Music Marketing for the Digital Era Issue 187
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05–06 Tools Synchtank 07–08 Campaigns Sam Smith, The National, Jason Derulo, Tom Goss 09-14 Behind The Campaign- London Grammar 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 1 | sandbox | ISSUE 187 | 13.09.2017 COVERFEATURE 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.” 2 | sandbox | ISSUE 187 | 13.09.2017 COVERFEATURE 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.