Network Notes
Darren HemmingsA newsletter about the music industry, technology, marketing, and the intersection of all three, brought to you by the strategic marketing agency Motive Unknown.
| Platform |  | Pricing | Only free issues | Publishes | Weekly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 142 | Founded | 3 years ago | Last Issue | 9 days ago |
| Active | |||||
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networknotes.motiveunknown.comLatest Issues
🔵 The music industry's complex relationship with the charts
A couple of days ago I stumbled onto an op-ed piece by Kenny Gates of PIAS/Universal, in which he laid out a clear and cogent case for why the UK charts are bordering on pointless in 2026.
Gates’ argument was that new releases are being l...
🔵 Music, AI and the decimation of memory
I have mentioned it in passing before now, but for context on this piece: over the past few months, my wife and I have been slowly losing my mother-in-law to Alzheimer’s. It was getting worse through most of last year, but - as anyone who h...
🔵 My article for The Quietus
I have taken a small break from writing Network Notes to instead pen an article for my favourite music website, The Quietus.
So, rather than deliver the article here, I would instead urge you to click through and read my article for them:...
🔵 Music's dirty secrets pt. 2: the bot farms driving fake fan engagement
Last week Billboard published an amazing interview (and accompanying video) with US marketing agency Chaotic Good.
I certainly recommend watching the full video:
In the interview, the company’s founders talked up their means to drive at...
🔵 Primary Wave/Kobalt. Concord/BMG. Which will be the next big consolidation moment?
Recently, news emerged that Primary Wave was in advanced talks to acquire Kobalt. Both exist as significant players in the independent publishing landscape, so a move like this is obviously massively significant. I have even seen speculatio...
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Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
I am the founder and MD of Motive Unknown, a strategic marketing agency based in the UK. We operate primarily in the music business, though we also work with music-related brands too.
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