Spotify Held an Exclusive Concert for Listeners of a New Orleans Playlist

Earlier this year, Spotify created a playlist that features musicians from New Orleans, each with their own distinct style and sound. From the “Soul Queen of New Orleans” Irma Thomas to rapper Curren$y, the playlist gives listeners a taste of what the city’s diverse music scene has to offer. Uploaded in May, the curated playlist subtly kicked off a massive campaign for the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation, which partnered with Spotify to give a select few listeners what was surely a surprise: an all-expenses-paid trip to New Orleans to see each artist perform live at Preservation Hall, a jazz venue in the city’s French Quarter. The invite-only concert, which was photographed by music photographer Danny Clinch, is being developed into a film that will debut next year. A teaser for the film, dubbed “The Offline Playlist,” was recently revealed. [kickout id="1"] The concert was also made into a Spotify album. Musicians featured on the album include the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Amanda Shaw and Jon Batiste, among others. The experience was pulled together with help from digital agency 360i. According to the agency, the first steps involved not only helping Spotify curate the playlist, but also making sure it got in front of people who’d likely give it a listen. “We worked with Spotify to create data sets that cross-matched fans of the playlist artists with people who may be interested in coming to New Orleans,” explained 360i chief creative officer Menno Kluin. “We then targeted playlist social content to these data sets and tracked who was enthusiastically commenting and listening to it.” From there, fans were then contacted “at random” through Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and offered the chance to visit New Orleans to see the artists perform at Preservation Hall. In addition to covering fans' flights and hotels, the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation put together a weekend itinerary for each person based on their interests. "Music is at the heart of our great city and is universally loved by both residents and visitors.” said Mark Romig, president and CEO of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation. “This campaign gives us an opportunity to shed light on our artists, the rich music scene and the essence of New Orleans in a memorably authentic way.” While not a Spotify campaign, the effort is in line with the music app’s use of data to connect with listeners. The brand’s annual “Wrapped” out-of-home campaign has for the past three years highlighted the quirky and bizarre listening habits of its users; for instance, one of last year’s ads pointed out that a whopping 28,802 people created playlists titled “God is a woman,” a nod to Ariana Grande’s hit song. CREDITS: Client: New Orleans Tourism Mark Romig, President & CEO Jeremy Cooker, VP Marketing & Special Events Agency: 360i Menno Kluin, Chief Creative Officer Frank Cartagena, Executive Creative Director Sam Shepherd, Executive Creative Director Andrew Hunter, Creative Director Doug Murray, Creative Director Christian Napolitano, Associate Copywriter Taylor Roberts, Associate Art Director Brian Gartside, Design Director Sophia DelPlato, Designer PJ Sibille, Account Director Scott Daly, EVP Media Melissa Flaherty, Media Supervisor Liana Comito, Media Manager Leslie Brennan, Strategy Director Scott Slattery, Senior Director Influencer Marketing & PR Emily Rizzo, Associate Manager Influencer Marketing & PR Carissa Ranelycke, Head of Integrated Production Carly Salaman, Executive Producer Linda Ferrara, Business Affairs Production: Produced by 11 Days Shelby Hunter, Executive Producer Brian C. Miller Richard, Director Cindy Fertitta, Producer Natalie Kingston, DP Pete Slife, Editor Michelle Morris, Animator Mix by Carl Mandelbaum at Plush Studios Color by Kath Raisch at Company 3 Performers: Preservation Hall Jazz Band Charlie Gabriel, sax & vocal Ben Jaffe, bass Clint Maedgen, sax & vocal Ronell Johnson, trombone & vocal Walter Harris, drums Kyle Roussel, piano & keys Branden Lewis, trumpet & vocal Jon Batiste Mannie Fresh Boyfriend Amanda Shaw Alynda Segarra p/k/a Hurray for the Riff Raff Irma Thomas Curren$y Dirty Dozen Brass Band Walter Wolfman Washington Craig Adams Preservation Hall Ben Jaffe / Creative Director Ron Rona / Artistic Director Mike Martinovich / Manager Howard Lambert / Director of Operations Greg Lucas / Executive Director, Preservation Hall Foundation Matt Aguiluz / Studio Engineer/Production Manager Bruce Barielle/ Audio Kailee Brooks / Events Manager Gia Monteleone / Director of Special Events Dino Gankendorff, Legal Counsel

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Spotify Held an Exclusive Concert for Listeners of a New Orleans Playlist

The private event was part of a tourism campaign for the city

Minda Smiley

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