A variety of circumstances, most notably a drop in advertising revenue to mainstream media, has transformed the interaction between artists and brands. In many ways, we are entering a golden age in terms of creativity and opportunity. Brands are finding it increasingly difficult to reach an audience in traditional media which means many have turned to cultural partnerships to drive engagement, particularly online.
Whilst these partnerships will always require dancing the fine line between art and commerce, if executed tastefully and staying true to the artist/fan relationship, they can prove highly beneficial to both parties. Furthermore, while these opportunities were once the preserve of A list artists – now talent of all levels and genre can benefit. This year alone, Simpatico has worked on deals with everyone from Sheryl Crow and Rick Astley to Kenya Grace, Baby Queen, FLO, Eliza Rose and Becky Hill.
Having been part of the ATC family for 10 years now, I’m acutely aware of the pressures on managers and agents when it comes to managing tour budgets – particularly in the current economic climate. However, from a brand perspective, tours are a very attractive proposition. Typically, they provide the perfect opportunity to create marketing activity across multiple towns and cities as part of a single campaign. They also provide an opportunity to become involved in special events and to enhance the experience for an artist’s most ardent fans.
Of course there’s the standard deliverables like logos on tour material, ticket allocations for the brand, meet and greets at soundcheck, and so on. But you can get really creative too.
A few years ago, we approached Sailor Jerry – a brand synonymous with music and tattoos – and partnered them on a major UK Tour by Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes. The band were at the top of their game, but the real authenticity came from the fact that Frank is recognised as one of the UK’s leading tattoo artists.
So we thought we would offer one winner in each city a tattoo from Frank – choosing a design from the Sailor Jerry book of images. The brand and Frank loved it and it was a huge hit with the fans.
“Ideally, any approach for a tour partnership should be happening three months out at a minimum”
We coupled the tattoo offering with a fan after-party in Manchester with the band DJ-ing, and a guitar adorned with Frank’s bespoke drawings was offered as a prize in each city. We also organised fan meet-and-greets at soundchecks and a wrap-up video of the whole tour for the brand to utilise on socials.
A few years later when the band toured Europe, and as Frank was being described as one of the world’s preeminent punk frontmen, we partnered them with the Brewdog – a brand famous for their PUNK IPA – and wrapped the tour bus in another of Frank’s designs. Other activations that could be created by touring artists include video city guides and tour diaries with brands such as Expedia and Airbnb, working with drinks brands to create aftershow parties or partnering with hotels to create activities in return for a fee and comp room allocation.
In June, we arranged for Sheryl Crow to play an intimate show at the Broadwick Hotel in Soho. Sheryl loved the experience so much, her opening line as she stepped on stage was, “I’m never leaving this hotel!”
Other brands like AMEX and O2 have developed enhanced fan experiences as part of existing loyalty programmes. Then there’s the option to work with a fashion or lifestyle brand, to dress the artist for the tour. From the brand perspective this has huge appeal – generating organic media coverage in each stop on a tour, and providing fresh content to post on socials.
Finally, there’s the option for an artist to deliver a bespoke performance for a brand on an off day. Simpatico works extensively with Soho House Group, and, as they have venues all over the world, there’s often the potential to do some really interesting member events or performances when time allows.
For any of these approaches, time planning is crucial. Typically a brand will need eight to 10 weeks to plan their activations, so ideally, any approach for a tour partnership should be happening three months out at a minimum.
“In the last two years we handpicked three artists – Aitch, Rick Astley and Becky Hill – and created a range of festival-themed content”
And then there’s the world of festivals. As with touring, outdoor events are presenting some real financial challenges for artists, with the cost of paying for crew and transportation.
However, yet again, this is also a hugely fertile environment for brands. We do a lot of work with Three and for the last couple of years they’ve had an amazing space at seven Live Nation festivals across the summer. To maximise the value of this partnership, they gave us a very clear challenge: how do we take their on-the-ground presence and amplify it in the online space – thereby expanding their investment and reach beyond the 30,000 attendees coming through the gates.
In the last two years we handpicked three artists who were performing at these events – Aitch, Rick Astley and Becky Hill – and created a range of festival-themed content. This included Aitch in a taco truck, and Becky discussing festival fashion. When placed online, this content has now clocked up over 40 million views in total – a huge win for the brand.
Three went even further and decided to capture content on site with artists like Eliza Rose, Kenya Grace and FLO. Taking just 30 minutes of their time, the results were edited onsite and posted on the artist’s socials while the festival was still going on. A collaboration between Tia Maria and Baby Queen at this year’s Latitude has now clocked up well over two million views.
My main advice to artists, agents and managers would be to strategise. Think about the option of working with a brand as soon as tour planning begins. And be creative. What can you do that authentically engages the online fan? How can you connect with brands that the artist loves and is genuinely happy to endorse?
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Working with brands can help balance the books
Gary Cohen, CEO of Simpatico music & brand partnerships, details how such link-ups are opening up new revenue streams for touring acts
05 Sep 2024
A variety of circumstances, most notably a drop in advertising revenue to mainstream media, has transformed the interaction between artists and brands. In many ways, we are entering a golden age in terms of creativity and opportunity. Brands are finding it increasingly difficult to reach an audience in traditional media which means many have turned to cultural partnerships to drive engagement, particularly online.
Whilst these partnerships will always require dancing the fine line between art and commerce, if executed tastefully and staying true to the artist/fan relationship, they can prove highly beneficial to both parties. Furthermore, while these opportunities were once the preserve of A list artists – now talent of all levels and genre can benefit. This year alone, Simpatico has worked on deals with everyone from Sheryl Crow and Rick Astley to Kenya Grace, Baby Queen, FLO, Eliza Rose and Becky Hill.
Having been part of the ATC family for 10 years now, I’m acutely aware of the pressures on managers and agents when it comes to managing tour budgets – particularly in the current economic climate. However, from a brand perspective, tours are a very attractive proposition. Typically, they provide the perfect opportunity to create marketing activity across multiple towns and cities as part of a single campaign. They also provide an opportunity to become involved in special events and to enhance the experience for an artist’s most ardent fans.
Of course there’s the standard deliverables like logos on tour material, ticket allocations for the brand, meet and greets at soundcheck, and so on. But you can get really creative too.
A few years ago, we approached Sailor Jerry – a brand synonymous with music and tattoos – and partnered them on a major UK Tour by Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes. The band were at the top of their game, but the real authenticity came from the fact that Frank is recognised as one of the UK’s leading tattoo artists.
So we thought we would offer one winner in each city a tattoo from Frank – choosing a design from the Sailor Jerry book of images. The brand and Frank loved it and it was a huge hit with the fans.
We coupled the tattoo offering with a fan after-party in Manchester with the band DJ-ing, and a guitar adorned with Frank’s bespoke drawings was offered as a prize in each city. We also organised fan meet-and-greets at soundchecks and a wrap-up video of the whole tour for the brand to utilise on socials.
A few years later when the band toured Europe, and as Frank was being described as one of the world’s preeminent punk frontmen, we partnered them with the Brewdog – a brand famous for their PUNK IPA – and wrapped the tour bus in another of Frank’s designs. Other activations that could be created by touring artists include video city guides and tour diaries with brands such as Expedia and Airbnb, working with drinks brands to create aftershow parties or partnering with hotels to create activities in return for a fee and comp room allocation.
In June, we arranged for Sheryl Crow to play an intimate show at the Broadwick Hotel in Soho. Sheryl loved the experience so much, her opening line as she stepped on stage was, “I’m never leaving this hotel!”
Other brands like AMEX and O2 have developed enhanced fan experiences as part of existing loyalty programmes. Then there’s the option to work with a fashion or lifestyle brand, to dress the artist for the tour. From the brand perspective this has huge appeal – generating organic media coverage in each stop on a tour, and providing fresh content to post on socials.
Finally, there’s the option for an artist to deliver a bespoke performance for a brand on an off day. Simpatico works extensively with Soho House Group, and, as they have venues all over the world, there’s often the potential to do some really interesting member events or performances when time allows.
For any of these approaches, time planning is crucial. Typically a brand will need eight to 10 weeks to plan their activations, so ideally, any approach for a tour partnership should be happening three months out at a minimum.
And then there’s the world of festivals. As with touring, outdoor events are presenting some real financial challenges for artists, with the cost of paying for crew and transportation.
However, yet again, this is also a hugely fertile environment for brands. We do a lot of work with Three and for the last couple of years they’ve had an amazing space at seven Live Nation festivals across the summer. To maximise the value of this partnership, they gave us a very clear challenge: how do we take their on-the-ground presence and amplify it in the online space – thereby expanding their investment and reach beyond the 30,000 attendees coming through the gates.
In the last two years we handpicked three artists who were performing at these events – Aitch, Rick Astley and Becky Hill – and created a range of festival-themed content. This included Aitch in a taco truck, and Becky discussing festival fashion. When placed online, this content has now clocked up over 40 million views in total – a huge win for the brand.
Three went even further and decided to capture content on site with artists like Eliza Rose, Kenya Grace and FLO. Taking just 30 minutes of their time, the results were edited onsite and posted on the artist’s socials while the festival was still going on. A collaboration between Tia Maria and Baby Queen at this year’s Latitude has now clocked up well over two million views.
My main advice to artists, agents and managers would be to strategise. Think about the option of working with a brand as soon as tour planning begins. And be creative. What can you do that authentically engages the online fan? How can you connect with brands that the artist loves and is genuinely happy to endorse?
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
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