05–06 Tools Trash 07–08 Campaigns Chainsmokers, Ian Isiah, Warner Classics, Queen 09–13 Behind The Campaign

JULY 24 2019 sandboxMUSIC MARKETING FOR THE DIGITAL ERA ISSUE 233

Shopping around: making online stores add up

"Cash Register” image by tamale, via Creative Commons. COVERFEATURE Global merchandise sales were worth $3.48bn in 2018, up from $3.33bn in 2017 according to the 2019 Global Licensing Survey, meaning that one of the music industry’s most reliable sources of income continued its seemingly unstoppable rise. While the popularity of music merchandise Shopping around: hasn’t changed, the shape of the market certainly has. In the early 2000s, the trend was for web making online stores that would slot seamlessly into the artist’s own website; in 2019, the tendency is towards selling on social media, with stores add up platforms like , , YouTube and Snapchat making moves that allow artists and brands to shift merchandise as part of their social experience. “We can already see that platforms like Facebook and Instagram are becoming like digital shops,” says Music Ally marketing executive Marlen Hüllbrock. “Young audiences are already on these platforms and they spend lots of time there. If your merchandise is there, you can enable this seamless experience to put this merchandise in front of their eyes and then they can easily buy it. I think it’s a great driver for selling merchandise. It’s good to In the early 2000s, artists started to add online have a website as well, of course; but not stores to their websites, but this was eventually every fan will actively go on to your website and search for your merchandise.” superseded by partnerships with online retail and D2C experts. Now as artist websites give way to The soft sell their social media channels so a new retail Artists – and the music industry as opportunity emerges. We look at where social a whole – have started to embrace this platforms are being best used to sell merchandise, development because it means selling to fans where they are rather than trying to how casual fans (and not just superfans) can be coax them onto your own platform. (This is catered to and where exclusives can fit in here. why selling on – see box – has also become important.) “Why are we trying to drive people to our web stores and sell to them?” asks Music Ally SVP of digital strategy Patrick Ross.

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“Integrated check-outs [which allow important to make any commercial offerings Instagram,” she says. “You can post pictures will be able to read consumers to buy within social media sites] available in these places as well – when the of artists wearing merchandise items, you the description or are becoming more of a thing. You have tools available provide a straightforward can tag products within posts and you can choose between direct platform check-out on Instagram purchase flow.” also make it into an ad. That makes it a different options, and Facebook in the US. This idea – that Ross, meanwhile, points out the far more appealing ad to your fans as they sizes and colours. you can have a shop on Facebook and advantages of artists being able to control will be able to directly browse the products They can share your products are set out there with an their storefronts on social media. “We talk on the platform instead of being sent to a products with their integrated check-out – it just makes sense. a lot about conversion marketing, different website. This lowers the likelihood Messenger contacts We pay a lot of money for social which is pretty impossible within of them dropping off as they can already and, if they want to media advertising. We try to drive streaming services as it is a walled start interacting with your products.” buy, they can do so people to their destination and garden,” he explains. “But you Facebook and Instagram also allow inside Messenger social platforms don’t like people can do it on social media: if you you to tag products in videos, a feature and check out within leaving because they lose the ability send them to your store, they put that Billie Eilish, whose name comes up the platform as well to advertise to them.” something in their cart and don’t often when talking about social media – if they are in the Jessie Scoullar, founding director of buy it, then you can still serve retail, has used to her advantage. “She US.” adverts to them.” simply uploaded her video, tagged all of YouTube offers a her merchandise products as well as her more limited retail Tag teams and why social physical releases within the video and option. Users on its shops are not all built the then turned that into an ad,” Hüllbrock Partner Programme explains. “We know that video is one in the US can sell same. of the most engaging formats on tickets on YouTube It would be wrong, of course, to think Facebook and Instagram, so this is a via integrations of social media retail as one generic mass. nice way to make your merchandise with Ticketmaster, Each of the main sites has adverts stand Eventbrite and e-commerce specialist Wicksteed Works, its own subtly different out and gain AXS, while creators explains that selling on social media will offer, as well as its own the attention of in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, appeal to an artist’s less-engaged fans, userbase. Facebook, for your fans.” Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, who may be unlikely to visit their website. example, allows users to Messenger, Portugal, Spain, the UK and the US can “For a fan to be visiting an artist’s site, they create their own shops another Facebook sell merchandise thanks to YouTube’s are already a qualified lead; they’ve either where they can sell physical property, allows agreement with , displaying up searched the site out, or they’ve taken a goods and can also synch artists with a to 12 items beneath their videos. positive action to click on a link in an email products from , Shopify store to or on a social post to take them there,” she Big Commerce and sell in-app. “Users says. WooCommerce. can start shopping “These are within a cohort of top-level In addition, Hüllbrock via tapping on the fans; and below them is an iceberg of more explains that Facebook and menu button,” casual fans who follow the artist on social Instagram offer shopping Hüllbrock explains. media and may or may not engage actively. tags. “One of the main “If the user chooses Social network commerce is likely to be advantages we see is the the option ‘shop the key touchpoint for these fans when ability to tag products now’, you can it comes to sales of music, merchandise, within your posts – not only send them various ticketing and so on. This all means that it’s on Facebook, but also within products and they

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In addition, the both for creators latest technological features to sell via their company announced – so that they can socials. at its recent VidCon earn money on the keynote that it platform – as well as Exclusive platforms and was adding five users, by enabling exclusive products new partners – these experiences including Rooster and launching new Hüllbrock says that Billie Eilish, for Teeth, Fanjoy and features,” says example, has a separate Instagram account Represent – to Hüllbrock. just for her merchandise. “She has her its merchandise merchandise brand [blohsh], they have programme. “The Shopping their own Instagram account and it features idea is to have as c-AR-ts: photos of herself wearing her merchandise,” diverse of a pool of retail gets she explains. “She also features her fans on products in a way AR is one of the most interesting there, giving them a platform so that other that is as easy to augmented developments in social media retail, with fans will see this and think, ‘I want to wear use for creators These new Facebook also experimenting with the this merchandise as well. I want to be on as possible,” chief features include technology. In 2018, L’Oréal partnered with this platform as well. I want to product officer Neal in-app Facebook on AR experiences that allow be recognised by her.’ She creates this Mohan told The stores for a small users to try on make-up from the cosmetics whole world around it so it’s not just a Hollywood Reporter. number of Snapchat company’s brands. In announcing the shirt with her name on it; it is something Snapchat might users (including move, L’Oréal, chief digital officer Lubomira really desirable.” be the one name Bhad Bhabie/ Rochet said that AR “is becoming key for Crucially, Hüllbrock says here that raises BHADgoods), and product and brand discovery and purchase”. that the blohsh account eyebrows among this list. The platform Shoppable AR Lenses, which allow users Hüllbrock predicts that Facebook will roll is “not like a typical brand may have had 186m daily active users in to virtually try on items of merchandise. this AR feature out more widely in the near account, where you have Q3 2018 but it seems to have disappeared Ariana Grande was one of the first artists future. “It is another layer of interactivity,” these polished photos”. from music industry thinking, overtaken by to trial this feature when she released a she says. “It’s more fun for the user “It is more like a the allure of Instagram. And yet, according new Lens in August 2018 that allowed fans to try it on and they might be more platform for her and to Hüllbrock, it should not be written off to try on and purchase a tie-dye face mask willing to buy the stuff if they have her fans; it seems more entirely. “Snapchat is definitely not and package for $20. tried it on – even if it is only just authentic because it is as popular as Instagram at the a Lens. It is good for the just regular photos that moment, but there are certain user because it is more anyone would take,” territories – for example, with US interactive and also for the Hüllbrock suggests. “It teens, or in Scandinavia – where seller because it increases seems more authentic Snapchat is still quite popular,” your chances of selling because it’s not like, she explains. something.” ‘Oh, we took all of these What’s more, Snapchat has been putting The examples of Bhad Bhabie photos in a photo studio serious effort into its retail offering, perhaps and L’Oréal demonstrate how the and everything looks in a reaction to the perception of its wider playing field is not entirely level for amazing.’ She’s not decline in relevance. “It is definitely trying to artists and brands to sell via social pushing too much on it become more popular by launching these media at the moment. But artists as well. It’s not like she features and making the platform attractive don’t necessarily need access to the features it everywhere.

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She sometimes links out to it, tags it in club on Messenger, with one limited-edition Sell-by data the posts so that, when she wears her cap selling out within minutes. (Although merchandise and people click on the posts the fact that there are no more recent What’s more, there are and see the tags, they would be taken to high-profile examples exposes the still important reasons the account. But she doesn’t do it too much difficulties music marketers have for artists to maintain in your face.” recently found with Messenger.) their own web stores Social media can also be used to give We should add a caveat here. The in the traditional Music exclusivity to merchandise products. This widespread differences between Glue/Bandcamp vein, can work in a number of ways. Promoting social media retail in different not least the centrality a product via an Instagram Story means territories can make the experience of data. Music Glue’s Joe it will only be viewable for 24 hours, while of selling via social platforms rather Vesayaporn stresses the making platform-exclusive merchandise frustrating. Scoullar believes that this importance of “owning means that a limited section of your fans is the reason why the music business has the relationship with will see it. Given the different demographic yet to really embrace it. “In my view the out across all markets,” she says. your fans/customers”, bases of the different social networks, music business hasn’t gone deep on social “Another key consideration is the strategic which can only really be done on your own this could also allow artists to offer network commerce for two reasons: first, thinking that’s required to build a campaign, store. “Do you want all your sales merchandise to specific audience segments. store tools have not yet provided a simple including commercial offerings for social data in your relationship to be via a Axwell Ingrosso, for example, launched and seamless purchase experience for network followers in a sensible and third-party platform like Facebook limited merchandise drops via their VIP fan fans; and second, they are often not rolled integrated way.” or do you want to have that direct relationship with your customers?” he says. “We have found that after 12 years [of SPOTIFY Music Glue] fans trust artists and when they The question of whether or not you can shop while you are listening to limited to three products on the “merch” come to an artist-branded store that feels Spotify can be considered a social music, although you have to click out to section of their official profile, most like they are buying from the artists. It is media site is one that is likely to trouble check out,” he says. opting for T-shirts and vinyl. What’s still very important to have email addresses. the music industry’s finest brains over A Spotify spokesperson explains that more, Jessie Scoullar, founding director We allow people to see a whole host of the next few years. Whatever they Spotify for Artists automatically matches of e-commerce specialist Wicksteed their sales data because we are doing their conclude, though, Spotify does have artist profiles with profiles on Songkick, Works, says that Spotify offers “not great tickets, we are doing their merchandise, we social elements as well as a retail Ticketmaster, AXS and Eventbrite when range and a poor buyer experience”. are doing their album sales. We are able offer for artists, one that the streaming they have upcoming concerts, while to see everything that those fans operation has been understandably Spotify for Artists also has a partnership are buying, which gives artists a keen to plug as a riposte to its much- with Merchbar. “Once your merchandise much better understanding of what debated per-stream rates. is listed and you activate the Merchbar fans are spending their money on Music Ally SVP of digital strategy integration via Spotify for Artists, top and what they are interested in.” Patrick Ross says that the logic of selling products automatically populate on your Artists and music companies would be within Spotify is the same as selling Spotify artist page for fans to browse and wise, then, not to abandon tried-and-trusted within other social media: seamless (or buy,” the spokesperson explains. retail operations like Music Glue. But they nearly seamless) shopping within the And yet it is fair to say that the would be equally ill-advised to ignore the user’s current environment. “Someone is response to Spotify’s retail offering has many advantages offered by social media in the listening experience in Spotify so not been entirely positive, with artists retail as they chase that ever-growing music merchandise pot of . :)

4 | sandbox | ISSUE 233 | 24.07.2019 TOOLS trash

Venture capitalist Mary Meeker This is where new AI app The app is free to use, with Trash having uses machine learning to understand your highlighted in her 2019 Internet Trends Trash is hoping to make the medium of raised $2.5m from sources such as the content and automate the cutting together Report that short-form video is crucial video accessible for everyone, having “You National Science Foundation and Japan’s of short clips to give them a consistent for the spread of music. And it’s true that shoot, we edit” as its tag line Digital Garage. Trash sees future revenue mood and feel. artists are increasingly compelled to find Trash CEO Hannah Donovan is not only opportunities in sponsorships, upselling After choosing from a selection of your new ways to create engaging videos – Vine’s former GM but she also used to be users to pro features and allowing creators own videos, you can then layer pre-cleared sometimes without prior experience or head of creative at Last.fm and co-founded to monetise their footage on the app. sounds on top of it. The available sounds when lacking the budget to outsource. social music discovery site This Is My Jam. When compiling your video, the app range from genres like techno and trap, Genevieve Patterson, fellow founder and moods like “upbeat” or “videogames” chief scientist, meanwhile boasts a PhD and more descriptive sounds like “pretty” in computer science and did postdoctoral or “style”. You’ll then find a selection of work with Microsoft Research. different songs that you can preview and The genesis of Trash came from add to your video. Donovan noting that during her time at Trash has a dedicated music licensing Vine she saw how many people were team working on the platform’s overall shooting videos but would then come music direction and aesthetic: Vickie unstuck when it came to editing, believing Nauman (its music licensing advisor who they did not have the requisite skills to do has worked for 7digital, Sonos and KEXP); it properly. and Will Boston (music supervisor/creative Leaning on her background building advisor). products for companies like Last.fm, Trash currently licenses libraries from Viacom and The Echo Nest, Donovan was Epidemic Sound and Treble.fm, but for curious as to how she could train a system now users will not be able to upload their to sequence video clips together in a way own tracks directly to their AI-created that made sense. She was introduced videos due to synchronisation licensing to Patterson by music researcher Nancy restrictions. However, Trash told Sandbox Baym and this led to Trash. that they wish to license more and more It was only last month that the app music from other libraries and are open went into creator beta. That means as of to the idea of collaborating with now, when you download it, you will see streaming services. a message telling you to enter a secret Donovan says, “We started with code or to join the list. For anyone keen production music because we had a to try the app right away, use the code hypothesis that made sense for video from “musically” to get access. It’s important to a user experience perspective and it would mention that there is only an iOS version be the lowest barrier for getting to market available right now, although there are regarding licensing; but this is just the plans to build an Android version soon. beginning. We’re open to all styles

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and eventually want to widen the aperture a pretty new field which only popped up from continuously recycling planning on further building to provide more variety for users globally.” a few years ago. It alters images using cover artwork.” the Trash music collective. (If you own all of your rights and want to machine learning (similar to things like The current output length “[We want to] give artists pitch your music directly, send a message Photoshop or Instagram filters). In this for Trash’s videos is 10 seconds; more ways to create more to [email protected].) area, the Trash team works together with a but as it’s still early days for the short-form music videos or As another way to easily edit your video, science advisor from Stanford University. company, Donovan stresses even whole music videos in the app offers a drag When using that this is just a starting point a more low-fi, autonomous slider to change the the app, you to feel out where creators and cheap way. We hope speed. On top of immediately notice want videos to be. In terms of that Trash can become a that, you can choose how helpful it is the number of videos you can tool where musicians can from the following in creating short- put in, there is theoretically no experiment a bit more with vibes that overlay a form video content limit (although the app works their aesthetics.” certain filter on top combining different best with between three and Looking to the future, the of your video: video sources five short clips). Upon launch, Trash team says that the · Flirty without the need to the app supports vertical videos type of video that people · Hype be skilled in video showing its mobile-first thrust. create on their platform has · Love editing. This can Other AI video creation a very different aesthetic to · Chill be beneficial for apps are out there, such as other platforms like TikTok · Happy many artists who Magisto or Flo, but they charge or Instagram. Therefore, · Faded could use this app a subscription fee so the barrier the company’s goal for now · Tired to easily create a to entry is definitely lower for is to give people the ability · Meh consistent flow of Trash plus its founders believe to create in a different · Crying engaging videos that what it is doing with way, finding out what their · Sick in order to tease “computational cinematography” is what users like and don’t like in order to keep · Stressed new releases or makes it unique in this space. improving and growing the platform. :) · Mind Blown share behind-the- What’s more, Trash has a very The company scenes content. interesting approach when it comes is leveraging a As Donovan puts to collaborating with creators as they technique for video it, “When you’re want to establish the app as a place for that is becoming regularly sharing mutual inspiration – not only serving commonplace new work with your as a tool but also showing ambitions to within photography fans, having a visual further develop into a social network for – namely to go along with it creatives. Therefore, they’ve created the “computational is so, so important. Trash magazine, spotlighting people in the cinematography”. Trash can help community in order to draw more creators in. Donovan says it’s artists to stay away Donovan says that they are also

6 | sandbox | ISSUE 233 | 24.07.2019 CAMPAIGNS The latest projects from the digital marketing arena

GET THE IMESSAGE: CHAINSMOKERS, & PORN THIS WAY: IAN ISIAH DEBUTS TEXT OUT TEASER FOR NEW SONG VIDEO ON ADULT SITE

EDM duo Chainsmokers have made regular “Tell your friends to text me at this number (that is almost certainly not a karaoke booth) appearances in Sandbox in recent years. They and we’ll send it out,” it said, with the number where she watches Isiah on the screen. created what was termed a “waterfall” series visible at the top of There is nothing “adult” per se about the of EPs last year as a way to rethink the album the message. video, apart from the female lead stripping (adding a new Texting to her underwear and pulling some eye- single each the number watering shapes. But the main problem, month to a results in of course, is that all the surrounding and “bundle” that the user recommended videos are not for those who grew over the being sent a are delicate of constitution. Plus the category course of the YouTube link There is, believe it or not, something of tags alongside the video (“Babe, Big Ass, year). Then to a 15-second a history between music and pornography. Brunette, HD Porn, Music, Reality, Role Play, in November teaser of Back in 1991, Happy Mondays “guest Romantic”) suggest the type of Pornhub they joined the track edited” an edition of Penthouse magazine enthusiast they are hoping will somehow up with apps hosted on and in 1999 Prodigy had music used in the “stumble” across this video. firm Gismart to the Columbia cryptically titled The Uranus Experiment that We are all for artists trying to appeal to provide “sound Records Liam Howlett described as being “the first new audiences, but this video campaign packs” for its YouTube zero-gravity porn film”. means that: a) viewers under a certain age Beat Maker Go channel. But, Such, ahem, couplings are not just relics should most assuredly not be watching app. They also for now at of the boorish 1990s as R&B singer Ian this and; b) many people will have moral worked with least, there Isiah has just worked with Pornhub which and ethical objections to the platform that SoulCycle last was no is [checks Wikipedia “entry” quickly] “a Isiah has gone with here. There may be an December to information on Canadian pornographic video sharing and argument that in the video she is looking at create branded when the full pornography site on the Internet” which him (and thereby subverting the male gaze), sportswear song would be has been “providing professional and but we are doubtful, given the nature of the and an Apple released. amateur pornography since 2007”. If you are videos surrounding this one, many will be Music playlist EDM. unfamiliar with this website and its “output”, happily palmed off with this excuse. for workouts. com reports we politely suggest not Googling it on Now for that it is run company time. Or on a company computer. ‘Takeaway’, their collaboration with Illenium via community.com and it put us in mind of Anyway… ‘Persistent’ is the first & Lennon Stella, they have set up a phone SuperPhone, the automated text messaging single from Isiah’s Shugga Sextape (Vol. number for fans to text to find out more. On platform set up by musician Ryan Leslie for 1) album and got its first exposure on the their account, they posted a 38-second artists to manage all fan communication on aforementioned firewall-unfriendly site. video that showed a text conversation their mobile. It is a nice use of technology to The video sees Instagrammer @ibeen. unfolding with Illenium where they discussed create a viral effect among fans and help set davis (we also advise caution when looking how to drop the new track. up the track before its proper release. at her account) go into a neon-lit room

7 | sandbox |ISSUE 233 | 24.07.2019 CAMPAIGNS The latest projects from the digital marketing arena ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES: BOHEMIAN LIKE UGC: QUEEN ASK FANS WARNER CLASSICS CREATES NEW WEBSITE TO HELP REMAKE CLASSIC VIDEOS

Topsify logo. Neither appear to be legacy Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ in 1975 “This will be the first of a series of custom playlists (all tracks had been added in the was not the first (even they initiatives we have planned in the coming past week when Sandbox checked). themselves had made what were called months on the official Queen channel,” said It got us wondering. Is this WMG looking “pop promos” for earlier singles); but it was Celine Joshua, GM commercial, content and to shift around its playlist branding and perhaps the most influential in both business artist strategy at UMG. down rank Topsify as its playlist brand? and creative terms as, in its wake, labels Asking people to submit footage to be Interestingly there is also a video section and artists began making them a fixture in included in videos is a tried-and-tested way on the site. At launch there was one video their marketing. to rally a fanbase around a project, but with in particular (“Philippe Jaroussky on his this campaign there is clearly a push to also “Record company launches website” is not Cavalli album, his career, and the new Warner get professionals (or, at least, highly skilled exactly headline of the year; but this one is Classics & Erato website”) that is positioned individuals) involved via the casting call slightly different and therefore of note within as an exclusive. It links through to a full- rather than just relying on whatever a fan the world of Sandbox. screen YouTube embed with a running time has shot on their phone. The self-explanatory Warner Classics site of 12 minutes via the official Warner Classics In that regard, there are echoes of The has been set up by Warner Music and Erato YouTube channel. This is all, of course, early Cut in 2017 which saw Elton John partner (the label Warner bought in 1999 and then days – but it could be an interesting testing with YouTube to get directors to create revived in 2013 after Warner acquired EMI ground for the site to move into more bespoke videos for ‘Rocket Man’, ‘Tiny Dancer’ and Classics and Virgin Classics). The company (and exclusive) video content and new playlist It has now become the first pre-1990s video ‘Benny & The Jets’, where the winners would argues this is in reaction to streaming’s impact branding as a hook for users. to pass 1bn streams on YouTube (helped in become the “official” videos for each of the on classical in general, with DSPs helping to no small part by the recent biopic of the same songs. make it more accessible to broader audiences. name) and a remastered HD version, with lyrics The idea behind that was to give emerging At a basic level, anyone going to the website in multiple languages, is now on the video site. filmmakers a break and also to ensure that can stream up to 30 seconds from anything That’s all by way of preamble to get to You the resulting videos would look amazing in its catalogue but can link through to their Are The Champions (note deft pronoun switch and, therefore, give them both creative and account on Spotify, or to from first-person plural to second-person streaming longevity. Queen, it seems, were play the full piece. plural) which has been created by Queen, taking notes. There are also a number of curated Universal Music Group, Hollywood Records playlists accessible via the site, including ones and YouTube Music. It involves the dedicated to Maria Callas, Beethoven and Piotr creation of new videos for the band’s ‘A Anderszewski as well as one focusing on new Kind of Magic’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and releases. At launch, there were 40 playlists in ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’. They will be based total and all but two of them were branded partly on fan-submitted UGC, with a call with the WMG logo in the top lefthand corner. going out later this week for “dancers, The remaining two (The Classical Playlist and singers, musicians, and visual artists” to Klassik Die Man Hören Muss) come with a also participate.

8 | sandbox | ISSUE 233 | 24.07.2019 BEHIND THE CAMPAIGN Charly Bliss BEHIND THE CAMPAIGNCHARLY BLISS

The importance of videos The band had already arranged three videos. They are very forward-thinking and very practical. They have always had really good videos. They sent us the treatment for the videos. , AKA Michelle Zauner, had made one as well for ‘Capacity’. It was very much collaborations with their peers and friends. They were quite focused on that side of things.

Setting up the second album with a global outlook The album campaign started in February [three months ahead of release]. We have them for the world Charly Bliss are a four-piece indie rock band from . Their debut album, Guppy, came out in 2017 and the plan for second excluding North America and South album, (released on 10th May), was to begin to build up their international profile. Nathan Roberts of Lucky Number America. We license them to Japan Music explains how his label got involved, why videos are key to the band’s creative output, where a looping online MTV-style and we license them to Australia. station (CBTV) became the cornerstone of the album marketing and why, when life gives you potatoes, you make potato memes. Barsuk Records have them in North America and South America. They Getting to the band early… education. Eva [Hendricks], the lead realised they wanted a bit more but waiting until the singer, went to the Clive Davis Institute Of of a global outlook and needed second album Recorded Music. They are all very talented another label partner to come in. The band are all based and creative people. In the major European territories we in New York. We first heard We came to them very early but the will hire a PR team to do radio, press them in 2014 and got in touch band weren’t quite ready at that stage to and online. In Japan we coordinate with with them then. We were do an album. The timing didn’t quite work. pretty early and were one They did their first album [Guppy in of the first people to talk to 2017] with Barsuk Records in the US. We them. They had released an stayed in touch with them and when it EP themselves at this stage; it came around to the second album, their was three tracks and they had managers sent it to us early, asked what videos for them which were we thought and said they would love to amazing. have us involved. So we came in to help Two of the band members on the second album. The recording was have a background in art, pretty much done at that point and the music, musical theatre and album was being mixed and mastered.

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we couldn’t put a song out without Hostess Entertainment Limited and in a video. They had started this campaign Australia it’s Inertia. We had three video really strongly with these high-grade assets for each of the singles and they music videos. We were thinking about came out four of five weeks apart. These maybe dropping another song before were the three singles that led into the the album came out. We had one more album and then another single came out video to come so we were wondering if after that. we should drop it before the album or if it Because we didn’t do the first would get lost because the album was out album, we didn’t have the build up the same week. that America had in establishing Because the band are so visual, we them. It was definitely harder thought it would be a good idea to have for some of the territories that another visual element – but one that was hadn’t heard of the band before to different to a [standard] video. establish them at that point. There are lots of live streams now They had a little bit of a profile in the on YouTube and the ones that are most UK. They had done a tour and Barsuk did popular are things like “Lof Hip Hop get their debut album distributed in the Radio To Study/Relax To” [an ambient UK physically. Management had hired YouTube sub-genre]. They are just looping a PR firm in the UK to give them a light build it. animation with the music. push around their tour dates in 2017. That Setting up CBTV for round-the-clock The initial idea was to have an album was quite a small run of the UK and they video broadcast stream looping and this would be the first sold out all the shows. To us that felt like The CBTV idea actually came in place where you could hear the album a good start to come in and to begin to quite late [in the planning for the album and the fans could chip in and comment. marketing]. As When we presented that idea to the band, it was going they saw the idea of a live stream as a on, we were broadcast. We talked about having visual happy with the content that bedded with the audio. results for the The album is 39 minutes long so we videos, but we were thinking of having the music videos were thinking we knew there were going to be certain play when they are supposed to play [in of how we could features running and that websites like the broadcast sequence], but we could have something Pitchfork, Stereogum and The Fader were also have the band hanging out doing extra and create all primed to write about the album. UK things like rehearsing. It would be fly-on- something sites like DIY were also primed to write the-wall footage to fill up the time while with a bit more about them on release. But we definitely the album was playing over and over depth to give wanted a little bit more to get us to again. the album more different people and to wider audiences. The band really ran with the idea. They of a leg up. CBTV started on the Thursday night, thought that not only could it be audio We were the day before the album came out, and it but that they could also make stuff and also looking lasted for a week. use footage they had but that hadn’t for ways to get It all came from us trying to find been online before. They had behind- further press as something else for the band to do; 11 | sandbox | ISSUE 233 | 24.07.2019 BEHIND THE CAMPAIGNCHARLY BLISS

to release Spencer’s rap! Spencer was actually the voice of the kid [Dash Power] in the first Incredibles movie. In the rap he had a lyric about The Incredibles and people really found that funny. They had about a week to turn it around as they were going on tour. Then we had another week for the person editing it and me to put it together. We loaded all of the footage into a virtual computer and used the Open Broadcaster in the live stream because it hadn’t been Software which just beams it to YouTube. released at that point. It ended up being six-and-a-half-hours They are getting a video made by of stuff. Rather than have the audio go IHEARTCOMIX. They’re going to pay for a all the way through, they created static music video and they will license the track the-scenes footage from previous video [Cooking With Spenny], a Cribs-style show videos for each of the songs – except for for an exclusive period of time. It will be on shoots. There was also a whole concert for each member and a Drunk History- the songs that already had music videos. a separate EP. someone had filmed. They also made a style format [Drunk Blisstory] when they They were dropped in at random points IHEARTCOMIX has an extended reality show. They were coming up with talk about the history of the band. throughout the broadcast. It opened with cinematic universe where they all of these ideas. There was a massive Dan [Shure], the bassist, did the entire the first song on the album, then it went have been funding videos by spreadsheet that they had put together. reality show himself, filming and editing it. into the reality show – which was an bands and there are recurring We had a conference call with them They like a show called Vanderpump hour long – and then behind-the-scenes characters who pop up in these and they were just throwing out all these Rules – which is a bit like Made In Chelsea. footage and so on. Eva also did a makeup videos. It is good for us as a way to get ideas. They were really excited about it. It’s a scripted reality show in LA and they tutorial. a high-value video made. It’s almost like They had about a week to do everything. did a spoof of that where they play a fake The reality show was put up soon after an extension to the album campaign, The [CBTV] show was around 60% version of themselves [Ignorance Is Bliss]. on YouTube [for on-demand plays]. That which this EP will be part of. The video is pre-existing footage and 40% new In it they are arguing about whether was followed by the cooking show. planned for September. footage. The new things they created or not they are spending enough time on They really bought into the idea included the reality show, a cooking show the band. One of them is setting up their of the broadcast as a TV station Reddit AMA own DJ rap project concept. They wanted it so that They did an AMA on the and they get a fan could tune in by opening a r/indieheads forum on Reddit. another member link – but would not necessarily Every video they had put out to collaborate be seeing the same thing over and was posted on there so it made with them – but over again. They were not expecting sense to propose the band for they are keeping people to sit and watch all six-and-a-half- it. That happened just after it secret from the hours in one go. The hope was that people the album came out. Their first others. It climaxes would come back to it. album was quite grungy and with Spencer [Fox, Once they latched onto the idea of this new album is quite pop, [so] you bassist] performing all this original content going into the worry about those things and if you’re the song. Fans broadcast, they really went with it. going to get loads of trolls or people who are still tweeting The title track ‘Young Enough’ came will try and hijack the conversation. [But them asking them out on 10th May. We didn’t include that that didn’t happen.]

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Building their profile after the album release The album sits in the middle of the two The video with IHEARTCOMIX may be worlds of pop and indie rock, stylistically out in September and it will be a little bit and sonically. That made it a little bit removed from the album. We will let that harder to place on radio. But we are breathe a little bit. But if it comes out in going from a standing start and this really January, we will have October and November is a long game, so hopefully we can turn to announce the EP, put another song out that around. The online press has been and then drop the EP. so good and hopefully that will eventually They will be in the UK at the end of translate [and open up other areas October and start of November. They have for them]. a number of UK dates and are playing the Scala in London. Embracing the “potato” meme They have a Tiny Desk session in German events listings website Concert August and did a KEXP session on 21st June. News – and I have no idea why, but maybe they mis-translated something – tweeted about one of their gigs in Germany and it said “Charly Bliss Potato” and then had the link. The band found it really funny and they retweeted it. Fans responded by writing “Charly Bliss Potato” back at them. One of their fans based in London set up an Instagram and a Twitter account called Charly Bliss Potato and just posted images of them Photoshopped with potatoes. To me that showed there were these super fans who were really connected with them and who really bought into the band and their online presence. :)

We are hoping the album campaign WANT TO FEATURE goes as long as it possibly can and there IN BEHIND THE are more shows in January and February. CAMPAIGN? The DSPs weren’t as aware of the Marketing people: do you have a band as we had thought. And as with campaign you are working on that you radio, it was a bit of an introduction would like to see featured in Behind The process with the band. We got New Campaign in a future edition of sandbox? Music Friday on Spotify with one of the If so, send a brief synopsis of it to Eamonn tracks and some solid playlist support Forde for consideration and your work across all three pre-album singles. (and your words) could appear here. We are treating it as a long Email: [email protected] game with this band.

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