New Yorkers will have gotten used to seeing Apple Music and Spotify billboards appearing in the iconic Times Square, promoting fresh music from key artists.
In recent months, for example, Spotify has paid for huge New Music Friday banners promoting tracks from the likes of Liam Payne & J Balvin and Ariana Grande.
Apple, meanwhile, has backed the likes of Nicki Minaj and Tory Lanez with very similar real estate in the same location.
A couple of weeks ago, however, those in Times Square might have had to do a double take: because the same artist was promoted by both global streaming giants in the location.
An MBW reader in NYC snapped the shots and just sent them into us; interesting, right?
Step forward, British singer/songwriter Nina Nesbitt (pictured) – who is currently benefiting from a simultaneous worldwide push from Spotify and Apple.
Nesbitt has released two new singles this year, Somebody Special and latest track Loyal To Me, in addition to other songs like Best You Had.
Loyal To Me was recently re-recorded for an exclusive ‘Spotify Singles’ release which arrived late last month.
It’s not the first time Nesbitt has recorded an original for Spotify’s service: in March, she issued new track Psychopath, recorded with Sasha Sloan and Charlotte Lawrence, as a Spotify Singles release to celebrate Women’s History Month. It was accompanied by a cover version of Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.
“All the DSPs believe in Nina and love her music – it’s really that simple.”
Nesbitt was formerly signed to Universal/Island Records for her 2014 debut album, but now releases music independently, licensed through UK-based independent Cooking Vinyl worldwide.
Cooking Vinyl founder Martin Goldschmidt told MBW that Nesbitt has now clocked up 100m streams on all formats, and is currently pulling in more than a million streams each week.
But what’s drawn such mutual, simultaneous support from Apple and Spotify?
Especially in the same quarter that Nicki Minaj is claiming that support from one (Apple) led to promotional punishment by another (Spotify – something the green machine outright denies)?
“All the DSPs believe in Nina and love her music – it’s really that simple,” says Goldschmidt.
“Spotify and Apple are both playing a big role in getting the momentum going on this music, and now radio is getting interested in the UK, US and beyond.”Music Business Worldwide
