05–06 Tools Synchtank 07–08 Campaigns Sam Smith, The National, Jason Derulo, Tom Goss 09-14 Behind The Campaign-

SEPTEMBER 13 2017 sandboxMUSIC MARKETING FOR THE DIGITAL ERA ISSUE 187

LIVE AND DIRECT

A fifth of videos posted to Facebook are now live broadcasts. How are musicians making the most of the feature? LIVE AND DIRECT A fifth of videos posted to Facebook are now live broadcasts. How are musicians making the most of the feature?

It is now a little over two years since Facebook launched live video streaming, and in that brief time the tool has gone from useful novelty to social-media standard, with musicians and music marketers frequently leading the way. Facebook Live – and live video more generally – is now a habitual part of marketing plans, with artists and labels finding ways to use these tools beyond simple Q&As and tour announcements. To make sense of this fast-moving world, sandbox asked several music marketers for their favourite uses of Facebook Live.

The Blaenavon Guide to the band’s most interesting use of the songs,” Thomas explains. “All the by Blaenavon responding to live American Cultural platform was their seven-part Guide to videos are natural and funny, and comments. Significance American Cultural Significance, in which show the band dynamic - three “High post engagement also the band posted videos from seven US friends messing around on hooks viewers and encourages British indie band Blaenavon have taken cities, explaining a tale of local cultural tour.” them to watch future streams, Facebook Live to their hearts, regularly significance in each (usually, but not Thomas says that these which was seen here with using the platform to answer questions always, music-related). videos gave fans “a sense views growing from 1.6k from fans, promote new music and play “Each band member was recorded of inclusion, as if they’re in Part 1 to 4.9k in Part 7,” stripped down versions of their songs. talking about the city they were playing in, hanging out with the band and Thomas adds. But, for Becky Thomas, digital with entertaining music facts and the lead witnessing what happens behind “Frequently using Facebook campaign assistant at Capitol Records, singer, Ben, playing covers of city related the scenes”, which is enhanced Live has made it easy for

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Blaenavon to connect with fans - particularly of their target demographic (16-25 yrs). By hosting good content, as well mixing leisure and music-related posts, this keeps existing fans happy and makes the page look active to anyone who comes across it.” “As for new listeners, the page contains lots of content to explore, which looks great for a band without large amounts of material available yet.”

Inglorious Fans

While Facebook is typically seen as a home for all shapes and sizes of a band’s fanbase, from casual fans to hardcore devotees, British rock band Inglorious are using Facebook Live to reach out interaction is far more powerful than in the comments”. The result was 1,851 exclusively to their most devoted fans. anything the internet can provide, in a shares, 3,000 comments and 9,200 Dan Griffiths, director of interactive traditional text-based sense,” Griffiths reactions (at time of writing). marketing at The Orchard, explains that concludes. “But when you couple visual “Working with artists that have such Inglorious band members often go into human interaction with the reach that a community-led fan base, eventising a “secret-ish” fan group on Facebook the internet provides, that presents campaign moments so people can have called Inglorious Fans to do Q&As, with an amazing opportunity for both a shared experience is very important to the relatively small size of the page - at communication and marketing.” us,” says Anjuna senior A&R, radio and time of writing the closed group has 1,663 promotions manager Gareth Jones. members, compared to 23,200 followers Anjuna’s live album streams “Whether that’s a weekly radio show on their official Facebook page - creating that brings people from Australia to an intimate, inclusive atmosphere. In December 2016 Facebook launched an Argentina together, or debuting a music “This is a great example of using update to Live that helped users stream video at a specific time online, if you have Facebook Live as it allows the band to live audio, the logically named Facebook a passionate fanbase they like to feel part super-serve their fanbase,” says Griffiths. Live Audio. Dance label Anjuna was quick of a global movement to support their act. “The fact that the band call out fans to benefit from the new tool, using it to “Facebook Live and Live Audio has names and reply to their questions in real- live stream albums to mark significant not only allowed us to hold listening time allows them to build a more personal anniversaries. parties for forthcoming material, but also relationship with their core fanbase. It’s On June 6, for example, the label used reconnect the fans with some classic that core fanbase that drive awareness Live Audio to stream Above and Beyond’s catalogue. Marking the anniversary of with more casual fan and fans of other second studio album Group Therapy on a show or album with a stream as if it similar artists that in turn help grow a the release’s sixth birthday, with fans were live once again makes it a shared larger fanbase.” invited to “Sit back, listen and feel free to experience for the community, which in “I’ve always felt that visual human share your own Group Therapy memories turn helps drive engagement.”

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Boiler Room what the promoter or DJ want you to see. Be-At.tv recently has been doing Facebook Live allows people to experience Facebook Live videos of a record spinning the real-world event from home in a very on a turntable, with visual effects overlaid matter of fact way - a ‘fly on the wall’ kind on the video, in what I believe is one of the of affair.” most effective ways to do a Facebook- “This will help fans to quickly decide if based LP premiere or album listening they buy-in to the event or DJ by following party. Taking this a step further is simple, them on socials as well as putting you in too; it’s easy to imagine having the artist instant touch with fellow fans so you feel sit next to the record as it spins, turn down a part of the community from the comfort the volume at certain parts of the song of home.” and talk about how they wrote, recorded or produced it…or having the artist lift the Be-At.tv’s spinning vinyl needle off of the record at the end, pan long - usually hours and hours - because this the camera to the artist and do a surprise Wesley T. A’Harrah, head of training and will notify a larger percentage of the pages’ interview could be simple, effective and development at music:)ally explains: fans that the page is gone live. great for the fans.” :) “Livestreaming video through software Boiler Room has a long history of like OBS - which allows creators to queue broadcasting live music video, with its up multiple pieces of pre-recorded content first Boiler Room session going out in and air them as if they’re live, in addition March 2010 on Ustream. to allowing them to put filters / effects on BEYOND FACEBOOK LIVE It was little surprise, then, that actually-live video - is a norm for creators Facebook Live may well be the scheduled for later the company was an early adopter of who want to livestream to Twitch, YouTube most prominent live video streaming this year. For music Facebook Live (which it uses alongside and other platforms all at once. site at the moment but it is far from marketers this other platforms), launching there in early As creators have increasingly been adding the only one, with other contenders new feature could 2016, a move that led to a 400% increase Facebook Live to their list of platforms to including Instagram Live (used by allow musicians in engagement on its live streaming in stream on, many of the Facebook Live videos the likes of Martin Garrix, Justin to invite fans or the first three months according to US we’re seeing that strike us as new ways of Bieber, Selena Gomez, Calvin other artists onto technology: Crowd Surf. marketing consultant Jeremy Wilson. doing live streams have really been going on Harris and Kid Ink), YouTube’s their Instagram Live broadcasts, So far, the use of the feature has Jessica Roe, director of digital and for ages on other parts of the internet. For Mobile Live (Linkin Park, Young increasing visibility and interaction. been very limited - TechCrunch social consultancy Level Theory, says that instance, electronic music label Monstercat Thug, Fetty Wap and Hardwell) and Snapchat is slightly different. said it had seen a Crowd Surf clip Boiler Room is “leading the way with best maintains a 24/7 video livestream of their Periscope (notably Lady Gaga). For the moment it offers user- compiled from Lorde’s performance on Twitch practice on Facebook Live for the music artists’ music and very effectively These services keep evolving: to-user video chat and Our / at the Outside Lands music world”. “Nothing sells a DJ or or club night make large volumes of videos using static Periscope introduced a new 360 Live Stories but no live video festival in San Francisco in August more than the atmosphere of physically images of their label branding that can be video format earlier this year, while broadcast feature. However, it did 2017 - but given the popularity being there… the buzz of the crowd and aired and uploaded in any number of in August 2017 Instagram revealed recently launch an intriguing new of Snapchat and the intense the characters who attend the events ways, as individual videos or with multiple that it was testing a feature that feature which stitches together competition between the various alongside you are as important as the videos strung together to create one much would allow users to add another video from different users at a social media giants, it will be music to some extent,” she explains. longer video. person to their live broadcast, concert into longer, multi-angled interesting to see what the impact “Filming at these events, editing This applies nicely to Facebook Live with a full launch provisionally clips, using Artificial Intelligence Crowd Surf could make. and then releasing a video give a highly because the furthest-reaching uses of polished experience which is very much Facebook Live will be streams that last quite

3 | sandbox | ISSUE 187 | 13.09.2017 MUSIC ALLY’S FIRST DIGITAL MUSIC-MARKETING CONFERENCE TAKES PLACE IN LONDON ON 11 OCTOBER

Every fortnight we write about digital marketing issues, useful tools and the latest campaigns in this sandbox report. Now we’re expanding the brand into a one-day conference.

The Sandbox Summit will take place at the London Art House venue in Islington, London on 11 October. We want to provide a forum for inspiration, networking and debate for music marketers.

Sponsored by Linkfire and Push Entertainment, the conference will include a mix of keynotes, panel discussions and one-on-one interviews.

That includes a non-music keynote from Dylan Collins, CEO of SuperAwesome, a digital platform for under-13s, outlining some key lessons on the next generation of music fans.

Our ‘What I Learned From’ strand will feature quickfire interviews with WMG’s Beth Appleton; Kobalt’s David Emery; and former HarperCollins exec Sam Missingham on the lessons they took from specific marketing campaigns.

We’ll have panel debates on playlist-pitching; influencer marketing; live video; direct-to-consumer marketing; data and analytics; and what new features marketers want to see from music-streaming services.

Tickets for the event cost £159 + VAT for music:)ally / sandbox subscribers, and £189 + VAT for everyone else. For larger group sales and international attendees, you can contact [email protected] or for more information [email protected].

FIND OUT MORE HERE... FOR TICKETS, CLICK HERE... TOOLS SYNCHTANK

Synchtank began with a heavy focus on any better, but because of the presentation. assisting professionals working in, you I took it around to some friends in guessed it, synch. publishing and at labels that were pretty forward thinking and they all thought it was But since its founding in 2008, the very progressive and signed up immediately company has evolved past the ability to for what would become a software as a allow users to pitch and search audio service (SaaS) company. That was 2010, and assets available for licensing, mock up the business officially launched in 2011. synchs with them, and license them. music:)ally spoke to founder Joel Jordan, sandbox How have you developed CEO Rory Bernard, and CBO Chris Cass Synchtank over time? about how Synchtank has evolved over Jordan: It’s project Falkor, as in the the past few years, and what it’s trying to Neverending Story. We’ve been building offer the music industry today. for nine years now and it just gets better and better and wider and wider in the use sandbox How did Synchtank get started? cases, and more applicable to different Joel Jordan: Synchtank was created out of types of businesses and media. We’ve the frustrations of running an independent been listening to the clients: they are the label and publishing company for 20 years daily users that are super-smart and have with little or no staff beyond myself. incredible insight into how the system can Initially, it was created as a tool for me be shifted or improved to do other things. to understand my catalogue and rights For instance, pitching – that’s not better than I was able to through my just something we do for sync right? We personal iTunes collection of masters and pitch for retail, DSPs, DJs both club and my endless spreadsheet of copyrights. radio, blogs and media, and so on and I needed a place to unite all the data in amazing full-stack developer, and I over have unique templates for each type of one online location, and to create a space the years had become a pretty proficient campaign, perhaps we also watermark for myself and my clients to interact with designer. the tunes for anti piracy and to see exactly my catalogue in a more meaningful way Understanding that, we stayed out of where and how many spins we’re getting. beyond emails, zip files, spreadsheets, and each other’s way and built something that All of that can be done through Synchtank links to file-sharing sites that didn’t drive was initially pretty basic for managing all as well. my brand. the details of and for pitching my catalogue, Synchtank is also a perfect tool for Starting on working on a website for but looked really slick and showed how managing the licensing processes but my copyrights and recordings as a means serious I was about my business. Suddenly is also used widely for all other pitching to commercialise my catalogue better was my problem of communicating what I had purposes at music companies. We’ve the initial step. Luckily the bassist in my available was solved, and I began booking also stitched in means for on-boarding punk band in college turned out to be an more licenses – not because the music got large catalogues and providing baseline

5 | sandbox | ISSUE 187 | 13.09.2017 TOOLS SYNCHTANK searchable audible descriptive metadata continues to become a critical revenue the head unit in your car. It’s why I am such as tempo/BPM, key, mode, moods, stream. especially passionate about Synchtank. instruments, similar songs, and so on, Within the b2b arena we are seeing new Synchtank’s client base, from bedroom alongside any legacy or historical data to work that we could not have even imagined labels to multinational music publishers to make catalogues instantly searchable, no 12 or 18 months ago. We have projects that film studios and broadcasters, should say matter how large they may be. are integrating through into SAP, financial enough about where we’re taking this. Just We’ve incorporated multiple data streams analysis reporting and white label interface last week we won Proper Music Distribution and validation services, are DDEX compliant, development. It’s a continual challenge to and Haawk as customers, and that is quite a hooked into most distributors such as CI and ensure that we can provide this and ensure contrast of clients, right there. FUGA and have made our software basically that our platform remains a pure play SaaS We have a great pipeline of features and a ‘command central’ for music catalogues. offering with all the benefits that gives our partners under development at the moment You’re also able to quickly build playlists clients. which we will be talking about as they and push them to DSPs like Spotify, Deezer, mature into commercial roll outs, all of which YouTube, and SoundCloud, with more to sandbox What’s your ideal client, and what’s will add great value to the clients who are come and ideate and distribute releases back your quick pitch to a potential client? subscribing to the platform. to your distributor. Chris Cass: There’s no ‘ideal’ client. We work Synchtank has become a tool for with everyone from British Telecom, Disney, sandbox What’s the competition managing, marketing and selling way beyond Naxos, peer music and Sony Pictures and and how do they compare? the sync department, so the name is a bit hundreds of companies in-between, so it Cass: I don’t bother talking about the of a misnomer now, but ‘Do-Everything- would be unfair and no doubt unwise of me competition, that’s their job. At a high level, You-Want-To-Do-With-Your-Music-Tank’ to single one out. there are numerous companies out there isn’t that snappy. We also have release- It’s basically the same pitch to everyone. with simple systems and low price points management tools, a built-in CRM to Synchtank is a cloud software platform for sandbox What’s next for Synchtank? What aimed at the bedroom-user who compete manage sales funnel and licenses, integrated IP and Digital Media Asset Management new features are coming and how might the with us on our own SoundGizmo product, contacts and groups, automated instant used by the global entertainment business evolve? but as far as I can work out these companies licensing and blanket licensing controls for industries via a SaaS commercial model. Cass: In the 90s I was leading one of the don’t have enterprise-level product and a B2B and B2C consumers, an online A/V sync It addresses music and A/V rights first companies to legally license music and path forwards, so good luck to them. spotting tool, mobile/responsive designs, management. Synchtank gives you other entertainment for online use. This was I suppose our competition can sometimes and more, thanks to our amazing clients’ compliance management efficiency and a funny time, me being a “real” music guy be the internal IT divisions at prospective support and suggestions. workflow enhancement and our products negotiating with self- proclaimed “music” customers. They often develop in-house are aimed at Enterprise and SME. guys at major record labels, folks who’d systems that get increasingly expensive to Rory Bernard: Our development of interfaces Most media businesses do not currently never been in a gigging tour van (note, not run and maintain, and we are finding a trend into YouTube MCN’s to allow our clients to use cloud software but a huge % are looking bus), let alone driven one. People forget how of moving these out-of-house to companies develop marketing campaigns and work with to roll out a cloud strategy and see their excruciating it was, dragging these guys like Synchtank, who operate as SaaS. creators was probably an instance where business software interoperability as a into business models that worked on the Otherwise, we typically view the we were closer to b2c uses than normal. It key strategic goal over the next few years. Internet, IVR and mobile. ecosystem of third-party system integrators, was great to see it initially go-live. I think Synchtank is a software platform that Now that the online surge is OTT and broadcast play-out systems, our client had about 20k new licensees/ connects to other digital platforms, such unstoppable, it feels time to complete entertainment metadata providers and users within the first couple of weeks. We as rights databases and digital content the cycle and make sure the creators are other technology vendors with rights are rapidly developing interfaces with all the distributors, and enables you to manage compensated by these new revenues management/database resources as major streaming services that are already your copyrights for commercial exploitation that include everything from music and potential partners to the Synchtank platform, driving new uses for clients as streaming and production. video streaming, on-demand pay TV and rather than see them as competitors. :)

6 | sandbox | ISSUE 187 | 13.09.2017 CAMPAIGNS The latest projects from the digital marketing arena SAM SMITH: VERTICAL HORIZONS THE NATIONAL GO 360

When music:)ally published our Two years since his last While the video is available first virtual reality and music single, Bond theme ‘Writing’s across Spotify’s desktop and primer in 2016 – and again On The Wall’, Sam Smith mobile apps, its vertical format when we updated it in 2017 – returned this month with is clearly optimised for the we suggested that one of the the lead track from his next latter. Smith isn’t the first artist best ways for artists and labels album. to star in a vertical video for to experiment with VR was to Spotify – Selena Gomez and find someone else to pay for the ‘Too Good at Goodbyes’ Avicii got there before him – but production costs. wasn’t just the British his video made the biggest singer’s comeback though: it splash yet across the service. A number of artists have taken represented an expansion of The video is also representative this approach, for example the Spotify’s strategy to weave of Spotify’s evolving video strategy, numerous musicians who’ve video into its key playlists. with the recent exit of its original- palled up with Samsung to We’ve been watching the content boss Tom Calderone, film concerts in 360 degrees. streaming service do that in and the imminent arrival of his The National have opted for a the US for a few months now, replacement: former Maker different kind of partnership: notably with the interviews Studios and Myspace Music with a high-profile media brand, and exclusives in its executive Courtney Holt. the New York Times. RapCaviar playlist. The Focusing video more As the band released their collaboration with Smith, on playlists will ensure new album ‘Sleep Well Beast’ they also saw hundreds a few days after it launched); and which took the form of more eyeballs on this kind the launch of ‘The National: Something Out within the NYT VR apps for iOS, Android and a vertical video of him of content, which in turn of Nothing’. Clocking in at just under 13 the Gear VR headset. singing the new track, will make it worthwhile for minutes, it’s a 360-degree mini-documentary Like its UK compatriot , the was placed within 40 labels and artists to set blending footage from the band’s Hudson New York Times is keen to understand what of Spotify’s playlists time aside for this kind of Valley studio with clips from a concert in kind of VR content might engage readers- globally, bar a handful exclusive content. Copenhagen. turned-viewers, so it makes sense to explore of countries including Spotify is also getting In truth, the film suffers from the same music. Japan, Australia and some useful promotion pitfalls as any documentary of this type: it’s The National are a good band to choose, Canada. from the collaboration intensely interesting if you’re a hardcore but we still have doubts about the content. The playlists included too: clips of the video fan of The National, but decidedly not-that- Watching a band noodle in the studio or play some of Spotify’s biggest were posted on Smith’s interesting if you aren’t. on a small stage is fine enough in an old- hitters like Today’s Top Instagram (7.4m As a relationship-builder with a fashioned non-360 video, so wouldn’t this Hits (with its 16.8 million followers) as well followers), Facebook (5.7m) and Twitter (4.7m) prominent media outlet, it may still be useful. technology be more enticingly used to shoot as the This Is: Sam Smith playlist created as a with prominent “Watch the full video on The video is available on the NYT website; on something more experimental, and unique showcase for the artist. Spotify” message. YouTube (albeit with views still in the mid- for VR?

7 | sandbox | ISSUE 187 | 13.09.2017 CAMPAIGNS The latest projects from the digital marketing arena HOT GOSS JASON DERULO: IN A GIFfy

We can’t help thinking sometimes ‘Click’ uses a choose-your- that Jason Derulo is engaged in some own-adventure dynamic that kind of digital oneupmanship contest we’ve seen before: rather than with Snoop Dogg to be the first one video, it’s actually lots artist on to brand new promotional of shorter clips, and at the platforms. end of each one the viewer is presented with a choice over Since 2014 music:)ally has covered which to watch next – picking campaigns involving Derulo with a branching path through the AR app Taggar; dating app Tinder; story. karaoke startup Smule; social Here, that means videos app Musical.ly and its progressing from flirting with livestreaming spin-off Live.ly; and people at a pool party to dates, chatbots platform Octane AI. getting serious and ultimately Derulo’s latest experiment is living happy ever after with one with British startup Emoticast and of the diverse cast of characters. Canadian messaging app Kik, and The nature of YouTube it focuses on his new single ‘If I’m means we can gauge how well Lucky’. As part of it, he’s getting his the video has performed. A own emoji, created by Emoticast month after its release, the first and exclusively available on Kik for four However, in a recent white paper clip – ‘Welcome to the Party’ weeks. released to support its latest fundraising – had been viewed 18k times Fans using the emoji will be able to round – via a cryptocurrency-fuelled ICO – We’d not heard of American artist Tom Goss – but the final set of ‘Happily Ever After’ clips unlock customised GIFs and music, with Kik said that it has “more than 15 million before this month, but that’s not entirely our had been watched for just over 3.1k times – a Derulo promoting the campaign by taking monthly active users” of whom 57% are fault. He’s definitely one to file under ‘up and completion rate of just 17.3%. over the Tunemoji bot on Kik to chat to his aged between 13 and 24, and 64% live in the coming’ with a YouTube channel boasting There’s an argument that the drop-off fans. US. 38,000 subscribers and 7.2m lifetime views. rate might be less if this kind of branching Sorry, Jason, but Snoop Dogg still A fairly narrow target audience, then, but narrative was handled within a single video, managed to get there first: the rapper got as artists and labels explore the potential of Still, that’s exactly the kind of artist that rather than relying on clicking from one clip to his own exclusive deal with Emoticast bots and messaging culture more generally, YouTube is keen to work with on videos that the next. and Kik in April this year, thus acting as a the likes of Emoticast make for appealing push the boundaries of its platform a bit. On a wider level, though, we suspect that warm-up of sorts for the Derulo campaign. partners. Hence the interactive video for his new song the kind of interactivity that floats boats for How many people is he reaching? Kik has If nothing else, the lessons from a Kik ‘Click’ that was produced at the YouTube fans in 2017 is more about creating their own traditionally avoided publishing active-user campaign might help roll something out at Space LA as part of the Project Pitch initiative, video content for music – witness the rise of numbers, saying in 2016 that it had 300 a larger scale on Facebook Messenger in where people pitch video ideas to YouTube in Musical.ly – as well as using GIFs from videos million registered users. the future. the hope of getting help making them. to express themselves in social contexts.

8 | sandbox | ISSUE 187 | 13.09.2017 BEHIND THE CAMPAIGN LONDON GRAMMAR BEHIND THE CAMPAIGNLONDON GRAMMAR Truth Is a Beautiful Thing, the second album from London Grammar, came out four years after their debut. At the time of their first album, the band’s label () had pulled music from Spotify, but eventually it returned and the label is now part of Sony. As such, the band had a lot of catching up to do with regards to streaming. NEGLA ABDELA, senior digital marketing manager at Ministry Of Sound, and JAMES FARRELLY, digital strategy manager at Ministry Of Sound, explain how the band were reintroduced to the public with a bang rather than through a teaser campaign, how playlists came into their own this time round, why they created their own Mood Mix Generator and where native video took the lead.

due to TV appearances and syncs. It started to cross over into a more Radio 2, Amazon- shopping and physical-buying audience. What we identified quite early was that the first album was 50/50 in terms of digital and physical. With the streaming landscape being so different now from where it was back then, Building into the new album Our first thing was to understand where it was about seeing if that physical audience NA: The first thing to do when the album the audiences were and if they were lapsed was still going to be there or if it was going was coming back into play was identifying or if they were still engaged – and then to move on and become more about a where their audiences were. There had been thinking of how we could reach them with streaming audience. a two-year gap from them touring the first the new music. The physical audience was still there album and actually coming back with the It is a bit of a split audience. Originally it in a large part and is still a main staple second album. In that time social media has was a younger demographic, more 18-25 of our album-buying audience. We did come on such a long way and the digital and it was tastemakers in the early days. realise quite quickly with the release of landscape has changed so much. On the When the album came out, it was a much the first setup single that the streaming first album, for example, London Grammar younger and cooler audience. As that first audience was there and ready to weren’t on Spotify. album grew, it broadened out much wider consume music on Spotify.

10 | sandbox | ISSUE 187 | 13.09.2017 BEHIND THE CAMPAIGNLONDON GRAMMAR

The biggest fanbases are in four different Their audience is split across all formats. time zones. The UK. Europe, especially So we made sure we had formats that Germany and France. Australia is a massive catered for all parts of the audience. market for them and the US. So midnight Superfans had exclusive formats on the GMT was a great time to launch it because official website; for fans who may have been in Australia it was lunchtime while in the US downloaders – but have now moved onto it was running into their New Year’s Eve. We streaming in the past few years – there managed to cut through a lot of that traffic was a pre-save for them on both Spotify and not get lost in the NYE noise. It was and Deezer ; then it was on iTunes as a also served to radio at the same time. pre-order as well as Apple Music; then on ‘Rooting For You’ wasn’t the first single; Amazon, physical pre-orders were also it was more of a reintroduction track. ‘Big available. Picture’ was the first official single. That came in February so it was quite quick run into the official first single. With this campaign we wanted to keep it quite short. We didn’t want to drag out Reintroducing the band to the public three singles over the course of the year. NA: Traditionally people might go for a Their audience is an album-buying one so teaser campaign for a new album and have we don’t need to stick to the traditional little bursts where you are exciting fans and single campaign formulas and lead times. re-engaging them that way. We felt it would ‘Big Picture’ was the first single but there be more impactful to go 100% – everything still wasn’t an album announcement at that in one go. point. So on New Year’s Day, we released We wanted to remind the fans of what The album announcement came at the ‘Rooting For You’ at midnight. There they loved about London Grammar from end of March and that coincided with their was no previous indication it was coming. the first album. It was just Hannah’s vocals Comic Relief [annual televised charity event There was no social reskin. There was no stripped back – pure and simple. With them in the UK] performance of the album title teaser messaging. There was no pre- it is about the vocals and the production. track. They performed that on Comic Relief announcement. We just wanted to go out with a big bang for on Friday 24th of March and the pre-order We wanted to start 2017 with a clean that first single. went up just after that. That was the first slate and just go out there with ‘Rooting We put the video up on their official news there was an album coming as there For You’ on 1st January. The first line of the website, www.londongrammar.com , and was no pre-awareness of that. song is “let winter break” so we wanted that the traffic within minutes was immense. We also made sure that the to mark a line in the sand where 2016 was We just announced it with a Facebook, pre-order was across streaming over so let’s start again in 2017. The video Instagram and Twitter message. There was services – so we had a pre-save for was very stripped back. It was a two- no communication as to what was going option that wasn’t available on the and-a-half minute a cappella performance there. It was just the link [to the website]. first album. We were expecting to see by Hannah [Reid, lead singer] to begin You could see in real time how the website a good pick up, but we weren’t sure how with before it goes into the full track. traffic was increasing. big or small that would be. In the end, the We just wanted to hit people With London Grammar’s fanbase, we are people who pre-saved the albums made between the eyes. always having to consider a global audience. up 11% of the pre-order numbers.

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releases were on all retailers. So everything soundtrack to people’s day. People listen to what the band look like. went to Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer them at specific times of the day. It wasn’t To do that we had to marry up all the as well as to the download and physical something that they would listen to for the activities we were doing on streaming retailers. first month and then move it aside to make with what we were doing off platform and With Spotify specifically we were just space for new releases. What we noticed making sure we were connecting the dots making sure that we were using Spotify’s from looking at the analytics was that between them. own playlist as much as we could to build people were still streaming the album three The pre-save got announced alongside the audience ahead of the album pre-order. years after it was out. the regular pre-orders. On YouTube, their viewership and watch There is a lot of debate out there time was still really high consistently for the as to whether or not pre-saves past four years. People were soundtracking work. But I think that if you have their lives with that first album. Mood a band that is very album focused playlists were definitely a big focus for us and if you have an audience that outside of traditional frontline playlists that is looking to consume an album you might be looking to be on for release. beyond just a passing interesting in whatever singles they’re putting Playlist strategy and pushing pre-saves out, those pre-saves definitely JF: Regardless of the fact that they weren’t have an effect. on Spotify on the previous album, the We had not run an album pre-save industry itself had changed so much in the before within Ministry Of Sound. But The This Is... Playlist that Spotify intervening years that we’d have needed to it helped build awareness around the curates itself is one of our strongest tools. completely re-approach things even if they campaign. I don’t believe that audiences necessarily had been on the platform. London Grammar are not a playlist follow or keep up with artists’ own curated We took a look at what their organic band as such; if anything, they are the We made sure all bases were covered playlists. We have always had a discography listener base was on the platform and it opposite of that. From the outset we had and gave fans the option to consume where playlist on their page, but the follower was still really healthy because when the to be focused on how we could maximise they wanted it – rather than trying to force numbers are quite low. I think the fans will album finally went on there, there was still the opportunities on the platforms. The them into one format or another. go straight to the album once they’re on an interest in the band. We took a look at way we had to approach it was to think of We had a D2C store which was a new your page rather than to that playlist. where those fans were coming from and it like we weren’t going to get any playlist platform for the band. That had exclusive So we pushed Spotify’s This Is... playlist who they were. We found that in a lot of opportunities at all and to really grow the content and as an additional incentive a lot more and make sure that it was visible instances they were a very lean-back artist streams from organic listens. anyone who ordered from the D2C store got and present at the top of their artist page. where people would put them in their We had a London Grammar discography instant access to pre-sale tickets for the Spotify was promoting it as well. We saw playlists for when they were going about playlist that had been on Filtr for a number tour. But at that point we hadn’t announced the numbers on that grow quite quickly their daily business. of years. The numbers were doing alright any dates yet, but we made it clear that so we made a conscious effort to keep We’re also still seeing a high level of but when we spoke to Spotify they said anyone who pre-ordered the album from promoting that as fans were being drawn streams from editorial playlist that were there was a brand awareness around the the D2C site would get early access to to it more than they were to artist-curated lean back in focus. This Is London Grammar playlists. From a tickets. playlists. The main job on streaming platforms consumer point of view, they were quite Spotify also had us in all of the right was to tell the story of the band a little more impactful, and it was coming up in the SEO Starting the streaming mood and genre playlists. than had been done before. For a lot of when you would search for the band. So it strategy from scratch What we realised with London Grammar people, they might know London Grammar made sense for us to start driving traffic NA: Initially it was just making sure that all from the first album was that they are the songs but they wouldn’t necessarily know towards that This Is... playlist.

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The fans are there and definitely haven’t gone anywhere. But in terms of moving the campaign forward, there are lots of areas, especially on the digital side, where we closed those gaps that we were missing on the first campaign. CRM was a big part of our initial objective. From the first track, we were looking to see how we could grow our CRM database and make sure we have a direct relationship with all of those fans. We have grown that database 105% in the past six months. We had multiple capture mechanics. The A really well-crafted editorial playlist like into ‘’ as the second main one was the pre-order mechanic to This Is... made sense for us. official single, which came out on 20th April. get early access to the tour. We also had We noticed that when we pinned it That was the more commercially pre-tour signups for all territories – the UK, to the top of the profile page and there sounding record, and that was the one that the US, Europe and Australia. All of that data was any activity around the band, the opened up the doors a bit broader than the was then funnelled back to us in the UK. We number of followers on that playlist were first campaign. That took us into Radio 1, had secret gigs in Australia in January and rapidly growing. Radio 2, Virgin, Xfm and so on. they were in market there doing festivals The thing with Filtr was that we were The first key TV performance pre-album over New Year. trying to place London Grammar on playlists was Comic Relief. On this campaign, the key Following on from that was the Spotify remixes from their catalogue that suit your that weren’t just lean-back ones. If it’s a TV performances are going to come later. pre-save and making sure that fans we mood. Plus, there are tracks pulled in by lean-back playlist, no one’s going to know They also came later in the first campaign. missed in the streaming world on the the Spotify API from acts that you listen to the name of London Grammar. With Filtr Our focus is on keeping this campaign going first album we’re being focused on. We or are similar to London Grammar. We had that was a really good combination of the for the rest of the year – and TV is a big part saw a good pick up from fans which over 13,000 playlists generated from that in lean-back playlists that they had been of that. indicated there was an audience that the first week. featured on and also some of the frontline was a streaming-only one for London We didn’t want to just give fans a playlist hits playlists. Week of release Grammar; they are not physical buyers or that is just full of London Grammar music. iTunes and Apple Music were NA: It was a busy chart week as Katy Perry downloaders. We wanted to give them some personal massively key to this campaign. We and Glen Campbell also had albums out. Following the album release, we insight from the band and get to know their worked with them right from the outset For our strategy, because the fanbase was launched the London Grammar Mood Mix music tastes a bit better. They don’t do too to ensure that the messaging was all very so engaged, the pre-order was a big, big Generator . That is a Spotify playlist many interviews where they are out there much around the album. part of that. We had a really strong pre- curated by London Grammar. Fans go in, putting out too much of their personality, so order campaign so we went into week one they import their mood, they select which we thought this would be a way to do that. Run into the album knowing we were in a good position and we band member they would like a playlist It would give fans something that is more of NA: The album came out on 9th of June. The had a fair idea of where we would end up in from and then a Spotify playlist gets a soundtrack while still driving streams of first instant grat was ‘Truth Is A Beautiful the chart that week. generated based on tracks chosen by that the album in a non-forceful way. Thing’ to coincide with the Comic Relief Where we finished sales wise, we did band member. On top of that there are We have seen a lot of playlists performance. Off the back of that we went exceed what we thought we were going to sell. album tracks from London Grammar and mechanics where a new album is just added

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to your collection and is sort of forced down the different platforms have a different messages. It is more about updates down. With those things, the view rates your throat. This is a more organic way of purpose for us. Facebook had 1m followers and less about marketing than tend to drop off after the first day or driving repeat visitors. The numbers have of the time of launching the new album Facebook. two. So taking it down doesn’t take stayed quite high. That is going to be a campaign and that covers more of the We were nervous about the away from the fans who want to watch staple in our Spotify strategy for the next official announcements. It’s a marketing Facebook algorithm and how it it on demand. What we’re seeing is that, few months. We will be re-promoting it, hub, almost. If you want to know everything may affect our page reach and out of habit, fans do not tend to go back rebranding it, repurposing it, updating it and that London Grammar are up to, go straight our engagement. But because the a week later and want to re-watch it. making sure that it stays engaging for the to Facebook as all the release information engagement was so high already, and Vevo is a new platform for London fans. We want that to be their go-to mood is there, there are links to music and videos, even in the down time they only post Grammar. They have always been a generator rather than, say, a Spotify chill out the tour dates are there and so on. It is once or twice a month, they weren’t YouTube band and have got a really or party playlists. all there in a hub which acts almost like a completely dead. Because those good YouTube audience. We did not Our aim is to keep it going throughout secondary website. posts came at such wide intervals, want to lose that subscriber base, the campaign rather than just have it as Twitter is more of a place where they when they did post the fans would move everything to Vevo and cut an activation that we do on album launch have two-way dialogue. They feel that jump on them and the engagement off those fans. There are also some and then move away from it. Throughout less is more and so they would only say remained high. We got to 1m territories that Vevo is not available the year we will be rebranding it and adding something when it needs to be said. If followers on Facebook nine months in. To get around that, what we did new songs from the band, where it will they were to be always on, it would be before the first track from the album before we set up the new campaign be themed around key moments in the less genuine. They say something when came out. The fans were still there was to merge their Vevo and YouTube campaign. something has to be so said and their and it was still growing. channels as one of the new YouTube artist Certain fans will always want the audience is a lot more patient. official channels. physical formats and the limited-edition If the messaging loses relevance Putting native video at the forefront Now if you visit YouTube.com/ formats. The streaming side hasn’t taken and it just becomes monotonous NA: For this campaign, native videos have LondonGrammar, Vevo content is available away too much from the overall campaign. updates that aren’t interesting been at the forefront. For all the video there on the same homepage as their If anything it has added another layer of or engaging, I think fans would assets that were available on their website, YouTube content. That means their engagement for the fans. walk away. YouTube or Vevo channels, we were using catalogue is there alongside new content. I think going forward, and between native teaser clips on Facebook to drive the For the user it makes no difference. We Social media campaigns, Instagram will become more fans to those platforms. They were usually can still leverage the marketing support of an always-on platform for them. Out 30-second clips with a message and a link that we get from Vevo and also feed of their three main platforms, Instagram to watch the full video on another platform. that YouTube ecosystem where the fans is more of a behind the scenes place We did a Facebook Live stream from naturally go to consume their music. That where you see a lot more of the band their show at the Round Chapel in Hackney launching just before this campaign was and it is the platform they are the most [East London] in April. We streamed the last perfect timing for us. :) reactive on. six songs of the set. Facebook has so many more limitations We wanted it to be something that in terms of algorithms. It has stopped being would reach audiences globally – and it WANT TO FEATURE IN a fan engagement platform and has started was the first London show for the new BEHIND THE CAMPAIGN? NA: Facebook is their biggest audience. to become more of a marketing platform. campaign. We thought the setting was so Marketing people: do you have a campaign you are working Then it’s Twitter and Instagram. Facebook Whereas Twitter and Instagram offer beautiful and the sonics were so amazing, on that you would like to see featured in Behind The Campaign has always been where their fans were and more direct communication with the band. so it was the first live moment that we in a future edition of sandbox? If so, send a brief synopsis of Instagram was in its infancy around the first Even if the band don’t tweet that often, wanted to show people. it to Eamonn Forde for consideration and your work (and your album campaign. the audience knows that it is coming from It was made available on demand for words) could appear here. We have taken the strategy where them and that it isn’t just a wash of sales 48 hours after the show. Then it was taken Email: [email protected]

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