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17.01.14 MusicWeek 23
MCFLY-ING UP THE CHART
McFly’s barnstorming return to the Top 10 of the Official Singles Chart in December wasn’t without quick-thinking on behalf of Absolute. Explains the company’s Simon Wills: “While
making sure we complied with Official Chart rules, we put together a single bundle that was direct-to-fan, which included three CDs and a download. That counted as four chart sales from one purchase. Then we broke out the various versions we had into different bundles and staggered the releases to make sure we were getting optimum buy at time of release. “Finally, we had a McBusted version, on which
Busted featured on the single – that gave us a really good boost. And then just for good measure Tom from the band recorded a version with his wife Giovanna. “McFly and their management have a fair
reputation for being industry nice guys, and they were really strong with us from the start that their fans had to be getting something of value, something worthwhile. Hats off to them - they cut back on a lot of additional ideas we put forward, which we respected.”
pound an artist invests in a campaign, Absolute has never scrimped on its digital department, which director Simon Wills believes is one of the most forward-thinking in the entire industry. Absolute specifically targeted the post-
Christmas Day consumer with a raft of YouTube advertising at the end of 2013, looking to reach music fans who had been given new devices and iTunes gift vouchers. It offered clients the chance to sign up to a
bundle, which targeted fans watching their act’s videos and videos from similar artists with a 15 second pre-roll on YouTube, whilst there was also a mobile-friendly bundle that also featured a strong spend on Ad Maxim – reaching fans using mobile apps and enabling clients to target them by location, age, gender, platform and more. “We can get real value for money in a spend
sense marketing-wise through online,” Wills tells Music Week. “We know how and when to focus on YouTube advertising, pre-rolls, skyscrapers – we know how to deal with Twitter, when to advertise at the right time, how to target the right demographics – whether that’s on a mobile device or not. It’s fantastic for clients. “We can tell them: ‘You might only have £500 to
spend, but we can convert that into X amount of clicks, sales or engagement.’” And in promising to maximise artist income,
Absolute has zoned in on royalty collection and claiming online, especially from a platform as accessible in Outer Mongolia as it is in Isleworth.
ABOVE
“YouTube is a huge growth area for Absolute. It’s moving past Spotify in terms of income for us now. There are so many music copyrights on there that aren’t registered properly” HENRY SEMMENCE, ABSOLUTE
Adds Semmence: “YouTube is a huge growth
area. It’s moving past Spotify in terms of income for us now. There are so many copyrights on there that are unregistered properly. And it’s not just YouTube but all digital platforms: I see the PPL unclaimed list every year and it always contains some huge names. Why the management companies or labels haven’t registered those tracks correctly in the first place is, in my view, criminal. “When clients come out of deals with labels and
sign a deal with us, we trawl [their catalogues]. When we say: ‘There’s loads of money here,’ they say: ‘Really?’ That’s for both digital and neighbouring rights around the world.” Despite this digital upkeep, Absolute remains
one of the industry companies most involved in physical product. And for good reason – it’s helped it claim some major victories in recent years. Semmence notes that a physical release can form
an integral part of an Absolute marketing campaign, as it allows the company to create an item with “touchy feely appeal” that can be personalised by an artist to make other fans envious.
Absolute artists: In recent years, the company has worked with artists such as (clockwise from top left) Dame Shirley Bassey, Crystal Fighters, Sparks and Matt Cardle. All projects have focused on profitability and revenue-per- user (RPU) rather than chart placings
“We look at the finer detail of putting a record
to market and physical is vital in that – the limited edition vinyl runs, getting it signed, numbered limited editions, all of those little elements,” says Absolute director Mark Dowling. “Selling 500 copies of a vinyl might not change
the world, but combined with an extra track on the iTunes version, maybe something special for CD, can have a big impact.” Adds Wills: “McFly is a beautiful example of
how a strategy for physical releases can benefit all parties. By doing a physical single for Love Is On The Radio - something I believe a major record company wouldn’t have entertained – we’d gained substantial extra sales.” This year, Absolute’s schedule includes releases
from Lisa Stansfield, James Vincent McMorrow, Rhydian, Dexys, Darren Hayes, Foreigener and The Hoosiers. Sticking to its pragmatic approach of maximising revenue-per-user (RPU) for its clients, the firm is anticipating one of its best years yet. “Everything we do for our clients, whether that’s
marketing spend or advising them on a manufacturing and product plan, has to be meticulous,” says Wills. “We can’t turn round to an artist at the end of the day and say: ‘Well done everybody, that was great, but you’ve spent all your money.’ “We have the ability to put out an album that
sells a million copies and makes a profit for us, the label and the artist – and we have the ability to put out an album that sells 3,000 copies that does the same.”
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