Greetings and a warm welcome to another edition of Promoed! We're thrilled to have you back with us.

In this edition, we're taking you behind the scenes of the highly-anticipated self-titled album release by the beloved Australian band, Boy & Bear.

We dive deep into the rollout strategy with exclusive insights from Jaddan Comerford, CEO and Founder of UNIFIED Music Group, Aidan McLaren, the band's manager from UNIFIED Management, and Mardi Caught, the Founder of marketing agency The Annex. Get ready for another edition you won't want to miss!

Also, in this week’s edition:

• UMG’s Sped-Up Songs Compilation.

• Snoop Dogg Unveils Digital Tour Collectible.

• Warner Enters Gaming.

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Boy & Bear's Independent Album Release

Last month, Australia’s Boy & Bear shared their fifth album, which debuted at #4 on the ARIA Charts. The self-titled record arrived at a critical point for the band. Illness and the pandemic forced Boy & Bear to take a break from touring and releasing new music, making this their first new music release since 2019.

The record marks the band’s first independent release and it saw them utilise various channels of UNIFIED Music Group for the first time. This includes Lonely Lands Agency, The Annex, Super Special, Community/UNIFIED Recorded Music, and UNIFIED Management.

We caught up with Jaddan Comerford, CEO and Founder of UNIFIED Music Group, the band’s manager, Aidan McLaren of UNIFIED Management, and Mardi Caught, Founder of marketing agency The Annex, to discuss the rollout and promotion of the band’s first indie release.

All Hands on Deck

Not all artists are eager to delve into the intricacies of their campaign, but that wasn’t the case for Boy & Bear. As Aidan McLaren explains, “This was the band's first independent album release, without the backing or involvement of a major label. The band members took a much more hands-on role, working closely with management to develop ideas, shape the creative strategy, and oversee execution”.

“Every component of the campaign team was hand-picked and brought together over a 24 month period.”

One of those team members was Mardi Caught from The Annex. Caught explained, “We helped with overall strategy in terms of making sure the band were connected with their loyal audience whilst bringing new fans in and engaging release partners”.

Pre-Order Promo

The band shared the news of their new album back in March, alongside the ‘Apex’ single release, and album tour dates for Australia and New Zealand.

Album pre-orders were incentivised with the help of special merch bundles and items like signed Polaroids. Fans who pre-ordered via Australian retailer JB Hi-Fi also received lyric sheets signed by frontman Dave ‘Hosko’ Hoskins.

Boy & Bear also had limited edition merch up for grabs, and fans could build their own bundles at reduced prices.

On top of these impressive offerings, Boy & Bear also announced that one lucky fan who ordered the release would win a live, acoustic performance from the band, at their home.

McLaren explained, “The competition was only open to Australian residents and over 600 entries were received. Entrants needed to order the bands album prior to the 31st May (album release date 26th May) either through the band’s webstore or upload/register proof of purchase if they had purchased elsewhere.”

Growing Owned Channels

Following the album announcement, the band took to socials to share that they would be sending thoughts to their mailing list subscribers, and encouraged fans who hadn’t yet signed up to do so.

Caught explained how this exclusive content boosted Boy & Bear’s mailing list.

“The key to the newsletter campaign came from the band being open and keen to engage their audience there. Over the year long period, each member took one newsletter under their wing which allowed their fans to have a very personal insight, which was hugely connective. Alongside this, the stellar touring campaign management built out meant there were many opportunities for us to connect to the mailing list and grow it.”

Release Week Events

The week of the album release, Boy & Bear held two intimate events for fans. ‘An Evening With Boy & Bear’ touched down in Sydney and Melbourne.

Hosted by Linda Marigliano and Bridget Hustwaite, the ticketed events saw the band celebrate the release on May 29 and 30 with a discussion about their career journey so far and an acoustic performance. Fans were able to submit their questions via Instagram comments the week of the events.

McLaren shared with us, “The band hadn’t played rooms this intimate since their first few months of being a band and never before had appeared on-stage without instruments to speak to a live audience about their career journey…. Following the event, fans were invited to hang out and meet with the band and this went on for a couple of hours at each show.”

Mardi Caught added, “the Q + A and intimate performance again allowed fans to have access to the band in a format they haven't experienced in years - up close and personal - and at the merch desk!”.

Across Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, the band also appeared in record stores and at festivals for performances and signings.

The UNIFIED Ecosystem

With many facets and service offerings, we were keen to explore how the UNIFIED companies collaborate to the benefit of the artist.

“UNIFIED at the simplest level is a group of companies”, Comerford explains. “But what we say is that UNIFIED is building an ecosystem for creative talent to thrive. An artist could hire all the different services from different companies and have a great experience. But what we are working towards is how we can find deeper collaboration between our companies to really support our talent to thrive.”

“The unique part of working across multiple parts of the ecosystem, is that you just have more buy in. Each company is going to do everything it can to help each of their clients thrive, but when we are working together as an ecosystem, we can bring a whole new level of energy.”

“Our companies need to be the best at what they do, or else they will lose the work to another company and just because they’re part of the ecosystem isn’t a good enough reason to get the work.”

With their first independent release, Boy & Bear, alongside their management, were able to fully utilise UNIFIED’s offerings.

“In the case of Boy & Bear, the management team of Aidan McLaren and Joe Miles, lead the project. They set the strategy with the plan and worked tirelessly to carry out the vision. The band had a desire to be independent and Aidan and Joe knew that tapping into the ecosystem would allow them to really support the band and their independent vision.”

Still To Come

After an exciting album rollout, the band are due to take their latest album on tour to Europe and the UK. Late last month, they shared their 14 tour dates, which span Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France and the UK in January and February 2024.

The Takeaway

Boy & Bear have successfully launched their return by partnering an exciting new release with a collaborative, strategic approach.

By collaborating with UNIFIED’s various channels, the band have invested in reconnecting with old fans, and establishing strong relationships with new ones. There’s exciting times ahead for this much-loved Aussie act, as they continue to rollout this campaign domestically and internationally.

^{Written by Olivia Gliku}

In Other Marketing News

UMG’s Sped-Up Songs Compilation: Universal Music Group (UMG) has responded to the TikTok trend of sped-up songs with a new compilation album. Named 'Sped Up Songs: Official Remixes from Viral Creators and Speed Radio,' it showcases accelerated versions of tracks by renowned artists such as Sam Smith, Lana Del Rey, and Ellie Goulding.

The album is available on UMG's Spotify profile, 'Speed Radio,' which joins the ranks of other popular label-owned profiles like Warner's 'sped up nightcore.'

With both accounts amassing over 10 million monthly listeners, it's evident that the demand for these energetic renditions continues to thrive.

💡Insight - While some consider these profiles secretive, there is a rationale behind it. Labels want in on the popular TikTok trend, but need it to appear underground, thus avoiding overt branding. Additionally, some artists are hesitant about having their songs sped up but still want to participate without featuring the tracks on their own profiles.

Snoop Dogg Unveils Digital Tour Collectible: Snoop Dogg has introduced a new digital tour collectible that grants exclusive access to his life on the road. Known as the Snoop Dogg Passport NFT, this evolving digital token provides fans with behind-the-scenes glimpses into Snoop's tour experiences.

Priced at approximately $45USD or 0.025 ETH, the NFT can be purchased on snooppassport.xyz, offering access to exclusive footage, photos, and the opportunity to feel like an honorary member of Snoop Dogg's entourage.

Owning the Passport NFT comes with additional benefits such as access to future Snoop Dogg releases, personalised playlists, the chance to purchase exclusive merchandise, and even tickets to upcoming events.

💡Insight - Snoop Dogg has undeniably established himself as a trailblazer in this realm, and his utilisation of web3 technology in this context aligns perfectly with the desires of dedicated fans: access and exclusivity.

Warner Enters Gaming: Warner Music Group (WMG) is venturing into the realm of game publishing through an exciting new partnership with Swedish game studio, Hello There Games.

Their collaboration has given birth to "Invector: Rhythm Galaxy," a narrative-driven rhythm game. Set to a soundtrack featuring 40 hit songs from various music genres, the game showcases the talents of renowned artists like Charlie Puth, PinkPantheress, Duran Duran, and more.

This marks WMG's debut in the games publishing industry.

💡Insight - Warner's decision to develop their own games is a smart move. Record labels want more music in games, but game developers don’t need it. We've even seen examples like Riot Games launching their own record label. Here's hoping this venture proves successful for Warner.

ICYMI

Catch up on our recent stories:

• Inside DMA'S Winning UK Album Strategy

• The Marketing of Peach PRC's Chart-Topping EP

• Behind Arlo Parks’ ‘My Soft Machine’ Release

Lead Writer - Olivia Gliku
Editor and Publisher - Nick Lynagh

Promoed is created and published by Habit Music Pty Ltd.

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^{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.}