Brett Eldredge has a “Christmas Countdown” Alexa Skill
Country singer Brett Eldredge launched last week an interactive Alexa skill promoting the release of his new album, Glow Deluxe. Developed by Brooklyn, New York-based Magic & Company, the skill is called ‘Brett Eldredge’s Christmas Countdown‘ and it gives users the opportunity to learn about the production process of Glow, his favorite Christmas songs, as well as his inspirations for recording a Christmas album. The skill also includes a ‘Gratitude Journal’ feature, in which Eldredge will read subscribers an entry from his gratitude journal every day from December 15th through January 1st. Glow Deluxe features five brand new Holiday tracks: “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “Silver Bells,” “Sleigh Ride,” “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” and “Christmas Time Is Here.”
Alexa, ask Brett Eldredge’s Christmas Countdown what he’s thankful for.
Voice Apps as more than a Promotional Tool
The goal of this skill is to do more than just promote Eldredge’s album – it is also to build a connection with his fans. The biggest example of this is the decision to include Eldredge’s gratitude journal. Eldredge has often cited his gratitude journal as a valuable tool for practicing mindfulness, and with the feature updated daily from December 15th through January 1st, fans will be able to practice their mindfulness along with the country music star. Chad Schultz, Warner Music Nashville’s VP Radio & Streaming, Marketing commented on this aspect of the Alexa skill:
With the release of this latest voice skill, we’re ushering in a new era of fan engagement. Fans increasingly crave an intimate and authentic connection that extends beyond the music — voice technology represents a powerful opportunity for artists like Brett to satisfy this demand and reach broad audiences.
Musicians and their Alexa Skills Indicate New Trend
The use of an Alexa skill as both a promotional tool for an album release and as a fan engagement tool was also the basis of recently launched Little Mix’s AAA skill. Users are able to hear about the development process of their new album LM5, the band members thoughts about life while touring, in addition to playing an interactive quiz. The quiz along with behind-the-scenes content is updated twice a week for twelve weeks. Voice assistants provide a new way to fulfill the desire that fans have to authentically connect with their favorite artist.
The music industry has taken note of the opportunity, and Alexa has as well. Both the Little Mix AAA skill and Brett Eldredge’s Christmas Countdown skill are exclusively available on Alexa; consumers will not be able to find the same content on another voice assistant platform. We know of several other voice applications produced by musicians in the development pipeline so expect to see more of this. Voice assistants offer a unique opportunity for content promotion and fan engagement and artists are taking note.
Sony Music UK Launch Innovative Alexa Skill for Little Mix Fans
