spreading jam

If you’re following Sweedish indie singer, Lykke Li, on Twitter, I’m sure you will have started seeing a slew of cryptic tweets from her recently, complete with tips to find rhymes and a mysterious website to visit. I, having noticed these for a short while, decided to take the bait and soon realised that those fans eagerly awaiting Lykke Li’s new album – myself included – were in for a treat this year.

The mysterious website in question promises you a gig on the moon (a green screened moon of course!) as long as you can complete a certain amount of tasks within Google Maps. Initially, you come to a map of the world with places you can pick to start your journey; every place is relevant to Lykke Li, which I thought was a nice touch. When you pick your first location, you’re transported into Google street view, with a compass and a measure of how many metres you are away from your chosen destination. Now, here’s the great part – when you get within 10 metres of your destination you get to hear a track from her new album. And, after successfully finding 5 songs you can fast track to the gig on the moon which is in fact a lovely acoustic set from Lykke Li.

This is another fantastic use of Google Streetview (check out Chris Milk’s short film ‘The Wilderness Downtown‘), a platform which is becoming increasingly popular, with users as much interested in the ‘journey’ as they are the content. It’s this kind of promotion that is not only about marketing a product, but also about creating organic buzz and conversation about the product, in an environment that we’re all familiar with, and to some extent, take for granted as a ‘standard format’. Streetview’s not just about seeing how the other half live or scoping out that house you found on Gumtree – it also about the music! (Well, Lykke Li any way!)

Start your journey here: http://www.woundedrhymes.com/