04-05 Tools Rotor Videos 06–07 Campaigns VR goes classical, Univision/Deezer, Marika Hackman, Kygo 08-11 Behind The Campaign Yussef Kamaal

MARCH 01 2017 sandboxMUSIC MARKETING FOR THE DIGITAL ERA ISSUE 174

VIDEO GOES LIVE COVERFEATURE

interested, with the last few weeks seeing an increasing amount of musicians taking to live video (and especially Facebook Live) on the promotional trail. In January, Ninja Tune artist Bonobo streamed his new album Migration through his Facebook page; at the start of February Mariah Carey took to Facebook Live for a chat with fans; and on 6th February Chance The Rapper debuted his new video ‘Same Drugs’ on Facebook Live Last year, Facebook started nudging users towards (as you will see, the definition of “live” on Facebook can be rather fluid). natively uploading video – but this year, and across all platforms, it is about an emphasis on live video. Live all the time – YouTube has opened up the live option to smaller and everywhere creators and Instagram is also seeing this as key to its It is a similar story on the other live video growth. The metrics are, for now, suggesting that live platforms: Lady Gaga recently used Periscope’s new 360 video format to take on Facebook (and other platforms) is connecting with fans behind the scenes of her Super Bowl far more users than normal video posts; but artists performance; Linkin Park, Young Thug, Fetty Wap and Hardwell have all been early have to think carefully about why they broadcast adopters of YouTube’s Mobile Live; and Justin live just as much as what they broadcast live with. Bieber, Selena Gomez and Calvin Harris have It is not just a promotional benefit that can follow but used Instagram Live to talk to fans. “Live video is increasingly important for also a revenue boost – which is why one broadcaster labels’ promotional plans,” says Tom Herbert, describes it as “digital busking”. senior digital catalogue marketing manager VIDEO GOES LIVE at Warner Music. “It’s one of the first things that we discuss with artists when talking he sense of pathos when YouTube least for the moment, have to live with its YouTube announced the rollout of mobile live about promotional options. We’re also being took to its blog earlier this month to disappointment, with the likes of Facebook streaming, initially for creators with more increasingly approached by players such as Tannounce the roll out of mobile live Live, Twitter’s Periscope and Amazon’s than 10,000 subscribers, with everyone else Facebook who would like to see our artists streaming was palpable. “We’ve supported Twitch dominating recent conversation to follow “soon”. using live video on their platform.” live streaming since, well, before Beyoncé around live video by opening the feature to We have, then, as 2017 gets In 2016 Herbert was involved in running even had a baby,” the company said. “And all users. under way, a pretty unique situation one of the most successful Facebook Live in 2016, we witnessed the most-viewed In November 2016, Instagram then got in which four of the world’s digital promotions around music to date, as part political live streams of all time.” on board with its own “disappearing” live giants, representing billions of of Warner’s promotional plans for Led We’re being slightly facetious, of course. video feature, whereby live broadcasts users, are fighting for the live Zeppelin’s The Complete BBC Sessions. And yet YouTube – which pioneered live video vanish the moment they are finished; and streaming dollar. No wonder musicians “We ran a Facebook Live session with back in 2011 with YouTube Live – might, at it was only at the start of February that and the music industry are getting Jimmy Page that saw him talk to legendary

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DJ Johnnie Walker about The Complete Peeking behind the BBC Sessions two days before its release,” live curtain Herbert explains. “The interview was streamed live and appeared in more than The idea of direct communication with fans 7m people’s Facebook feeds worldwide. It comes up time and again when talking continued to trend on Facebook over the about the content that works best for live release weekend, helping drive interest video. Will Hardy, music lead at Twitter in the album, which reached #3 in the UK UK, mentions Lady Gaga ’s Super Bowl charts.” The success of this campaign, Periscope video as an example of live video Herbert adds, has helped persuade other typically reaches 50% of them, and can go peak. It also demonstrated the fundamental “connecting with fans in the moment on a artists to follow this approach, with big beyond 100%, as fans share with friends and flexibility of Facebook Live, which allows very human level”. “She took fans behind the Warner artists lined up to undertake similar Facebook directly promotes the video to a users to prerecord content and broadcast it scenes as she prepared for her Super Bowl campaigns in the next few months. wider range of users.” There are, he adds, “live” on Facebook with stronger production half-time show, giving a glimpse into her other “interesting players in the market, such values than other “live” video. green room set up and showcasing her piano Finding the right approach as YouTube or Periscope” but he believes After the premiere, the video then skills,” he says. “The video hit 1m viewers for the right artists Facebook’s sheer scale of users makes it disappeared from Facebook, where it was within an hour of her going live, and is a hard to beat for the moment. replaced by links to view the clip on YouTube perfect example of how an artist can bring But what approach will they take? Bonobo , The spontaneity of Facebook Live – its and Chance’s own website. Katie Ray, their dedicated fans into a very intimate Lady Gaga and Chance the Rapper are clearly ability to create live “moments” – is also key head of digital strategy at Method Music & setting with them – in real time.” very different artists and their activity via to its appeal. “Facebook is geared towards Records, says that this combination of direct Lauren Wirtzer-Seawood, head of music live video has been hugely varied. So what a live event, a shared moment that fans can communication with fans and a brief window partnerships at Instagram, says that going activity works best via live video? What engage in; while YouTube is more geared of opportunity was a potent combination live can show a new side to musicians. platforms should labels and musicians use towards hosting video content that can for Chance. “It is a great use of the platform “ Calvin Harris is a great example of that,” to go live? And how does this all fit into accumulate huge numbers of views over a and a great way to communicate directly she suggests. “As an artist, he doesn’t labels’ promotional plans? longer period,” Herbert says. “So we’d look to your fans and get the views needed often speak to media – and when he Herbert believes that live video can to Facebook Live if we were trying to create to kick start the demand for the video,” does, he doesn’t give much away. But on help labels to create “a moment, driving a a moment on the eve of a new release or she explains. “Deleting the live video [Instagram] Live he’s been answering all groundswell of online chatter, ahead of a artist’s tour.” afterwards, creating an appointment to their questions – some serious, some less release”. “We want to excite fans and one Chance the Rapper’s Facebook Live view and then the online chatter that so. But it really gives you a sense of his way of doing that is to get an artist they like premiere certainly created a moment for follows of ‘Did you see that’? can then personality, who he is and the kinds of trending on Facebook and offer something his fans, albeit a slightly odd one. The drive to Vevo, YouTube and so on in a things he finds funny.” they want to tune into,” he adds. “Live video premiere was announced on Chance’s short window afterwards.” is very much a release week activity, a big Facebook page on 6th February with an Focus on the music – thing for a big moment.” underwhelming message from the rapper. and keep it short As for which platform to use, it is “Anybody use Facebook Live? I’m about to probably horses for courses. Although reach premier a new music video on here in 10 Other content that typically works well will, of course, play a key role in this decision, minutes ok?” Facebook might not have been includes Q&A sessions with fans, “on as Herbert explains. “Facebook has a huge delighted with some of the responses to the the road” footage and live music. “A [live] reach and our artists’ fans are engaged with video premiere – “The only Facebook Live performance for us, every time, has the most it,” he explains. “We see a written post on notification I’ve been happy to get” being a positive reaction,” Ray says. “Our audiences an artist’s Facebook page might reach 5% of fairly typical fan reaction – but the initiative enjoy going to gigs and seeing bands live and, people who’ve liked them, but that a video worked well, attracting 33,000 viewers at its as this isn’t always possible, they seem to

2 | sandbox | ISSUE 174 | 01.03.17 COVERFEATURE really react to a live performance.” as effective as an on-demand piece or as a as a promotional tool for artists and labels; while there have recently been reports of Marketers should beware, though, of the live piece: if so, then it probably doesn’t make but it doesn’t necessarily have to be that Facebook moving more towards premium temptation to make their videos too long sense to do it live.” way. YouNow, a live social network/webcast than live video, Roe says there is no getting – Jessica Roe, director of digital and social Users, she adds, like to choose when and service, says that it has helped its clients away from the importance of live video to consultancy Level Theory, says that three where they want to consume content. And (including Brent Morgan – see box) earn “up musicians’ promotional plans. minutes and under works best – while it is that means artists need to deliver added value to six figures a year via live video”. “YouNow “Years ago, people posted purely text important that the live element to the video in a live piece – “whether that’s interactivity, has 4,000 partner broadcasters who share onto platforms like Facebook; then we is more than a novelty. a unique opportunity to access content that in revenue from the tips and gifts available,” learned that people respond better to “ The live component in a piece can’t be found on-demand, or the ability to be explains Adi Yeger, the company’s director images so now we post with photos,” she of content really needs to add present at an event happening elsewhere – of content. “So when broadcasters are says. “It’s the same with video and Live something to the message – such a concert or a festival”. consistent they can earn up to six figures – we just need to integrate it into plans either because it’s noteworthy or a year. YouNow has a 60/40 split on the whether you do Q&As with fans, post timely,” says Azi Eftekhari, head of music But is there money here? revenues, with 60% going to the partner.” updates from a tour bus, clips of live shows, partnerships at YouTube in EMEA. “You need That’s the kind of solid financial logic that radio interviews [and so on]. It should just to ask yourself whether a piece of video is For the moment, live video is largely seen will appeal to musicians and labels alike. And be another weapon in your arsenal.” :)

HOW NOW YOUNOW? YouNow broadcaster Brent Morgan (younow. them to live show numbers at venues and instantly moving up the iTunes chart, comments and I interact with my crowd daily via personal com/BrentMorganMusic) on live video. see the value, in turn making the artist that much trending on a YouTube video – unlike any other jingles/songs and they come back every day. more desirable. platform to promote on. Even more instant than a Live streaming is so much more personal than How important is live video for labels and Twitter blast. leaving a video on YouTube and reading the musicians’ promotional plans? How can live video be part of your promotional comments; the supporters feel like they are with I’ve seen first-hand how live streaming numbers plans? What examples do you have of this? you as you respond to them. and interaction can surprise and draw a label to an Using live streaming when releasing songs/music I watched Pentatonix rise to the top of the iTunes artist. Labels see the numbers after a broadcast – videos is an absolute must in today’s world. It charts while broadcasting live on YouNow as we Can live video content be monetised? Or should 20,000 or so in my last broadcast – and compare generates instant reaction – buying songs and counted up the amount of sales coming through it be considered promotional? via a dropdown menu. I’ve seen Jacob Sartorius I am a full-time live streamer. I now make six go to the top 10 on his single twice now by figures a year by broadcasting three hours a broadcasting on his release day. I personally have day – sometimes only two hours. So yes, live seen my YouTube video get posted and go to 300- video can definitely be monetised. With YouNow, 500 comments and 100,000+ views in real time supporters grow in recognition and status the as I send my live audience to go check out my more they support broadcasters like myself latest release. creating a bond and competition amongst them. I consider it “digital busking” in my case, What works best in terms of live video? except for playing for a crowd of 100 total at Interaction. No matter if you’re talent or a shopping mall like I did before, I now play personality, the more you interact, the more for a crowd of 20,000+ daily which obviously you succeed in live streaming. As a musician, increases the likeliness of making more money.

3 | sandbox | ISSUE 174 | 01.03.17 “Consumption of video is increasing rapidly and the demand for video creation increases with it. It’s no longer enough to drop a music video this month for a single, then maybe another one TOOLS ROTOR VIDEOS three or four months later. Video is a form of communication and it’s a promotional tool for every track released, for every event, for every story.” – Diarmuid Maloney, CEO of Rotor Videos

Following on from our Innovation track ty”, but with ample material and the ability to at NY:LON Connect in January this year, build videos around the artist’s own content, we’ve been speaking to Diarmuid Maloney, perhaps it really is possible to generate CEO of one of our showcasing startups: creative videos this easily. Rotor Videos. “We’ve built creativity into our system,” explains Diarmuid. “The way a director works would be to devise an aesthetic, or treatment for a video, then use features from the music to inform the editing process. Rotor works the same way.” So far, about 30k Rotor Videos have been generated for mostly DIY artists and independent labels. Sony Music UK has used Rotor to generate videos for Jamiroquai and Leftfield tracks, and they even took the origi- nal video for Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler , dusted it off and put it Rotor is a cloud-based video engine that through the Rotor (so to speak) to add new quickly creates videos for music tracks, effects. This video has had around 260k designed by a team of video directors and views on YouTube, enough to pay off the $35 creative technologists specifically for the cost to process and download it in 1080p. music industry. Battling the “flat-packing creativity” jibe Essentially, the tool allows users to once more, Rotor have enabled users to produce dynamic videos inexpensively is impressive and leaves room for a band’s create their own styles for the catalogue and quickly, with the user owning it wholly imagination to run wild, from distorted an- with a browser-based tool, and the user can afterwards; it was developed to solve imations to warped sci-fi mini films to your generate as many different versions of the some of the key issues surrounding video very own Planet Earth: The Music Video. track as they need before the rendering (and content within music: the expense, time “One thing we insist on is that the library payment) process begins. On the other end and demand involved. clips should be free to use,” Diarmuid tells of the spectrum, Rotor Videos is very much So how does it work? The platform has a us, “although we will be creating some a machine learning process, meaning that library of 100% legal video clips, ready to use premium clips that will be available with the analysis of clips and recommendation and sourced from their own content, stock premium offerings we’re unveiling in the feature will keep improving over time. After video providers and a partnered production coming months.” The promised addition of all, we trust Spotify curation, right? company based in London. The library is hundreds of thousands of new clips will help Video editing is more accessible than split into 29 sections covering genres that users distinguish their Rotor videos from ever however, and with inexpensive cameras include Timelapse, Graffiti, Landscape, Liquid, others - there will always be some who see a and accessible software there has been a Vintage, Drone and even NASA. The library platform such as this as “flat-pack creativi- reduced need for professional videography

4 | sandbox | ISSUE 174 | 01.03.17 TOOLS ROTOR VIDEOS “We’ve built our core technology in a way that can service anyone from the amateur bedroom artist looking to create videos for their music, to the major label looking to create thousands of promotional videos” – Diarmuid Maloney, CEO of Rotor Videos

tronica genres, where due subscription service will be available soon for to typically little narrative, those using the service on a regular basis too. driving visuals is the only While the service started out as a way to thing necessary in a music video. Templat- support DIY and emerging artists, the team ed videos work well in this respect, acting have attracted all levels of record labels, as a glorified version of the Windows Me- plus distributors and online services, and dia Player visualisation (one of the earlier their pricing system reflects their diverse feats of musical artificial intelligence). 90s consumer-base. style shoegaze videos in particular would So what next? The team have been take to the retro space footage and VHS testing out advanced prototypes and have style home videos. already produced VR videos with the engine But there’s an army of singer-songwriters (which we should see more of towards the making up the bulk of the DIY music com- end of the year), and are looking forward to munity, and with much deeper stories and a point where videos will be produced within themes, a ready-made music video might a matter of minutes using only artificial not quite cut it for them. A spread of generic intelligence and a SoundCloud link. There are videos of fading acoustic guitar clips and also plans to release lyric video ability and moody faces might make it difficult to dis- lip-syncing intelligence. tinguish themselves from others using this “We don’t want to focus on dragging peo- tool. Saying that, it’s clear to see from the ple to yet another service,” says Diarmuid. generated videos that the artists engaging It’s worth pointing out that Rotor feels more with the tech do manage to create some- like a feature than a service in itself, so it’s thing pretty individual. great to hear that their future plans will There’s a massive amount of YouTube hopefully see them integrating with third album tracks with static album cover images party services and platforms. hires. (This also led to a backlog of indie about, with nothing to gauge attention If there’s scope to make Rotor an inte- artists making shaky, monochrome iPhone visually. For the purpose of reducing the gration within YouTube, then it would be videos with the explanation: “Don’t worry: it’s amount of these, Rotor Videos could come easy for users to quickly customise their supposed to look crap.”) in especially handy when repurposing older videos there and then. Branding is also There is therefore the potential for Rotor video content. There’s a lot to be said for something we’d like to see explored as a Videos to be a fleeting platform before being able to quickly make a set of compli- way to subsidise videos for independent people return to the creative DIY approach, mentary videos for a catalogue EP or a remix musicians looking to scope out potential but Diarmuid tells us that good technology album to sit and generate sleeping revenue, brand partnerships to boost their ca- and phone cameras are an asset to them: especially if there’s a team on hand to create reer. There’s still a questionable value on “The better footage that goes into Rotor, the the template themselves. creativity here, and whether this is a bit of better the output.” The prices range from $10 (low-res, a video editing IKEA model, but with the In terms of target audience, the safe watermarked) to $35 (1080p) with a couple sheer demand for video content today, target here is house, dubstep and elec- of mid-priced options in between, and a couldn’t we all use a quick solution? :)

5 | sandbox | ISSUE 174 | 01.03.17 CAMPAIGNS The latest projects from the digital marketing arena VR GOES CLASSICAL UNIVISION AND DEEZER’S LATIN PARTNERSHIP

Joshua Bell claims to have first tested a PlayStation VR prototype and been “overwhelmed by its potential”, while Sony UK was researching new So just a month after we reported the latest techniques for filming live events. From this, Streaming is booming in Latin America (the Boca’ available to Deezer’s 7m subscribers music-based PlayStation VR experience, it the collaboration was born. Viva Latino playlist on Spotify, for example, (according to a recent MIDiA Research report) has become clear that the Kygo “experience” So what sets this aside from (the many, has just under 4m followers) and is finding and an artist performance on Univision’s Sony laid out was just an entrée ahead of many) other VR “experiences” out there? You new ways to cross over as a result. But let’s popular morning show Despierta America the main course. can usually be part of an experience from get past the CNCOs, Pitbulls and Shakiras to last week. only a fixed point, but positional tracking get to the real heart of Latin American music: As part of this collaboration, Deezer will After a seemingly dull and unimaginative within the PlayStation technology lets users the up-and-coming. offer an exclusive two-month free trial of product hit the PS VR shelves for $1.99, Sony move around the space, creating a sense Deezer Premium+ to Univision viewers. is at it again with another VR experience. But of presence in the moment. Positional Now that all the streaming services have This comes less than year after its launch this time, it’s classical in focus and is genuinely tracking also makes the audio responsive jumped aboard the grime bandwagon, it’s in the territory, but Deezer’s clearly got its worth a look. to proximity so that users can move around time to start showcasing something new. eye on potential US subscribers. It has got a This is a free app available on the to either get closer to Bell’s violin or further Deezer has signed its first US partnership long way to go if it wants to be in the running PlayStation Store, bringing viewers into away to feel the reverb of the hall. with American/Spanish TV network alongside Apple Music and Spotify, however, Lyndhurst Hall themselves to immerse So move over, Kygo. Joshua Bell’s VR Univision to showcase emerging Latin who have got (at the last official counts) over themselves in the recording of Grammy experience makes the most of cutting-edge artists, with Nayi up first – the Venezuelan 20m and 40m subscribers respectively. award-winning musician Joshua Bell’s technology and expands the parameters of VR artist and recent winner of the second rendition of Brahms’ ‘Hungarian Dance No. even further. season of televised talent show, Va Por Ti. 1’. Imagine being able to feel yourself within Univision has already launched U-LAB, one of the most renowned recording studios an incubator for the next generation of Latin in the UK, turning to see the sound engineers artists in collaboration with Casa Limón, in the booth watching and listening, hearing the record label of Spanish musician and spatial sound adapted to your position in the producer Javier Limón. This partnership is virtual world. the next step to showcasing these artists on a global level, with Nayi’s debut single ‘Tu

6 | sandbox | ISSUE 174 | 01.03.17 CAMPAIGNS The latest projects from the digital marketing arena MARIKA HACKMAN’S ART HUNT KYGO GETS A DIESEL ENGINE

This isn’t your average scavenger hunt. art by Tracey Emin, Pigott’s other works, a Kygo’s been getting Fast We see too many of these done in an modern painting by Sarah Lucas and historical & Furious recently. First unimaginative way, with fans half-heartedly artworks such as An Old Woman Cooking Eggs up, a quick mention for the sorting through content to easily find by Diego Velázquez from 1618. Norwegian producer’s new something for a not-exactly-great “exclusive One of the most common references profile video. We haven’t seen prize” (which they usually have to pay for). is sexuality, with several images loaded this feature around for Pages with phallic and yonic themes: cacti, eggs, on Facebook yet, so it’s good to see a stellar Marika Hackman’s demographic of young, cucumbers etc. When one clicks on the box example set by Kygo. gutsy, feminists and proud, strong women, of eggs, the message reads, “The lack of however, have been led to a deep and attention for the cooking eggs and the cracked The video shows Kygo’s artwork with meaningful hunt around the singer’s website, shells left in the box shows a rejection of the animated snow passing across; a subtle and exploring details from her upcoming album. patriarchy.” So now you know. beautiful addition to the release aesthetic. The prize? A chance to win a completely Other finds within the painting are clips Moving on… This month he released his personalised song, written and recorded by of songs, lyrics and links to older tracks of new single with Selena Gomez – ‘It Ain’t Marika on cassette (the hipster format of Marika’s. The whole experience is absorbing Me’ – and there was an extra collaborator choice), with runner-ups getting personalised and conveys the sensitivity of her work, in the mix in the shape of award-winning postcards instead (in bringing it to life in visual actor Vin Diesel. exchange for mailing list art that blurs the digital and This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen sign-ups, of course.) physical boundaries. Vin Diesel’s musical talents. No stranger to The objective? To find “We designed it to feel karaoke, the beefy actor has posted a fair 31 hidden messages like Google Maps – with few questionable covers on his Facebook within an interactive web seamless pinch-to-zoom page over recent years. Rhianna’s ‘Stay’, version of Hackman’s compatible across all Sam Smith’s ‘Stay With Me’ and Maroon 5’s album artwork, a David browsers and devices, ‘My Heart Is Open’ – all ballads with high lead when I went into the booth.” Stills from Hockney-esque oil so you can zoom right notes (which Diesel fails to reach without a the recording process show him singing with painting by her friend in and see the detail of cracking voice). Still, good work, Vin! Kygo at his piano and embracing at the end. Tristan Pigott that the brushstrokes in the The latest video was the first time he’d There are rumours that Vin Diesel is depicts all members painting,” explains Ben recorded his cover with the artist in question. planning his own musical release with Nicky involved in the new Patterson, senior digital Vin posted a video of the recording alongside Jam, to be revealed on Carpool Karaoke album’s recording. manager at Virgin EMI. Selena Gomez’s vocal on his Instagram. soon. While there is clear humour within The messages The artwork has seeped “Thank you Kygo for producing this 2017 the track (he whistles the melody for a bit are deep, referencing into all points of the release HIT!” he wrote, modestly. “Thank you for first), it’s unclear whether a release would themes from the new campaign and the team believing in me enough to ask me to sing. be an hilarious publicity stunt for F&F fans, album and Hackman’s have even jumped on the Thank you Selena Gomez for bringing that or if it would be a serious venture. After all, previous release, with Spotify pre-save wagon, too. beautiful and magical voice. Pained and there are moments where one picks up a images relating to So lots of moving parts here. celebratory simultaneously. I followed your genuinely nice tone in his voice.

7 | sandbox | ISSUE 174 | BEHIND THE CAMPAIGN YUSSEF KAMAAL BEHIND THE CAMPAIGNYUSSEF KAMAAL

favourite things to try and do to put people on the spot. They hadn’t put out any music before. Kamaal Williams [aka Henry Wu] from the group had put stuff out as an electronic producer and we had asked him to play at the awards. He said he was not going to play as Henry Wu but said he would bring his new band instead. They were on our radar from then. The drummer, Yussef Dayes, was in a band called United Vibrations that we were talking about signing for many years; we had always been interested in them, but it had never quite worked out. We talked to them over the summer and were really keen to do it. They went away and did the album quite independently and brought it to us. They had done one Boiler Room session that got them a lot of attention. That was before they even made their record. Off the back of that they were

Yussef Kamaal is a “supergroup” of sorts, formed by Henry Wu and Yussef Dayes and quickly signed to Brownswood Recordings (Gilles Peterson’s label), Signing the band who released their debut album, Black Focus. The immediate success of the Yussef Kamaal were an act that we saw play album – despite instrumental jazz being a notoriously hard sell – took the label at the Worldwide Awards – Gilles’ big event by surprise and they initially raced to keep up with demand for physical copies. – in January 2016. While they were on stage, EMILY MOXON, label manager at Brownswood, explains why Instagram was Gilles and I were saying to each other that where the major announcements happened, how WeTransfer became a free we had to try and get them [on the label] download partner and why Bandcamp more than proved its worth as a retail as they were amazing. I think he tried to outlet for limited-edition vinyl. sign them live on stage – which is one of his

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do the calligraphy for the album cover. I really like ‘moving’ album covers as they work so much nicer in Instagram, so we animated the calligraphy where you see it being written out. Our album announcement was just the calligraphy unfolding and it worked really nicely. We put it on Facebook as well. We just announced it on our own channels and got an amazing reaction.

Bandcamp as the key retail partner The thing that is interesting about this record was that it sold massively well on Bandcamp . We are up to about 2,500 vinyl albums sold there. We also sold the digital already starting to build a bit of a live coming out of this scene, don’t really see version there. We put a white vinyl version profile. They are coming out of a really what they are doing as jazz; it’s more like on Bandcamp as an exclusive. We thought interesting music scene that’s happening jazz with techno chords. They have taken we might sell maybe 400 copies on there but around Peckham [in South London] at the an electronic thing and mixed it in, so it feels it just sold out within a week. So we had to moment. They are very much a part of this uniquely a London thing. keep re-pressing it. new London jazz scene. They gave us their record at the end of I really believe in the value and the the summer last year and we really wanted importance of record shops as taste Jazz as a hard sell to put it out [quickly]. Where their music makers, but it’s amazing you can sell that We have been working, on and off, with is related to jazz is that it is very much much vinyl on Bandcamp. It’s a very global jazz for 10 years and it’s always been quite improvised. So they did lots of improvisation audience for them. difficult [to break]. There was just this sessions in the studio, trying to capture the We had problems getting stock into feeling, even two years ago, where people energy of the live show. the market [due to high demand]. We are would go [exasperated voice], “Oh, no – not a small team and we had to hire in extra jazz!” The Fast Show thing [comedy Announcing the signing and revealing people just to physically get these records series featuring a spoof of the jazz scene in the album artwork on Instagram out to people. Jazz Club] is something that we were very It’s funny when you are doing a With the white vinyl, everyone much feeling when we worked with other record like this as you have to think Instagrammed it when they got their copies artists [in the past]. But there is this really about what’s the first thing you say. through Bandcamp. It just looked really cool. fresh and interesting scene in London at the We don’t normally announce When we started working with moment that is genuinely a movement of that we have signed people – we Bandcamp, it was mainly unsigned artists young, amazing musicians. normally announce it with music. who were using it. We are not really using I think audiences who have grown up But we just Instagrammed a picture What we did with the album cover is we SoundCloud anymore – we use Bandcamp with electronic music and are feeling a of them signing their contract and wanted [something visually strong]. They instead. Everyone seems happy to use bit bored of seeing DJs play in nightclubs did it like that. The reaction was had both converted to Islam so they wanted it. We did put one track from this album are excited about seeing people playing great. We had the first music within to have artwork around the Arabic version on SoundCloud, but it felt that people just instruments again. about eight weeks as the record was all of their name – so we decided to make the stayed on there and never went off and Yussef Kamaal, even though they are ready to go. sleeve the logo. We got a calligrapher in to bought anything.

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seems an amazing opportunity to get the project [started]. One of the beauties of Bandcamp is that you get the email address of everyone who buys your products. When we launched the pre- orders, which was around six weeks before the album in this case, there might be one track available to buy; so you have chances to convert people from one track into album buyers and hopefully get them to the gigs. the viral chart on Spotify and that is quite unusual for one of our acts – a jazz act on Segmenting the an independent. It’s been a really interesting Brownswood mailing list process. Because we have an all- It feels like a record that’s come at never stopped buying vinyl are part of our encompassing Gilles Petterson database Keeping up with demand the right time but there’s not been a big core audience. – which is around 30,000 people – I can get for the vinyl edition “moment” [to explain why it flew] yet. quite obsessed with granular data by artist. There was nothing about this band to tell They had decided that they didn’t really Partnering with WeTransfer We sign quite a broad spectrum of artists, you this [immediate impact] was about to want to do interviews. They only did two to give a track away so we tend to tell the main database a bit happen. with online outlets and got some reviews. We did one advert with WeTransfer on their about every project that we are doing. But They had maybe 2,000 likes on Facebook It was a word of mouth thing and it’s been wallpaper in exchange for a free download. you don’t want to bore those 30,000 people and it’s instrumental jazz music – so we driven by live as they have a really strong That got a big response and it was seen by by saying there’s, for example, a Mala gig were thinking we were not going to get live show. They did three weeks of touring in a lot of people. Obviously WeTransfer don’t in Belgium. We tend to segment our data massive radio support on it. They had a tour November in the UK and Europe. target who they are showing your ad to – quite a lot and then send more detailed booked in – but not a huge tour. Retail got The album came out on 4th November but it’s mainly an audience of creatives. messaging by artist. It’s super-useful to massively caught short on it because there and it has not stopped selling on Bandcamp. Gilles is creative director of WeTransfer have that data segmented. was no massive story to tell other than it felt The main drama of this campaign has been and they sponsor his radio station There are a group of people who are into like a hyped record. trying to keep up with the vinyl demand and [Worldwide FM]. That’s how that happened. all of it [the music on the label], but we have The day we released the record, getting it pressed. You can use the artwork really nicely in always put out a lot of different music. For every shop in England sold out by There was a time where we were doing their wallpaper; so when people are using an independent label, our sound is quite 11am. It was a bit frustrating as vinyl almost as a loss-leader for the 500 the service, they see your advert, they can hard to pin down. There are a lot of people if we had the stock out, the record people who wanted it and it would barely click through to download and they can click who are casually interested in the stuff might have charted on the back of break even. through again to the website. So you are Gilles does so wouldn’t necessarily buy into that demand. The lead times with vinyl With this album, we have tried to keep driving quite a lot of traffic to the website everything on the label. The album feels like being what they are meant we had a bit of a the price [of the vinyl] quite accessible. and you can then track those people. We a perfect storm of the post-Brexit feeling, battle to try and keep up with demand. There is a bit of a thing with over- had around 28,000 downloads from that. the explosion in the vinyl market and this Vinyl is strong for them but streaming packaged and fancy-pants vinyl releases It’s funny as you don’t really give away new feeling about jazz that is a genuinely has also been really strong. They were on – which we sometimes do. The people who free downloads that much anymore – but it interesting musical movement. :)

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