Reactivating icons: the Bing Crosby holiday playbook
16 Dec, 2025
How do you take an artist whose prime was nearly a century ago and make them feel culturally relevant today? In this festive Music Moneyball special, Adam Lowenberg (CMO, Primary Wave) breaks down the playbook for reactivating legacy catalogs, using Bing Crosby as the case study.
We cover how Primary Wave builds multi-year marketing plans with estates, turns seasonal spikes into long-term growth, and executes across digital, brand partnerships, sync, and global markets — balancing commercial ambition with artist integrity.
Brought to you by Standard Innovation.
05:25 – Why Bing: undervalued upside in a “seasonal” icon
06:07 – The mandate: make legends new to the next generation
07:00 – The underwriting test: can marketing lift revenue year on year?
07:59 – Turning “White Christmas” into a compounding asset
09:08 – Cultural insight in action: BTS, duets, and audience expansion
15:26 – Partnership governance: 3–5 year plans and creative approvals
19:10 – Monetize without dilution: brand moves that stay authentic
25:19 – The execution engine: how Primary Wave ships big activations
32:34 – Beyond Christmas: building year-round demand and growth
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► About Standard Innovation
Standard Innovation helps music rights funds improve catalog performance through better data, governance, and operational discipline.
► Episode Links
Primary Wave: https://primarywave.com
Standard Innovation: https://standard-innovation.com
► Credits
Guest: Adam Lowenberg — Chief Marketing Officer, Primary Wave
Theme: “Meet Me” — Outlines (Written by Sam Cox) — Courtesy of Bespoke Records