Music at Work: How The Drum and Found in Music aim to bring the ad industry together
Under the right circumstances, music in the workplace has been found to boost productivity and help wellbeing for employees. As a result, The Drum has formed a partnership with the experiential marketing agency, Found in Music, and together plan to create a Battle of the Office Bands competition in 2020 that will take place next year as part of the Music At Work initiative.
The Drum and Found in Music to launch Battle of the Office Bands competition
The initiative comes after a recent study commissioned by the music streaming service Deezer discovered that listening to at least 78 minutes of music per day can improve mental wellbeing. The study also found that it takes on average 11 minutes for listeners to feel the benefits of music, and just five to feel happier.
Both The Drum and Found in Music believe that the benefits of music should be better promoted in the workplace, particularly in the creative industries. Therefore, Battle of the Office Bands will aim to increase the knowledge of the benefits of music on mental health in the workplace and also hopes to inspire businesses to encourage employees to engage in music participation in the workplace, not only for the mental health benefits but to encourage community and creativity as well.
Through the competition, The Drum and Found in Music are listening out for the best band in the industry and will be looking across the industry: from brands, agencies, media and tech firms to find them.
Battle of the Office Bands will take the format of a standard Battle of the Bands competition, although choirs will also be included as a category. Players will be asked to submit a video entry that will be used by the judges to select a shortlist. The finals will take place as a live event during Music At Work Week 2020.
Music at Work Week, which takes place between 25 November - 1 December, was created by Dr. Julia Jones (aka Doctor Rock), who has been prescribing music for personal health and business health for over 20 years.
The Drum's editor-in-chief Gordon Young said of the initiative that 'we work in a great industry full of great people and we want to promote a sense of community in whatever way we can.'
"Here at The Drum we not only recognise the power of music but see it as a metaphor for good marketing. It has the power to bring people together, and if we can do that in aid of an important cause such as mental health awareness then so much the better," he added.
Back in July, The Drum partnered with the London-based music initiative, Guitar Social to break the Guinness World Record for the longest ever guitar lesson. The attempt raised over £22,000 on Crowdfunder, with the proceeds going to helping The Guitar Social to extend its course further and reach out to more vulnerable communities.
Music At Work recently announced that Sennheiser was to become the official audio partner of the event this year.
Dr. Julia Jones, explained: “Whether an individual’s preference is for relaxing or binaural music to enter a calm state or upbeat pop music to keep them motivated, regardless of personal music preference, music can have a positive impact on health and well-being of listeners and has the ability to assist in the management of ‘stress hormone’ cortisol”.
“We want as many businesses as possible to support Music at Work Week internationally. This is a serious issue and costs employers and the economy billions of pounds a year. Technology has had a massive effect on the working environment and health. We want to spark a workplace transformation revolution.”
More details on how to get involved with The Drum's Battle of the Band project will be announced in the near future and will take place in 2020, but if you have an agency band or you are an an advertising professional keen to get involved register online to be included in future plans.