Travis Scott’s literally Astronomical event on Fortnite: What music managers can learn from THE SCOTTS release

“Ooops, I did it again” 

A bit more than a year after Marshmello’s previous set in Fortnite, Travis Scott and Epic Games set a new record with the ‘Astronomical’ 3-day residency, with about 12 million players tuned into the experience the very first night, beating Marshmello’s 10.7 million attendance in early 2019. In total, 27.7 million players watched the event, and that doesn’t even account for Youtube or Twitch views later on. It’s important to note that it is also a record for Fortnite that peaks at 7.6 million players on a regular non-eventful day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oaW16lGNxE

It’s not the first time the music and gaming industries fool around together. For instance, Solomun appeared as the primary DJ for the GTA Online Protagonist's Nightclub and stayed resident from 24 July to 31 July 2018. The trend is picking up everywhere, even more so now that Covid-19 put half the world on a stay-home policy. Major festivals and concerts are struggling with cancellations and sanitary restrictions. Live streamed events are booming and the music industry is resilient enough to push innovation forward in these difficult times. A virtual music festival is happening inside Minecraft this month. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqa4vBgzUYI

Why Astronomical worked so well? 

Music & Virtual Reality had a complicated history so far. MelodyVR and other VR companies are bringing orchestras to the living room. However, no music & VR experience has reached any mainstream audience so far. Trying to replicate a concert experience in a living room is bound to be disappointing. Just because it’s trying too hard to replicate something that already exists. The social dimension of going to a show is very strong, people go to concerts to live the moment with the band and other fans. No headset can make you feel the heat of being surrounded by other human beings vibrating to the same beat alongside you. VR suffers from the comparison that users can hardly prevent themselves from doing.

What Fortnite, Marshmello and Travis Scott successfully did is to actually create a new experience that fans wouldn’t compare with anything else: leverage an existing virtual universe, use its users habits and codes, and leverage them to create a unique artist/fan experience.

On top of building an amazing user experience, the move is also smart because one doesn’t have to create a whole new virtual universe, it is already there in the game, as well as the audience. Fans don’t have to get new equipment to benefit from the show. It is original, unique and with a seamless experience for those already in the game. As a product designer, I can only applaud. What about those who don’t play?

A success beyond gaming platforms

Cherry on the cake, non-gamers were not left behind. The virtual event can be broadcast live on Youtube, Twitch and/or Instagram; which makes for a fully integrated experience across all networks. There is no FOMO for non-gamers since fans can see what’s happening. Youtube and Twitch in this case supplement the experience, enabling replays on other devices later on. Travis Scott’ team leveraged all platforms and tailored content for each accurately: Fortnite for the live immersive show, Youtube and Twitch for replays, and Instagram for the community.

The Astronomical event today has almost 30 million views on Youtube, surpassing attendance on Fortnite. Travis Scott's Youtube channel gained 2 million subscribers, as well as his Instagram page. The only remaining question is whether the virtual, video experience also promoted the song well and if fans enjoyed the audio art as well. Spotify figures seem to point in that direction, as monthly listeners reached an all time high at 44 million (data courtesy of Soundcharts). 

Key takeaways

IRL, what can you do (without Travis Scott’s marketing budget)? Here are a few takeaways you can bring home when thinking about your next campaign:

• Go where they go: leverage existing audiences and fit their needs and habits,
• Tailor the experience for the platform you will work on: don’t duplicate content and think specifically about how to adapt for one given platform.
• Think 360 across all networks: fans use several social networks and streaming platforms, think about their experience from start to finish. 

PS:  I won my first game on Fortnite last night. Couldn’t resist.