Spotify launch ’Emerge’ in Aus and NZ to promote upcoming acts

Popular music streaming service Spotify have launched their latest Emerge program in Australia and New Zealand to find and award upcoming local acts.

Using technology that picks up on music trends with Spotify’s streaming and sharing data, the online service has included Lorde, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (who won the inaugural Emerge in 2012) and Alt-J in its program, prior to them achieving global success.

Spotify’s technology has favoured ten Australian and New Zealand acts to become the ‘next big thing’; they are producer duo The Aston Shuffle (AU), Dew Process’ recent signing MT (AU), Christchurch alt-pop artist Tom Lark (NZ), the Sydney indie band who are headed to Austin for SXSW this month, Gang of Youths (AU) , pop duo Max & Bianca (AU), Sony Music signing Miracle (AU), folk-pop singer-songwriter Gossling (AU), Sydney rapper Chance Waters (AU), dance outfit The Acid (AU) and South Auckland rap group Smashproof (NZ).

The program sees Spotify team with one of the world’s largest computer and electronics companies HP for a prize that will offer the winner a Spotify Session (recorded audio posted online), HP technology worth $5,000 and a Spotify promotional package for a future release.

All ten artists will compete with one-another on the Emerge website where Spotify chooses a winner based on user listens, stars and social media shares. Artists get pared down each week “until one is left as the victor” on April 27.  The dedicated website features the Emerge artists’ playlist, profile, top hits, social media shares, tour dates and photos.

Spotify Label & Artist Relations Manager, Rene Chambers, says, “We’re thrilled to be bringing Spotify’s Emerge program to Australia and New Zealand, especially at a time where music from the region is garnering global recognition. We hope to ultimately help discover and surface the next big thing by using Spotify’s unique access to data, technology, as well as people-power.”

Spotify’s most recent campaign to team with emerging artists comes after Shazam announced its partnership with Warner Music Group. The alliance saw the two companies use Shazam’s user-data to discover and sign acts to a Shazam-branded imprint, under WMG.