Spotify Wants to Connect Artists and Brands

Spotify is launching a music advisory agency for brands, the streamer announced on Wednesday (Feb. 21). For its inaugural campaign, the agency, dubbed AUX, connected Coca-Cola with the DJ-producer Peggy Gou. The two have “built a long-term partnership that will span live concerts and events, social media content, a branded playlist, and on-platform promotional support,” according to Spotify’s press release.

In a statement, Emma Vaughn, global head of advertising business development and partnerships for Spotify, said “we’re excited to tap into our expertise as Spotify to counsel brands on how best to use music to enrich their marketing campaigns and leverage our relationships with emerging artists to help them reach new audiences.”

“Our teams already spend all of their time understanding new trends and what artists, fans and brands want, so this is our endeavor to connect all the dots and provide brands Spotify’s unmatched insights on artists and music culture,” added Jeremy Erlich, the streamer’s global head of music. 

The ability to pair rising artists with brands — which have reach and resources — may be more valuable at a time when the glut of music makes it challenging for new acts to build awareness. TikTok has also touted its ability to help artists do this through its commercial music library.

“There are 10 million little businesses that want to use your music in 10 minutes, so how do you meet that demand?” Ole Obermann, TikTok’s global head of music business development, asked last year. “It’s a huge business opportunity; it could add 10% to the total size of the music market in a few years if we get this right.”

Gou had already built a successful career in dance music circles with tracks like “Starry Night” and “It Makes You Forget (Itgehane)” before last year. She achieved a new level of global recognition in 2023 when her single “(It Goes Like) Nanana” went viral.