From September 5 – 7, 2024, the WAVES VIENNA CONFERENCE, organized by Waves Vienna, mica – music austria and Austrian Music Export, took place for the 14th time at a variety of locations around Vienna, featuring a wide range of lectures, discussions, and networking events with national and international musicians and music professionals.
Music Sponsoring: What Brands Want
Music sponsoring is a two-sided coin: a company or brand and a musical artist enter into a partnership based on shared values and goals. What is the motivation for a company to sponsor a musical project? What are their expectations; what do they hope to gain? What is the significance of image transfer and direct marketing? What are the dos and don’ts for brands when they are approached by a musical project?
Sarah Slater (Ticketmaster), Alexey Orlov (Jägermeister), and Johanna Ludlei (of the PR agency wonder we want) met to discuss all these questions at the Waves Vienna Conference at the Stadtkino im Künstlerhaus. The panel was moderated by Philippa Grob.
If the average indie musician calculates their market value solely based on their income, the results are less than impressive – especially if they are on the lookout for business partners and corporate sponsors. However, the image associated with music – and, by extension, with bands and artists – can be very attractive for companies.
What criteria do brands consider when selecting artists to partner with?
Jägermeister organizes music camps in numerous countries to develop young acts. Alexey Orlov says that the positive attributes generally associated with music are a boon for his brand: “We support young talent so that we can grow with them.” Jägermeister sponsors national music programs and the Jägermeister Music Awards, supporting the winners and offering them performance opportunities. The Jägermeister Music Club in Italy is a similar project: a ten-day residency/master class for young Italian acts with established artists.
Orlov cites the campaign with Post Malone in 2021 as a positive collaboration, as well as a project started by Jägermeister’s South African team. There, the brand supported the growing community around ampiano – a mixture of soul, R&B, and deep house. A few parties, a small studio and some merchandise grew into a huge festival; scene DJs now have millions of followers and tour throughout the world – naturally with Jägermeister in their luggage.
Ticketmaster maintains a “Breakthrough List”, where ten interesting new artists are awarded €1000 and a marketing campaign with posters. “It’s so important, because everyone knows there’s not much money in the music industry – particularly at the beginning,” says Sarah Slater.
The whole is more than the sum of its parts
Johanna Ludlei of wonder we want doesn’t see the number of followers or plays as particularly relevant, either, placing more importance on the synergistic effect created when partners are conscious of their target audience and marketing strategy. She cites Bilderbuch’s “Magic Life” tour as a successful collaboration with her PR firm: as part of the stage show, a wall full of Asics sneakers bounced to the song “Sneakers For Free”. Her agency works together with other agencies, fashion labels, and influencers – but usually bands approach her first.
No-go
That also means that a general pitch, formulated to present to multiple markets, is unlikely to meet with success. Here, according to Ludlei, both partners are advised to give special thought to both their target audience and the product in question.
At Jägermeister, “sustainability” is the word of the moment. Alexey Orlov reminds the audience not to expect too much at one time, and that not every artist will work with every product. Instead, partners are advised to evaluate the quality of the collaboration and listen to feedback.
So-called “image transfer” (associating an artist’s characteristics with a product) can certainly be achieved through influencer marketing; “influencing” has altered the marketing industry profoundly in recent years. However, the difficulty here is establishing authenticity. There are a lot of influencers out there, says Sarah Slater – and a lot of people who think they are.
Exploiting customer data
As a major company, Ticketmaster obviously uses the data it collects – for instance, to do targeted sponsoring at festivals. Festival apps aren’t a new invention, but offering a more direct form of ticket sales – via notifications, for instance – allows the company to use exclusive information, available only over the app, to try to strengthen customer loyalty.
Dominik Beyer, translated from the German original by Philip Yaeger