Welcome to our special Weekend Edition! Whether you're enjoying a long weekend or just taking some time to relax, we've got you covered. Let's get started!

In this week’s edition:

• YouTube Shorts for the Win.

• Eco-Friendly Vinyl Release.

• Spotify Live Axed, Live Audio Trend Fades.

How The Weeknd is Using TV to Elevate His Artistry

For an artist who has built their career on mystery and elusiveness, television would be the last place you'd expect them to focus their attention. But for The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, his ambition has always been in contrast to his enigmatic nature.

TV Takeover

In February 2023, The Weeknd premiered 'After Hours (Live At SoFi Stadium)' via HBO, followed by the release of an album by the same name in early March. The concert film was captured during The Weeknd's sold-out performance to a Los Angeles crowd in 2022.

Since its release, the film has garnered positive media attention and has been streamed extensively. In fact, 'Live at SoFi Stadium' has made history as the highest debut for a music special in HBO Max's history.

This is not the first time The Weeknd has strategically used TV as a platform to showcase his artistry.

In 2021, in partnership with Pepsi, he aired a 90-minute documentary on Showtime titled 'The Show', which provided a behind-the-scenes look at his 2021 Super Bowl Halftime performance. This is in addition to his much hyped Super Bowl Halftime performance itself.

Furthermore, in February of last year, he shared 'The Weeknd x The Dawn FM Experience' exclusively with Prime Video, accompanied by an 8-track live EP exclusively on Amazon Music.

In addition, The Weeknd is also set to star in his own HBO series titled "The Idol", expected to premiere later this year, which is a sign of a deeper partnership between the Grammy award-winning singer and HBO.

On Brand

This strategic use of high-profile TV specials is a calculated move for an artist who has traditionally shied away from the media spotlight. The Weeknd is known for being selective with interviews. He waited 2 years from his debut release before doing his first interview, a cover exclusive with Complex. However, this intentional mystery has only served to heighten anticipation and demand for his music and performances.

By using TV as a controlled platform to deliver his message on brand, The Weeknd has managed to create a sense of intrigue and allure around his persona, whilst still reaching and converting mainstream audiences.

Is This Plan Paying Off?

In short, yes. Despite his media shyness, or perhaps because of it, The Weeknd's TV appearances have undoubtedly contributed to his massive success. Just last month, Spotify announced that The Weeknd has become the first artist to reach 100 million monthly listeners on their platform, solidifying his status as one of the most popular artists in the world today.

As The Weeknd continues his 'After Hours Til Dawn' global stadium tour with a second leg in Europe and Latin America, the recent release of the concert film and album will likely serve as a powerful marketing tool to drive ticket sales and further expand his fan base.

TV may seem like an unlikely place for an artist who thrives on mystery, for The Weeknd, it has become a powerful tool to captivate audiences and elevate his artistry to new heights.

In Other Marketing News

Shorts for the Win: YouTube has launched a new metric that measures an artist's popularity across all formats, including its Shorts feature. This new feature will provide creators with a better understanding of their audience engagement. The metric will show the total number of unique viewers who have engaged with an artist's content, as well as the total watch time across all formats.

The Total Reach metric, prior to its expansion, was limited to the artist's official content and fan-uploaded long-form videos. Youtube stated via a blog post that an artist's total reach is almost doubled by their presence on Shorts.

Eco-Friendly Vinyl Release: DJ and sustainability activist Blond:ish has launched a new project, #PlasticFreeParty, featuring a 14-track compilation album on biodegradable PHA vinyl. The album, which was produced in collaboration with Evolution Music and DeepGrooves, is said to be compostable.

It includes Blond:ish's tracks along with other artists, and is meant to showcase how sustainable music production can coexist with quality sound. The release is a part of Blond:ish's mission to eliminate single-use plastic in the music industry, which she is pursuing through the Bye Bye Plastic non-profit foundation.

Live Audio Trend Fades: Spotify Live, the live audio chat app developed by Spotify, is shutting down at the end of April. While some chat rooms remain active, the app was unsuccessful, with only 670,000 downloads compared to Clubhouse's 35 million downloads in 2021 alone.

Spotify's announcement is a sign that the live audio trend may have run its course. The trend started with Clubhouse in spring 2020 but has since seen a drop in the number of monthly active users. Despite Twitter Spaces and Amazon's Amp still being available, it's unclear how long they will remain a priority for their respective companies.

Want more Spotify followers? As anyone in the music industry knows, having a large following on Spotify is crucial for success. While this is certainly not breaking news, it's worth reminding us that growing followers on the platform should be a top priority.

Symphonic have provided their views on how to organically do this which includes:

• Optimising your artist profile

• Utilising playlists

• Creating engaging social media content

• Collaborating with other artists,

• Staying consistent with your music releases.

Statistically Speaking

If you need any more proof that live audio is dead, here is a chart showing a huge drop in search traffic for the topic "clubhouse app”.

ICYMI

Catch up on our recent stories:

• Introducing Medallion - A New Web3 Platform for Artists

• The Decline of Music Premieres

• How an artist dropped by Sony made $250k selling NFTs

Get your company’s work featured in Promoed

We're always on the lookout for exciting marketing campaigns and ideas that we can shout about! Got something special in mind? Drop us a line — reply to this email and our team will be sure to take notice.

Lead Writer - Olivia Gliku | Publisher - Nick Lynagh
Promoed is created and published by Habit Music Pty Ltd.

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here

^{We acknowledge the Turrbal people, the Traditional Owners of the land on which we stand, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.}