Drake’s Day In Court

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Welcome to Wednesday, TFP. If you’re heading to the movies this weekend, it’s likely you’ll be catching the second weekend of Wicked. The movie has restarted the ongoing debate about theater decorum, such as whether it’s ever acceptable to record the screen during the movie (it’s not), or if it’s okay to belt out your favorite song alongside the characters (give it a vibe check). Either way, it shows that people are passionate about the prequel to one of the most beloved movies of all time, The Wizard of Oz. 

DAILY TOP TRENDS

It’s Wicked Season

NBCUniversal pulled out all the stops to market its blockbuster adaptation of the Broadway smash Wicked, partnering with over 400 brands for IP tie-ins.

The Big Picture: In the words of Universal chief marketing officer Michael Moses, “The world doesn’t operate like a monoculture anymore, so you have to be everywhere.” In an entertainment ecosystem, where big-budget streaming releases debut without a sound, and movies only stay in theaters for a month, a robust marketing campaign may be more important than ever for financial success.

Behind the Scenes: Wicked represents the biggest worldwide marketing push ever for NBCUniversal… and maybe any movie studio ever.

• The marketing campaign is rumored to have cost $150 million, on top of the two-part franchise’s $320 million production budget… and it’s unclear if the marketing budget includes the campaign for Part 2.

• The campaign included drinks with Starbucks, hotel suites at Hilton, toys with Lego and Mattel, apparel at Target, cast voices on Amazon’s Alexa, and even lighting up Manhattan’s Empire State Building in pink and green.

• The promo partner retail campaigns reached two billion shoppers and notched 25 billion impressions, according to Deadline.

Closing Credits: Moses told movie theater owners earlier this year that the marketing push for Wicked needed to be “just short of obnoxious.” Mission accomplished because the movie opened to $275 million at the global box office — the highest-ever for a Broadway adaptation. Ticket sales will only keep soaring, thanks to great reviews and strong word of mouth.

While marketing has always been important for Hollywood success, expect a trickle-down effect in smaller deals that prioritize marketing budgets as a key deal point. 

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Drake Takes “Not Like Us” To Court

Drake has filed the first step towards an incendiary lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify, alleging that the two companies colluded to inflate streams of Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy-nominated Drake-diss track, “Not Like Us.”

Why It Hits: On top of being a first in the world of hip-hop beefs, Drake’s swing-for-the-fences legal action (which may or may not turn into a lawsuit) puts the whole streaming ecosystem on trial — is music discovered by the almighty algorithm, or do labels put their thumbs on the scale?

Behind the Beef: Drake accuses UMG — his and Kendrick’s label — of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act for widespread collusion with music distributors to artificially make “Not Like Us” more popular than it would have been.

• The filing alleges that UMG offered Spotify-reduced licensing rates to recommend the song to users who weren’t searching for it, paid influencers to hype the song on socials, and hired people to unleash bot armies to rack up streams.

• It even claims that Apple’s Siri voice assistant would play “Not Like Us” when people asked it to play Drake’s Certified Lover Boy.

• Drake’s lawyers say that UMG carried out the “scheme” because of how its corporate structure emphasizes the financial success of its Interscope label (where Kendrick is tied to through pgLang) than UMG overall.

• The filing also claims that UMG has avoided the issue with Drake, instead hiding wrongdoing and firing employees “perceived as having loyalty to Drake.”

Encore: UMG has called Drake’s allegations “offensive” and “untrue,” clapping back with “no amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.” Although Drake is one of the most listened-to artists on Spotify with 10 million more monthly listeners than Kendrick, it’s that question of “choice” that the artist may ultimately want to drag into the light… even if it takes him and UMG down with it.

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DEEP DIVES

• Read: THR dives into the 25-year journey of making Ridley Scott’s new historical epic, Gladiator II.

• Listen: The Town sits down with Mikey Madison, the star of Sean Baker’s comedic thriller Anora, who’s poised to be a frontrunner for the Academy Award.

• Watch: Posthuman explores how our brains are becoming the new frontier for tech innovation.

91.9% of you voted No in yesterday’s poll: Have you ever used a robotaxi service?

“Still don’t trust them — don’t like the way they drive around SF.”

“But I’m willing to try.”

“I even hate using self-checkout. I want to keep Americans working. This is another way to see thousands of citizens unemployed. First, it was Uber making it a contracting job; now, it’s a machine that does the job for the driver. Our lower classes are getting lower and more invisible by the hour. When will we hit rock bottom, or are we there already?”

“My wife, 8-year-old son, and I have used Waymo in SF five different times, and they were all great experiences. We felt safer in a robotaxi than with my brother-in-law driving.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

QUICK HITS

→ Technology

🖥️ Zoom Video Communications has dropped the “Video” in its new legal name change as it begins to lean into AI.

🤖 The incoming Trump administration may name a dedicated AI czar to oversee federal policy around the tech.

🦾 Neuralink is testing the ability of  its brain implants to control a connected robotic arm prosthetic.

→ Creator Economy

📱 Threads is rolling out several new updates in order to stop the digital migration to Bluesky.

🏫 TikTok wants to get kids and parents talking to one another via a new partnership with the National PTA.

👎 A study from the University of Zurich discovered the positive effects of YouTube turning off its dislike button.

→ Fashion / E-commerce

🏈 Walmart is testing shoppable ads during NBC’s football game broadcasts on Thanksgiving Day.

👕 Michael Kors tapped Capri Holdings CEO and chairman John Idol as its new chief executive.

🎮 Louis Vuitton debuted a game within Discord for its one-year anniversary on the platform.