Welcome back, everyone! Happy Friday!

Time to unpack the insights of the week!

This week we delve into the remarkable global success of Kylie Minouge’s single ‘Padam Padam’.

Also, we cover:

• How Travis Scott's Virtual Gig Sold 500,000 Albums.

• Olivia Rodrigo Premieres Instagram's Music Carousel Feature.

• YouTube Music Adds TikTok-Like 'Samples'.

• Dynamic AR at Kygo's Gig.

FEATURE

The Rise of Kylie Minogue’s ‘Padam Padam’

Kylie Minogue has seen massive success with her latest single ‘Padam Padam’. It’s the first taste of her album ‘Tension’, which arrives 22 September as her 16th studio album.

Strategic Timing

For many years, Minogue has found a loyal fan base within the LGBTQI+ community. That has continued with the release of her latest single.

Released on 18 May, the single arrived just ahead of worldwide Pride celebrations, securing its position as a potential Pride anthem for 2023. That potential was realised in the coming months.

Karen Tongson, who is Professor of Gender & Sexuality Studies at the University of Southern California told the ABC, “The single dropped serendipitously at a moment where the queer community in the US is feeling especially beleaguered, attacked, there have been coordinated efforts to attack and demonise LGBTQ people here in the United States”.

The track became the unofficial anthem of Pride Month celebrations, worldwide.

As Chartmetric shared, the track has soundtracked key moments including the 54th anniversary of Stonewall, Prince William’s visit to iconic LGBTQI+ venue The Royal Vauxhall Tavern, and it’s been quoted by MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle.

Taking ‘Padam Padam’ to TikTok

TikTok has been a driving force for Minogue’s new single. At the time of writing, it has been used on 32.5 thousand+ posts on the platform. Interestingly, there’s no particular dance or trend partnered with the track. We’ve simply seen the new release embraced, platform-wide.

Minogue’s presence on TikTok during the single rollout has also had a significant impact on the track’s success.

On her account, she’s shared duets with other users who have used the song, behind the scenes footage from her performances, and even a video of a fan performing the track at karaoke to a pigeon, with some updated lyrics.

@kylieminogue

❤️ PIGEON ❤️

While the account has been active for some time before this release, a scroll through will reveal Minogue’s newfound approach to the video-sharing app, a ‘Padamification’, if you will.

Delayed Radio Support

Shortly after the ‘Padam Padam’ release, Minogue made some high profile appearances, including performing on American Idol and headlining iHeartMedia’s KTUphoria.

Despite these appearances, and the success of ‘Padam Padam’ on DSPs and social media, not all tastemakers were quick to support the single. On release, ‘Padam Padam’ was declined for playlisting support by BBC Radio 1.

Jamie Nelson, SVP of U.K. Recordings at BMG told Variety, “When we launched this, thinking we were going to get Radio 1 was the last thing on our minds. But it’s one of those things where you’ve got fans that are so obsessive about the record, there’s been a lot of messaging into everyone at radio to make sure the record was getting the relevant support.”

Some fans took to social media to rally against the decision.

In late June, it was announced that ‘Padam Padam’ had been added to the BBC Radio 1 C List, a month and a half after its release. This reportedly makes Minogue the only woman above 50 to achieve this placement, with a solo release.

The Takeaway

The meteoric rise of Kylie Minogue’s ‘Padam Padam’ serves as a testament to the power of strategic timing, understanding core audiences, and leveraging modern platforms like TikTok.

Minogue's long standing relationship with the LGBTQI+ community played a pivotal role in the song's success. By understanding and catering to core audiences, artists can create a strong foundation for their releases.

The release of ‘Padam Padam’ just before worldwide Pride celebrations exemplifies the importance of timing in maximising a song's potential.

The song's widespread adoption on TikTok was amplified greatly by Minogue actively engaging with fans, sharing behind the scenes content, and embracing trends, significantly boosting the track's reach.

^{Written by Olivia Gliku}

NEWS

The Headlines

Olivia Rodrigo Premieres Instagram's Music Carousel Feature: Instagram has rolled out a new feature where you can add music to your photo carousels. It's like giving a soundtrack to your photos!

Olivia Rodrigo was the first to try it out with her new single ‘bad idea right?’.

Instagram is also pushing for more collaboration. Now, up to four accounts can co-author a post.

Plus, another new feature is the 'Add Yours' sticker. It is designed to encourage interactive challenges and prompts on Instagram Reels.

💡Insight - Instagram's really amping up the music game. Music in carousels will no doubt be a popular feature. The increase in the collaboration to four is also a welcome addition and could work well for tour announcements, new music releases and more. - NL

YouTube Music Adds TikTok-Like 'Samples': YouTube Music is enhancing its offerings in the music discovery arena with the introduction of 'Samples'.

This new feature, reminiscent of TikTok's video feed, or Spotify’s ‘Clips’, offers users short, personalised video snippets from music videos, aiming to introduce them to new tracks and artists.

As users navigate this vertical feed, they can delve deeper into the music, exploring full videos, live performances, or even creating their own content.

💡Insight - YouTube Music’s ‘Samples’ has a unique edge over the likes of Spotify’s ‘Clips’, thanks to their extensive library of official videos.

Couple that with years of data on our listening habits, and this feature seems worthy of investing some time in.

I must admit, scrolling through I found their suggestions quite addictive. - NL

Dynamic AR at Kygo's Gig: Kygo is the latest artist to team up with Snapchat.

At Kygo’s upcoming performance in London's Gunnersbury Park, attendees will have access to a dynamic AR lens that evolves with each song in Kygo's set.

Unlike previous AR lenses that remained static or were tied to a specific track, this innovative feature will offer a unique visual experience for every song played.

💡Insight - The amplification of live concerts with innovative social media features is always welcomed.

After a period of relative quiet, Snap has been consistently unveiling new features and forging partnerships in the live music arena.

Their recent venture into digital merch is particularly noteworthy. - NL

LEARN

How Travis Scott's Virtual Gig Sold a Staggering 500,000 Albums

Travis Scott's highly-anticipated concert at the Pyramid of Giza faced an unexpected cancellation. However, Scott and his team quickly transitioned to Rome's renowned Circus Maximus.

The entire concert was broadcast worldwide live using the platform, Single.

What is Single?

Single positions itself as a ‘Content-Driven Shopping Experience’ integrated with Shopify. It empowers artists to monetise memberships, music, videos, merchandise, and web3 collectibles.

How did Travis Scott leverage Single?

Fans had the option to buy standalone tickets for the live stream or acquire a ticket bundled with merchandise.

What was the impact?

While exact ticket sales for the livestream remain undisclosed, Scott impressively sold 500,000 copies of "Utopia" through the livestream alone. It's safe to say he probably sold a truckload of tickets too.

For a detailed analysis, head over to Single’s website. (Link)

FAST FACTS

Impress Your Boss with This Fast Fact

👉 A whopping 16 million people watched Tomorrowland on TikTok's livestream across two weekends.

Thanks to this collab, Tomorrowland is now the most followed festival on TikTok with 4.8 million followers.

If that isn’t impressive enough, the #Tomorrowland hashtag shot up from 3 billion to nearly 4 billion views during the fest. (Link)

KEY FINDINGS

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ICYMI

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