Snap Hosts First Under the Ghost Live Music Event
Snapchat's kicked off its new live music performance series, which will also include new ad options.
KickT
After announcing its new musical performance series “Under the Ghost” last week, Snap has now hosted its first performance, with Kid Cudi showcasing a range of his latest tracks at Snap’s Santa Monica studio.
As you can see, Snapchat’s Under the Ghost musical events are literally performed underneath a Snapchat ghost logo (Snapchat’s ghost logo is actually called “Ghostface Chillah” for additional trivia points), with a range of big name artists set to grace the stage in the coming months.
And it won’t just be to perform music.
As explained by Snap:
“This week, Kid Cudi performed a pre-release concert for an intimate audience of Snap Stars and superfans, where he debuted “Neverland” plus more unreleased music live for the first time. He also sat down with Snap’s Head of Music Strategy, Manny Adler, to answer questions about his new music.”
So there’ll be an added fan engagement element, which could help to make Snap a bigger focus for music fans.
Which has become a key element of social platform engagement, most notably on TikTok. TikTok is now a key source for music discovery, and as such, both Snapchat and Instagram are also trying to link into this element, potentially as a pathway to replacing TikTok if it does end up being banned in the U.S.
Under the Ghost is another step in this direction, and Snap says that the series is less about polished performances, and more about connection and engagement:
“Under the Ghost isn’t about polished perfection, but rather an unfiltered glimpse into the creative process. Picture an artist, not on a grand stage, but in the intimate setting of a studio, sharing raw takes of new music. It’s your digital backstage pass, fostering a sense of genuine connection that goes beyond the typical artist-fan dynamic.”
It’ll also facilitate new advertising considerations, with future shows set to include “unique sponsorship opportunities via full-funnel media packages, including Sponsored Snaps, creator content, Total Takeover placements and more.”
“This series offers advertisers a premium way to tap into music, culture, and community - all native to Snapchat and built to engage Gen Z and millennial audiences.”
That could be a worthy consideration, especially if Snap does end up taking some of the music engagement and interest from TikTok.
I mean, TikTok’s still going strong, with President Trump granting repeated extensions of its sell-off deadline. But maybe, at some stage, the U.S.-China trade war will claim TikTok as a victim, which will force music fans to look elsewhere for engagement.
And Snap’s young audience would make it a prime target in this respect.
Snap says that fans can check out Under the Ghost on Snapchat by visiting @TeamSnapchat, @SnapCreators, and for this iteration, Kid Cudi’s Snapchat.
