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05–06 Tools Apple Music For Artists 07–08 Campaigns Deutsche Grammophon, Beyoncé/ Jay-Z, The WaveVR, Fortnite 09–13 Behind The Campaign- Jory Boy JUNE 27 2018 sandboxMUSIC MARKETING FOR THE DIGITAL ERA ISSUE 207 GOD SAVE THE STREAMS WHERE PRE-SAVES ARE MOVING NEXT COVERFEATURE In 18 months the pre-save has gone from niche experiment to standard practice in marketing. But in that time, the thing that made it special – a way to stand out from the rush of albums every Friday – has been diluted by ubiquity. Now that Apple Music is tentatively entering the fray with its own twist (termed “pre-adds”), the need to bring something else beyond a simple save mechanic has never been greater. While some marketers are already asking if this is more about pleasing the DSPs than the fans, there is still plenty of life in the strategy. We look at how it has got to this stage and where it needs to move next. t is a mark of how quickly the digital music industry moves that the pre-save Icampaign has gone from being wonderful novelty to standard marketing tool in the 18 months since Kobalt first debuted the concept in support of Laura Marling’s Semper Femina . Inevitably, with this swift rise has come a fair amount of dissatisfaction with the practice, which lets music fans pre-save forthcoming albums and tracks to their streaming libraries and playlists (mostly, but not exclusively, on Spotify). Some GOD SAVE THE STREAMS WHERE PRE-SAVES ARE MOVING NEXT 1 | sandbox | ISSUE 206 | 13.06.2018 COVERFEATURE marketers have complained, Getting maximum physical album once represented. “With a for example, that pre-save impact release, as soon as we have got the record campaigns are an expensive delivered, we actually have an end point distraction which generate So how can marketers make the for people to go to connect with,” he says. little in the way of cut- most of the ubiquitous pre-save “In digital marketing, if you are self-aware, through. to ensure their campaigns stand you know people don’t see your whole “We’ve done [pre-saves] out in 2018’s crowded market? campaign. More than likely you hit people a couple of times, but can’t music:)ally director of digital once in a campaign. The idea is that when really see a major benefit to strategy Patrick Ross co-created you hit them once, make sure there is a them,” says Mute head of the idea of the pre-save campaign quick place they can go, do one action and marketing Neil Blanket. “If with David Emery (now at Apple they are done.” anything, they just seem to Music in the UK) when the two With this in mind, Kobalt made sure show that DSP that you’re worked together at Kobalt. He that fans who signed up for their pre-save engaging with them and says that many of the people campaigns had the option to enter their driving traffic to that service.” running pre-save campaigns email address. This, according to Ross, is Another concern is the these days are missing the point the most powerful part of the pre-save cost. Spotify in itself doesn’t “We wanted to do something a little of the exercise. mechanism. “When the record comes out have a pre-save tool, which means labels more interesting with this [pre-save] other “The reason that we made the pre-save it sends you an email notification,” he says. must either build their own – an approach than save the album to Spotify or follow was that Spotify used to notify you about “People going into their email, open up favoured by the majors and large indies a playlist,” Corey Zaloom, head of digital stuff,” he explains. “When you used to and, ‘Oh, what is in there? Cool, I will go and – or use a third-party tool. This can be marketing at Domino Recording Company, follow an artist, every time that they did listen to that now,’ on the Friday that it was expensive, and one marketer recently told sandbox earlier this year. something, you got a notification. Now you released, driving a whole bunch of streams suggested to sandbox that it didn’t “We have seen pre-saves be a are beholden to the algorithm: occasionally on day one.” represent value for money for the impact it successful tactic when they’re a you get notifications. The idea was: ‘How Ross believes that by adding email made and that some they had tested were part of any campaign, but we just do we go back and put in the features that capture, labels can significantly improve full of bugs. wanted to make it a little more their notification system used to put in?’” the quality of their pre-save campaigns. And yet the pre-save is unlikely to interesting.” One of the key benefits of the pre-save, “The big miss that some labels don’t do,” be going away any time soon. A recent Cindy James, VP of streaming at Ross explains, was to give marketers he explains, “is you spend this marketing campaign for Shawn Mendes’ self-titled Island Records in the US, says pre-saves an “end point” to which they could drive money to drive someone to this pre-save third album was said to be among the represent “a great way to incorporate our music fans around a campaign, much like a before a release, you go on there, you click biggest pre-saves in history – although streaming partners into the pre-release Island, his label, did not wish to comment marketing messaging”. on this – while Apple Music quietly “With the data we’re currently receiving from launched its own “pre-add” function for our streaming partners, it’s difficult to quantify albums at the start of June. a one-to-one, click-to-stream relationship, Meanwhile, Domino’s campaign especially tracking a click that takes place for Franz Ferdinand’s recent Always off-platform to consumption that happens as Ascending album turned the Spotify a result on that platform,” she adds. “However, pre-save into an online fan club – an based on the number of pre-saves, newsletters initiative that showed how the that are opened and click-through rates, we pre-save campaign can serve as a wider believe this is quickly becoming a valuable marketing tool. conversion marketing tool.” 2 | sandbox | ISSUE 206 | 13.06.2018 COVERFEATURE a button or tick a box and sometimes you as well as links for the tour dates. The don’t even get an email notification.” pre-saving fans got a handwritten note in Jeremy Da, director of marketing at Cinq the email from the band thanking them for Music agrees. “The reason why we do pre- saving the album and for following along.” saves here is to get emails,” he explains Guillaume Crisafulli, co-founder of in Behind The Campaign in this issue of customer data advertising platform sandbox. “It is a very valuable data capture Make The Link , says that marketers mechanic. We have built fanbases and got should be creative when rewarding fans. superfans thanks to this.” “What works well is the pre-save campaign tied with an incentive – such as release The value of the party access, gift card or signed vinyl,” he value exchange says. “For example we’re currently running the Lecrae & Zaytoven Let The Trap Say Oliver Muoto, founder of Nashville social Amen pre-save coupled with the chance to media marketing specialist Metablocks, win a $300 sneaker gift card in the US. And which operates its own pre-save platform, that then makes sense to ask for an email says that many labels expect pre-save address for the fan to be contacted in case campaigns to work by themselves, with they’re the lucky winner.” nothing in the way of additional support. However, Crisafulli cautions against “We say, ‘Little incentive, little action; no over-selling them. “You need to be careful incentive, no action,’” he explains. and organised with the type of content “People are not pre-saving purely [you offer], concrete follow-up [strategic for the novelty of pre-saving any planning] and exclusives you’re delivering,” more. We ask people running he says. “Be clear with the fans on what to campaigns, ‘What is the value expect. Over-promising marketing has been proposal?’ Over the last two years, seen too often in that game.” our platform has evolved into more of a marketing tool, as Pre-saves around artists far as building incentives into rather than albums pre-saves.” The idea of a value exchange is THE MUSIC ALLY CHECKLIST FOR PRE-SAVES Ross links the idea of the pre-save fan important, as marketers start to create Zaloom told music ally that Franz club to the streaming artist subscription :) Make sure your pre-save campaign: extra incentives for fans to sign up to pre- Ferdinand fans “were really rewarded for that Kobalt developed for its pre-save l Saves a selection of back catalogue to user collection save campaigns. The Always Ascending fan committing to save the album, staying campaigns, whereby fans subscribe to the upon signup club offered exclusive photos, videos and engaged and checking back for updates”. artist themselves rather than just pre- l Follows an artist’s owned-and-operated playlist lyrics from Franz Ferdinand; Kylie Minogue This included a neat email campaign to saving a particular album. upon signup fans who pre-saved her recent album on thank fans for their loyalty.