THE BEOP: The easiest way to launch a band? Have a brand do it for you.

The first time I ever heard Die Antwoord a couple of things went through my head, starting with "are these guys for real?", and quickly followed by "this must be a brand funded marketing stunt".

And now, it's happening all over again, but with a Kiwi band who say they are from a 'time bubble'.

Introducing The Beop.


I was sent a press release recently from the band which included a Beop handbook, and some facts on the band (a selection of which are below).

• We are from another dimension – diagonally advanced to yours (for convenience sake people call this the future).

• Yes, we are Intergalactic Druids.

• Our instruments are normal (for where we come from)

• The Beop band members are: Zozzi the Zozz: Lead vocals and Hairy-Tailed Jippet (though the Jippet tends to play himself); Sister Dep: Lead Vocals and Phrove; Uncle Doog: Rhythmo-pole, Phrove, backing vocals; Art Gurd: Multi-instrumentalist Gurd, has been somewhat preoccupied by his side projects of late.
  

• Due to the physical limitations of being in a time-bubble, we don’t do ‘conventional’ live stage performances, but rather beam in to venues and festivals (a bit like a live football simulcast) using very sophisticated projection technology.

As mentioned above, the band 'beam' in to venues... so the release goes on to say that The Beop will make a synchronised video release into the streets of Tokyo, Hong Kong, Hanoi, Sydney, Auckland, Wellington to celebrate the release of their single "Our Souls Are Intergalactic" on 20 November.

This all screams brand funded marketing stunt to me, but I can't yet work out just which brand might be behind it all.

The Beop site is quite fun, but doesn't really tell you anything about the band at the moment. It was created by a New Zealand developer called Simon Lindsay, who seems to do a lot of work for brands such as Toyota, Intel and Puma... But he has also done some music work for New Zealand group Fat Freddy's Drop. The site, the band 'handbook' and their videos are all well produced - and look far too expensive for a band who is just launching their career. But, that is exactly why I'm interested in The Beop - their music isn't great, their website doesn't really do anything, but their story is intriguing!

Find out a bit more here:



And check out their video for "Shake On" here:

How to make a video go viral

All artists want their music video to go viral, but how do you compete with a seven year old rapping "Whip My Hair"?

Dutch band Cmon and Kypski are offering their fans the chance to become a part of their video for 'More Is Less' - leading to almost 25,000 people already engaging with their clip.

The interactive video sits online at a site called "One Frame of Fame", and allows you to select individual frames, reshoot them with your own webcam, and upload the replacement footage in real time. The video is then refreshed every hour - so you can come back every hour to see a completely different product each time.

They've engaged their fans, they've given them the chance to be (somewhat) famous, and have offered something new and interesting.

Check it out here, and get your One Frame of Fame.