5 most creative vinyl marketing campaigns

I write about music strategy via my fortnightly newsletter, Deep Cuts. Subscribe here https://bit.ly/2yphFYx 

Vinyl accounts for a teeny 3.7% of the entire music business revenue. 3.7% that's it. But for some it is of supreme importance and overlooking it may be leaving money on the table.

This is part 1 of 2 that answers the question "why bother doing vinyl at all?" kicking off with the most creative vinyl campaigns.

To get the full read, sign up for my fortnightly music marketing newsletter Deep Cuts.

1. The Hateful Eight Limited Edition 7” Boxset, Third Man Records

This the all-the-bells-and-whistles packaging. Including bespoke artwork of Quentin Tarantino, all the film’s characters, a metal noose and replica of the films famed “Lincoln Letter”. Inside the 18 gauge galvanized steel 7” box with real bullet holes and laser etched logo is 2 180-gram LP’s with the film’s soundtrack and score on blood red vinyl w/ black streaks.

This is a killer example of how to align your artist with a film’s promotional campaign when you have a huge sync opportunity.

2. The Flaming Lips ‘Heady Fwends’ Limited Edition, Independent

This is vinyl as PR. People experience the campaign through social and news headlines not the actual product. The value is the shares incurred by the outrageousness of the product.

10 copies of ‘Heady Fwends’ pressed on clear vinyl with encased real bloody of Coyne’s friends-- Chris Martin, Kesha, Justin Vernon, Jim James, Sean Lennon. The price point was $2,500, all proceeds went to charity.

3. Pea Brain ‘ADHA EP’ world’s smallest vinyl, Independent

I like this because it’s a cheap campaign thus accessible to artists of any level. Fitting with the title name, the band made a 2” playable record. Each song is just 10 seconds long making it the smallest compilation ever pressed to vinyl.

4. Childish Gambino ‘Awaken, My Love!’, Glassnote

Combining new tech (VR) with old tech (vinyl), Donald Glover & team translated his vision into a package fans could seamlessly engage with in multiple dimensions. While others are constantly looking for ways to cut costs on vinyl packages, this project showed that fans will respond well when care, intentionality & quality are central to the process.

5. ‘Ribs’ Records

Not exactly a commercial campaign but probably the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. In 50’s Soviet Russia when western music was banned an underground emerged that distributed popular tracks like ‘Rock Around The Clock’ on discarded x-rays. Adorned with images of bones and skulls the records were coined ‘Ribs’ after the tuberculosis epidemic.

Why limit yourself to polyvinyl chloride, ey?