A Few Odes to the Road

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“Highway Prayers” is the new album from bluegrass singer and guitarist Billy Strings released on September 27, 2024.

It’s Strings’ fourth album overall and his first studio album for Reprise Records following a live album released earlier this year. It’s also the follow-up to 2021’s “Renewal” and 2022’s “Me/And/Dad,” a collection of traditional bluegrass and country tracks made with Strings’ father, the singer/guitarist Terry Barber.

“Highway Prayers” was co-produced by Los Angeles industry veteran Jon Brion, who has previously worked with artists including Fiona Apple and Jellyfish. It totals 74 minutes over 20 tracks.

Over the course of the album, Strings and his band touch stylistically on psychedelia and Americana in addition to a few comedic novelties. The material is all bound, however, by an adherence to string-band instrumentation and virtuoso-level musicianship.

Although Strings has lived in Nashville for nearly a decade according to AllMusic, the songs make frequent references to his home state of Michigan. These references occur through both lyrics, and instrumental odes to Upper Peninsula locales.

All in all, “Highway Prayers” would seem to provide bluegrass, jam band, folk rock and country music fans as well as guitar enthusiasts with a thoughtful and relatable set of songs. Supported throughout by Strings’ exceptional guitar skills.

The album’s tendency to delve into social and political issues might also resonate with many fans. As might its channeling of the excitement and energy of Strings’ live performances.

As during Strings’ live shows, the album’s instrumentals tend to showcase the technical prowess and musical innovation of his band. As well as their signature blend of traditional bluegrass with more modern rock and folk influences.

On “Highway Prayers,” this band includes Strings’ longtime personnel of Billy Failing on banjo, Royal Masat on bass, Jarrod Walker on mandolin and Alex Hargraves on fiddle. As well as numerous other contributors.

Strings was born William Apostol in 1992 in Lansing, Michigan. He relocated with his mother to Morehead, Kentucky following the death of his biological father when Strings was two, and his mother’s remarriage to Barber. Both Barber and Strings’ uncle were accomplished musicians, and the youngster was surrounded by acoustic music practically from birth.

At the age of four, Strings asked for a guitar, and he was soon learning to play on a second-hand instrument that cost $25. By age six he was good enough to join Barber at bluegrass picking parties, and his aunt gave him the nickname Billy Strings.

By middle school Strings picked up electric guitar and was playing in a heavy metal band. But by the time he completed high school he had returned to playing bluegrass. After graduation he moved to Traverse City in Northern Michigan. And found a mentor and picking partner in the mandolist Don Julin.

Strings and Julin recorded a duo album titled “Rock of Ages,” and Strings also recorded a home-brewed solo album in 2014 called “Fiddle Tune X.”

In 2016, Strings left Traverse City for Nashville. He released the album “Turmoil & Tinfoil” in 2017. It was produced by Glenn Brown, who had previously worked with the string band Greensky Bluegrass and singer-songwriter Luke Winslow-King.

Strings subsequently landed a deal with roots music specialists Rounder Records and released the album “Home” in 2019.

Buy Generic

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“No Name” is the latest album from former White Stripes blues-rock singer and guitarist Jack White released during July and August of 2024.

Overall it’s a straightforward rock & roll album consisting of 13 guitar-based songs. Stylistically, these songs meld the punk-influenced minimalism of the White Stripes with blues-rock obsessions like Led Zeppelin, making them a return to more familiar territory for White.

This is a contrast with White’s two albums released in 2022, “Fear of the Dawn” and “Entering Heaven Alive,” which found him introspectively exploring the outer margins of his music. Explorations that were fueled by White’s struggle with the isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to AllMusic.

The lyrics on “No Name” are full of blues-style boasts and brags, and matched by rhyming guitar licks. Lead guitar lines tend to swing from elemental chunkiness to more technical flash.

And a clean, unobtrusive production style lets other musicians be heard clearly without taking focus off White himself. Making for an idiosyncratic but on the whole economic and powerful set of rock tunes.

Another essential part of the story of the album is the publicity stunt surrounding its release. On July 19, 2024, anyone who made a purchase at one of White’s Third Man stores in Detroit, Nashville or London found a mysterious LP in a plain white sleeve in their bags. The white labels on the records were simply stamped “No Name.”

Before long, music media outlets were reporting widely on stories about White releasing a new album in a manner that was both secretive and bound to call attention to itself. Needle-drop bootlegs of the album soon circulated online, and within a week “No Name” had an official wide release.

All in all, “No Name” would seem to offer classic rock, blues, indie, alternative and garage rock fans a raw and energetic listening experience with a stripped-down production style.

White’s passionate vocals could resonate with fans who appreciate authenticity and raw energy in their music. And his eclectic mix of blues, rock and experimental sounds could appeal to listeners who admire a willingness to push boundaries.

The prominence White gave to the vinyl LP version of the album during the release process might further appeal to fans who appreciate the physical and tactile experience of traditional records. And who are drawn by White’s commitment to analog formats.

One of the great rock conceptualists of the 21st century, White came to fame as the leader of the White Stripes, the Detroit-based garage-punk duo who became of the biggest rock acts of the 2000s.

While the White Stripes established White as a roots rocker, he also continued to maintain an interest in modernist art. These dueling, sometimes complementary instincts fueled myriad artistic pursuits for White both inside and outside the confines of the White Stripes.

Almost immediately after their album “White Blood Cells” became a blockbuster for the White Stripes in 2001, White began stepping out of the band’s confines. He produced the 2004 album “Van Lear Rose” for country singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn, and formed the bands the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather.

After the breakup of the White Stripes in 2011, White divided his time between his Third Man Records empire and his two remaining bands. As well as a solo career that became increasingly idiosyncratic with each new album.

Getting Noisy

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“Flow Critical Lucidity” is the new album by former Sonic Youth alternative rock guitarist and vocalist Thurston Moore released on September 20, 2024. Featuring seven tracks, it’s Moore’s ninth proper solo album overall.

Writer/poet Radieux Radio, whom Moore has collaborated with on previous projects, wrote the lyrics for the entirety of the album, according to AllMusic. These lyrics tend toward counterculture references as well as ethereal descriptions of otherworldly scenes, and are of a similar mind as Moore’s in the past.

My Bloody Valentine’s Deb Googe plays bass throughout the album. And Netativland member Jon Leidecker contributes electronics that span from foreboding sound clouds to more straightforward grooves.

All in all, Moore doesn’t do much to change his established sound on “Flow Critical Lucidity.” But the substantial contributions from Radio and the band allow the entire crew to go deeper and longer on Moore’s signature no wave guitar thrashing and heavy, transcendent bliss-outs.

The album in sum would seem to offer experimental, avant-garde and noise rock enthusiasts the chance to explore new sonic territories featuring a diverse range of textures. All bolstered by the band’s complex arrangements and musical sophistication. As well as Moore’s technically skilled, intricate guitar work, and the intellectual depth of the album’s lyrics.

An alternative rock icon, Moore’s work with Sonic Youth merged experimental art rock tendencies with unconventional guitar tunings. His abstract, poetic lyrics and perpetually mysterious aura were core ingredients of Sonic Youth during their 30-plus-year run. But these tendencies also bled into countless side projects and less-frequent solo albums such as 1994’s “Psychic Hearts.”

After Sonic Youth broke up in 2011, Moore continued to pursue his ambitions with projects like his band Chelsea Light Moving. As well as noisy collaborations with Merzbow and John Zorn. And solo albums that continued exploring the type of moody, twisting art rock that made him an icon with his pioneering indie rock band.

Moore was born in 1958 in Coral Gables, Florida. At age 18, he dropped out of college after one semester and moved to New York City to take part in the punk and downtown art rock scenes of the mid-1970s that were then forming.

The guitarist then immersed himself in the underground poetry and music communities, exposing himself to a constant flow of new ideas and artistic influences. He took in live readings from punk poet Patti Smith, and was also moved by composer Glenn Branca’s experimental approach to guitar.

In 1980, Moore co-founded Sonic Youth to bring aspects of Branca’s avant guitar techniques to noisy art rock songs. The band then became Moore’s main focus for the next three decades.

Pop/Rock Animal

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“Indoor Safari” is a new album from veteran UK pub rocker Nick Lowe in collaboration with Nashville, TN rock & roll combo Los Straitjackets released on September 13, 2024.

Lowe began touring and recording with Los Straitjackets in the late 2010s. They put out three singles between 2018 and 2022, which were re-recorded for this year’s release, according to AllMusic, Lowe’s first album in years.

As a whole, “Indoor Safari” is about half remakes and half new songs, all played in an old-fashioned rock & roll style. A few of the songs update Lowe’s crooner persona of recent albums. But the band strips off some of the layers of sophistication and gloss, while adding some surf rock guitar work.

Overall, the album would seem to offer fans of classic rock and pop, including British-influenced styles, a signature blend of nostalgia, humor and relatable themes. All combined under Lowe’s distinctive musical approach.

Lyrics about domesticity, everyday life and the passage of time might resonate with listeners who appreciate a touch of sentimentality combined with wry wit and an observational lyrical bent.

Meanwhile, the incorporation of musical elements from a mixture of genres including country and the blues, along with rock and pop could appeal to broader audiences and keep listeners engaged. And explorations of universal themes like relationships, loss and the human experience, delivered through Lowe’s heartfelt and honest songwriting, might feel relevant to audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

A pioneer of pub rock, Lowe was a pivotal figure in the early days of punk, had subsequent hits as a power popper and then had a dignified third act as an elegant crooner.

He started his career in Brinsley Schwarz, a collection of hippies that helped create the back-to-basics pub rock circuit of the early 1970s. And the scene that eventually mutated into punk rock.

After the split-up of Brinsley Schwarz, Lowe aligned with punk and new wave, serving as house producer for Stiff Records and helming seminal LPs for the Damned and Elvis Costello. It was in this period that he earned the nickname “Basher” for his fast and rough production style, and also helped establish punk’s D.I.Y. aesthetics.

During new wave’s heyday, Lowe co-led the band Rockpile with Dave Edmunds and the pair regularly appeared on each other’s solo albums into the early 80s. Lowe’s high-water mark during this time was the 1979 power pop album “Labor of Lust,” which featured the hit single “Cruel to Be Kind.”

After Rockpile disbanded, Lowe moved steadily toward country-rock. He experienced a renaissance with the 1994 album “The Impossible Bird” featuring the song “The Beast in Me.” This led him toward his latter-day sophisticated crooner incarnation. A style he maintained even after hiring Los Straitjackets to lend a little rock & roll instrumental support for a series of EPs.

Most Peculiar

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Pink Floyd guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour released “Luck and Strange,” his fifth solo album and only his third of the 21st century, on September 6, 2024. The album was co-produced by Gilmour and Charlie Andrew, who is best known for his work with UK alternative rock band Alt-J. It also features veteran players Guy Pratt on bass and Steve Gadd on drums.

In addition, Gilmour’s daughter Romany plays a significant role on the album, even taking lead vocals on “Between Two Points,” a cover of the Montgolfier Brothers’ 1999 dream pop song. As on all of Gilmour’s solo albums since the 1990s according to AllMusic, the guitarist’s wife Polly Samson serves as lyricist and direct collaborator.

The title cut of the album is built around a pre-existing 2007 jam with the late Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright.

Overall, the album would seem to offer progressive, psychedelic and blues rock fans a blend of familiar elements and fresh explorations within the progressive rock genre. Listeners who enjoy Gilmour’s signature style and want to hear a continuation of his musical journey might appreciate the complex compositions. As well as the intricate guitar work and introspective lyrics.

At the same time, the reworking of “Between Two Points” with Romany Gilmour brings the album a nostalgic touch that could connect with fans who have followed the Pink Floyd guitarist for decades. While the incorporation of electronic music elements with blues and folk might help further broaden the album’s appeal among fans of progressive rock and rock music at large.

Meanwhile, the top-notch production of the album delivers a signature clarity, impact and attention to detail. For listeners who have come to expect a high level of craftsmanship from this progressive rock legend.

After joining Pink Floyd in 1967 and replacing founder Syd Barrett as singer/guitarist, Gilmour contributed heavily to landmark albums from the band including 1973’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” and 1975’s “Wish You Were Here.”

Gilmour assumed leadership of Pink Floyd in 1987 after a contentious fallout with bassist and chief songwriter Roger Waters. After that followed a massively successful second act for the band that included several world tours and albums like 1994’s “The Division Bell.”

In addition, Gilmour has also produced and done session work for a range of acts, from Kate Bush and the Dream Academy to Paul McCartney. His successful solo career has also included chart-topping albums like 2006’s “On an Island” and 2015’s “Rattle That Lock.”

Born on March 6, 1946, Gilmour’s father was a lecturer in Zoology at Cambridge University and his mother was a teacher. As a schoolboy, he became friends with a boy who attended the same grade school, Roger Barrett, who later gained the nickname Syd.

Gilmour and Barrett became re-acquainted when they were studying at the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology. Both were interested in music and learning to play guitar in their spare time, as was Barrett’s friend Roger Waters.

Bringing the Sizzle

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A brand update of Southern California based casual dining restaurant chain Sizzler could represent a “modern heritage” approach to re-finding the company’s way, according to a Fast Company report.

Originally launched in Culver City, California in 1958, Sizzler helped invent the casual dining chain restaurant, and was once known as much for its endless salad bar as its affordable steaks. But today there are just 75 Sizzler locations, according to Fast Company, down from 270 at the chain’s peak.

Sizzler filed for bankruptcy in 2020 as the pandemic forced the company to close restaurant dining rooms, and it has been bouncing back since.

A video created by the restaurant chain in 1991 to attract franchisees went viral online in 2015 after getting posted to an “obscure media” Reddit board. The chain has also been featured in movies, and on TV’s “South Park” and “Saturday Night Live.”

Working with the Brooklyn, New York creative agency Tavern, the restaurant chain has now taken a number of steps to refresh its brand spanning from its website to its physical locations. In large part by leveraging assets found in its archives, such as a steak-shucking cartoon bull rendered in a Hanna-Barbera-esque style named Ribby Ribeye.

The Ribby Ribeye character was in turn supplemented by Tavern with a cadre of supporting characters representing the brand’s other best-known menu offerings. Including cheese toast, the unlimited shrimp, a lobster tail, and the Salad Barbarian, an amorphous blob on a plate representing all the goods available at the chain’s beloved bar.

In addition, the Tavern agency team looked to the Sizzler brand’s past to refine its fonts, referencing the Windsor and Carlson Black Swash cuts it used through the mid-80s or so. It also cleaned up the brand’s logo through some slight changes, ditching a black background and dialing it back to a single color. And placing the text a slight angle to bring home the idea of a cattle-brand element.

Tavern also worked to update the Sizzler restaurant interiors, plates, and staff uniforms, as well as the living “brand” of how workers talk and embody the restaurant, and more. Through some of these updates, they additionally sought to resurrect Sizzler’s ownable red color in order to separate it more from competitors like Outback, Chili’s, and Applebee’s. Aiming for a bright and friendly overall vibe.

The redesigned Sizzler website is now live, and changes will reportedly be rolling out to physical restaurants in phases.

Overall, these updates might seem like an attempt by Sizzler to solidify its appeal with its apparent traditional target audiences of families, as well as value-conscious, nostalgic, and casual diners. While also attracting younger demographics, including through the use of social media platforms.

When it comes to social media in particular, Sizzler could take the current refresh as an opportunity to build buzz for its recent changes and share stories drawn from the restaurant chain’s history. But also to invite customers to share their own Sizzler memories, helping strengthen a sense of community around the brand.

Sizzler restaurant interior design refreshes reported by Fast Company in 2023 led by the studio TNI Design included new finishes, tile flooring, and reclaimed wood accents throughout locations. A prominent fireplace was placed under a big Sizzler logo near the front counter, and digital boards displayed new menus. More high-seats were also added and some four-seater booths expanded to hold six people.

Under the redesigns, some locations also saw possible structural changes to accommodate delivery orders fulfilled by third-party providers like Grubhub and DoorDash.

The first Sizzler restaurant to feature these redesigned elements was in Corona, California, in March 2023. Sizzler planned for all of its locations to have remodels underway by April 2024. In order to implement these changes, TNI Design’s plans reportedly had to work across the casual dining architectural spectrum, from 1970s mini-mall locations to brand new builds.

Additionally, the chain planned for every location to receive a refreshed salad bar with more airy space above it, as well as hanging planters and food-spotlighting pendant lamps. Utilitarian stainless steel crocks and trivets were also replaced with clean white surfaces and a black holding area for multiple pots of food and condiments. New surfaces and glass were also added to salad bar sneezeguards.

But while the redesigned salad bars looked new, their overall shape and central location, which had been Sizzler standards for 30 years, reportedly weren’t planned to change.

Second Home

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A test by Ikea of a new online marketplace could represent an attempt by the company to achieve greater control over its own secondhand business, according to a Fast Company report.

First launched in Spain and Norway, Ikea Preowned is an online marketplace that lets people buy and sell lightly used Ikea products through an interface that feels like the home furnishing brand’s regular site. If launched in the U.S., the site will provide an alternative to Ikea used furniture transactions that have up until now occurred through third-party apps such as Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or eBay.

Visitors to the new site can first enter their postal codes to see distances of buyers or sellers from them. The site then asks the visitors if they want to buy or sell. From a design perspective, the site features the same typeface and overall vibe as Ikea’s regular online catalog.

The site also features images of the used products that are up for sale so you can check out their condition. After adding a product to their carts and purchasing it, buyers are connected to the item’s seller to arrange pickup.

A new emphasis on preowned furniture might seem to deepen Ikea’s attempts to serve its traditional target audience. Which would largely appear to include middle-income young adults, families, and professionals who are more DIY-inclined. Or interested in modern, trendy furniture designs at a more affordable price.

In particular, such initiatives could provide more budget-friendly furniture options to a group of consumers who are already price-sensitive. And help them furnish their homes in an even more eco-friendly fashion by letting them reduce their overall consumption of new resources.

But they could also help serve this audience in more subtle ways. Preowned furniture offerings, for instance, might allow consumers access to unique styles that aren’t currently available among new pieces, as well as pieces with unique character.

In addition, the Ikea Preowned marketplace itself could help foster an additional sense of community among the brand’s existing customers. Bound not only by the sharing of furniture-related tips, advice, and inspiration, but also by a circular economy orientation that helps minimize environmental impact.

According to Jesper Brodin, CEO of Ingka Group, which owns Ikea, the global second-hand furniture market is growing rapidly, with a projected annual growth rate of 6.4% in 2024. Ikea products already account for 10% of that market.

Fast Company noted that although the Ikea Preowned pilot program is free of commission charges for furniture sellers right now, the company is considering a “humble fee” for the service in the future.

Customers can currently pay for products with cash on the site, but sellers can choose to get paid with either cash or Ikea credit. If sellers choose the Ikea credit, the company adds a 15% bonus to their total sale price.

The platform also ties into Ikea’s existing buyback program, where customers can sell used furniture back to the company for in-store resale. Overall, these initiatives are part of the company’s larger goal of ensuring by 2030 that all its products are reusable, recyclable, or able to be refurbished.

In 2019, Ikea also announced it was expanding its tests of a furniture rental program to 30 countries, including the U.S., China, and India.

At the time, Ikea said it was facing a squeeze on resources as the global population grew and more people wanted to buy its products. And that the traditional way of manufacturing, including extracting resources, making products, and selling them to consumers who ultimately put them in landfills, no longer made sense for them.

As of several years ago, the company was already testing subscription-like models for furniture in a few locations, including a program for small businesses in Switzerland and for students in the Netherlands. It was also working on a voucher program in Australia for people who returned furniture for resale, and another similar program in Japan.

Over time, Ikea has also rethought aspects of its furniture design. Their Vimle sofa, for instance, is sold in parts so if you need a bigger piece you can buy an extra seat rather than replacing the whole thing.

Other Ikea products are built from recycled materials. Including a rug made from leftover fabric used in bed linen production, a spray bottle made from leftover plastic film used in packaging, and kitchen cabinets made from recycled wood and plastic bottles.

In terms of the new Ikea Preowned platform, Ingka Group is closely monitoring its performance and customer feedback as the trials in Madrid and Oslo continue, according to Fast Company. The retailer will reportedly do a full evaluation in December 2024 which will determine whether it rolls the platform out globally.

Success Through Strength

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Both Peloton and Planet Fitness are expanding their investments in strength workouts over cardio equipment as a growing share of exercisers looks to build muscle, CNBC reported.

Earlier in August 2024, Peloton launched testing for an app dedicated to strength workout plans called Peloton Strength+.

And Planet Fitness shifted its fitness equipment supply earlier this year after finding that its members, and especially Gen Z, consistently sought more strength training opportunities and less cardio. Gen Z patrons currently make up 25% of Planet Fitness’s base, according to the company’s earnings conference call from the third quarter of 2023.

The emphasis on strength would seem like a slight shift in strategy especially for Peloton, who are still largely associated with cycling, running, and other cardio classes. As well as the equipment including exercise bikes, treadmills, and rowing machines associated with those workouts.

But a new focus on strength training could also help Peloton deliver more balanced fitness to its customers as complements to their typical cardio routines. Strong muscles, after all, can help prevent injuries that are often associated with high-impact aerobic activities.

These are possible sources of appeal that could extend beyond Gen Z and include a broader share of Peloton’s traditional target audience. Which would seem to include average- to higher-income adults who are seeking convenient-yet-premium fitness experiences. Including busy professionals or parents.

As Peloton faces growing challenges as a business, it’s already been testing whether strength training could be part of its way forward, CNBC noted. The company has previously said demand for their cardio focused fitness equipment has been sluggish as consumers pull back from big-ticket items.

Peloton has also said that their strength training classes, and not their cycling or running classes, are their most popular type of content for digital members. And the number two category among those who have Peloton hardware.

The new Peloton Strength+ app is designed for strength workouts at the gym, and features custom, instructor-led programming. This programming will be delivered through audio guidance and expert coaching, as well as a custom workout generator that designs routines based on equipment access, areas of focus, time availability, and more.

Within the flagship Peloton App, the company is also testing “Personalized Plans” that will allow users to create a fitness routine tailored to specific goals and needs. Including weekly sets of class recommendations that will merge expert-designed personal training and machine learning.

Initially, Peloton App users will be able to select from two initial goals, with the potential for more to be added during the testing process: “Support Weight Goals” and “Get Stronger.”

Peloton is also planning new immersive, gaming-inspired experiences for its cycling offerings meant to encourage social engagement. Within some of these new experiences, users will be able to cycle in virtual training environments, including via a personalized avatar riding through simulated landscapes, either alone or with other virtual riders.

In July 2024, Peloton reduced its live streaming classes from its New York studio from seven days a week to six. Their London studio has also moved from seven days of live streaming to five.

These moves by Peloton were not only about saving money, according to CNBC, but also about freeing up production staff to work on projects such as a new partnership with Hyatt Hotels. Under the new Peloton/Hyatt partnership, hundreds of Hyatt properties will be outfitted with Peloton equipment. And Hyatt guests in 400 locations will have access to bespoke Peloton classes on their room TVs.

In terms of Peloton’s new Strength+ app, CNBC noted the company’s approach mirrors that of competing provider Ladder, which has offered personalized strength training since 2020.

Ladder’s CEO Greg Stewart told CNBC that 65% of its users are taking its app to the gym to use the equipment there. This is a shift from during the pandemic, when products largely focused on home fitness consumers. Now, according to Stewart, gymgoers represent “untapped potential” within the industry.

Other fitness companies have also been following the same trend as Planet Fitness and Peloton toward strength training over cardio. Earlier in 2024, connected fitness company Hydrow, which Peloton once tried to buy, acquired a majority stake in strength training company Speede Fitness.

In its 2024 annual fitness survey, health club company Life Time found that “building muscle” was the number one health goal among survey respondents at 35.9%, an increase of 3% from last year. This was followed in number of responses by weight loss and moving more each day.

The Life Time survey also found that 50.8% of its 3,000 respondents have an equal mix of cardio and strength training in their routines. Meanwhile, 18.2% said their workouts were mostly cardio focused, while 15.6% reported they focus solely on strength training.

Pop Appeal

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Wacky popcorn buckets have been creating a new revenue stream and source of hype for movie theater companies in 2024, Fast Company reported.

Called “collectible concession vessels” (CCVs) by industry professionals and costing theater goers up to $50, the new containers go beyond regular popcorn buckets with images on the side. They usually take the form of unhinged plastic sculptures, and have so far resembled anything from a Dune sandworm to Deadpool’s face or a demon-infested tombstone.

The current CCV trend emerged during an era when movie theaters were still struggling to reach pre-pandemic box office numbers. And when production delays from the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes continued to impact new releases.

While box office earnings of around $9 billion in 2023 were the highest since the pandemic, they were still roughly $2 billion short of pre-pandemic yearly sales, Fast Company noted.

And sales in 2024 were trailing 2023’s gains as of August. The dominance of streaming services, better in-home tech for movie viewing, and a cultural shift in viewing habits starting from the pandemic have all been blamed for this stagnation.

Overall, the collectible concession vessels would seem like a clear attempt to upsell to the traditional target audience of movie theater chains like AMC, Cinemark, and Regal of younger viewers ages 14 to 34.

So far the bucket designs have almost all come from the action, sci-fi, or superhero genres. Meanwhile, the most enthusiastic audience for new releases from those genres tends to be young adults ages 18 to 24.

The collectible popcorn buckets also seem custom-tailored for social media engagement. And specifically to encourage the sharing of photos, with all the free advertising and brand awareness that generates.

Furthermore, they also seem to fit right in with the toys and action figures, apparel, and other merchandising that now comes along with the release of big action, superhero, and sci-fi franchise titles.

According to the Fast Company article, movie theater chains don’t see the CCVs as a passing fad, either. Theaters reportedly consider them to be opening up a more immersive era of moviegoing in addition to new social media marketing opportunities.

AMC’s vice president of food & beverage strategy even told the magazine that CCVs went from a $0 program for the company in 2018 to a $54 million one in 2023.

Collectible popcorn buckets at movie theaters first came into the cultural mainstream in the spring of 2024, when AMC’s “Dune: Part Two” themed sandworm-based vessel went viral. First on social media, and then on TV’s “Saturday Night Live.”

But that bucket wasn’t the first of its kind. Cinemark also tried a few designs in the mid-2010s and AMC released a successful R2D2 bucket in 2019 for the release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Selling at $49.99, the 2019 R2D2 bucket sold out in 48 hours even though it was reportedly seen as a “dice roll” for both AMC and Disney. AMC subsequently planned a slate of new buckets to debut in 2020.

But then the pandemic stopped in-person viewings and the collectible bucket markets in their tracks. Albeit with one notable exception in the 2021 replica of the “Ghostbusters” Ecto-1 car. Which reportedly sold out all of its 30,000-bucket inventory on the November 19 opening night of “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.”

It wasn’t until moviegoing started to creep back to pre-Covid levels in 2023, however, that the collectible popcorn bucket concept took off at scale, according to Fast Company.

Cinemark’s “Scream VI” bucket released in March 2023 sold out “almost immediately” in theaters. And Cinemark and Regal both reported major interest in their “Barbie”-themed buckets from that year. With Cinemark reporting consumer demand for them through December despite the film’s July release.

Even more recently, Cinemark, Regal and AMC all offered their own unique collectible buckets for the July 2024 release of “Deadpool & Wolverine.” AMC alone offered five different designs. All of which reportedly sold out after opening day on July 26, representing tens of thousands of buckets.

And there are even more collectible designs to come in 2024. Regal has announced some highly anticipated “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” CCVs for the film’s release. Including a tombstone, a spiraling sandworm, and a copy of “Handbook for the Recently Deceased.” Additionally, Regal, Cinemark, and AMC will all sell their own replicas of monsters from “Alien: Romulus.”

As one might expect, a subindustry of CCV resellers has also emerged. The original R2D2 vessel from 2019 was reportedly selling for around $100 on eBay as of August 2024. And the “Dune” sandworm bucket sold for as much as $140.

Comparisons have been made between collectible popcorn buckets and the merchandise people are willing to pay a premium for at major theme parks. Only this is now just a part of the everyday movie-going experience at your local theater.

Commercial Cool

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Ford Motor Company has turned its fleet business, which includes sales to commercial, government, and rental customers, into an earnings powerhouse in recent years, CNBC reported. Once a “dirty” word in the industry, fleet sales have recently become a multibillion-dollar battleground for U.S. automakers.

Many fleet sales and especially daily rentals have historically been viewed as a negative for auto companies. And as a less-profitable alternative than sales to retail customers serving at times to unload excess inventories and boost sales.

But Ford’s “Ford Pro” fleet business is now proving that’s not always the case with operations that have taken in about $18.7 billion in adjusted earnings and $184.5 billion in revenue since 2021. This success has led Wall Street analysts to praise the business, with some calling it a “hidden gem” and even Ford’s “Ferrari,” a comparison to the highly profitable Italian sports car manufacturer.

It would also seem like an interesting expansion of Ford’s overarching retail brand reputation as a provider of durable and reliable vehicles, largely in the truck category. And as a new possible source of appeal for the automaker’s target retail audience, which would appear to skew somewhat male and suburban or rural within the US.

For one thing, the rigorous daily use that commercial fleet vehicles undergo could serve as a visible proof point for Ford’s “Built Proud” reputation among retail customers. Additionally, the potential for fleet operations to serve as testbeds for technological advancements might add further weight to the utility-grade image of many of Ford’s retail trucks and other vehicles.

In a February 2024 earnings call, Ford CEO Jim Farley urged Wall Street to forget about Tesla and its full self-service driving (FSD) driver assistance systems as the future of the auto industry. And instead focus on the Ford Pro business. He compared the Ford Pro unit to where Deere & Co. was seven years before, after which its stock increased by about 235%.

In addition to the traditional fleet and commercial lines, Pro is also home to Ford’s emerging telematics GPS vehicle tracking, logistics, and other connective operations for business customers. These clients range from local plumbers and electricians to massive corporations. The unit is also home to parts, accessories, and services for commercial, government, and rental customers.

Ford Pro sales are led by the automaker’s Super Duty trucks, part of the F-Series lineup with the F-150. But Pro also includes transit vans in North America and Europe, as well as all sales of Ranger midsize pickups in Europe.

Super Duty ranges from large pickups to commercial trucks and chassis cabs used for emergency response, towing and plowing, and construction or utility work.

In 2023, the Super Duty lineup received a redesign that leaned on new software and connected data for tracking maintenance needs, vehicle locations, driver behaviors, wasted idle time, and other metrics. As well as capabilities for setting operation times that would prevent vehicles from starting outside of approved windows.

These software and data capabilities helped lay the groundwork for subscription-based businesses and recurring revenue opportunities for Ford. Opportunities that had traditionally been the domain of third-party companies. Ford aims to achieve $1 billion in sales of software and services in 2025, led by its fleet and commercial business.

Automakers including Ford also see fleet operations as a key driver in other ways. Including for electric vehicle sales. While the upfront investment for EVs can be high for many commercial customers, it’s been argued the eventual payback could be worthwhile for some.

All three legacy Detroit automakers have been touting such advantages to their fleet customers while also still offering vehicles with traditional internal combustion engines.

Overall, adoption of EVs has not occurred as quickly as many had expected. In March 2024, CNBC reported that automakers from Ford and General Motors to Mercedez-Benz, Volkswagen, Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin were scaling back or delaying their EV plans.

Even Tesla, the U.S. electric vehicle leader with an estimated 55% of EV sales in the country, was bracing for the possibility of a “notably lower” rate of growth as of late January 2024.

Both Ford and Stellantis, makers of Ram and the “Ram Professional” unit, which competes with Ford Pro, have started highlighting portfolios of alternative powertrains in response to these EV-related delays. These include both hybrids and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

Ford and other automakers haven’t entirely abandoned electric vehicles by any means, however. In July 2024, Ford announced plans valued at about $3 billion to expand Super Duty production. Including to “electrify” Super Duty trucks.