A Conversation with Unstaged’s Rich Lehrfeld & Brad Minor – HuffPost 10.7.11

Mike Ragogna: Coldplay is putting on a concert in Madrid, Spain, part of the Unstagedseries that started last year through a partnership with American Express, YouTube and VEVO. Representing American Express are Public Affairs Director Brad Minor and Rich Lehrfeld, VP of Sponsorship Access & Experiential Marketing. How are you guys doing today?

Rich Lehrfeld & Brad Minor: Great, thanks for having us.

MR: In the past, we’ve experienced Unstaged through acts such as My Morning Jacket, Duran Duran, Arcade Fire and Sugarland. For Duran Duran, we interviewed David Lynch, the director of that event. What made you pick Anton Corbijn to work with Coldplay?

RL: Anton has an incredible vision, he’s an incredible director and an incredible visionary and storyteller. He has a relationship with some of the members of Coldplay, we’re out in the market place talking to numerous people, and he’s an incredible creative director and visionary. So, it was a great fit and a great opportunity to express his vision through this concert.

MR: Now, it looks like you’re shaping a new music distribution model with this, although in the past, people have presented major events through live podcasts. But the way thatUnstaged is, well, staged and directed, and the amount of partners involved with your synchronized broadcasts seem to throw a wider net than has previously been cast. What kinds of results are you finding with your model and what additional features can the viewer expect?

RL: It starts with incredible partners like VEVO and YouTube, that help us work with artists and get large scale distribution. We’re finding incredible success, because the world is changing, the world is moving into a physical and digital world. Opportunities to engage consumers in different ways, has allowed us to bring a new art to life. What Unstaged is, is an immersed experience. It’s not just about watching a concert; going to a concert is an incredible experience, but this is something different. It allows you to interact with people around the world through communication; there are content offerings that come out throughout the concert that people can unlock. There is an ability where you can interact with the band in that you can vote on different songs. We’ve had times where you can affect some of the visuals that are happening behind the artist–you can change your camera angles. It’s a different kind of medium and technology. The ability of the global reach of YouTube and our relationship, and getting incredible artists like Coldplay and incredible directors like Anton is a full package allowing us to bring a new offering to the market place. What’s happened is between technology and new ways to engage consumers, it’s allowed us to come together to build something different and special.

MR: What kind of numbers are you guys looking at?

RL: It’s millions in content use, it’s a global audience. We are seeing incredible numbers even outside of the US. It’s a pretty large audience that’s engaging with this and viewing this. Working with incredible artists help us reach this global audience.

MR: Now, the concerts are normally anywhere from an hour to an hour plus. You’re broadcasting the whole concert, but is there a way to gauge how long listeners and viewers are hanging in there with broadcasts?

RL: Yeah, we’re seeing, on average, over 20 minutes of viewing. Lots of people are watching the whole concert, a lot of people are coming in and out at different times. There are a lot of people coming to the live event and that’s wonderful, because there’s a lot of engaging things for them to do. Also, the replay that happens right after and the content views we put on the site the next day gives people an opportunity to experience it live.

MR: You’ve been with Unstaged since the beginning, right?

RL: Correct.

MR: Beyond the acts and directors we referenced earlier, you’ve teamed Arcade Fire with director Terry Gilliam, John Legend and The Roots with Spike Lee, Sugarland with Kenny Ortega. How does the process of choosing the right band with the right director work? Do you have a list of directors and a list of bands, and then cross-pollinate them?

RL: It’s a little like that. American Express has been doing entertainment access, and providing special experience for customers for over 20 years. We are doing programs in sports, film, fashion and music, and we’re constantly talking to the creative community. Whether it’s managers, agents, promoters or directors, we’re in so many different spaces, so we have conversations across many different things. When it comes to artist selection or director selection, our customer base and who we’re trying to attract is a very diverse audience, so we want to make sure our content is diverse and delivering something for everybody. We also look at who’s coming out with an album release; this platform really works since it delivers incredible value for the music partners because it’s a launch platform. So, we’re looking for who’s coming out with new music to promote because we want to deliver that value. It starts with who is coming out with something, who is doing something interesting, who wants to try something new? We want artists that are comfortable with new technology and new approaches. Then from a director’s perspective, we talk to the artists, see people that they’ve worked with or are comfortable with or they’re interested in. Arcade Fire, for example, Terry Gilliam was a god to them and they really would have loved to work with him. It really helps us navigate the waters of who to get. Also, we’re in constant content with so many people from agents to managers, we can have conversations to say, “Who’s interested in doing something different? Who’s interested in telling a different kind of story and trying something?” It is different for some of these directors; so far, none of them have done a live event like this. So, it’s something different–we want to make sure someone’s comfortable and make sure they want to work as a partnership on this whole thing.

MR: Brad, let’s get you in here. American Express has fielded music, sports, and fashion. Do you find, as far as the effectiveness of the outreach, that music works best? Possibly sports?

Brad Minor: I think what they all have in common is that people are very passionate about them, especially our card members. We know they are very drawn to sports, to fashion, to film, and to entertainment across a variety of formats. I think that each one resonates with a different type of card member. So, we’ve seen a lot of passion from all of them.

MR: Is all of this presented in some kind of Unstaged manner?

BM: Well, the music platform specifically is Unstaged, but with all of our sponsorships and partnerships, we look for digital aspects. For example, Fashion Week we just wrapped up in September, we looked for a way to engage people online. So, we have what we call the Skybox Report. We partnered with bloggers who can provide this insider access to what’s going on during Fashion Week, which people at home might not be able to get otherwise.

MR: Do you find the interest in Unstaged has been growing as you’ve been releasing each one of these concerts?

RL: It has been growing, because I think technology keeps advancing people’s comfort with the medium…as you do these programs and you build these relationships and you start communicating, people that have had the experience want to come back and experience another one. They’ve seen the power of it and the specialness of it, and for American Express, that’s really wonderful because that’s validation that we’re doing something different and special, that we’re providing real value, and it’s not something they can just do anywhere. This is something different, and I think it’s building and growing because the consumers are recognizing that it’s something different. We’re working with incredible talent and the industry is also starting to realize this is something different and something special.

MR: Were there any concerts that were developed that stood out to you most?

RL: It is hard; each one is your baby, so how can you pick between your children? Each one was special in so many ways. When we did the early ones, because it was so different, and we were trying to do something so unique, it was a little different. Each one is your baby though, and you’re asking this question but it’s tough, because I love them all.

MR: Okay, then were there any that surprised you in some way?

RL: The one I thought I thought was, “Wow,” but I got it, was the Duran Duran and David Lynch (concert). It really was different and out there. I love them all, but that one was a really unique perspective and a unique story. When they were talking about what he wanted to do, I kind of wasn’t totally getting it; but when it all came together, I thought, “Wow, that is really special.” So, that one surprised me in a good way, because I wasn’t expecting it.

MR: Brad, your turn.

BM: I would have to agree with that, the visuals were something that were so out there and you had no idea what it would be going into it. To see it come to life in such a powerful way, it was pretty surprising.

RL: I would also say the Arcade Fire one was very interesting, and Terry Gilliam was a really interesting, creative guy.

MR: I can’t blame you for being proud, they’re so beyond just filming any old concert.

RL: Thank you, that’s really nice.

MR: This Madrid concert is the first international one right?

RL: Yup.

MR: Why Madrid? How did you guys decide on that?

RL: Our audience is very global, that actually surprised us. The time that these run, eight o’clock or nine o’clock East Coast time, people were finding us throughout the world; people that had a passion for these artists. So, we decided that it was time to bring something out of the US. Also, Coldplay was interested in doing something internationally, so it really fit together, and we said, “Why not? Let’s figure out an interesting city and interesting venue, and figure out how to do this.” There are so many people around the world, and for us, the live event itself is great, and we do a wonderful job, but it really is about the global audience engaging with this. The market is important for the local viewings, but in reality, it’s for everybody in the world and it doesn’t necessarily matter where it is.

MR: How do you see Unstaged expanding past what you have already done?

RL: That’s a hard question, because I don’t know how exactly it’s going to play out, but what I do know is there is going to be much more engagement. There is going to be much more opportunity for people to get together, communicate, and experience the concert in different ways. There will be more opportunities for people to engage with the content and affect the content. With the last concert, we did a mobile app with VEVO, so there will be more mobility to the concert. People can experience it on whatever device they are interested in. What’s happening with technology and society is where we’re going, how do we make it more interactive, how do we deliver more value, and how do we deliver more mobility?

MR: I remember about two years ago, there was a U2 that was broadcast over YouTube, simultaneously in different clubs and bars all over the country. Do you see another part of your model possibly growing these concert broadcasts beyond how you’re doing them now, maybe including clubs and bars, theaters, etc.?

RL: Maybe. I would say that’s an opportunity and we discuss it, but we tend to focus more on the global digital audience aspects of what we’re doing. We did do viewing parties for the Duran Duran event and we talk about it. So, it’s a possibility, but we spent more time on the digital aspects and delivering more value in that respect.

MR: Are you allowed to talk about some of the acts you’re looking at for the future?

RL: We’re talking to a lot of different artists, we don’t have anything set for the next one, so it would be hard for me to mention any of them, when we don’t have anything agreed to. Our hope is to do more of these, and more incredible collaborations with unique and special artists.

MR: Any on your wish list?

RL: I would love to answer that, but there are so many artists out there that we would want to work with. Everybody that is out there makes sense to us, so I can’t necessarily answer that.

MR: What else do we need to know about the partnership between Amex, YouTube and VEVO or the Unstaged series?

RL: I think that’s mostly everything. We’re really proud of the unique three-way partnership we have, it really is a very different kind of relationship that probably all three of us have tried to figure out. There are a lot of parties and a lot of interest that we’re trying to all deliver for, and I think we do a really good job of delivering value for everyone–for VEVO, for YouTube, for the artist, for the labels–and that to me is the real win, and ultimately the consumers get an amazing experience. That to me is a really unique and special approach to marketing that American Express embraces. We think about how we can deliver value for everybody in the whole chain. Ultimately, if we can make this successful–not just successful as a big event, but successful for everybody–they can drive their business and their brand. If you have a major success with that, that’s wonderful marketing.

MR: Guys, what advice do you have for new artists?

RL: To embrace new technology and new ways to communicate, and be very vigilant in building up your fan base in unique and different ways. We have a very cluttered, fragmented, and busy world, and people have a lot of choices. So, people (should) really spend a lot of effort building relationships with fans, embracing new technologies, and embracing new ways of communication, and spending the time is number one. Of course, you have to have talent and a wonderful vision; but you also have to spend much more time figuring out how to engage fans.

MR: Brad, what about you?

BM: It’s all about building a community and really empowering fans to have a voice and feeling they are a part of their music career. So, for example, with the Unstaged series, it gives them that platform to say, “What about playing this song?” or “Can I view (it) from this vantage point? It’s all about having them be open to empowering their fans and engage in a dialogue with them.

MR: Speaking of new artists, what do you think about Unstaged using opening acts?

RL: We’ve been kicking that around. How you do an Unstaged like these are really big events, so we like the concept, we just have to figure what’s the model that can deliver value for the artist. On the stage, it gives them a huge platform to engage with consumers and hopefully shine a light on their launch. We want to make sure that whatever we do–that even if it’s an Unstaged light–that it can deliver that same kind of value, that it can be executable, and that fans can find it. You can’t just go in and do it just a little, you have to really be in it to drive the value for them and also get a fan base.

MR: Do you see the eventual selling of Unstaged DVDs?

RL: First off, for all of the artists, we link to their preferred vendor to sell the music, but I think that’s possible. We’ve talked to all of the artists, “How do we take some of that content and distribute it in different ways, whether it’s DVDs, online and digital, and other mechanisms. We are in constant contact with the artists, so I think that’s on the horizon for us to do those sorts of things.

MR: That also implies CDs as well.

RL: Absolutely. There is a demand for incredible content like this. We are open to doing that, and we have active conversations on how to do that and what to do with that.

MR: That covers a lot. Thanks very much, I appreciate your time, guys.

RL & BM: Thank you we really appreciate you taking the time to meet with us.

Transcribed by Theo Shier