Your Catalogue Tracks Need Visuals!
YouTube is the most widely used music streaming service in the world. The chances are if people are listening to a track these days, they are also watching it. YouTube videos, Spotify visualisers and the like are now a ubiquitous accompaniment to music. Which makes it surprising to us that very few classic tracks have a visual presence online. No new artist, no matter what their reach, would dream of releasing a track without some bespoke visual attached to it, so why are we left looking at a static album cover, or worse still a shoddily made fan video when listening to some of the most famous tracks of all time on YouTube?
Don’t neglect the value of your catalogue
There’s really no excuse. These songs deserve love and attention. They deserve the very best and far too often a record label’s rich catalogue is being ignored online. Great songs are languishing, unloved in dusty corners of the internet, with dull or amateurish visuals, receiving a fraction of the views they deserve.
Over the past few years, Yes Please Productions have been lucky enough to work with ABKCO, owners of the early Rolling Stones catalogue. They have been very forward thinking in their approach to promoting and renewing these classic songs, commissioning us to create bespoke lyric videos for every track on some of the Stones most iconic albums. This has given a boost to these old tracks. Breathing new life into album tracks that could have been forgotten in the age of streaming, and introducing a whole new generation of fans to some of the greatest songs ever written. At the time of writing, our videos for the The Rolling Stones have gained over 100m views on YouTube alone. They have also been cut down for instagram and Twitter posts and stories and vertical videos have been made for Spotify and Apple music – providing a whole suite of content to renew and reinvigorate old tracks.
Great songs are timeless
Music fans are crying out for catalogue music right now. You just need to look at the official album charts to see the public’s thirst for nostalgia. At the time of writing, 20 of the top 50 albums are re-issues or compilations from older artists. This could well be a response to the times we find ourselves in. In dark times, we look for comfort in the familiar and nostalgic. Whatever the reason, managers and labels are increasingly realising the true value of their catalogue.
Look for the opportunities
The interest in an artist’s catalogue can be renewed in so many ways these days. From the more traditional – such as biopics like ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, best selling autobiographies such as Elton John’s ‘Me’ and licensing to adverts and movies – to the less expected such as Nathan Apodaca’s recent viral TikTok hit of him singing along to ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac’ – which sent Fleetwood Mac rocketing up the charts. However it happens, labels and management need to be ready to pounce on these opportunities, and to think of their catalogue marketing strategy in much the same way as the marketing for their frontline artists. Not only will having quality video content for your catalogue massively increase engagement straight away, you’ll also be in a much better position to maximise exposure if one of your tracks becomes a surprise viral hit. Speed is key these days.
Look ahead to what opportunities there are in future for your catalogue, and try to get ahead of the competition. Are there any big anniversaries coming up? Is an artist having a landmark birthday soon? Will any of your catalogue tracks be licensed in big movie or game franchises? All of these are great excuses to breathe new life into these great old tracks. Great music deserves great visuals.
Take a look at some of our recent lyric videos:
https://www.yespleaseproductions.com/project-type/lyric-videos/
