To celebrate the expansion of the music platform beyond Pakistan, seven musical artists will collaborate on global film and pay homage to rock band Queen.
Coca-Cola is bringing Coke Studio, a music platform originally launched in Pakistan in 2008, to the global stage. The global programme is a digital platform that provides an opportunity for artists to partner, create and deliver music to a larger audience.
Coke Studio will first appear in The Conductor, a two-minute film featuring seven musical artists collaborating to re-record Queen’s A Kind of Magic, in homage to the rock band.
Participating musicians are American R&B sensation artists Lennox; British singer-songwriter Griff; Turkish electro-pop producer Ekin Beril; Latin urban pop artist Mariah Angeliq; Nigerian singer-songwriter and producer Tems; Canadian-Indian rapper and producer Tesher; and K-Pop girl band TRI.BE.
Coke Studio and The Conductor are the newest expressions of Real Magic – the brand philosophy that Coca-Cola introduced late last year. The philosophy aims to celebrates differences between individuals both digitally and in real life.
Commenting on Coke Studio, Pratik Thakar, Head of Global Creative Strategy and Content at Coca-Cola, said: “Coke Studio is a direct extension of Coca-Cola’s Real Magic philosophy. It celebrates the unique ability of music to unite and uplift and provides a connection point for fans around the world to come together and enjoy a new experience.”
Each artist has also recorded their own versions of A Kind of Magic which, together with additional exclusive tracks and behind-the-scenes footage, will be accessible on the Coke Studio Global hub from today. Content can also be unlocked through the on-pack activation ‘Drink. Scan. Enjoy’ – which sees packs of Coca-Cola turn into digital portals: a gateway for people to connect with the new global Coke Studio content.
“The Coke Studio platform was born in Pakistan and has gone on to have great success there as well as in Africa and the Philippines, including 11m YouTube subscribers,” Thakar said. “We believe it has the potential for exponential growth, and today we’re excited to introduce it to a wider global audience, using the reach of our iconic brand to help bring new audiences to some extraordinary artists.”
Joshua Burke, Head of Global Music and Culture Marketing at Coca-Cola, said: “We set out to do something different with Coke Studio. Coca-Cola has always had a strong connection with music, working with stand-out emerging talent in different communities in all corners of the world, as well as a strong heritage in connecting people across borders and cultures. Coke Studio brings these two things together in a way that’s powerful and future-facing, supporting the development of talent in the music industry, while also connecting new audiences to new music – and to each other.”
Burke added: “We see The Conductor as both a homage to the legendary Queen and an opportunity to refresh and reinterpret one of their greatest tracks in different ways across cultures and musical genres, for a new generation. There’s magic in that too.”
The launch of Coke Studio and The Conductor has been curated in partnership with Universal Music Group, with five of the seven artists signed to the company’s record labels, and a sixth with its Universal Music Publishing Group division. The Conductor was created with creative agency BETC London and produced with Iconoclast’s director Pierre Dupaquier.
The Conductor and the Coke Studio global platform went live on YouTube yesterday.
Speaking of the partnership, Richard Yaffa, EVP of Global Brands at Universal Music Group, said: “Collaborating with these incredible artists and the Coca-Cola team on both the music and creative vision for this launch was magic. Our companies are aligned in our deep commitment to showcasing phenomenal talent, to partnering with artists from all over the globe and to supporting them in sharing their music while creating opportunities to expand their fanbase.”
