Buzzworthy: Music Gets Interactive with Apple Computer and Metallica
Apple Computer forged new territory by reaching customers with unique content, including the first webcast – Metallica’s LIVE from Slim’s in San Francisco. Apple’s interactive real-time events set the company apart and leveraged the Internet as a new medium for high quality streaming and highlighted its QuickTime video product.
Elaine Marshall, founder and managing director of Empowered PR, was part of the first PR team for Apple’s entertainment group that promoted the Metallica fan club members-only event. Apple reached Metallica fans prior to the webcast to gain awareness of the webcast and its success in the entertainment space. PR opportunities, such as an after webcast online chat (one of the very first), integration with Metallica’s record label and communication to “wired” rockers over the Internet – something very cutting edge at the time! The special event truly “Rocked the ‘Net”.
In a unique play, the PR team set up special photo booths allowing fans to send photo postcards to friends to encourage them to tune in on the webcast while they waited outside the venue for the event to begin.
Following the live concert that was viewed around the world, fans were able to chat online with band members – a very new concept at the time and a press conference was held with the band. Journalists at the event ranged from print, television, and radio.
MTV, Spin, Rolling Stone, CNet, Billboard, and Addicted to Noise, as well as many other top-tier news outlets around the world, covered the ground-breaking event.
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