Like many sectors, the Covid-19 pandemic had a massive impact on the music business. Lockdown brought with it the inability to perform live gigs – a massive share of the local music market (at R1.2 billion projected value for 2021), and a major source of income for many South African artists and the supporting music industry.
Tencent Africa’s JOOX saw the opportunity to provide both financial aid to these out of work artists, and to accommodate the increased demand for entertainment sources under circumstances that usually limited them. #Gig2Earn was born, and later this in-app streaming solution initiative became ‘JOOX Live’ and ‘Big Live’, the latter playing host to some of the country’s biggest artists, including Mi Casa who will appear for their in-app concert on the 26th July, 5pm. It also sparked the launch of a brand new celebrity talk show, and gave hopefuls across the country a shot at opening for major talents. This is how JOOX revolutionised the music industry in ninety days.
#Gig2Earn
The #Gig2Earn campaign was created at the start of South Africa’s lockdown in late March. Artists could apply to appear for a half-hour slot in-app, where they would be able to play their music and interact with their fans and new listeners from the engaged JOOX audience. These musicians were paid R1500 for each performance, and JOOX paid out a total of over R424 000 to just under 300 artists who may otherwise have been bereft of income.
‘The JOOX #Gig2Earn campaign was an amazing experience. It felt really good to interact with my fans again after so long. Being able to play them some new music and being able to see how many viewers saw the performance sas insightful,’ says #Gig2Earn artist, Dee XCLSV.
Importantly, as this was a charitable drive, JOOX did not make any profit from #Gig2Earn. Further, JOOX installed a ‘tip jar’ service that allowed viewers to tip the #Gig2Earn artists and those that had appeared in that given week.
‘We’re proud of what we did with #Gig2Earn. We were amazed by the attention it’s received, and we’re grateful we were in the position to be able to give back to those that make our own work at JOOX possible.’, said Brett Loubser, Tencent Africa CEO.
Big Live
In support of #Gig2Earn, and as a way to accrue brand sponsorship, JOOX then launched the ‘Big Live’ concert series, featuring big name acts like none other than hip hop legend, Cassper Nyovest. The star appeared in an in-app show that aired on 8th May, with follow-up performances by other mega musos like Kwesta, Demi Lee Moore (15th May), and the Parlotones (28th June). The Parlotones performance also saw the launch of two exciting projects aimed again at uplifting local artists while staying focused on increasing value for the JOOX user – TBH (To Be Honest) with JOOX, and ‘JOOX Big Live Opening Act.’ TBH with JOOX is a celebrity talk show with a difference.
It’s a modern twist on the classic game of ‘truth or dare’ that has South African celebs hot under the collar and brings fans closer to their idols than perhaps they’ve ever been. The show is hosted entirely in the app. Those interested can watch the first episode here. Then there’s also ‘JOOX Big Live Opening Act’ – a local first of its kind. It’s an entirely virtual battle-of-the-bands-style competition that gives South African musicians a chance to sing their way to becoming the Big Live’s opening act. Eight finalists have been chosen for the Mi Casa Big Live concert on the 26th July, and they will be appearing in-app on the 19th July, 6pm-9pm. The winning artist will be announced the following day.
The Big Live concerts themselves are available to JOOX VIP subscribers only, but with a recently expanded enterprise deal with DStv, 32 million South Africans are eligible for VIP access through their or their family member’s existing DStv contract. VIP access can also be purchased with in-app currency that listeners in JOOX are rewarded with for doing simple actions like checking into the app. ‘Big Live’ is now a pivotal feature in the JOOX app, and an increasingly important part of the local music industry.
JOOX Live
After two successful months working the local artists on #Gig2Earn, the campaign was in need of pivoting to manage an increasing demand for brand sponsorship. #Gig2Earn became ‘JOOX Live’, a platform where any artist could apply to appear live in-app at any given time, with a chance to have their performance curated into a weekly concert where the musicians who met a criteria of standard streaming quality and viewership would be remunerated above the #Gig2Earn rate. This has allowed artists to connect with their existing fan base as well as convert others, all while earning a sum for their time. Musicians who perform in the weekly concerts on a Wednesday from 6pm, are given guidance by the in-house JOOX team who provide support for artists not yet used to streaming.
Overall, the music industry across the world looks different in a post-COVID-19 era. Here in South Africa, JOOX have created revolutionary technological solutions that fueled artist-fan connection to ensure it’s one that still has musicians able to do what they love, and music fans to share in what’s made as a result.
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