Pepsi announced the launch of The Sound Drop, a new music platform, in partnership with iHeartMedia, Shazam and MTV, that will provide emerging artists with a powerful stage to promote their story, share their art and connect directly with their fans. The Sound Drop will officially launch at 2016’s MTV Video Music Awards with appearances by Lukas Graham, Alessia Cara and Jidenna, the first to become part of the platform.
The Sound Drop identifies the next generation of breaking artists and then heightens awareness by promoting the artist to millions of fans across the country through iHeartMedia’s platforms. Shazam will provide additional amplification through artist discovery and introduction, while Viacom Velocity, Viacom and MTV’s integrated marketing and internal creative agency will create and help distribute content that tells each artist’s inspirational story.
There is also a significant social component, leveraging influencer networks and providing additional visibility through social media platforms. All of the on-air, mobile and social amplification will direct music lovers to the content, enabling them to discover more about the individual artists.
“The music industry has changed dramatically, making it even more difficult for artists to cut through the clutter – we’ve created an amplification platform that will provide greater visibility for the artists, allow them to share the stories that helped shape them and ultimately, connect fans to the artists in a more meaningful way. Supporting new artists is incredibly important to us, The Sound Drop will be the destination for the next crop of breakthrough artists and the goal is to help create a success story for each,” said Emma Quigley, Head of Music, PepsiCo.
“For decades, Pepsi has harnessed the power of music to connect with generations of fans like no other brand has done before and we’re excited to partner with some of the music industry titans to do it again in a new and innovative way.”
The goal of The Sound Drop is to launch a new artist with corresponding content approximately 10 times throughout the calendar year. Additionally, The Sound Drop featured artists will perform an intimate show at Kola House – a new restaurant and lounge opening this Fall in NYC’s Meatpacking neighborhood.
“We are thrilled to partner with Pepsi and help amplify this music initiative and bring awareness of these emerging artists and their music,” said Tom Poleman, President of National Programming Group at iHeartMedia. “We are passionate about artist development and through the power of our massive reach and multiplatform assets we can connect music fans across the country with these artists and their stories in a big way.”
“For listeners, Shazam has become the best way to discover and share the content they love. For artists, it has become the industry standard in how they connect with their very first fans,” said Greg Glenday, CRO, Shazam. “We are extremely pleased to see brands like Pepsi engage wide audiences and activate consumers globally with Shazam.”
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