Rdio Helps Create Immersive Music Marketing Breakthrough for Hendrix Film JIMI [CASE STUDY]
The Marketing team behind the new Jimi Hendrix biopic JIMI: All Is By My Side - written and directed by John Ridley and featuring Outkast’s André Benjamin - offers an interesting case study into the future of film soundtracks; a future that taps the depth of streaming services to offer much more than the traditional, static 12-track playlist on plastic.
For JIMI, digital marketing strategist David Hazan—who conceived the campaign for his client XLrator Media,—teamed up with music streaming service Rdio to create an immersive listening experience that hits moviegoers before and after they see the film.
A network of regional key music and lifestyle bloggers was tapped in each city where the film opened. These blogs hosted interviews with the film’s musical talent and have been provided with customized Rdio playlists for their readers who, with a click, can listen to the music they are reading about. Several media outlets embedded the playlists to make their film previews and reviews more interactive for readers, such as Popmatters, Wondering Sound, Guitar Mash, and ASCAP.
“We are making it easy for key media and blogs to musically engage readers by enabling them to hear the music they are reading about, within the precise context of the article,” explained Hazan. “We were able to offer blogs personalized soundtracks, specifically for the story angle they focus on from the film.”
Over a dozen playlists were created including:
Musicians Hendrix Played with Before London
The British Invasion: When Jimi Got to London
Hendrix Songs Covered By Others (From Cee-lo to the Chili Peppers)
Music From Producer Danny Bramson Movies (Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky, Singles)
Great Songs that Feature the Gibson Flying V
In addition, others were recruited to co-curate playlists:
Hendrix Admirers by The Black Rock Coalition
Favorite Guitarists of Legendary Guitarist and Film Composer Waddy Wachtel
Artists In The Spirit of Hendrix by Music Supervisor Chris Mollere
Guitar Heroes Influenced by Hendrix by Guitar Mash
Rdio was so impressed by the curatorial effort, they granted a rare Rdio station built around the film’s themes and playlists. "We're thrilled to have an official JIMI: All Is By MY Side presence on Rdio, the first of its kind, where Hendrix fans can explore not only playlists of music tied into the film, but a station of songs that capture the essence of Hendrix in London during this pivotal time in his career," said Marc Ruxin, chief operating officer of Rdio.
“For JIMI, we were able to successfully partner with Rdio to create customized immersive listening opportunities that expanded viewers’ pre and post-film experiences,” says Hazan. “With virtually all prerecorded music now a click and a few seconds away, we are barely scraping the surface of how branded playlists can amplify diverse marketing strategies for brands.”
