What on earth, you might reasonably be wondering, is a “dual-phone” video? It involves two videos that are designed to be watched on two separate phones sitting side by side that, when synchronised, interweave to create a whole new video experience. And Post Malone is the first to make such a video for his ‘Circle’ track.
The video narrative is about a couple constantly breaking up and getting back together (hence the ‘Circle’ motif). To experience how the two videos mesh, fans need to watch “her side” on the Posty’s Universe playlist (one of Spotify’s enhanced album experiences) and watch “his side” on the Today’s Top Hits playlist as the visuals appear to oscillate between both devices.
It has been developed by Powster and the digital marketing & innovation arm of UMG. “This visual innovation goes the extra mile with bespoke vertical content shot specifically for Spotify, utilizing the new Spotify vertical video feature in a cuttingedge way,” said Ste Thompson, CEO and creative director of Powster. “This aligns with Post’s desire to create art around his music,” added George Harb, VP of digital marketing & innovation at UMG. “This content is an innovative and captivating visual companion to the song.”
A number of acts (notably Beyoncé and Frank Ocean) have been tinkering with visual albums for a while, but DSPs have also been trying to make themselves more visual in recent years. Apple Music added videos last year and Apple has reportedly stumped up $25m for a Billie Eilish documentary (although that will be for Apple TV+); Tidal launched its My Video Mix feature in November to showcase the 250k+ videos it has in its catalogue; and Spotify’s Canvas feature is something it has been pushing heavily this year and throwing its weight behind visually enhanced albums/playlists from Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift and (her again) Billie Eilish.
The DSPs have all, more or less, backed away from album exclusives, but “video enhancement exclusives” would seem to be the carrot they are all competing to dangle in front of acts and their marketing teams at the moment.
