In business, growth is a continuous game. Where is the blue sky? Where is the next opportunity to put points on the board? One reliable answer to both questions is…sports!
The sports industry as a whole is growing both horizontally and vertically. It’s an exciting time for fans. There are a lot of learnings for the music and marketing worlds. Here are some new growth areas and some lessons tunes can learn from teams:
Leagues Organize
The biggest stages, with the biggest number of eyeballs, are sporting events. Sure, artists like Bad Bunny could sell out any football arena in the country with one hour notice and just one mic (one mic). But the organization of the NFL league, its teams, its players, and its systems make it a way more sophisticated business model with countless opportunities for profitability.
The music business, on the other hand, is a tangled web. Do you go through the labels, the managers, the talent agencies, the publishing companies, the DSPs, the promoters, the media companies, or niche expert agencies? Even though music is the No. 1 passion point with Gen Z, it’s a fragmented industry with no clear entry point to buy in holistically at scale. Being organized like a league would allow for TV rights, big, long-term brand deals, and streaming rights to all be done in a much more lucrative way.
The Savannah Bananas
I’m obsessed with these guys. They are a show and a reminder of how fun it is to be at real-life events. It’s an experience that takes baseball to a new level of accessibility. They’re baseball’s Harlem Globetrotters. Can you imagine the ceiling for a music artist that approached their show like this? Jimmy Buffett did it, so did the Grateful Dead. Who’s going to take fandom to superfandom to another level? Right now, K-pop is leading that charge.
Fan Experiences
It’s amazing to see how sports leagues are repositioning themselves around fan experiences. Fan zones, commentary, sportscasts, and new leagues like LIV and Tiger Woods’s TGL challenge the status quo and create new ways for athletes to connect with their super fans! Souvenirs, ticket stubs, even confetti are ways to show that you were there and are a real fan. Sports brands like The Realest are changing the game when it comes to commodifying fan experiences and bottling up this energy.
New Leagues
Despite the scale and impact of the Big Four sports leagues in the U.S., new leagues continuously pop up around classic sports to create excitement. Even officializing niche sports like the Premier Lacrosse League are winning big with long-term linear TV deals with ESPN and official brand partners such as Nike. From rock climbing to breakdancing to chess boxing, new leagues are popping up and capturing the zeitgeist. The storytelling around these platforms is endless. How can the music business come up with new, organized institutions to breathe new excitement into the industry?
Amateur Markets
There are so many great technologies dropping that make amateurs better at their chosen sports. Think backyard rebounding machines like Grind, to tennis’ SwingVision. These tools are making amateur athletes better, just as the amateur market in music is exploding through AI and ease of distribution. We need more music tech tools to elevate this trend.
NIL
The long tale of athletes is forever changed by the opening up of NIL deals. Now, high school and college athletes are brands with influence and opportunities to earn. Young musicians could be the same by showcasing talent, building online influence, and generating brand dollars and sponsorship opportunities.
Player Podcasts
Athletes have been dominating the podcast circuit in their respective niches. The Kelce brothers have redefined their careers; Andy Roddick’s commentary on tennis is eye-opening; Shannon Sharpe has transformed his career and opened up a new lane in sports and culture with his show Club Shay Shay; the list goes on. We are seeing a little bit of this in music with Dua Lipa’s “At Your Service” and Joel Madden’s “Artist Friendly,” but I think there is plenty of room for growth with artist-led podcasts.
Global Markets and Expansion
The greatest exports of the United States are entertainment, music, sports, and technology. The biggest growth opportunities are overseas in places like Qatar, Macau, Europe, and Africa. These markets are a hotbed for American sports and American music talent. Musicians in 2025 and beyond must be focused on global sales and global touring in order to achieve scale. Music truly is the universal language.
Gambling on Sports Betting
It’s amazing how betting has transformed the fan-slash-game experience. I can’t help thinking there is a real opportunity for fans to be more involved in music and pop culture. Whether it be award season pools, fantasy leagues, prop bets, or buying into the set lists, fans clearly want in on the action. This “talkability” is taking over the mainstream, so music would be foolish not to try tying into it.
AI
If you aren’t using AI as a thought partner in some capacity, you’re missing out on superpower capabilities. AI is helping football coaches call plays. Wearable data insights are helping players properly hydrate during tennis matches to avoid cramping. The insights are here to make us all perform better, but many musicians are in a moral panic. I do see more and more musicians using the Oura to help with sleep performance, but the creative and business power of AI is likely where the real gains will be.
Soccer
We have a global sport on the rise that is set to have its biggest summer yet. FIFA is exploding and MLS is pushing to innovate and expand. Culturally, soccer is the place to be right now and musicians will be smart to realize this and start collaborating on the pitch!
Every baller wants to be a rapper, and vice versa. Musicians don’t have to conform to as many league rules as athletes; don’t have to fit neatly into the boxes of a position, season, or post-game interview; and don’t have any boundaries. While the sports boom is going to continue regardless, music has the pole position in terms of capitalizing on it.
Jesse Kirshbaum
Co-founder of Nue
Leave a comment