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Entertainment Marketing: Movies, TV, Music and Gaming Marketing Amazon

How Amazon attracted Blondie, Katie Melua, Texas and Alison Moyet to play 'intimate' London gigs for Prime members

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

May 10, 2017 | 3 min read

Amazon earlier this week made a significant move into live music experiences, harnessing its platform as a launch point for exclusive and intimate, gigs by female led acts Blondie, Alison Moyet, Texas and Katie Melua.

Blondie Amazon

Blondie tickets will set back Prime members £150

The online retailer has forged some ties to live events (simply by selling tickets), but this week's push was seen by observers as a more concerted effort to dominate the lifestyle and entertainment sectors as well as digital and e-commerce.

Top artists will perform branded gigs with the aim of creating “a unique and intimate experience for the audience and the artist alike” in venues hosting around 600 to 800 people.

Amazon will also record the gigs, much like Netflix has done with its own original stand-up comedy show, to push them to fans internationally via the Prime Video platform.

Geraldine Wilson, general manager of Amazon Tickets UK told The Drum that despite the apparent surprise from commentators, it's not an alien industry for Amazon to move into.

“For nearly two decades we’ve been providing music to fans in various formats, starting with CD and vinyl, then introducing digital downloads, and now also providing two streaming services for our customers – Prime Music and Amazon Music Unlimited,” she said.

Music and video access serve as just some of the perks baiting the Prime offering which also includes access to fast purchase delivery, photo storage, Twitch streaming content and a free Kindle book each month. Amazon expects high demand from Prime subscribers with its latest scheme with tickets starting at £75 and rising to highs of £150 for the Blondie gig.

But attracting the caliber of talent to make this a success is crucial and Wilson argued that the company is in a good position to “help artists reach a broader audience, emphasising that its e-commerce ecosystem is equipped to shift merchandise, gig tickets, books, and even streaming access to songs via Prime Music

More artists will be announced throughout the year although the continuation of the scheme will largely hinge on ticket sales, merchandise sales and viewer figures on Prime Video of the shows.

Wilson concluded: “We don’t speculate on future plans, however if Prime members tell us they love the events we would of course look to expand the series. We are working with all major promoters, and continue to discuss opportunities with more promoters and partners across music, theatre and more live events.”

Read more about the scheme here.

Entertainment Marketing: Movies, TV, Music and Gaming Marketing Amazon

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