My friend isn’t the only one who’s taken the Glorb pill. In less than a year, Glorb has amassed a catalog of over 20 songs and garnered over 75 million views on YouTube alone. Glorb’s success offers a glimpse into the future—a world where the intrigue of anonymity and AI-driven storytelling, combined with the speed of modern production tools, can catapult projects to massive audiences in a matter of months.

Glorb started with a diss track by Mr. Krabs and Plankton, or as they’re known in Glorb’s universe, Mr. Swags and Dankton. This debut track, released in the early days of AI voice sampling in 2023, transformed the familiar business rivalry from the Nickelodeon show into a gang war for control of Bikini Bottom’s streets, all delivered through rap verses.

What’s remarkable about Glorb is not just the release of songs but the way each one raises the stakes of the diss war, deepens the lore of the world these characters inhabit, and improves the music and production quality. The early Glorb tracks featured simple beats and AI-generated psychedelic visualizers with trippy colors and distorted SpongeBob characters. The most recent videos, however, boast fully produced 3D visualizers that vividly depict the unfolding story, paired with beats worthy of top 40 rap songs and top-notch vocal production. I’m not exaggerating when I say that Glorb’s The Bottom 2 could stand alongside tracks from Metro Boomin’s latest compilation album.

Glorb excels at the classic “if this is true, what else is true” method of world-building. Starting with the absurd premise of a rap feud in a children’s TV show world, each new song explores what else must be true in this universe, adding increasingly absurd details and moments to the evolving story, along with ever-harder bars. Technology enables Glorb to maintain this pace, quality, and intrigue. Releasing 20 high-quality songs in under twelve months is no small feat, especially when paired with top-tier 3D video. This prolific output wouldn’t be possible without today’s advanced audio and video production tools, and Glorb’s rapid release schedule is crucial for keeping attention and momentum. The AI-assisted voice masking not only allows Glorb to parody an established world but also adds a layer of anonymity that enhances the project’s mystique. Much of the discussion around Glorb centers as much on speculating about their identity as it does on engaging with the music itself.

Glorb is a creative marvel that only the internet of 2024 could produce—absurd, high-quality, and expansive. Millions are engrossed, wondering not just whether Dankton or Mr. Swags and the Krusty Krab Krew will rule Bikini Bottom, but also who the mastermind behind this rapidly evolving and intricate world is. Glorb’s ability to not only write compelling songs but also craft deep, intriguing lore sparks conversations that expand their audience—just like the text I received from my high school buddy. For those looking to understand how independent artists can quickly gain distribution and spark conversations using modern tools, Glorb offers a masterclass.

That’s because no authentic Motown artist did. The song Metro sampled didn’t exist prior to this year, because the song Metro sampled was an AI generated motown song.

With BBL Drizzy, Metro Boomin unleashed the first AI-generated infectious ear worm into pop culture and showed how AI will rapidly accelerate sampling in hip hop and pop production.

The fact hip hop appears to be the first scene to both embrace AI and spread its creations into culture shouldn’t be a surprise. Hip hop has been the dominant musical influence on pop culture for over a decade now. Hip hop has also been nearly synonymous with the practice of sampling, or repurposing previously recorded music as the basis for new music.

Sampling has historically been a laborious process of first finding the perfect sample then editing or “chopping” it up to a new track. You can get a sense of this process in this excellent breakdown of Jay-Z and Kanye’s song “Otis”. Then, once musicians have perfected their creation, they then need to jump through the legal and financial hoops needed to license or “clear” the sample for distribution and monetization.

For producers and musicians using AI like Metro Boomin, almost all the headaches are taken out of the digging, editing, and (controversially) clearing process for the sample they wish to use for their work. Instead, all a producer needs to do is prompt a service like Udio for the genre, vibe, or even lyrics they want to use in their work, get a song back, and get to work.

How AI generates music can even be likened to the practice of sampling, done at a scale only computers can. Computers are trained to listen to the history of recorded music, learn their genres and vibes, edit or “chop” them down to atomic parts, then are prompted to recombine them into something new based on text prompts in emerging AI music services like Udio. Each atomic part of an AI-generated song is essentially a sampled portion of a vocal or instrument sound that had been previously recorded by an artist.

Where Kanye used an AKAI sample pad in the 2010s to sample instruments and vocals, up and coming teenage producers of the 2020s will use text prompts and AI models.

BBL Drizzy is just the first example of what will be the new norm in pop music production. Producers will not need to laboriously search for the perfect sound, texture, or vibe to start their work. Soon, audiences around the world will be singing along to the melodic and lyrical genius not of one human, but of the sum total of the collective works of humans sampled and served back to us by AI.

I love the band Coheed and Cambria. Though primarily a hard rock band, they masterfully explore various genres and vibes throughout their discography, all paired with infectious pop melodies. The diversity in their sound is anchored by the sci-fi lore created by frontman Claudio Sanchez. Each album tells fragments of a larger story, woven into lyrics and explored in Sanchez's comic books and novels. This continuity adds depth to their creativity and supports the band through unique merchandise.

At a Coheed concert last summer, I visited the merch tent, surrounded by fans eager to collect rare items. I admired the sci-fi aesthetic on T-shirts, posters, and even a full costume mask. However, as someone who lives minimally, I faced a dilemma: where would I put all this stuff? I wanted to support the band but didn’t want my home to become a Coheed fan cave. It struck me that I am the type of customer who could benefit from digital merchandise like NFTs. If that’s true, why wasn’t that an option?

Music NFTs aren't dead, but they do have an identity problem, making it hard for average people to understand their value. This confusion leaves potential customers without a reference point to compare goods or assess the value of these tokens.

In essence, music NFTs enable verified ownership of digital goods. This ownership can serve as proof of purchase and scarcity, paving the way for them to become a vehicle for speculation and appreciation.

A potential use case is collectibles, analogous to vinyl records. However, vinyl currently offers much more than music NFTs: unique listening experiences, album art, and liner notes that build lore around the artist and their work. While some artists, like TK the Legend, create full multimedia projects tied to NFTs, most offer just a song and a low-effort image.

Vinyls also enhance homes, setting a mood and adding aesthetic value. Although some envision a future metaverse with digital spaces mimicking real life, current online spaces are too transient for music NFTs to offer the same value vinyls provide in physical spaces.

Music NFTs are also used for rights management, with contracts that divide ownership of assets like songs, allowing for royalty splits or secondary sales. This added utility, while valuable for creators, further muddies the value proposition of music NFTs for consumers. Are they buying a collectible receipt for a song or a stake in a rights scheme? This complexity appeals to a niche, financially savvy audience, not the average fan.

With streaming turning recorded music into a monthly utility, artists need new revenue streams. NFTs offer a great opportunity but must align with how consumers live and create real value. Everyone in line at the Coheed show was ready to buy physical merch, but if it were NFTs, what would they use them for?

Artists and NFT creators must understand current consumer behaviors and desires. By combining these insights with good digital design, we could see the category reborn with innovative goods tied to NFTs. Until then, consumer confusion will drive them back to traditional merchandise like T-shirts and vinyl records.

If you’re a basketball fan, you know how unique the Philadelphia 76ers are and how their history is deeply influenced by "The Process". "The Process" was idiosyncratic for its time and produced wild decisions and moments. JJ Redick, former sharpshooter and current LA Lakers coach, was at the center of a quintessential Process story. Picture a room filled with towering athletes gathered for breakfast. Their entertainment? PowerPoint presentations. Redick's topic: "Are We Living in a Simulation?” He explored existential musings and the bizarre implications of Donald Trump's presidency. This presentation exemplifies the impactful practices that made "The Process" more than just an organizational strategy - it became the team's identity.

Why bring up "The Process" today? Because it’s not just an incredible method for forming a high-performing NBA team; it’s a blueprint any startup can follow for success.

The Sixers, like many startups, faced the challenge of transforming moderate success into championship-level achievements. Unlike markets like LA or New York, Philadelphia couldn't attract top talent based on city appeal. They needed a different approach, which led to "The Process." This strategy, often simplified as losing to gain high draft picks, was much more. It was a mindset that informed every decision within the organization, from management to players.

Sam Hinkie, the mastermind behind "The Process" and a former investment analyst, brought principles from modern business philosophies to the team. Entrepreneurs can learn from these principles, especially the importance of investing time where it promises the greatest return. 

The first principle of the Process mindset is valuing time as an asset to be invested for the greatest return. Entrepreneurs often undervalue their time, but it should be prioritized above all. Consider how you spend your minutes to achieve your goals. This principle was crucial for the 76ers, and perhaps was best exemplified by Robert Covington. Signed as an undrafted player, Covington was vastly overlooked but took the playing time he was uniquely afforded in Philly during the losing era of "The Process" to develop his skills, becoming an NBA All-Defensive First Team member in 2018. Similarly, individuals and entrepreneurs must heavily value time to give themselves the best chance at success.

The second principle is playing the long game, prioritizing long-term benefits over short-term gains. What set the Sixers apart during this time is a seemingly fanatical devotion to ONLY making decisions that played the long game, choosing to trust that flowers like Robert Covington would one day bloom over artificially planting a player or coach into the organization that didn’t fit their ethos to earn a short term win. The Sixers' commitment to this led to a historic losing stretch but eventually resulted in a team built for sustained success.  Entrepreneurs must adopt a similar commitment, resisting short-term fixes that don't align with their long-term vision.

The final principle of the Process mindset is creating a culture around shared values. For Sam Hinkie's growth-oriented mindset to work, everyone needed to be aligned. The 76ers targeted adaptable players and fostered culture through practices like Coach Brett Brown's reflection sessions, where players reviewed their journey and its impact on the team's story. Activities like JJ Redick’s breakfast presentations reinforced this culture. Without buy-in through storytelling and team-building, even the best strategies struggle to succeed.

While the 76ers haven't won a championship yet, "The Process" transformed them from a mediocre team to a contender. Valuing time, playing the long game, and fostering a culture of shared values can lead to championship-caliber growth for any business.

If you want to dive deeper, there is no better place to start than Sam Hinkie’s Resignation Letter.