When it comes to creating engaging and interactive digital experiences, musicians have been on the forefront of experimenting with new technology. Brands who are looking for innovative ways to engage their audiences might want to take a few pointers from these guys.
Check out these four great examples of forward-thinking bands:
Freemium eCommerce
On October 10th, 2007, Radiohead famously released their 7th album, In Rainbows, on a pay-what-you-want scheme. The album was available as a digital download exclusively from their site and “sold” three million copies, generating more money before it was physically released (on December 31, 2007) than the total money generated by sales of the band’s previous album, Hail to the Thief.
Augmented Reality
Last October 2009 John Mayer released the video for his new single, “Heartbreak Warfare,” in augmented reality on JohnMayer.com. Users were instructed to print out a marker, turn on their webcam and line the icon up to the image on the screen. Once it was lined up, they were presented with a living room that turned into a battle field. The user was then featured behind the video, holding the marker.
** The same month last year, a lesser known [techno Australian] band, Lost Valentinos, released an even cooler AR music video, with individual markers that you could move around to create your own experience.
Interactive 3D
This past month, one of my new favorite bands, Broken Bells, released an online interactive 3D music video for their song “October” in which the user’s cursor steers a stream of blue light on a musical journey through space, verse and chorus. At the end of the experience, users are asked if they’d like to save their personalized experience, allowing them to share and/or check it out again later.
Open Web Technology
Finally, my fellow Canadians, The Arcade Fire, have just released an interactive video for “We Used to Wait”, which was directed by Chris Milk and uses some of the latest open web technologies, including HTML5 video, audio, and canvas.
My favorite thing about this experience is the integration with Google Maps and Street View’s API. The user is prompted at the beginning of the experience for the address of the house that they grew up in, which is then featured throughout the video [and will give you goose bumps]!
POP QUIZ: Notice any themes in this post??? OCTOBER (release dates for Radiohead, John Mayer, Lost Valentinos, and title of Broken Bells video)….ooooooohhhhhhhhhhh
Tags: augmented reality, interactive, music, open web technology