s a limited venue availability for artists to perform at, and a limited number of shows that fans will attend in a given year.

Because of that, many major artists will tour together. But some of those artists touring together will seem random and unusual. They may still sell tickets, but that’s likely because of the people’s interest towards one of the artists, not because of their combined chemistry.

Silk Sonic is the opposite. Their collaboration created the opportunity for fans to witness them as individuals and as this combined group. It’s like seeing three acts instead of two. This should help them sell tickets in Vegas and eventually tour in a crowded landscape.

Read more about Silk Sonic in Rolling Stone’s The Soothing Sounds of Silk Sonic.

money moves

• Why Netflix should sell ads by Stratechery’s Ben Thompson
• The school of Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins via Billboard​
• Snoop Dogg launches the Snoopverse​

Enjoy Trapital? Share it with a friend

Tell them to sign up. I'll send them next Monday's memo. Hit the link below to share:

Or share Trapital quick via text, email, or Twitter.​

coming soon from Trapital

Podcast: Dave Ponte, CMO at Audiomack. Dave and I talked about the streaming service’s strategy to serve both artists and fans. We got an update on Supporters, its upcoming Artist Guide, how it competes in the music industry, and more.

​