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Home , Already There, Bruce Dickinson, Drag Me Down, Leon Bridges, Mylo Xyloto, Nothing but Thieves

05–06 Tools Feedlamp 07-08 Campaigns & Justin Bieber, Melissa Horn, Bob Dylan 09-13 Behind The Campaign

NOVEMBER 18 2015 sandboxMUSIC MARKETING FOR THE DIGITAL ERA ISSUE 145 WINDOW SHOPPER

THE NEW WAVE OF WINDOWING COVERFEATURE

Windowing used to be about keeping songs and off streaming services in order to squeeze as much out of download and CD sales as possible. Now, as Ellie Goulding and One Direction are showing, streaming services – for singles, at least – are the priority and YouTube is the new place to draw the curtains on. While big acts can pick and choose which digital services they go with, smaller acts risk making themselves invisible if they pursue a similar strategy, almost creating a new two-tier windowing class system around leverage and “impact points”. Beyond the arguments about windowing fuelling piracy, a more nuanced notion emerges that it can work well for singles but less so for albums. We speak to those having to choose between flinging open or bricking up windows about the intricacies of exposure versus revenue and what the real pay off is. WINDOW SHOPPER THE NEW WAVE OF WINDOWING

hen it comes to releasing new count towards the chart in the US.) music, traditional industry thinking So, by making your video available on Wholds that the more digital YouTube you may be creating greater platforms you can hit, the better. Your exposure for a track at the expense of its music should be available for consumers UK chart performance. By withholding to find wherever they are, be it iTunes, your from you may gain SoundCloud or the latest messaging app; the greater reward in download sales. to hold your music back, the thinking Or you may be infuriating your fans and goes, is to miss out on plays, exposure encouraging piracy. And so on. and money. To muddy the waters even The problem with this is that further, digital music services are not all platforms are equal in understandably keen for bands to give terms of financial return and them exclusives on their new work (or, as First it was Spotify exposure. A download sale is worth far is sometimes the case, semi-exclusives, windowing, now it’s YouTube exclusive on Drake and Future’s What A more than a play on Spotify, which in turn where a song is kept off certain Time To Be Alive mixtape for Beats 1 and is worth more than a play on YouTube. platforms). Windowing releases – that’s to say iTunes. What’s more, not all platforms are In return, they will give the a keeping them off certain platforms for a But recent months have seen a eligible for the charts. In the UK, for push – homepage placement, social length of time – is nothing new: ’s couple of examples of windowing that example, YouTube plays don’t count media campaigns etc. – sending and ’s 21 were both are notable not just for the artists towards the OCC chart, while Spotify consumption rocketing on their platform initially kept off Spotify on their releases in question – Ellie Goulding and One streams do. (YouTube plays do, however, and putting a lot of noses out of joint. in 2011; more recently Apple secured the Direction – but also for the platform

2 | sandbox | ISSUE 145 | 18.11.15 COVERFEATURE initially avoided, in this case YouTube. One heavily on Spotify’s playlists, as well as Direction’s ‘Drag Me Down’ made its social media. debut on , Spotify and other The result was 4.75m streams on streaming services on 31st July, but was Spotify on the song’s day of release and withheld from YouTube until 20th August, 17.7m streams worldwide in the first when the official video was released. week, each paying more than a YouTube On 17th September, Ellie Goulding’s play. The song was also a chart success, ‘On My Mind’ debuted on radio, topping Spotify’s global chart and debuting streaming services and download stores, at the top of the overall singles charts in with the official video hitting YouTube the UK, , , , on 21st September. This delay in itself and . was not unusual: official videos are often This Spotify success doesn’t appear released days after a song makes its to have unduly harmed the fortunes of debut, with labels typically uploading a the official ‘Drag Me Down’ video, which basic audio clip (or stopgap lyric video) was released to YouTube on 20th August. to YouTube in the interim. But Universal It has reached 185m views since then, didn’t do this. Instead, it uploaded a beating the 160m of their previous single, 30-second snippet video of ‘On My Mind’ 2014’s ‘’, and the 40m of to YouTube and Facebook, pointing ‘Perfect’, which premiered on on 20th viewers to Spotify and Apple Music, while October (with all the appropriate caveats policing the platform to keep fan-made about ‘Night Changes’ being the fourth videos from appearing. single from an album and ‘Perfect’ having If that doesn’t sound that peculiar, then less time to build views). consider this: YouTube is the most popular One Direction’s label, Syco, did not music consumption platform in the respond to interview requests for this world, its popularity particularly marked piece. And yet it has been suggested that among young people. It has more than of European label relations Kevin Brown newer material does appear, for example on the label used a staggered approach to 1bn monthly active users and 10 music recently told Music Business Worldwide. the official Warner Bros. YouTube account). this video release to build expectation. videos to date have generated more than “I freely acknowledge that the strategy That’s Prince’s right, of course. But whether First we learned that One Direction hadn’t 1bn views in total. Advances in YouTube’s of not going to YouTube first isn’t this staunch approach has really benefitted made a video for ‘Drag Me Down’; then Content ID system may have made it a lot necessarily the right one for every release,” him in the long run is hard to assess, there were reports that the band were to easier to keep your music off the platform he added. “But the simple question should particularly now that YouTube plays count film a promo at a NASA base; finally, – “Back in the day,” one digital marketer at least be asked: at what point should towards the US chart. as interest hit fever pitch, the explains, “the reason that you had to go new music go onto YouTube?” video was released. In this way, to YouTube was because your music was A simple question it may be. But it The chart uptick the video release allowed the label going to be there whatever you did” – but does not bring a simple answer. The most to stretch out interest in the song it is still extremely rare for new songs not extreme case – not allowing your music Keeping your new music off YouTube over several weeks, boosting its to be present there. on YouTube at all – doesn’t seem to be the temporarily, though, could prove beneficial, impact. “The strategy of putting music answer. Prince is about the only major artist as One Direction have shown. Spotify “In a world where Spotify streams peak on YouTube first has become the to have come close to such an approach threw its full weight behind ‘Drag Me at six-to-eight weeks after release, having prevalent release paradigm in and it is, as a result, hard to find many of his Down’, which was featured as a takeover more impact points is really important,” the music industry,” Spotify’s head classic hits on the platform (although some ad across the platform and promoted says one A&R and marketing executive.

3 | sandbox | ISSUE 145 | 18.11.15 COVERFEATURE

“It is not just about day one of week one, Even worse, by keeping their music would be no great surprise to see some so this makes perfect sense. Maybe you off YouTube, new bands run the risk of of the public ire traditionally directed at want a boost when the album becomes antagonising their own fans, who may ELLIE GOULDING Spotify shift in YouTube’s direction. available to pre-order. Maybe you want find their amateur videos removed from “[YouTube] is being seen as more of a your video to come out later so it can have the platform for breaching copyright (a In the UK, Ellie Goulding’s the song actually debuted bad guy among the industry,” one label more impact.” familiar plight for Prince fans over the last ‘On My Mind’ debuted at lower in the US streaming marketing source says. “I don’t know if Windowing in this way also gives artist few years). #7, peaking at #5 a fortnight charts (at #44, with 4.6m launching a subscription service [YouTube and label leverage with other platforms. Then there’s the wider effect on the weeks later – a solid, if streams) than on the Hot Red, which debuted in the US in October] “The more you can leverage a particular industry: windowing is a controversial unspectacular, showing. 100 overall. Globally, ‘On will change that. It may do, in some service, the more you can get what you policy that some observers claim In the US, ‘On My My Mind’ has topped 65m people’s eyes. But it is really early days to want,” the A&R and marketing executive encourages piracy. Keeping One Direction’s Mind’ debuted at #22, plays on YouTube – making measure the success of that.” says, citing the extensive real estate that latest video off YouTube may drive some Goulding’s highest debut it her fifth most popular We may, then, see more videos quietly Apple gave to Drake on iTunes. “But it can consumers to monetised streaming on the Hot 100, last week song there – and 86m withheld from YouTube in the future, be to your detriment. I would be concerned services; but others, particularly young climbing to #18, although Spotify streams. especially as labels direct their efforts about annoying Spotify or Apple because audiences who listen to music pretty towards platforms that pay more per they are both so big. And YouTube has much exclusively through YouTube, may stream and have established subscription massive reach.” gravitate towards illegal sites. tiers. “I think there’s a good chance “As an industry we like to think that YouTube: from indispensible that we will find more high- Big acts benefit most we would move people towards other to optional profile acts keeping their videos from windowing while ad-funded services, where a song will get off YouTube,” our source says. “There smaller acts risk making a higher rate,” says one industry source. What these examples demonstrate is are the financial benefits. And within the “But you have to question: are the general the difficulty of stating conclusively label world there is a strategic reason for themselves invisible public aware of other sites as they are what release policy works best in this doing it, to either get a better deal with It may not matter if you’re One Direction, of YouTube? Would someone who uses transitional digital age. What we can say YouTube or maybe for them to push more one of the biggest acts in the world; but for YouTube to find and discover music think: with a degree of certainty, though, is that for subscription.” new bands windowing is a risky strategy. the Ellie Goulding track isn’t there, I’m the music industry’s attitude towards Even smaller bands and indie labels “If you are a small artist, then what is the going to Spotify? Or would they type the YouTube is changing. For years, YouTube may act. Keeping new songs off YouTube point of windowing if you are not going to song name into a search box and go to the was seen as an essential promotional may be a foolish move for up-and-coming get much back?” our A&R and marketing first result, whether it is legal or illegal?” platform, untouchable in its reach. Now bands given the platform’s promotional executive asks. Spotify, after all, can only You could argue that labels’ priorities people are starting to question its worth worth. But albums are another matter. extend the red carpet welcome to a very when releasing new music should be as a space for music consumption; and it “For singles I wouldn’t do it,” an indie limited amount of acts. And if you’re not towards driving sales, streams and label source explains. “For an album I a superstar then that’s unlikely to be you, revenue for the artist in question, rather think I would consider it. It’s something no matter how much exclusivity you may than worrying over uncertain industry that we have discussed without coming promise them. questions. down firmly on either side. “ and One Direction are And, for One Direction, windowing “For singles, you put your tracks Hollywood blockbusters,” the A&R and seemed to work in terms of chart success. on there because you want to raise marketing executive says. “Windowing is For Ellie Goulding, however, the result awareness for a new act or existing act fine for them. Whereas if you are was not quite so clear (see box) and with new product. Once it comes to the a discovery artist, not allowing Adele’s ‘Hello’ , undoubtedly 2015’s album, you’re not driving awareness so people to discover you on certain biggest song, was released to Vevo at the much as sales and streams, [thereby] services makes no sense. ” same time as streaming services. raising revenue.” :)

4 | sandbox | ISSUE 145 | 18.11.15 TOOLS FEEDLAMP

Leon Bridges is a perfect example; a stylised artist, his Feedlamp page presents him as an icon of music. Suddenly there appears an Instagram video of an a cappella verse in church, a tweeted photograph of hero Elvis Presley and an archaic, woodcut poster that perfectly complements the Swinging Sixties-style live videos fed in from YouTube. For Bridges, his music sounds the way he looks and Feedlamp offers a much more comprehensive idea of what will happen when you roll over one of the music videos (praise be for auto-play) than the few tweets or Vines you catch randomly on your lunch break. The main problem with social media is director of Miappi, Feedlamp’s Aggregating media isn’t just for hipsters that it can be just too social and we find parent company. posting monochrome and broody shots, ourselves cast into an ocean of updates – Feedlamp has been working though. The dashboard gives an artist drowning, not waving. over the past couple of years complete control over what they want to develop the musician’s perfect social that fans have to do, but it is now giving fans to see, including what fans are saying We just about keep up with the hundreds magazine, aggregating up to six different around 120 acts (and growing) the among themselves. Nothing But Thieves of ‘friends’ on Facebook, but what about platforms’ content onto a coherent and opportunity to really make the most used this as a tool to make their gig more the artists and bands we love? By the time digestible webpage that works similarly to of their content, producing a visually interactive for the audience, projecting live you’ve watched your favorite band’s latest Flipboard. “You’d have to be a mega-fan to cohesive feed that is aggregated from all tweets from members, thereby involving YouTube video or combed through their want to go and see all of those individual manner of creative platforms. and engaging them. Feedlamp aims to #latergrams from last night’s gig, their platforms,” he says. “It’s just not realistic.” give musicians more control of their social tweets will be sinking to the ocean floor of We’ve written before about the age media and that includes utilising what their . of the superfan, the top 5% or so of the audience is already doing. Amid this social media overload, how audience who represent the most financial The idea isn’t actually that different can musicians ensure they are both seen value to an artist’s career; yet regardless to some of the ones that exist already. and heard? Feedlamp is one of several of how much money they’re willing to Platforms like Rebel Mouse and Awesome companies promising a solution. spend on crowd funding or the inevitable Wall offer alternatives, for example; but “With ranking and algorithms, if you put limited-edition vinyl editions, time is the with Sony partnerships already under its content out to your followers, somewhere fundamental thing we all have a lack of. belt, Feedlamp was created as a music- between just 2% and 5% will see all of your Not only does a platform like Feedlamp only version of what parent company content,” explains Toby Britton, creative help to cut down the running around Miappi was already doing. As Britton says,

5 | sandbox | ISSUE 145 | 18.11.15 TOOLS FEEDLAMP contd.

“There is a passionate fanbase there.” Where there is passion, there is rich content to be harnessed. “Even the people who like it aren’t going to go and check out the aggregated social profile of Marmite,” he argues. “But, with things that people are passionate about, it’s a much more compelling thing.” Similarly to the other attempts at social media aggregation, your profile can be embedded in your website. Feedlamp has a focus on making its product accessible to emerging and smaller artists. For £14.99 a month, its copy-paste code could revive the value of a band’s website, making it a holistic portrait of their lives, news, opinions and music – updated every 15 minutes with the choice of a full-width widget or rolling sidebar. But to quote Spinal Tap – gimme some money. So where is the cash? Britton makes one of the company’s primary aims Feedlamp is the one to survive is its support for Pinterest launched this week clear when he says, “We are mixing the timing. Streaming and social is starting alone. It’s not perfect yet and, as Britton audio and the visual.” The problem with to support one another – and with the is the first to point out, “It doesn’t work websites has always been keeping the fan arrival of Apple Music Connect came the for all brands.” Bigger artists like Taylor on the page; as soon as they click off to buy validation of a concept already hatched by Swift, for example, post multiple updates some merchandise, you’ve lost them. Miappi. Artists’ stories are now presented across different media using the same Feedlamp allows merchandise alongside their music, and Feedlamp is photographs, resulting in a very dull social tabs to be slotted in between in a position to offer partnerships to the board – so there are already movements the tweets and photos; while the streaming competitors who need to catch to prevent duplications on the platform. fans are taken off to an external up. “Apple Music is asking artists to create As a social media aggregation platform shopping page, the story additional content and that’s labour- with a sole focus on music, it could continues for their next visit. Tracks intensive,” he says. “What we’re saying is reinvent the forgotten band website and are streamed from Spotify too, taking the there is no need for that as they’re doing help fans finally see the whole story as an fan back to the music. it already.” artist emerges. It can then make way for These platforms have come and gone It is rolling out new features to more engagement, a deeper connection in the past, but what might just ensure compliment what’s already there, with and, hopefully, a long-term superfan. :)

6 | sandbox | ISSUE 145 | 18.11.15 CAMPAIGNS The latest projects from the digital marketing arena SANDBOX POP SPECIAL! WITH 1D!! AND JUSTIN BIEBER!!!

It’s a huge week for well as watch unseen Twitter announced a global competition He partnered with Lyft, the Uber rival, the biggest pop acts footage of the band via its blog where the aim was to find the 10 whereby fans can purchase his new album for in the world. With One – one example being countries with the biggest 1D fans, with a prize only $5 as well as receive a $5 credit towards Direction (Made In The explaining of getting their own dedicated emoji for the their next car ride. The partnership also includes AM) and Justin Bieber the reason for the winning countries. The competition ran for 24 Bieber himself announcing on Twitter that he (Purpose) having name of the album hours, starting on 17th November, and there were would be riding the company cars to surprise released their latest being Made In The designated country hashtags fans could use to fans in real life. This is a clear effort to market albums on the same AM (a lot of the show their loyalty and which would count towards towards an older demographic than was day (13th November), songs were written the total. Fans could follow the live results via a traditional for Bieber. He has also recorded his sandbox looks at their during late nights, dedicated site showing the voting tally. own version of Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling’, putting campaign activities to consider how and why they apparently – so now you know). Each member of the group also had their own a twist on the listening discovery of it by only are using different tactics to reach out to their We’ve seen similar campaigns using Google personal emojis, triggered by typing a dedicated being available via the hotline (231) 377-1113. target demographics. Maps in the past, albeit with a competition angle hashtag into Twitter, that fans could tweet as well. This follows similar moves recently reported for, amongst others, Avicii and classical composer After the reveal of the winner, fans will also be able in sandbox by both Lana Del Rey and One Direction have been focusing their efforts André Rieu. to download exclusive 1D avatars and covers from Ludovico Einaudi. on their existing fanbase and teamed up with The band’s other partnership with Twitter the madeintheam.com site to add to their Twitter Both acts began with similar (young) Google Maps in order to create their own microsite really harnesses the natural strength of their profile. The campaign is certainly harnessing the audiences, but this time around the album madeintheam.com, which includes an interactive fanbase – expressing their love for the band on the power that the existing 1D fans have on Twitter to releases are carving out their own strategies; experience for fans to explore places and videos platform. 1D fans are extremely active on Twitter ensure excitement around the album release. Bieber is branching out to establish himself as related to the new album using Street View. (they make the trending section on what feels like Justin Bieber, meanwhile, is trying a different a more mature artist whereas 1D are clearly The street imagery was collected via a a daily basis), so this campaign turned that to its route by branching out with his album and doubling down (ahead of their sabbatical) by Google tripod to create a 360-degree experience advantage by encouraging users to tweet about marking a more “mature” and urban image, squeezing the last metaphorical pips out of their for fans. They can explore lyrics and photos as the band. breaking from his pure pop background. existing audience.

7 7| SANDBOX | sandbox | | ISSUE ISSUE 145 XX | |DATE 18.11.15 XXXX CAMPAIGNS The latest projects from the digital marketing arena

A GREETING FROM MELISSA DYLAN IS REMIXING UP THE MEDICINE

Despite writing about Bob Dylan’s Genius campaign in the last sandbox, we felt this latest move for his The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series Volume 12 collection was too good to be ignored.

Dylan has now launched a dedicated website thecuttingedge.bobdylan.com, where fans can really delve into the history of his mid- Sixties sessions that “changed everything” Melissa Horn is known for her soft (according to his own website as well as just melodic and personal songs in her native about every history of you care Sweden. For her release of ‘Du går Nu’, to read). There are some really nice features Sweden decided to try out a included, with a jam and listening session new way of gaining interest from fans. currently available and a session promised to launch in the future. A recording was sent out to her followers Users can, using section, find on Spotify a couple of days ahead of the ‘Like A ’ and explore and tweak single – a minute-long message entitled the four main stems of the song (vocals & “A greeting from Melissa”. It included guitar / solo guitar / & bass / drums Melissa herself thanking her fans and generating extra income for the specific & organ). It works seamlessly and is actually describing the upcoming song’s meaning. message but it also resulted in the new a very nice way of making the user feel “Melissa has been communicating with single getting double the amount of like they are creating music without much her fans through the years by writing longer streams that Horn’s tracks usually get effort. We love these types of interactive greetings on her social media instead of on release day. It shows the success of campaigns. The jam session also promises doing short everyday posts,” says Maria getting fans to react and anticipate a additional songs becoming available later. Westergård, digital key account manager track with a personal message as well The listening part of the website at Sony Music Sweden. “Doing this audio as leveraging the power of reaching fans guides people to a Spotify playlist for the The overall site gives an insight into the greeting on Spotify was an extension of where their music listening happens. album – but it also includes a timeline of recording process and the time and effort her written letters, so she could reach her These types of activities also mark a the recording of the album, where stories that went into it as well as revitalising Spotify fans the way that they use Spotify.” wider personalisation on the streaming regarding specific parts of various songs are appreciation of familiar classics in Dylan’s It was available in the Spotify client platforms leading the way into 2016 included. In a way it reminds us of the j.viewz repertoire. Overall this is another great for around 48 hours before it was taken and offering artists additional ways of DNA project where users can follow the digital project from the Dylan team that down (once the single was released) and reaching out to their audience, especially recording of his coming album in a similar everyone, not just legacy artists, can learn it gathered around 15k streams during considering the launch of the Fan Insights timeline manner, which sandbox reported on from – giving the audience a ringside seat that time. Not only was this a way of dashboard yesterday by Spotify. back in May. at the cutting edge.

8 | sandbox | ISSUE 145 | 18.11.15 MAINFEATURE BEHIND THE CAMPAIGN IRON MAIDEN

9 | SANDBOX | ISSUE XX | DATE XXXX BEHIND THE CAMPAIGNIRON MAIDEN

Book Of Souls is Iron Maiden’s 16th album and their first studio double. Leading into the album to tell the fans first because they are front It also became the first vinyl album to be racked in UK supermarket PF: A long time before the release was and centre of everything the band does; that chain Tesco. PAUL FLETCHER, head of artist projects for Rhino, and WILL announced we knew the band was in the is very much driven by them as much as BEARDMORE, senior digital creative producer at , explain how studio. We firmed the release date up it is driven by us. The band announced an towards the start of this year. We obviously album was coming and then on the website a 27-second guitar solo posted online launched the album, why the band’s had to work around Bruce’s illness [lead we announced the title and put up the new YouTube got a much-needed spring clean, why the gaming community singer was diagnosed with [band mascot and album cover star] is still central, how Facebook plays a growing role globally and why tongue cancer but was treated for it] and artwork. That worked really well in getting announcing the song lengths and who wrote them ahead of release is as so we came up with the September release the fans on board from an early stage so important to the band’s fans as the iconic Eddie-centric artwork date. So we had been putting the plans they could get comfortable with the look, together for quite a long time now. feel and sound of it. This is the band’s 16th What we always do with Iron Maiden is studio album. They have done double live BEHIND THE CAMPAIGNIRON MAIDEN albums before but this is the first double is what the whole concept is based on this animated packshot. We didn’t want to We had a different set of assets to work studio album. When we announced that the and it always comes from the band and give too much away before people got to with and a different timeline. ‘El Dorado’ was fans were incredibly excited about what that [bassist], the historic leader experience the album as a whole. But by the first track we released from The Final could mean. of the band. They are very much behind that point there was a challenge to get the Frontier. That was released just as a single. the artwork concepts and which Eddie is advertising going around the world and so For this album we went first with the video WB: Along with the pack shot and leading the record. on. It worked really well for us and drove for ‘Speed Of Light’. It was based around the track listing were slight bits of quite a lot of pre-orders. That was all from the history of computer games – which is detail such as which members of A guitar solo (not a full song) was 27 seconds. ‘Speed Of Light’ itself didn’t drop squarely aimed at the Iron Maiden fanbase. the band had written which songs the first thing fans could hear until 14th August. That launched the track amazingly well. and even the lengths of the songs. WB: The first bit of music that anyone heard The only thing that people knew was that We were much more spartan with That set the fanbase into quite a lot of was 27 seconds of a guitar solo, which we the album was coming. They didn’t know what we put out beforehand. Online works speculation about what it could be. The last went live with at the end of July. That went that ‘Speed Of Light’ was the single. They incredibly well for Iron Maiden because, track on the album is written entirely by onto YouTube and all of the band’s socials – didn’t know anything about what the ‘Speed apart from specialist radio, we don’t really Bruce Dickinson, which is called ‘Empire so natively onto Facebook and natively onto Of Light’ video was going to be. The only get any radio play. We don’t enjoy what Of The Clouds’. It’s 18 minutes long and Twitter – as well as IronMaiden.com. It was thing they had seen was the packshot. This other mainstream rock bands might enjoy the band had never had a track like 27 seconds of the guitar solo from ‘Speed was purely the introduction of 27 seconds of in terms of getting airplay. We get that from that before. That caused quite a lot of Of Light’, which was the first single; but we guitar solo. online where we reach the fans and we talk conversation online. didn’t tell anybody that it was ‘Speed Of to them that way. Light’. We purely put it up with an animated Bridging from the previous This was a high concept video – and very PF: The fans are very interested in who version of the album cover. It just sent the album into this one high quality as well. It’s a great way of doing writes with whom, just because of the fans crazy. PF: For the last album [2010’s The Final that and the plays were in the millions [it is history of the band. An We very quickly had over half a million Frontier], we released two tracks going into currently at 8.2m plays]. It just goes to show [guitarist] writing credit and a Bruce views and it was a triumph of having it – ‘Satellite 15… ’ and ‘El the fervour there is for that sort of thing. Dickinson writing credit [will mean certain minimal assets and coming forward with Dorado’. It was a little bit different this time. things to the fans]. It gets to that level of Giving YouTube a spring clean fandom and the band recognise that – so WB: There was so much Iron Maiden that level of detail goes into the press content on there [YouTube]. We had a bit of release. An 18-minute Bruce Dickinson- a challenge when we got to the beginning penned track that takes up a whole side of of this campaign as there was historic a piece of vinyl is amazing news for them. catalogue living on EMI Music’s YouTube The comments that came in the following channel. Iron Maiden were all over the weeks and months were just crazy. We place on YouTube and we really focused on hadn’t even given them any music at that streamlining and organising it on the Iron point. It was just the news that created Maiden channel. that level of interest. The Iron Maiden YouTube channel previously existed but, with Warner not The Eddie iconography having a deal with Vevo and everything PF: If you look at the artwork of Book Of historically living with EMI, there were Souls more deeply, it’s all entrenched challenges in making sure we had a real in Mayan mythology. There are a lot of pool of engaged subscribers on our own Mayan letters in the artwork and that YouTube channel. We properly addressed theme pervades through the lyrics. That that. Because their catalogue is so old, it

11 | sandbox | ISSUE 145 | 18.11.15 BEHIND THE CAMPAIGNIRON MAIDEN was all uploaded when YouTube could only fly a spaceship around and so on. The later accept low-res videos; so a lot of videos games are a lot more involved than the historically lived in low definition. We went earliest ones. That fell in beautifully with the through them and re-uploaded them all to other tools we normally have on an album the Iron Maiden channel as HD video. We campaign. have doubled the subscribers within this campaign and that gave us a really good WB: It all started from the strength of footing from which to launch the ‘Speed Of the video creative being what it was. We Light’ campaign. It has had over 7m views to had ambitions to create other levels, but date. A lot of the fans live on YouTube. you have to hone in on what’s achievable. We ran a video tournament leading The Donkey Kong level was the most into the launch of ‘Speed Of Light’. We achievable for us. It was brilliant the way ran a tournament across Twitter and it all turned out and the results that we YouTube with some native videos we got got from that game we were really happy commissioned for them to drive these video with. The kind of authenticity we got from battles. We would pitch one classic video PF: On the last album, they were on 4m working collaboratively with Llexi Leon from from a certain era against another from the fans on Facebook. Within five years we Phantom Music Management. He gave us same era and then fans voted on Twitter have grown that by almost 10m; we are access to all of the people that put the video through hashtags to pick their favourites. approaching 14m fans now and it is very together to get all of the original assets that Ultimately the winner was ‘’ central to what we are doing. we could then supply to the game developer. and then the next day we launched the He also arranged a chiptune audio of ‘Speed ‘Speed Of Light’ to a healthier subscriber WB: Facebook, in terms of the socials, is the Of Light’, which just added to the whole base and a lot more re-marketing data so first touch point for us. Management runs it environment around it. we could move comfortably into the album. but we collaborate with them quite heavily. We had the challenge, around the time The UK is a huge part of Iron Maiden’s There are not necessarily posts for the we wanted to put it out, that we didn’t want fanbase, but they are a truly global band. sake of posting. There is more of an ethos to give any more music away and we didn’t There are the obvious huge numbers for of putting things out there that people will necessarily just want to put ‘Speed Of Light’ South America but basically every territory actually want to engage with. They have as the soundtrack. We were contemplating is covered with Iron Maiden. That is what the regular hashtag #wEDnesday a busy arcade sound with historic Iron drives them to get #1s all around the world. with a different Eddie. Those posts Maiden songs playing in the background, are incredibly engaged with and it but it really came to life with this chiptune Building Facebook helps break apart the monotony to the high-res games we have now. audio. As we launched it, Planet Rock [radio of sales posts. Through that we had the different Eddies station] played the chiptune audio for us on through the ages. It was like a look back at the airwaves and drove a lot of people to the Crossover with the gaming community Eddie, visually using it as the backdrop to game. We had over four minutes of dwell PF: It was the band’s vision for the video something that their fans would engage time for everyone sitting on the game. There [‘Speed Of Light’ is based around the history with. For the past four or five albums we was a really high level of engagement and of video games]. The creative was very much have always produced an Eddie viral game. nearly half a million people played it. theirs. It was taking the various Eddies there We started on Brave New World [in had been in the past through to the current 2000] with a very basic Frogger-style game Pre-orders and crossing over one and using the history of video gaming as where Eddie had to cross the road to get to PF: We only had that one track [‘Speed Of the backdrop to that. It went through 16-bit the pub. We had a game where you could Light’] ahead of the release of the album.

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We drove pre-orders with ad spend. We Tesco and vinyl had one of our biggest pre-orders of the PF: With this album it was about 85% year with this album. The last album in physical sales; that’s very high. They 2010 sold 45,000 copies [in the UK] over always do well in vinyl sales and for this the counter [in the first week]. Five years album it was the first ever vinyl release in later, with a market that has declined, we [supermarket chain] Tesco. That was tied sold 60,000 over the counter. We grew by into a cross-promotion for their Trooper 33% in week one. beer. That was a major press story and we That tells us a few things: 1) the fanbase sold a lot of vinyl through a supermarket is still enormously engaged with the band; that, at the start of the campaign, we 2) we crossed over to a potential new couldn’t have envisaged. But it went that audience. You see the audience at any Iron [a qualified pilot] from Cardiff to way and the partners came on board. Maiden show and there is a large element where they would go to the studios where We talked to all the retail accounts as that is young. Lots of young kids get into they recorded the album. There was a soon as possible and told them we had a Iron Maiden as a rite of passage. We playback of the album and Trooper beer. huge band and brand here that has many shipped gold in week one which five years Bruce gave a speech about everything strands and that they sold one or more of ago took us a bit longer to do. Once the fans that happened on the record then he flew those products so we should work together. followers, and it is a platform for us to be heard the music was on release. We didn’t everyone back to Cardiff the next day on an Across beer and music we wanted to do able to drop in the new album – which we have anything else out before the album Iron Maiden-branded 737. That was a key something that would make people sit did on the day that it came out. apart from that one track. Streaming was asset we had that we could play with. and notice. The buyer at Tesco At the same time as launching that where the album came alive for a lot of fans ran that competition through Amazon and is a fan and loved the idea of the official playlist, the management team put because they could not only stream it, they benefited from the profile. resurgence in vinyl sales. Tesco had together a couple of catalogue playlists as could also share it. started to sell turntables so it made well. There was one focusing on every Iron sense to take an iconic band like Maiden song that was really long [A Real The band’s beer brand plus a competition Iron Maiden with one of the biggest Long One] and one focusing on the shorter to go to their studio in Paris vinyl releases of the year and work Iron Maiden songs [A Real Short One]. Both PF: With the beer on this occasion, because to tie all of those strands together. of those playlists have over 1,000 followers we always get into the supermarkets with That is how it came together and it was very each. The way we went into this campaign a new Iron Maiden album, it made sense to successful. was to have ‘Speed Of Light’ sitting at the do a cross-promotion with the beer – which top of a catalogue playlist so it definitely we did with a couple of the supermarkets. The long and short of streaming helped to drive sales. :) Certain retailers like HMV did a co-rack with WB: The only music we had to play with the album and T-shirts. It is more a case of before the album came out was ‘Speed seeing where the opportunities are and then Of Light’, but on the day we released that WANT TO FEATURE IN making sure we are on top of them. song we launched a Spotify homepage BEHIND THE CAMPAIGN? takeover as well. The streaming is healthy Marketing people: do you have a campaign you are WB: There was a competition to go to and ‘Speed Of Light’ itself has over 2.8m working on that you would like to see featured in Behind Paris, which we ran through Amazon streams. When we launched with The Campaign in a future edition of sandbox? If so, send and Planet Rock [in the UK]. It was run that song we did a Spotify Premium a brief synopsis of it to Eamonn Forde for consideration globally so each territory chose partners homepage takeover as their fanbase and your work (and your words) could appear here. to run the competition with. The prize was skews that way. That led into our official Iron Email: [email protected] for fans to be flown by Bruce Dickinson Maiden playlist, which now has over 16,000

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