PURCHASE, N.Y., Feb. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Pepsi
announced Bebe Rexha as the next
artist to join its The Sound Drop platform, signaling the
brand's continued dedication to emerging artists and upcoming
generation of featured talent. The Sound Drop partners with
iHeartMedia, Shazam and Viacom to provide artists with a powerful
stage to share their story, music and connect on a deeper level
with their fans. Additional artists for this second wave of The
Sound Drop platform will be announced throughout the rest of
the year.
"I am so excited to be joining the Pepsi family as their newest
Sound Drop artist," said Rexha. "Pepsi's roots are deep within pop
culture and entertainment, especially music. I'm looking forward to
not only collaborating with Pepsi, but also connecting with my fans
in a new way."
The Sound Drop initially launched in August 2016 with artists Lukas Graham, Alessia
Cara and Jidenna. The program offers talent access to
iHeartMedia's networks, heightening awareness of each artist and
allowing for additional amplification through artist discovery and
introduction. Additionally, Viacom offers content production and
creative storytelling through the company's integrated marketing
and internal agency Velocity. Each touch point tells the
surround-sound story of the artist and helps support them in their
journey to create and connect. Shazam will also provide additional
exposure through their various artist-discovery platforms and
channels. During last year's initial campaign, The Sound
Drop saw 105% growth in video views since their MTV VMA
kickoff, totaling 5.8 million views. The program also aided
Lukas Graham's album sales, with an
increase of 158%.
The goal of The Sound Drop is to support artists within
the family during their journeys, providing corresponding content
throughout the year and featuring intimate, live performances.
First phase R&B artist Jidenna is slated to perform with The
Sound Drop later this month.
"We're pleased to not only welcome Bebe
Rexha to The Sound Drop family, but also to help
elevate her story and support her journey as an artist," said
Emma Quigley, Head of Music,
PepsiCo. "The Sound Drop continues to be an important
amplification platform for emerging artists looking to stand out
and find new ways to connect with their fans. We've seen the
success firsthand through our initial group of artists and are
looking forward to doing the same with our newest additions. As
music runs through Pepsi's veins, we hope to create success for
each of our artists and with the help of our partners, through a
new, fresh avenue."
For more information visit http://www.thesounddrop.com and
#thesounddrop to join the conversation.
About PepsiCo:
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by
consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and
territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $63
billion in net revenue in 2015, driven by a complementary
food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade,
Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio
includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including
22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in
estimated annual retail sales.
At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal
to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating
sustainable growth and shareholder value. In practice, Performance
with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages
from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize
our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs;
providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees
globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local
communities where we operate. For more information,
visit www.pepsico.com.
About iHeartMedia:
With over a quarter of a billion
monthly listeners in the U.S. and over 85 million social followers,
iHeartMedia has the largest national reach of any radio or
television outlet in America. As the leader in multiplatform
connections, it also serves over 150 local markets through 858
owned radio stations, and the company's radio stations and content
can be heard on AM/FM, HD digital radio, satellite radio, on the
Internet at iHeartRadio.com and on the company's radio station
websites, on the iHeartRadio mobile app, in enhanced auto dashes,
on tablets, wearables and smartphones, and on gaming consoles.
iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia's digital radio platform, is the
fastest growing digital audio service in the U.S. and offers users
thousands of live radio stations, personalized custom artist
stations created by just one song or seed artist and the top
podcasts and personalities. With over a billion downloads,
iHeartRadio reached 95 million registered users faster than any
other radio or digital music service and even faster than
Facebook.
iHeartMedia's platforms include radio broadcasting, online,
mobile, digital and social media, podcasts, personalities and
influencers, live concerts and events, syndication, music research
services and independent media representation. iHeartMedia is a
division of iHeartMedia, Inc. (OTCBB: IHRT).
Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.
About Shazam:
Shazam is one of the world's most
popular apps, used by hundreds of millions of people each month to
magically connect to the world around them. Building on its
pioneering leadership in music identification, Shazam now helps
people discover, interact with, and share video, audio, or printed
content on TV, radio, movie screens, magazines, newspapers,
packaged goods, and retail stores—and now Shazam lets music fans
follow their favorite artists to see their Shazams and share in the
thrill of discovery. The app has been downloaded over 1 billion
times, in over 190 countries and users Shazam over 20 million times
each day. For more information on how Shazam has created new
technology tools for brands to utilize data, visit
www.shazam.com.
About MTV:
MTV is a global youth culture brand driven
by the creative spirit of music. For more information,
check out http://www.mtvpress.com. MTV is a unit of
Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA).
About Bebe
Rexha:
Singer/songwriter Bebe
Rexha has accumulated over 10 million overall single sales,
1 billion Spotify streams, 1.3 billion combined YouTube/VEVO views
and a radio audience of over 8 billion. Recently, she hit #1 on
both the Billboard Pop and Rap charts with her
Platinum-selling smash single "Me, Myself & I" with G-Eazy. Her
single "No Broken Hearts" featuring Nicki Minaj has over 144
million YouTube/VEVO views to date and she is featured on Martin
Garrix's latest single "In The Name of Love" which already has over
265 million YouTube/VEVO views to date. Bebe Rexha burst onto
the scene in 2013 when she penned the song which became a worldwide
hit for Eminem and Rihanna—"Monster" – which went RIAA
quadruple-platinum stateside. She wrote and featured on Cash Cash's
"Take Me Home" and Pitbull's "This Is Not A Drill" in addition to
writing Tinashe's "All Hands On Deck" and Selena Gomez's "Champion." Her 2015 debut
EP, I Don't Wanna Grow Up [Warner Bros. Records]
boasts the singles "I Can't Stop Drinking About You" and "I'm Gonna
Show You Crazy," which racked up over 52 million Spotify streams in
only six months. That same year, she co-wrote and carried instantly
recognizable hooks for the double-platinum "Hey Mama" by
David Guetta, Nicki Minaj, and
Afrojack which was nominated for a Billboard Music
Award for Top Dance/Electronic Song, as well as
the Billboard Hot 100 smash "Me, Myself, & I"
with G-Eazy. She recently released her new single "I Got You" off
of her forthcoming debut album All Your Fault Part 1,
out February 2017.
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SOURCE PepsiCo