The alliance brings fans into the album release process, and was modeled with Bruno Mars as he launched his first first solo album in 10 years. His label, Atlantic Records, partnered with iHeart in this.
Fans were invited to submit live stories through the iHeartRadio Talkback feature. (iHeart arranged for a few celebrity call-ins also.) While those submissions were coming in, arriving in iHearRadio and on TikTok Live, Bruno Mars debuted each of the nine album tracks, debuting the entire album before the event was done, well ahead of the official worldwide launch.
iHeartplayed this live event into a substantial content package which played on over 270 stations across several weeks. The company describes the impact as “continuous storytelling, fan engagement, and on-air promotion, building momentum leading up to and following the album preview event.”
iHeart’s main industry message is that standard album release strategies are evolving. The company states: “By integrating fan interaction, live broadcast distribution, and platform-native amplification, the event created a synchronized launch moment across platforms and delivered measurable engagement.”
iHeart wants this model to establish “a new framework for future launches.”
New ideas are proved by outcomes, and iHeart claims:
- Over three billion impressions during the campaign
- Assets involved included broadcast radio, social media, and digital promotion on iHeart and TikTok.
- 36 million likes in one hour
- The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and every song reached the top 100 in the U.S. and Global
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