Universal Music, Optus, extend their deal to bring acts and fans closer

Universal Music Australia (UMA) and Optus this morning announced they have extended their strategic partnership “to further strengthen the connection between music artists and fans.”

UMA and its in-house creative agency, BRiNG, will continue to work with Optus where select Optus customers can stream music without using their data on Google Play Music, iHeartRadio and Spotify streaming apps.

This led to a series of immersive live events and original artist content for customers for acts as Justin Bieber, Sam Smith, Shawn Mendes, The Preatures, Troye Sivan, Lorde and more.

All events and content will be delivered through BRiNG, a cultural marketing agency established by Universal in 2016 to create bespoke music campaigns for a variety of brands including American Airlines, Heineken, Oppo Mobile, Summer Bright, Uber, Myer and American Express.

BRiNG, managing director Roddy Campbell explains: “With music consumption rising across the board, more and more brands are embedding the power of music in their customer engagement and branding practices.

“Optus committed to an always-on approach and we’re delighted to see that it’s working for consumers, for artists and labels and, importantly, for their business.

“We’ve set a high benchmark over the last two years but look forward to creating even more memorable moments together in this next phase of the partnership.”

Optus’ associate director of content entertainment, Bushra Abel, adds: “Australians are passionate about music and we love connecting our customers with their favourite artists.  

“Over the past few years we have been able to create amazing music moments, tailored for the fans, and our partnership with Universal Music Australia has allowed us to work alongside local and global talent such as Justin Bieber, Lorde, Sam Smith, Troye Sivan and INXS.

“We are excited to continue to work with Universal Music Australia to keep delivering game-changing music experiences across live events, premium video, music streaming and more.”

To launch the extended partnership, Optus has teamed with EMI Australia (part of Universal Music) and Sydney electro duo The Presets.

To mark the release of their 4th studio album HI VIZ on June 1, Optus customers can win tickets to attend an exclusive album preview party in Sydney.

Optus will also live stream a selection of The Presets’ set on their Facebook page this Thursday, May 31, from 7.30pm.

“We wanted to make something that was literally meant to get you out of your head,” explains the band’s Julian Hamilton.

“All the songs on HI VIZ are outward-looking, so in that respect, it’s much more like our earlier stuff.  

“It’s about trying to capture that energy you get on a great night out with your friends when you get to leave everything else behind you for a while.  

“We essentially tried to create the soundtrack to a party that we would want to go nuts at.”