Warner turns artists into media channels

Author: By Justin Pearse | Source: NMA magazine | Published: 18.01.07

Warner Music has launched a mobile magazine as the cornerstone of the mobile strategy for the launch of Hard-Fi's follow-up to their number-one album Stars of CCTV.

The record label views the launch as a core example of its ongoing plan to transform its artists into separate media channels.

The Hard-Fi mobizine, a downloadable mobile Java application, has been developed by Refresh Mobile, which has launched a network of mobizines for brands ranging from the BBC to GQ.

The Hard-Fi mobizine will have four channels of content including news, downloads and competitions, in addition to video updates from the band as they record their second album.

"The challenge for us is how to move our artist brands towards becoming media channels," said Warner Music UK head of digital Adrian Coultas-Pitman. "This is important for our overall strategy, letting us communicate marketing messages in a different way."

The mobizine, accessed by texting 'mobi hard' to 63333, will be promoted on all the marketing material, including print and online, for Hard-Fi.

"All other media will point to the mobizine," said Coultas-Pitman. "This is all about having Hard-Fi in your pocket 24/7. The challenge for us is to constantly refresh content and think like a magazine." If successful, Coultas-Pitman said Warner will "look to assess opportunities for other artists" with Refresh's mobizines. Hard-Fi have scored a number of digital firsts. They produced the first video exclusively for mobile early last year and the first artist video podcasts. Last January they made live versions of single 'Cash Machine' available for download immediately after they were played each night on tour.

refreshmobile.com

hard-fi.com

Warner Music