Three things to know about collaborating with DJ’s.
In the past few days Amsterdam was taken over by 2,000 DJ’s and hundreds of thousands of their fans for Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE). This annual Electronic Dance Music (EDM) festival isn’t just about dancing your heart out, it’s also about sharing knowledge.
ADE, the biggest club festival in the world, consists of over 300 events including film screenings, music hardware presentations, art shows, exhibitions and a 4-day conference. Part of the conference was Dance&Brands, which included a few seminars and a panel discussion about music and marketing. I went to check it out, and came back with a few learnings.
What do pop artists, rappers and R&B groups have in common? Long ago they were discovered by brands. Brands that use their reach and hope the artist’s fame or image will rub off on the brand. However EDM, the fastest growing music type, is still in the infancy stages when it comes to brand collaborations. My feeling is this will quickly change, and if brands take the below three things into consideration collabs can grow into beautiful things.
1. UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE - Make sure you understand what you’re getting in bed with aka do your research. EDM has a large mainstream and underground scene and many subgenres. Make sure you understand the language of dance, and find the subgenre that is the best fit.
2. MAKE IT FUN - When collaborating with artists, keep in mind you’re working with creative people. People that turned their hobby into a fulltime job. DJ Mag’s No 3 DJ of the world, Martin Garrix said during a panel discussion: “I like working with a brand that doesn’t make it feel like ‘work’, but just having fun.” Steven Appleyard, underground community Boiler Room, adds “Really collaborating with artists will turn them into brand advocates.”
3. KEEP IT AUTHENTIC - Co-create with people that have a passion for EDM, and understand that the artists have the talent and the creative ideas – trust their gut. Michael George, talent agent at Scooter Braun, said: “Just let us roam free, we will then deliver superior content because we really know the audience.”
It seems not many brands are currently tapping into the possibilities and reach of EDM, so all they need to do is wake up and join the party.
This blog was first published on Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam's blog.