Coca-Cola launches global music platform with film and Queen song

Coke Studio, Coca-Cola's new global music platform, offers emerging talent the opportunity to partner worldwide and inspire new audiences with musical magic. It kicks off with a film called "The Conductor," in which seven male and female artists collaborated to reinterpret the legendary Queen track "A Kind of Magic."

Coke Studio and "The Conductor" are the latest expressions of the global brand philosophy Real Magic, which Coca-Cola launched late last year. At the heart of the platform, he says, is the belief that diversity makes the world a better place to live - and that "real magic" happens when we come together through shared experiences, both digitally and in real life.

"Coke Studio is 'digital-first, always-on' and a direct extension of Coca-Cola's Real Magic philosophy," said Pratik Thakar, senior director, global creative strategy and content at Coca-Cola. "It connects fans around the world."

"The Conductor" is a tribute to the rock band Queen: the work is meant to embody the multicultural magic at the core of the Coke Studio platform. The 90-second film focuses on a re-recording of Queen's "A Kind of Magic" tune, produced in collaboration with global emerging artists, each bringing their own style and reinterpreting the track for another generation.

Artists include Grammy-nominated American R&B musician Ari Lennox, British singer-songwriter Griff, Turkish electro-pop producer Ekin Beril, Latin urban pop musician Mariah Angeliq, Nigerian singer-songwriter and producer Tems, Canadian-Indian rapper and producer Tesher and multilingual K-pop girl band Tri.be

In addition to the film, each of the seven artists has also recorded their own versions of "A Kind of Magic," which are available along with additional tracks and behind-the-scenes footage. Content can also be accessed through the on-pack activation 'Drink. Scan. Enjoy' activation. This transforms Coca-Cola packaging into digital portals: a gateway for consumers to experience the new global Coke Studio content.

The Coke Studio platform was first launched in Pakistan in 2008 and has enjoyed great success there, in Africa and in the Philippines, including 11 million YouTube subscribers," says Thakar.

"Today, we're excited to introduce them to a global audience and leverage the reach of our brand to build new audiences for some exceptional artists."

"We set out to do something different with Coke Studio," says Joshua Burke, senior director of global music & culture marketing at The Coca-Cola Company. "Coca-Cola has always had a strong connection to music as well as a long tradition of connecting people across borders and cultures. Coke Studio brings those two things together in a way that is powerful, forward-thinking and supports the development of talent in the music industry."

Burke goes on to say, "We see 'The Conductor' as both a reverence to the legendary band Queen and an opportunity to refresh and reinterpret one of their greatest tracks for another generation. There's magic in that, too."

The launch of Coke Studio and "The Conductor" was curated in collaboration with Universal Music Group, the global provider of music-based entertainment, with five of the participating artist:ins signed to the company's legendary record labels and a sixth signed to Universal Music Publishing Group. "The Conductor" was created in collaboration with the Betc London agency and Iconoclast director Pierre Dupaquier.

Link to the Coke Studio YouTube Hub.