Spotify and Condé Nast unite for UK relaunch of Wired

by Rich Sutcliffe, mediaweek.co.uk 30-Mar-09, 09:52

LONDON - Free online music service Spotify has signed a deal with Condé Nast to promote the much-anticipated UK relaunch of Wired magazine.

The radio-style campaign launches tomorrow ahead of the magazine, which is due to hit news-stands on 2 April.

Jon Mitchell, Spotify UK sales director, said the nature of the campaign was a first for the Stockholm-based company. The campaign features members of the Wired editorial team, including editor David Rowan, who have recorded personal messages for Spotify's "early adopter" listeners.

Mitchell added: "It's a significant campaign and one that uses Spotify in the way it should be used. The agency showed a real understanding of Spotify and what we're trying to do."

The ad-funded service allows users to listen to millions of music tracks free, or pay a daily or monthly premium for an ad-free streaming service.

Spotify passed the 500,000 UK user milestone last week, a figure it has reached quickly since it went free to use after dropping its invitation-only access on 10 February.

The deal was brokered through Spotify's four-strong UK sales team and Patrick Affleck, digital strategy director at Aegis media agency Vizeum.