Sandbox MUSIC MARKETING FOR THE DIGITAL ERA Issue 102 | 12th February 2014
Platform & function: music and branding’s next stage INSIDE… Campaign Focus The relationship between PAGE 5: brands and musicians is getting Tinie Tempah’s rap app >> increasingly intricate and complex, Campaigns but as more partnerships are struck, standing out has never PAGE 6: been harder. Brand spend is now The latest projects from the happening more cautiously and digital marketing arena >> getting the best results for the (often Tools heavy) financial outlay is the focus. Beyond the obvious endorsement PAGE 7: deals, digital services are being FanSparks >> tapped to reach an already engaged Behind the Campaign audience and find new marketing PAGEs 8 - 11: routes though established platform/audience relationships. Goldfrapp >> This is also carrying across to the Charts live sector and how brandings deals PAGE 12: work there. How can this approach Digital charts >> work more effectively and where should both brands and the platforms themselves be focusing their efforts? Issue 102 | 12th February 2014 | Page 2 continued…
This year there appear to be two key trends ranging from iTunes and Spotify to Red Bull brings its brand identity to the table added benefit of long engagement times and in the brands and music space. One is that SoundCloud and Mixcloud. and Mixcloud brings the platform and fit. less competition from other brands for ‘share brands are being more pragmatic in their Not only does it bring a licensed platform to of ear’.” The Red Bull Thre3style DJ contest is a good approach and more cautious about their Red Bull, it also brings with it a community of example of this. Now in its fourth year, it is He adds, “We believe a playlist on its own is spend. We’ve got used to haloed partnerships active DJs and mix fans who are used to the a multi-territory contest run in partnership not an effective form of branded content. where brands spend large amounts of money platform. between Red Bull and Mixcloud. DJs are The rules of branded content are to create on celebrity endorsements – Pepsi’s 2012 invited to take part in local live mixing “We act as a platform where brands can and connect with original, unique content deal with Beyoncé was worth $50m – which contests and the winners go to the grand focus on distributing branded content that that reflect the values of the brand.” carry with them a risky element of hit and final. All mixes – from the initial online exists in an audio and music form,” says miss. Some are very effective but others can It’s the choice of curators and DJs, the submissions to the live contests and world Mixcloud’s co-founder Nikhil Shah. “There misfire or lack true fit. context around the playlist, the sonic finals – are hosted on a Red Bull Thre3style are a number of brands that have identified branding, the activation points and the The other is that, in order to be effective in branded page on Mixcloud, creating a large music as a core passion point to engage their fit between the platform and brand that a cluttered consumer marketplace where and engaging pool of exclusive content for consumers. Delivering music content is an make the efforts of the brand effective and digital noise is getting louder and more the brand. intuitive and effective way to do this, with the meaningful to the target audience. problematic to rise above, brands must embed themselves in consumer culture and How do brands view the partnerships? bring a badge of authenticity to the table. They must be a trusted voice for consumers In order to understand how a brand shapes in their target markets. Even better, they its approach and spend on a partnership with must establish themselves as the channel for a music platform, it should be viewed as how the content that the consumer wants. a brand looks to spend on radio, rather than how they pay for music content, as Cliff Fluet As Carli Kapff (founder and MD of music from Lewis Silkin explains. agency Genuine) explained to us, in the food and beverage space this could mean “You need to look at the value exchange a popular recipe book or app; in the music in radio,” he says. “Simply buying radio space this could mean exclusive content advertisements gives you repetition, but the or playlists. It also means planning and value is seen as lower than that provided by executing effective campaigns with several sponsorship. It’s about achieving synergy touch points and activations which cross with a programme – or a genre or style of from online to offline. programming – rather than being based on interruptive advertising.” In order to achieve this in the music space, brands are turning to service platforms, Issue 102 | 12th February 2014 | Page 3 continued…
He continues, “Brands will see the playlist supposed to see it become the underlying featuring 50 popular songs from any given artist series, sponsored by Schwarzkopf’s or playlist experience as part of the overall music technology platform for the soft drink year since 1938. Got2B haircare product range, and Xperia message. Not many big brands would just brand. However, there hasn’t been a major Access or Lynx Summer six in the UK. In the Apple tradition, iTunes Radio is buy a radio campaign; it’s part of the bigger technological development in this regard focusing on big brand advertising buy-ins. Toyota is the headline Vevo platform sponsor mix. What streaming services will want to do aside from the Placelists Spotify and iOS When it launched in September 2013, its in the UK, having committed a seven-figure is be a part of the overall mix, so brands will apps. four advertising launch partners – PepsiCo, sum in May 2013 to advertise its Aygo car be chasing a more radio-like dollar rather Part of the win for streaming services is McDonalds, Nissan and Proctor & Gamble brand to a younger audience. It benefits from than [a pure] music dollar.” physical product placement and Spotify has – paid more than $10m each in order to be premium advertisement placement as well as benefited from being featured on Coca-Cola exclusive advertising partners until the end its own ‘YNOT’ hub on Vevo itself. What’s happening in the streaming bottles in various campaigns around the of the year. In early 2014, advertising was music service space? world. offered openly to clients with a rumoured Festival and digital music platforms The major streaming services all have brand minimum buy-in of $1m. In November 2012, for example, Spotify was Festivals are huge brands in the music partnerships and strategies in place. Spotify advertised on 100m Coke bottles and cans iTunes’ partnership with PepsiCo brought space themselves and it serves digital music has received a $10m strategic investment in Australia, featuring QR codes and URLs more exclusivity which saw it become the platforms well to align with them. The typical from Coca-Cola in a partnership which was for consumers to access a Spotify playlist only brand with its own dedicated channel approach is for a music service to integrate on iTunes Radio, which featured a range of and power the music features in an official curated playlists from its musician brand festival app and for the app to contain a ambassadors at launch and added NFL stars guide to the festival including line-up, artist in its second phase approaching the Super bios, samples and some other features. Bowl in 2014. Sony Music Unlimited sponsored this year’s Meanwhile the just-launched Beats Music Bestival app and integrated its music service has arguably the strongest natural brand while WiMP partnered with Roskilde in leverage of all in its Beats By Dre parent 2012 to power the music features in the brand. official Roskilde app. This included powering samples of the acts for non-subscribers. In terms of advertising partnerships, Vevo is one of the hottest digital music platforms Perhaps the most complete example of a in the space. It brings two key properties to music service and festival integration we’ve the table: its large and active user base, as seen so far is the Sónar 2013 app which was well as a host of Originals shows tailored for built and powered by Deezer. It contained a each territory and which can be individually free festival radio station, which users could branded. These include its Lift emerging stream without being Deezer subscribers. Issue 102 | 12th February 2014 | Page 4 continued…
Apart from the free festival radio, users could monitor listening data to test their popularity campaigns. Based on manipulating Spotify’s the show is set in. stream tracks of artists playing at the festival, and help it shape its over-the-air playlists in APIs, it can auto-generate or extend playlists In conclusion, brands (from FMCG companies limited to 30-second samples unless users order to attract new users. depending on user input – either user to festivals and events companies) are were Deezer Premium subscribers; or they submitted playlists or manual choices – or getting smarter and more pragmatic could sign up for the free mobile trial period analyse playlists and react according to Innovation in the brand and music about digital engagement using music, all in which case they could stream the full attributes. service platform space in the name of bringing an authentic and tracks from within the Sónar app. One company doing interesting things in For example, One Direction recently asked meaningful voice to the consumer table. An extra feature was a music quiz which this space is music advertising agency F#. fans to submit their own Spotify playlists Digital technology and online music proved to be very popular, consisting of It launched its AdPlayer product in October to a splash page on Spotify and used F#’s platforms are helping brands create a multiple choice quiz using 30-second 2013. It’s a new advertising technology technology to tell fans which member of campaigns that resonate at an emotional samples of tracks from artists in the festival which can deliver interactive music playlists the band they were most like according and experiential level with their target line-up (free to access for non-subscribers). in standard Message Plus ad-units (MPUs) to their music taste. It also partnered with consumers, using multiple online and offline As part of the partnership Deezer also across advertising networks. The music plays US television show The Carrie Diaries, the activation points – and all with music running created a companion app for Sónar on its within the ad unit and there is no need to prelude to Sex In The City and based in the through them as the core or complimentary desktop app platform. download tracks or players to make it work. 1980s, to run a campaign in which people theme. As technology and data manipulation submitted a Spotify playlist of current tracks “The app is part of a wider strategy in The AdPlayer units are distributed across continue to evolve, these experiences will and the platform returned them with a Spain,” explains Deezer’s Spain MD Leo advertising networks in the same ways as become more and more impactful. playlist of similar songs but from the decade Nascimento. “This is one of many different any other ad unit and bid for by advertisers ways to find strength in the market, ranging on a cost-per-mille (CPM) basis. Brands and from negotiating new partners in the media advertisers can either secure music content and festival landscape to the manufacturing for the player themselves or F# can offer space. The idea is to reach music users content via one of its B2B music service through different channels. The festival partners (it currently works with feed.fm in season is limited to the summer so we look the US). for other partnerships throughout the year.” This product is currently unique in the An example of one of these is a recent marketplace and could get even more deal closed with radio station RAC 105fm interesting when Google+ social messaging in Barcelona, which will see Deezer help features are integrated into the ad units in the station target new users in return the near future. for exposure. The station will curate and F# also offers flexible playlist technology publicise Deezer playlists of new music to brands and other partners for music which is not on its over-the-air playlists and Issue 102 | 12th February 2014 | Page 5 CAMPAIGN FOCUS: Tinie Tempah’s rap app
Ever wanted to rap like Tinie Tempah? Now you can… well, almost. His latest app, Rap Demonstration, lets fans try rapping like him by merely holding their phone in front of their mouth. Parlophone worked with We Make Awesome Sh to develop the app. The company came up with the music identification technology behind the app, which responds to tracks from his latest album and then synchronises a video of Tempah’s mouth miming to the precise point in the song. Tom Gibby from We The app was also pushed through Tinie lot of money but they can increase attention is hoped the Rap Demonstration app and its Make Awesome Sh told us, “We’ve managed Tempah’s social media channels, where and reward artists in other ways. Gibby told praise in various media outlets will help push to combine a very complex bit of tech, in fans were encouraged to share videos of us that there’s always a value attached to the ticket and album/track sales. the form of the custom sound analytics themselves using the app and to visit the media and press coverage that is generated The app downloads have partly been driven triggering video, with a minimal, quirky and dedicated website (rapdemonstration. for interesting apps. “There’s also a streaming by fans that already have tickets to the shows. highly visual interface and design.” tinietempah.com) to create animated gifs of aspect within the app as, when using it, if “We’ve already seen tweets from people themselves playing with it. The best fans don’t own the song, at least they are saying they’ve got tickets to see him and have gifs have the chance of featuring in streaming it from one of Tempah’s channels,” downloaded the app with that in mind,” says one of Tempah’s upcoming videos. he said. Gibby. The app is free, but purchase options Returning from a hugely successful first Adding value to the live experience is for songs from the iTunes Store album (Disc-Overy has sold 809k copies becoming more important – from Arcade Fire are shown on the main page of the in the UK), Tinie Tempah’s latest album, requesting fans dress in a certain way to One app. When downloading the songs, Demonstration, was released at the beginning Direction answering fans’ questions live on fans are able to store them on their of November last year but has yet to do as stage. It remains to be seen if the fans and device and play the videos whenever well (96k copies sold to date). With a few Tinie Tempah get to experience an ocean of they want. The app reached #5 in the rescheduled tour dates due to rehearsal rapping Tempah mouths in the future, but the App Store the day after it launched. issues, this will have impacted on the app shows how simple ideas can sometimes marketing for his second album. However, it Music apps don’t necessarily make a work the best. Issue 102 | 12th February 2014 | Page 6 CAMPAIGNS: The latest projects from the digital marketing arena
Chromeo’s latest video on people had tagged the different ads. Linnea Henriksson’s drip- was voted Artist Of The Year at last year’s P3 Gold Gala and has currently 95k followers Besides previous updates which enable Shazam feed campaign on Spotify on Spotify. She was also the first artist Shazam to run in the background (constantly in the Swedish Spotify Spotlight section ‘Come Alive’, the latest video tagging tracks) for iPhone users, the platform In October, Sandbox reported on which enabled the development of a close from electro-funk duo Chromeo, also recently launched its news feed feature Swedish artist Veronica Maggio’s relationship between the two parties. A drip- premiered on 5th February on that got a push during the Grammys in the drip-feed playlist on Spotify feed playlist was also released during the past US by providing news updates of the event. (she is now nominated for the Shazam. It’s the first video to week. Fredrik Westin at Spotify told us, “It was As Shazam continues to establish itself as an exclusively debut on the music- Innovator prize at the Swedish important for us that the user would end up at important social media platform, this should tagging platform and fans could Grammy awards). Now Swedish a platform where they could easily stream the provide fecund campaign opportunities for access it by ‘Shazaming’ the pop-singer Linnea Henriksson music and follow the playlist.” artists to explore. has done something similar, song. It marks another step for Within the first week, the playlist had reached Shazam in becoming a significant albeit with a twist. over 450k streams in Sweden while streaming platform that continues to attract Famous artists released their version of the of Henriksson’s back catalogue saw an artists and fans. song ‘Cecilia’ on Spotify, with the original increase of 50%. The company revealed last week that its artist not being revealed until a week later Henriksson has also announced a competition platform currently has 86m active users and (on the 4th February). The revelation was where fans were asked to send in covers of the is averaging 17m tags a day. Through recent made within the Spotify browser through song ‘Halmstad’ in order to have a chance of partnerships with Rdio and Saavn, Shazam is banners and articles. Linnea Henriksson getting the song released on Spotify alongside now moving into countries including Brazil, performing at Spotify Stockholm’s office. The Mexico, Pakistan and India. Last week, Lily competition runs until 18th March. Allen also used Shazam to provide behind- With streaming accounting for 70% of the the-scenes footage for her latest single, recorded music market in Sweden, Spotify ‘Air Balloon’, that can be unlocked when reaches a significant amount of people and watching the video on YouTube. works out considerably cheaper than TV and With TV channels searching for ways of billboard ads as a marketing channel. As the improving second-screen content, Shazam marketplace is more segmented in the UK is providing a means to get fans interacting. where streaming still remains niche, this type In October last year, the X Factor in the of campaign has perhaps some way to go here US let fans vote on the shows via Shazam before netting a mass audience; but its use while, during the Super Bowl last month, in Sweden is an interesting example of what the platform also launched retargeting could happen a little further down the line. opportunities on Facebook for brands when Issue 102 | 12th February 2014 | Page 7 Tools FanSparks
This fortnight we take a look Fans who provide the most engagement are then rewarded as per the campaigns terms. at social engagement and “The better the reward, the more traction rewards platform FanSparks, you’ll get on that campaign,” said Cowan. “The whose roster of music clients sort of thing that money can’t buy is always includes Dizzee Rascal, Jamie good – like a meet and greet or a Google Cullum and Nina Nesbitt. Hangout. It’s all about making it interesting.” Last year, Island Records promoted Nina The idea behind FanSparks arose out of the Nesbitt by using FanSparks to push fan-made growing need to make campaigns stand videos for her single, ‘Boy’. The fan who out on social platforms where brands and shared the content the most was rewarded acts would build their Facebook and Twitter with a one-on-one Google Hangout with Nina, audiences, only to find it increasingly hard to while the four runners-up had a group chat grow them further or fully engage with them. with her. The videos were shared over 3,700 In talks with Music Ally, Marcel Cowan, times via FanSparks and multiplied across FanSpark’s MD, explained, “[Our clients] need the social channels, resulting in a social reach SoundCloud tracks, Spotify playlists/songs, and that it does provide them to third parties. to find a piece of content that stands out increase of more than 170k individuals. Island Vine clips and images. The company aims to Although the dashboard does not include a amongst all the rest of the noise there is on was able to track that 70% of views and 90% add Google+ and Instagram integration soon. data export facility, the company can provide Twitter and Facebook. But [they] also want to of shares were coming from the fan-to-fan this via email should clients require it. Cowan The way the company works is similar to tap into the fan-to-fan audience.” network. explained, however, that this has not been MailChimp in that actions and fans get unique the case yet as “clients just use us to see the He added, “So while a band might have a FanSparks’ real-time dashboard shows who is and trackable URLs associated with them, all engagement”. direct link with a fan on Facebook, the fan generating what views, shares and re-shares of which the company uses to monitor and might also have direct links with other people on behalf of the original brand or artist. record all the different types of activities. FanSparks’ current and past users include on Facebook, Twitter and email that [the Cowan says, “We can see that John Doe only Users can then view and access not only their Charlie Brown, Dizzee Rascal, Jamie Cullum, band] could tap into”. has 100 fans on Facebook, but 99 of them audiences’ engagement performance but also Jessie J, Neon Jungle, Nina Nesbitt, Robert actually re-shared, whereas Jane Smith has So the company provides the means for the broader fan-to-fan network generated by DeLong and The Wanted amongst others. 10,000 but only one of them shared. So you the band to give their audience content the campaign. This includes the usernames, “Across music we are hitting an average of 75% know who your really valuable fans are and to share within their social circles on the email addresses and social network profiles of of content views being generated by the fan- who are the people that will respond and react understanding that they will earn rewards for each ‘new fan’. to-fan network, with content being shared as when asked to do something. This is hugely much as six times more through the FanSparks doing so. Every time fans share that piece of Privacy concerns are covered by FanSparks’ powerful to know and easy to achieve by platform by fans to their own Twitter and content to Twitter, Facebook or email, they T&Cs (both for users as well as fan running a campaign.” Content-wise, FanSparks Facebook audiences rather than just through will get points for views, clicks, shares and ambassadors). The company stresses that can be used to share YouTube videos, the individual networks,” said Cowan. re-shares. each data set is exclusive to each campaign Issue 102 | 12th February 2014 | Page 8 BEHIND THE CAMPAIGN Goldfrapp
Tales Of Us, Goldfrapp’s The album – rather than a series of sixth album, was released in singles – had to lead the campaign September and was the first It all goes back to Mute re-signing the band. We left EMI [in 2012] and the band finished for the band after re-signing out their deal with the singles collection. to Mute following its exit Moving into the recording of [album] six was from EMI to become fully very much Daniel [Miller, founder of Mute] letting the band have the time to create the independent again. Tales album they wanted to. Of Us was conceived as a It was very obvious towards the end of the full album and not singles- recording – with Daniel feeding back to us as driven, so the marketing to how everything was going – that it wasn’t had to reflect that, putting going to be a singles-driven campaign. The album is very much a piece. There are 10 an emphasis on a series of songs and there’s a theme. It was a reaction short films that culminate in against the greatest hits [The Singles in 2012] a screening in 300 cinemas and the album before [Head First in 2010] next month. Neil Blanket, that was made with singles in mind and with radio in mind. Mute’s head of international, explains how the visual It was defined by its visuals and this built theme was carried into a up to a cinema release bespoke app as well as an From the beginning when we were looking at the album and that became our focus. it as a non-singles album, we weren’t relying We would look at promoting the album exhibition at the Lowry and on radio either. Alison [Goldfrapp] and her alongside these films and make sure that why the campaign got a lift partner Lisa [Gunning] had ideas of making everything we did went back to the fact that this was a project and not an album with a from the team behind the films from this album, so we went down the very much where we are now – which was to lead single and a big focus track – that it was path of deciding to make the visual side of let us see what we could do with the video 2012 Olympics. very much a piece. this very cinematic album a very important content as a short film and as a theatrical part of the campaign. The idea has taken quite a while to manifest production. We felt they were too beautiful We moved forward with the idea of making itself, as the theatrical event [on 4th March] and too important to just leave them on five videos, all short films, to go along with started very early and the initial idea was YouTube and for that to be the only focal Issue 102 | 12th February 2014 | Page 9 continued…
point for them. We started the conversations be to pull together. We felt it needed more The theatrical event itself is a 30-minute film, The finished result was so spectacular that very early to find a distributor to work with. time to build and to grow. which is made up of the five short films from it felt a shame to not do something that Originally the theatrical presentation was the album. We have worked really hard to befitted them. We could have looked at going to be earlier in the campaign. We then The cinema release gives the album make sure the theatrical event is incredibly taking that 30-minute film to a short film realised what a difficult thing it was going to campaign a second wind special. It involves various production festival, which is something we are doing people who were involved in the opening alongside the theatrical event. It’s been a really interesting challenge and and closing ceremonies of the London project. We went into the end of the year, so Once we had gone down the path of saying 2012 Olympics and people very close to the four months after release, and we exceeded this should be on the big screen, we thought Goldfrapp campaign from a visual point of our own projections for the album – not it shouldn’t just be on one big screen – it view. There will be the 30 minutes of the film massively, but it was doing better that should be something that people outside of and then that will go seamlessly into a live we hoped. But we knew we were coming London can experience as Goldfrapp have an stream concert from Air Studios which will be into 2014 with the announcement of the international fanbase. a 45-50-minute set of some other songs from theatrical event. It has given us a really nice the album and some of Goldfrapp’s biggest [A DVD release] is definitely something that phase two for the campaign. We have come hits, all done in a very cinematic way. It’s not we are going to consider. There are some into the New Year with our third focus track, going to look like it’s just a session in a studio. exclusives around the theatrical production which is probably our most radio-friendly that we have to keep in mind but, post-event, It’ll be streamed to around 300 cinemas song on the album [‘Thea’] and it has given we are definitely looking at how we can around the world and will be completely live. us an opportunity to re-promote the album utilise that content. We are going to have I know other people have done similar events and create a buzz around it. a 30-minute film and a beautifully filmed where [they were] streamed into cinemas but Traditionally, for an album that is five or six 45-minute live concert so that lends itself they are not always ‘live’. This will, literally months into the campaign and which hasn’t to a number of opportunities. It could be a as it happens, go around the world. There had a hit single, you’d be struggling to give standalone DVD of the event or various other will be some time delays in America where it life to a project. We have this opportunity things. will be ‘as live’ where it’ll be 7.30pm there as now where we have just announced the opposed to 2.30pm. We are currently looking at our options and film; the theatrical event actually happens how best to commemorate what will be a at the beginning of March and then we go A cinema release is an intentionally really special night without the exclusivity through to the end of March with the UK grand statement in an age of videos of it being in cinemas. We definitely want to tour. Then, following that, we have either compressed for YouTube be able to do something with that content encore presentations of the theatrical event down the line. We just have to make sure that That came from the creative. We were or other manifestations of the content we it fits into the campaign. It also gives us an involved in the process but it was very much have created. opportunity to extend the life of the project Alison and Lisa who had a vision for what that little bit further. these five films were going to look like. Issue 102 | 12th February 2014 | Page 10 continued…
A bespoke app pushed the visual Alison will choose her favourite ones which emphasis of the campaign in another can then be seen on the website. direction It is a paid for app [charged at £0.69] and One of the things we looked at was the app. It there were a lot of conversations about how was something that was very much running we’d go about building it and being able to alongside the album and it was something market through it. In the end it was decided that Alison really wanted to make happen. it should be a standalone app. It’s there and If you have the word ‘app’ in your name, it’s it’s something you can still buy. We had to be crazy not to [do something with it]. Originally conscious that some people download apps we just wanted to call it ‘The GoldfrApp’ but don’t necessarily use them over and over but the way hashtags work, the hashtag again. It was something that Alison wanted to ‘GoldfrApp’ is the same as ‘Goldfrapp’. So it see realised and that she wanted to use. had to become the ‘Goldfrapp App’. That was From my point of view, I am still keen to see something we were able to use alongside the how we can possibly extend the life of the positional marketing just to expand the reach app and reinvigorate it going into the new of the album – being able to have an app in year. I am keen to see if there are further the iTunes App Store and talk about it outside ways to exploit that. of the actual album. campaign, apart from Alison tweeting, as we Once we felt that message had got through There were a number of different things like Twitter and Instagram were the main have gone into the campaign they [social and the ‘Drew’ video had a really good the app that we were building up to. One of social media outlets media sites] have become more and more reaction, we ended up putting a track on them was Performer As Curator – which is important. SoundCloud. That was partly because we From the beginning of the campaign, we an Alison Goldfrapp-curated exhibition that felt there was a need for our American team were very aware that Alison was very active is running at the Lowry [in Salford]. We were SoundCloud and Spotify were carefully to use that property to promote Goldfrapp. on certain social media sites. She tweets and very much trying to maximise opportunities chosen as the main DSPs for the campaign From the get-go, we were clear that we Instagrams but is not so much on Facebook. didn’t want there to be the [big] single so we and expand the reach of Goldfrapp as a We went into the campaign without it being a We worked with the management on what steered away from that, but then we started cultural force. singles-driven album and we had a very long was the best way to move forward. On working with SoundCloud. As we move into conversation about how that would manifest It’s a double exposure app so you basically Instagram and Twitter, Alison interacts with track three – ‘Thea’, which will hopefully itself within social media and DSPs and how take two photos and you can superimpose people. In the week after we announced the have some remixes – we are definitely going we would move the project forward. We didn’t them onto each other or you can use images film, we went up by 7,000 likes [on Facebook] to use SoundCloud a lot more. you already have in your gallery. You can and increased by around 40,000 since want to push people to one song – it was very then share that through your social networks the campaign started. While they weren’t much about an album message and pre- When we started the project, we were or submit them to Goldfrapp.com where necessarily that active before the album ordering the album. looking at what our options were as regards Issue 102 | 12th February 2014 | Page 11 continued…
to the launch of the album. We ended up really good opportunity for a worldwide pre- A new management team getting We [Mute] built a really close relationship going with Spotify for a pre-release stream. release stream so we ended up streaming involved was a catalyst for fresh thinking with Fascination. It is very much a team We looked at it really closely and asked if the album four days upfront of release [with effort and a collaborative process as to what Part of the success of the project so far has it was the right partner. One thing was that Spotify]. the band feel comfortable with and what been down to the relationships around the we were releasing the album during the management expects. That has been really One of the reasons we did that was because project. They made the album they wanted iTunes Festival [in September] and Goldfrapp notable in the building of the campaign and it was about the album and people being able to make and were keen to help promote the weren’t performing. We were conscious of the continued success of the campaign as to experience the album as a whole piece. record. Alison did a lot of press around the the fact of how much attention we would be we go into this film event and the UK tour, as Spotify is less singles-driven. So we went with release and was really on board with working able to get on the iTunes Store when it was well as festival announcements. A lot of that Spotify for the pre-release and then through the album. They also started working with iTunes Festival-crazy. comes down to the relationship between that week we had homepage takeovers in a new management team [Fascination, who management, the band and us. As part of Mute’s outreach to the industry, we different markets which was interesting also look after The Saturdays] during the have been building a strong relationship with to track and see where the spikes were in recording of the album. Spotify, as we are with all DSPs and streaming activity, based on things like homepage partners. We have been trying to work takeovers or the notifications from Spotify. closely with Spotify and they came in with a Issue 102 | 12th February 2014 | Page 12 MUSIC CHARTS Katy B’s Little Red All data is taken from Musicmetric: www.musicmetric.com
Little Red, Katy B’s second Chart 1 album, was released on Monday and comes hot on the heels of lead single, United Kingdom 118,882 Brazil 8,370 ‘Crying For No Reason’, which is currently at #7 in the UK United States 11,350 Italy 6,025 charts (90k sales so far). Interviews in the mainstream Australia 10,916 Canada 5,409 press and TV appearances are helping push the album Belgium 10,799 Hungary 4,821 in what is traditionally a quiet time for releases. Poland 9,316 Ireland 3,488 When looking at demand for her music on P2P/torrent sites (chart 1) and her social media impact (chart 2), there is something markets but social media’s role in driving that Chart 2 of a disconnect here. The UK (her home demand is slight and restricted to a handful country) naturally dominates in both of countries. filesharing and social media mentions, Legal and ethical issues aside, there is still followed by the US in second place. United Kingdom 118,882 a lot to be learned from filesharing data Only five countries, however, show up when about how wide an artist’s appeal has spread looking at social media mentions; but when globally. Some will see these tracks as lost United States 22 filesharing is looked at, the list runs to close sales or deprived revenue, whereas others to 200 (including Sierra Leone and Fiji). will see this as important data that can be Ireland 6 When you go beyond the 100th country in seen as a marketing starting point rather the list, the number of track shares drops than a dead end. to below 50 in total in each market. There Mexico 4 is demand for her music in a wide range of
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