Happy Friday! As the week wraps up, we're back with more insights for you.

The Hives, after a ten-year break, have made a stellar comeback this year. In this week's newsletter, we have Part 2 of our chat with Matthew Greer from ATC Management.

Also, this week:

• Spotify's Artist Profile Revamp.

• Decca's Mental Health Day Initiatives.

• Amazon's Live Radio App Bows Out.

• Wrapped 2023: New Artist Features.

FEATURE

Marketing The Hives’ First Album in 11 Years: Part 2

It’s been a momentous year for The Hives, who released ‘The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons’ in August.

In case you missed it, last week we were joined by The Hives’ manager Matthew Greer from ATC Management to discuss the band’s comeback announcement, album pre-release campaign and social media growth.

Today, we’re discussing the impacts of the band’s latest tours and in-person appearances, plus their limited edition digital pressing.

Touring

Across May and June, The Hives joined the Arctic Monkeys as support for their UK and Ireland tour, which Greer explained was a key driver for the band’s fan base growth and sales for their own headline tour.

“The Arctic Monkeys tour was a significant win for us but in actual fact was a diversion from our original plan,” Greer says. “We were focused on booking underplay shows for the band globally to make them a hot ticket again. This ‘hot ticket’ vibe really spreads and has helped to re-engage lapsed fans who all of a sudden felt they were missing out. The Arctic Monkeys shows in the UK have grown the Hives fanbase massively so it meant we could book a much bigger tour for 2024 which is now mostly sold out.”

Meet ‘n’ Greets

In addition to their tour dates, The Hives also hit the road to meet their fans in person with meet ‘n’ greets that ran across the UK in August.

With the events, The Hives continued to commit to the album theme, an exciting decision to stick to a more traditional form of album marketing, in an increasingly digital environment.

“The meet ‘n’ greets were via Record Stores such as Rough Trade – we probably wouldn’t do too many of those otherwise but having a chance for fans to meet the band and capture some of that fandom was important for us,” Greer explained. “We asked fans to wear black and white ‘in memory of Randy Fitzsimmons’ which had a great result with people showing up in suits and all sorts.”

Exclusive Digital Pressing

To add to the excitement of their new release, The Hives released their bonus live album, recorded at Emirates Stadium as a digital pressing.

Released in partnership with Serenade, the digital pressing featured exclusive content including a full live set from the band and voice notes from lead singer Pelle.

“We’ve known the Serenade team for quite some time and it was exciting to work with them on this release. They are building a useful new tool for bands to reach fans with a different format offering that helps with the chart battle in the UK.”

“I fully expect many more artists to start partnering with them as their whole team and process from start to finish was incredibly helpful and seamless. Highly recommended and all super passionate people!” He said.

serenade

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The Takeaway

The Hives first album in over a decade was delivered alongside a funny, quirky and engaging campaign, that has utilised a combination of digital and in-person marketing activities. It’s no doubt one of our standouts from the year and we hope the follow up isn’t another 11 years away.

^{Written by Olivia Gliku}

NEWS

The Headlines

Spotify's Artist Profile Revamp

Spotify has unveiled a revamped design for artist profiles on its mobile application, introducing three distinct tabs: music, events, and merchandise.

This redesign aims to streamline fan access to concert tickets and artist merchandise, potentially boosting artist revenue through the platform. Artists are also being encouraged to personalise their profiles to fully utilise the new features.

According to Spotify, the introduction of a dedicated events tab has seen a significant 70% uptick in user engagement with concert listings, leading to a 15% rise in ticket sales.

Additionally, the merchandise section, which can showcase up to 12 items, has reported a 22% increase in sales.

Decca's Mental Health Day Initiatives

In recognition of World Mental Health Day on 10 October, Decca Records US unveiled two significant initiatives.

Collaborating with AI music startup Endel, they introduced a meditation soundscape album, drawing inspiration from Chad Lawson's 'breathe'.

This marks the inaugural collaboration stemming from the partnership between Universal Music Group, Decca's parent company, and Endel, established earlier this year.

Additionally, Decca launched a calming music playlist in honour of the day, featuring tracks from artists such as Lawson, Cody Fry, and Kings Elliot.

This playlist is accessible across various platforms, including Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Spotify.

Amazon's Live Radio App Bows Out

Amazon has announced the closure of its live radio app, Amp, a mere 20 months post-launch.

Introduced amidst the live audio boom during the Covid-19 pandemic, Amp differentiated itself by centring on music, granting creators access to an extensive music library from both major labels and indie companies.

However, as the pandemic waned, so did the demand for live audio, with other platforms like Spotify's Live also ceasing operations.

Internal challenges at Amp, including missed targets and significant staff reductions, further compounded its struggles.

LEARN

Wrapped 2023: New Artist Features

Spotify's Wrapped has become an annual highlight, offering artists a unique platform to engage with their most dedicated fans.

This year, there are several new features and opportunities to explore.

From personal video messages to strategic merchandise promotions, there's a lot to unpack.

Spotify has provided this concise guide to ensure you're making the most of 2023's Wrapped experience.

Check out the full article here.

FAST FACTS

Impress Your Boss with This Fast Fact

👉 The "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" concert film has achieved advance sales of over $100 million in North America. (Link)

The film will be shown in over 8,500 theatres worldwide.

KEY FINDINGS

Our Top Picks This Week

• How Bandcamp makes more money than Spotify (Link)

• Study reveals some teens receive 5,000 notifications daily, most spend almost two hours on TikTok (Link)

• Twitter further restricts free tier with option to limit replies to verified accounts (Link)

• The Spotify Top 20 Is a Snapshot of a Much Bigger Story About Independents, Majors, and Artist Ownership. (Link)

• Indie companies worry as major labels intervene in vinyl and CD distribution (Link)

ICYMI

Catch Up on Our Recent Stories

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• Music Catalogue Marketing in 2023 (Link)

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