Welcome to the second edition of the RÖKRIOT REPORT—a digestible summary and pre-wrapped pack of branding and music marketing inspiration that will provide some insights
as to what bands are doing to stand out and connect with their fans.

Culled from RÖKRIOT posts in February, the following five bands found unique ways to enhance their relationship with their audience:

AVICII

Project: AviciiXYou  Product: Website  Reason It Resonates: Fan Engagement

Swedish DJ, Avicii, launched aviciixyou.com as a way to involve fans in the creation of a new
Avicii track. By allowing followers to contribute to his music, Avicii engages his fans in a very
personal and creative way, transcending the typical celebrity/fan relationship by treating fans
as collaborators.

(click here for the original post from 2/4)

JORGE DREXLER

Project: “n”  Product: App  Reason It Resonates: Fan Engagement

Musician Jorge Drexler decided to develop and release an app called “n” that gives his music fans the ability to experiment with the very foundation of his songs. Through a diverse collection of Jorge’s songs and a well-designed UI, “n” allows the user to take control of lyrics, song structure and instrumentation, giving him/her a sense of ownership. This approach heartily surpasses the rather lackluster nature of many band apps which typically provide links to elements easily accessible online—social media, music samples, tour dates, photo galleries, etc. A bit of creativity and a lot of well-executed development can go a long way.

(click here for the original post from 2/11)

GARCIA GOODBYE

Project: “Horizon”  Product: Single  Reason It Resonates: Unorthodox Music Marketing

Garcia Goodbye took the literal approach to launching their single, “Horizon,” by attaching USB drives to helium balloons, which, in itself, isn’t so exciting or completely original, but the spin the band put on the experience made a huge impact. By following up the balloon experiment with a video-taped trip to a fan who came across one of the drives (500 miles away, mind you), the band told a story—one of fan dedication and devotion.

(click here for the original post from 2/13)

TANLINES

Project: “Not the Same”  Product: Music Video  Reason It Resonates: Interactivity

Tanlines’ interactive music video for “Not the Same” allows viewers to control imagery from the video through an interface inspired by Photoshop. Fans can manipulate and move band members around the screen as they perform their latest single. Multiple backgrounds and effects can be employed to give the video a very outlandish feel. A few easter eggs also help to make the experience unique. The creativity factor in combination with the fun and unusual concept for this music video makes it more than buzz worthy.

(click here for the original post from 2/19)

CAVE PAINTING

Project: “Votive Life”  Product: CD  Reason It Resonates: Unconventional Packaging

Alternative rock act, Cave Painting, decided to eschew traditional CD packaging with a colorful and intricately detailed CD case defined by a series of die-cuts that turned the packaging into a three dimensional art piece. The extra thought, time (and money) spent on album packaging resulted in a unique product that became more than a cardboard sleeve to store a plastic disc.

(click here for the original post from 2/28)